Once (Gypsy Fairy Tale) (7 page)

“Now what are we going to do about this then?” Kieran asked.

I opened my eyes and turned around. Kieran stood before the gaping hole that had been the front window.

The night air was drifting in, hot and smelling of honeysuckle. I could see the mosquitoes flying in, passing Kieran to come nibble on my arms.

I smacked at one bloodthirsty mosquito, “I have some plywood in the back. I’ll just nail it up until I can get the glass replaced.”

“Let me help you,” he offered as he stepped up and examined the window frame.

“No,” I argued. “You’ve already done enough.”

Kieran turned from the window shaking his head and holding up his hand.

“Nonsense,” he said. “I can’t let you do that by yourself. My mother would be rolling in her grave if she knew of such a thing.”

I snapped to attention at the mention of that personal tidbit, but as if he realized he revealed too much, Kieran turned back to the window.

“It shouldn’t take but a moment to nail the board to the frame,” he said, keeping his back to me.

There was no point in arguing with him, I could see that by the determined way that he followed me into the back to find the wood. Again, I could feel his presence radiating against my back.

I found the plywood by bumping my foot against the edge of it. I swore under my breath and pulled it out from behind the shelves. Kieran took it from me and easily carried it back out front while I followed uselessly behind him.

So there it is... First sexy man that comes to town and shows me the least amount of attention and I turn into one of those girls that lets the man just do everything for her... I’m pathetic.

I helped him hold the board up to the window, watching the way he held the other end up with one hand and then stretched the other to reach the nails. He placed a few nails between his lips and then reached for the hammer; all the while I watched his every move.

He hammered his side easily, much more quickly than I would’ve been able to do it. He moved closer to me, bringing the hammer down with a ringing thud as he secured the middle section of the board.

“Now hold still,” Kieran said as he moved up behind me. He brought his arms up on either side of me, placing his hands up beside mine.

My heart began pounding and my hands started to shake. The sweet smell of his skin overpowered me, making it difficult to think.

“Okay then,” Kieran said. “You can let go.”

I ducked out of his arms and moved to the side as he hammered in the last of the nails. I watched the way that the lights from the street played in his dark hair, making a warm halo around his head. My eyes drifted to his long fingers and lingered on his tanned forearm, admiring the way the muscles rippled under his skin. As my eyes traveled back up his arm, I saw the dark red spot near the shoulder of his white tee shirt growing larger and larger.

“Oh my God,” I gasped. “Your arm is bleeding.”

Kieran glanced down at his shoulder as he put the hammer down on the window ledge.

“Ah, it’ll be all right.”

I shook my head and took him by the other arm, pulling him back over to the counter. I pushed him back down onto the old wooden stool.

“Sit down and take off your shirt,” I ordered.

He hesitated, making me worried that I was too forceful, but at last Kieran smirked and peeled off his shirt. His skin was tanned and smooth, unblemished the scars that marred the skin of most men.

I began cleaning the large cut, picking out a few pieces of glass. I dabbed at it with a cotton swab and peroxide, a little surprised he didn’t complain.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” I asked. “You might need stitches.”

He smiled, “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

I kept working on his arm, amazed at the heat radiating off of his skin as I tried to stop the small stream of blood.

“But you fell through the window,” I argued.

“I jumped, love,” he said with a wink. “That’s falling with a purpose.”

I smiled despite myself, “Still, this is a pretty bad cut.”

“Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

I could feel his eyes on me as I reached back in the first aid kit for the gauze and bandages. He wore a slight smile as if he was amused by my nursing efforts.

“Can I ask you something?” I dared as I began bandaging his arms.

“Of course.”

I glanced at his face, “How
did
you know I was in trouble?”

Lightning quick he looked away, “Like I said, I was just walking by.”

“Really? You expect me to believe that? None of the neighbors heard me, but you say you heard me all the way across the street.”

Kieran shifted on the stool, “That’s the way that I remember it.”

“I don’t believe you,” I said. “And what was it that you didn’t want me to say to Officer Reynolds?”

Kieran didn’t answer or look up at me.

“It’s okay,” I said as I finished bandaging his arm. “I’ll find out eventually.”

He stood and pulled his shirt back on over his head, “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“No.”

He leaned down so that our foreheads almost touched, forcing me to look up into his green eyes.

“Let’s just say that it is magic,” he whispered.

My heart was pounding against the walls my chest. We were so close that we were breathing each other’s breath and then at the last minute, just before our lips met, he
pulled away.

Without a word, he turned and walked out of the store. He didn’t say goodbye and he didn’t look back, not even once.

Chapter 9

There was one thing that a person could count on in a small town and that was the speed in which news traveled. When I got to the feed store the next morning, my insurance agent was already waiting for me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I unlocked the door. “I didn’t call you.”

Following me inside, he took a small digital camera out of his jacket pocket and began taking pictures of the boarded up window.

“I heard you had a break-in last night,” he said. “I thought I’d come by and get the claim started.”

I flipped on the lights, pausing to touch the stool where Kieran sat the night before. Somewhere, just across the street at the traveller camp, Kieran was probably just waking up. Was he thinking about me?

The flash of the camera brought me out of my daydream.

“I wasn’t planning on filing a claim,” I said as I emptied the used coffee grounds into the trash. “After all, won’t that raise my rates?”

He shrugged as if that wasn't a concern, “I’ll run the numbers and see how it comes out, you can get your repair estimate, and then you can decide which way you want to go.”

Didn’t anyone understand? It didn’t matter “which way I wanted to go”, either way cost money and I was broke.

I ran my hands through my hair, telling myself over and over just to breathe.

“Whatever,” I sighed and set a fresh pot of coffee to brew.

People began coming in the store even before I flipped the sign in the door to read OPEN. None of them were interested in buying anything, all they wanted was to drink the free coffee and talk about the break-in.

“Had you ever seen the guy before?” One of the other shop owners asked as he added sugar to his cup.

“No,” I said, moving behind the counter so that I could have some personal space. “I don’t think he was from around here.”

“And what? He just came in?”

“Yes, but I think he’d been watching the store for a while because he asked where Alec was.”

At the mention of his name, Alec looked up from his silent place in the crowd, but added nothing to the conversation.

“You should be more careful,” someone offered.

“Maybe you should get a dog.”

Thomas O’Connor, Alec’s grandfather, pushed through the crowd.

“Maybe you should get a gun,” he offered with a teasing old man wink. “I hate to ask, considering what happened, but do you have my order?”

I was grateful to have something to do for a moment other than answer everyone's questions. I mouthed a silent “thank you” and handed him his corn and seed.

He patted my hand as he gave me his money, “You’re a good girl.”

The crowd began asking questions again, determined it seemed to get all of the juicy details.

“Is it true one of the gypsies saved you?”

The smile left Mr. O'Connor's face. He glanced at Alec and gathered up his things and walked off muttering to himself about gossips.

No one seemed to hear or care what one old man said or thought.

“Was it one of the Gypsies?” Someone asked again.

“Yes,” I said, my heart missing a beat at just the thought of him. “Like I told the police last night, I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Kieran.”

“Kieran? Which one is that?”

“Is that the one from the diner?”

It was too much, all these people saying his name and talking about him, that made the heat rise to my cheeks.

“Yes,” I said. “That’s him.”

“Well,” one of the older shop owners said as he poured himself another cup of coffee. “I’d keep my guard up if I was you.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Alex snapped from his spot in the crowd. “Carnies and gypsies just seemed to bring trouble with them.”

It was late afternoon before people began to leave the store. I was left with a mess of foam cups and no actual sales.

“This is as bad as having a party,” I said as I scooped the mess into the trash.

Alec added his own collection of cups to the garbage, but said nothing. He refused to even look at me as he gathered more.

“Why are you so quiet?” I snapped as I tied up one bag and put another one into the can. “Are you mad about something?”

Alec shrugged, keeping his back to me. “I’ve just got a lot going on.”

I stopped and looked at him, feeling guilty. I had been so distracted with my own mess that I hadn’t paid attention to what was happening to the people around me. My grandmother would be so disappointed; she always prided herself on how she never failed to take time for others.

“Like what?” I asked, not sure if he would even tell me.

“Nothing,” he grumbled. “Just forget about it.”

I picked up a few more cups, working my way over to him.

“Come on Alec,” I said. “We used to be friends.”

Something in my tone must’ve convinced him because he stopped picking up trash and actually looked at me for the first time.

“One of my uncles is visiting from Ireland with his sons,” he said flatly.

“Which one?” I asked as if that would clarify something.

Alec went back to picking up trash, “It’s my dad’s oldest brother, Timothy. He went to live in Ireland years ago. Now he’s brought himself and his two sons back for a visit.”

“I didn’t know you had any family outside the country.”

Throwing the last of the trash away, Alec shook his head. “Neither did I until they showed up at Grandpa's last night. Everyone says that I met Timothy once when I was little, but I honestly don’t remember.”

I tied up the bag again, “So, what’s he like?”

Alec shrugged and looked away, "I don't know. “I lifted the bag out of the can, glancing at him over my shoulder. "What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I haven’t really had a chance to talk him that much,” Alec explained.

“Well, then you should be at home visiting with him,” I declared. “Why don’t you go ahead and go home for the rest of today? Actually, why don’t you go ahead and take tomorrow off too?”

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can't?”

“I just can’t, okay?”

“Why not?”

“I can’t,” Alex said with of curative glance in my direction. “Not after what happened.”

I threw my hands up in the air, “That was not your fault; it was my fault for falling asleep with the door unlocked.”

“But still...”

“But still nothing," I snapped. "You should go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, I'm sure.”

Alec gathered his things quickly, as if he was afraid I would change my mind. But paused when he reached the door, “Hey Harmony?”

“Yes?”

He glanced back and gave me the first genuine smile of the day.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said and then went out the door.

I tried not to think about being alone in the store again. I didn’t want to be afraid, but I just watched the door as if I expected someone to burst in and hold me at knifepoint again.

It wasn’t rational, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t even bring myself to turn my back on the door long enough to grab the broom and dust pan.

Seriously? So this is how it’s going to be now?