by K. C. Crowne
“Not at all!” I said. “No issue is too small. And if you would’ve come in any other day of the week, I’d be giving you my full attention.”
“It’s nothing major,” she said, glancing up at me and fluttering her eyelashes. “I’m just new in town for university, is all. And my parents told me that one of the first things I needed to do once I got settled was to find a good doctor, both the general sort and the kind for, well, you know, women issues.”
I smiled. “Of course – and that’s quite responsible of you. Now, if you want, I can schedule for later this week and I promise, I’ll have all the time in the world for you. Or I could see if one of my brothers is available right now to see you. Choice is yours.”
“Your brothers?” she asked. “Well, I suppose that depends – are they as handsome as you are?”
Oh brother. This was one of the trickier parts of working in the field I did – single women always seemed to be putting the moves on me. And Iris here wasn’t making it any less awkward by barely being older than the legal age. I wasn’t blind – I knew my brothers and I were handsome, but I kept things strictly professional with all my patients.
“Unfortunately for them, they don’t look much like me.” I flashed a disarming smile after the words. “But the good news is that they’re just as good of doctors as I am.”
She smiled, still blushing. “It’s OK. My friends all recommended you to me – they were the ones that gave me a ride here, as a matter of fact. They’re out in the lobby right now.”
“Then why don’t I see you out? I’ll let Brendan know that you’re going to make an appointment for later in the week.”
“OK! Sounds grand.”
I led her out of the room and into the reception area. Sure enough, a pair of college-aged women were there waiting, both of them breaking out into giggles at the sight of me. It was all a touch awkward.
I directed Iris to the front desk where Brendan helped her set up another appointment. After that, I grabbed my coat from the office and let Aiden and Collin know that I was heading out, possibly for the day.
Once I was outside, I slid into the seat of my car and put the top down, and as it descended, I cast a glance across the street at the McCallister house, secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of Joann. But there was not a trace of her.
I didn’t get far before the music I was playing cut out, the speakers ringing with a call. I glanced down at the screen and my gut tightened when I saw that the call was from Sidney.
There was no getting out of it. Knowing him, he’d call and call until I answered. It was better to take it now than in a little bit when Margaret was in the middle of labor. I pressed the “answer” button on my phone and girded my loins for the irritation ahead.
“Sidney,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Did I really just get you on the first call? Wow – here I was all prepared for a classic game of phone tag."
I wanted to say something smart, like “sorry if my clinical practice gets in the way of our chats.” But I kept it to myself.
“Well, you’ve got me. What’s the craic?”
“The craic is that I want to know when you’re going to be ready to start filming! I know the contract says that you and your brothers give the final go-ahead when we can get started, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t give you a little push here and there, you know?”
I clenched my teeth. The last thing I wanted to be dealing with was this shite.
“I’ll think about it,” I said. “Right now I’m on the way to deliver a baby, so that’s where my head is at the moment.”
“A delivery? Man, this is what I’m talking about! This is the sort of shit we need to have on TV, bud. We’re wasting amazing material.”
“I don’t really think of it as material, Sidney.”
“Of course, you don’t! You’re the doctor! But me, I’m the producer. Finding gold in the day-to-day is my job. I wouldn’t be one of the top guys in my field if I didn’t have this gift, you know? Not to toot my own horn, that is.”
“Yeah, sure.” I wasn’t even pretending to be interested in the conversation.
“Alright, I know you’re busy. But don’t think you’re getting off the hook this easily, Dr. Lucky Charms!” he laughed as he said the words. “’Dr. Lucky Charms.’ That’s pretty good. Anyway, talk to you later!”
With that, the call ended. I had plenty of patience for yanks and their…boisterous nature, but Lucky Charms references were a bridge too far. I made a mental note to set Sidney straight with his new nickname before he got too comfortable with it.
I knew he was right – there was no chance I’d be getting off the hook that easily. He was going to press and press until my brothers and I gave the word to start the show.
I didn’t dwell on it. Instead, I let my mind go to happier thoughts, like those of Joann. Our first meeting had been rough, sure, but she was going to be around for a while. It was plenty of time for us to get on one another’s good side.
Who knew? Maybe the gentle Irish countryside would mellow out her American attitude?
I couldn’t wait to find out.
Chapter 9
JOANN
When I opened my eyes, I was in the backyard of Grandma Mary’s home.
But everything was different.
Not different in the sense that the area had changed. The property was still spacious, with the small pond where Jolene and I had spent countless hours swimming back when we were kids, the pond complete with the little dock perfect for lazy afternoons fishing.
The forest was still the back border, the cottage up ahead. From where I stood, I could even see the pub far up ahead over the road.
No, it wasn’t that the area had changed. But it was different. It took me a moment, but I finally realized what was going on. Everything was just more…intense. The greens were greener, the blues of the sky and the pond were bluer, and the white of the wispy clouds above were as white was fresh cream. Even the air tasted sweeter, and the wind was just gentle enough to invigorate me.
It was perfect, like life had been turned up all the way to ten. All I wanted to do was stand there and savor every last drop of the perfect scene around me. On top of it all, I felt careless and free, like the troubles of Denver and the house were a million miles away.
Something broke the silence.
Words.
Someone was singing.
“The pale moon was rising above the green mountain,
The sun was declining beneath the blue sea;
When I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain,
That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee…”
The voice was a woman’s, lilting and beautiful. I couldn’t make out where it was coming from, let alone who was singing. The song was familiar, something I’d heard time and time again. For the moment, I decided to let the mystery linger. I closed my eyes and listened.
“She was lovely and fair as the rose of summer,
Yet ‘twas not her beauty alone that won me;
Oh no, ‘twas the truth in her eyes even dawning,
That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee…”
Upon hearing the last words of the verse, my eyes flashed in recognition. I remembered the song – it was called “The Rose of Tralee,” and was a traditional Irish love ballad that Grandma Mary used to love to sing. I remembered how she told me and Jolene that the “Mary” in the song was her, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she told her fib.
The song and the voice were beautiful, working in tandem with the surroundings to make me feel totally at peace. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sink deeply into it all.
Then, when I opened my eyes, I was somewhere else. It took me a moment to get my bearings, but I realized that I was near the pond laying on a blanket, a beautiful picnic basket filled to the brim with delicious food in front of me. Flowers grew from the emerald-green grass, their stalks swaying in the breeze and their colors as vibrant a
s everything else around me.
“Hungry?” A low, deep voice sounded from nearby.
I turned in the direction of the voice to see none other than Ronan freaking O’Neill. And that wasn’t all.
He was naked. The sight of the gorgeous man totally nude was enough to make my heart jump up into my throat. I glanced down at my own body to see that I was wearing nothing but a robe so short that my legs were nearly fully on display and so sheer that I could see my nipples through the fabric.
Ronan sat with his powerful, tree-trunk-like legs pointing toward me, his long, thick cock erect and ready. His body was perfect, his alabaster skin carved with muscles, every bit of him looking powerful and impressive. His red hair was messy in a sexy sort of way, a sly smile on his face.
In his hand was plate of meat and cheeses, extended toward me.
What the hell was going on? Why was I on a blanket with gorgeous, naked man offering me a charcuterie plate?
Not knowing what else to do, I picked up a single grape from the plate and placed it in my mouth. I bit down, the fresh, bright flavor like nothing I’d ever tasted before. It was like an explosion of pure deliciousness.
Ronan set down the plate and came over to me, the lilting voice still singing the song.
“The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading,
And Mary all smiling was listening to me…”
My heart began beating faster and faster, Ronan slipping his big, thick arm around me and pulling my body against his. He was as solid as stone, but warm and inviting. The anxiety began to melt away, bit by bit.
“A bit of fruit sounds divine,” he said in that gorgeous accent that, even when I’d been pissed at him, I couldn’t help but swoon at. “But you’re looking even more sumptuous, darling.”
The way he said “darling,” with the “g” dropped it the word flowing past his lips fluidly …it was enough to turn me on like nothing else.
“Is that so?” I asked, trying to compose myself, trying to figure out how to act normal with a man like him so close – and so naked.
“It’s so. It’s so very so. Now, why don’t you let me show you what I mean?”
I didn’t know what to say and, thankfully, what Ronan did next let me know that he didn’t expect a single word out of me. He moved in and kissed me; his lips pillowy soft but his kiss just firm enough. I melted, my muscles relaxing as he held me close, his mouth opening and tongue pressing at my lips. I opened my mouth and let him inside, let his heady taste wash over me.
His big hand fell onto my thigh, rubbing my skin gently in a way that sent goosebumps all up and down my body. I sighed through his kiss, closed my eyes and lost myself in the strange but perfect moment. It wasn’t long before his hand was past the short hem of my robe, his fingers teasing my lips before spreading me open and rubbing my clit.
I shuddered at the pleasure, as if unable to wrap my head around how damn good it felt. The disembodied voice kept singing “The Rose of Tralee,” the words and music the perfect accompaniment to the delight.
“Oh no, ‘twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,
That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee…”
Ronan brought me to orgasm with his touch, the warm, shuddering pleasure spreading out from between my legs and moving through the rest of my body. He gazed at me with his steely, emerald eyes, as if there were nothing more important to him than making me feel good.
When the orgasm faded, I knew what I wanted. I placed my hand on his length and stroked his full, towering erection. That smile that I’d seen before when we were having our spat, that playful, almost teasing smile, returned.
I found myself in awe of the size of him. How the hell was I meant to fit all of that in me? The smile on Ronan’s face made it clear that he wasn’t concerned with such things. Instead, he moved toward me, guiding me onto my back and positioning himself over top. He kissed me long and deep once more, his hands deftly untying the sash of my robe and pulling it open, exposing my bare body underneath him.
I’d always been aware of just how petite I was, but being underneath his huge, sculpted form made it all the more obvious. Ronan spread my legs, and I responded by wrapping them around his trim waist. I bit my lower lip in anticipation, my eyes locked onto his cock as he moved closer and closer. When he was right near my opening, I reached down and wrapped my fingers around him, guiding him nearer and nearer until his head pushed my lips apart.
When he entered me, all of his rock-hard inches pushing inside bit by bit, all I could do was sigh and buck my hips. He should’ve been too big for me, too much to take, but as he moved into me the more I realized that he fit me perfectly, almost as if our bodies were made for one another’s.
Once he was fully buried inside of me, he pulled back, his shredded muscles tensing then releasing as he entered me once more. I moaned, my back arching as hot pleasure coursed through my body, my womanhood so wet by this point that he was able to enter me again with ease.
Soon we were in a rhythm, our bodies rolling together like waves as he thrust into me, bringing me closer and closer to another orgasm. As we made love he gazed down, his eyes as bright and brilliant as the grass around me. All the while the music kept playing the soft words floating over the passion.
It didn’t take long before another orgasm was on the verge of letting loose. His thrusts were quick and shallow then, perfect to tease my clit in just the way the I wanted. He leaned down and kissed me hard one more time and that was all I could bear before the climax ripped through me, hot pleasure lighting up every molecule in my body
Ronan’s cock pulsed inside of me as he drained himself, a groan sounding from his throat as his muscles tensed one last time, then released. When we were done, he withdrew and fell to my side, wrapping me close up against him, kissing me one last time.
“Oh no, ‘twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,
That made me love Mary, the rose of Tralee…”
The singer went silent.
Then the dream ended.
When I woke up in Grandma’s bed – my bed – I was more refreshed than I’d been in a long, long time. I’d spent the previous day taking it easy, using the daylight hours to walk the property, to refresh my sense of the land. When night fell, I made myself a simple dinner of roast chicken and potatoes, finishing it off with some plain vanilla ice cream that the Byrnes had brought over from one of the local farms.
Everything had tasted so good, so fresh. When I’d cleaned up after dinner, I’d retired to the study with a mug of tea like Grandma used to, a fire in the fireplace and a book -something by Charles Dickens- on my lap. A gentle storm that had rolled in during dessert provided the perfect ambience.
I had a little text back-and-forth with Jolene who wanted to know all about my first day back in Ireland. I told her everything, only omitting the business with Ronan. How the hell could I explain that?
A check of my phone revealed that I’d been asleep for over ten hours. Since I’d gone to bed early, it was only a little before nine. As I sat up, I tried to remember the last time I’d let myself sleep in that late. I felt great, and the light pouring in through the east-facing window woke me up better than any cup of coffee ever could.
All the same, some coffee sounded great. I hopped out of bed and threw on one of Grandma’s terrycloth robes before stepping into a pair of her shearling-lined slippers. As I walked in the slippers, noticing how cozy and warm they were, I realized just why Grandma always loved to wear them until the morning was nearly over.
I grabbed my MacBook on the way out, the sliver rectangle reminding me that I had business to take care of. Once in the kitchen I put on a kettle of hot water for the coffee and prepared myself a light breakfast of sliced fruit and hardboiled eggs. The coffee and breakfast in front of me, I opened the laptop and checked my email.
The first thing that caught my eye was an email from the potential buyer’s lawyer. The message was short and to the point, asking me if I’d be
available for a meeting that afternoon at one. I was more than eager to speak with them and try to get to the bottom of the mystery of just who the buyer was. I replied and confirmed the appointment.
Once I was done with breakfast and cleaning up. I headed upstairs to get ready for the day. But as I went through my toiletry bag, taking out my personal effects, I realized I was missing my birth control.
I let out a sigh of frustration at how bone headed I’d been for forgetting it. Granted, it wasn’t like I was planning on getting laid while on vacation, but the last thing I needed was my body potentially going all out of whack. My love life had been nothing to speak of over the last few years, and part of me wondered if I even needed to bother taking my birth control. Either way, that was a decision I’d need to discuss with my OB/GYN.
I hurried downstairs and fired off an email to my doctor, asking if she’d be able to send a prescription to the nearest pharmacy so I could refill my pills. Once I hit “send” I remembered the time difference, that it was still early morning back in Denver.
There was no sense in waiting for a response right then and there, so I busied myself with chores around the house while I killed time until the appointment with the lawyer. Around noon, right as I was finishing up my lunch and getting ready to head out, the chime of an email arriving caught my attention. I hurried over to my computer and saw that the email was from Dr. Harper, my OB/GYN.
I sighed as I read the email, the text letting me know in nice terms that when you were in another country it wasn’t a simple matter of sending over a new script. Dr. Harper let me know that she’d be happy to help if she could, but there was simply no way around it other than meeting with an OB/GYN in Ireland.
What a mess. I put all that out of my head as I threw on my cardigan and pageboy cap and hurried out the door. Despite all that was on my mind all that I had to take care of, the only thing I could think about was my dream – and the gorgeous Irishman who’d had a starring role.