Kate Hoffmann - Kellan

“You’re going to come back, then?”

Gelsey thought about it for a long moment, then nodded. “Yes. And I’m going to bring Kellan with me. Just as soon as I tell him who I really am.”

“Just who does he think you are?” Caroline asked.

Gelsey winced, then shrugged her shoulders. “At first, a mermaid. But now, probably an escapee from a mental hospital.”

“Oh, dear,” Caroline said. “It’s going to take more than a pot of tea to explain that.”

“WHAT THE HELL are we doing here?” Danny grumbled.

“Waiting,” Kellan said.

“I can see that. What are we waiting for?”

“I’m not sure.”

“When you asked to borrow my car, you told me you had an errand to run. We’re not running. We’re sitting here at the side of the road staring at a huge house. Who lives there?”

“I don’t know,” Kellan muttered. “Do you?”

Danny shook his head. “Not really. I’m not sure anyone lives there, at least not year-round. But it looks like a nice place. Well tended. The ironwork on the gates looks original. I’d like to get a closer look at those hinges.” He reached for the door handle, but Kellan grabbed his jacket sleeve.

“Wait,” he said. “Look. There’s someone coming outside. Pull ahead and then turn around.”

“Who’s coming?” Danny asked.

“I don’t know. Someone that Gelsey knows. She came here this morning. Drove the Fiat over. I couldn’t stick around because she would have recognized my car, so I decided to come back and check it out once she returned to Ballykirk.”

“You followed her here?”

“Not exactly,” Kellan said. Then he cleared his throat. “Well, yeah, I did. I was driving back to the cottage to try to convince her to go to Cork with me after Jordan canceled. And I saw her turn down the coast road, so I followed her-at a discreet distance. I was curious. And this is where she came. To this house.”

“What kind of sick obsession is this?” Danny said.

“I was beginning to think she was a feckin’ mermaid. I’m losing my mind, here. She won’t tell me anything about herself. I decided to find out on my own. Now I just have to figure out why she came here.”

“Maybe it’s where she lives?”

“If she lives here, why is she staying in the cottage with me? This place looks a lot more posh than anything I can offer. Look at the bleedin’ chimneys. There must be five or six fireplaces in that house.”

“Look, a woman’s come out,” Danny said. “She’s putting a wreath up on the door. I’m going to go talk to her.”

“No!”

“I’ll just tell her I’d like to take a photo of her gates. I do it all the time.”

Danny hopped out of the Land Rover and started off toward the woman, leaving Kellan no choice but to follow him.

“Hello, there!” Danny called, striding confidently up the driveway. “We were just looking at your gate. I’m a blacksmith. Would you mind if I took a photo?” He glanced back at Kellan and motioned him forward. “Do you have your mobile with you?”

Kellan reached into his pocket, then handed Danny his phone. “Just flip it open and press that button on the side. Then press it again to take the photo.”

“Would you mind?” Danny asked again.

“No, not at all,” the old woman said.

“How long have you owned the place?” Danny asked.

“Oh, I don’t own it. I work here. I’m the housekeeper. For thirty-five years. My mother worked here before me.”

“Big house,” Danny said. “A lot to keep up with, I’d reckon.”

“Oh, it’s not all that bad. The owner only comes now and then. She’s here now, so I’ve been a bit busier.”

“She?” Kellan asked.

“Yes. Miss Gelsey. I’ve know her since she was just a wee baby.”

“Really.”

“Her grandmother owned the house up until the time she died. That was six years ago. She was Lila Dunleavy Woodson. Her husband was a surgeon in London and they kept a summer home here. Her son, Gelsey’s father, became a diplomat with the British Foreign Service and married an American.” She chuckled. “You wouldn’t need to know all that genealogy just to look at a gate, now, would you?”

“I guess not,” Danny said. “I’ll just get a few snaps and we’ll be on our way.

By the time they got back in the car, Kellan’s mind was spinning. Woodson. Her name was Gelsey Woodson. She had parents and a home-a very lovely home from the look of it. And she had a housekeeper. She’d obviously come home to pick up the expensive clothes, expensive clothes that had magically appeared in the wardrobe sometime before lunch.

Kellan stared out the window, watching as the scenery passed by. “What the hell am I doing?”

“You are definitely in love with this girl,” Danny said. “I’ve never seen you so out of joint over a woman.” He gave Kellan a sideways glance. “She did seem a bit more posh than the average girl. She has good manners. Jordan even mentioned that the other day. Nan thought she might be a ballerina because she has such nice posture, but Jordan guessed fashion model. I figured she was rich from the way she talked.”

“I don’t even know why I’m interested,” Kellan said.

“Because she’s drop-dead gorgeous. Hell, Kellan, you’d be an eejit if you walked away from a goddess like her.” Danny pointed up the road. “Are you coming into town with me or should I drop you at the cottage?”

“Let’s go to the pub,” he said. “I think I could use a pint or two. And I left my car there.”

When they arrived at the pub, they found a crowd inside, oddly large for a Monday afternoon. But as Kellan stared at the group clustered around the bar, he suddenly realized why they had all come.

“Looks like your mermaid is holding court,” Danny said.

Gelsey was perched on a bar stool with the Unholy Trinity lined up to her left. Doc Finnerty occupied the stool to her right and a small group of townspeople filled out the rest of her circle.

Kellan strolled to the end of the bar to greet his mother. “How long has she been here?”

“About an hour,” his mother said. “Where have you boys been?”

“I’ve been draggin’ Kellan around the countryside looking for leprechauns,” Danny said with an exaggerated Irish brogue.

Frowning, Kellan watched as Dealy and Markus commandeered the conversation. If they were bothering Gelsey with their plans, he was going to put an end to it right now. He pushed away from the end of the bar and strode through the small crowd to stand in front of Gelsey.

Reaching up, she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. “You’re back,” she said. “I came in here looking for you, but your mother said you and Danny had left together.”

“I thought I’d find you at the cottage.”

“I walked into town to talk to Maeve, then decided to stop here after. Then these gentlemen came by. They said you sent them.”

Kellan glared at the trio over Gelsey’s shoulder. “They did, did they? Well, that’s interesting. As I recall, I haven’t spoken to them since the day before yesterday when I told them to keep their silly plans to themselves.”

Gelsey glanced back at Johnnie, Markus and Dealy. “But they’ve been wonderful,” she said. “They thought I might be interested in a business opportunity and I told them I was.”

“You don’t need to listen to these gits,” Kellan whispered.

“Really,” Gelsey said. “It’s an interesting plan. One I’ve actually been considering.” She grabbed Kellan around the arm and pulled him along with her toward the door. “It was a pleasure meeting all of you and I’m sure I’ll see you again soon. And thank you for the beer, Mrs. Quinn.”