Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series

by Tricia Daniels

  To: Ethan O’Connell

  Hi Ethan. My afternoon has been fine, thank you for asking. As I mentioned this morning, I have a date this evening. How did you get my email address?

  Olivia James

  Business Solutions Specialist

  Dunn & McLellan IT Consulting

  Immediately a reply bounces back.

  To: OIivia James

  It’s not rocket science Olivia. Any teenager can figure out how to track down business emails. All I needed to know was where you worked. Blow off that Noah guy and let me take you to dinner instead.

  Ethan O’Connell

  SVP International Sales and Marketing

  Aurora Technologies

  Olivia sighs. She had worked hard at putting him out of her mind this morning. She can’t deny that she felt a compelling attraction to him until the sexy and charming Irishman turned psychotic control freak in a short walk to the parking lot. She couldn’t handle a man like that in her life again.

  To: Ethan O’Connell

  Mr. O’Connell, I thank you again for breakfast this morning however Noah is a good man who treats me well and I am looking forward to enjoying his company. I will not be having dinner with you tonight or any other night.

  Olivia James

  Business Solutions Specialist

  Dunn & McLellan IT Consulting

  From his downtown office, Ethan reads the last email and leans way back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair and smoothing it back behind his ears. Olivia is proving to be quite a challenge but he knows that eventually she will reveal her weakness. Ethan’s business success is largely due to his ability to negotiate. Everybody has weaknesses and Ethan always finds them, he just needs to be patient. Leaning forward with his elbows on the desk and his hand on his chin in a pensive gesture, he thinks of a response. Grinning, he quickly types a reply with such enthusiasm that the tapping on the keyboard sounds like a pounding rain. He hits send and leans back in his chair, waiting.

  To: Olivia James

  Olivia, I am disheartened by your refusal to see me again. I am concerned, not for the lack of physical nourishment required to sustain life, but rather for my soul that will endure an arduous fast if deprived of your exquisiteness. I beg you not to torment me with such a cruel punishment.

  Ethan O’Connell

  SVP International Sales and Marketing

  Aurora Technologies

  OH BOY! His poetic words easily disarm her as she reads his email. She has to remind herself that they are just words. Words he has probably spoken to every woman he has tried to seduce. She knows men like Ethan O’Connell; he’s definitely not a ‘committed to one woman’ kind of guy. She needs to put an end to this, once and for all.

  To: Ethan O’Connell

  I know what you’re hungry for, Mr. O’Connell. I’m sure you will find suitable company for “dining” among your many admirers. “I” am not one of them.

  Olivia James

  Business Solutions Specialist

  Dunn & McLellan IT Consulting

  Ethan smiles when he reads her response. He has rarely come across a woman without insecurities and she has just revealed one of hers. She hesitates when she receives his next reply. Finding his persistence and arrogance so infuriating, she thinks that she should just ignore him all together. Unfortunately, curiosity has gotten the better of her and she has to know what he said.

  To: Olivia James

  Then I will have to change that Miss James.

  ps. Call the doctor. NOW!

  E

  Ethan O’Connell

  SVP International Sales and Marketing

  Aurora Technologies

  Putting her hands over her face, she growls as she turns red hot with anger. Gahhhhhhhhh! Rachel bursts into her office, startling the hell out of her. “You have a date? What the hell? Why am I just hearing about it now from Scott?”

  “Hi! Welcome back!” Olivia tries to disarm her with a friendly smile.

  “Nice try, James… spill it. Who are you having dinner with?” Rachel is extremely annoyed and she’s not good at hiding it.

  “Scott didn’t tell you?”

  “He said he didn’t want to tell me. That I should hear it from you. SO… out with it!“

  “Geez I figured you’d come home in a much better mood.”

  “I was in a good mood until I found out that my best friend is going on her first date in three years and she didn’t bother to tell me about it.” She folds her arms in disgust.

  Olivia feels horrible. “I’m sorry.” She pouts, hoping for forgiveness. “Noah stopped by to help me bandage my thigh, and one thing led to another and… well I guess it was me who asked him out.”

  “NOAH THOMPSON?” Rachel is dumbfounded. Noah would not be her choice for a date with her best friend since he’s let her down so many times before. For some reason, Olivia always forgives him and she has never really understood her connection to him.

  “I know! I’m sorry. He left and I started feeling a little woozy so I went to bed. And then yesterday was insanely busy.” She pauses a moment realizing that her excuses are only making Rachel more annoyed. “So… It’s crazy, right? Me and Noah?” She rubs her tummy, still not feeling that great.

  “I thought that was a lost cause after all these years? And what happened to your thigh that he had to bandage it?”

  “Well, that’s a long story. I fell out of my chair at the soccer game and took a chunk out of it.”

  “How the heck did you do that?” Rachel starts to laugh. “Did anyone get video? Wait... I’m going to go and check YouTube.”

  “Dear God, I hope not!” Olivia panics and starts to type YouTube into the search engine on her computer.

  Rachel is growing impatient. “Will you give me some details already? You look gorgeous! Where are you going?”

  She sighs. “I don’t know yet. I’m supposed to pick somewhere. He said he would call me to let me know what time he’s going to finish work. I was thinking Indian food. What do you think?”

  “I think it sounds wonderful. The only place Scott takes me for dinner these days is the drive-thru window.”

  “I’m getting a little antsy though. I thought I would have heard from him by now. I don’t want to text him and look like one of those needy girls.” She twists her nose as she says it. If only he knew just how NEEDY she really is.

  “Well, it’s almost 5pm so maybe you should. As soon as you get home, I want all the details. And don’t make me chase you! I’ve got to get home to my husband, apparently he missed me.”

  “Aw, that’s so cute.” Olivia powers off her computer and picks up her purse.

  “You’d think so, but my bet is that he probably hasn’t eaten since I left or he’s out of clean underwear.” Walking together to the parking lot, she gives her a quick hug before they part ways. Olivia gets in her car but she just doesn’t want to go home. Taking a long look at her phone, and confirming that there are still no word from Noah, she types a message.

  From Olivia: Hey, what time do you want to meet for dinner?

  She has a strange feeling that she’s being brushed off, but she spends the next couple of minutes freshening up her makeup anyways. She gets that feeling often with Noah. It’s the reason she has always felt that she isn’t quite good enough for him.

  Assuming that he must be really busy or he’s forgotten she decides to head home and wait. Pulling into the driveway, she checks her phone one last time. Still nothing. Her women’s intuition starts tingling like spidey sense and on a hunch, she backs up and slowly rounds the corner onto the next street to find his car parked in the laneway.

  He must have forgotten. With a huge sense of relief, she drives around to the front of the house and parks at the curb. She can see him through the window moving back and forth between the kitchen and the living room. Feeling rather silly spying on him, she takes out her phone and texts him again.

  From Olivia: Did you forget about me? Are you ready
for dinner? I’m starving!

  She watches him walk over to the couch, pick his phone up off the coffee table, and read the message. He types something and then puts it back down. Her phone beeps and she smiles as she opens his message.

  From Noah: Sorry babe. Stuck at work. We’ll have to do it another time

  She looks at the message, puzzled, blinking her eyes a few times making sure that they are focused properly and that she hasn’t misread it. Why would he lie to her? She looks back at the window and receives her answer. His arms stretch out in front of him and a tall blonde steps into his embrace. She had previously been hidden behind the curtain that’s obstructing part of her view. Olivia’s heart is crushed, as she watches Noah claim her lips in a very passionate kiss.

  Trying to fight the bitter sting of rejection, she walks up the pathway to her back door. The key sticks in the lock and she struggles to get it open, wiggling it back and forth, trying to coax the door and the lock to line up properly. It only seems to stick at the most inconvenient times and tonight she is tired, upset and in no mood to be challenged by a stubborn door. Taking a breath, she pulls the knob towards her as far as she can and gives the key one more twist. It’s stiff at first but then it turns all the way and clicks. Finally!

  Once inside she drops her stuff on the floor, kicks off her shoes, and heads straight to her room. When she takes her pajamas out of the dresser drawer and tosses them on the bed, she catches her reflection in the mirrored cupboard doors and stops to stare at herself in her dress. She pulls at the material around the waist and smoothes it around her hips trying to reduce the appearance of her curves as if that was the reason Noah brushed her off. She sighs as she pulls the dress over her head and discards it onto a laundry pile on the floor.

  Changing into her favorite pink kitten fleece pajama pants, she grabs a pillow and a blanket and heads back downstairs. Throwing them on the couch, she prepares to sleep there, as she does many nights, when she can’t bear to sleep in her bedroom. Nightmares seldom find her downstairs so the couch has become a warm, familiar place.

  Tears stream down her face and she wipes at them with the back of her hand as she stands at the stove, heating up a can of soup. She wonders why she’s crying since she should have known better, this isn’t the first time that Noah has brushed her off for a pretty blonde. As she stirs the noodles in a continuous circle, she realizes that she doesn’t really have an appetite. Running her hand across her forehead, she’s concerned that she feels a little feverish. That would explain why her muscles ache and she feels very tired. Perhaps a quiet night on the couch is what the universe had in mind. Turning off the stove, she leaves the soup in the pot, no longer having the stomach for it.

  Curling up on the couch, she pulls the blanket over herself, making sure that her feet stick out at the bottom and wiggles her toes in the cool air. As far back as she can remember she hasn’t been able to handle the restriction of tucked in blankets. Exhausted, she surrenders to the fever and fades off to sleep.

  At the Headwaters Bar and Grill, Rachel, Scott and Ethan have been seated for dinner. This is the only place to go in town if you want a good meal and evening entertainment. Tonight there is a live band during the dinner hour, followed by the best DJ from the nearby city. The place is standing room only on Friday and Saturday nights. This Friday night is no exception.

  “I love this place.” Ethan says, with his mouth half full of food. “I should buy it.” Looking around the room at its rich dark wood trim and country character, he gives it serious consideration.

  Scott laughs and Rachel looks at him with serious interest. “Are you joking?”

  “No, not at all.” He says as he swallows. “It reminds me of home.”

  Rachel is impressed and looks at Scott with raised eyebrows. “Sweet.”

  The DJ takes over, pumping up the bass, and over the next couple of hours the room fills to capacity. Drinks flow freely at the table and the alcohol has made Rachel very talkative. Ethan’s obsession for Olivia consumes his thoughts. He looks at his watch and thinks about her on a date with another man and it makes his stomach twist in uncomfortable knots. When Scott excuses himself and goes to the restroom, Ethan interrupts Rachel’s rambling. “Tell me about Olivia.” He’s hoping that she’s much more forthcoming with information than Scott is.

  Rachel is delighted in Ethan’s interest. “My poor, sweet friend, Olivia.” She begins. “She has had more than her fair share of assholes. A string of bad relationships actually.”

  “Ah, well that explains a lot.” Ethan picks up his glass and downs the last mouthful.

  “She has barely left her house in three years, except to work. She’s still a little… umm... skittish around men.” Rachel starts feeling a little protective of her best friend. “She deserves a good man.”

  He reflects on her words a moment, understanding that there is an unvoiced warning in there. “Yes, she certainly does.”

  Rachel has a strong feeling that Ethan is exactly what Olivia needs. Against her husband’s wishes, she’ll continue to try to steer them towards each other. She cautions him. “If someone wanted to get close to her, they would have to take things really slow and be patient. It would be like trying to catch a frightened rabbit.”

  He leans back in his chair and wipes his mouth with a napkin. “So she isn’t a lesbian?”

  Rachel chokes on her drink and almost sends it shooting out her nose. “Oh my God! NO! Where did you get an idea like that?”

  “Scott.” He answers in a nonchalant manner.

  Rachel puts her hands over her face and growls. “I’m going to kill him. Ethan, you need to know that Olivia’s last boyfriend hurt her in more ways than just breaking her heart. And... Well...Scott introduced them so he feels responsible for what happened.”

  Ethan rubs his hand over his whiskers. “What exactly happened?” He wants to know. He needs to know. It will give him a better idea on how to handle her.

  Scott arrives back from the bathroom and meets the icy stare of his wife. Concerned, he pulls out his chair and sits down. “What did I miss?”

  Rachel pounces on him. “You told Ethan that Olivia was a lesbian?”

  Scott panics. “Um well… what I said was that it was entirely possible.”

  Her temper explodes and a liquor-fueled argument ensues. Ethan gets up and goes to the bar, safely out of range. When he returns, Scott is gone. Ethan looks at Rachel suspiciously. “Where’s Scott?”

  “He left.” Her arms are crossed in front of her in anger and she pushes the chair back from the table and gets to her feet. “Order me another drink. I’m going to dance.”

  The phone rings and startles Olivia out of a sound sleep. Who the heck is calling this late? She tilts the phone so she can see the display. It’s Rachel! It’s after midnight! There is only one reason she would be calling.

  “Hello?” Her voice sounds tired and weary.

  “Hi, Olivia. This is Ethan.“

  Her eyes pop wide open at the sound of his raspy Irish brogue. “I’m sorry to bother you so late but Rachel asked me to call you.”

  She can hear muffled music in the background and her heart starts to beat quickly. “Is she ok?”

  “Yes, sorry I didn’t mean to alarm you. We’re at the Headwaters bar. She’s had a bit too much to drink.”

  “Where’s Scott?”

  “They had a fight and he left. I’ve been calling the house but he’s not answering. I was going to call a cab but I can’t find my wallet. I hate to ask you to come out this late, but could you pick us up and drive us home? If it was just me I would walk but I’m sure Rachel wouldn’t make it.”

  Olivia is already on her feet and putting on her shoes. “I’ll be right there.” She rubs the sleep out of her eyes, ignoring that they are still red and burning from crying. She grabs an elastic, pulls her disheveled couch hair into a ponytail, and throws a hoodie on over top her t-shirt, not bothering to change out of her Pink Kitty pajama pants.

&nb
sp; It’s only a few blocks to the bar from her townhouse and when she gets there, they aren’t waiting outside. She’s alarmed at the thought that she might still be drinking, so she parks and heads in. She has never had another female friend that could down the booze like Rachel. She can drink most of the men she knows under the table. Olivia makes her way into the bar searching for her friend, the music is so loud it hurts her ears and makes her head pound. Finally, she finds her dancing up a storm on the floor.

  Continuing to scan the room, she finds Ethan close by, dancing with a red head in an extremely short skirt. Her eyes are stuck to him for a few moments. He has perfect rhythm and dance moves that would set any woman’s panties on fire. Everything else about him is absolute sexual perfection, why not this too? If he moves like that in the bedroom it’s no wonder all the girls on the dance floor are competing for his attention. Olivia starts to feel a little warm as she watches him spreading himself around the dance floor, attentively looking after all the women who join him. Knew it, he’s not a one-woman kind of guy.

  Rachel sees her across the room and squeals as she stumbles towards her. In an act of chivalry, Ethan abandons his harem and grabs for Rachel’s arm, supporting her while she finds her footing. She looks at him as she offers an explanation in a very drunken slur. “Something on the floor tripped me.”

  He humors her, a small grin spreading across his lips. “Yes, I saw that.”

  Olivia shakes her head as they reach her and Rachel throws her arms around her in a very forceful hug. “Thank you for coming!” She screams in her ear so she can be heard over the music. Olivia moves her head away reacting to the strong smell of alcohol on her breath. “Whoa!” She tries to prop her upright so she’s not leaning so heavily on her. “Have you got everything? I’m taking you home now.”

  Leaning forward, she shouts in her ear again. “This is Ireland!” She waves her hand in his direction.