by Zara Keane
“Good for Sharon,” Seán said, laughing.
“Good for Baby Lucy,” Clio added with a smile.
Ray, handcuffed and subdued, was escorted down the pier by two of the reserve policemen. When Helen spotted him, she went wild.
“You blaggard,” she screamed, forgetting the cultured accent and vocabulary she’d spent years acquiring. “You’re a fecking disgrace. How dare you threaten my daughter?”
Abandoning a wide-eyed Tammy, Helen advanced on Ray, brandishing her handbag like a weapon. “Get out of my way, officer,” she said to Reserve Garda McGarry. The man had good instincts and maneuvered himself out of danger a split second before Helen’s handbag collided with Ray’s face.
“Ah!” he screamed.
“And this”—Helen got in a second whack—“is for breaking into my house.”
Ray staggered back, clutching his nose and yowling.
“Well done, Mother,” Clio said, impressed. “I think you broke his nose.”
Tammy ran to her side, clutching an excited Travis, and looking about frantically. “Where’s Dad?”
Clio let go of Seán’s hand, hugged her daughter, and dropped a kiss onto the puppy’s furry head. “At this very moment, I’m not sure, but knowing Lar, he’s perfectly fine. He said he’d be in touch with you. I think the less we say about him when we’re questioned, the better.”
Tammy nodded. “Understood.”
“After I have a significant word with Councilors Evans and Jobson about the halting site and Travellers’ rights,” Seán said, giving Clio a knicker-melting smile, “we’re all going to have to go to the station to be debriefed.”
The only debriefing she was interested in involved removing her and Seán’s underwear. Judging by his grin, the same thought had crossed his mind.
Tammy looked from one to the other and scrunched up her nose in an expression of pure adolescent disdain. “Are you two going to be getting it on the whole time now?”
Clio linked arms with her daughter. “Would you have a problem with it if we did?”
Tammy considered for a moment, then shook her head. “Nah. I like Sergeant Mackey, even if he did arrest me for attempted shoplifting.”
“Eh?” Seán laughed. “Cheeky madam. I escorted you off the premises. No arrests were made.”
“Won’t you be going back to work in Dublin now, though?” Tammy asked, voicing the question Clio had been trying to suppress. “You’re bound to get your old job back.”
Seán’s gaze rested on Clio, suddenly serious. Then he focused on her daughter. “That depends on you and your mother. With all the drama the pair of you have caused since your arrival in Ballybeg, the excitement of Dublin has lost its allure. Besides,” he added, winking at Clio. “I hear there’s a vacancy in the Cork City homicide division.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
SEÁN GOT DOWN on bended knee in front of the hallway mirror of their newly purchased home. Jaysus. This position was more complicated than he’d thought. A fumble in his shirt pocket produced a fancy box, freshly procured from the jeweler that morning.
“Clio Havelin, will you make an honest man of me?”
No, that was all wrong. He sounded like he’d been gargling with acid. Feck. This wasn’t going to cut it. How many times was he going to have to practice this damn speech before he got it right?
Deep breath.
Okay, he’d try it one more time.
Back down on bended knee, throat cleared. “Ms. Havelin, will you do me the honor of becoming my lawfully wedded wife?”
He flipped open the jewelry box with one hand. The diamond ring on which he’d just spent a small fortune shot out, spun in the air, and landed with a thud at a Doc Martin-ed foot.
A foot that did not belong to Seán’s future fiancée.
A snort of laughter was followed by a canine whimper of delight. Cheeks burning, he looked up to see Tammy with Travis panting by her side.
The girl raised a recently pierced eyebrow. “Are you planning a polygamous marriage? ’Cause no offense, but I’m over older guys.”
He retrieved the ring and got to his feet. “No, you cheeky madam. I want to propose to your mother, but I can’t seem to get the wording right.”
His stepdaughter nodded approvingly at the ring. “Good choice. She’ll love it. What she won’t love is the bumblebee-patterned tie. Definitely lose that, preferably into the nearest clothing recycling bin.”
“Right.” He nodded, mentally taking notes. “Ring approved, lose tie. I can do that.”
“As for the wording of the proposal, keep it simple. There’s nothing wrong with, ‘Clio, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?’” Tammy smiled wide, revealing her pearly white post-braces teeth. “’Cause you know she’s going to say yes.”
And she did!
—THE END—
•Thanks for reading Love and Shamrocks! I hope you enjoyed Seán and Clio's story. And yes, the mysterious Lar Delaney will get his own book in early 2016!
•Want more Ballybeg? Love and Leprechauns is out now. Her Treasure Hunter Ex, an adventure-romance novella that kicks off the Ballybeg Bad Boys spin-off series, will be out in July 2015. The hero is Seán's brother, Dex. Turn the page to read the blurb.
•Don't miss a Ballybeg story! Sign up for my mailing list and be the first to know when I have a new release. If you sign up, you'll also be given an opportunity to read new releases before they hit the stores!
•I also have an active reader group, The Ballybeg Belles, where I chat, share snippets of upcoming stories, and host members only giveaways. I hope to join you for a virtual pint very soon!
•You can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or via email. I love hearing from readers!
ZaraKeane.com
Her Treasure Hunter Ex (Ballybeg Bad Boys, #1)
Dive Deep, Fall Fast
Underwater photographer Kate Ryan snags the assignment of a lifetime—the chance to explore the wreck of RMS Lusitania. But there’s a catch: Her infuriating ex-fiancé is on the exploration team.
Declan “Dex” Fitzgerald is a treasure hunter on a mission. A priceless gem is hidden in the wreck of the Lusitania. With a loose idea of where to find the treasure, and even looser morals, Dex wrangles a last-minute job on the exploration team. And realizes he’ll have to work alongside his uptight-but-sexy-as-hell ex.
And they’re not the only ones in pursuit of the treasure…With sparks flying and oxygen tanks running low, can Dex and Kate retrieve the gem before the bad guys?
Out Summer 2015
Be the first to know when there’s a new Ballybeg story! Join my mailing list!
OTHER BOOKS BY ZARA
THE BALLYBEG SERIES
Love and Shenanigans (Ballybeg #1)
Love and Blarney (Ballybeg #2)
Love and Leprechauns (Ballybeg #3)
Love and Mistletoe (Ballybeg #4)
Love and Shamrocks (Ballybeg #5)
THE BALLYBEG BAD BOYS
Her Treasure Hunter Ex (Ballybeg Bad Boys #1)
The Rock Star Next Door (Ballybeg Bad Boys #2)
ANTHOLOGIES
Seven First Kisses
ABOUT ZARA KEANE
Zara Keane grew up in Dublin, Ireland, but spent her summers in a small town very similar to the fictitious Ballybeg.
She currently lives in Switzerland with her family. When she’s not writing or wrestling small people, she drinks far too much coffee, and tries—with occasional success—to resist the siren call of Swiss chocolate.
Zara loves chatting to people. You can reach her by email or on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads. You can also sign up for Zara's Newsletter and be the first to know when she has a new book out.
ZaraKeane.com
THE BALLYBEG BELLES
I'd love to have you join my Facebook reader group, The Ballybeg Belles. I'll chat with readers, share snippets from upcoming books, and host special giveaways. You'll also
be given the opportunity to read early review copies before the books hit the stores! To join, click on the link or search "Zara Keane's Ballybeg Belles" on Facebook. I hope to join you for a virtual pint very soon!
ZaraKeane.com
Zara's Newsletter
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Love and Shamrocks, or the John-Joe Book as my mother calls it, was a joy to write.
As always, many thanks go to my wonderful critique partner, Magdalen Braden; to Rhonda Helms, editor extraordinaire; to Margie Lawson for her feedback on an early draft; to Trish Slattery and April Weigele for beta reading the final draft; and to Anne and Linda at Victory Editing for the thorough proofread.
Finally, thank you to all the readers who asked for Seán's story. I hope you enjoyed it!
COPYRIGHT
LOVE AND SHAMROCKS
Copyright © 2015 by Sarah Tanner
Published 2015 by Beaverstone Press GmbH (LLC)
ISBN-13: 978-3-906245-13-3
Cover design © Kim Killion
Cover photographs The Killion Group Inc. and PHBCZ at Bigstock
Formatting by Zara Keane
Amazon Kindle Version 1.0.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.