Finding Ellie (Complete)

Chapter 12

Aidan was waiting for Ellie in a dark green, pickup truck that had seen better days. She made her way toward him, looking like a pretty picture in a pair of black skinny jeans, mid-calf boots and a pale brown, warm wool sweater. She wore her hair down, making him want to bury his hands in it. It took everything in him not to hurry her in the truck and bring her to his cottage instead of what he had planned.

Although cloudy, there was no rain in the forecast for the day; he couldn’t have planned it any better. So, when he saw she carried a hooded raincoat over her arm as well as a small umbrella in her hand, he laughed.

Ellie opened the passenger side door. “What’s so funny?”

“I was laughing and wondering why you have those.” He pointed to her hands. Small, warms hands he may have imagined having over his flesh once or twice.

“I have no idea where you’re taking me or what we’ll be doing.” Ellie hopped in the cab, smiling brightly. “And with the unpredictably, predictable Ireland weather, it never hurts to be prepared.”

Aidan looked up to the sky, cloudy for sure but not the rain-bearing type clouds. He shook his head, chuckled and started the truck. Turning right, he drove through Doolin, waving now and again. Maeve O’Loghlin and Iona Kearney both stopped talking to watch them drive by. Aidan had a woman in his truck. And not just any woman, but the American he had humiliated in his pub four nights ago. This moment was going to be the talk of the town.

“Where are we going?” Ellie asked, as she gazed out the window. Being this close without touching him was torture, not knowing how he felt about the kiss was worse. She wasn’t sure if he was making no mention of it because he didn’t know how he felt or how she herself, felt or he simply didn’t care. It was entirely possible it had just been a kiss to him. Or, it was entirely possible she was creating a problem where there wasn’t one.

“I’m not saying a word.” As soon as she had gotten into his truck a light perfume of wildflowers assaulted him. While he preferred the scent of sweet honey on her, he found this one to be quite pleasant.

Ellie wriggled her eyebrows “How about a clue?”

“No. Not even one tiny clue.” Aidan grinned when she pouted. “That does not work on me.”

A flush crept up her face when he gave her a lop-sided grin, the one that made her weak in the knees. To avoid embarrassment she looked out the window again. He didn’t need to see how he affected her, it would just complicate things. She was already starting to suspect her feelings for him were more than the initial attraction and had the impression he wouldn’t take it well if she told him.

Aidan slowed, turned into a narrow dirt lane lined with tall trees on either side. Then they broke through to a… farm? He parked the truck and came around to her door, opened it to reveal her confused expression. This was definitely not what she had envisioned, he mused. Still, Ellie climbed out and let him guide her to a small paddock.

“Sheep?” Placing her hands on the white-washed, wooden fence, Ellie leaned forward to examine the grazing animals. She wasn’t sure what she had expected but it definitely hadn’t been this.

“This is a working farm.” Aidan said, when she turned to look at him. “They shear the sheep to make wool and then sell what they knit from it. Are you ready to try your hand at shearing a sheep?”

“Really?” Awed, Ellie awkwardly moved her hand over the top of one of the sheep’s head. It wasn’t that she didn’t like animals it was that she had never really had the opportunity to be near them that much. As a child, she never had pets and there had been even less of a chance as an adult. Chad had forbidden that as well. And now he wanted her to try to shear a sheep?

The look of pure terror on her face made Aidan burst out laughing. He couldn’t help it.

“Don’t worry I will help you, it’s not as bad as it sounds” he reassured her and grabbed her hand, pulling her across the yard toward one of the small, wooden barns.

As they got closer she could see there was someone standing in the entrance waiting for them. Mr. O’Grady’s grandson, Patrick, was waiting for them to shear a sheep. Aidan and Patrick exchanged a few words as Ellie explored the small yet spacious structure. Finally, she noticed this rather small, white, fluffy sheep standing in one of the enclosures, looking at her so sweetly. Ellie walked over and gently pet its white coat, an apology in her eyes for the bad haircut the poor animal was about to receive.

“I see you have already met Suzy. She has gladly accepted to be the volunteer for your first shearing experience,” Patrick announced, with a grin that spanned from his chin to the corner of his eyes. Not a traditionally attractive young man, he had bright orange hair and freckles that speckled his cheeks and strong arms. He had gentle green eyes and a bright smile that probably worked wonders with the young girls.

Aidan led the way into the stall where Suzy was patiently waiting. Patrick explained the process starting with the shearing then cleaning and spinning the fleece and wool to make the beautiful yarn they sold at the shop. After a brief demonstration on how to hold the sheep and cut the fleece he handed the hand-piece, similar to human hair clippers but for sheep, to Ellie.

Aidan stepped in, held the sheep and gave her one of those grins.

“Welcome to Ireland my dear Ellie!” he exclaimed, in a hearty voice.

Her heart fluttered at the sound of his voice encouraging her while she gently sheared her very, first sheep. Suzy was very patient throughout the entire process that took a good ten minutes. Admiring her work, Ellie was quite proud of herself and the neat haircut she had just given Suzy. Although she had been terrified to try, it just seemed so much easier with Aidan at her side encouraging her with his eyes and his words. This certainly fell in the “do something Ellie would never do” category.

They stepped out in the bright sunlight again, Ellie’s breath catching as she admired the farm once more.

 “They also have goats.” Taking her by the shoulders, Aidan turned her so she could see another paddock further down. “They sell goat milk and also make cheese.”

Ellie nodded absentmindedly, distracted by Aidan’s strong and warm hands on her shoulders. She was blushing again and hoped he wouldn’t come around to see her red cheeks. I really need to get this under control she thought. Spying a small building with a shop sign over it she moved away from him with the excuse of wanting to go in.

Aidan growled at the loss of contact. He never growled, what was wrong with him? Without really doing anything at all, she was driving him crazy, chipping away at his walls, and what scared him the most was that he wasn’t even sure he wanted to stop her. He followed her to the shop and found her browsing through a table of handmade sweaters.

“These are great!” She held up a grey sweater, peeking at Aidan from behind it and wearing a silly grin. “This one will be perfect for Poppy.”

“Poppy? You’re getting a sweater for your dog?”

“My dog?” Ellie lowered the garment, bewilderment apparent on her face. “Why do you think I have a dog?”

             “All right, a cat then, though I don’t think Poppy is a good name for it.” Aidan scratched at the stubble on his chin, getting irritated when Ellie only stood there with a hand over her mouth stifling her laugher.

            “Poppy’s not a dog or a cat, she’s my oldest and best friend.” Ellie managed after a few seconds. “My human friend” She added.

“Oh, well….” Feeling rather foolish, Aidan grinned sheepishly at his feet. “Aren’t I the i***t?”

“You’re not an idiot.” She placed a hand on his arm, a warm smile on her face. “Poppy is a bit of an unusual name, something her mother came up with after watching some artsy movie in the 70s, but she’s an amazing friend and someone who has been there for me through the toughest times.”

Aidan covered her hand with his own grateful she had someone in her life to support her when she had needed it the most. Then he shattered the moment, removing his hand from hers when he realized they had just been standing in the middle of the shop staring at each other and had started to lean in toward one another. By the sounds of it, the woman was fresh out of a loveless marriage, the least he could do was allow her time to breathe. Then again she had already been in Ireland for what, two weeks now? He wasn’t sure how much longer she would be in the country for, quite frankly he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. The thought of her leaving put him in a state of panic he didn’t care for.

“I should go pay for this.” Clearing her throat, Ellie gestured to the sweater she was holding. She had never wanted someone to wrap their arms around her more than she had at that moment. Those were dangerous thoughts. She was barely divorced and absolutely not thinking about getting into another relationship.

Ellie froze as she dug out the wallet from her purse. Relationship? They were two adults enjoying each other’s company. So what if they had kissed. Once. She wasn’t about to ruin their time together with such nonsense. And she doubted Aidan was thinking along those lines anyway considering what Mrs. Callaghan had told her about him.

“Are you all right?” Aidan asked her.

“Mmhmm” Ellie acknowledged, resumed her search. She plastered a smile on her face and made a big show of finally finding what she was looking for.

“I’ll wait for you outside then.”

Purchase completed Ellie stepped outside and took a deep breath. Clean, pure air filled her lungs. She spotted Aidan near the goat paddock speaking with an older gentleman, Mr. O’Grady she assumed. Aidan really was a beautiful man. She imagined hauling boxes and crates of inventory for the pub as well as working on his garden at home attributed to his muscular build. The sun broke through the clouds for a brief moment, shinning down on his short hair, revealing it have more of a reddish tint than just brown.

Shaking her head clear, she got moving again as Aidan was shaking hands with the man and then parting ways.

His stomach flip flopped when he saw her coming toward him. He didn’t think he would ever get used to her. He loved to see her smile, the ones that lit up her whole face. Those, he noticed, were few and far between. For the most part, when she did smile, it never reached her eyes. He would remedy that, he promised.

“Mr. O’Grady gave us fresh goat cheese for our lunch,” Aidan answered, before she had the chance to ask what was in the package he was holding in his hands.

Aidan reached in the box when they got to the truck and, for the first time, Ellie noticed a small cooler. Putting the cheese in, he replaced the cooler and opened the door for her. She was curious as to where their next destination would be.

So far, she was enjoying herself and hoped they wouldn’t be going home after they had eaten. She found herself dreading the moment when she would have to start thinking about going back to Boston in two weeks’ time. As they drove, the scenery changed from coastal to more inland. The clouds had broken up even more allowing the sun to stick around longer and she had a handsome man beside her. What more could she want?

She hated herself for comparing him to her ex-husband but couldn’t seem to help it. It wasn’t just in physical appearance that they differed. They were nothing alike and while she thought she had always preferred someone like Chad, someone who was driven and focused on success. She now knew that to be false. Aidan gave the impression of being rough around the edges and rude. He was actually quite the opposite. He was kind and generous. He didn’t know she had seen him give Patricia Brady a hand with her bags when he saw her struggling. And the time that little girl at the pub had shyly asked him to dance. The girl had giggled when he bowed to her and presented her his hand.

Before long, Aidan slowed and sat forward. He seemed to be looking for something, but what, Ellie hadn’t the faintest clue.

“Ah, there it is.” He pulled onto what could almost be described as a road and stopped a few yards in. “We go on foot from here.”

They were clearly following some sort of path but as Ellie hiked behind him through the overgrown grass and trees, she couldn’t see it. Soon, though, she could hear a stream running somewhere to her left. Just as she was about to ask where they were going, Aidan pulled back a leafy branch and let her step forward first.

“What is this place?” Ellie turned in a circle, determined to take it all in.

She had been right about the stream as she could see it now, at the bottom of a gentle slope, snaking through the trees and bubbling over the rock bed. It gave lovely background music to the ruined stone tower in the middle of the forest. It stood there in the center of a small clearing. No doubt it must have been a very impressionable, majestic even, structure at one time but now all that was left was a low wall jutting from the tower suggesting there had once been a building of sorts attached to it. The fallen leaves on the forest floor crunched under their feet as they went further into the clearing.

“No one really knows, or if they do they’re not saying.” Aidan took her hand, drew her closer to the tower. “I used to make up stories about it.”

“What kind of stories?”

“My favorite is that of a young maiden who fell in love with a poor, farm boy. Her father disapproved of him, as stories like this usually go, and had her promised to a wealthy man of business.” Aidan spread out a blanket on the forest floor at the base of the tower. They sat as he continued. “Upon hearing this, the boy sold his farm, except for one cow and a few chickens, and with that money he built his love a castle.”

Ellie listened quietly, too engrossed in the story to help him with their lunch. His usual gruff voice was now low and warm.

“When he was finished, he came to find her, but her father told him he was too late, she had been married that very morning. The boy returned to his castle to live the remainder of his days alone.”

“How awful,” Ellie exclaimed when it was apparent the story was over, and how depressing she thought “Why is that one your favorite?”

Aidan chuckled. “He knew she was the only one for him, he would never love anyone else.”

Ellie thought about it for a moment. “Aidan Dunne, I never would have pegged you for a romantic.”

He broke off a chunk of fresh bread and gave her a hearty laugh. “I suppose there’s quite a bit we don’t know about each other.”

“I suppose not.” Ellie pondered, took the piece of bread Aidan was holding out to her. He had spread some of the soft goat cheese on it.

“Well now, that can easily be fixed.” Aidan lay back, propping himself up on an elbow. “What’s your favorite color?”

The sound of her laughter was reminiscent of tinkling bells.

“Sure, I’ll play along. My favorite color is blue.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“Wait, don’t I get to ask one?” Ellie challenged in between bites. The cheese was delicious, soft and mild, like a tangy cream cheese.

Aidan waved a hand toward her. “Go ahead then, ask.”

“Have you lived in Doolin all your life?” Knowing a bit of his past, this could be a loaded question.

“I have, in the very cottage I live in now actually.” He bowed his head, his voice somber now.

“I’ve struck a nerve, I’m sorry.” Ellie looked down to her hands where she was nervously tearing the bread apart.

“It’s a sore spot, that’s for sure.” He placed a finger under her chin, raised her head. “My father passed away ten years ago this winter and as she’s the reason for it, I’m not particularly close to my mother.”

Ellie moved closer to Aidan as he spoke. Of course she had heard some of it from Mrs. Callaghan but she wasn’t about to divulge that fact. She remained quiet although there were so many questions she wanted to ask him.

“The pub wasn’t doing very well for him and she took the failure pretty hard.” Aidan took Ellie’s hand, played with her fingers. “They thought I was too young and naïve to understand but I knew she was with other men while he worked his tail off to provide for his family. He loved her, you see, enough to look the other way but it hurt him beyond belief. He started drinking and it went on for years and only got worse. It eventually killed him. One night he got behind the wheel of his truck, and it was found wrapped around a tree the next morning.”

“I’m so sorry.” It was exactly how Mrs. Callaghan had described it. She didn’t know what else to say, how to comfort him. “Where’s your mother now?”

“Last I heard, somewhere in Galway. She always manages to find a rich and lonely, older man to sink her teeth into. She crops up every now and again to try and get money out of me. She usually tries to guilt me into it. She’s my mother. I wouldn’t want to see her or my sister suffer.”

“You have a sister?”

“That’s right and she takes after my mother.” Aidan sat up, his face full of bitterness. “She blamed our father for everything that’s happened to our family. And now that the pub is doing fabulously, they both try very hard to get what’s mine. But they can’t. Before he passed away, my father had everything legally changed to my name. The cottage, the pub… it’s all mine.” He dropped her fingers and stood up. “That’s the reason why I’m so guarded. I refuse to go down my father’s path. Look where love got him.”

“I’m sorry,” Ellie said, again. And she really did feel so sorry for him but mostly for the woman who threw it all away because of greed. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

“Don’t you?” Aidan asked, as he rounded on her. “After everything you’ve gone through with your ex-husband.”

“No.” She got to her feet, stood her ground on this. “Everything happens for a reason, Aidan. And as much as it hurt to know I wasn’t good enough, I still believe in love.”

Aidan touched his hand to her cheek. “He was the one who wasn’t good enough. He was a fool to let you get away.”

“So was your mother.” Ellie’s heart was thudding in her chest. Would he kiss her again? She hoped so.

Instead, Aidan let his hand drop. “We should get going, it’s getting late.”

Ellie didn’t let the disappointment show. She had already gathered that she was falling in love with him. She knew it for what it was when he had spoken about his mother. The one woman who should have showed him what love was, and she had failed. If he weren’t so stubborn she could show him how it could be. But for now, she would keep her feelings to herself.

Once they got back in the truck Aidan held out a blindfold.

“What are you doing?” Apprehensive, Ellie leaned away from him.

“I don’t want you to see where we’re going next,” he explained, pushing the blindfold into her hands, urging her to put it on.

She allowed it, leaving him to his secrets. They drove a good hour in silence and before she could start to let her mind go through every possible scenario from a surprise party to murder and hide the body, they came to a stop. Aidan got out of the truck and soon had her door opened.

“Watch your step now.” He took her hand to help her out, kept it as they started walking. He was surprised that she had been game to put the blindfold on. He would have driven his fist straight into the face of whoever would have tried that nonsense on him.

Nerves were starting to take over. What if she didn’t like it? He shouldn’t have assumed she would. What the hell was he thinking?

“Aidan,” a man called out from the dark.

“Liam.” Aidan nodded to the man in greeting.

“You’ve got an hour, no more,” the man said, briskly. “If you get caught, I was never here and I have no idea how you got in.”

“A million thanks, my friend.” Aidan replied. He tugged on Ellie’s hand to get her moving again. “You’re unusually quiet.”

“I’m trying to figure out where we are.” Ellie tried to get some indication of their location from the smell in the air to the feeling of the cool breeze and the late day birds chirping; there was something vaguely familiar about all of it but she could not put her finger on it.

“How’s that working for you?” They had stopped now. Aidan stood behind her then slowly removed the blindfold and held his breath.