“This is the car you rented?” I stared at the green car. Maybe I could have figured out what make and model it was, if it weren’t so covered in mud. From what I could tell it was just a green car.
“Uh, it doesn’t exactly look like the picture.” Max frowned. “I can get a different one, but the guy said it’ll be a few hours before one is available.”
“No way. This is fine. As long as it runs, right?” I flashed a smile at him.
“Ah yes, the way of the frugal Sammy.”
“I’m serious. It’s not just about the cost, it’s about the time it will cost us. If we leave now, we’ll have plenty of time to explore. If not, we’ll be rushed and stressed. What does it matter what we’re driving?”
“You’re right. It doesn’t matter at all. Let’s get going.” He opened the passenger side door for me.
“Oh, I thought I was driving?”
“Ha!” He stared at me with a wide grin. “Ha, that’s very funny. No.”
“What are you talking about, Max? I’m a great driver.”
“If you say so.” He lifted an eyebrow in my direction. “Let me start out, then when I get tired you can take over.”
“Max.” I crossed my arms. “I can drive just fine.”
“This is a different country, you know. It’s not the same as driving back home.”
“Like I said, I can handle it. But if you insist, I guess I’ll just play with the radio.”
“Great.” He held the door open for me until I got in the car. Then he closed the door behind me.
I started to fiddle with the radio when he put the key in the ignition. I soon discovered that the radio was only there for decoration and didn’t actually work.
“Bummer, no tunes.” I sighed and glanced over at him. “I guess I’ll just have to sing.”
“Sounds good to me.” He flashed a grin at me as we started out down the road.
I began to sing a song we both knew fairly well. He soon joined in with me.
As the wind ruffled my hair and the city disappeared behind us, Max’s voice surrounded me. It was another one of those moments that should have been frozen in time as one I could live in forever.
Not long after we left the city, we were alone on the road. We rested our voices. Max gazed through the windshield.
I stared out the window at the transition from urban to countryside. The green hills enraptured me. It was more beautiful than pictures could ever convey.
After a few miles of empty road Max glanced at the clock on the dash. “Why don’t we stop for a little while? You can get some pictures and we can have some lunch.”
“Stop where?” I looked over the empty countryside.
“We’ve got a blanket, we’ve got food, so anywhere.” He winked at me.
“Great idea!”
He pulled off to the side of the road near an open pasture.
Chapter 14
I spread out my blanket on the grass while Max gathered some food from the cooler. We put together sandwiches and sipped tea out of a thermos. Max stretched out across the blanket and I rested my head against his chest to look up at the sky. The clouds were so thick and heavy that it should have been raining. Instead, they just hovered above me with the promise of rain to come. I snapped a picture with my cell phone, then turned over to snap a picture of Max. He smiled at me as I took the picture.
“You have no idea what this experience with you means to me.”
“Yes, I think I do.” I leaned down and kissed him.
He pulled me down beside him to continue the kiss. As our caresses grew a bit more intimate I was startled by his warm breath on my neck.
“Max, don’t you know that drives me crazy?”
“What? This?” He kissed me again.
But I still felt the hot breath on the back of my neck.
“Max!” I shrieked and pulled away from him.
When I turned around I came face to face with a rather curious sheep.
Max broke out into laughter as I shrieked again and tried to climb over him to get away from the sheep.
“Relax, he’s not going to hurt you.”
“He was breathing on me!”
“I don’t blame him.” He grinned. “You’re gorgeous.”
“Max! Be serious.” As soon as the words left my mouth I broke out into laughter as well. It was pretty funny. I flopped back on top of him and snuggled close. “I guess we have an audience now.”
“A pretty large one.” Max tipped his head toward the rest of the flock. “Maybe we should move along and let them have their spot back.”
“You’re right. They might decide they want to breathe on your neck next, and unlike some people, I don’t want random sheep breathing on my spouse.”
“Hey, that’s not fair. I didn’t allow it, I just found the beauty in it.” He laughed again and helped me to my feet.
I folded up the blanket while Max packed up the leftover food. The sheep watched us the entire time. I’d never really thought about what a sheep’s thoughts might be like. Did they know they’d interrupted our picnic? Did they think we’d interrupted theirs? It was pretty amusing to think about. One was so cute and fluffy that I had to reach out and pat its head.
“Oh, Sammy, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Max closed the trunk of the car.
“It’s just a sheep. They’re harmless. Get a picture of me with it, please.”
Max pulled out his cell phone.
I patted the sheep’s head again. The sheep let out a deep sound—similar to a growl. Then all of his sheep friends let out the same low sound.
“Uh, Sammy.” Max lowered his cell phone. “We need to get in the car.”
I inched away from the sheep, but he continued to stare at me, as did all of his sheep friends.
“Max, I don’t like the way they’re looking at me!”
“Run, Sammy!” Max waved his hands at the sheep.
Their big dark eyes continued to fixate only on me. I broke into a run toward the car. As I ran, the sheep did too. I grabbed the door handle of the car and flung myself inside.
Max ran around to the driver’s side and jumped in as well.
Once the doors were closed the sheep surrounded the car. They bleated loudly and rubbed against the car enough to make it rock. Max and I looked at one another and I burst into uncontrollable laughter. Max soon joined in.
He turned the car on and beeped the horn in an attempt to get the sheep to move. The stubborn animals didn’t budge. Max inched the car forward just enough to warn them and finally they broke apart and fled.
“That was wild! How does something like that even happen?” I laughed so hard I could barely catch a breath.
“Only you, Sammy. I guess the sheep are fans too.”
“I’m not sure. From the way they were looking at me—I’m not sure what they had in mind.”
“Funny.” He grinned at me and reached over to pat my knee. “You’re safe now.”
“No thanks to you. ‘Run, Sammy!’ Really, Max?
“What did you want me to do?” He chuckled. “I couldn’t exactly throw crackers at them.”
“You could have tried.” I punched his arm playfully. “I’m just kidding. You were my hero, as usual.”
“That was quite an experience. Hopefully we can get to our destination without another hiccup.”
Just as Max spoke, a car barreled straight for us, blaring its horn.
“Look at this crazy fool! He’s driving on the wrong side of the road!” Max turned the steering wheel hard. “Hold on, Sammy!”
Chapter 15
Max drove right off the road and into the pasture filled with sheep. The sheep ran as Max slammed on the brakes.
“What a lunatic!” He blared his horn.
The sheep ran faster.
“Uh, Max.” I cleared my throat and tried to keep my voice calm.
“Are you okay, Sammy? I should go hunt him down and knock him out. He could have killed us both!”
&n
bsp; “Max, darling.” I touched his arm.
“I just don’t understand how someone can be that foolish. Why would he even be driving if he doesn’t know which side of the road to be on?”
“Remember, we’re in Ireland.”
“I know that, why are you talking nonsense?” He looked over at me. “Did you hit your head or something? Are you sure that you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. I promise. But I think maybe I should drive from now on.”
“Why? It wasn’t my fault. I saved us!”
“Max, you were the one on the wrong side of the road.”
“No, I wasn’t—”
“Yes, you were. Think about it.”
Max stared at the road, then looked back at me. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Max. I’m sorry. It’s an easy mistake to make. Are you okay?”
“I think so. I’m not sure that the sheep are, though.”
“They do look a little traumatized.” I covered my mouth with my hand to avoid a giggle.
“Sammy.”
“I’m sorry.” I tried to keep a straight face. “I know it’s not funny, but the way those sheep were running—it’s just stuck in my mind.”
“It’s not funny. We could have been seriously hurt and—” He coughed to cover a laugh. “I’m serious.”
“Oh, I know it, Max. It’s not funny at all.” I looked into his eyes. “But I wasn’t worried for a second. You’re a great driver—when you’re on the right side of the road.”
He broke into a grin. “Alright, alright, you’re not going to let me forget this, are you?”
“Well that depends…Are you going to hand over those keys now?”
“Sure.” He dropped the keys into my hand.
We switched spots and I pulled the car back onto the road. It took me a second to figure out which side I needed to be on, but then we were on our way again.
Max looked out the passenger side window as I drove.
“Max, it was just an accident. It’s no big deal.”
“It is a big deal. You could have been hurt.”
“I wasn’t. In fact, not even the sheep were hurt.”
He looked over at me and grinned. “Physically, but think of the mental trauma.”
“That can’t be helped.” I smiled at him. “They’ll heal.”
As we continued down the road I tried to resist teasing him about the sheep.
“Sammy, you can drive a little faster, you know.”
“I think this speed is just fine.”
“We do have a bit of a schedule.”
“Do we?” I looked over at him. “Does it include terrorizing sheep?”
“Oh, you’ve been waiting to say that, haven’t you?” He grinned at me.
“Don’t tease me about my speed, and I won’t tease you about the sheep.”
“Fair enough.” He patted my knee. “I suppose we’ll get there sometime.”
“Max!”
He laughed and looked back out the window. “This place is absolutely stunning. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to live here.”
“That’s a thought.”
“Hm?” He looked over at me.
“Have you ever thought of living in another country?”
“Not really. It’s just not something I ever considered.”
“Before we started traveling, the notion of visiting foreign countries was a dream to me. Yes, I knew there were other cultures out there, but they were so far removed from me that I didn’t think much about them. Now that we’ve experienced some of them, I see how easily I could transition into a new country.”
“I don’t know. As beautiful as it’s been on our travels, our home still feels like home. You know? I mean—it will feel that way once we’re back.” He smiled at me. “We have so many wonderful memories there. Although I do love the idea of traveling—as long as we have a home base to return to.”
“Me too. That would be a lot of fun.”
It wasn’t much longer before we pulled into an area that began the Ring of Kerry. I parked the car near a restaurant and we both got out as fast as we could.
“Oh, it feels good to be out of that car!” I stretched my arms above my head and groaned as the muscles in my body strained and then relaxed. “I think I’m going to have to get some yoga in sometime or I’m never going to be the same.”
“Yes, I’m pretty stiff too.” Max glanced around and took a deep breath. “Wow, this air is clean.”
“It’s beautiful.” I smiled as I drank in the sight of the rolling hills that rose up as if they were making every attempt to be mountains.
In some places, the sky, which had lightened up to some degree, seemed to blend with the outstretched Atlantic. I’d been to many beaches, but this was far different than any other coastline I’d ever witnessed. The air held a sense of wildness, as if it was one of the few places where nature was still allowed to be raw and untamed.
The crash of the waves drew my attention.
“Ready to find something to eat?” Max pulled me toward a small restaurant.
“Yes, I guess we’d better fill our bellies before we get started on our drive.” I followed Max into the restaurant.
Chapter 16
Warm scents filled the air of the dimly lit tavern.
As soon as we sat down, a waitress walked over to us. “What can I get for you both today?”
“I’d like some Irish stew.” I smiled. “I’ve been looking forward to trying some.”
“And you, sir?” She looked over at Max.
“I’ll try the seafood chowder.”
“Excellent, it’ll just be a few minutes.”
As she walked away I looked across the table at Max. “So we’ve already had quite a journey on the way here. I can’t wait to explore the Ring of Kerry.”
“Did you want to go with a tour guide?” Max was looking through a pamphlet that was left on the table.
“No, I don’t think so. I’d rather just go by ourselves. We might miss something on a tour.”
“True, then we can go at our own pace too.”
We chatted about what we might find, and soon our food was in front of us. I lost myself in the taste of the Irish stew. It tasted like something a grandmother might serve—full of flavor and just the right amount of spices. It wasn’t spicy or overcooked, it was just perfect.
Max appeared to be just as pleased with his chowder, as he didn’t say a word between bites.
When we finally came up for air Max grinned. “I think I could get used to eating this way.”
“We’ll have to try out some of these dishes ourselves at home. It won’t be the same, but they might be tasty.”
“It’ll certainly be fun to try.” He gestured to the waitress for the check. “So are you ready for this?”
“Absolutely. But why don’t we take a walk along the beach first?”
“Sure. That sounds nice.”
We followed a narrow trail down from the bluff to the water. There was only a small strip of sand between us and the waves that crashed against the shore. The power of the ocean took my breath away.
“Stay close, Sammy, I don’t want you getting washed away.”
I grinned and held his hand tighter. “You too. Look, there are a few shells.” I bent down to pick a few up from the sand.
Max collected a few loose rocks.
“Now we have a piece of Ireland to take back with us.”
“And many amazing memories.”
“Yes, those too.” He smiled.
The draw of the powerful waves was too much for me to ignore. I had to take a step closer. I reached down and touched the froth of the waves. The water was cold and retreated as soon as I touched it.
Max stepped up behind me. “Do you want to go for a swim?”
“Very funny, Max. I think I would turn into an ice cube.”
He rubbed his hands along my shoulders and upper arms. “You’re chilly now, aren’t you?”
“A li
ttle.” I leaned back into his chest and sighed as his arms wrapped around me.
He brushed his lips along the curve of my cheek. “I love being here with you—like this.”
I nodded. “It is nice—just the two of us, with no schedules to keep.”
“The tour is going to be over soon.”
“I know. I’m looking forward to experiencing Thailand, though—and the rest of our stops in that part of the world. It’s going to be so different than Europe, I think.”
“But what about after?” Max continued to nuzzle his lips along my cheek and neck. “Where are we going after your book tour adventures?”
“I guess back home. I’ll continue to work on the next book.”
“We could go anywhere—do anything.” He gazed out at the water and rested his chin on my shoulder. “We don’t have to stop exploring just because the tour ends.”
“You mean keep writing while on the road?” I shrugged. “I guess we could. But I was kind of looking forward to settling down for a little while.”
“See, that’s what I’m afraid of—settling.”
“What do you mean?” I tilted my head enough that I could catch the corner of his eye. For Max to say that he was afraid of anything got my attention.
“That we’ll get into a rut—a routine—forget about the magic of life.”
“We don’t have to. We can have date night and—”
“Date night?” He cringed. “That sounds awful. Every night should be date night with us.”
“You’re worried that we’ll fall into a slump that will strain our marriage?”
“No.” He released me from his arms and gently turned me around to face him. “I’m not worried about our marriage—not at all. That’s rock solid. I’m worried about us—about losing ourselves in the routine of life. I’ve loved every minute of this journey, and although there’s still more to come, I’m starting to feel a little apprehensive about what comes next. Won’t going home be a letdown? I’ll be on one computer, while you’ll be on the other, and we’ll pass each other now and then when we go for snacks or bathroom breaks. Does that sound like a passionate life to you?”
“Not at all. I see why you’d be scared of that. But it doesn’t have to be like that. We can make plans, learn new things, have adventure weekends—”
“People always say that, but it’s not what happens, is it?” He frowned. “I don’t know. It’s just something that I’ve been thinking about.”
Sammy in Ireland (Single Wide Female Travels #5) Page 5
