“And?”
“Because I’m sick of California sunshine. I love cold rainy weather.”
“And?”
“Okay, damn it. Because I love you.” She ran her thumb along the blade of grass, felt her face color. “There. I said it.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“One more time.”
“I love you, damn it. I love you, I love you, I love you. Satisfied?”
“I am.” Sandwich in one hand, he looked out at the ocean. “I love you, too. In case I haven’t told you.”
She looked at him. “I don’t think you have.”
“Well, I do. I realized it when I decided I’d rather leave Ireland and live in California than be apart from you.”
“And when did you decide that?”
He laughed. “I think it was probably up on the cliffs when we kissed. But I was certain about it that night after Elizabeth’s body was found, and you came up to the castle and wouldn’t come in. The way you just stood there, not really saying much…”
She smiled. “For a change.”
“I can’t tell you what it meant to me, Kate. I thought I wasn’t affected by all that was going on in the village. I thought I could shut it all out. But you made me realize how much I’d been missing.”
“God…” Swept by a sudden wash of emotion, she bit her lip. “I can’t believe this is really happening. I think I’m going to cry.” Niall handed her a napkin and she blew her nose. “No, I’m not. I’m going to laugh.” She did. “I think I may be a little hysterical.” She hit his arm. “Don’t look at me like that, I know what you’re thinking. It’s just so amazing. I figured I was this…love dropout. I thought it would never happen. It was like I lacked some basic ingredient.”
“You did.”
She looked at him.
“Trust.”
“Yeah,” she said slowly. “I think you’re right. I had all these defenses—”
“No.” He feigned surprise. “You mean cynicism and world-weary jaded remarks? Funny, I never noticed that in you.”
“Because you were too busy breaking down my defenses.”
He came to sit beside her, put his arm around her shoulder. “Maybe it’s just something about Ireland.”
“Maybe.” She leaned back against him and they sat facing the ocean. Waning light played pearly against the water. The air started to grow cool, the ground cold under her feet. Dusk fell slowly, like a veil.
“Oh, damn, I forgot something.” Kate reached into her purse and pulled out a package wrapped in aluminum foil. “Annie wanted us to have this. She said it was very important. No matter how full we were, she said, we both had to have a piece.”
“Barm brack,” Niall said after she’d unwrapped the loaf of dark brown fruit-studded bread. He took a piece, bit into it. “Do you know all about it?”
“Annie did tell me, but she says I’m too cynical for the magic to work.”
“That’s a pity.” Niall held out his hand. In his palm, a small silver ring glinted in the sunlight. “A less cynical woman would be thrilled to pieces to find this.”
“Yeah?” She fought to keep a straight face. “Why?”
“Because to find a ring in a piece of barm brack means she’ll be married within the year.” He closed his hand around the ring. “But of course I’m talking about a less cynical woman.”
“So you’re saying she can’t be cynical and married?”
“Well, I suppose it would depend a lot upon the woman in question.”
“Good.” She looked at him. “Because I kind of like the married-within-the-year part and I kind of think I might even be able to work on the cynical stuff.”
“Should I consider this a proposal?”
“Might as well. I mean it’s kind of like making the bouillabaisse. We either sit around all night yakking about it, or we move things along. I warned you I have this tendency to take over.”
“I remember.”
“So what’s the answer?”
He kissed her. And slipped the ring onto her left hand.
She smiled, looked down at her finger. Up at Niall. “Perfect answer,” she said.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-4052-0
THE MAN ON THE CLIFF
Copyright © 2002 by Janice Macdonald.
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