Her Irish Surrender by Kit Morgan Page B

thirty feet I’d say. You wouldn’t catch me up there for a silly animal.”
    She looked at him . “Perhaps she’s part of the family.”
    He stared at her, his brow furrowed. “Miss Dermont, you’ll find animals have a purpose, and if they don’t perform it, they’re not worth having, let alone making them part of any family.”
    “I think it’s commendable what he’s doing,” she stated without looking at him agai n. She could see him out the corner of her eye, his face locked in indecision. 
    “Well, if you insist upon heroics, I’ll not see you disappointed,” he said and stepped to the base of the tree. “When you have her,” he yelled, “Toss her down.”
    Adaline pressed her lips together. She wasn’t sure if she should be amused or upset with him.  The man was pleasant at dinner the night before, and held everyone’s interest with his tales of Colorado at breakfast that morning. But now she wasn’t sure what to make of him. His interest in her was not subtle, and she would have to decide what to do about him if he continued to make his intentions known.
      Meooooow
    Adaline’s attention went to the rescue attempt overhead. “Are you alright, Mr. Brody?”  Though there were no new leaves on the tree, the thickness of some of the branches made it hard to see.
    “ Mrs. Fitzsimmons likes to make a knight work to win her!” Lorcan called down. 
    Adaline smiled at his remark.  “Perhaps she’s been reading too many fairy tales.  If she saw you fight a dragon more often, she wouldn’t make you go on such impossible quests.”
    He stopped climbing, and looked down at her. “Aye, but there’s not a dragon to be found. Trees are more to her liking.”
    “Excuse me, Miss Dermont, ” Mr. Walker interrupted. “May I escort you back to the bookshop? I’m sure you have more important things to attend to than watch this man drag a cat out of a tree.”
    She stared at him a moment and pursed her lips before she spoke. “No , thank you, Mr. Walker. I’ll stay.”
    He looked at her, and shook his head. “Good day then, Miss Dermont. I’ll see you at dinner?”
    She smiled, but said nothing. He turned to leave, but not before taking one last look up the tree. “Good luck … Mrs. Fitzsimmons!”
    Several twigs fell around him and he darted out of the way of the falling debris.  Adaline couldn’t help but giggle.
    “Good day, Miss Dermont,” he said flatly, and left.  By the time he was out the gate and around the side of the house, she heard Lorcan begin his decent.
    “Oh,” she breathed as she took in the sight of him scampering down the tree, the cat over one shoulder like any damsel in distress. She laughed at the sight the closer he got.  Mrs. Fitzsimmons spied her and gave a small “meow” as Lorcan climbed down.  The cat was huge, white, with a grey face and a large patch of the same color on the back of her neck. She had the most beautiful green eyes Adaline had ever seen, and the animal was looking right at her.
    “Now, ye wee beastie!” Lorcan scolded as his feet hit the ground. “Try to stay out of trouble from now on.”  He turned, the cat still over his shoulder, and smiled triumphantly at Adaline.  Mrs. Fitzsimmons tried to squirm her way around to face front, but Lorcan held her in place. “She’s usually easy to deal with, but there are times …”
    Adaline again giggled. “I can see that. May I hold her?”
    “Certainly, if you don’t mind cat hair on your dress.”
    “I don’t mind, let me have her.”
    Lorcan peeled Mrs. Fitzsimmons off his shoulder, and handed her over.  “She’s heavier than she looks,” he told her.
    He was right. Adaline’s eyes widened at the weight in her arms. “My goodness, but you are a … solid kitty.”
    “We like to think of her as large boned,” Lorcan chuckled.
    Adaline shifted Mrs. Fitzsimmons in her arms. “She’s adorable. Where did you get her?”
    “We didn’t, she got us.”
    Adaline raised a curious