Also by New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Sherryl Woods

BEACH LANE***

MOONLIGHT COVE***

DRIFTWOOD COTTAGE***

RETURN TO ROSE COTTAGE†

HOME AT ROSE COTTAGE†

A CHESAPEAKE SHORES CHRISTMAS***

HONEYSUCKLE SUMMER*

SWEET TEA AT SUNRISE*

HOME IN CAROLINA*

HARBOR LIGHTS***

FLOWERS ON MAIN***

THE INN AT EAGLE POINT***

WELCOME TO SERENITY*

SEAVIEW INN

MENDING FENCES

FEELS LIKE FAMILY*

A SLICE OF HEAVEN*

STEALING HOME*

WAKING UP IN CHARLESTON

FLIRTING WITH DISASTER

THE BACKUP PLAN

DESTINY UNLEASHED

FLAMINGO DINER

ALONG CAME TROUBLE**

ASK ANYONE**

ABOUT THAT MAN**

ANGEL MINE

AFTER TEX

*The Sweet Magnolias

**Trinity Harbor

***Chesapeake Shores

†The Rose Cottage Sisters

Look for Sherryl ‘Woods’s next original novel

THE SUMMER GARDEN

available February 2012

Dear Reader,

It’s almost become a holiday tradition for me to get to spend the Christmas season with the O’Briens. They feel like family to me, and at least this is one family whose behavior I get to control!

This year’s story is the fulfillment of a promise Susie O’Brien made to her grandmother, that she would see that Nell had a chance to pay a visit to Ireland with the entire family. What no one expected was that it would also mean a reunion between Nell and an old flame! Add in Matthew’s off-again, on-again romance with an older woman—Trace’s sister Laila, no less—and you can imagine the family’s frenzy. You’ll even get a hint of the romance that could be in the wind for Susie and Matthew’s younger brother, Luke, the last of this generation of the family … or is he?

I hope you’ll enjoy all the twists and surprises in the story, as well as the chance to catch up with all of the O’Briens. And as always, I wish you the many blessings of this joyous season!

Sherryl

An O’Brien Family Christmas

New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author Sherryl Woods

www.mirabooks.co.uk

To the Outer Banks gang—George and Carol Sweda; Kristi, Ron, Donovan, Carson and Morgan Petrecca; Austin Luchowski; Kim, Jay, Adam and Jonathan Cerar; and Keri, Tom and Evan Krajewski. Thanks for all the great summer memories in the “big house”!

1

S he’d lost the job of a lifetime because of a man!

Every time Laila Riley allowed herself to think back—how hard she’d worked to gain her father’s trust, how desperately she’d wanted to prove herself capable of running the bank he’d established years ago in Chesapeake Shores, only to throw it all away for what had to have been the most ridiculous fling of all times—it made her a little crazy. She was not the kind of woman who did anything because of a man. She wasn’t impetuous or flighty. She was better than that, more sure of herself, more independent.

She allowed herself a sigh. Surely she must have been out of her mind to think that she and much younger playboy Matthew O’Brien could possibly have a respectable future. That had to explain her uncharacteristic behavior.

But because she’d taken leave of her senses, here she was, back in a tiny office, doing the sort of accounting work that bored her to tears. None of the hoped-for jobs at other area banks had materialized. Her credentials were impeccable. Everyone had agreed on that. But in the current economy, no one was hiring at her level. If that changed, she’d be the first person they called. Blah-blah-blah. She’d seen the encouraging words for what they were—so many empty promises.

Within weeks of quitting her job in a huff at the family owned community bank, she’d started berating herself for her foolishness and resenting Matthew for his role in it. If only he hadn’t been so blasted irresistible, she’d thought accusingly. So determined to win her heart. She’d been caught up in the romance of his pursuit.

Even as she was blaming him for all that charm and sex appeal, she was forced to admit that Matthew himself had been totally supportive in the aftermath of her impulsive decision to leave her father’s bank. He’d even found—or created, she suspected—an accounting opening for her at his uncle Mick’s architectural firm, but she didn’t want his handouts. She no longer wanted anything from him, in fact, except to be left alone.

Correction: she wanted sex, but that was out of the question. Lust, combined with loneliness and envy for all the happily married couples around her, was exactly what had gotten her in trouble in the first place.

Ending their misguided relationship within weeks of quitting her job had been her only choice. If she’d also packed up and left Chesapeake Shores, it would have been the ultimate trifecta, a complete upending of her life.

But, no, she didn’t quite have the will to cut the ties to the town she loved and her infuriating family. So she was stuck here, alone and miserable and working for half a dozen pitiful clients who barely kept her in the rocky road ice cream that lately she craved by the gallon.

“Sulking, I see,” Jess O’Brien Lincoln said, braving Laila’s dark mood by stepping into the office uninvited. She looked around, took in the drab beige walls that needed paint, the tiny window with no view and the seriously scarred desk, shook her head, then sat on a chair that had seen better days. Not even the bright posters Laila had framed could save this place, and they both knew it.

“I am not sulking,” Laila protested. “I’m working.”

“Yes, I can see all the work piled up on your desk,” Jess noted, her tone wry.

“It’s on the computer,” Laila informed her. “Haven’t you heard? Financial records are computerized these days.”

Jess tried to settle more comfortably onto the cramped office’s one guest chair, gave up and shrugged. “So I hear. Not my forte.”

Laila gave her friend a wary look. “Why are you here? I hope it’s not on your cousin’s behalf. I’ve told Matthew—”

Jess cut her off. “Matthew didn’t send me.”

Despite the convincing tone, Laila wasn’t reassured. O’Briens were a sneaky lot. “Then what brings you by?”

“I can’t stop in to check on a friend?”

“You could, but lately you’ve been so caught up in the extended honeymoon phase of your marriage that you barely leave the inn.”

“Not true. I go out all the time. Will and I are not joined at the hip. He does his thing. I do mine,” she declared with a nonchalance that didn’t fool either of them. Once Jess had accepted her feelings for Will were real and his for her, she’d been a little gaga ever since.

“If you say so.” Maybe it just seemed to Laila that everyone in Chesapeake Shores was traveling in contented pairs these days. “Okay, let’s say I believe this is a purely casual visit. What’s up with you? Is everything running smoothly at the inn?”

Jess’s expression brightened. “We’re packed, as a matter of fact. Connor gave me this idea a while back about offering specials for small business conferences, and now that the golf course has opened nearby, that’s working out really well during the week. Even better, weekends are booked all the way through the holidays with tourists. The word seems to be out that the inn is a great spot for a romantic getaway. It helped that we had a huge spread in a regional travel magazine showcasing how beautiful it is here at Christmas.”

Laila was genuinely impressed. “That’s terrific. You should be proud of yourself, Jess. Making a success of the inn is a fantastic accomplishment.”

Jess grinned. “Quite a change from my teenage screwups, huh? And that brings me to one of the things I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Uh-oh, here it comes,” Laila murmured, regarding her accusingly. “I knew this wasn’t just some spur-of-the-moment visit.”

“Okay, I’ll admit it. I am on a mission,” Jess confessed. “Two, as a matter of fact. One from Abby and me, and one from Susie. Neither one has a thing to do with Matthew, I promise.”

Laila wasn’t entirely placated. They were all O’Briens, after all, a family that was notoriously tight-knit. These days, she didn’t trust a single one of them, not even her sister-in-law Abby, much less the clever friend seated across from her with the cat-that-swallowed-the-canary glint in her eyes. As for Susie, she was Matthew’s sister, so her motives were suspect on more levels than Laila could possibly count.

“Okay, try me,” she said grudgingly. “What do you and Abby want? And why didn’t Abby call me herself?”

“She did. Several times, in fact. Apparently you haven’t been returning her calls, or your brother’s, or those of anyone else with the name Riley. Or O’Brien, come to think of it. Connie says she hasn’t spoken to you in ages, and even though I’m a Lincoln now, you’ve pretty much been ignoring me, as well.” She gave Laila a chiding look. “Thus the personal visit.”

“I’ve been busy,” Laila claimed defensively.

“Yeah, right,” Jess replied, clearly not buying it. She waved off the subject. “We’ll leave a discussion of the way you’ve been neglecting your friends for another time. This morning I want to talk to you about taking on the accounting duties at the inn.”

Laila regarded her with deepening suspicion. Jess had started The Inn at Eagle Point, gotten herself into financial hot water even before the doors opened, and needed her older sister to bail her out. Abby, the family’s financial whiz, had maintained a fierce oversight of the inn’s accounting procedures and expenditures ever since. She’d put her own hand-chosen man in charge of keeping tabs on things. Jess had chafed at the strict oversight, but even she knew it had been a necessity.

“What happened to the accountant Abby brought on board?” Laila asked.

“He was okay, but it was time for a change,” Jess responded blithely. “We need someone full-time, or close to full-time, anyway. Abby agrees.”

Laila stiffened. “So, this change was your idea? Jess, I don’t need your charity. I have clients.”

“How many?” Jess asked bluntly.

“Enough.”

“I doubt it. Something tells me your dispute with your father over Matthew affected more than your position at the bank. Your old clients have been slow to return, thanks to all the gossip. Am I right? “

Laila ignored the question. Jess clearly didn’t expect an answer. She thought she had the situation pegged and, sadly, she was right.

Jess shook her head, her expression indignant. “I swear some people in this town are living in the Dark Ages!”

“Exactly as my father predicted,” Laila admitted ruefully.

“For an idiot, he has way too much influence,” Jess countered.

“Well, he was right about one thing,” Laila said. “Apparently nobody trusts their money with someone who displays poor judgment in their personal life.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Look, that’s all water under the bridge. I’ve been networking like crazy the past couple of months. Everything will work out. You don’t need to worry about me or make up jobs for me.”

“But you’re not so overburdened with work that you can’t take on the inn, are you?” Jess persisted. “Tell the truth.” Laila sighed. “No.”

“Then you’re officially hired as of today. You can stay here in this charming space, if you choose to, or you can move into the nice, spacious office I have ready for you at the inn.”

Laila wasn’t quite ready to cave in. “What am I supposed to do, ditch the clients who dared to take a chance on me?”

“Of course not. You can continue handling as many private clients as you’d like to. I have no problem with them coming to the inn to meet with you.” She gave Laila an encouraging grin. “There are windows, Laila. Big windows with a view of the bay. And that huge piece of expensive modern art that hung on your office wall at the bank? The one there’s not even room for in here? There’s a perfect spot for that, too.”

“Now you’re just taunting me,” Laila said, imagining it. Currently that prized picture was gathering dust in a storage locker.

“All you have to do is say yes, and the office is yours, along with the job,” Jess confirmed.

Laila’s pride, which had taken a beating lately, kicked in. She started to refuse, just on principle, then chided herself for allowing emotion to overrule logic. She needed more work, especially if she was to keep herself sane. It had nothing to do with the income. She’d been frugal with her paychecks over the years. She could weather these lean times, at least if she limited her ice cream intake. No, it was too many empty hours weighing on her. She needed to fill them.

Lately she was spending way too much time thinking about Matthew, wondering if she’d made a mistake in cutting him out of her life once and for all. Those were the kinds of weak, mostly sex-driven thoughts that could prove dangerous.

Biting back the desire to refuse, she forced herself to nod, forced a gracious note into her voice. “Thank you.”

Jess grinned at her, clearly understanding how difficult it had been for Laila to acquiesce. “You do know that working with me is no piece of cake, right? You won’t be thanking me a few weeks from now. You’ll be earning every penny of the generous salary Abby thinks we should pay you.”

“I learned how to deal with you years ago, when you were nothing more than an annoying little brat,” Laila countered. “I’ll survive.” Her gaze narrowed. “Maybe before I give you a final answer, though, you should tell me about Susie’s mission.”

“No big deal,” Jess claimed casually. “One thing has nothing to do with the other. She just wants to be sure you’re coming to Ireland with us for Christmas.”

When Laila opened her mouth to say such a trip was impossible, Jess held up her hand. “Before you refuse, think about this. Abby, Trace and your nieces will be going. All of your friends will be there—me, Susie, Connie, Shanna, Bree and Heather. If you refuse to come, you’ll be spending the holidays back here all alone with only your parents for company. Do you really want to endure an entire holiday season of their lectures about your many recent mistakes? “

Laila could envision the dreary situation Jess was describing all too clearly. She’d thought about it a hundred times since learning of the O’Briens’ plan to take their grandmother back to Ireland for Christmas.

Laila had always dreamed of visiting Ireland. Anyone living around the O’Briens had heard enough tales about Dublin and the countryside to make it sound idyllic. She loved the O’Briens—one of them a little too much, as a matter of fact. The temptation to say yes was nearly overwhelming, which was why she’d spent the last month studying brochures for holiday cruises and Christmas tours of Savannah and Charleston—anything to avoid giving in and going on a trip that had emotional disaster written all over it.

“I can’t,” she said, proud of herself for choking out the words.

Jess actually seemed a little startled by her flat refusal. “Of course you can.”

“Have you forgotten that the reason I am in this tiny little office rather than my great big impressive one at the bank is going to be in Ireland with the rest of you?”

“Matthew? Well, of course, he’ll be there, but it’s not about you and Matthew. It’s about Gram. It’s about Susie and Mack finally being able to celebrate their marriage and Susie beating cancer. Focus on all that. Hang out with the rest of us. You’ll hardly have to set eyes on Matthew if you don’t want to.”

That, of course, was the problem. She wanted to set eyes on Matthew. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, drag him into the biggest, softest feather bed around and have her wicked way with him. The man was like an addiction, one she hadn’t been able to kick no matter how hard she’d tried.

“Jess, you have no idea how badly I want to go with you, but I just can’t. The timing is all wrong.”

Her friend regarded her with a knowing expression filled with sympathy. “Because you’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely not,” Laila said emphatically. “What Matthew and I had, it had nothing to do with love.”

A grin spread across Jess’s face. “Who are you trying to convince, my friend? Me or yourself?”

“You, of course,” Laila insisted. “I know how I feel.”

“You know how you want to feel,” Jess corrected. “But it’s not working out so well for you, is it? You haven’t gotten him out of your system. Not even close.”

Laila wanted to deny it, but Jess was right. Since she couldn’t utter an outright lie, she said, “Look, I agreed to work for the inn. Take your one victory and go.”

Jess dutifully stood up, started for the door, then turned back. “You know he’s miserable, don’t you?” she said softly, the parting shot coming as she hesitated in the doorway. “I know my cousin has his faults. Heaven knows, he has a history of being a huge flirt, a player, whatever you want to call it, but it was different with you, Laila. It really was. And having both of you miserable when it doesn’t need to be that way doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

“It’s the way it has to be,” Laila reiterated, unmoved. “We never should have gotten involved in the first place. The whole relationship was crazy, like some kind of fantasy. Matthew’s years younger than I am. It never would have lasted. I was just a temporary infatuation for him. If I hadn’t broken it off, eventually he would have. It was better this way.”

“Says who?”

“I say it,” Laila told her, holding her friend’s gaze with a steady look.

Jess clearly didn’t believe her. And Laila was having a hard time convincing herself. She knew, though, that she had to. It was the only way she’d ever be able to move on with her life.

“So help me, Matthew O’Brien, if you don’t make things right with Laila, I will never forgive you,” Susie declared, standing over her brother’s desk and glowering at him.

Matthew glowered right back. “Not at work, Susie,” he warned. “We’re not discussing my personal life here. I mean it.”

Naturally, she ignored him. “I will not have this honeymoon trip ruined, to say nothing of how terrible Gram will feel if you’re moping around Ireland missing Laila.”

“I won’t mope. I promise.”

She merely scowled at the offer. He sighed.

“Isn’t it enough for you that you have a clean bill of health from the doctor, and that your marriage to Mack is solid?” Matthew asked her plaintively. “Do you really need to meddle in my life, too?”

“Actually this isn’t about you. It’s about me and my happiness. I want Gram’s trip to Ireland to be perfect, and it won’t be if the entire family—the entire extended family—isn’t there.”

He pushed aside the architectural rendering he was supposed to have finished days ago. Lately his concentration was shot. He met his sister’s gaze.

“Look, nobody wants Laila in Ireland more than I do,” he admitted. “I’d planned to ask her to marry me there on Christmas Eve, if you’ll recall. That’s no longer in the cards, obviously, since she won’t even speak to me. If I try to talk her into going, she’ll turn me down flat. If her presence is so critical, put somebody else on the case.”

“I’ve already sent Jess,” Susie admitted. “No luck.”

“What about Trace? Surely her brother can talk some sense into her.”

“She’s not speaking to him at all. She’s lumped him in with her parents. They’re all the enemy right now. She wouldn’t even return Abby’s calls, and those were about work. She’s cut herself off from practically everyone.” She regarded him earnestly. “I’m worried about her, Matthew. If you really care about her, you should be, too.”

Matthew groaned, knowing he was at least in part responsible for Laila’s isolation. “How did this turn into such a huge mess? “

Susie didn’t hesitate. “Because the two of you kept everyone in the dark about your relationship,” she said readily, always eager to enumerate his many flaws as she saw them. “You snuck around town for who knows how long like a couple of criminals. It left everyone to conclude that even you knew that your dating was somehow wrong. It made it seem as if this were just another stupid fling for you and that Laila was ashamed of being another one of your conquests. If you’d been open about it in the first place—”

“I wanted things out in the open,” he snapped. “Laila thought it was a bad idea. Seems to me she was right. The minute her stodgy parents got wind of what was going on, all hell broke loose.”

“Whatever,” Susie said, not one bit swayed by truth or logic. “You’re the only one who can get through to her now. Apologize, grovel, beg, heap on a boatload of guilt about how the trip won’t be the same without her, whatever you need to do. Just don’t take no for an answer. You have to get her to come to Ireland. You got her into your bed, which, given how sensible she usually is, had to take some smooth talking. Surely you can convince her to go on a family vacation.”

“The only way I’m likely to pull it off would be to tell her I’m staying home,” he said realistically.

“Not an option,” Susie declared. “Find another way. I mean it, Matthew. You love her. She loves you. This standoff has to end.” She leveled a look into his eyes. “I expect you to handle it. Do not let me down.”

With that she flounced out of his office. He stared after her, wondering when she’d turned into such a demanding woman, sure of her convictions. It probably had a lot to do with the grit and determination she’d found to fight ovarian cancer, to survive it against all odds. Nothing much scared her anymore, certainly not her brother.

A few months ago he’d have said he shared his sister’s intrepid, determined nature. In the face of Laila’s uncompromising rejection, in the wake of her stubborn stance that they were destined to ruin each other’s lives, he was no longer half so sure of himself. He’d thought they could weather the fallout from people finding out about their relationship, but they hadn’t. Laila hadn’t even wanted to try. She’d barely stuck it out a few weeks before calling it quits.

He’d found her attitude annoying, insulting and demeaning. It trivialized what they had, in his opinion. What he hadn’t been able to figure out was why he loved her anyway.

Still, he had his pride. Groveling, apologizing, begging, all those things his sister had recommended were out of the question. He’d put his heart on the line. He’d made his case. More than once, in fact. If that hadn’t been enough, then why would he go back for more ego bashing?

Besides, being in Ireland with Laila, knowing that he’d intended to make it the most romantic holiday of their lives, that he’d planned to propose to her there on Christmas Eve … it would be torture, and he was no masochist. This was Susie’s trip. If she wanted Laila along, then she was going to have to find some way to convince her to go.

And if she did? Well, he’d worry about that only if Susie managed to pull off some sort of holiday miracle.

“Well?” Nell O’Brien demanded as she sat in her cozy kitchen with two of her precious granddaughters. The Irish-breakfast tea was strong, the blueberry scones fresh from the oven.

She’d sent Jess and Susie on a personal mission to straighten out this ridiculous standoff between Matthew and Laila, but it was obvious from their troubled expressions that they’d failed.

“Laila refuses to go,” Jess admitted. “I know she wants to, but she’s as stubborn as any O’Brien.”

“As for my brother,” Susie said, “he’s actually hurt that she dumped him. As badly as he wants Laila in Ireland with the rest of us, he refuses to do a thing to make sure she goes.” She shook her head. “Men and their stupid pride! Heaven save us.”

Nell knew exactly what she meant. Her grandchildren had inherited many fine qualities from their parents and from her, but stubbornness wasn’t among them. Unfortunately, they all had it in spades. She supposed it was handy in certain situations, gave them the stick-to-it strength and resolve to weather many tough crises, but most of the time it interfered with their happiness. They’d be far better off with a little more tolerance and a little less bullheadedness.

“Do the two of you have any ideas?” she asked. “I will not have this family trip ruined because we’re all thinking about the one person who isn’t there.”

“I don’t think Laila views herself as indispensable,” Jess said. “Or as a member of the family. She’s pretty down on herself and her own judgment these days. And she’s not overly fond of anything O’Brien, either.”

“She’s down on herself because she fell in love with Matthew?” Nell asked incredulously. “Nonsense! I’ll admit to having a few reservations when I first heard about those two, but she was good for him. Anyone could see that.”

She thought about her grandson and the changes she’d seen in him after he’d gotten involved with Laila. “She steadied him, made him want to settle down. I think it worked the other way around, as well. Her life needed a little shaking up after growing up with stuffy old Lawrence Riley for a father and trying to meet his old-fashioned expectations. Just his reaction to her relationship with a fine man like Matthew speaks for itself about how out of touch he is. Matthew put some color in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes. Lawrence should have been singing his praises for that, not condemning the two of them.”

She gave her granddaughters a bewildered look. “What kind of man doesn’t put his own daughter’s happiness first?”

“I don’t think Mr. Riley thinks much beyond what’s good for the bank,” Jess said. “Look how he coerced Trace into working there, even though anyone could see how miserable he was. He loves being a graphic designer. Thank goodness, he was able to get back to that.”

“Well, it’s about time Mr. Riley thinks about what’s good for Laila,” Susie said vehemently. “And there’s no question that my brother was very good for her. The first time I saw them together, once I got over the shock, I realized how perfect they were for each other. They complemented each other, just as you said, Gram. Matthew couldn’t keep his eyes off her, and Laila looked like a teenager. She couldn’t stop blushing.” She paused reflectively. “Of course, maybe that had something to do with the wine I kept pushing on her to get her to open up and tell me what was going on.”

Jess nodded slowly. “So we all agree that Mr. Riley is the real problem here, right?”

“Looks that way to me,” Susie said.

“Okay, then,” Jess said. “Do you suppose if Laila’s father changed his mind, maybe gave them his blessing, it would help?”

Nell shook her head. “That would be like getting a tiger to change his stripes. Lawrence has never admitted to a mistake in his life. He’s all but publicly disowned Laila now. He’s not going to back down.”

“Maybe Mrs. Riley,” Susie began, but again Nell shook her head.

“She’s a lovely woman, but she’s always done exactly what her husband expected of her,” Nell said.

“Then you could talk to him,” Jess suggested. “He’d listen to you. Or maybe Dad.”

“I don’t think we want Mick in the middle of this,” Nell said quickly. “His meddling generally backfires. Even though things work out eventually, it’s usually in spite of your father, not because of him.”

“I agree with that,” Susie said. “Uncle Mick’s well-intentioned, but involving him is a bad idea. Surely you can see that, Jess.”

“Hey, I’m willing to look at any and all options,” Jess argued. “Don’t dismiss Dad just because he drove us a little crazy. He’s one of the few people in town with more power than Lawrence Riley. People respect him, even Mr. Riley. I’ll bet Dad could turn this whole situation around if he said a few words to the right people, persuaded them to talk to Mr. Riley.”

“True,” Nell said. “But I think this situation calls for more finesse than Mick, bless him, possesses. I suppose it’s up to me.”

Both of her granddaughters looked relieved.

“What are you going to do?” Susie asked, her eyes alight with curiosity. “Something sneaky and devious, right?”

Nell gave her a chiding look. “Sneaky and devious are not traits I condone,” she scolded.

Both young women simply laughed. Nell shrugged.

“Well. Not ordinarily,” she said sheepishly. After all, it was pointless to fib when everyone knew she had as many matchmaking tricks up her sleeve as anyone else in the family.

“What’s it going to be, Gram?” Jess prodded.

“I’ll have to give that some thought,” Nell murmured, then looked from one beloved granddaughter to the other. “But this O’Brien holiday of ours is going to wind up with someone walking down the aisle, no matter what I have to do to make sure that happens.”

2

Laila stood beside the window in her new office at The Inn at Eagle Point and watched the whitecaps on the Chesapeake Bay roll toward shore. She’d only been here a few days, but she knew she’d never tire of that view. “Sis?”

She whirled around at the sound of Trace’s voice, a scowl in place to greet him. “What do you want?”

“We need to talk,” he said firmly, already stepping into the office and closing the door behind him.

“I can’t imagine what we could possibly have to discuss. You made your opinion of my relationship with Matthew quite clear. Then you got Mom and Dad all stirred up to boot.” She regarded him accusingly. “We both know how that turned out.”

“I’m sorry,” he said simply. “I never expected things to get so far out of hand. I was worried about you, and I thought they had a right to know.” He looked chagrined. “I should have anticipated that Dad would get on his high horse and say something that would force your hand.”

“Yes, you should have.”

“Still, quitting was pretty rash and impulsive, Laila.” “Here we go,” she muttered.

“Okay, I’m lecturing,” he admitted. “But don’t you think you should reconsider leaving your job? Maybe try to make peace with Dad? For as far back as I can remember, all you wanted was a chance to take over at the bank for Dad one day.”

“Well, it’s never going to happen,” she said wearily. “I’ve accepted that. You’re not going to be able to intervene and make it right this time, Trace. Dad obviously doesn’t want me there. He never did, and I handed him the perfect excuse to make it official.”

“He didn’t fire you,” Trace reminded her. “You quit.”

“Oh, please,” she protested. “That’s little more than a technicality, under these circumstances. The handwriting was on the wall. You didn’t hear him. He treated me as if I didn’t have a brain in my head, as if my going out with Matthew was the next worse thing to stealing the life savings of little old ladies. What choice did I have? Sooner or later I was going to have to stand up for myself with him. If it hadn’t been over this, something else would have come along.”

Trace continued to look dismayed. “Laila, be reasonable. That’s in the past. You’re no longer with Matthew. I have that right, don’t I? Just tell Dad that. It would make all the difference.”

She frowned at him. “Come on, Trace. None of this is really about me and Matthew. Dad wants the prodigal son in that job, not me.”

“That ship has sailed,” her brother said fiercely. “Dad knows that.”

She smiled. “You don’t really believe that, do you? How many times since I left has he called you with some crisis only you can resolve? Compare that with the fact that he hasn’t once reached out to me, not personally, not professionally.”

Trace gave her a rueful look. “Okay, you’re right. He hasn’t given up entirely on luring me back, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it. You were meant for that job, Laila. You and I both know that. So does Dad, when he’s not being impossible.”

She couldn’t deny the truth of that. Ironically, her instinct for numbers, accounting and banking had been honed at her father’s knee, for all the good it had done her. Maybe it was because she had a real aptitude for it. Maybe it was simply because she’d craved his attention and approval. Look where that had gotten her, she thought wryly.

“Yes, I was perfect for it,” she conceded. “But as far as Dad’s concerned, I’ll never be more than second best. I’m not willing to accept that. I’ve moved on. I’m not beating my head against that particular wall ever again. I can make a good living with accounting.”

“It’s not about earning a decent wage,” Trace argued. “It’s about doing what you love, what you were destined to do. Don’t settle, Laila.”

“I’m not settling. I’m accepting the inevitable. If I’d done that years ago, my life would have been far less frustrating.”

Trace frowned. “You’re sure about this?”

“A hundred percent,” she said with what she hoped sounded like total conviction.

“If you say so,” he said skeptically. “And it really is over with Matthew?”

“It really is. You can rest easy. Your sister is no longer interested in disgracing the family name.”

Her response seemed to make him unhappy. “It wasn’t about me or the family name,” he said with obvious frustration. “How could you even think that? I just didn’t want Matthew messing with your head.”

“Well, he’s not messing with any part of me now. You should be thrilled.”

He winced. “You’ll find the right guy,” he said, seeking to reassure her. “I could ask Abby—”

“Don’t you dare!” she ordered, horrified. “I do not want your wife parading a bunch of men in front of me.”

“It was just a thought,” he said defensively. “I feel as if it’s my fault you’re miserable.”

“I’m not miserable,” she insisted. “I’m in transition.” She was pleased with the word. It described exactly where she was in her life, somewhere between the happiness she’d never expected and the uncertain future that was somewhere around the corner.

Trace stood up, apparently satisfied. “We’re good, then?”

She sighed and crossed the room. For all of his annoying flaws, he was a good brother. One of the best. “Of course we’re good,” she said, hugging him fiercely. “Just try to remember you’re a Riley, not an O’Brien. Meddling doesn’t come naturally to you. You made a real mess of it this time.”

“Again, very, very sorry,” he said contritely, a twinkle back in his eyes. At her skeptical look, he said, “Okay, at least a little bit sorry. I think you can do way better than Matthew.”

“You probably ought to leave before I feel compelled to argue with you about that,” she responded.

“Love you.”

“You, too,” she said, watching as he left. From the window moments later, she could see him crossing the inn’s lawn and heading down to the beach to walk along the shore to the home he’d bought for himself, Abby and his twin stepdaughters. He was whistling, obviously pleased that the visit with Laila had been a success, that their relationship had been mended, if not hers with their father.

She shook her head. She knew her brother loved her, knew he wanted her to be happy, but he didn’t have even the tiniest bit of insight about what it would take to make that happen. If he had, he’d have understood that her best chance at happiness was with the man of whom he’d so vocally disapproved. Not that she intended to admit such a thing to Trace or anyone else. She could barely even admit it to herself.

After a frustrating hour of holiday shopping when her heart hadn’t been in it, Laila was eating a solitary evening meal at Sally’s when she looked up to see Nell O’Brien standing beside her table. The place was jam-packed with other shoppers, holiday carols were being played on the sound systems here and in every store in town, which had left Laila somehow feeling more alone and out of sorts than ever. She’d barely touched her meal, which by now was cold and unappetizing.

“May I?” Nell asked, gesturing toward the empty seat across from Laila. “I swear I’m just about worn out from Christmas shopping, and I’ve barely gotten started.”

“Of course. Have a seat,” Laila said. “Tell me why on earth you’re shopping here, when you’ll be spending the holidays in Dublin?”

“Oh, you know how it is,” Nell responded after ordering a cup of tea and a bowl of Sally’s homemade vegetable beef soup. “There are a lot of people who’ll be expecting a little something. Many of them no longer have family around, so it’s up to friends like me to make sure they aren’t forgotten.”

“Wouldn’t they be happier with a gift from Ireland?” Laila inquired.

Nell chuckled. “Oh, they’ll be hoping for that, too, if only a small token so they’ll know I was thinking of them. I suspect I’ll be coming back with a lot of soft woolen scarves that’ll be perfect for the chilly Chesapeake Shores winter.”

Laila hesitated. She was the one who’d brought up Ireland, but she wasn’t really sure it was a topic they ought to be discussing. The whole subject was fraught with peril, especially for her. Still, there was little point in pretending the big family vacation wasn’t just a couple of weeks away.

“You must be getting really excited about the trip,” she said, treading carefully. She hoped Nell couldn’t see through the casual indifference she was trying to project. “How long has it been since you’ve been back? “

Nell’s expression turned nostalgic. “The last time was the year before my husband died, so quite a while. I’m anxious to visit one last time, to see the few friends who are left, and to show some of my favorite spots to all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I want them to understand where their family came from. I might not have grown up in Ireland the way my ancestors did, but it’s in my blood and my descendants’. I knew that the first time I set foot on Irish soil.”

“I know Jess is looking forward to it,” Laila said. “It was practically all she talked about the last time we spoke.” Of course, the real focus had been on getting Laila to come along, but that was best left unsaid.

“I think she and Susie are almost as excited as I am,” Nell agreed. “There’s nothing quite like Ireland at Christmas, you know. There are so many decorations. The holly is especially bountiful over there. Windows are lit with candles to welcome neighbors.” Her eyes filled with delight. “There are just so many wonderful traditions I’ve missed. My parents tried to keep some of them alive here, but it’s not the same. I didn’t realize that until I’d gone to live with my grandfather for a year. Summer visits were one thing, but being there for all the seasons, and especially Christmas, was magical.”

“I wish …” Laila began, then cut herself off with a shake of her head.

Nell’s expression brightened. “Wish what, my dear? That you could be there? You should be. We’d love for you to come. You’re very much a part of this family.”

Laila sighed. “Not really.”

“You’re Trace’s sister, aren’t you? And Abby’s sister-in-law? You’ve been in and out of Mick’s house and mine practically since you could walk. In my book, that makes you one of us.”

Laila noticed that she’d made no mention of Laila’s past relationship with Matthew. Even Nell obviously understood it had been little more than a passing infatuation.

“Jess told me I’d be welcome, but I’d feel out of place,” Laila admitted.

“Not because of Matthew, I hope,” Nell said. “No one is holding that against you.”

Laila bristled at her choice of words. “Against me?” she repeated. “I know O’Briens stick together, but why would anyone hold what happened against me?”

“Well, you did dump him, after all,” Nell said, her tone matter-of-fact. “Family loyalty surely puts us on his side, though I know you must have had your reasons. Still, all of us understand that the relationship simply wasn’t meant to be. There are no hard feelings.”

Laila knew she should bite her tongue, but she couldn’t let the comment go unchallenged. “No offense, but Matthew has some responsibility for what happened. He’s not exactly a saint.”

Nell chuckled. “Not exactly,” she said agreeably. “Much as I love him, I would never suggest such a thing.”

“Then why do I get the feeling that you’re heaping all the blame for what happened on me?”

Nell regarded her innocently. “Is that the way it sounded? I didn’t mean for it to. I know as well as anyone how impossible my grandson can be. I’m sure he must have done something perfectly outrageous for a kind, considerate woman like you to drop him the way you did.”

“There was no dropping,” Laila insisted stiffly. “It was a mutual decision.” More or less, anyway. She’d said there was no way they could continue to see each other, and he’d gone along with it. She’d hated that almost as much as she’d hated her father’s disdainful, unyielding attitude and the rift that had created.

Nell looked surprised. “Is that so? Matthew certainly seemed to suggest … Well, never mind. I must have gotten it wrong.”

Laila frowned. “Exactly what did Matthew say?”

“That he was paying the price for your father’s ridiculous stance, that on some level you still want to get back into your father’s good graces and that cutting Matthew out of your life was the first step.” She shrugged. “I can understand how he might have come to that conclusion. Your father’s not an easy man, now, is he?”

“No, he’s not, but the whole idea that I broke up with Matthew to appease my father is insane,” Laila said indignantly. “I’m not even speaking to my father, much less trying to win him over. He has nothing to do with this. I’m done trying to jump through hoops to please him.”

“I hope that’s true,” Nell said gently. “You’re a smart, thoughtful woman, Laila. You should be deciding things for yourself, especially when it comes to choosing the man you’ll love.”

“And that’s exactly what I did,” Laila said heatedly. “I decided Matthew was all wrong for me. He agreed.”

“If you say so,” Nell murmured. She seemed to be fighting a smile.

Laila couldn’t believe that Matthew was going around town psychoanalyzing her. Wasn’t that Will Lincoln’s domain? Jess’s husband was the shrink in the family.

“I have to go,” Laila said abruptly. She stood up, pulled a twenty from her purse and left it on the table. Though she felt like storming out, good manners had her bending down to kiss Nell’s cheek. None of this was her fault, and she was only expressing whatever nonsense Matthew had fed her. “If I don’t see you before the trip, I really do hope you have a wonderful time.”

“Happy Christmas to you, too, dear,” Nell responded.

Happy? Laila couldn’t imagine anything less likely, but at the moment she wasn’t concerned with holiday spirit. No, what mattered to her right now was straightening out the infuriating and apparently very chatty Matthew O’Brien before he managed to turn the whole town against her.

The last person Matthew expected to find on his doorstep on a frigid December night was Laila. She was shivering, either from the cold or indignation. Judging from the sparks flashing in her eyes when he opened the door, it was probably the latter.

“How dare you!” she said as she walked right past him, took off her coat and tossed it in the general direction of a chair. It missed, but she left it where it had landed.

When she whirled to face him, her eyes were blazing. He hadn’t seen that much heat in them since the last time they’d made love. In full fury like this, she reminded him of some kind of mythical goddess—statuesque, strong and wildly desirable. He jammed his hands into his pockets so he wouldn’t reach for her.

“Something I can do for you?” he inquired mildly. “You look upset.”

“I just had a fascinating conversation with your grandmother,” she announced. “It seems she, and probably everyone else in town by now, is under the impression that I dumped you, that poor Matthew did nothing to deserve such a thing.”

“You did dump me,” he replied reasonably.

“We agreed,” she insisted, her agitated pacing starting to make him a little dizzy.

He shook his head. “Sorry to contradict you, sweetheart, but you said it was over, tossed me out of your apartment and told me never to darken your door again.”

She frowned, probably annoyed by his depiction of what had happened.

“It was hardly that dramatic,” she said.

“Pretty much,” he insisted, amused despite himself that she’d somehow turned herself into the victim here.

“But you agreed we were over,” she countered.

“No, I said it was pointless to try to argue with you when you were being irrational. Then you slammed the door in my face.”

“Well, of course I did,” she retorted. “Who wants to be accused of being irrational by some condescending man? And just so you know, I am never irrational. I thought the whole thing through and came to a sensible conclusion.”

“Not from my perspective, but you certainly did sound convinced about what you were saying. It’s little wonder I took you at your word and stayed away.”

She looked taken aback by his response, as if she’d never considered that, by avoiding her, he was only doing as she asked. “You never took me at my word before.”

At the surprising hint of wistfulness in her voice, he regarded her with confusion. “You wanted me to fight you, to keep coming back even though you’d told me rather plainly not to?”

She sighed and sat on the edge of the sofa, her expression a little lost. The hint of vulnerability made his gut twist. “I sound totally ridiculous, don’t I?” she said. “I’m not a woman who doesn’t know her own mind. At least I never was until I got involved with you. You confuse the daylights out of me, Matthew, and, to be perfectly honest, I don’t much like it.”

He sat a safe distance away from her to avoid the temptation to take advantage of all the mixed signals she was sending. Pulling her into his arms would be exactly the wrong thing to do. Sex wasn’t the answer, not this time. Sex between them might be mind-boggling, but it wouldn’t solve their problems. If he wanted her back in his life, he had to find another way.

“Understandable,” he said quietly. “You’re a woman who likes being in control.”

She gave him a startled look, as if she hadn’t expected him to get that. Then an even deeper sigh shuddered through her. “I’ve missed you,” she admitted. “I’ve hated not seeing you, not talking to you.”

“The lack of sex?” he inquired.

She gave him a wry look. “Yes, that, too, Matthew.”

“Well, if you came over here tonight for some kind of booty call, you’re out of luck,” he told her. “I don’t do that anymore.”

She regarded him with disbelief. “Since when?” “Since I grew up, matured, whatever you want to call it.” He grinned at her. “See, you’ve ruined me for other women. And, just so you know, I’m not sure I’m crazy about that, either.”

She sat in silence for a while, then regarded him with a helpless expression, or at least as helpless as a woman with her boatload of strength was ever likely to display. “What happens now, Matthew? I still think I was right to walk away. So many things happened. I lost so much. I already blamed you for that. I figured over time the resentment would only grow and destroy us. I figured it was better to cut our losses.”

Here was the opening he’d been waiting for. “Do you honestly want to know what I think?”

“Of course.”

“I think you panicked and ran because we’d moved way past your comfort zone. As long as you thought it was just about sex, you were fine, but then you threw away your job at the bank. That terrified you, because you’d never expected anything or anyone to matter more to you than that job. I obviously did, and it scared you.”

She blinked at his assessment, but she didn’t even try to deny it. “Have you been talking to Will? You sound way too much like a shrink.”

“Hey, I’ve been known to have an insight or two all on my own,” he protested. “But, yes, Will did share a few observations. So have Jess, Susie, Uncle Mick and just about everyone else in the family. We’ve been the talk of the entire O’Brien clan for a while now. Frankly, it’s getting a little tiresome. I wish my brother would go back to dating my brother-in-law’s ex-lover so they would focus on somebody else for a change.”

Momentarily distracted, Laila regarded him with shock. “You don’t really think Luke and Kristen belong together, do you? That’s just crazy.”

“Good grief, no. That’s what makes it so perfect. The family would be freaking out about it, and we’d be off the hot seat. We could figure things out without all that well-meaning interference.”

An oddly hopeful expression crossed her face. “Maybe then I could go to Ireland and wouldn’t feel as if we were under a microscope every second,” she said, then winced. “Sorry. Forget I said that. I can’t possibly go to Ireland. It would send entirely the wrong message.”

Despite her quick retraction, Matthew’s heart took an unexpected lurch at the mention of the family trip. He had no idea what had really brought her over here tonight, but he couldn’t blow this tiny opening with some careless remark.

“Why not? You’re as much a part of this family as anyone. Everyone would love for you to be there. Frankly, I’ve been taking a lot of heat because you decided against going. You’d be doing me a favor, not that you owe me anything,” he added quickly.

“Hardly,” she said, regarding him with amusement.

“I’m just saying you should go.” He hesitated, then admitted, “I already have your ticket, as a matter of fact.”

Her mouth gaped. “You bought a ticket for me?”

“Months ago,” he confirmed. “No refund, so it’ll just go to waste if you don’t change your mind. I know how much you hate throwing money away. It’s practically your obligation to go.”

“I could just pay you for the ticket, then use it some other time,” she countered, though there was an undeniable spark of excitement in her eyes.

“And pay all those charges for changing it? Not very frugal,” he chided.

“What about a hotel room? Did you think about that? I’m sure everything’s booked by now.”

“I booked a room for us, but I can bunk in with Luke, if you’d prefer that. It’s not a problem.”

“Really? You’d do that?”

“I told you I’m not just after your body. I’m willing to make a few sacrifices to prove that to you.”

She actually looked a little disappointed by that news. “You do still want me, though, right?”

Matthew couldn’t help it. He laughed. “You are a very contradictory woman.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“I could prove how much I still want you in half a second, Laila, but I’m not going to,” he said, his tone a whole lot more noble than the desire thrumming through him. “If we start over, and I’m sensing that might be a possibility here, then we’re going about it the right way this time. No more extremely hot, middle-of-the-night trysts.”

“You mean no sex?” She seemed a little shaken by that.

“No sex,” he confirmed, barely able to choke out the words.

“What’ll we do?” she asked, sounding bewildered.

“Now, that’s just downright insulting,” he said indignantly. “We’ve been known to have intellectually challenging conversations.”

“Sure, in bed,” she replied, then grinned. “But maybe we could compromise.”

He was fascinated by the suggestion. “Compromise how?” “We could talk first.”

Though Matthew laughed at her notion of compromise, he refused to back down. “Nope, I think we’ll do this my way. You’ll come to Ireland. I’ll share my brother’s room. And I’ll court you like the fascinating lady you are in full view of my family.”

“I’m not all that enamored with being a lady,” she complained. “That’s why being with you was such a refreshing change. You saw me in a completely different light, as an unpredictable woman who was impossible to resist. I liked that.”

“Oh, if you must know, you’re still plenty tough to resist, but I’m going to pull it off.” He looked her over with just enough heat in his gaze to make his point. “Those are the terms. Are you in or out?”

“Your grandmother says there’s no place quite like Ireland at Christmas,” she said wistfully.

“Is that a yes?”

She took a deep breath, met his gaze, held it for what felt like an eternity, then finally nodded. “Yes, I’ll go with you.”

Matthew resisted the desire to get up and do a little jig. There’d be plenty of opportunities for that once they got to Dublin.

Laila gave him a wry look. “You do know we just got manipulated by a master, don’t you?”

He regarded her blankly. “Who? How?”

“Your grandmother, of course. I didn’t see it at the time, but every word she said to me at Sally’s tonight was calculated to get me to race over here and confront you.” She shook her head. “I thought I was smarter than that.”

Matthew gave her a consoling look. “Don’t feel bad. We’ve all been taken in by Gram a time or two.”

This time, though, he was going to owe his grandmother big-time for accomplishing what no one else had been able to. She’d broken the impasse between him and Laila. Now it was up to him to make sure the détente turned into something that would last.

3

Laila arrived in Dublin with the first wave of O’Briens. The rest—Thomas and Connie, Jake and Bree, Connor and Heather, Kevin and Shanna—weren’t arriving for a few more days. There were so many of them that Mick had chartered a bus to take them to the hotel after the overnight flight.

Somehow Laila had ended up seated next to Matthew, who turned out to be a surprisingly adept tour guide. He pointed out all the sights and offered one amusing anecdote after another as they rode toward St. Stephen’s Green and their hotel in the heart of downtown Dublin.

When she managed to tear her gaze away from the ornate, colorful doorways decorated with lush holly wreaths and the window boxes overflowing with ivy, evergreens and bright flowers, she turned to find him regarding her with amusement.

“What?” she demanded.

“You’re as excited as a kid on Christmas morning.”

“You’ve been here before. I haven’t. It’s everything I imagined it would be.”

He smiled at that. “Glad you came?”

She ignored the last of her reservations about being here in such close proximity to him. “Very glad,” she said, unable to tear her gaze away from his.

He attempted a frown. “Now, don’t be looking at me like that, with your eyes all sparkly and dreamy.”

She nearly laughed at his suddenly solemn expression. “Why is that?”

“You’ll be giving me ideas, and I’ve made a promise to you to keep my hands to myself. It’s nearly impossible when you look at me like that. I’m a mere mortal, and no mortal man can be ignoring the invitation I’m seeing in your eyes.”

For a moment Laila had forgotten all about the promise, all about her own resolve to make this trip about Nell’s happiness and Susie’s, about sightseeing and enjoying a new holiday experience, and not about Matthew and her thoroughly confusing feelings about him. Now all of that ripped through her, leaving her with a whole passel of conflicting emotions.

“Good point,” she replied, trying to match his solemn tone. “I’ll have to watch myself.” She quickly looked out the window again. “Now, where are we exactly?”

Matthew leaned closer to peer out the window, deliberately crowding her, if she wasn’t mistaken. He grinned when she scowled at him.

“Lost my head,” he claimed, moving back before pointing out various highlights of the shopping along Grafton Street.

At the hotel, rooms were quickly assigned, luggage deposited. Left alone, Laila gazed with regret at the huge comfortable bed and its fluffy down comforter. It was going to be very lonely, especially knowing that she could have been sharing it with Matthew.

When there was a tap on the door, she threw it open, relieved to have her train of thought interrupted. Unfortunately, though, it was Matthew himself in the hallway.

“I thought you might be too excited to be taking a nap,” he said. “How about breakfast and then a walk through the neighborhood? Who knows when the sun will be shining brightly like this again? We should take advantage of it, and that should tire you out so you can catch a couple of hours of sleep before the family festivities get into full swing late this afternoon. Uncle Mick’s taken over an entire pub for tonight, I think. He believes we should start as we intend to finish—with Irish music, a hearty meal and a few pints of Guinness.”

Laila hesitated, then shrugged. She knew sleep was out of the question, and Matthew’s company on a busy street was no more dangerous than lying alone in that decadent bed thinking about him and wishing he were there with her.

“Give me two minutes to freshen up,” she said, hurrying to wash her face, run a brush through her hair and spritz herself with a light fragrance she knew Matthew liked.

When she walked back into the bedroom, she looked down at her clothes and frowned. “This outfit looks as if it’s been slept in, which it has. I should change.”

“You look fine,” he assured her. “If you look too perfect, I’ll be fighting off men on every corner.”

She laughed. “Now, there’s the O’Brien blarney in full force. Come on. I’m starving.”

To her surprise, they were the only members of the family in the hotel dining room.

“I thought for sure some of the others would be down here,” she said, glancing around.

“You worried about being alone with me, sweetheart?”

“Hardly,” she fibbed. “I just assumed everybody else would be too excited to settle down right away, too, especially Carrie and Caitlyn. They were bouncing up and down with energy on the bus to the hotel.”

“Oh, believe me, those two were so hyped up after the flight that Trace and Abby immediately headed to the park across the street so they could run wild.” He studied her. “Would you feel better if we joined them?”

Laila considered the offer for a split second. “No way,” she replied. “The food’s here.”

She ordered a pot of tea, a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with fresh berries, along with scrambled eggs and toast. She studied the menu warily. “Do I want to try some of these more traditional things?”

Matthew chuckled. “Probably not on the first day,” he advised, then ordered the same things she had.

After they’d ordered and the waiter had brought their tea, she sat back and looked around the hotel dining room. It could have been any hotel anywhere in the world, but it was Dublin! And, risky though it was, she was here with Matthew!

“I can’t believe I’m really here,” she said happily.

“Are you glad you changed your mind about coming?”

“Yes. I would have hated to miss this.”

He leaned forward as if he had something more to say, only to see Luke appear, pull out a chair and join them. “You don’t mind, do you?” he asked, though he was already seated.

Matthew frowned at his younger brother. “I thought you were going to rest or go for a run or something.”

“I ran. I showered. And now I’m ready for a full Irish breakfast,” he said, looking around for their waiter.

“Did it even occur to you that you might be interrupting?” Matthew asked testily.

Luke gave him an innocent look. “Interrupting what? The way you explained it to me, you two are adhering to a hands-off policy while in Ireland, which is why you’re in my room instead of Laila’s.”

Laila nearly choked on a sip of tea. She frowned at Matthew. “You told him that?”

“Well, I had to explain why I needed to bunk with him, didn’t I?”

“He did,” Luke concurred. “Because I was hoping to get lucky on this trip and now my plans for a thoroughly raucous holiday are seriously thwarted.”

Laila studied Luke’s expression and thought she detected a hint of sadness behind the cavalier attitude. “You aren’t seriously missing Kristen Lewis, are you? I thought that was over, or that it was some kind of ploy to keep her away from Mack, whatever.”

“Kristen and I had fun, no question about it,” Luke said. “But that’s all it was.”

Laila heard the false note in his voice and shook her head. “Not buying it. It might have started out that way, but something changed. You fell for her, didn’t you?”

Matthew regarded her with surprise. “You can’t be serious. Luke and Kristen? It was a fling.” He turned to Luke. “Right, bro?”

“Sort of like you and Laila,” Luke retorted, then glanced apologetically toward Laila. “No offense.”

“None taken,” she said. “Why didn’t you ask Kristen to come along on this trip if you’re really hung up on her?”

“And have Susie string me up by the you-know-what?” Luke said with a shudder. “No, thank you. She’s not entirely over the fact that Kristen was once Mack’s lover, even though it was years and years ago. I don’t think she’s anywhere near ready to welcome her into the family fold.”

Laila was impressed that he was sensitive to that. “How about you? Does it bother you that Kristen and Mack had a thing?”

Luke shrugged. “Everybody has a past, and I know Mack and Susie have something really special going. It’s not an issue.”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “Delusional,” he muttered under his breath.

Luke’s gaze narrowed. “Meaning?”

“Mack’s feelings aren’t really the problem, are they? You should be worrying about the fact that Kristen still has feelings for him. Isn’t that the reason you set yourself up to provide a distraction in the first place, to keep her away from Mack?”

For a moment Luke looked taken aback. “Okay, sure,” he said eventually. “But everybody’s moving on now.” His voice didn’t hold much certainty.

Matthew just shook his head.

Laila gave Luke’s hand a squeeze. “Be careful, okay? Sometimes it’s very difficult to get over an old flame, even when you know it’s the only thing to do.”

“Which explains why you and my brother are sitting here having a cozy breakfast together, instead of sitting all alone in your separate rooms?” Luke taunted.

“Watch it,” Matthew warned.

Laila, however, laughed. “Out of the mouths of babes,” she murmured. “Yes, Luke, walking away from Matthew has been much harder than I expected.” She gave Matthew a defiant look. “But I will pull it off eventually.”

There was no mistaking the sudden twinkle in Matthew’s eyes. “I look forward to seeing you try,” he said mildly.

“You might not want to turn this into a challenge,” she warned him. “I can match you stubborn streak for stubborn streak.”

Matthew winced. “Good point.”

Fortunately their breakfast arrived just then, which gave them both time to retreat from positions that might have proved indefensible. While Matthew sulked and she fretted, Luke dug into his food as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Laila scowled at him.

“He is annoying,” she commented, as if Matthew had just recently mentioned it.

Matthew glanced at his brother. “Very annoying.”

Luke merely chuckled. “See, though, I’ve brought the two of you into agreement over one thing. It’s a fine start for the first day of the trip.”

Nell stood across from Trinity College in downtown Dublin and stared at the window of the tobacco shop that had once belonged to her grandfather. She knew that once she walked through that door, it would be like going back in time. That was one reason she’d never chanced it on previous trips. Some things were better left in the past. Charles would never have understood about those long-ago summers before they’d married.

She’d spent so many afternoons in the shop during the summers her parents had sent her here to stay with her grandparents. Surrounded by the rich scents, she’d sip tea and pretend to read books as she listened to her grandfather talk to his regular customers. They said women were gossips, but she learned more about what was going on in the city right there in that room than she ever had by reading a newspaper or a history book.

Of course, her fear of crossing the shop’s threshold was about more than that.

“Gram, don’t you want to go inside?” Susie asked, slipping an arm around her waist.

“I’m not sure I want to know if there have been too many changes,” she admitted. “Dillon O’Malley, who bought it from my grandfather, is surely retired by now. I don’t know how it will feel to find a complete stranger behind the counter.” Nor did she know how she would feel if she happened to be wrong about that and, instead, came face-to-face with Dillon for the first time in all these years.

“I could at least go in and ask who owns it now,” Susie offered. “Then you could decide.”

Nell seized on the suggestion. “Would you mind?”

“Of course not,” Susie said, giving her grandmother’s hand a reassuring squeeze before heading inside.

Nell all but held her breath as she waited for Susie’s return. “Well?” she asked, searching her granddaughter’s face for answers when she came back.

“The man I spoke to says he’s Dillon O’Malley.”

Just as Susie spoke, the man himself appeared in the doorway, his eyes filled with curiosity. Tall, with only the barest stoop to his broad shoulders and just a hint of silver in his black hair, it was unmistakably Dillon. When his gaze settled on Nell, he seemed to go perfectly still.

“Nell?” That one word was part confusion and disbelief, part hope.

Nell reached out to Susie to steady herself as she looked into the clear blue eyes of the man she’d once been so certain she was meant to marry.

“Hello, Dillon,” she said softly.

He shook his head. “After all these years I’d have known you anywhere,” he said. “You’re as beautiful as ever with your red hair and those grand eyes.”

She laughed. “And you’re as full of blarney. My hair hasn’t been red in years. I can barely find a few strands amid the gray to remind me of the shade it once was.”

“In my eyes, you’re the lass you were the last time I saw you,” he insisted.

For just an instant, Nell allowed herself to feel like that girl again, young and carefree and wildly in love for the first time in her life. She’d been Nell Flanagan then.

“Come in, Nell,” Dillon pleaded. “Talk to me. Tell me about your life.” He glanced again at Susie. “This has to be your granddaughter.”

“She is. Just one of them. This is Susie O’Brien Franklin.”

Dillon clasped Susie’s hand, though his gaze remained locked on Nell. “And she brought you to Ireland for the holidays? What a lovely thing to do.”

“Actually this is her honeymoon trip,” Nell said wryly. “Can you imagine? She insisted that the whole family accompany her.”

Dillon laughed. “Then she is, indeed, truly a Flanagan with a huge heart. I look forward to getting to know you, Susie.”

“So, you and my grandmother go way back?” Susie asked, her face alight with curiosity. “Way back,” Dillon confirmed.

“Did she always have a wild and reckless streak?” Susie asked.

He laughed. “You have no idea.”

“Stop it, you two,” Nell ordered. “I’ve never been wild or reckless.”

“You went back to America and broke my heart, did you not?” Dillon asked.

Nell frowned at him. “I’m quite sure there were plenty of women around to mend it. Christina Ahearn comes to mind. Didn’t you marry her not long after I’d gone home that last time?”

“Only after I was convinced you were never coming back,” he insisted. “Now, come inside. I’ll brew some tea. I have the Earl Grey you love so much.”

Nell stared at him in amazement. “You remember that?”

He held her gaze. “I remember everything,” he said solemnly.

Susie regarded them hesitantly. “Should I leave you two to catch up?” she asked.

Nell hesitated, torn. She wanted to know everything about Dillon’s life, wanted to fill in all the blanks that her grandparents had been so careful to leave unanswered once she’d gone.

Yet so many years had passed. What was the point at this late date?

Still, when she looked into Dillon’s hopeful eyes, she couldn’t say no. “I’d love tea,” she said at last, then squeezed Susie’s hand. “I’ll be fine here for an hour. Why don’t you come back then?”

“Or I could see that she gets back to her hotel,” Dillon offered.

“I’ll come back,” Susie said, apparently sensing that Nell needed backup. She smiled at them. “Enjoy your visit.”

Dillon escorted Nell inside, waited as she looked around.

“You’ve kept it mostly the same,” Nell commented.

“How could I change a thing, when everywhere I looked I saw you?”

She shook her head. “You shouldn’t say things like that.” “Why not, if they’re true?”

“You’re married to someone else,” she reminded him. “Christina died ten years ago,” he said, then held her gaze. “And your husband?”

“Gone, too,” she said softly.

“Then there’s no reason for us to feel guilty for indulging in a bit of nostalgia, is there?” he suggested. “Come in the back and I’ll make that tea. There’s a lot of ground to cover and you’ve only given us an hour to do it.” He studied her. “Or will you be in Ireland for a while?”

“Two weeks,” she admitted.

His expression brightened. “Then there’s time for a nice, long visit. This will just be the first of many, I hope.” Nell couldn’t argue. She hoped so, too. After all these years, her heart had taken a little leap at the sight of this dear old friend. It was too late to go back in time. She wouldn’t want that, anyway. But to have a few days to recapture those old emotions, to experience just for a moment that surge of optimism that came with spending time with a man who appreciated her, well, she wasn’t going to deny herself that.

Mick frowned as Susie sat in the lounge with him, Megan and Jeff describing the meeting between his mother and Dillon O’Malley.

“You think there’s some kind of history there?” Mick demanded irritably.

“It looked that way to me,” Susie said. “Neither one of them explained anything more than that they’d known each other years ago, but there were definite sparks in the air. Who knew that Gram had a secret past?”

“It’s not something to brag about, if she does,” Mick said testily.

“How do you know a thing like that?” Jeff asked reasonably.

“Has she ever mentioned Dillon O’Malley?” Mick responded, then answered his own question. “No, she hasn’t. And do you know why? Because she’s ashamed of it, I’ll guarantee you that. I need to take care of this.”

“Let it go, Mick,” Megan commanded. “You’re not rushing over there to intrude on their reunion or to rescue your mother.”

“Well, who knows what sort of man this Dillon O’Malley is? For all we know he’s gotten wind of the fact that the O’Briens are well-to-do and he plans to take advantage of Ma.”

His brother frowned at him. “And how would he know a thing like that?” Jeff asked. “Would he have stored away this knowledge just in case the entire family decided to pay a visit to Dublin one day? You’re acting crazy, Mick. Didn’t Susie just say that Ma didn’t even know if he was still running the store our great-grandparents once owned? Obviously they haven’t kept in touch.”

Mick regarded his brother accusingly. “Don’t tell me you don’t worry about Ma.”

“I worry about Ma falling and breaking her hip,” Jeff countered. “I worry about her feeling lonely in that little cottage of hers. I don’t worry about her finding a companion whose company she enjoys.”

“Then you’re naive,” Mick grumbled.

Megan rested a hand on his arm. “Nell is a wise woman, Mick. She’ll see right through anyone trying to take advantage of her.”

“Of course she will,” Susie said adamantly. “I only told you because I thought it was sweet, not so you’d get all worked up. Now I’d better walk back over there to get her. I told her I’d be back in an hour.”

“I’m coming with you,” Mick said, standing.

“No, you’re staying right here with me,” Megan countered. “You are not going over there and embarrassing Nell in front of an old friend.”

“Well, someone who doesn’t have all these stars in their eyes ought to check things out,” he argued. “Susie’s besotted by love these days.”

“I still have my brain, Uncle Mick,” Susie retorted patiently. “If something doesn’t seem right, I’ll handle it. And if you’re really worried, I’ll ask Mack to come with me. He could probably take Dillon O’Malley in a fight, though the man looked pretty fit for his age.”

“Taking Mack along is probably a good idea,” Mick said, looking relieved.

Susie rolled her eyes. “I was joking.”

“Well, I’m not. What if Ma gets some crazy idea about inviting this man to join us tonight? Are you going to put a stop to that? “

“Absolutely not,” Megan said firmly. “And if she does, you’ll welcome him and be on your best behavior.”

Mick shook his head. He should have known he’d get no help from the rest of the family. They all lived in a dream world. It was up to him to keep an eye on things. That was his role in this family, and he took it seriously.

He watched Susie leave, then said casually, “I think I’ll take a walk.”

“No!” Megan and Jeff said in chorus. Defeated, Mick sighed.

Megan patted his hand. “Let’s go up to the room. Maybe I’ll be able to think of some way to distract you.”

Mick regarded her skeptically. “How?”

Jeff clapped his hands over his ears. “Megan, please do not answer that till I’m gone,” he pleaded.

After he’d left, Mick turned to Megan, intrigued despite himself. “You were about to say?”

“I think I’ll let my actions speak for themselves,” she taunted, standing up and beckoning to him. “You interested?”

He grinned at his wife, happy to see the lively spark of passion in her eyes. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

She laughed. “Good. For a minute there, you had me worried.”

“Ah, Meggie, you never have to worry about a thing like that. You’ll fascinate me till the day I die.”

She linked her arm through his and led the way to the elevator. The promise in her eyes made all his cares fade away. There’d be time enough later to worry about what his mother was getting herself into with this O’Malley fellow. And whatever it was, he’d fix it.

4

Matthew was very glad he’d paid attention to everything he’d been told by his family on prior trips to Ireland. His running commentary as he took Laila on a walking tour of the bustling streets around the hotel seemed to be relaxing her. She didn’t even object when he tucked her arm through his and kept her close by his side. For a couple of days she’d managed to elude him by going shopping with his cousins, but today he’d found her alone and managed to lure her away from the hotel.

“Look at these window boxes,” she exclaimed time and again, pausing to take pictures of the colorful flowers mixed with holiday greenery. “People need to do this in Chesapeake Shores. See how cheerful it makes everything look?”

“Winters are milder here,” Matthew reminded her. “Not by a lot, but enough to make a difference. And I think everyone’s a little obsessed with flowers to counteract the dreary weather. We actually have plenty of sunshine in Chesapeake Shores.”

She looked momentarily deflated, but then her expression brightened. “Do you think you could make window boxes for my apartment?”

“Me?”

“You’re an architect. Design something.”

He chuckled. “Window boxes weren’t exactly part of the curriculum in architecture school.”

“Mick probably never thought he’d be creating a flower shop work space for Bree, but he pulled it off,” she challenged. “The way I hear it, you’re as good an architect as your uncle is.”

He regarded her with amusement. “Is that a challenge?”

She laughed. “Pretty much. Maybe we could even have a design competition, get everybody in town involved. I’ll have to warn Jake and Bree, since it could be big business for his nursery and her flower shop. We could turn Chesapeake Shores into the flower showplace of the Eastern Seaboard.”

“You never think small, do you?”

“No,” she said readily. “How about you?” Her expression turned serious. “Are you happy designing houses like the one you did for Susie and Mack? Or do you want to take on a whole community someday, the way Mick has done?”

He hesitated, unsure what her reaction was likely to be, then admitted, “Actually I’m designing a community in Florida right now.”

She stopped and faced him, her eyes alight. “You are? Why didn’t I know that?”

“It’s not as if we’ve had a lot of conversations recently. A developer contacted Mick a couple of months ago. Mick had me sit in on the meetings, then told me to take charge of the project. He’s overseeing my work, but it will be my vision.”

“Matthew, that’s amazing!” Suddenly the light in her eyes dimmed. “Tell me about it. Are you designing just the houses or everything?”

“Everything, from the single-family homes and town houses to the retail area, from the town green to the pedestrian-only streets, even an elementary school,” he said, unable to contain his pride over the confidence Mick obviously had in him. With that confidence came a huge burden of responsibility. Mick’s reputation would be on the line, along with his own.

“Does that mean you’ll be spending a lot of time in Florida?” Laila asked.

He nodded. “At the time it didn’t seem like much of a drawback, but now I have to wonder….” His voice trailed off. If they were to get back on track, did he dare spend so much time away from home right now?

“You have to do it,” she said staunchly. “Matthew, it’s an incredible opportunity, and Mick is showing a tremendous amount of faith in you. You can’t let him down.”

“But you and I, we’ve barely begun to reconnect.” He searched her face. “Or don’t you see it the same way? Are we starting over or not? “

“I’m not entirely sure what we’re doing,” she responded candidly. “This is a vacation. It’s not a real test of anything. Whatever we do, we have to move forward slowly this time. We rushed into a relationship before we thought it through before. Maybe having you working out of town will be exactly what we need so we don’t get carried away and do something impulsive. The distance might give us the perspective we need to decide whether we really do belong together.”

He couldn’t help smiling. “I thought you liked the impulsive streak I bring out in you. At least that’s what you’ve always said.”

“True,” she admitted. “But it’s not really me.”

“Which was exactly the point, I thought. You said you liked stretching your boundaries.”

“Maybe I stretched them a little too far. I was way beyond my comfort zone when we were together. Accountants and bankers, we don’t take a lot of risks. We’re known for our caution and sensible decisions.”

“I don’t think you went too far,” he said solemnly, looking into her eyes, then brushing a curl from her cheek. “Maybe you were out of your comfort zone, but I love the impulsive, unpredictable you.”

“But not the staid, ordinary me?” she asked, sounding resigned. “See what I mean? We’re too different, Matthew.”

“Hey, there is nothing staid or ordinary about you,” he protested. “Not even on your worst day. You can be thoroughly responsible when it comes to work and still have a wild side, Laila. You’re a complicated, complex woman. Don’t put yourself into some tiny niche and be afraid to expand your horizons. Then your father wins.”

“I don’t know,” she said, though she looked hopeful.

He waved off the entire conversation. It had gotten way too serious. “Enough about the future and enough self-analysis,” he said. “I see a pub just ahead and it’s calling our names.”

She regarded him with amusement. “Really? I don’t hear anything.”

“Then you obviously haven’t been in Dublin quite long enough.”

“Will I be seeing leprechauns soon, too?”

“After enough Guinness, it’s entirely possible,” he told her, leading the way into the pub, which had a fire burning in the hearth and a jovial lunch crowd of local workers and holiday shoppers crammed into every corner.

He spotted a pair of empty seats, squeezed through the throng to order two pints of ale, then wove his way back to find Laila laughing with a couple of young Irishmen at the next table. His heart stumbled at the sight, but he managed to keep his own smile in place as he joined her.

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