The Mighty Quinns: Ronan (13 page)

He caught sight of a figure running down the darkened sidewalk and took off after her. He was sure it was Charlie when he found the apron from her costume tossed over a hedge.

“Charlie!” he called, his voice echoing in the night air.

The streets were strangely quiet. Most of the population had been in attendance at the play. But the shadows between the streetlights made it easy for her to elude him. There was only one place she could be going. Ronan decided to head back to the boathouse.

Though he understood her reaction, Ronan wanted to make it very clear that his proposal had nothing to do with the mayor’s offer. He didn’t care about the money or the curse. All he cared about was having a future with Charlie. And though his proposal was somewhat unconventional, it had come from his heart.

He knew all the reasons against making a commitment like that. They’d only known each other little more than three weeks. He was supposed to return to Seattle at the beginning of next month. They hadn’t even decided they were in love yet.

But nothing about their relationship had ever been normal. So maybe the proposal had come at an odd time. That didn’t make it any less valid. Ronan wanted her in his life, permanently. He didn’t care where they lived or what he had to do to make a living. Whatever it was, he’d make it work.

Now, he’d just have to convince her that the feelings he had for her were strong enough to withstand any doubts she had.

* * *

C
HARLIE
STRODE
THROUGH
the boathouse, tearing at the costume as she hurried up the stairs. When she got inside the apartment, she tossed it aside, piece by piece, desperate to rid herself of any reminder of the night.

She glanced around the bedroom, unable to decide what she ought to do next. She couldn’t stay here. But after being humiliated in front of the entire town, where was she supposed to go?

How could he have done this to her? She’d trusted him, believed in him. And then, without a word, he’d taken their side. Did he actually think she’d believe in his marriage proposal? Sure, maybe he was trying to save her some embarrassment, but pretending to want to marry her only made things worse.

Now, when it didn’t happen, everyone would feel sorry for her, the same way they did when she came home from New York. She needed to get away, just a few days, to figure out her next move. She didn’t have to be back to work until Monday morning. That gave her enough time to put some distance between her and Sibleyville…and Ronan.

“Charlie?”

Ronan’s voice echoed through the boathouse. Charlie quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and tugged them on, then slipped into a T-shirt she’d left draped over the end of a chair. She found her bag in the closet and tossed it onto the bed.

“Charlie?”

He was closer, in the apartment now. She pulled some clothes from her closet and tucked them into the bag. Underwear followed, along with a sweater in case it was cold wherever she was going.

“Hey.”

She glanced over her shoulder to find Ronan standing in the doorway. “Hey,” she said.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m getting out of town,” she said. “I can’t stay here.”

He took a step toward her but she held out her hand. “Don’t. Just don’t say anything.”

“Are you angry at me?”

She spun around. “Why would you do that to me? Why would you take their side? Things were so good between us and then you had to ruin it all.”

“How did I ruin it?” Ronan asked.

“With that ridiculous proposal. I don’t need you to ride in on your white horse and save this town. And I don’t need you to rescue me from an angry mob of townsfolk. They created this problem themselves. And they keep on perpetuating it. Like tonight. If I don’t marry you, then everyone there will be convinced that the curse will go on.” She screamed, pressing her hands to her temples. “And there isn’t even a curse!”

“I proposed because I thought it would be the best way to ensure that we’d spend the rest of our lives together.”

She stared at him a long moment, then shook her head. “I have no idea what you just said.”

“I want to be with you,” Ronan said. “For a long time. Forever.”

“You barely know me.”

“I know enough. I don’t think I’m going to change my mind if I take more time. I’m in love with you now. So, I think we need to move on to the next step.”

“You’re crazy,” she said. “I’m not going to marry someone I’ve only known for three weeks.”

“But you’d marry someone you loved?” Ronan asked.

“Yes. Of course I would.”

He reached out and caught her arms, forcing her to face him. When she looked away, Ronan tipped her chin up until she met his gaze. “How do you feel about me, Charlie? Be honest. In the deepest part of your soul, how do you feel?”

She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, shaking her head. “I don’t know.” She pulled away from him and returned to her packing.

“I don’t believe that. I think you do know. And I think you’ve been trying to rationalize it in your head but you can’t. It’s strange and scary and real, so real that you can’t bring yourself to admit it. You’re in love with me the same way I’m in love with you.”

“If the curse is real, then that’s impossible. Two people can’t fall in love in Sibleyville. And if the curse isn’t real, then you don’t need to marry me.” She picked up the bag from the bed and carried it into the bathroom, then began to dump her toiletries into it. “Problem solved.”

“Where are you going?” Ronan asked.

“I don’t know. But I need you to stay here and help out on the farm. You know how things run. Uncle Jake will help you.”

He grabbed her wrist and drew her toward him. But she pulled out of his grasp. “Please, don’t. We’ll talk when I get back. I promise. I just have to get out of here for a little while.” She pushed up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Let my folks know that I’m all right. Tell them that I’ll call them.”

“All right,” he said. “But I want you to call me when you get where you’re going.”

She nodded. “I will.”

He pressed his forehead to hers and Charlie choked back another surge of tears. She wanted to stay, to crawl into bed with Ronan and make love to him until she couldn’t remember anything that had happened that day.

“I’ll be waiting, Charlie. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

Drawing a deep breath, she turned and walked out of the bedroom, heading to the front door. She wanted to look back at him, just once, just to reassure herself that everything he said was true. “Thank you,” she murmured, refusing to face him. “I appreciate what you tried to do.”

“I know,” Ronan said.

She walked out the door, then hurried down the steps to the ground floor of the boathouse. When she got inside, she hopped into the SUV and turned the key. The engine roared to life. She threw the vehicle into gear and pointed it north, away from the celebration, away from the place of her humiliation.

It was only after she’d left the town limits that she allowed herself to think about what Ronan had said to her. He loved her. And he wanted to stay with her. She ought to be jumping for joy, shouting to the rooftops, that she’d finally found the perfect man.

But she’d always expected that when her perfect man came along, she’d be perfectly certain that she was in love too. And right now, she wasn’t certain about anything.

9

R
ONAN
HAD
WORKED
until his muscles ached, until sweat poured out of his body and until he was so exhausted he could barely stand. It was the only way he could sleep.

Charlie had been gone for five days and he hadn’t heard a word from her. He didn’t know where she was or who she was with, but he’d convinced himself that as long as he stayed in Sibleyville, she’d come back to him.

Still, lying alone in bed, he’d had his doubts. Maybe she’d gone back to New York, back to the man she’d once loved. He’d seen her mother at the office and she’d assured him that the moment Charlie called, he’d be the first to know. But Penny Sibley didn’t seem nearly as concerned as Ronan was.

As for the rest of the folks in Sibleyville, the gossip had been running wild. They knew that Charlie had left town and many of them had made it a point to thank Ronan for his efforts in ending the curse, even though it didn’t look like a marriage was in the cards.

Ronan carefully steered the skiff into its spot along the dock, then grabbed the lines and fastened them around the cleats. He and Jack had worked together that afternoon, harvesting oysters from the west shore of Mistry Bay. They’d worked quickly, but silently, neither one of them interested in idle conversation.

He tucked the thermos under his arm and picked up the small cooler that had held his lunch, then jumped onto the dock. But as he climbed the steps up to the street, he noticed a figure at the top. Danny Merrick had left town right after the play and now he was back.

“What do you want?” Ronan asked.

“I need to talk to Charlie. Do you know where she is?”

Ronan shook his head. Even if he did know, he wasn’t about to tell this guy. “I thought she was in New York,” he muttered.

“Is she?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from her.”

“She’s not in New York,” Danny said.

“Well, then, why don’t you just give me a message and if I see her, I’ll try to remember to give it to her.” He yanked open the front door of the boathouse and walked inside, ignoring the man who hurried in behind him.

Ronan kicked off his boots, then slipped out of the waders. “Well?”

“She needs to come back to New York. Not for me, but for her career. I know I made things impossible for her there, but she has an amazing talent and I don’t want to see her waste her life harvesting oysters and growing old in this pathetic little town.”

“Is that all?” Ronan asked.

“No. Tell her that her agent has been trying to reach her. She’s got an audition for a new television series next week. It’s an important job. She should at least give it a shot.”

“All right. Great. I’ll tell her all that.”

Danny gave him a suspicious look. “You think you know what’s best for her?”

Ronan shook his head. “Nope. I want her to be happy. That’s all I care about.”

“And what if she decides she wants to be happy with me?”

“I don’t think that will happen. But, if it does, then I’ll wish her the best. And I’ll also probably put an Irish curse on your career. I’m a Quinn. I can do that, you know.”

For a moment, he thought Danny just might challenge him. He clenched his fists at his sides and his face turned red. “It was nice meeting you,” he muttered. “When you see Charlie, tell her I’m sorry.”

Ronan reached for the front door and held it open. Danny walked through and he let it swing shut behind him. He strode through the boathouse, then took the stairs two at a time. When he reached the second story, he found Mrs. Sibley at her desk, piles of receipts scattered around her.

“Ronan, how are you?”

“I’m fine,” he said. “How about you?”

She smiled. “You don’t look fine. You look exhausted.”

“I am. But the hard work helps me sleep at night.”

“Well, Jake says you’re doing a wonderful job. He’s hoping you’ll stay on with us. And don’t think we don’t appreciate what you’re doing, covering for Charlie while she’s gone.”

Ronan shrugged. “I don’t mind. I enjoy the work.”

Penny glanced up from her receipts, then pulled her reading glasses off. “She’s not going to like that I told you, but she came home late last night.”

A sigh of relief came out in a rush. “She’s all right?”

Penny nodded. “She’s fine. A little confused, perhaps. A bit embarrassed for running away in the first place. But I’m sure she’ll work everything out in time.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” he said.

“Well, I was thinking you might like to come for dinner tonight. Nothing fancy. Or foreign. Meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Charlie is cooking. Maybe you’ll have a chance to talk.”

Ronan had thought a lot about what he would say to Charlie when he saw her again. But now that he had the chance, he was riddled with indecision. “Do you think she’d be okay with that?”

“We won’t know until you try,” Penny replied. “Get yourself cleaned up and see how you feel. We eat at six.”

Ronan considered his options for a long moment. He’d missed her. He’d missed having her with him all day long. And he’d missed sleeping beside her at night. When a guy loved a girl, they were supposed to be together. The sooner he made that happen again, the better.

“I think I will take you up on that invitation,” Ronan said. “Maybe I can start to repair some of the damage I’ve done.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you haven’t done any damage at all. All you’ve done is make Charlie happy. There’s no fault in that. If you do love her like you say you do, then nothing needs to be fixed. You just keep telling her how you feel and one day, she’ll look at you and she’ll believe you.”

“All right. Well, I’m going to get ready.”

“Wear that blue shirt,” she said. “It brings out the color of your eyes.”

Ronan grinned. “Okay. Thanks for the advice.”

He wandered back to the apartment and when he closed the door behind him, he leaned back against it. He might only get one chance to make things right with her.

He hadn’t had much experience wooing women. Hell, he’d never had to work hard to get women interested in being with him. When it came to flowers and candy and dating, he was at a loss.

Did all women like flowers? He knew Charlie wasn’t a big fan of chocolate, but she loved gummy worms. But a bag of gummy worms didn’t seem like a proper peace offering. There was always jewelry, but jewelry could sometimes be misinterpreted. A necklace didn’t mean as much as a ring. And where did earrings fall into the mix?

Ronan groaned. Though he’d never solicited advice from his brothers regaring women, right now, he could actually use some. Between Cameron, Dermot and Kieran, at least one of them would know how to handle his dinner with Charlie.

He was on his own. And at this point, he knew a box of chocolates or a blue shirt or a diamond ring wasn’t going to convince Charlie to fall in love with him. He’d have to find a way to show her that there wasn’t a man in the world who’d ever love her as much as he did.

He’d stay in Sibleyville until that happened. If it took a year or even two, he was willing to show her that he wasn’t going to cut and run. “Be prepared, Charlotte Sibley,” he murmured to himself. “I’ve found a new life and it’s not going to officially start unless you’re a part of it.”

* * *

C
HARLIE
BRUSHED
A
strand of hair from her face as she kneaded the dough for biscuits. Grabbing a handful of flour, she sprinkled it on the counter, then worked the dough into a neat square.

“Why are you making biscuits when we’re having potatos?” Abby asked. “Double starch. That’s kind of redundant.”

The truth was Charlie didn’t know why she was making biscuits. It was one of the only things she did well when it came to baking. And right now, she was looking for anything to take her mind off of Ronan. If she knew how to knit, she’d be making mittens. “I want biscuits,” she said.

Charlie had arrived back home late last night from a five-day trip to Bar Harbor. She’d hoped to take long walks around town to clear her head. But instead, she found herself wishing that Ronan had come with her and that they could enjoy the fall weather together.

Depressed and lonely, she shut herself in her motel room and watched movies all day long. After running up a hundred dollar pay-per-view bill, she checked out and decided she could watch movies at home for free.

It felt safe here in familiar surroundings. She hadn’t ventured out yet, unwilling to face the concerns, unable to provide any answers to the questions. Was she in love with Ronan Quinn? Was he going to stay in Sibleyville and marry her? Or was she going to go on as she had been for the last year, another sad spinster caught by the curse.

Abby walked into the kitchen. “I’m glad you’re home, Charlie.”

She gave her sister a hesitant smile. “Thanks. Me, too.”

“I’m sorry for what happened to you after the play. They shouldn’t have done that to you. Not in front of the whole town.”

“It was pretty embarrassing. I guess I always thought that when a man finally asked for my hand, it might be just a little romantic.”

“But it was romantic,” Abby said. “I mean, he just walked right down that aisle and told the whole town that he wanted you. He was like some modern day knight and you were his damsel in distress.”

“I think what he wanted was to save me from the humiliation.”

“But isn’t that what a guy in love would do?” Abby asked.

“Abs, you don’t fall in love in three weeks. No one does.”

“Mom and Dad always taught us that we Sibleys do things in our own way, not like other people. If you fall in love in three weeks, then that’s just the way it’s going to be for you.” She paused. “Do you love him?”

Charlie closed her eyes and drew a slow breath. “Yes. I think I do. But my practical side says that I need more time to be sure.”

Abby grinned and clapped her hands. “I knew you loved him. I told Mom that night after the play. I could see it in the way you looked at him.” She jumped off the counter and threw her arms around Charlie’s shoulders. “I have to tell you, the man is not hard on the eyes. He is a grade A hottie. And you two will make perfectly beautiful babies together.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Charlie said. “I don’t even know if he’s still in town.”

“Oh, he is. He’s been working with Uncle Jake. Danny left though. And came back. And then left again after Ronan threatened to put a curse on his career. I don’t think we’ll be seeing him in Sibleyville anytime soon.”

“What’s the gossip around town?”

“Everyone is really sorry. Some people are calling for the mayor and Lettie Trowbridge to make a public apology.”

The front door squeaked and Charlie wiped her hands on a towel. “If that’s Libby, tell her I need her to come in and unload the dishwasher. It’s her turn. And if it’s Garrett, have him take the garbage out to the curb.”

“No prob,” Abby said as she pushed open the swinging door into the dining room.

“And go find Mom,” Charlie called after her. “I’m not sure where Dad went and I need to know if she still wants to eat at six.”

She didn’t get an answer from Abby and figured that her sister had already raced upstairs. She found the biscuit cutter in a drawer and began to cut circles from the flattened dough, tossing the rounds onto a baking sheet.

Ronan was still in town, she mused. Maybe after dinner she’d wander down to the boathouse and check her mail. Or she could wait until later and sneak into the apartment and—

The kitchen door swung open and she looked up, prepared to give a task to one of her younger siblings. But the order stopped in her throat as she came face to face with Ronan.

Charlie stared at him for a long moment, her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in quick gasps. She fought the urge to run into his arms, to throw herself at him until he kissed her like he used to.

She wasn’t sure how long he waited, his hands tucked in the back pockets of his jeans, his blue shirt making his sun-burnished skin look even more beautiful. But at some point, he took a step toward her. She felt a shiver skitter up her spine and her knees wobbled slightly.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi,” Ronan replied. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me—me, too.”

“Did you get enough of a break?”

Charlie nodded. “I think so. I didn’t want to take too much time away. I drove up to Bar Harbor.”

“I don’t know where that is,” he said. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and rubbed his palms together. “I was going to bring you flowers, but I didn’t know what kind you liked. And I’ve never seen you eat much candy so that was out.”

“How are things at the oyster farm?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“Good. We’ve hardly missed you.” He paused. “Actually, we’ve all missed you. But we’ve managed without you. Not that we wanted to. Everyone will be glad that you’re back.”

“Thanks. I knew you’d be able to handle everything.”

Another uncomfortable silence grew between them and she could see that Ronan was growing impatient with the pace of the conversation. “So I’m going to say what I came here to say,” he said. “And then I’m going to leave.”

He slowly walked toward her and when he was close enough to touch her, Ronan stopped. She’d been dreaming about this moment for the past five days and now that it was here, Charlie wasn’t sure what she ought to do. Listening to him would be a good start.

“Before I met you, I lived in a pretty dark place. I was carrying around a lot of pretty heavy baggage and I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere. And then, you opened the door of the boathouse and it was like I walked into sunshine for the first time in my life. And it was warm and bright and I felt like I could be happy.”

“Ronan, I—”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “I have to say this all at once or I’ll never get it out, Charlie.” He drew a deep breath. “You’ve changed my life. I want to stay here with you. And if you don’t want to marry me, that’s fine. Just working with you will be enough.” He paused for a moment, then hurried on. “And if you don’t want to work with me, I’ll find another job.”

“You would?” she asked. “You’d quit.”