“What are these potatoes?” she asked, holding out a forkful before popping it in her mouth. “I’m going to look like a potato when I leave here, all round and doughy.”

“That’s boxty,” he said.

She took a bite of the boxty, then rolled her eyes. “Oh, this is so good. It’s like hash browns mixed with mashed potatoes. This would be really good with a little garlic. Or maybe some onions?”

He continued to watch her enjoy her meal, but his thoughts focused only on the words she’d just spoken. When I leave here. He knew she was scheduled to leave in five days. He’d promised to return her to the airport. But as they spent more time together, Riley found himself trying to come up with excuses for her to stay. There just wasn’t enough time.

“If you wanted to stay a few days longer, you could,” Riley said, trying to bring up the subject casually. “The cottage isn’t booked for the rest of the summer.”

“I’m on a budget. Ten days was all I could afford.”

“You wouldn’t have to pay,” he said. “You’d be my guest.”

“I wish I could,” Nan said. “It’s already Friday. It seems like the time has flown by so quickly.”

“After the show at the pub tomorrow night, my schedule is completely yours.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Nan said. “I didn’t expect a personal tour guide twenty-four hours a day.”

He picked up her hand and wove his fingers through hers, then kissed the inside of her wrist. “I think I’m a little more than that,” he murmured.

A wicked little grin curved the corners of her mouth. “I’ve enjoyed our adventures in the bedroom. And yes, you are more than a tour guide.”

“I like showing you around. I’m helping you avoid all the cheesy tourist spots.”

“Where are we going tomorrow?” she asked. “Wait, no. I don’t want to know. You can surprise me.”

“I’ll think of something good to do. I have band rehearsal in the afternoon, but we can spend the morning together. And we might have a ring from Carey Findley.” Riley picked up his fork and scooped up some of the boxty and fed it to her. “Tell me about your life at home in…”

“Madison,” she said. “Madison, Wisconsin. It’s a big college town. There’s a huge university there. I live in a little bungalow, the house that I grew up in.”

“What about friends?”

“Are you asking about boyfriends?”

Riley shrugged. Of course that’s what he was asking about. “Is there anyone back home you’ve been dating?”

“There is this guy at the library. Larry. We’ve been out a few times. But…”

“Larry? No, you can’t be with a guy named Larry. Larry wears sensible shoes and thick glasses and carries his lunch in a briefcase. He drives an ugly car and likes to tend his lawn for a craic.”

“Craic,” she said. “Translation please.”

“Good time,” he said. “And you.”

“I’m a craic,” he said.

She laughed. But Riley didn’t think she was taking any of the conversation seriously. To her it was all just amusing chat. “Yes, you are.”

“Feck Larry,” he muttered beneath his breath.

“I used to think, if I really wanted to get married I could marry him. He’s a nice guy and he has a good job. He loves books so we have that in common. But now, I think not.”

“Hell no.”

Nan giggled, nodding her head. “Hell no! You’ve ruined me for all other men. I’ll never find anyone quite like you.”

“Then don’t,” Riley said, turning serious. “Stay here and you won’t have to.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“You can do anything you want,” he countered.

“Can I tear off all your clothes right now?”

“No. I’m afraid they’d toss us out before you had a chance to finish your potatoes.”

“I rest my case,” she said. “I love these potatoes. I’m developing a much deeper appreciation of the common spud since I’ve been in Ireland.”

Riley cursed beneath his breath. He fought the urge to tell her how he felt, to express to her how much he loved being with her. But every time he even broached the subject, she found a way to diffuse the emotion behind his words.

Maybe it would be better saved for a quiet moment in the bedroom. After all, they’d only known each other less than a week. That was plenty of time to realize that something very special was happening between them. He at least wanted her to acknowledge it.

They would have to have a serious talk tonight. He didn’t want her to leave on Wednesday. Hell, he didn’t want her to leave at all. And he wasn’t going to be satisfied until she understood exactly where he stood.


NAN LOVED the market day in Bantry. The atmosphere was lively and the stalls colorful. There were vendors with fresh produce and fragant cheeses, salty olives and savory pastries, so many things to tempt her. Before long, she and Riley were lugging around bags of items she’d felt compelled to purchase.

They made a trip back to the boat, packing the perishables away in a cool spot before heading back for more. Though they’d meant to visit a large estate at the edge of town, Nan was determined to find the perfect memento to represent her trip to Ireland before it was too late. She’d looked in Killarney and in Ballykirk, but nothing had struck her fancy.

She pulled Riley to a stop in front of a small clothing store and stared at a hand-painted scarf in the window. “Look at that,” she said. It was a colorful map of Ireland printed on a silk scarf, the kind of thing she could frame rather than wear. “That’s pretty.”

“Pretty ghastly,” he said. “Isn’t that something an old lady would wear?”

“No, I’d frame it. I love maps.”

“Then buy a real map. There’s a great bookshop in Ennis that sells antique maps. I can take you there.”

“Will we have time before I leave?” Nan asked.

Riley cursed beneath his breath. “Do we always have to be talking about you going home?”

“I want to find the perfect memory,” she said. “I’m going to go in and look at it. Maybe they have some others.”

“I’ll wait out here,” he said.

“You don’t want to come with me?”

“I’m not a big one for browsing for ladies’ things,” he said. “Unless, of course, you’re shopping for lingerie. Then I’d be happy to be of assistance.”

Nan laughed. “There’s a pub across the street. Go get yourself a half-pint and I’ll join you when I’m done.”

“You won’t be long?”

“Fifteen minutes at the most. And then we’ll go to the gardens.”

She watched as Riley started off across the street, then turned and entered the small shop. A bell rang above her head as she opened the door and the shopkeeper smiled at her from behind a small counter.

“Hello, there,” the shopkeeper said. “It’s a lovely day outside, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Nan said. “Perfect.”

“Is there anything I can help you find, then?”

“I noticed the scarf in the window,” Nan said. “Do you have any others like it?”

“Oh, yes. Several,” she said, pointing into the display case. “These are one-of-a-kind, you know. Hand-painted by a local artist. Let me show you.”

As she looked through the scarves, Nan realized nothing she could buy would ever be perfect because they were only reminders of the land and scenery. Her most vivid memory of Ireland would always be Riley. Maybe she needed to buy something to create that one perfect memory of him.

“Do you carry lingerie?” she asked.

“I’m afraid we don’t. We have some dressing gowns.”

“Is there any place in town that has lingerie?”

“Burkes,” she said. “They’re a larger department store just around the corner.”

Nan thanked the shopkeeper, then hurried back outside, glancing at her watch. She had ten minutes left before she’d agreed to meet Riley at the pub. She could run in and out and come away with something sexy.

Burkes was a large store with a beautiful red facade of arched display windows. She hurried inside, then asked for directions to the lingerie department. But along the way, a pretty pale green cotton dress caught her eye. It had a deeply cut neck and back and a long, flowing skirt. Hand-crocheted lace decorated the neckline.

She wouldn’t be able to wear a bra with it, which made it all the more provocative, and yet it wasn’t too revealing. It was feminine and sexy, exactly the kind of thing she needed to wear to Riley’s show. The kind of dress that would make him forget all the other women in the room and focus entirely on her.

“Can I try this on?” Nan asked, the lingerie forgotten.

“The dressing rooms are in the rear,” the clerk said. “I’ll be back to check on you in a moment.”

After she closed the door behind her, Nan stripped out of her clothes and bra and pulled the dress over her head. The gauzy material was soft on her skin and clung to all her curves. The skirt came down to midcalf and yet was slit up to the thigh on one side.

“Perfect,” she murmured, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. Nan spun around then examined the low back on the dress. Though she’d never gone out in public without a bra, there was no reason not to feel comfortable in the dress.

Facing the mirror, she examined her breasts and came away pleased with the overall impression. There were a few benefits to being slightly flat-chested.

Nan reached beneath the skirt and skimmed off her panties, then smiled. She could wear the dress with nothing underneath, she mused. Riley would probably enjoy that even more. She ran her fingers through her hair. Maybe a pretty thong would be better.

Nan winced. She’d never worn a thong in her life. They’d always looked so uncomfortable. And a bit too racy for her tastes. A knock sounded on the door. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” the salesclerk asked.

Nan poked her head out the door. “I need lingerie. Panties. Maybe a thong? Something lacy. White, I think.”

A few minutes later, another knock sounded on the door and she opened it, only to find Riley standing outside. “Let me in,” he whispered, a devilish grin on his face.