chapter six

He had her caught up. That's the only way she could describe how he made her feel. It was as though she was floating. She never had floaty feelings around men she was attracted to. He was different. With him, things were different.

"You're quiet." He said, drawing her out of her thoughts. They were lying side by side on the cool grass. He had taken her on a picnic in the middle of nowhere. Okay, not in the middle of nowhere. They were somewhere in the woods not so far off from his cottage. He'd planned it. The Woods, picnic, good wine, good food(he cooked!) wonderful array of flowers, and as the moon shone above them, they'd simply lain on their backs admiring the heavens, God's great work.

"I'm just thinking about what a nice time I'm having with you. That wasn't in the plan."

"Gush, Aine, you're going to make an old man blush." She looked up into his smiling face, and was struck by how handsome he was.

"Aren't you too manly to be blushing?"

"Trust me, you're never to manly to blush when a beautiful woman as yourself says she's had a good time with someone like me."

She cocked her brow,

"Someone like you? What d'you mean someone like you?"

He shrugged, " I like to think of myself as a catch, but sometimes I'm just a man, plain ol' Bryan Maher." He grinned, but she knew he meant every word. His humility struck her as beautiful. She couldn't help but smile, and when he looked down at her into her smiling face, something tweaked inside of him. He was falling in love.

"Maher son, seems to me a poet resides deep within." Aine finally said, after some moments of silence.

"Hmm, and do you have a thing for poets, darling?" He asked lightly, giving no hint at what had just hit him. It wasn't hard though. Being in love with a woman as beautiful as Aine, a woman who was as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, didn't scare him, if anything he was at peace. He didn't think now was the time to declare his feelings to her, he might have been at peace, but he wasn't willing to scare her off with his feelings, so he kept them to himself. He savored his new found love, that humbled him and set him at rest. For after so long he was coming home.

"Yes I do."

"Then I am a poet. If that's what pleases the lady." She giggled and shook her head.

"And a jester too." He sat to look down at her, into her smiling face, her countenance lit up by the moonlight, washing over her, kissing her all over. And he was jealous of the moon.

"You're beautiful, Aine." He said leaning down stopping short, inches away from her lips.

"May I?" He whispered. Oh, he prayed he could.

"Why do you have to ask?" She whispered back, heart in throat, her heart, all of a sudden beating wildly.

"Because a woman like you should be respected."

And his words were her undoing. She brought him closer with her hands and when their lips connected she was sure the angels sang. she was sure stars exploded. And just as in the days of moses, seas parted, at least she was sure one parted in her.

She was soft, so soft. That was the first thing that crossed his mind and then all thoughts vanished as he drowned himself in her. His body sang a tune, Aine. Aine. Aine. She filled his senses. And he rejoiced in her. The taking of her, the giving of himself to her. In her, he sought himself, he was thrilled by what he found. She was light, she all but lit him up. A flower ready to bloom. She was his. His Aine.

****

She hummed.

She couldn't catch a tune, but she sang, kenell howled. They were quite the pair. She thought of him as she showered. Thought of him as she dressed up for the day. Thought of him as fixed up breakfast for kenell. He was just there, ready to be picked up and dissected. He mesmerized her, tugged at her senses. And she let him. She didn't see the point of fighting it, fighting him, fighting all that she was feeling. So she didn't fight. She let it come, she let herself feel, she relished the ebb and flow of it all, rejoiced over it, was grateful for it. Here lay magic and color, wonder and life... New beginning.

°°°

"Is it normal, the way she's smiling like that?" Cedric whispered in Bridget's ear

"Shut up boy and help me bring down those boxes." But Bridget smiled. Aine was a happy young lady, but she held now a glow Bridget had never seen, and Bridget prayed nothing would take it away, no matter what.

"Well I'm just saying–"

"Cedric, I can hear you."

Cedric made a face, "bat ears."

"Owl eyes."

"Butterfly wings"

"Butterfly wings?"

"Leave me be, cousin. Go back to your logbook." Aine couldn't help but laugh

"You know you could just ask."

"What makes you think I'm interested?"

"Owl eyes, they pop with interest and wonder?"

"Oh please." Aine just smiled

"Has he been a gentleman?" She thought of the kisses, thought of the way he looked at her,

"So far so good."

"So far so good." Cedric repeated and nodded, and went to get those boxes, and was sure he would pound Bryan Maher to bits if he broke his cousin's heart.

°°°°

People came around to check out his Horses, but he was getting sentimental. He had to sell, he knew it, but he didn't want to.

"What's the matter with me?"

He thought he knew, he'd grown attached. The past few months before his move was hectic. He had come out of a long term relationship that didn't end well. Rhoda – his ex– had been cheating on him, he ended things as soon as he'd found out, but it still stung every time he thought about it. In the days and weeks after, his horses had been his God-given refuge, he'd learned to pray, the heartbreak had literally brought him to his knees. Now he was healing, and just couldn't see himself parting with His animals, to him they were God-sent.

He rubbed the head of his mare, sweetheart.

"I just can't do it. I just can't let you all go."

She bumped him with her nose, and he couldn't help but smile, she understood him like no other.

"I've fallen in love with her. She's like an answer to my prayers." He rested his head on hers.

"I pray I'm not wrong. Dear God, I pray I'm not wrong."