Chapter Two

Aine O'conell plucked a fresh blackberry from the branch and dropped it in the basket she held in her left hand.

"The berries look so good, kenell, and I bet they taste even better, I can't wait to jam these." The black Irish wolfhound lying down beside her simply let out a breath, he was used to her going on and on about berries and jamming.

Kenell stired and growled, a slow warning growl, it meant they had company. She straightened and turned around and had her heart slam hard against her chest, as she caught sight of a man watching her from a distance through the clearing amongst a cluster of branches.

Just how long had he been watching her?

She wasn't sure what to do and automatically put her hand on kenell's collar as he got up to keep him from charging after the intruder, but ready to release him if she had to.

"Hold on, let's see what this is about." she could feel his anger at the disturbance still, but she felt him relax some.

"Hello." The man said. He was handsome, and by the way he held himself she was sure he knew it. He was about 6'2, lean and also muscular. His black almost shoulder length hair flew as the wind coursed through it, or perhaps that was her overactive imagination reacting to his beauty. He took a step closer and stopped short at the dog's low growl. Aine simply ran a finger up an down the fur above his collar, her way of soothing him.

"I, I'm sorry to intrude, I just wondered a bit about you, you seem a bit familiar." Her brows knitted as she stared into his gray eyes that seem to hold so much depth.

"Perhaps. I have a floral shop in the village, so maybe." She felt kenell relax, so she let go of his collar, and held the basket with both hands for something to do with her bare hands.

He glanced at the dog and watched him as it sat on its rump, watching him, then looked back at her and shook his head.

"No, I just moved here and haven't been that about, and I would remember seeing a face like yours if I had recently just seen it." She quirked a brow and tilted her head gently to the side a smile playing on her lips, and he felt something stir within him.

"I see." And then it clicked. You're the Maher son. "Word...travels fast" She added the last part in response to the brow he rose in confusion. She couldn't tell him that her best friend had mentioned his arrival to her. More than mentioned, she'd asked her to 'go get 'em' Aine felt a smile tug her lips as she remembered.

"Ahh, small towns." She felt herself relax a bit, and glanced down to see kenell sniffing something on the ground.

"Will you be staying long?"

"Actually, I plan to stay. I've come back to stay." She didn't know why, but hearing him say those words poured something akin to joy and relief into her. It confused her and made her bite a corner of lip.

"Are you settling well then?"

"Very. Maybe one of these days I'll come by your shop."

His words caught her off guard, but she chided herself, he was simply being nice.

"I'd like that. It's called Aine's a small white shop next to baker Ben's bakery."

"And I'm guessing you're Aine, and the owner of the bakery is called Ben." She giggled and put a smile on his face.

"You're a good guesser."

"So I've been told." They stood there, him smiling at her and she contemplating the man she just met. He truly was handsome, and his beauty held a light. She tried not to be overly indulgent to her overactive imagination, but he reminded her of knights in bright shinning armours, all ruddy and radiant.

She felt giddy with excitement and felt the beginning of a smile take root at her heart and slowly move to her lips.

"I should get going anyway, night's come." They both looked up to the skies and were awed by the endless number of stars. "They're beautiful." Was all she could say.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" She took her gaze off the sky and met his gaze with furrowed brows.

"About the creator, what he's truly like, creating such beauty. Beauty can only produce beauty." He took a few steps closer and brushed a few strands of hair off her eyes. His closeness soothed rather than alarmed and she wondered if he would kiss her, wondered if she would let him kiss her if he tried to.

"It does, yes." Was all she could manage to say, his closeness blocked all ability to form more intelligible words.

"It was nice meeting you, Aine." He said after a few moments, and took a step back and looked at her as if memorizing her face, every line, every curve.

"You too, Maher son." That made him chuckle, and his chuckle made her smile.

"Bryan."

"Alright then, then it was nice meeting you, Bryan." He nodded with a smile, she returned his smile and turned to call out to kenell who had wandered a little distance from where they stood and then give him a wave which he gave back before turning to leave down a wide enough path, dog at her heel, basket in hand, questions now in her heart.