Nan tucked the photo back into her pocket as she jumped out of the truck. From where she stood, she could look out at the valley below and the winding road that cut through it. Behind her, the mountains rose higher, huge craggy slabs of stone jutting into the gloomy sky.

“If we hike up a ways, there’s a better view,” Riley said. He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. A flood of warmth rushed through her at his touch. Yesterday, she’d been all alone in the world. And today, she had this man who wanted to spend time with her, a man who enjoyed kissing and touching her. A man who wanted to spend the night in her bed.

Nan leaned into his body and smiled. As she came around the truck, she noticed two sheep observing them from across the road. They jumped off the small ledge they were standing on and headed toward her.

A tiny scream slipped from her throat and she held tight to Riley’s arm as they nudged her, sticking their noses beneath her jacket.

“Get off, you tossers!” he said, pushing the sheep aside. “The tourists feed them and now they stand around waiting for something tastier than turf.”

Nan laughed as one of the sheep butted her in the backside. She ran up the road and the determined sheep trotted after her. “I love Ireland,” she called to Riley, throwing her arms out to the sky.


THEY HIKED UP to the top of the pass, stopping at the solitary house on the road, now turned into a shop that sold souvenirs and ice cream. Riley bought a cone and they shared it as they continued on up to the grotto.

The four white statues depicting Mary at the cross were set into the mountainside, a stark contrast to the gray surrounding them. Though he wasn’t a particularly religious man, after a lifetime spent in a land filled with Catholic monuments, he’d come to appreciate how much a part of him it all was.

“Are you Catholic?” he asked.

She shook her head. “My mother was before she was married. My mother’s parents were. But I was baptized Episcopalian.”

Slowly, he was learning things about her, tiny facts that really didn’t change his feelings for her, but completed the picture. “We have a thing for the Virgin Mary here in Ireland.”

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

They continued on up the pass, to its highest point. Though he drove through the pass almost weekly, he’d never stopped to really look at it through a stranger’s eyes. “They named this spot one of the top ten most romantic places in Ireland,” he said.

“Is that why you brought me here?” Nan asked.

“I’d forgotten about it until now,” he said. “When we read the news article at the pub we were all laughing. How could they have called this pile of rocks romantic? But I see it now. I guess it all has to do with the person you’re with.”

When they got to the top of the rise, they stood alone at the overlook. “We’ve one foot in County Cork and one foot in County Kerry,” he said. Riley pointed toward the view. “There is the River Kenmare and Glenmore Lake. And just through those mountains, you can see Bantry Bay, not far from Ballykirk.”

“It is romantic,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “But it would be more romantic if you kissed me.”

“Are you giving me orders now, woman?” he teased. “I can’t just be kissing you whenever the mood strikes.”

“Well, you don’t have to do anything. I’ll do all the work.”

“Make it good,” Riley warned. He closed his eyes and puckered his mouth. Nan started laughing and he looked at her, glad to see that he could tease her out of a quiet mood.

“Stop,” she said, grabbing his chin. “Make your mouth go the right way.”

“Like this?” He pulled another face and she patted his lips with her fingers. “How about this?”

“No. Just make your mouth soft. Now, part your lips just a little bit.” She smiled. “There. That’s better.”

“Are you ready now? Or maybe you’d like me to stand on my head?”

“I’m ready.” As she moved closer, they both kept their eyes open and at the last moment, a fit of giggles overtook her. “This is not going to work. I can’t kiss you if you’re acting silly.”

He softly touched his lips to hers. “Yes, you can. You can’t resist me.”

“I do like you,” Nan said. “You’re a very likeable guy.”

“A sound bloke,” he said.

“A straight-up dude,” she said, putting on a slacker voice.

He smoothed his hand through her hair. “So we’re all right? You seemed…preoccupied earlier in the car.”

“I was. But it wasn’t about you.”

“You were thinking about your ma.” He gave her a fierce hug. “Don’t be sad about that. You’ll find her here. At least what she left behind. You have the letters and now the photo. Who knows what other clues we’ll find?”

She pulled the photo from her pocket. “Do you recognize anyone in the picture?”

“How would I-” He examined the photo more intently. “It was taken in front of the pub, I can tell you that. See there? That’s what the shutters used to look like before my da made new ones.” His brow furrowed. “I don’t know. No one looks even vaguely familiar. But this was taken when? When I was a year old? My da might know. Or Jimmy McPhee, his old partner. He still lives in Ballykirk. He owned the pub when this photo was taken, before my da came in as a partner. He’s about eighty now, but his mind is still sharp.”

“Would you ask him?”

“We’ll both go,” he said. “We can stop by on our way back to the cottage.”

“I’m almost afraid to know for sure,” Nan said. “If he tells me that red-haired woman is Molly Malone from Dublin, I’ll probably start crying and I’ll make a fool out of myself.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got a perfectly good sleeve here to wipe your tears away.”

She smiled at him, then pulled out her camera and turned it on. Wrapping her arm around his neck, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and snapped a picture. When it came up on the screen, she showed it to him. “You and me in the most romantic place in Ireland,” she said.

He pulled her into a playful embrace and nuzzled her neck. “Oh, I think we can do much better than that!”


WHEN NAN HAD BOOKED her trip to Ireland, she’d sketched out an entire itinerary, each day planned down to the hour. But now, she realized that all she wanted to do was to let the next nine days unfold in front of her, full of surprises.

Shopping for groceries had been an exercise in silliness, with Riley providing commentary on everything she put in her trolley, as he called it. She’d purchased enough food to last her for a week and mentally planned out a meal for that evening, hoping that Riley would agree to stay for supper if an invitation were offered.

Though they’d both avoided the subject of what hadn’t happened the night before, Nan had no doubt they’d be faced with the same choice tonight. Over the course of the day, she’d only confirmed the undeniable attraction between them. At every opportunity, Riley found an excuse to pull her into a kiss or to rest his hand at the small of her back or to run his fingers through her hair.

Though it hadn’t gone further than mild displays of public affection, Nan felt the need growing between them. She saw the desire in his eyes, felt it in the way he held her. His desire was like the waves crashing against the rocks, slowly washing away her inhibitions, threatening to sweep her out to sea.

It was already impossible to control her feelings for him. With every hour that passed, she became more infatuated with him. No amount of self-censure seemed to help. Yes, she knew all the risks, but here, in this strange land, her usual common sense had inexplicably abandoned her.

When they reached the cottage, Riley helped her carry the groceries inside. Nan sorted them, putting some in the small refrigerator and others in the cabinets above the stove. But when she was finished, she realized that she’d neglected to buy anything decent to drink.

“Wine,” she murmured. “I forgot to buy wine. And beer.”

“Don’t worry yourself. I’ll bring some up from the pub.”

“When you come for dinner tonight?” she asked.

“You’re going to be cooking for me now?” Riley grinned.

“Yes. It’s the least I can do after you drove me to the supermarket. Can you come or do you have to work?”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said. “But there is one thing I need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“Should I bring a toothbrush?”

Nan felt her cheeks warm and she pressed her face into his chest. Undeterred, Riley hooked his thumb beneath her chin and forced her gaze to meet his. “Am I being too bold then?”

“No,” Nan murmured. “And it might be a good idea to bring other…necessities?” He smoothed his hands over her hips and pulled her against him, the action provocative. A shiver of anticipation skittered up her spine.

“That I can do,” he said, leaning to whisper in her ear. “I’m thinking about kissing you again, and about carrying you into the bedroom and letting you have your way with me. But I think we should leave that until tonight, no?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly.

“So, we have two options. I can leave you and return tonight. Or, we could take ourselves down to Jimmy McPhee’s place and have a chat.”

“I vote for Jimmy McPhee’s,” she said.

“All right then, let’s go.”

They arrived at a small whitewashed cottage just minutes later, Riley pulling the SUV up to the front gate. “Jimmy is a notorious flirt,” he warned. “He’ll probably ask if he can kiss you and he’s sure to grab your arse, so keep a watch out.”

“You said he was eighty.”

“Oh, that doesn’t stop him. He may have slowed down a bit, but whenever he stops by the pub, he has the ladies buying him drinks all night long.”

They knocked on the door and a few seconds later, it swung open to reveal an elderly man with pure white hair and twinkling blue eyes. His eyes widened when he caught site of Nan and he grabbed her hand. “Oh, Lord, my prayers have been answered. I’ll forget about winnin’ the lottery if you’ll just let me keep the girl.”