Eire of Mystery

by Gavin Green

Chapter 6

  Later that Wednesday evening, Kate was selecting clothes from the closet to set out for the following day at work, and felt a surge of excitement. She had only two more days to suffer through, and then a world of unknown opportunities awaited her with Brody. The freedom and means to do as they pleased fed the young woman a heady invigoration, and she could more easily understand her man's bright nimbus.

  Brody's colors still seemed brighter than anyone else's that Kate had come across, more radiant, but she attributed that to her adoring bias. That he strove to use that freedom and means to do well by others only endeared him more to her.

  Brody was on the other side of their bedroom, looking out the window into the windy night. Already dressed down for bed, he took a seat in the corner chair and stroked Honey's ears. He looked up and watched Kate's curvaceous hips sway while she selected clothes, and took a moment for lusty appreciation before speaking. "Hey darlin', I've got a couple other little ideas in my head. I've done some research on my own but these ideas involve you too."

  She continued to gather a matching ensemble. "Sure; what has that busy little mind of yours dreamt up this time?"

  He smiled at her lilted reply. "First off, I was thinkin' we might get some animals… Farm animals, I mean. I'm kinda tired of looking at overgrown fields."

  Kate turned to him, holding a blouse in front of her. "Really?" she asked with evident excitement.

  Brody kept petting Honey, but met Kate's big eyes. "Well, I don't want to buy a brush hog for it, and I'd rather not pay anyone to come take care of it all the time. I figured maybe getting a few sheep." He looked back down before finishing the thought, expecting a greater response from Kate with his finishing statement. "And even a donkey or two."

  In higher pitch, Kate said, "Brody, honestly? You know I love donkeys!" She hurried around to sit on the bed, near to him, still absently clutching a top. "You said you've looked into it?"

  "Some, yeah, but I'll want to know more before we get anything."

  "Then you should talk to my da; he knows about farm animals. He was raised with all sorts."

  Brody nodded and smiled. "Great, I'll add him to my list of calls to make tomorrow when he gets off work." As Kate stood and returned to her chore, Brody clarified, "Now, we're not going to have a big herd or anything; just enough critters to keep the paddocks knocked down."

  With her back to him, Kate said, "Brody Lynch: shepherd. It has a nice ring to it."

  "Keep it up. You'll be out there tending to the flock with me, ya know."

  She turned her head to flash him a smile. "Sounds grand, love."

  "I hoped it would."

  Kate turned, laying out her selections on the bed, setting the clothes aside before she hung them on the door hook. "So you'll be on the phone a fair bit tomorrow?"

  Brody got up and pulled his side of the bed covers back. "Yeah, some; Fiona's cousin Amy left a message, saying she had some weird results from the search of my family line. Then I'm lining up a contractor for the properties I'm buying up. Oh, and I expect a call from Father Doyle sometime soon for that labor detail, probably tomorrow. Then I have a bit of running around to do."

  "Oh? Can it wait for me to come along?"

  Brody slid his legs under the covers. "As a matter of fact, no, it can't." Kate looked to him, confused, and noticed his raised eyebrows and quirked lips. He explained, "I have some Christmas shopping to do, and I'd like it to be a surprise."

  "Love, you don't have to get me anything. I'm quite content as it is."

  Brody leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "That's good to hear. Especially since I never said the gifts were for you."

  Kate threw him a facetious sneer. "Fine, be that way." She turned off the overhead light, leaving only a small bedside lamp for illumination.

  As she came to join him in bed, Brody said, "Oh, hey, there was one more thing."

  He pulled the covers back as she settled in, curling next to him. Kate snuggled in with her head on his broad chest. "Go on."

  Brody draped a powerful arm around her. "I'm not sure how ethical this is, what I'm going to ask."

  Kate glanced up at him with a grin. "Once you ask, I'll let you know."

  He smirked back as she rested her head again. "When I was looking at properties, I thought some of them might be for sale because some folks fell behind. I don't want to buy those. Now, technically, I could go through public records to find out who's selling because they got into debt, but I don't know who those people are. I was thinking, since you know most of your customers to some degree, you could tell me if a particular person or family is the decent sort."

  Kate thought a moment. "And then you'd... what? Pay off their debt?"

  "Well, like I said, if they're good people in a tough spot. And I'd only help with those whose debts are, uh, reasonable."

  Kate rose back up to look at him. "Brody, that's quite generous, but how 'reasonable' are you willing to be? Some folks have ramped up some bricking numbers."

  "Could you make up a list of people - good, worthy folks, in your opinion - and their amounts of debt? I want to help as many as I can without going overboard. Is that something you could ethically do?"

  "Since you could get most of that on your own, and you're only asking me about who they are... I suppose I could do that. But..." Kate hesitated. "It feels like I'm passing judgment."

  Brody rubbed her shoulder. "Yeah, it kinda does, but I'm just trying to help people that would be missed if they had to move. We can't help everyone, darlin'."

  Kate snuggled back against him and nodded. "I suppose so. Assisting some is better than none at all."

  He slid down from his reclined position and turned off the lamp before they pressed together. Hoping to raise Kate's mood again, Brody said, "I plan on going to Sligo town early Monday morning. Care to join me?"

  She laid an arm over his firm torso. "I believe I'll have Mondays available from now on, so, sure. Is it business or pleasure?"

  Brody smiled as he closed his eyes. "From now on, I hope they're the same thing."