Read Online The Emerald Isle by Angela Elwell Hunt - Free Book Online

house, and as the door closed, Taylor finally turned to look at me. “That’s nice. Say—what are you going to do this afternoon?”
    Relief struggled with irritation as I stared at him. He hadn’t forgotten me, and he wouldn’t leave me here alone…as long as Maddie wasn’t around to interfere.
    I slipped my hands into my jeans pockets and stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the front door. “I thought I’d ask to borrow the car and see if I can find a library nearby. I looked at the map, and Terryglass is a good-sized city just north of us. If they don’t have a decent library, Birr is just a few miles to the northeast.” I playfully punched him in the shoulder. “So—do you want to come with me, or do you have to stay and play house?”
    The warmth of his smile sent shivers down my spine. “I’d
love
to find a library. Last night I gathered that Maddie and her mother want to do all sorts of female things together—they have to shop for dresses, plan the wedding flowers, make out the guestlist, and that sort of thing. If I can find some good books, I might be able to catch up on my reading and do a little work on my thesis while we’re here.”
    I exhaled a long sigh of contentment. “Great. Shall we ask for the car at lunch?”
    Taylor pulled a set of keys from his pocket and dangled them in front of me. “No need. Fiona gave me the keys to James’s car. He doesn’t get out much anymore, so the car is ours for as long as we’re here.”
    We began to walk into the house together, and I brought up a subject I didn’t dare mention with any of the family around. “How bad is he, Taylor? He didn’t look very sick yesterday.”
    “Fiona says he has good days and bad days. Yesterday was a good day, but he was probably running on adrenaline because he knew Maddie was coming home. But he’s already struggling to manage the farm work, and they’ve had to hire a couple of guys when it’s time to sell cattle. But James can still handle the milking by himself, and milk is the mainstay of this farm.” His voice dropped in volume. “When things get bad, though, Fiona is going to ask Maddie’s brother to move back home. I gather she isn’t exactly looking forward to that.”
    “Why not? Pretty young Erin is besotted with what’s-his-name.”
    Taylor’s brows slanted in a frown. “His name is Patrick, and from what I can tell, he’s sort of the family prodigal. He and James had a falling-out years ago, and Patrick’s been in Limerick ever since. Maddie hasn’t seen him in four years.”
    We had reached the door, so I turned on the threshold to ask another question. “So, what does the guy do in Limerick?”
    “Computers. Intel and several other major computer corporations have opened offices in Limerick and Dublin, and Patrick does freelance work for most of them. Maddie says he’s done very well for himself, but his success only irks James.”
    “So”—I put my hand on Taylor’s wrist as he reached for the door-knob—“it’s James and Fiona now, is it?”
    “Well, it can’t be Mom and Dad,” he answered, grinning back at me. “At least not until after the wedding.”
    I didn’t answer, but stepped into the house and shivered in the cool shadows of the spacious, spotless front rooms.

    I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Mrs. O’Neil set a place for me at lunch. I suppose since her B&B did not serve lunch or dinner,she either had to feed me with the family or run the risk of allowing me to starve under her roof.
    Her cheery kitchen was the sort of place I would have naturally felt at home if given half a chance. A small television atop the refrigerator provided a background of noise, while a hodgepodge collection of photographs decorated the front of the fridge. Red-and-white gingham curtains fluttered from the window, and a matching tablecloth covered a long table with a bench at each side.
    Taylor slid onto a bench next to Maddie, and I sat across from them. Fiona