Doctor Lucky Charms: A Holiday Romance (Kilts and Kisses) Read online

  She reached forward and touched my hand.

  “Just ki-”

  But when her fingers touched the top of my palm, she stopped midsentence. Her eyes went wide and so did mine. The sensation of her against my own was electrical – no other word for it. We both froze, gazing at one another, neither sure what to do.

  One second passed, then another.

  Finally, I came to my senses, slowly stepping back and letting her hand drop from mine.

  “Yes,” she said with a confident nod. “Let’s do it.”

  I grinned. “How about seven? I’ll pick you up then.”

  She matched my grin with one of her own. “Can’t wait.”

  Chapter 13

  JOANN

  I left the clinic buzzing with excitement.

  Well, that and a touch of humiliation. I couldn’t believe that I’d referred to my vagina as my hooha in front of Ronan. What the hell had I been thinking? Was I twelve?

  It was so silly that I couldn’t help but have a little laugh to myself as I made my way across the mall parking lot and toward the street. I looked both ways – having learned my lesson from the first incident with Dr. Sexy – and hurried across when the coast was clear.

  Once I was back inside my house, the door shut, I couldn’t help but wonder what Grandma would have to say if she were to know that was a few hours away from a date with a handsome Irish doctor. We hadn’t had many chances to seen one another when I was old enough to be interested in men, but there was no doubt in my mind that she’d have some choice words of advice.

  “Never let a man sweet talk you,” I remember I’d overheard her say that to Jolene once during our last visit to Ireland. “You always have to be aware of when a man’s spitting nonsense in order to get what he wants.”

  The memory of the advice got another laugh out of me as I stepped into the kitchen and prepared to make some hot water for a cup of post-exam coffee. As I flicked on the burner and took out one of the scones that the Byrnes had brought me, I considered the matter.

  Was Dr. Sexy on the level? Or was he laying the same moves on me that he’d laid on countless women before? After all, in his line of work he had be meeting gorgeous women on the regular, all of them no doubt eager for a chance at a more intimate kind of exam.

  Then again, did that even matter? I wasn’t in town to marry anyone. I’d come in to take care of the house and that was it. Why couldn’t I have a little fun while I was out of the country? I wasn’t planning on sleeping with the guy – hot as he might’ve been. Even if the date was a bust there was still the chance of getting a story out of it.

  I nibbled on my scone as the water came to a boil. When the kettle began to whistle, I took it off the burner and prepared my cup of coffee. It was all so exciting, the chance to actually experience the country, meet some new people, explore the town. The excitement itself was new, too. Back in Denver stress was the only emotion I had a chance to experience. I’d fly from one case to another, shoving down some takeout food at home when I could, the weeks rushing by.

  Ireland was different, I could already tell. Something about the house and the fresh air and the food and the people was already getting me feeling a different sort of way. It was a way I could get used to.

  When the first sip of coffee hit me, I was brought back to the moment. I remembered that if I was going to go out on a date, there was stuff I needed to do beforehand. First, I’d need to head into town to the pharmacy and get my pills refilled. Not because I was planning on having a one-night stand with Dr. Sexy, of course. It was more that the longer I waited before taking my pills, the more I risked letting things get out of whack in the hormone department. I had enough craziness going on my life – if I could get my period nice and predicable, that’d be one less thing to worry about.

  Sex, as nice of an idea as it might’ve sounded in theory, was not on the menu for tonight – especially with a guy whose hands had already been all over my boobs less than an hour ago. As I sipped my coffee, I found myself thinking over how it’d been a little odd how he hadn’t been the one to do the pelvic exam. He’d seemed flustered, almost, by the idea of getting up close and personal with me in that way.

  Did that mean something?

  I considered it as I took another sip. No way. No way did an OB/GYN ever think about his patients like that. The man had probably seen so many hoohas in his day that he didn’t even think about it. Ronan probably had his hands all over my boobs and was thinking about what he needed to pick up from the grocery store on the way back from work. As far as getting the nurse-midwife to do the actual exam…well, I’m sure that wasn’t all that uncommon.

  Very simple explanations. As for him asking me out, my visit was a one and done. I wouldn’t need to go back to him now that I had my birth control prescription and so that closed the professional loophole between us.

  I threw back the last sip of my coffee, grabbed my keys, and headed out of the house filled with purpose. First stop was the pharmacy, and after that I’d check out one of the local clothing boutiques and see if I could pick up something nice to wear. I’d brought plenty of clothes, but when I’d packed, I hadn’t put anything in there with the intention of going on a date. It’d be an excuse to check out the town, to do a little shopping for myself – something that I never did back at home. Even though I’d only been in Ireland for a couple of days, it was already beginning to dawn on me just how little time I spent on myself. I worked and slept and exercised when I could and that was it. Hell, I was lucky if I could carve out the time to see family.

  I nodded to myself, a smile on my face as I slid into the car. Things were going to be different. In Ireland, I’d go out to eat, drink lots of wine, walk in nature, see the country. And yes, I’d even go on a date. Determination filling me, I raised my hands to place them on the steering wheel and ended up putting them on nothing but air.

  “Huh?”

  It took me a second to realize what was happening – I’d been so wrapped up in my own head that I’d gotten in on the wrong side of the car. Well, it would’ve been the right side if I were in America, but over here, it was another story. I shook my head, allowing myself a smile at my goofball mistake.

  I hopped out of the car and a few moments later was on the right side – both literally and figuratively speaking. I gunned the engine of my little smart car and pulled onto the road. Of course, my eyes drifted over the O’Neill place as I drove by, part of me hoping to catch a glimpse of my date for the evening. But there was no sign of Dr. Sexy.

  As I drove down the winding, narrow road that led to town, I couldn’t help but notice how different I felt about Ronan and the date ahead. At first, I’d been a bit apprehensive, not sure if it was a good move. The longer it sat in my head, however, the more excited I was becoming. Sure, it was just a date. More likely than not it’d be a dinner followed by a drink or two and that was it. All the same, I hadn’t been out with a guy in so long that it was almost as if I were finally allowing myself to realize how much I missed it.

  Still, I tried not to let myself get too excited, to temper my expectations. There was a good chance that the most fun part of the date was going to be telling Jolene all about it the next day over Zoom.

  The drive to the city itself only took ten minutes or so, the rolling hills giving way to the tightly packed clusters of businesses around the main street through the center of town. I couldn’t get over just how picture perfect it all was. The houses were the same charming cottage style as Grandma’s, the businesses were mom-and-pop down to the last, and the green of the countryside was never too far off.

  Taking in the scene, I felt…strange. A warm feeling of nostalgia ran through me, one that I’d never really experienced back in Denver. I pushed it all out of my head as I pulled into a spot near the pharmacy and got out into the brisk afternoon air. Before I headed into the shop, I gave myself a moment to take a look around, to savor the sights of Sandy Cove and the people who lived there. Men and women
and kids were out going for strolls and doing their daytime shopping, the town feeling alive with energy that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

  With a smile on my face, I entered the pharmacy. A little bell above the door chimed as I entered, and I was a bit surprised to see that the shop was on the smaller side. There were a few aisles in the center of the store, mostly stocked with essentials. A cooler for drinks was in the back, and a small pharmacy was tucked away in the far corner. At first, I was worried that the place was too small to have much of use, but as I entered, I realized I liked the smallness. It was far more inviting than any massive CVS I’d been in back in the States.

  “Good afternoon!” I turned to see at the register a college-aged girl with a bob of dark red hair, a slender face, and bright blue eyes. She was seated, not standing, and had a coke in one hand and a book in the other. I couldn’t help but notice the cover of the book was a sculpted, gorgeous man with his arm wrapped around the waist of some swooning woman in a period dress. The girl glanced at me, then the book, her already big eyes flashing wide before she set it down.

  “Sorry,” she said, a bashfulness to her lilting, musical accent. “But a girl’s got to kill a slow afternoon somehow, yeah?”

  I laughed. “Hey, no judgements here. I’ve read more than a few of those in my time.” Of course, I didn’t mention that I had a few more on my iPad that I’d been meaning to get around to.

  She cocked her head to the side. “You’re a yank!”

  I was taken aback, forgetting for a moment that my accent marked me right away as an outsider.

  “That I am,” I said, approaching the register.

  She snapped her fingers in realization. “And I’d be willing to bet the farm that you’re the yank that’s staying at the old McCallister place!” She was excited, leaning forward as if she’d come across some major, major information.

  “I would be that very same yank,” I said. “Damn, word travels fast in Sandy Cove.”

  “That’s right, and it’d do you good to learn that as soon as can be. We love our goss here in town, and when word spread around that there was an American woman living nearby everyone was damn curious to know what her story was. People were starting to wonder if you were a little on the, you know, hermit-y side.”

  “Huh?”

  “You showed up a couple of days ago, yeah? And we haven’t seen hide nor hair of you in town. So, naturally, people were starting to wonder if you were the sort that kept to yourself. Nothing wrong with that, of course.”

  It was a strange thing to hear. I was so used to living on my own in Denver, one isolated soul among a few million others. To know that my behavior was the talk to of the had me feeling a little funny.

  “Nah,” I said. “Not really the hermit type. Just been slowly getting acclimated and I’ve had plenty of business around the house to take care of. And some legal stuff with the property.”

  She smiled broadly. “Now, that’s what I was saying! Abby Barnes who lives down the way and I were talking, she told me that you were likely some American type, big-city gal who was wishing she was in Dublin rather than some tiny town like the one you see here. But I said to Abby, ‘lass, let the woman breathe a bit before you go jumping to such conclusions!’ She just came to visit and, if we all knew Mary like we thought we did, the number of photos alone she’s got stored in that place would likely keep you occupied until judgement day!”

  The girl stopped and closed her eyes, as if catching herself in the middle of a rant. She raised her palms and took a breath, then opened her eyes again.

  “Sorry, sorry,” she said. “Just got carried away with meself. Me ma tells me all the time that I have this tendency to talk and talk and talk and- Whoops, almost did it again. Now, you came in here for some business, I’m sure. Oh, I’m Mellie, by the by.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mellie,” I said, finding it impossible not to get wrapped up in her infectious, charming energy. “And yeah, I had some business. But…I wanted to ask you something else, too.”

  “Sure,” she said. “Just stop me if I talk your bleeding ear off again.”

  “I was wondering if there were any shops here that sell cute clothes. Like, something for a date.”

  Her eyes flashed, and I realized right away the mistake I’d made.

  “You’re going on a date? With who?”

  I opened my mouth to tell her it was, ah, privileged information, but before I could say anything, she repeated the eyes-closed, palms-up process.

  “And there I go once more. Now, that’s none of my bleeding business, right?”

  “Not trying to be cagey or anything,” I said. “But I like to keep things close to the chest, you know?”

  “Of course, of course,” she said. “But let me warn you of this – if you come into town with a beau on your arm that’ll surely get the town’s tongues wagging. Just a word to the wise.” Mellie followed this up with a wink. “Anyway, if you’re looking for cute clothes, there’re plenty of places in town. There’s the White Rose just down the way – they do more formal things. And then there’s Shauna & Sammie’s, they’re causal fare. Here, might be easier if I write them down.” Mellie grabbed a nearby piece of paper and went to work jotting.

  “Thank you so much. I’ll do some shopping while you write those down.”

  “Sounds grand,” she said with a smile before turning her big eyes back to the paper in front of her.

  I stepped away from the register, grabbed a handcart, then went up and down the aisles grabbing a few essentials here and there. As I shopped, I found that, while the store wasn’t huge, it had more than enough of I needed. It got me thinking just how much stuff in my life I was convinced was essential, but in reality was only extra.

  “Alright,” she said when I came back to the register. “I did you one better and sorta sketched out the downtown a bit.” Mellie pushed the paper in my direction, and I picked it up. Sure enough, she’d drawn the curving roads of downtown Sandy Cove, marking some spots here and there with the names of business. “There’s shops and pubs and all the like. And if you ever want to know anything else, just stop on in and I’ll be more than charmed to point you in the right direction.”

  “You’re too sweet,” I said.

  “Ah, think nothing of it.” She began taking the items out of my handcart and scanning them.

  “Oh, and there was a prescription I needed to get filled.”

  “More than happy to do it. Well, Doc Jonas is the pharmacist, and he’s out on lunch right now. But when he’s back in I’ll let him know about it. Should be ready in a couple hours, knowing him.”

  I took the script out and held it in my hand. As I did, I hesitated for a moment. After all, the script had on it both the name of the guy I was going out with and the fact that I was getting birth control. Sure, it didn’t say I was going out with Ronan on the slip or anything. But it all had me thinking about what I’d just learned from Maddie – how small a town it was.

  I handed the paper over, and she took it, giving it a once over, then glancing up to me.

  “Now, I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is don’t worry about it. Believe me, I wouldn’t have a job here if I blabbed everyone’s medical business around town, you know?” She smiled and tucked the script away.

  I laughed. “Sorry, being paranoid, I suppose.”

  “Hell, I don’t blame you one bit. After all, you’ve been listening to me go on and on about how much I love the goss, yeah?” She said up straight, placing her palm over her heart. “But above all that, I’m a bleeding professional.” Mellie winked before turning her attention back to what I was buying.

  We chatted a bit more as she rang me up, and soon I was on my way. I stepped out into the bright, sunny afternoon, the people of the town greeting me with nods and smiles as they passed.

  Everything about the town seemed so perfect.

  This’ll be a great place to spend the next months or so. I’ll get my head right, put the cartel
stuff behind me, and then I’ll head back home to Denver refreshed and ready to get back to real life.

  Then a strange thing happened. As I thought the words, they rang false. Especially one in particular – home.

  There was no denying it – something about Sandy Cove was pulling me to stay, to make the town more than just a brief break in my life.

  Chapter 14

  JOANN

  I stood in front of the standing mirror back at the house, loving how I looked in the new dress I’d bought. It was a simple outfit, nothing more than a black cocktail dress with an emerald-green sash, but it’d be perfect for the evening.

  Something strange had happened while I was shopping at one of the boutiques I’d visited downtown – a bit more of Grandma’s advice had popped into my head, something she’d told Jolene back when she was starting to get interested in guys.

  “Now, simple rule for what to wear on a date,” she’d said in that warm, authoritative tone she always took when dispensing advice. “If you show off too little, he’s going to know you’ve got better things to do. If you show off too much, he’s going to get certain ideas you may not want him to get.”

  I specifically remembered that piece of advice due to barely teenage Jolene’s reaction at the time, a shocked, “Grand-ma!”

  It’d all come back to me while I was trying on dresses. It was striking how much of Grandma, how much of Ireland, seemed ingrained in me, memories long locked away that simply being back here was unearthing.

  I loved it.

  I took one more look at myself in the mirror. I’d still need to worry about my hair and makeup and all that, but it felt good to know the hardest part of planning the evening was already taken care of. Once I was satisfied, I slipped out of the dress and back into my usual lounging-around outfit of black leggings and a T-shirt. After throwing on my wool cardigan and stepping into my sneakers, I went downstairs for a mug of tea.