| Brian had passed the entrance to Claddagh many times on his trips to and from town but there had never been any reason for him to drive down the expansive road until now. He slowed down and put on his directional and as he waited for the traffic to pass he looked across at Moire. Her head was resting on the back of the seat and her eyes were closed. After whisking her away from Clay Kingsley, Moire spent the rest of the evening in Brian�s arms. He steered clear of Colin who tried without much luck to separate the two but Brian always found a way to hold onto her. They danced and talked and danced some more. Moire found him to be a more than adequate partner. He moved around the floor with the same ease and grace as her father and she asked him how he had become such an accomplished dancer. He told her he had been the all too unwilling student of his cousin who had been a ballroom dance instructor and Brian was his first student. At the time he thought is was a bit corny but on occasions such as this evening it always proved helpful. And she felt so wonderful in his arms. She took his lead, never once missing a turn or step. The evening seemed to end all too quickly and before Moire could slip away he had her in his car. Brian turned into the Fitzgerald property. The large wrought iron arch over the road bore the Claddagh symbol of a pair of hands holding a heart. The two hands were joined with an intricate lace work pattern. Small lights embedded in the shoulder of the road lit the way to the sprawling house surrounded by numerous pin oaks. Brian turned into the circular drive and stopped at the wide steps leading up to the front door. As the car came to a stop Moire lifted her head and opened her eyes. Brian got out of the car and came around and opened Moire�s door. He held out his hand and she took it. "Thank you, Brian." She shook his hand and then released it. "The evening is not over yet." He took her hand again and led her to the steps. "I promised you door to door service and I always keep my word." He looked up at the house. It stood three stories and the wide porch went all the way around. "This is some place. Only two of you live here?" They walked up the steps. "Daddy renovated it when I was very small. It�s now twice as large as the original house grandfather built. They were hoping for more children but it wasn�t meant to be." They reached the front door and Moire turned. "Thank you again. I had a nice time." She went to put the key in the lock when Brian covered her hand. "I think you are forgetting something." He took both of her hands in his and pulled her towards him. Moire had a feeling he wouldn�t let her just leave. All the way home she pondered what she would do if it came down to this. She looked into his eyes and lost it. They had this peculiar way of just tearing down her defenses. She wouldn�t encourage him but Moire wasn�t about to deny herself the pleasure either. She waited. Brian leaned in and cupped her face with his right hand as he rested his lips softly on hers. It was almost chaste, yet her body tingled from his touch. As she gave in and let her lips move with his a car came to screeching halt. "Get your hands off her, you no good son of a," Colin roared as he took the steps two at a time and yanked Brian away from Moire. Brian had this strange feeling of d�j� vu. "Moire get in the house." She didn�t move totally shocked by what was happening. "Moire, now!" She looked at Brian and he nodded. "Daddy, please," she begged, but he pushed her towards the door. "Just go inside and leave this to me." His face softened but Moire could still see the steely look in his eyes. She looked at Brian again. "Thank you for a nice evening." "It was my pleasure." "Enough! Moire," he glared at her, "go. And you," he turned to Brian, "if I ever see you near my daughter again, I swear, I�ll," Brian stood his ground in defiance of the threat. "Don�t worry, I�ll steer clear of you and this place. Wouldn�t want to contaminate it." Brian turned on his heel and walked down the steps to his car. He looked back at the house and noticed Moire standing at a window on the second floor. Colin Fitzgerald didn�t scare him and besides Moire was worth her father�s threats. ~*~*~*~*~ Colin went straight to his office and poured himself a liberal portion of brandy. Of all the audacity, he thought. God only knows how far things would have gone if he hadn�t found out Littrell had brought Moire home. He was smooth. He would give him credit for that, and even though he backed off and left Colin could see the determination in his face. He doubted he had seen the last of him. Well he would just have to step up his attacks, and send him a stronger message. He started towards the door when it flew open and Moire came barging into the room. "I have never been so humiliated in all my life," she shrieked at him as she walked across the room and confronted him. "You are not to see him again." Colin�s words were emphatic as he swirled the dark liquid in the snifter. "You can�t stop me." "Yes I can and I will." He sat in his chair and Moire saw that all too familiar look of control spread across his face. This was just another challenge for him. "You are treating me like a recalcitrant teenager and I won�t stand for it." "Listen to me Moire, he�s�" She cut him off. "No you listen. Only a few short months ago you told me to get close even have sex with him. So what I don�t understand is why is it permissible for you to use me that way, but now he�s off limits? He�s more of a man than any of the others you have paraded before me, including Clayton! I don�t know what kind of nonsense you filled his head with, but it better stop. I�ll choose my own husband!" "Are you finished?" He said calmly as he looked into the glass. "I regret my suggestion of using you to get to Littrell and I�m glad you turned me down." Moire gave him a look of disbelief. "There are other ways to get to him. So don�t get any ideas about him. He�s not in your class and I won�t have it. If you don�t like the young men I seem to think would make a good match, I�ll just have to find others." A moan escaped her lips at his comments. "Daddy, you are not listening to me. I don�t want you picking out anyone for me." "Well it seems you may need help if Littrell is the best you can do." She shook her head in disgust. "I give up," she threw her hands in the air." But, you mark my words; I�ll see whom I want. If you want to draw the lines of battle it�s fine with me." She turned to leave. "Moire," she stopped at the door, "I know what you�re thinking. I for one shouldn�t pass judgment considering I married the daughter of a lowly, itinerant farm worker, but times were different then. I gave your mother more than she ever imagined." "Yes you did daddy, but all she ever needed was your love, the rest didn�t mean a damn thing to her and you know it." "He�ll only bring you down, Moire. He�s not cut from the same stock as us." "Yes he is daddy," the words came out slowly as tears filled her eyes. "The only thing separating us is the size of our bank accounts." She opened the door and left. She was young and didn�t understand. He was looking out for her best interests. He heard her bedroom door slam shut. A good match with a fine family would provide her with security. Of course, Claddagh was hers but he wanted her settled. She needed a husband and family. He turned out the light and walked slowly upstairs. She would calm down in a day or two and everything would be, as it should. Moire slammed the door and sat on her bed. Tears rolled down her cheeks. The gala had been a bit of a bore until Brian showed up and then the evening couldn�t last long enough. She had watched from her bedroom window as he walked towards his car and upon turning he glanced up and saw her. Even though he didn�t acknowledge her presence a slight grin appeared at the corners of his mouth. She rested her hand on the windowpane as his car pulled away and watched it recede from view down the long drive. Everything was muddled. No matter what Kathy had said, this was far worse than dating that rocker. She got up and slipped out of her dress and went to the closet. She fingered the material remembering the mere kiss Brian had placed on her lips right before her father arrived. He knew how to set her adrenaline running through her veins and craving more. She hung up her dress and taking her nightgown she let the transparent material fall over her as she put it on. A trembling went through her as the garment brushed her body. She crawled into bed and pulled up the blankets. She loved her father but he couldn�t dictate how to she was to live her life. As sleep slowly overtook her, tears wet her pillow and Moire struggled with how to deal with her father. He hated leaving her like that, but he had no choice. He had seen her at the window but with Colin standing guard, Brian didn�t dare signal her. His anger at Colin dissipated by the time he reached the county road. He was her father and it was expected. Brian knew he was the last person Colin would want Moire spending time with, let alone share a kiss. His disappointment however was something else. It lingered long after he got home and well into the night. Whatever unspoken promises were made with their kiss, they were shattered right there on the front porch with Colin�s arrival. Brian had spoken the truth to her. She wasn�t like all the others who had passed through his life. All those other women had been only too willing to share their more than ample physical attributes with him and at the time he had been a very accommodating partner. But with Moire, her beauty was only the outer covering. He wanted more than casual sex with her. He wanted to find out what lurked deep within the depths of her. Where things would go between them now, he could only guess. Colin would probably demand she stay away from him, but would she listen. His gut reaction told him no. He wasn�t sure when, but he would see her again. ~*~*~*~*~ Like all opening days, tempers were short, nerves were frazzled, and the weather didn�t cooperate. After a glorious evening the night before steady rain fell all morning creating a quagmire of the track at Keeneland. It wasn�t until the fourth race that it finally let up. However, for the entire day it was almost impossible to tell one horse and jockey from another, as they would both leave the track covered in mud. Brian pulled his one entry. He hated the mud and there was no point in asking him to run. He had settled upstairs out of the rain and was reading the entries for the sixth race when he saw Moire at the far end of the grandstand. Gone was the glamour from the night before, to be replaced with a trim suit and wide brimmed hat. But it didn�t matter; she still had a way of making people take notice. Using his program as cover, he watched her as she conversed with some of the other owners. As she took a moment to survey the area, Brian buried his head so he wouldn�t be noticed. Not one to shy away from confrontation he just didn�t see any point in creating a disturbance in a public place. He made some notes in the margins about a few of the horses and glanced up again to see Colin guiding Moire to a table just two away from him. As Colin turned he saw Brian and excusing himself came towards the younger man. "Before you say anything," Brian beat him to the punch, "I was here first, and if I do say so myself the view has improved since Moire sat down." "Don�t you be a wise ass with me," he snapped, "just remember what I said. You stay away from her." "Tsk, tsk, such language. I think you are being a bit shortsighted on this Colin. I mean it could work to your advantage. Moire and I were to hook up, my land could be joined to yours." "Over my dead body," he sneered. "Now that is a tempting proposition." Brian grinned at him as he picked up his coffee cup. The call for the sixth race halted Colin�s retort and he stormed back to his table. Brian stood and put the program in his back pocket and walked passed them. "Hello, Moire, you look lovely today." He kept on going and went down the stairs to the rail to watch the race. "I�ll be right back," Moire said as she stood. "Where are you going?" Colin stood with her. "Daddy, you can�t follow my every waking move. If you must know, I�m going to the ladies room." Colin nodded and sat down again. He hadn�t left her alone since they got here. His hand had been on her elbow every time they moved from the paddock to the stands or the dining room. Moire thought she would scream if he didn�t let up. She had been polite at breakfast but that was as far as she would go. The bridges that had almost been repaired between them were now broken once again. Colin watched her walk down the aisle and then she was lost amid the crowd. He stood for a moment and seeing her walk into the women�s rest room he sat down again. He ordered a bourbon neat and watched the race on the closed circuit television. ~*~*~*~*~ Moire put her phone back in her bag. Even though her father had a horse in this race she stayed in the women�s lounge. She had seriously considered staying home today, but thought better of it. The only thing that swayed her was the possibility of seeing Brian again. But her father hadn�t given her a moment alone. And she could find no one to help her escape her father�s protective clutches. Her concentration was disrupted by the boisterous entrance of none other than Marguerite Lawson. She sashayed into the lounge and seeing Moire she headed straight for her. Moire rolled her eyes knowing she was caught and there was no way she could flee. �Well, well,� Marguerite smirked as she sat in the chair next to Moire, �if it isn�t the life of the party.� �Hello, Marguerite.� Moire went to leave when the older woman put her hand on her arm. �Oh no you don�t. I want details.� She tugged on her arm forcing Moire back on to the small chair. �Details?� �Don�t be coy with me, Moire Fitzgerald. I know you left the gala last night with that gorgeous stud. Tell me, how was he?� �Excuse me!� Moire tried to stand only to be forced down again. �Oh I know it�s impolite to kiss and tell, but you know his reputation. I just want to know if it�s true.� Moire shook her head in disbelief. �Come on,� she coaxed, �is he as good as I�ve heard.� �I don�t believe you, I wouldn�t know and even if we,� Moire let out a breath, �I don�t think it�s any of your business.� Moire stood for the third time. �Now, if you�ll excuse me.� �Oh we slept alone, did we,� Marguerite watched her in the mirror. Moire stopped at the door. �You know Moire the word is you�re a bit of a cold fish. Clay was quite disappointed with your abrupt departure last night. You really need to work on your people skills. You seem to stun everyone with your beauty, poise and grace but ice seems to run in your veins.� Moire glared at Marguerite. �I wouldn�t say ice Marguerite, let�s just say I�m a bit more discreet about whom I�ll share my bed with compared to you!� The comment was like a slap across Marguerite�s face as Moire saw her stunned expression. Without waiting for a comeback Moire opened the door and left. As she emerged from the ladies room she notice her father was distracted and taking advantage she slipped down to track level. She found one of their trainers and hitched a ride back to Claddagh. Brian took a beer and went into the den. He noticed the message button lit on the answering machine. He hesitated to check, but hit the button anyway. He plopped on the sofa and waited. The first message was from his mom and then one from Jake. He listened half heartedly as his mind wandered until he heard her voice. |