Escape With Me

by Kristen Proby

  “You don’t have to make decisions about the future today. But it’s telling that you’ve had a passing thought or two about what you want in the future. There’s nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to wanting a home with a sweet woman.”

  “If I ask her to be mine,”—I have to pause to swallow hard—“I can’t expect her to be content with living above the pub.”

  “I think she’d probably be happy there for a while,” Stasia says slowly. “But if you have children, the apartment is small.”

  “My parents raised five children in it until Maggie was close to five years old.”

  “I didn’t say it was impossible,” she clarifies. “Just that it’s small.”

  “This isn’t the conversation I planned to have when I came here.” And I need to put an end to it because I haven’t even had time to wrap my head around all of these ideas for myself. I’m speaking about it out of turn.

  She laughs and points to the barn about a hundred yards away, where my brother fires his glass. “He’s in there.”

  “Is he surly today, then?”

  “Isn’t he always?”

  “Good point. I’ll go find him.”

  “Good luck.”

  “I’ll need it. Kane’s a horse’s arse when he gets interrupted.”

  “I meant with Izzy,” Stasia says.

  I wave and walk out to the barn. It’s no use knocking, he won’t hear me, so I open the door and slip inside then close it behind me. Kane’s across the room, dipping hot glass into water to cool it down. He’s drenched in sweat, but he looks satisfied in the morning’s work so far.

  Once the glass is safely in a cooler, and Kane turns around, I step forward.

  “Good morning.”

  “It is, aye,” he replies. “You have good timing.”

  “I wouldn’t have, but I sat for a chat with your lovely bride.”

  His face softens. I’ve never seen my moody, surly brother as happy as I have since he found Stasia. “And how is she, then?”

  “She looks great. Says she feels fine. I suspect she’s sick of being pregnant.”

  “You’d suspect right. She yelled at me last night for putting her in this condition, and then scowled at me when I stopped rubbing her feet. It’s abused, I am. On a daily basis. But I don’t think you came here to discuss my wife’s pregnancy.”

  “I didn’t, no. Is anyone using the cabin over the next few days?”

  His eyes meet mine in surprise. “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “I didn’t know if Ma and Da were up there.”

  “They’re with Maeve,” he says. “Are you planning to take a couple of days to go up there?”

  I nod and then rub the back of my neck in agitation. “I know, it’s unlike me.”

  “I’m wondering if I’m speaking to my brother, Keegan O’Callaghan.”

  “There’s no need to be a wanker.”

  Kane grins, enjoying himself. “It’s empty.”

  I nod and turn away.

  “You could have called for that.”

  “You don’t answer your goddamn phone,” I remind him. “And I like coming out here. You have a nice property. How many acres is it?”

  He props his hands on his hips and stares at me. “Do you have a fever, then?”

  “Fuck off.”

  He laughs and shakes his head. “I have twenty acres.”

  “How far down the coastline does your property go?”

  “Let’s go out and walk it,” he says, gesturing for me to follow. We walk past his house and wave at Anastasia, who’s still sitting on the sunporch. “My house sits on the edge of the property. There’s only about an acre that way before you hit the next owner’s land, although they’ve never built anything there. I’ve thought about buying it, but I don’t have a purpose for it right now. The barn sits in the middle of this five-acre patch, close enough to the house that I don’t have to walk all over God’s green Earth to get out there.”

  “So, it runs along the cliffs for a while then?”

  “It does.”

  “Have you ever considered selling part of it?”

  He stops and turns to me, his eyes—so like mine—narrowed on me. “I hadn’t before. What’s on your mind?”

  “Just an idea that started taking shape over the past couple of weeks. If I were to buy property not attached to the pub, I’d want waterfront. But that’s hard to come by on an island. Not to mention, I don’t make the millions it would take to buy some of the houses here.”

  “Money is no object—”

  “You don’t pay for me, Kane.” I clap him on the shoulder. “I love you for saying that, but I pay for my own.”

  “Stubborn arse,” he mutters.

  “If you would ever part with an acre or two along the cliffs, I’d buy from you and build a house there. And, maybe one day, raise a family there.”

  “Jesus, Keegan, what’s gotten into you?”

  “I asked you the same question not long ago.”

  He nods thoughtfully. “They’ll change your world, a woman will. If that’s what you want, Keegan, I’d be happy to work something out with you regarding the land.”

  I nod, my mind racing with ideas. “Let’s talk about it again once I’ve had time to think on it more.”

  “Good idea. When are you headed to the cabin?”

  “In a few hours.”

  He laughs loud enough to scare a dozen birds off a nearby tree. “You don’t mess around when you’ve set your mind to something.”

  “It runs in the family.”

  Before I can whisk Izzy away for a few days, I need to make one more stop. I asked my sisters to meet me at Maeve’s house for a little conversation.

  I don’t know that I’ve ever been angrier with my sisters, even when, at sixteen, they cut my hair when I was asleep.

  I had to shave my head.

  But this is worse.

  I park my truck and walk up to Maeve’s door. She answers before I knock.

  “What is it with my sisters hovering by the front door?”

  “You literally just texted four minutes ago and said you were on your way,” she reminds me and leads me back to her huge kitchen that looks out to the sea.

  We’re all ocean-lovers. It’s the Irish in us. We come from a small village on the cliffs of Ireland’s west coast, and we long for the sea.

  “I have a few things to say.” I lean on the counter and watch as Maggie shoves a muffin into her mouth. “You’re such a lady.”

  “I know.” Her mouth is full when she smiles.

  “Why did you tell Izzy that I’m afraid of commitment?”

  They look at each other and then both look at their muffins.

  “Hungry?” Maggie asks, holding one up for me.

  “Answer me, Mary Margaret.”

  “It wasn’t a lie,” Maeve says. “You’ve never been the kind to date anyone for long, Keegan, and that’s the truth of it.”

  “You don’t know the reasons behind that. I’ve never told you that I don’t want to meet someone and be with them for the long haul. I’ve also never said that I broke up with girls, mostly because they were too clingy, or went back to an ex-boyfriend, or thought that owning a pub was beneath them.”

  “Who was that snobby bitch?” Maggie demands.

  “Just because I’m in my mid-thirties and unmarried doesn’t make me a confirmed bachelor. And I would hope that before you warn a woman off me, you’d ask me about my intentions.”

  “You’re right,” Maeve says, holding up her hand. “We spoke out of turn. But Keegan, Izzy is just so nice, and she’s been through a lot. We didn’t want her to get hurt.”

  “You may have had her best interests at heart, but you almost cost me the best thing that’s walked into my bar in a long damn time.”

  “Wait a minute.” Maggie stands and walks around the breakfast bar to stand in front of me then narrows her eyes. “You’re in love with her.”

  “I didn’t say that.”r />
  “You wouldn’t be giving us a tongue-lashing if she were just another tumble, Keegan.”

  “Maeve,” I say without answering Maggie, “I need you to cover Izzy’s shifts for a couple of days.”

  “When?”

  “Starting today.”

  “Today?”

  I nod. “Yeah, sorry for the short notice. Is it not a good fit for you?”

  “I can make it work. But I’m so intrigued right now, I don’t even know where to begin.”

  “You can begin by minding your own damn business.”

  Maggie shakes her head. “I live with her.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t mind yours, Mary Margaret. You didn’t act this way with Kane and Shawn. What’s gotten into you?”

  She blows out a breath and then shrugs as she picks at her muffin. “Maybe I see myself in her. She did what I didn’t have the guts to do when I married Joey. I knew marrying him was a bad idea, but I didn’t have the strength to call it off. She’s badass, and I feel a little protective of her.”

  I immediately soften toward my baby sister. She went through a lot with an abusive husband and then dealing with his death not long ago.

  “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, lass. And it’s glad I am that you like her and want her to be safe. I won’t intentionally hurt her.”

  “I know,” Maggie says.

  “Well, I’m happy for you. Where are you taking her?” Maeve asks.

  “Just to the cabin. I want to spend some uninterrupted time with her, and that’s hard to do when we’re both tied to the pub.”

  “That’s so romantic,” Maggie says.

  “I’m glad you think so because I need you to run home and pack her a bag. I’m surprising her.”

  “I can do that. When are you picking her up?”

  “As soon as I go check on Ma. Is she upstairs?”

  “Oh, no. She and Da went to see Shawn and Lexi today.” Maeve smiles.

  “Then it looks like I’ll be seeing the whole family this morning. How is she feeling?”

  “Ma’s fine.” Maeve takes a bite of her muffin. “She just had a day that her upper back and shoulder were bothering her. But she’s fine now.”

  “It’s glad I am to hear it, but I’ll go see for myself.”

  “I’d better get home, then,” Maggie says. “I think Izzy went to Target to do some shopping. So, if I’m quick, I’ll beat her, and she won’t know what hit her.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. And I’m sorry for almost messing it all up for you. That’s not what I meant to do.”

  “I know. Just don’t do it again.” I grab two muffins on my way out to the truck. I need to hurry over to check on my parents and ask if Da will take care of the pub for me while I’m gone.

  I know he’ll jump at the chance, but I still need to ask.

  After spending the morning talking with my family and checking on my ma, I’m ready to get out of town for a little vacation.

  Words I wouldn’t have thought I’d say in the past, but here we are.

  When I pull up in front of Maggie’s house, Izzy is just stepping out of her sexy little convertible.

  “Hey.” She grins as I approach and then tips her plump lips up to mine for a kiss.

  I happily oblige.

  “And hello to you.”

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you until I went into work later.” She reaches into the backseat and retrieves several white and red bags. “I just spent two hours at Target. You walk in there thinking you need just a handful of things, and the next thing you know, you’re crawling down every aisle and tossing things into the basket that you didn’t even know you needed. It’s true what they say. You don’t tell Target what you need. Target tells you.”

  “All of this sounds ridiculous to me.” But she’s beautiful today, with her hair pulled back in a low knot on the back of her head, tendrils falling around her sweet face.

  She laughs and lets me take some of the bags, then kisses my biceps. “I know. You’re a man. You don’t understand the Target vortex. What are you up to?”

  “I’m here to surprise you.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “No, I’m here to really surprise you.”

  She pushes the front door open and frowns up at me as we walk inside. “What do you mean?”

  I glance at Maggie as she walks in with a big grin on her face. “Did you do what I asked?”

  “Yep.”

  “What did you ask?” Izzy demands.

  “She packed you a bag. I’m taking you away for a couple of days.”

  Izzy’s eyes light up with excitement, and then she frowns. “But we have work.”

  “All covered.”

  “Okay, this is awesome. Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see when we get there. Do you get car sick?”

  She laughs in surprise. “Not usually.”

  I nod as Maggie wheels the bag in from the kitchen where she had it hidden.

  “Oh, let me just grab a few things from these bags.” Izzy rummages through the sacks, consolidates a few, and then smiles at me. “Okay. I’m ready. This is fun.”

  “Have a good time, and don’t worry about a thing,” Maggie says. “We’ve all got the pub under control.”

  I load Izzy’s things into the truck, and it’s not long before we’re off, headed off the island and north of Seattle.

  “I love road trips. Obviously, given that’s how I ended up here to begin with.”

  “I think that was the adrenaline talking.”

  She nods and stares out the passenger window as the scenery passes us by. “Probably. But my adrenaline knew what it was doing, that’s for sure. What prompted you to do this?”

  “I think we just need a little time alone. No meddling sisters. No busy and demanding pub.”

  “You’re right. This will be so nice. When was the last time you took a vacation?”

  “Last Christmas. I went to Ireland with the whole family for Kane’s exhibit debut. That’s also when Shawn and Lexi got engaged. It was a great trip. Before that, it had been two years.”

  “That’s a long time without a break. But, honestly, I was the same way. I used to travel all the time when I was a teenager and into college. My mom would drag me all over the world because she didn’t like to travel alone.”

  “Do you like to travel?”

  “Sure, I like to see new places. But I’ve never been to Ireland.”

  “Well, you might someday.”

  She grins. “I wouldn’t mind that at all. Do you still have a lot of family there?”

  “We do, yes. My da’s brother’s family owns an inn on the sea there. It’s a big family. A bit loud. A lot crazy.”

  “Sounds wonderful.”

  “They are. Sometimes, they visit the States, but we usually don’t see them unless we go there. The inn is beautiful. Fancy, really.”

  “So, when are we going?”

  I laugh and reach over to take her hand in mine, then kiss her knuckles. “Whenever you want, love.”

  Chapter 9

  ~Izzy~

  The drive has been absolutely gorgeous. I don’t know how I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest all my life and never knew how beautiful the Seattle area is.

  I guess my family focused on fancy vacations rather than taking trips in our own back yard.

  “We’re about there,” Keegan says as he turns onto a narrow, dirt road that’s in surprisingly good condition. When he rounds a bend and stops in front of a big, beautiful log cabin with windows to die for, I feel my jaw drop.

  “Whoa.” I swallow and look around at the mountains, the trees. “You own this?”

  “The family does,” he corrects, looking up at it with me. “Kane fronted most of the money, but the rest of us pitched in and came out to spend a few weeks offering up elbow grease to update things. It wasn’t in bad shape to begin with, but it was outdated. So I had the kitchen completel
y redone.”

  “Of course.” I grin over at him.

  “Shawn and Maeve handled remodeling the bedrooms and putting in a gym downstairs, Maggie was in charge of the hot tub out back. Come on. I’ll take you on a tour.”

  “I can’t wait.” I don’t even wait for Keegan to come open my door. I jump out and hurry up the front steps to watch as Keegan keys in a code.

  “Welcome to the O’Callaghan cabin,” he says as he sweeps the door open and gestures for me to step inside.

  “This is seriously amazing.” I walk through the foyer to the living room and stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows with an incredible view of the mountains beyond. “Your family has access to the ocean and the mountains. That’s pretty cool.”

  “I can’t argue with that.” He takes my hand and leads me into the open kitchen, all done in white with the biggest island I’ve ever seen—and I’ve been inside some incredible homes. This island would make Joanna Gaines weep with joy.

  “You designed the kitchen?”

  “I helped,” he says. “I wanted it to be big enough for our whole growing family to be in here together comfortably. We tend to gather in the kitchen.”

  “A lot of families do.”

  “It’s particularly fun when Ma is in here cooking up a storm, and we all sit at the island and pester her. She smiles the whole time. She doesn’t really mind.”

  “Of course, she doesn’t. I really like your parents.”

  He grins and then takes my hand, showing me the butler’s pantry, which just happens to be stocked full of my favorite snacks.

  “How did this happen?” I gape up at him in shock.

  “We have caretakers, and I put a call in.” He kisses the top of my head before showing me the hot tub outside, which I hope we put to good use later. He then shows me the beautiful bedrooms—both upstairs and down—a small gym, and a media room.

  “There is literally everything you could possibly need up here.”

  “That was the goal, to be able to escape for a few days with all the comforts of home.”

  “When you said cabin, I thought it would be a bit more rustic.”

  “That’s funny because Lexi had the same response when Shawn first brought her up here. She was convinced they’d be roughing it for a few days.”