“We’ll walk from here,” he said. “It’s only ten minutes. How do your runners feel?”
“They feel great. Are you going to put the top up on the car?”
Conall peered at the sky. “Nah, I don’t think it will rain.”
“I was thinking more of thieves who might want to go through your things.”
“The car—and everything in it—will be safe,” he said. “There’s literally no crime in Ballylahane, unless you count Maggie Mallone’s cooking.” He gave her a conspiratorial wink. “She and her husband own the pub.”
Rachel gave a surprised laugh. “Okay, well, I guess I won’t eat there.”
“Oh, you can eat there, just not on Thursday night, which is when she’s in the kitchen. The rest of the time, her man does the cooking and it’s grand.”
After stashing her pocketbook and shoes into the small trunk—or boot, as Conall called it—they crossed the road to where a path led into the trees. Rachel followed Conall, aware he had shortened his longer stride to accommodate hers.
“Have you lived in Ballylahane your whole life?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah, except for my college years, which I spent in Galway and Dublin, followed by a short stint in Melbourne. They’re fantastic cities, mind you, but they’re not Ballylahane.”
“You lived in Melbourne? As in Australia?” She looked at him with renewed interest. “When was this?”
“Right after college.” He shrugged and Rachel had the distinct sense he regretted having said anything. “I was there for such a short time that it’s hardly worth mentioning.”
“Well, Ballylahane is beautiful,” Rachel agreed. “But don’t you ever want a little more excitement?”
Conall grinned. “You’ve not been here when Donegal’s county football teams compete. It can get downright murderous.”
“Sounds about the same as our American football.” Rachel smiled.
“Seriously, though, the village is small, but it has everything I need. I’ve known the people here my whole life and after being away for so long, I was happy to come back. Besides, there are no better trails for running than here in the northwest of Ireland.”
As if to support his statement, four runners appeared through the trees in front of them, and Conall pulled her to one side of the trail to give them room. Recognizing Conall, they shouted greetings as they ran past.
“Friends of yours?” Rachel asked as they resumed walking.
“Members of my running club.”
“Just how often do you run?”
“Every day, sometimes twice a day.” Seeing her surprise, he shrugged. “It’s how I relax.”
Rachel laughed. “Okay, well, normal people do things like read a book or take a nap.”
“And miss out on all this?” The trees fell away and before them stretched a high, grassy hill. To her left was the glittering blue ocean and the low rise of green mountains in the distance.
“Oh, look at that,” she breathed.
Before she knew what he intended, Conall caught her hand in his. “C’mon, let’s run a bit.”
The unexpected contact startled Rachel and made her feel flustered, even as it gave her a thrill of girlish excitement. His hand was large and warm, his fingers closing securely around hers with an easy confidence.
“Oh, no! Conall, I can’t run!” she protested, laughing, but he was already tugging her along behind him.
To Rachel’s surprise, she found she could run. With her hand tucked warmly into Conall’s, he pulled her along the path until finally, laughing and breathless, they reached the top. Conall collapsed onto the grassy knoll and pulled her down beside him. There, spread out before them, was the most magnificent vista Rachel had ever seen. They were sitting on a headland and the ocean crashed onto the rocks far below. Curving out to either side were more cliffs, topped with emerald-green fields. In the distance, the coastline curved back toward the sea in a series of majestic cliffs and rolling hills.
“How beautiful,” Rachel said with a sigh of contentment.
“Yeah, it is.” Something in his tone made Rachel look at him, only to find him watching her. Before she could wonder about it, he pointed to a distant island floating in the blueness of the water. “That’s the island of Roan Inish.”
“Does anyone live there?”
“No, not anymore. It’s not much more than a barren rock, really, surrounded by skerries, or smaller rocky islands.”
“Have you been out there?”
“Yeah, I took a kayak out there once.” Bracing his arms on his bent knees, he angled his head to look at her, his irises startlingly blue in the sunlight. “The place had a haunted, lonely feel to it.”
“Is it really home to selkies?”
Conall laughed. “You know the story, eh? Well, I don’t know if it’s true, but I didn’t see any half-human, half-seal people the day I was there.” He considered her for a moment. “If I did see a selkie, I’d leave her be. I wouldn’t steal her sealskin and hide it from her.”
“Why not?” Rachel pulled at a stalk of grass and smiled at him. “Legend has it, selkies make wonderful wives and mothers.”
“Yeah, but if she finds her sealskin, she abandons her family for the lure of the sea.” Conall turned his gaze back to the island. “That’s not a heartbreak I’d risk.”
Rachel was silent for a moment. “No. You’d need to find a really good hiding spot.”
Conall laughed and pushed himself to his feet. Extending a hand to her, he pulled her up. “Well, that would never work in my case.” He smiled down at her, but his blue eyes were serious. “I’ve never been good at hiding anything.”
Chapter Three
Rachel cast a sideward glance at the man in the driver’s seat. His profile showed a strong, square jaw and a nose that might have been called prominent on another man, but looked proud on Conall McDermott.
“Thank you for driving,” she said as he maneuvered the car along the winding road that led beyond the village and toward the bay. He had put the top up on the convertible and the interior of the car seemed small and intimate. She balanced a brightly colored gift bag and a bunch of cut flowers wrapped in paper on her lap. “I probably wouldn’t have had much luck calling an Uber.”
“Probably not,” Conall agreed. “It’s not that far to his house, but I’d not have you walking after dark.”
“I thought Ballylahane has no crime.”
“It doesn’t. But there are no streetlamps, and I’d hate to see you fall into a pothole or take a wrong turn and end up in a field.” He flashed her a swift smile to let her know he was teasing, but she was already grinning back at him.
“You’re a quick study, Conall McDermott. You already have me figured out.”
“I’m not sure that’s true,” he said with a rueful laugh. “But you’re here for what—three months? I’ve still got loads of time.”
“We’ll see,” she said, unable to resist teasing him a little. She found she was looking forward to getting to know him better.