Finding Ellie (Complete)

Chapter 5

Blankets stirred and groaned. A hand shot out from underneath to grab at a watch sitting on the night stand beside the bed. Eight o’clock, Ellie had thought for sure she would have slept in until mid-morning. Gazing outside, she could see a foggy mist so she decided to go for an energizing walk toward the Doolin harbour. It wasn’t far and she would be able to check out the ferry schedule to the Aran Islands. A group of three islands off the West coast of Ireland, the Aran Islands were a very, popular destination with tourists. She had read that, although there were some cars on the islands, it was best to see the unspoiled beauty of them by foot or by renting a bicycle.

Ellie smiled as she remembered the night before. She had such a fun night and had made a few new great friends at that. She stretched, tied her hair back then pulled on a pair of black yoga pants and trainers. All right, so the part where Aidan had showed up and ended up being the owner of the pub had been a surprise. But she was willing to put that aside, she was in too much of a good mood to let him put a damper on it in any way.

Once outside, she stopped and took a deep breath. Even the air in Ireland was different, somehow cleaner. Although the sun was hidden by the low clouds, she could still hear the birds chirping and the odd conversation between neighbors carried by the slight breeze. Perfect weather to explore the little town and all its quirky charm before everyone was up and about. While there were big cities in Ireland, she didn’t regret coming to a small town where you could look up and see the sky, not skyscrapers. Where people took their time and slowed down to smell the roses whereas, in the hustle and bustle of the city, people were always in a rush to get somewhere.

At the end of the drive, instead of right, Ellie turned left and it wasn’t long before she could make out the pier at the end of Fisher Street. With the first ferry departing at ten o’clock, there was already a line-up of people waiting. On the way back, Ellie veered left, walking over a small field of flat limestone boulders to finally come face to face with the Atlantic Ocean… breathtaking. This was it. She had found the place where she would set herself free. Water crashed violently over the rocks, pulled back and crashed again. The smell of the sea filled her. She could just make out the islands through the mist. In only a week she had changed so much already. Poppy had told her to “do something Ellie would never do”. For so long she had allowed Chad to dictate her life. What she should wear, what she should say, who she could or could not talk to? Traveling alone was already something she would never have done and she intended to stay on that path. She was finding Ellie again and savoring every moment.

Unsure of how long she stood there, she finally decided to head back as darker clouds were starting to roll in. Quite frankly, she didn’t mind the weather and found she actually much preferred the drizzly, misty climate. The rain held back as she strolled along admiring the cottages she passed when one in particular caught her eye. The pretty, tiny house made of stone was surrounded by a low, natural wood fence. Red shutters at the windows matched the old rounded front door set with a small, stained glass window. She wondered if the inside was just as charming as the outside. From where she stood, she could see a vegetable garden behind the dwelling. It wasn’t so much the cottage but it’s inhabitant she hadn’t expected. There, tossing an orange ball to the biggest dog Ellie had ever seen was none other than Aidan Dunne. Wasn’t this just her luck that he lived so close by, she mused. And, of course, she couldn’t just walk by without being noticed.

“Well now, isn’t it the American.” Aidan called out, throwing the ball impossibly far. He sauntered over to her as the dog tore after the ball.

“Ellie.” she answered, simply.

“Excuse me?”

“I have a name,” she folded her arms over her chest. “And it’s Ellie.”

Feeling rather ashamed, Aidan raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, Ellie, you’re right.”

“Wait, what was that?” She mockingly pressed a hang to her throat feigning surprise, trying to disguise the fact that hearing him utter her name had tripped her heart. “Did big, bag Aidan Dunne really apologize?”

“Don’t get used to it.” He threw her a lop-sided grin.

Aidan slowly walked her along the fence until they reached the gate. He unlocked it, letting the door swing open without saying a word. Ellie took it as an invitation and stepped over the threshold. She tried to ignore the fact that her heart now felt like it was galloping out of her chest.

“So uh, this is your house,” Why couldn’t she sound at least halfway intelligent when she was around him? He was just a man for God’s sake.

“It was my father’s and now mine.” They walked around the house, to the garden.

His mouth went dry when he saw the smile break out on her face. If he had known a vegetable garden was going to do that he would have shown it to her the first day they met. Aidan shook his head. It was an attraction, pure and simple. Just a man attracted to a woman. It happened every day and it was nothing. As soon as she was gone he would be fine.

But he wasn’t was he? He couldn’t discard the fact that she was on his mind constantly and he used sarcasm and rudeness to keep her away. How could a woman, he had only met three days ago, make herself at home in his mind so easily? She certainly wasn’t his type. He went for a low maintenance kind of woman and this one seemed anything but with her expensive clothes and diamonds twinkling at her ears. She smelled like honey again, it made him want to have a taste and that was dangerous. It was going to be his undoing and he was going to have to do something about it. So he kept his distance. Made sure there was a good three feet between them at all times

He had completely forgotten about Willo until he heard her. She was coming in at full speed with the orange ball in her mouth and upon seeing Ellie she changed her course. Oh God, she was going to knock Ellie right off her feet. The woman couldn’t be more than a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. She was going to be trampled. He attempted to put himself between Ellie and the dog but it was too late. Animal and woman collided, fell to the ground.

“Willo!” Aidan pulled back on the dog’s collar but trying to get a hundred and thirty pound dog to do anything wasn’t exactly easy. Then he heard it, the soft chuckling and watched Ellie’s arms circle Willo in a hug. The soft chuckle quickly turned into a full blown laugh. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. He almost forgot that his hundred plus pound dog was now laying on top of Ellie licking her to death.

***

“Well aren’t you a big sweetheart,” Ellie was saying. She pulled back a bit to look into Willo’s eyes and scratched her ears.

He couldn’t believe it. He had been so sure her eyes would have shot daggers at him. He had expected her to run away screaming at the sight of a big, grey dog coming at her. Her love for Willo wasn’t helping the pang of attraction he felt for her now. If he wasn’t such a gentleman, and he considered himself so, he would drag her inside and have his way with her once and for all.

“All right you big galoot.” Aidan gave one final pull on Willo who huffed and finally let her captive go. He found it curious though how Willo didn’t usually care for women in general or strangers for that matter. Ellie was both and if Aidan wasn’t mistaken, Willo actually seemed to love her.

He gave his hand to Ellie, who took it without hesitation, and brought her to her feet, accidentally pulling her a little too close. He looked down at how small her hand seemed in his big one, couldn’t help but think how perfectly it fit there. Her fingers were soft, her nails short and trimmed. Then he cleared his throat and took a deliberate step back. He seemed to do that a lot with her.

Ellie could feel her face growing hot, hotter. She was afraid she looked as red as the tomatoes growing in his garden, all ripe and ready to be harvested. His hand had felt warm and big around hers. Not at all like Chad’s manicured hands, Aidan’s were callused, the hands of a real man. Oh God, she needed to stop thinking about his hands and where she wanted him to put them.

“What kind of dog is she?” Ellie bent her head down, desperate to hide her embarrassing burning cheeks.

“Willo here is an Irish Wolfhound.” Aidan’s fingers itched to hold her hand again instead he laid them on top of Willo’s head. It wasn’t as satisfying but it would have to do.

“I always wanted a dog,” Ellie looked at him, smiled. “She’s beautiful.”

“Yes, she is.” He answered unsure if he was talking about the dog or the woman. It was then he noticed the blood. “Good God, you’re hurt” He grabbed Ellie’s hand and pulled her to a nearby chair. He made her sit in it as he kneeled in front of her.

She looked at the small scratch on her palm and nearly laughed out loud, however not to hurt his pride she kept quiet.

“I’m ok, it’s not bad.”

As Aidan turned her hand over to check if she was bleeding anywhere else he stilled. Dropping her hand unceremoniously, he stood up, his face clear of emotion.

“Aidan?” Ellie was confused. He seemed upset but she didn’t understand what could have possibly happened in the span of a few seconds.

They had been having a nice moment hadn’t they? She thought maybe they were even becoming friends. She had been starting to believe she was wrong about him and he wasn’t as hard and as rude as she had first made him out to be? But now she wasn’t so sure. In her mind she replayed everything that had happened up to that point but simply could not come up with what could have set him off.

“You should probably go get that cleaned up.” Aidan pivoted, stormed away from her. “I’m sure Mrs. Callaghan has something to help you because I sure as hell won’t.”

Aidan marched inside the cottage and slammed the pretty, red door shut. Her fingers had been soft in his hands. He had looked at her lips again. They were driving him to the brink of madness. That was never a good thing. Then, when he turned her hand over, that was when he saw it, the ever so faint lines where a ring used to be. Married, was attracted to a married woman. How dare she act like she was available? What was she doing in Ireland, in Doolin by herself? Was she here on business and had decided she would have a little fun while her loving husband was at home waiting for her faithfully?