Niall

by Diane Darcy

  Niall studied Zach. “What happened after ye lost your job?”

  “What do you think happened?” Zach slumped back on the chair. “It signaled the downhill slide of my marriage.”

  “If she didnae want ye without employment, why didnae ye just go get another job?”

  “I’m trying to! I have resumes out, but it turns out it’s not easy to find a job as a mathematician in this economy!”

  “Then why not work at something else?”

  Zach’s expression was sulky. “Like what?”

  “Hire yourself out. Surely there are farms about, or other types of labor. According to what ye told me outside, Denver is too far from the ocean to do ship work, but what about all of the businesses in a city this size?”

  “I trained as a mathematician!”

  “But ye just said there are no jobs available in that field.”

  “That doesn’t mean I want to be a dockhand! That doesn’t mean I want to do manual labor!”

  Niall didn’t understand the man’s attitude. “Ye do what ye must to take care of yer family. There is no shame in getting a blister or two. Stop being so proud!”

  “You don’t understand!” Zach stood and left the room.

  Niall called after him. “I understand ye need to go romance yer wife! Before some other man does!”

  The front door slammed shut.

  Niall glanced at Jenny and sighed. “Mayhap I pushed him too hard?”

  She shook her head. “I just have to say it—thank you, I think you’re very wise. The things you said to him… well, I’m just very impressed.”

  “Ye think I’m wise?”

  “I do.”

  Niall was slightly taken aback. He supposed he’d had nearly three hundred years to think about his mistakes, as had his friends.

  She shrugged. “I like your tough-love approach. He’ll cool down. He doesn’t want to stay with my parents or grandparents so he’ll have to come back here eventually.”

  Niall pushed away from the table.

  “Niall, do you mind if I post some of this on YouTube?” She wiggled her phone. “I have a channel on there and post things from time to time.”

  Niall wasn’t sure what she was referring to, but nodded anyway. “Whatever ye like, lass, is fine by me.”

  She smiled at him, her gaze admiring, and he felt it clear to his bones.

  After cleaning up then showing Niall how to use her television—who knew Highlanders liked nature shows?—Jenny took her laptop and headed back to the kitchen table to edit and upload some videos.

  It didn’t take long because she had years of practice, and just when she’d pushed the return button and uploaded Niall and some of his pithy sayings, her phone rang.

  She glanced down at her caller ID and just about couldn’t believe it when she saw it was her sister-in-law calling.

  She looked around to make sure Zach hadn’t come back, and quickly answered the phone. “Hello?”

  “Jenny?”

  Just from that one word, Jenny could tell Tina was crying. “Yes?”

  “It’s Tina. Are you alone?”

  Did Tina want her to be alone? She quickly decided that if she’d wanted to talk to Zach, Tina would have simply called him, so she turned and headed for her bedroom in case her brother returned. “Yes, I’m alone.”

  There was another sob on the other end. “Okay. I’m going to tell you something, and you can’t tell your brother, all right?”

  “Of course. To the grave.”

  Tina gave a small chuckle at the old saying they’d used since grade school, but then ended up hiccupping instead. “I’m going to tell you something that you cannot tell your brother because he’ll never believe this has anything to do with him, because he’s an idiot.” The words left Tina in a rush.

  A chill raced up Jenny’s spine. “All right. You know I’m listening.” Jenny quickly shut her bedroom door.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Jenny gaped for a moment after Tina dropped the bomb, and then finally sucked in a gulp of air. “Oh, Tina! That’s wonderful news!”

  And the longer it sunk in, the more she realized that it was. Her brother would certainly have to get back with his wife now!

  “Is it? Is it really?” Tina sounded sullen on the other end of the phone.

  “Of course it is. Now you can put a stop to this silly divorce and get back together again.”

  Happiness bubbled up within her. Her brother could move out of her house.

  “No.”

  “No, what?”

  “This doesn’t change anything. We are not getting back together.”

  “But … why not? I know you love each other. And this baby will need both of you.”

  “Has Zach said anything about still loving me?”

  Jenny hesitated. She wished she could lie, but couldn’t. Especially not about something this important. “No, he hasn’t. But he hasn’t been saying much of anything. You know how guys are. But I know he loves you. He’s down and depressed without you. And I know you love him, too! Anyway, whether you’re ready or not, this baby does change everything. The two of you need to be together.”

  Tina sighed on the other end of the phone. “Not going to happen. Not because of a baby.”

  “You won’t even consider it?”

  “Why should I?”

  Jenny was losing her patience. “It’s his baby too.”

  “That’s the problem. It is, but he’ll never believe that, and the moment he says so, I really don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive him.”

  Again, Tina managed to shock her. “He thinks you’ve been cheating on him?”

  Tina sniffed. “Are you really trying to tell me he hasn’t been saying things like that all along? Every time we’ve spoken in the last month, he’s accused me of having another man.”

  “No, of course he hasn’t said anything like that! Why would he? Did something happen?”

  Tina sighed again. “He saw me talking to a coworker. He accused me of flirting. I was just talking! Anyway, he went off the handle and now this is where we’re at. I never would have thought this would go on for this long.”

  Tina sounded so bewildered, and Jenny wanted to slap some sense into her brother. She never would have believed Zach would take things this far either.

  “You want me to talk to him?”

  “No! Absolutely not!”

  “Tina …”

  “No. This isn’t about that. This is about the fact that you are my friend, and are going to be this baby’s aunt. And I do need some support, so I’m calling you to let you know.”

  “And I’ll be there for you, no matter what. I swear I will.”

  “I know you will.” Tina was crying again. “Thank you. Just please don’t say anything to your brother, all right?”

  “Are you sure? Maybe if I tell him —”

  “No!” Tina was adamant. “When I’m ready to tell him, I’ll tell him. I’m going to need your word that you won’t say anything.”

  Reluctantly, Jenny gave it. “All right. You have my word.”

  When she got off the phone a moment later, Jenny sat on her bed and stared at nothing. She’d like to hunt Zach down and shake some sense into him, but at the moment, there was none to be found.

  She felt like going over to Tina’s house and shaking some sense into her, as well. If she would just tell Zach …

  She sighed. Well, she’d have to work with what she had. And what she had at the moment was a really good therapist. Maybe he could shake some sense into her brother.

  She could only hope.

  Jenny went back into the other room and was surprised to find her brother and Niall setting up to play a video game.

  She felt a spurt of irritation. Zach’s wife was pregnant, and he was playing games?

  “I thought I heard you talking. Who was that on the phone?”

  Zach always asked that question and, as always, she knew exactly the reason why. For once, she cou
ld give him the answer he was no doubt hoping for. “It was Tina.”

  If her voice was sharper than usual, who could blame her?

  Zach’s eyes shot to her, then away again. “What did she want?”

  At his belligerent tone, it was all she could do not to step forward, grab the pillow off the couch, and smack him with it.

  She hesitated for a long moment, no doubt caught up in her fantasy, and her brother finally stopped the game to stare at her. “Well?”

  As much as she wanted to, she could not betray her friend's confidence. “Well, what?”

  “What exactly did she say?”

  “Nothing much. I could tell she was worried about you.”

  Zach snorted, and Jenny eyed the pillow once more, seriously tempted.

  Niall continued to stand, but Zach sat down and started playing his video game, his gaze firmly on the screen. “Did she say anything else?”

  Yes, she’s pregnant with your child, and desperately needs your support. She wanted to say the words, but instead, she glared at him. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

  “Why? What exactly did she say to you?”

  “If you want to talk to your wife —”

  “Ex-wife.”

  “If you want to talk to your wife, why don’t you give her a call? In fact, why don’t you call her right now and work all of this out?”

  “Stop worrying about my relationship and go get one of your own!”

  Resentment flared within her, first that Zach would say that in front of Niall, and second because her brother knew she struggled with dating. It was kind of hard to have a relationship when she couldn’t find a man she trusted.

  That didn’t mean she wasn’t a closet romantic; she had tons of romance books on her bookshelf to prove it. She glared at her brother. She might never have that chance, but he did! Zach and Tina were meant to be together. She couldn’t stand that they’d broken up with so little thought. If they couldn’t make it, then someone in her shoes may as well completely give up hope.

  They glared at each other until Niall stepped between them, blocking their view with his large body. “Perhaps now would be a good time to take a step back. My mum always used to say that cooler heads would prevail with time and distance.”

  He wasn’t wrong, but Jenny couldn’t get herself to back down. Not with thoughts of the baby swirling in her head. “Just talk to her, Zach.”

  “Not going to happen.” His flippant tone set her teeth on edge.

  With Niall still blocking her view, she spoke to his chest. “I’m sick of seeing you sitting around all day doing nothing! Why don’t you go help Grandpa out on the farm? I’m sure he’d appreciate the support.”

  Zach continued to play. “Can’t. I have zero interest in the farm, and I don’t want to encourage Grandpa. He might see it as an opportunity to get me interested in the place, and it’ll just give him hope. I don’t want to do that to him.”

  “So it’s for his own good that you’re not helping him?” she asked dryly.

  The TV turned off, and Zach jumped up and shot her a glare. “And here I always thought you were slow on the uptake.” He swung toward the front door, grabbed her car keys on the way out, and was gone.

  She turned to see Niall looking at her, and suddenly felt foolish.

  “You probably think I’m an idiot, don’t you? I hire you to help out, and when you get here, all we do is bicker and fight.”

  Niall made a noncommittal noise.

  “You know, you probably need to know everything so as to help Zach. Maybe if we could talk, you could help me come to some conclusions?”

  The man looked slightly panicked, but he gestured toward the couch.

  As she sank down, she gathered the pillow she’d wanted so desperately to throw at her brother’s head, and hugged it. She sighed.

  “Zach’s wife, Tina? Well, she’s pregnant.”

  Chapter 4

  Zach’s wife was expecting a child?

  The thought of it hit him in the gut like a hammer.

  “Does he know?”

  She plucked at the pillow and shook her head.

  That hit him even harder, stirring memories of pain, inadequacy, and heartache. “The man has a right to know.”

  She lifted her hands in the air, palms up. “I know! I agree! But if I betray Tina’s trust, she won’t confide anything else in me ever again.”

  “I could tell him.”

  “No, you couldn’t. Don’t therapists have to vow never to reveal anything their clients tell them? Granted, it’s my brother who is your client, but I hired you, and if I can’t trust you, this just isn’t going to work.”

  He wanted to argue with everything in him. He didn’t even know what a therapist was, nor did he ever make any such vow. Still, his honor wouldn’t allow him to let Jenny down. Vow or not, she believed him trustworthy and was asking for his help.

  He stood and paced back and forth in front of the telly. “This is why I’m here then. Tae bring this family together.”

  “Yes!” Relief colored her voice. “That’s exactly what needs to happen here. How do you suggest we go about doing that?”

  She was looking at him as if he had all the answers, when he had none. He paced back and forth again as he considered the few—the very few—experiences he’d had in his life when it came to love.

  His girl, Fiona, had come from a local village. No one would have been surprised when they announced their engagement. They’d flirted, held hands, and even stolen kisses in plain view of others. All was fine and well until he’d taken things a step too far and created the possibility of a babe.

  How he’d agonized over that mistake.

  He’d castigated himself, wished his soul to the devil and back, and wondered if perhaps his sins had won him an eternal place on the moor.

  Fiona had never once come to visit his grave, such as it was, in her lifetime or even after, and he’d wondered if mayhap she’d died in childbirth.

  It was the not knowing that drove him to madness.

  The fact that he couldn’t even remember her face was yet another punishment to endure.

  So, that was it. The sum total of his experience where love was concerned. Basically he knew naught of how to woo a recalcitrant wife.

  “What do you suggest we do?”

  He stopped pacing to note that Jenny hugged the pillow tighter to her chest.

  “I doonae know.”

  She looked about the room as if searching for answers before sighing heavily. “I was hoping you would.”

  More feelings of inadequacy swamped him. “Have ye any experience handling men?”

  She looked offended. “If you’re implying that someone tall and athletic such as myself can’t find a date on a Friday night, you’re wrong. I’ve dated.”

  Startled, he glanced over at her. She’d let her hair down and the long dark tresses framed a face that was pretty as a princess. Slender arms clasped the pillow, and long legs stretched in front of her, crossed at the ankles.

  He forced himself to look away from the bare skin of her legs. The girl was just too attractive, and he’d no business looking. The last thing he would ever try to do would be engaging yet another woman’s affections.

  But he couldn’t let her statement go unacknowledged. “I’m sure that ye have, lass. In fact, I’ve no doubt of it.” Another glance at her legs, and then away. What was wrong with him? Had Soni sent him here to test his resolve as well as to save a marriage? “I was simply wondering if ye’d any experience to share on the situation. Any way to know how to handle a man from a woman’s perspective?”

  “Oh.” She pressed her chin into the pillow. “Ah, no. I guess I don’t. You’re not going to give up are you?”

  “Nae.”

  “I’m not sure when Zach’s going to come back.”

  “Perhaps your words sent him back to his wife?”

  She released a long breath. “Hope would be a fine thing, but I sincerely doubt it.”<
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  He finally sank down into an armchair across from her and leaned back.

  “Well? What do you want to do while we wait?”

  Niall froze as he realized that he was alone with this beautiful woman. “Perhaps I ought to just step outside while we await your brother.”

  Jenny levered herself off of the sofa, her long body unfolding, and once again Niall had to look away.

  “Come on. Let’s go shoot some hoops until he returns.”

  He exhaled and nodded. “Tis a good idea, lass. I’ve found working at something will often provide answers.” It was certainly better than being inside the house alone when he felt such attraction toward the girl.

  He slowly followed her outside. With his mind focused on both the problem and the game, what sort of trouble could he get into?

  Chapter 5

  He was in so much trouble.

  Niall had thought going outside with the girl had been the better option.

  But watching her lithe body in action, running, jumping, pushing against his own while trying to get the ball, was upsetting his equilibrium.

  How was this game anything but an enticement?

  When Jenny pressed against him again, he couldn’t do it anymore. Snatching the basketball, he threw it off to the side.

  Her startled gaze flew to his. “Are we done?”

  He nodded, trying to come up with an excuse. “Aye, lass. That’s it for me. ’Tis been a long day.” Not that he’d any desire to sleep. He’d done enough sleeping to last lifetimes.

  “All right.” She still sounded bewildered, and it made him feel bad. But it was either stop the game, or embarrass himself.

  “Well, if you want anything to eat or drink, please just make yourself at home.”

  “I am thirsty.”

  Her lips curved. “All right, come with me.” They headed inside to the kitchen, where she got them both a drink of water out of the outside of the refrigerator.

  An ingenious contraption.

  His intention was to have as little contact with her as possible for the remainder of his time here, but he couldn’t help but ask, “How does that work?”

  She looked at him blankly. “How does what work?”