bookkeeping, checking supplies.”
Maggie shook her head. “Don’t you have a hobby?”
“No.”
“Something you enjoy doing to relax?” she persisted.
Uncomplicated sex relaxed him, but Ryan seriously doubted she wanted to hear about that. And today sex had been the last thing on his mind. Okay, not exactly true, he mentally corrected. Sex with Maggie had been very much on his mind, which he’d concluded was a really, really bad idea.
Even so, he couldn’t quite keep himself from giving her a blatant once-over that had her blushing.
“Not that,” she said, evidently grasping his meaning with no trouble at all.
“Too bad,” he teased. “I do find that relaxes me quite a bit.”
Her gaze locked with his. “Perhaps another time,” she said in a deliberately prim little voice.
Ryan choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken. “What did you say?” When she started to reply, he cut her off. “Never mind. Let’s not go there.”
Now it was her turn to regard him with a knowing look. “Oh? Why is that?”
“Maggie, what do you want from me?” He couldn’t seem to prevent the helpless, bewildered note in his voice.
Her expression faltered at the direct question. “Honestly?”
He nodded.
“I’m not entirely sure,” she replied, as if she found the uncertainty as disconcerting as he did.
“Then you’re playing a risky game,” he warned.
“I know,” she agreed, meeting his gaze. “But I can’t seemto stop myself. I keep finding myself drawn here. There’s something about this place, about you…” Her voice faltered and she shrugged. “I can’t explain it.”
Gazes locked, they both fell silent. Finally Maggie sighed and looked away.
“Can I ask you something?” she said eventually, still not meeting his gaze.
“Sure.”
“Father Francis told me something. He said that you don’t believe in love.”
“Father Francis has a big mouth, but he’s right. I don’t,” Ryan said grimly.
“Why?”
Rather than answering, he said, “I gather you do believe in it. Why?”
“Because I see it every single day. I see it between my parents. I’ve felt their love since the day I was born. I see it with my brothers and their wives, with Colleen and her husband. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for each other or for their families.”
Ryan listened, trying to put his skepticism aside. He tried to imagine being surrounded by such examples. He couldn’t. His own experience had been the exact opposite. There’d been a time when he’d thought his parents loved him and his brothers, but then they’d vanished without a trace. He’d been forced to question whether their love had ever been real.
“Have you experienced it yourself?” he asked.
“No, but I know it exists because I can feel it just by walking into a room with my family. It’s in their laughter, in the way they look at each other, in the way they touch each other. How can you dismiss that when it’s right in front of you?”
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s in front of you. I’ve never seen it.”
Because he didn’t want to get into a long, drawn-out argument over the existence of love, he deliberately stood up. “I’d better finish running those errands now.”
Maggie looked as if she might argue, but then she put down her cup and picked up her coat. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“No problem.” He jammed his hands in his pockets as he followed her to the door.
She opened the door, then hesitated. This time her gaze clashed with his in an obvious dare. “I’ll keep coming back, you know.”
An odd sense of relief stole through Ryan at her words—part warning, part promise.
“Unless you tell me to stay away,” she challenged, her gaze steady.
“Whatever,” he murmured as if the decision were of no consequence.
Her lips curved up. “I’ll take that as an invitation.”
Before he realized her intention, she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his cheek.
“See you,” she said
Maggie shook her head. “Don’t you have a hobby?”
“No.”
“Something you enjoy doing to relax?” she persisted.
Uncomplicated sex relaxed him, but Ryan seriously doubted she wanted to hear about that. And today sex had been the last thing on his mind. Okay, not exactly true, he mentally corrected. Sex with Maggie had been very much on his mind, which he’d concluded was a really, really bad idea.
Even so, he couldn’t quite keep himself from giving her a blatant once-over that had her blushing.
“Not that,” she said, evidently grasping his meaning with no trouble at all.
“Too bad,” he teased. “I do find that relaxes me quite a bit.”
Her gaze locked with his. “Perhaps another time,” she said in a deliberately prim little voice.
Ryan choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken. “What did you say?” When she started to reply, he cut her off. “Never mind. Let’s not go there.”
Now it was her turn to regard him with a knowing look. “Oh? Why is that?”
“Maggie, what do you want from me?” He couldn’t seem to prevent the helpless, bewildered note in his voice.
Her expression faltered at the direct question. “Honestly?”
He nodded.
“I’m not entirely sure,” she replied, as if she found the uncertainty as disconcerting as he did.
“Then you’re playing a risky game,” he warned.
“I know,” she agreed, meeting his gaze. “But I can’t seemto stop myself. I keep finding myself drawn here. There’s something about this place, about you…” Her voice faltered and she shrugged. “I can’t explain it.”
Gazes locked, they both fell silent. Finally Maggie sighed and looked away.
“Can I ask you something?” she said eventually, still not meeting his gaze.
“Sure.”
“Father Francis told me something. He said that you don’t believe in love.”
“Father Francis has a big mouth, but he’s right. I don’t,” Ryan said grimly.
“Why?”
Rather than answering, he said, “I gather you do believe in it. Why?”
“Because I see it every single day. I see it between my parents. I’ve felt their love since the day I was born. I see it with my brothers and their wives, with Colleen and her husband. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for each other or for their families.”
Ryan listened, trying to put his skepticism aside. He tried to imagine being surrounded by such examples. He couldn’t. His own experience had been the exact opposite. There’d been a time when he’d thought his parents loved him and his brothers, but then they’d vanished without a trace. He’d been forced to question whether their love had ever been real.
“Have you experienced it yourself?” he asked.
“No, but I know it exists because I can feel it just by walking into a room with my family. It’s in their laughter, in the way they look at each other, in the way they touch each other. How can you dismiss that when it’s right in front of you?”
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s in front of you. I’ve never seen it.”
Because he didn’t want to get into a long, drawn-out argument over the existence of love, he deliberately stood up. “I’d better finish running those errands now.”
Maggie looked as if she might argue, but then she put down her cup and picked up her coat. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“No problem.” He jammed his hands in his pockets as he followed her to the door.
She opened the door, then hesitated. This time her gaze clashed with his in an obvious dare. “I’ll keep coming back, you know.”
An odd sense of relief stole through Ryan at her words—part warning, part promise.
“Unless you tell me to stay away,” she challenged, her gaze steady.
“Whatever,” he murmured as if the decision were of no consequence.
Her lips curved up. “I’ll take that as an invitation.”
Before he realized her intention, she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his cheek.
“See you,” she said
Similar Books
