Luck of the Irish (3 page)

 

Quinn’s hand reached out seemingly of its own accord, years of good manners ingrained into him by his grandmother kicking in. “Quinn Donovan.” The silence stood awkward between them for a minute, neither Quinn nor Cian seeming to know where to begin, until Mr. O’Reilly spoke again. “Now, Cian, you know the boy isn’t here to steal Dillon and Rosaleen from us. Give him a chance. I have a feeling that you two might have a lot in common!” Quinn and Cian both looked at the old man, as if wondering how he knew.

“Yeah, Cian!” Quinn’s gaze moved to Ceara. The little girl’s face filled with disgust. “He gets that same stupid doe-eyed look on his face you do around the horses. Geez, you both need to get a life.”

“Ceara, that’s enough now. You get back to the house and get your homework done before I find you some barn work to do, like mucking out the stables!” Mr. O’Reilly looked at the little girl with indulgent exasperation, smiling at the grimace on her face at the mention of barn work.

“Fine….” She turned back to Quinn and stuck out her hand. “It was nice to meet you, Quinn. Good-bye.”

 

Quinn took the offered hand and shook it, amazed at how much she reminded him of his little sisters back home. “It was good to meet you too, Ceara.” She turned and sauntered back to the house, throwing a “Bye, Cian” over her shoulder.

“That girl is gonna be the death of me, I’m sure.” The old man sighed deeply and turned back to Quinn and Cian. “Now, I have some jobs to do, so I am gonna leave you with my grandson. He’ll answer any questions you have, better than I could, most likely. There’s nothing this boy doesn’t know about horses.”

Cian blushed at his grandfather’s praise and looked at the ground. Quinn smiled. He couldn’t help it. The man just looked so damned cute. “Thank you, sir.”

“Be nice, Cian!” Mr. O’Reilly held his grandson’s gaze, searching his eyes for something. He must have found what he was looking for, because he smiled and nodded at them and then turned and walked out of the barn, leaving the two young men alone.

Cian took a deep breath and sighed. “So, uhm, Quinn, look, I just wanted to apologize for jumping to conclusions the other day. I shouldn’t have been so rude.” He dropped his eyes shyly as he spoke.

Quinn smiled, his heart beating a mile a minute in his chest. “It’s okay. I’ve been known to jump to a few conclusions of my own, and sometimes? There’s good reason, you know?”

Cian looked up, eyes twinkling, a hopeful look on his face. “So we can start over? Try and be friends?”

 

Quinn nodded, his smile growing wider. “I’d like that.”

 

They looked at each other for a second, and then Quinn decided to break the ice. “So, you gonna show me these horses or what?”

Cian nodded, his smile dimming a little. “Yeah. Let me introduce you to the ones in the barn first.” They walked down to the stall Cian had emerged from. “This is Sophie.”

The horse lifted her head and arched her neck over the stall door. She was beautiful; almost black with a white mark in the middle of her nose. Her coat was shiny, and her mane was long and well-groomed. This was a well-loved animal.

“Sophie had a bit of trouble the other day. Something startled her, and she caught her flank on a piece of metal. Cut her pretty bad, but I think she’s gonna be fine.”

Quinn looked closer and saw the gash on her side. He could see it had been cleaned and was currently covered in some kind of ointment. He looked at Cian. “It’s an antibiotic. These animals can be a little touchy as far as germs go.”

Quinn smiled and nodded. “I know. My dad is always so worried about the horses’ health. When I was little, I was sure he liked them more than he liked me most days, but then, they were probably easier to deal with.”

Cian grinned. “Granddad made me feel that same way sometimes. Come on, let’s skip the rest of this lot and head outside.”

Cian led the way out the back of the barn to a pasture, where Quinn could see about fifteen horses in the field. When they got to the fence, Cian gave a shout and the horses all trotted toward them.

Quinn was enthralled. They were so wild-looking and bigger than his dad’s Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. When the horses reached the fence, they put their heads over, nudging him and Cian, looking for treats, and Quinn laughed at the big animals’ antics.

When Cian looked over at him, something caught in his chest. The sun was shining on his face, but it seemed like he was lit up from the inside.

C
IAN
mentally smacked himself.
Could you be any more of a girl, O’Reilly?
G
ood Lord, he’s beautiful.
Cian gave his head a shake.
Get it together, Cian. This guy’s a potential buyer and not from here. Getting involved would be a bad idea.
Still, Cian found it impossible to look away.

As Cian watched, Quinn reached over and ran his hand down the soft nose of the horse nearest him, totally unaware of the scrutiny he was under. Around the animals, Quinn moved confidently, while being with people seemed to unnerve him. Cian tried not to find the trait endearing, but he wasn’t being very successful.

Quinn turned his head and finally caught Cian looking at him. Their eyes met and held for a second before Quinn looked down shyly, a blush rising quickly up to his ears.

Cian cleared his throat and spoke. “So, you saw Rosaleen and Dillon when you came in?”

Quinn nodded. “Yeah, they’re gorgeous. You should be very proud.” He looked at Cian, taking a deep breath. “I hope you’ll consider selling them to us. My dad would be so happy to have them at his farm, and they would be well taken care of, I promise.”

When he looked up into Cian’s eyes, Cian saw the honesty there and knew it was true. He knew those horses were going to America.

It always made Cian sad when horses left. He loved every animal like it was part of his own family, but he knew these animals would be treated well. However, it wouldn’t hurt to keep the news to himself a little longer. He wanted to enjoy Quinn’s company as long as he could. “Hey, you wanna go for a ride?”

Quinn’s eyes lit up. “Really? You mean it? I’d love to!”

Cian chuckled at Quinn’s enthusiasm, and they spent the next half hour getting the horses saddled up. Quinn seemed surprised to see the western-style saddle over the more traditional English one, but when he asked, Cian explained they were more comfortable for longer rides.

Cian picked a gorgeous mare named Joy for Quinn. She was a light brown all over, with no white marks at all and a long black mane. Quinn fell in love with her immediately.

Cian chose to ride his own stallion. Pure black except for a small white blaze on his chest, Mick was everything an Irish Sport should be. Tall, with a massive chest and full of energy, he was magnificent to behold.

Once the horses were saddled, Quinn and Cian mounted and took off over the fields. Quinn seemed overwhelmed by the green beauty of the land. They rode for two hours, talking about everything and nothing.

Cian loved the time he spent with Quinn. It was nice to be with someone his own age who understood his passion for the amazing animals he took care of. His friends were fantastic, but they were all too worried about college and girls, and none of them were big animal lovers.

They got down and walked for a while, just enjoying the warm air and sunshine.

 

“So how come you got to travel to Ireland instead of your dad coming himself? No offense, but this is a lot of money we’re dealing with.”

Quinn blushed again, but with a frown this time. Cian sensed the reasons weren’t all good. “Hey, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I mean, it’s none of my business, now is it?” He put his hand on Quinn’s shoulder, offering comfort, even if he didn’t know why.

Quinn looked at Cian again, clearly debating with himself, then nodded. “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. I’ve just had a bad year, is all. I had a boyfriend, or at least I thought I did.” Quinn wrapped his arms around himself but didn’t shake off Cian’s hand. “We met through some friends. I was nineteen, he was twenty-eight, and I thought he liked me. I had been on a few dates before, but nothing serious, and so when he wanted to whisk me away to hikes in the hills or to another town, I thought he was being romantic.”

Cian rubbed Quinn’s shoulder and smiled when Quinn leaned into the touch instead of pulling away.

“It never occurred to me that we were hiding. He never held my hand in public, never kissed me, but I thought he was just shy. In private, he was so kind and attentive, or at least I thought he was, and it made me feel special. I didn’t mind that he wasn’t big on public displays. I was so stupid.”

“You were in love, Quinn. That doesn’t mean you were stupid.”

“One day, I was with the friends who’d introduced us, and they were talking about a wedding they were going to the next weekend. So I asked them which wedding they were talking about.” Quinn pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “They all looked at me like I was crazy. ‘David’s, of course! You hang out with him all the time; didn’t he tell you?’”

Quinn took a deep breath and let it out. “I just left. I walked away and left them standing there, staring at me, and walked over to his house. I knocked on the door, and when he answered it, I saw him look around to see if anyone was watching. Then he asked me what I wanted, so I asked him if it was true. He tried to pull me inside and I wouldn’t go. I just stood there, waiting.”

Cian suspected Quinn had never told anyone this before, but he was telling Cian, and only God knew why. “He sneered at me, asked me what my problem was. Said I knew what I was getting into, that I knew it was just fucking around.” Tears pooled in Quinn’s eyes. “I told him that I gave him everything, my heart, my virginity, and he laughed. Said he didn’t believe me. Said I was too good at it, that I liked sex too much to be a virgin. Then he told me to get lost and never come back because if I did and his wife-to-be found out about us, he’d beat the shit out of me.”

Cian stepped closer to Quinn and put an arm around his shoulder, holding him steady. He felt anger toward the horrible man who had done this. Quinn should never look so destroyed.

Quinn had been staring at the ground, but he jerked his gaze up to meet Cian’s eyes. “I didn’t know, I swear. I gave him everything because I thought he loved me.”

Cian reached over to wipe a tear from the corner of Quinn’s eye. “I believe you. It was his doing, not yours.”
Quinn shrugged. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. You must think I’m nuts.”

Cian smiled down at him. “Well now, that would be my kind, compassionate face, wouldn’t it? Makes all the pretty boys want to tell me their troubles.”
Quinn gave him a watery smile, and Cian couldn’t help but hug him. “Now listen here, darlin’. That man was the one who did wrong. He took advantage of your youth and your good heart. There’s nothing wrong with believing the best of folks, but sometimes it gets you hurt. Glad to see you haven’t given it up, though.”
“How do you know I haven’t?”
Cian really grinned this time. “’Cause you just trusted me, now didn’t you?” He wiped the rest of the tears from Quinn’s face. “Come on, then, you best be joining us for supper. Not sure what Granddad has cooking up, but it’s bound to be good.”

Q
UINN
nodded and reluctantly pulled away from Cian’s arms to mount his horse. He looked at Cian and smiled. Maybe he did have a little luck, after all.
Chapter 4

I
T TURNED
out that Davin O’Reilly was an excellent cook. Quinn admitted that the lamb chops, roasted potatoes, and vegetables would have given his grandmother’s recipes a run for their money.

“Good thing my gramma can’t hear me say that. I wouldn’t be her favorite anymore.”

 

“Don’t worry, lad, your secret’s safe with me.”

Davin looked at Quinn and smiled indulgently. He found himself liking the young American a lot. He seemed the honest sort and obviously had a genuine love for horses. Anyone who loved animals like that was okay in his book.

He looked over at Cian, who was laughing at something Quinn had said, and he got the feeling that Cian liked him too. Davin sat back and drank his ale, quiet for once, and watched the two young men together. He was pretty sure they were flirting. He looked at his granddaughter, and she winked and nodded at him. He smiled. Yep, she thought they were too.

When Cian had first told him he was gay, Davin hadn’t been sure what to think. He had been raised old-fashioned Catholic, taught to believe homosexuality was a sin, but he had never put much stock in it when he’d bothered to think about it.

As he’d looked at his anxious grandson, all he saw was the same good-hearted boy who had been living with him for the past ten years. At sixteen, Cian had been all arms and legs and awkward as hell, but he had always tried his hardest to help out, doing more than he was asked. He was passionate about the horses in a way that reminded Davin of himself when he was young, and he was good to his cousin, helping look after her when her mother passed away.

Cian’s mother had abandoned him with Davin when Cian was six, disappearing with a rich older man from South Africa who considered children a nuisance. They heard from her a few times a year, and she came to visit once in a while, but she and Cian had never been close. The woman seemed to blame Cian for his father running off a year after he was born, leaving her to raise a child on her own.

Cian had terrible luck with parents, and Davin had terrible luck with children: one daughter dead before her time; one a useless ass, content to live off others. Both left him and his Mary with the responsibility of raising their children.

And he was grateful for it. His grandchildren meant everything to him, and he would do everything in his power to make sure they were happy and healthy for as long as he lived.

Which brought him back to young Mr. Donovan, who was sitting at his dining table, smiling at Cian. Davin wondered if encouraging the relationship was a good idea. Quinn was an American, after all. His family and responsibilities were far away; where could their relationship go?

But looking at them again, he knew his answer. There were a lot of folks out there who figured he and his Mary would never last. They had said that the two of them were too different: her from a rich family, him from a poor one.