The Mystic Cove Series Boxed Set (Wild Irish Books 1-4)

by Tricia O'Malley

  Keelin nodded. She thought about how she had felt when she had healed Finn. It was a mixture of sheer terror along with a rush of power. Part of her had liked it. Almost too much. She decided to voice her concerns to Fiona. "I, well, when I healed Finn, it just, it was kind of awesome. It scared me but at the same time it made me giddy! I wanted to run around and make flowers bloom and heal people who were coughing on the street. I don't know if I like that side of myself though. It seems, almost, I don't know, cocky?"

  Fiona smiled at her and leaned over to pat Ronan's head. "You're a good girl, Keelin. That was actually one of my biggest concerns when Margaret cut off contact. I feared that you would discover your power and get greedy in your use of it. But, as you know, power carries responsibility. And, the healer's gift can also be their greatest curse. Used inappropriately, your power will kill you." Fiona met and held her eyes. Keelin inhaled a shaky breath and nodded.

  "So, some of this needed to happen the way it did."

  "Ah yes, to everything in its own time." Fiona raised her glass and clinked it with Keelin's. They both sipped their whiskey and stared at the flames as the shadows grew deep at the window.

  "Do you think we should try to find the chalice?" Keelin blurted out. The cove haunted her dreams and she didn't know why.

  "Good lord, girl. No. You've heard the term 'let sleeping dogs lie' right? Let this dog sleep."

  "I know. I know. I do. It, it is just so fascinating." Keelin quickly backpedaled.

  "How many times does the cove need to try to kill you before you realize that not everything in life is meant to be answered? There are some things that are greater than answers. I know your science mind struggles with that but you must leave the chalice in peace. It is where it needs to be. To disrupt that would be catastrophic." Fiona stared at her with an unwavering gaze.

  "But, why does the cove glow blue all the time? It drives me crazy!" Keelin blurted out.

  Fiona gasped. "You're in love with Flynn!" A smile broke out on the older woman's face and she jumped from her seat to do a quick jig.

  "What? No. No, I am not. Whatever made you say that?" Keelin felt warmth spreading through her cheeks.

  "Ah, my dear heart, you most certainly are. I thought that you had only seen it the one time with me. But if you've seen it around Flynn that is very different. A very little known fact about Grace O'Malley is that she was a romantic at heart. A brutal woman to the bone, she believed in love to her dying day. While the cove often glows for its own or when someone passes, it will always glow in the presence of love. It did for me with your grandfather." Fiona danced around the room with Ronan barking at her heels. "We will plan the loveliest wedding on the hills."

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop. No wedding. No anything. I don't even know how I feel about Flynn. I've only been here a few weeks. And I certainly do not plan on marrying anytime soon."

  Fiona smiled at her. "Ah, the stubbornness of youth. There is no timeframe on love."

  "Um, does he know about, well, about the powers we have?"

  Fiona returned to her seat and took a happy gulp of her whiskey.

  "Why don't you ask him?"

  "I can't ask him! What – just say hey by the way I can heal people with my hands? Are you cool with that?" Keelin threw up her hands and shook her head at Ronan. He panted up at her with his pink tongue hanging from his mouth.

  "Love does not include lies. Either the man accepts you as a whole or he is not the man for you."

  "But, I don't even know my whole self." Keelin felt dangerously close to tears. The person she had known in Boston was gone. She wasn't sure of this new Keelin yet but she wanted to keep learning. But to open her heart to love without fully knowing herself – she was certain that would bring nothing but a destructive end.

  "You'll get there. And, you'd be surprised what a man in love can help you to discover about yourself. Now, I'm for bed. You stay up and enjoy the rest of the fire. Take some time to think about what you want." Fiona leaned over and pressed her weathered lips to Keelin's smooth cheek. "You've a good heart, Keelin. Let it guide you."

  Keelin was dangerously afraid that she knew exactly where her big heart would lead her and it wasn't onto a plane back to Boston. She groaned and leaned her head back against the chair as she stared at the fire. What was she doing with her life? In a matter of weeks she had a whole new family, a pet, and potentially a love life. Her newfound healing talent left her in awe and her studies for school no longer seemed to interest her. She wanted to learn how to be a true healer, not a marine biologist. And, if she admitted it, she'd never felt happier. Flynn's face popped into her head. Her stomach tingled as she thought about her date with him. She wanted him. There was no denying that – but love? There was so much to learn about him. And what about the important things like if he ate pizza or snored at night? All those little details that made people compatible. Shouldn't she know some of these things before her heart said she was in love? Deciding that denial was a safe bet, Keelin tamped the fire down and finished her whiskey, hoping the warmth would lull her into sleep.

  Chapter 18

  The next day Keelin went into town early. She wanted to catch Cait before she opened the pub. Determined to find out more about her new friend, Keelin devised a plan on the drive in. Unfortunately, her mind kept scattering to her big date later that evening.

  It's not a big date, Keelin reminded herself. She hadn't seen Flynn since he had stormed off through the fields all Lord of the Manor and whatnot. She assumed that was part of his strategy because now all she did was think about him. Well, about him and her newfound power. Both consumed her and left shadows under her eyes from restless nights. Part of her felt raw, like she was being born into a new skin. It seemed to her like there was no gradual testing of the waters with anything since she had arrived in Ireland. Power flooded her just as much as lust did. Keelin felt like she was lit from within.

  Luck was on her side and a parking spot was open directly in front of the pub. Keelin checked the clock. At 11:00, the pub would be open but not quite serving lunch yet. Perfect, she thought. She hoped that her plan worked.

  Keelin opened the door quietly and walked inside. She squinted her eyes into the dim light of the pub and saw Cait with her back to the door stacking glasses on the bar. Keelin stood where she was. "What is your soup of the day?" she asked in her head – not out loud.

  "A lovely vegetable barley is in the pot for you," Cait said as she turned and smiled. She stopped and dropped a glass to the counter as she looked into Keelin's eyes. Her mouth dropped open.

  "I didn't say that out loud, Cait." Keelin moved towards the bar.

  "Oh, feck. I should've known you would figure it out." Cait sighed and hunched her shoulders. "Go on, run on. I know you will think I'm a freak."

  "What? No!" Keelin was shocked. She hurried around the bar and ducked under the pass-through. She pulled the small woman into her arms. "No, please don't think that. I don't feel that way at all. I'm sorry. I should have just asked you. I shouldn't have pulled that trick on you."

  She felt Cait tense in her arms. She shuddered out a deep breath before she gave a small nod. Stepping back, Cait smiled up at Keelin.

  "It's okay. I'm just so used to hiding it. Come on, you should really try the soup." Cait ushered her towards a seat.

  Keelin let out a breath and pulled up a stool at the bar. She was relieved that she hadn't hurt her friend too badly. She should have thought her plan through. What had she been thinking?

  "I said it's okay." Cait laughed at her as Keelin jumped a bit.

  "Okay, this will be something that I have to get used to. But, well, you know about me, right?" Keelin asked as she glanced over her shoulder for other patrons.

  "Yes, I know. I wondered when you would feel comfortable sharing with me," Cait said as she slid a cup of tea in front of Keelin.

  "I guess, I don't know, I guess I am still just trying to figure it all out. How does having this power work for you? I can'
t read minds but if I grab someone's hand I can get flashes of them or their past. Obviously, if they are sick I can read that." Keelin blew on her tea and idly stirred some milk into her cup.

  "I don't know, not really. I had a hard time growing up because it took me a long time to figure out that people weren't always speaking what I would hear from them. Thank God for Fiona. She taught me how to shield myself. Frankly, if it wasn't for her I would never be able to work in a crowded bar. Now, I rarely hear people's thoughts unless I actively tune in or if I am alone and unguarded." Cait wiped the counter down and continued to do the busywork of setting up the bar stations. Keelin sipped her tea and gestured with the cup for her to continue. "Honestly, I think that most people have forgotten that I can read minds or choose to ignore it. But it makes dating difficult."

  "I was going to ask about that. So, does Shane really like you?"

  Cait threw up her hands. "Ugh, I don't know! I try to be respectful of him and not poke into his brain. Interestingly enough, he is one of the hardest people to read that I've come across. I think that is part of his appeal."

  "He's a kind man, you know. I read him."

  Cait nodded. "I know, I can tell. Plus I had Aislinn read his colors. He's a pure one. Unfortunately, my thoughts about him are anything but." Cait grinned at her wickedly and Keelin barked out a laugh.

  "Girl, go after him."

  "Uh huh. Just like you are going after Flynn?" Cait raised her eyebrow at her.

  Keelin gulped her tea. "God, I'm so nervous. What am I doing with that man?"

  "I hope it involves handcuffs." Cait shrieked with laughter as Keelin's mouth dropped open. "You should see your face."

  "I, jeez." Keelin huffed out a breath and fanned her face. The mental images of Flynn with handcuffs were enough to make her squirm. "Have you ever dated him?"

  "Flynn? Gosh no. Not for lack of trying though." Cait smiled at her. "Honestly though, Flynn doesn't date in the village, to the dismay of many a broken heart. He likes to keep his home life and love life separate. So, lucky for you, you'll not have any jealous exes coming after you here."

  "Well that's something, I guess. I'm nervous," Keelin confessed in a rush of words. "It's been a long time for me and I just about lose my head when that man is around me. I don't know how it will be."

  "Listen to your heart. You'll know if it isn't right for you," Cait said.

  "That's what I'm afraid of. Listening to my heart. I feel like I don't know myself and at the same time like I finally know myself." Keelin twirled her spoon in her teacup.

  "Well, I know one man who wants to get to know you. Why don't you really talk to him tonight and take some time to get to know him? You might have a better sense of things after that. If he doesn't already have you undressed below deck by then." Cait shot her a smile as Keelin groaned.

  "You know, part of that thought freaks me out and the other part really wants it."

  "Listen to the part that wants it." Cait raised her glass to Keelin.

  Chapter 19

  Keelin mulled over Cait's advice on the way home to get ready for her date. She was right. Keelin needed to get out of her head and into her heart. Keelin caught herself humming along to the radio as she navigated the cliff roads. It was a strange feeling – this coming into her own. Boston seemed like worlds away. Being out from under her mother's scrutiny and away from the need to finish school had freed her in a way that she may have never known. Under Fiona's tutelage she was slowly learning an entirely new craft that made her soul sing. For that alone she was grateful. For the hunky neighbor next door that she wanted to devour in one gulp? She wasn't sure if grateful was the word exactly. She decided to embrace the evening and listen to her heart and only her heart. Let it lead her where she needed to be.

  Keelin laughed as she pulled into the drive. Flynn's dog stood to attention with a basket of flowers in her mouth. That man did not miss a trick, she thought as she bounded out of the car to take the basket in her hands. A small card was tucked amongst the wildflower blossoms. Keelin leaned over and rubbed the scruff on Teagan's neck. "Go on, girl. You can tell him that I got the basket." She smiled as Teagan took off over the hills. Just add that to the list of weird things here, she thought. Keelin tucked the basket under her arm and ripped the card open as she nudged the door with her hip.

  “Though lovely and fair as the rose of the summer

  Yet, ’twas not her beauty alone that won me.

  Oh no! ’Twas the truth in her eye ever dawning

  That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.”

  Hmm, Keelin thought. So Flynn was quoting poetry to her now? She hid a small smile as she contemplated the line about the truth in her eye. Did Flynn want her to tell him about her gifts? She wasn't sure if she was ready to share that part of herself. Heck, she was still figuring it out for herself. Keelin wasn't certain if she was ready to tell people, well, regular people, about it.

  Keelin scrounged in the cupboards until she found a lovely crystal vase for the flowers. She continued to hum to herself as she cut the flowers for the vase. It was a softly beautiful summer day and the windows were thrown open to catch the sea breezes. Keelin heard Ronan's barks grow closer as Fiona made her way up the path and into the cottage. Fiona stopped and exclaimed at the flowers as Ronan ran over to lick Keelin's feet.

  "Well, well. That boy was raised right." Fiona fussed over the flowers and placed them on a small table by the open window. "These are just lovely."

  "I know. He did good, I'll give him that." Keelin eyed the flowers warily.

  Fiona turned and gave Keelin a hug. "It's intimidating to be pursued. And, really exciting too. Embrace it, enjoy it, and go with the flow. You'll have fun tonight. And, if my guess is correct, Flynn knows how to show a woman a good time." Fiona raised her eyebrows at her. Keelin laughed and touched her forehead to hers.

  "I love you. I really do. I'm so glad that I came here and got to know you."

  "You too, my dear. Now, let's get you ready for your date." Fiona bustled over to Keelin's room and pulled out the dress she had pressed for her. "You should wear your hair down, messy-like. Minimal jewelry I am thinking. Just skin, that gorgeous hair, and this dress. Much sexier of a statement. Do you have any flat sandals?"

  "I do; I was going to wear these gold-threaded ones." Keelin pulled out a pair of flat, intricately woven gold sandals. They would allow her to walk around the boat without tripping on things or losing her balance.

  "Perfect. Now, go shower. Don't forget to shave!" Fiona winked at her and Keelin laughed and shook her head. It seemed like the whole village wanted her to get laid tonight.

  Keelin took her time in the shower, enjoying the steam and the warmth. Afterward, she worked a natural lotion into her skin. It smelled faintly of vanilla and was a product that Fiona had helped her to create. She was proud of her work and smiled down at the small jar. Keelin figured she could probably sell it for a nice chunk of change back in Boston. She'd label it as all-natural herbal Irish products. The Boston Irish would eat it right up, she thought. Keelin realized that that was actually a fairly smart idea and she grabbed her iPad by the bed to jot down some notes. With a cute website and some expertly culled products, she suspected that she could have a neat little side business going. Thinking about becoming an entrepreneur kept her mind off of the nervousness of her date as she dried her hair and let it tumble in loose waves over her shoulders. Keelin scrunched her nose as she examined her face in the mirror. She decided on eyeliner to pop her eyes, a hint of blush for her cheeks, and kept her lips bare. The dress would be the showstopper tonight.

  Keelin was just pulling the dress over her shoulders when she heard the knock at the door and Fiona's voice as she answered. She could have sworn she heard Fiona giggle like a girl and she rolled her eyes. Flynn could charm a rabid dog, she thought. Keelin felt a bolt of nervousness shoot through as she straightened in the mirror and examined herself one more time before she went into the living room. The red dre
ss fulfilled the promise it had made in the store and accentuated all of her curves. Fiona had been right about Keelin leaving her hair down and messy. With just a light touch of makeup, messy hair, and the pretty gold sandals, Keelin looked sexy, carefree, and confident. She took a deep breath and went to meet Flynn.

  Chapter 20

  Flynn's eyes widened as Keelin entered the room. She smiled shyly at him as he broke off his conversation with Fiona and traced his gaze over her. For once, the man had nothing to say.

  "Hello, Flynn," Keelin said shyly as she gathered her wrap and a small bag. Flynn nodded at her as Fiona reached up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She picked up a book and wished them both a good evening before retiring into her bedroom. Flynn moved quickly around the table and stood before Keelin. She backed up a step, feeling a little unsteady. He had yet to say a word and it was making her stomach twinge.

  Slowly, Keelin raised her eyes to Flynn's. The deep blue of his eyes bored into her own as he leaned down and nipped at her mouth. Gently, and ever so sweetly, he pressed his lips to hers.

  As he eased away, he smiled at her. "You're gorgeous. If you wanted to punish me, this dress certainly does it. I'll barely be able to carry on a conversation tonight without wondering what you are wearing underneath it." Flynn raised an eyebrow at her.

  Keelin's mouth went dry. She swallowed quickly. "Not much fits under this dress." She squeaked as he grabbed her to him and leaned to kiss her again. "Stop, stop. Come on, I want to see this boat of yours." Keelin glanced towards Fiona's door, certain the old woman was leaning against the door, listening.