Chapter 2
“Did you have a nice night with Emily last night?” Owen asked over breakfast later that morning.
Connor smiled sheepishly at him as he reached across the table to stab another piece of bacon and bite into it wordlessly.
“I’ll take that as a yes. I thought you might,” he said with a knowing smile.
Connor looked at him, observing him closely. Owen rarely smiled about anything, and even when he did, there was always this air of sadness you could see just below the surface. It was if he tried hard to pretend he was content when he was anything but that on the inside. It was wretched to watch him wallow in his own heartache year after year, but efforts to help him gain some sense of peace with himself had proved fruitless over the years.
Owen was strong in all the ways that mattered, but he was shut off emotionally. He preferred the company of the animals out on the mountain trails he was fond of roaming, over any of the women who showed him the slightest bit of interest. In fact, nothing would send him scurrying away faster than a woman flirting. In the years since Margaret had been gone, he had never been unfaithful to her memory as far as Connor knew. No one could convince him that it was time to move on. Still, they all tried from time to time.
“You should consider finding someone you might like,” Connor told him, knowing it was useless.
“I don’t see it happening,” Owen mumbled, taking the last bite of his eggs and then picking up his plate to take to the sink.
“You will never know unless you give someone a chance,” Connor told him, pointing his fork toward him for emphasis.
“I know all I need to know, brother. You don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” Owen replied, busying himself with cleaning up the breakfast dishes.
“I just hate to see you all alone all the time.”
“I’m not alone. I have you. Who needs a mate when I have you to make me breakfast and wash my clothes?” Owen said sarcastically.
“You might just find yourself cut off with that attitude,” Connor laughed.
“Never. You love your big brother. You can’t deny it,” Owen teased.
Connor made a grunting noise at him and took his plate over to where Owen had begun to wash up the breakfast dishes. They did get along pretty well for siblings that lived together, but he suspected a large part of that was the fact that Owen was hardly ever there, and when he was, he was in his own little world, lost in thoughts that often made Connor wonder where he went to when his gaze was so distant.
“Alright, well, I have made plans with Emily today. Do you want to come with us?”
“I’ll pass,” Owen replied as he put another dish in the drainer.
“I didn’t even tell you what we are doing,” Connor glumly pointed out.
“It doesn’t matter. I have other plans.”
“Like what?”
“I have a date with Cassi,” Owen replied seriously.
“I hadn’t pegged her for a cougar,” Connor joked.
“Old chicks dig me,” Owen replied glibly as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Right. Well, I’m glad you are getting out…I think. Don’t give the old bird a heart attack. I rather like her cooking and would like to keep her around another thousand years or so.”
“More like she is going to give me one. She invited me over to help her move furniture,” Connor laughed.
“Ah, that sounds more plausible. What do you get out of it?”
“We, brother. We. She is giving us a free dinner for four.”
“So, who will you bring to dinner then?” Connor teased.
“Mom, of course!” Owen said, turning to face him with a slow smile.
Connor didn’t know whether to laugh or grumble at him some more, but the laughter seemed to win out as he chuckled and shook his head in his direction.
“Alright then. You enjoy your day with Cassi. I’ll see you later back here.”
“Oh, I won’t be home. I’m going to climb a bit and camp out near the cliffs.”
“There’s a shock,” Connor replied, rolling his eyes.
“See you tomorrow,” Owen said dismissively as he finished up the dishes.
Connor grabbed a quick shower and got dressed for his day out with Emily. He was excited to be seeing her again so soon. He really couldn’t remember ever having met someone who made him tingle at just the thought of them being near. Best of all, she seemed just as taken with him. At least, he certainly hoped so. Otherwise, he would probably end up making a fool of himself over her.
“See you later,” he called toward Owen, who was lounging on the sofa, reading the paper. He was already out the door before he got a reply, eager to get to the little coffee shop where he was supposed to meet Emily, when something occurred to him and he ran back inside. “Owen, what is Emily’s last name? Who is her aunt?”
“You spent the whole afternoon and most of the night with the girl and didn’t get her last name?” Owen replied with a raised eyebrow.
“Pretty much,” Connor admitted reluctantly.
“Good going, brother. Her last name is O’Hanlan. Her aunt is Rose O’Hanlan.”
“Really?” Connor said, flabbergasted.
“Really,” Owen replied with a grin.
“That figures,” Connor laughed. “Okay, thanks!”
“You’re welcome,” Owen said to him as he darted back out the door again.
Rose O’Hanlan had taught both of them in primary school. She was Connor’s first teacher crush. It was no wonder he was drawn so much to her niece, as odd as that might seem. He wondered, as he headed off again to meet Emily, if she had mentioned him to her aunt and what conversation had transpired after that. How embarrassing to think how her aunt might have known and recounted how he had doted on her as a child.
He felt nervous as he approached the coffee shop. It wasn’t like him. He was normally very self-assured, but Emily made him so nervous that he might do or say the wrong thing and run her off before he’d had a chance to really get to know her. What if she had changed her mind and didn’t even show up?
“You’re here!” he said, spotting her at a corner table as he entered the front door.
“Of course, I’m here. You did tell me to meet you, after all,” she replied, seeming confused by his surprise.
“Right. I know, of course. I’m just glad to see you. That’s all,” he laughed, trying to play off his ridiculous fears.
“It’s good to see you, too,” she replied brightly.
“Are you ready for the beach?”
“Oh, yes! I can’t wait. It’s even a nice day for it,” she replied.
Connor ordered a cup of tea and they chatted for a bit before heading out to the seaside. She was amazingly easy to talk to. He really couldn’t be any happier about having met a girl like her as they seemed to have a lot in common. An hour later, they had made their way to the small beach below the cliffs. He didn’t tell her about the significance of this place. It was where his father’s body had been found.
Many were surprised that he could still even return to it, but he found an odd solace in being in the place where his father last existed. It gave him a strength that was hard to explain. He couldn’t really say why it was that he wanted to share that with Emily, but for some reason he did. Perhaps he might even share with her why this place was special to him.
“It’s gorgeous here,” she told him, squinting upward toward the sun.
“Yes. It’s one of my favorite places. I can’t believe how nice it is here today. Seems to rain every time I come here.”
“Perhaps I am your good luck charm,” she said, pushing an errant hair away from her eyes.
“Perhaps you are,” he replied, taking a step toward her and pulling her closer to him.
His hands found their way into her hair, combing his fingers through the rich copper strands as the sunlight spun them into a rich hue. Her blue eyes met his as he lowered his head toward hers, his heart racing as he drew her into another kiss. Everything about her felt perfect and right. Though he had only met her yesterday, he was certain it was meant to be.
He wanted her, wanted to take her right then and there, but he cautioned himself to back off and not to push things. The last thing he wanted was to push too hard, move too fast, and scare her away. Instead, he took a deep breath as he pulled away and caressed her cheek with his right hand.
“You are so beautiful,” he breathed.
“Thank you. You are pretty gorgeous yourself,” she replied, drawing him in again with the way her eyes lit up as she gazed at him.
“I’m really enjoying spending time with you,” he said, casting a sideways glance at her even as he attempted to put a little bit of distance between them to get his thoughts back in order. She had a way about her that spun him out of control.
“Even here?” she asked thoughtfully.
“What do you mean?” he asked, unsure of what she was trying to tell him.
“I told my aunt we were coming here. She said she was surprised, because of them having found your father here,” Emily replied, looking unsure of her choice of words.
“Oh. I didn’t know you knew about that,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry, Connor. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No, it’s okay. Perhaps it is a morbid curiosity that I find solace on this beach. I was young, so I wasn’t allowed to come down here when they found him. I only know that it is where he was found. Right over there, as a matter of fact,” he said, pointing toward a cliff that jutted out closer to the water than the others that surrounded them. “I guess coming here, to where he last existed, helps me feel closer to him.”
“You must have loved your father a great deal,” she told him, cupping his cheek in her small, soft hands.
“I did. Everyone did. He was a good man.”
“What happened to him? Is it okay to ask that? My aunt said she wasn’t sure about it.”
“No one is sure about it. Something happened on his return from Sheep Island. He had gone up there to assist Aiden with something – an injured woman who needed their help or something like that. On their return, they became separated, and my father seems to have encountered someone from another clan, one that had a grudge against ours. They fought out over the ocean, and my father fell here, wounded and exhausted. The other shifter was never found.”
“It must be so frustrating not to know what really happened or who did it,” she said woefully.
“It is, but there is nothing that can be done to change it, so it is probably best. Knowing who the culprit was would have only driven us to pursue vengeance. So, it’s probably best that we are ignorant of the details. It keeps us from doing something stupid,” he admitted.
“If you knew who killed your father, you would go after him?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I think we would. I don’t think we could turn the other cheek if we knew the truth.”
“Then you are right. It is probably best that you don’t know.”
“Maybe,” he replied, realizing he had just told her more about his father, about his father’s death, and this place, than he had anyone. There was just something about her that made him feel so at ease, able to discuss anything, no matter how personal.
“Hey, we’re getting way too serious for such a gorgeous day, aren’t we? How about we go for a dip in the water?” she asked, seeming to sense that they needed to move away from the current subject.
“It might be a bit chilly this time of year,” he laughed.
“As if that ever stopped a dragon,” she replied, shifting and then diving into the water.
Connor followed suit, shifting before jumping into the water behind her and chasing her through the dark waters off the coast beneath the Mournes. It was risky to be in dragon form this time of day, but they were in a fairly secluded area and only momentarily visible from time to time as they came up for air. They frolicked for a while before coming up to dry off and head back toward home.
“Do you want to come over for a while?” he asked as they approached the cabin he shared with his brother.
“I don’t want to intrude. I know Owen isn’t much of a people person,” she replied in a sympathetic tone.
“He’s fine once he gets to know you, and he seems to have taken a liking to you right away, but he won’t be there tonight,” he replied.
“I didn’t get the impression that he liked me very much considering the speed with which he dumped me off on you,” she said.
“Well, I wouldn’t plan on becoming his best friend. I told you why he is like that. He’s not the chummy sort, but he did like you or he would have dumped you off on someone he knew wouldn’t bring you back around him,” he laughed.
“I see. And he’s not home tonight, huh? Are you trying to take advantage of me?” she teased.
“Not yet,” he replied with a wink.
“Perfect,” she laughed. “I’m in then, but you have to make me dinner.”
“Uh, I hope you like frozen pizza,” he told her, laughing as they made their way back up the slanted ridge that led from the beach, and through a valley that angled up toward the village.