“Hello,” Gelsey said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “I’m afraid Kellan isn’t here.”

“Better that,” the brunette said cheerfully. “We’ve come to see you.” She held a canvas bag in front of her. “We’ve brought you something to wear. I’m Jordan and this is Nan.”

The raven-haired woman held out another bag. “And you must be Gelsey.”

Gelsey stepped away from the door and the two strolled inside as if they were quite at home. Nan wrinkled her nose, then motioned toward the fire. “We really should talk to the boys about putting in central heat. Those peat fires make my eyes water.”

“And they should put in a decent bathroom. That shower isn’t any bigger than a broom closet.”

“Could I offer either of you a cup of tea?” Gelsey asked. Although she’d been well schooled in etiquette, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with strangers bearing gifts of secondhand clothing.

Nan stared at her for a long moment. “Have we met?”

“I’m sure we haven’t,” Gelsey said.

“You look so familiar.” Nan plopped down on the end of the sofa. “Now, I’m not sure you’ll like anything I brought. But Kellan said you didn’t have any decent clothes to wear. I brought a pair of jeans and a couple sweaters-or jumpers, as he calls them. It’s so damp in the winter.”

“And I brought a jacket,” Jordan said. “It’s not very fashionable, but it will be warm. And underwear. It’s new, still in the package.”

Nan rummaged through her bag. “And I have gloves and a hat. And boots. Did you bring the boots, Jo?”

They were both talking so fast that Gelsey could do nothing more than nod and smile. When they finally finished, she drew a ragged breath. “And you’re from…the church?”

“Oh, Kellan didn’t tell you we’d be stopping by? He saw us both last night at the pub and explained your situation. I’m engaged to Kellan’s brother Riley.”

“They’re getting married New Year’s Eve. And I’m with Danny, the other brother.”

“Right,” Gelsey said. “I remember now.” She frowned. “You’re not Irish.”

“American,” Nan said. “And you’re not Irish, either.”

“No,” Gelsey said. She thought it best to leave it at that, unwilling to go into a long explanation of her life. “Let me just put the water on for tea.”

“Oh, we can’t stay,” Nan said. “We’re on our way to Cork. I’m shopping for a wedding dress.”

“Shopping,” Gelsey murmured. She’d been an expert at that in her former life.

“You wouldn’t want to come with, would you?” Nan asked.

Jordan clapped her hands. “You should come! We’ll make a girls’ day of it. And it will get you out of this cottage.” She paused and the color rose on her cheeks. “That is, if you want to leave. But I can completely understand why you wouldn’t. I’m sure Kell is keeping you-”

“Busy,” Nan finished.

“I can’t. I’m a bit broke right now.”

The two women stared at her with uneasy smiles. “Perfectly understandable,” Nan said. “Why would you have any use for- I mean, you’ve spent your life…”

“Living in the ocean,” Jordan said.

“What- Oh!” Gelsey laughed. “Right. Kellan told me that everyone thinks I’m a mermaid.”

Jordan nodded. “Of course, we don’t really believe that. But when in Ireland…”

“I love that about Ireland,” Gelsey said. “People still believe in magic here.”

“And you do look the part, with all that long, wavy hair,” Nan said. “Danny was right. You are beautiful.”

“Danny?”

“He was there when Kellan rescued you,” Jordan explained.

A slow smile curled the corners of Gelsey’s mouth and she shrugged. “I don’t really remember meeting him.”

“What size are your feet?” Jordan asked.

“Eight?” Gelsey said.

“Perfect! The boots are eight and a half. Just wear extra socks. Are you sure you won’t come with us? We’ll have lunch. Our treat.”

“Maybe another time,” Gelsey said. “Really. I’d love to go another time.”

They both stood. “Good,” Nan said. “I’m sure we’ll see you around the pub. Tell Kellan to bring you down for dinner tonight.”

Gelsey took the offered bags and walked them to the door. This was all very strange. Gelsey couldn’t remember the last time she’d been able to be completely anonymous. No matter where she went, someone always recognized her.

But then, she was usually dressed quite differently and hiding behind an image that was regularly splashed across the pages of the tabloids. For the first time in a very long time, she had a chance to live life like an ordinary woman.

She had a fresh start, a chance to make real friends who didn’t care about her notoriety or her money or her family connections. And Nan and Jordan seemed exactly like the kind of women she’d want for friends.

After she said goodbye, Gelsey quickly found an outfit to wear, then pulled on socks and the soft fleece-lined boots. Though she was a bit taller than Nan and Jordan, with longer arms, she couldn’t complain. It was good enough to go out in public in and she needed some fresh air and exercise.

She’d walk down to the village and get her bearings. If she was going to stay for a while, she needed a source of income. She could just go get her bank cards at Winterhill, but if she was going to start over, then she needed to find a way to make a living. She needed a job.

But could she survive on her own? It was a challenge she’d never have thought of taking on in the past, but now it made sense. Gigi Woodson, celebrity heiress, was gone and Gelsey Woodson, ordinary working girl, had been born. For once, she didn’t want to mess it all up.

Gelsey grabbed the jacket from the sofa and slipped into it. When she opened the door, the chilly air rushed in and she drew a deep breath and smiled. It was a beautiful day. She had no idea what was going to happen, but it was exciting to be completely unsure of her future.

She followed the road down to the village at a brisk walk, smiling to herself as she took in the beauty of the countryside. Everything looked so picturesque-the vivid green hills and the whitewashed village set against the slate-blue sea. Boats bobbed in the harbor and she watched one as it slowly moved out into the bay.

Gelsey had lived in many exotic places, but she’d never felt at home. Maybe this was where she’d belonged all along. She was destined to find Kellan all these years later and to begin where they’d left off as teenagers.


KELLAN SQUINTED against the late-morning sun as he drove out of Ballykirk toward the cottage. He’d left Gelsey naked and sound asleep in his bed. After last night, he’d figured she’d need her sleep. But it was nearly noon and he’d fetched lunch from the pub, hoping that they could spend the rest of the day in bed after a hearty meal.

It was the perfect day to spend curled up beneath the sheets, he mused. A winter chill had set in and the damp wind blowing off the sea made it feel colder than it was. Christmas was three weeks away and after that, the new year. He’d made a resolution last year on New Year’s Eve to expand his professional horizons, to take jobs outside of Ireland and see a bit more of the world. And here he was, just a month away from his deadline and he still hadn’t made a decision about the project in France.

As he rounded a bend in the road, Kellan caught sight of a figure striding toward him. As he drove closer, he recognized Gelsey, her pale hair blowing in the wind. She smiled and waved. He pulled the car to a stop and rolled down the window.

“What are you doing out here?”

“A couple of your friends brought me some clothes.” She pointed to her feet. “And boots. I was coming to find you.”

“Hop in,” he said, leaning across the seat to open the passenger-side door.

She joined him inside the car, her color high, her eyes bright. Kellan knew she was a beautiful woman, but the sight of her in broad daylight was enough to take his breath away. An unbidden surge of hunger raced through him and he fought his instinct to drag her into his arms and kiss her. “So, I guess you slept well last night. You’re clearly feeling better.”

“I feel wonderful,” Gelsey said. “Good sex always does that for me.”

Kellan couldn’t help but smile. “And what would you like to do today? I have lunch.” He pointed to the paper sack in the backseat.

“Well, we could eat.” She paused as she considered her options. “And then, I’d like…”

“What?”

“I’d like you to teach me how to drive this car.”

“You don’t know how to drive?”

“I never had a reason to.”

Kellan groaned. “Don’t start with that mermaid bollocks again. I know you’re not a mermaid.”

“I was going to say that I never had a reason to learn,” she said. A tiny smile quirked at the corners of her mouth. “We don’t have cars at the bottom of the ocean. And it’s really difficult to work the pedals with flippers.”

Kellan laughed. “I’ll teach you how to drive if you tell me the truth about where you come from.”

“Why? There’s nothing wrong with exercising your imagination every now and then. Is it so hard to believe I came from the sea?”

“Why can’t you tell me the truth? Is that so hard to do?”

She stared out the windscreen, her gaze fixed on the landscape passing by. “Have you ever wanted to change your life? Just start all over again?”

“I wish I could go back and change a few things,” Kellan said.

She looked at him, curiosity filling her eyes. “Like what?”

“I had a chance to go into business with a developer a few years ago, to buy properties and fix them up and then sell them. I thought it was too risky, but now I’m thinking that risk might not be such a bad thing.”

“Why don’t you do it now?” she asked.

“I get paid a boatload to do exactly what I do best,” he said, shaking his head. “And the economy hasn’t been too good. In the end, I was right to trust my instincts.”