he is but who he is on the inside. She seemed to attract all of the superficial guys because of her looks, hardly any that were nice to her just because she was sweet and genuine. But after this debacle, I’m sure she’s sworn men off forever.”
Conor changed lanes again as their exit approached. “That would be a real tragedy.”
Aisling grinned, turning to look at him. “I don’t think she’s dated a college professor before. Do you want me to put a good word in for you, Dr. Daderga?”
He grinned but wouldn’t look at her. “To a woman like that? Only in my dreams.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Aisling’s brown eyes twinkled. “She seemed to enjoy the conversation with you yesterday. I think she kind of liked you.”
He looked at her, hardly daring to hope. “Do you really think so?”
Grinning, Aisling pointed at the highway sign coming up. “There’s our exit.”
Conor refocused on the road, taking the off ramp and taking a left onto Littlegrange Road. The rain was coming down in sheets as they headed south, the road eventually turning into Dowth Road as they neared the mound. They could see it in the distance, a great green loaf rising above the flat countryside, and he sped up. When they finally pulled into the carpark, water and mud sprayed as he came to an abrupt halt. He threw the car into Park and turned to Aisling.
“You stay here,” he told her. “If she doesn’t want to be found, she might run from me. I need you to stay here in case she runs; you can see the entire mound from here. If she takes off and you see her, I want you to honk the horn like crazy. All right?”
Aisling nodded, watching him get out of the car. “Do you want an umbrella?”
He shook his head, pulling his crumpled Drogheda United baseball–style hat out of the backseat and pulling onto his spiked hair. Slamming the car door, he zipped up his rain coat and began to walk around the base of the mound, heading towards the southern tunnels.
The rain was letting up somewhat as he made his way around the east side of the mound. It was heavy with wet foliage and protected him from the light rain that was now falling. The clouds above were even starting to clear and patches of blue appeared. Moving through the dripping brush, he came upon the first of the three tunnels. Pulling out his torch, he flashed it down into the tunnel but saw nothing; it was dark and cold.
He moved on to the second tunnel and shined his torch in that one, but it was black and empty. The third tunnel was several feet away and he went to hit, pulling out his torch and preparing to shine it into that tunnel. But as he took a step into the dark archway, he immediately spied a lump on the ground just a few feet from the door.
Startled, he flashed his torch downward and saw Destry sitting with her back against the wall, huddled in a ball. Her knees were up, her arms embracing them and her face was buried in the tops of her knees. When the flashlight fell on her, she yelped in fright, her head swiftly coming up. Conor jumped, too, because she had. He snapped off the torch so it wouldn’t blind her.
“Destry?” he went into a crouch in the small tunnel, moving towards her in the wet earth. “What are you doing here, sweetheart? You scared Aisling to death when she couldn’t find you.”
Destry looked at him; she was pale, her beautiful face streaked where she had wept and wiped her face with dirty hands. She was also wet, shivering in the darkness.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
He could see how cold she was and he knelt beside her, taking her hands into his warm palms and feeling that they were like ice. “I took a wild guess when Aisling said you were missing,” he told her. “How did you get here?”
His warm hands felt so good. She looked down at his massive mitts as they closed around her small ones and fat tears began to roll down her cheeks.
“I took a taxi,” she whispered. “It cost me a fortune.”
He caressed her
Conor changed lanes again as their exit approached. “That would be a real tragedy.”
Aisling grinned, turning to look at him. “I don’t think she’s dated a college professor before. Do you want me to put a good word in for you, Dr. Daderga?”
He grinned but wouldn’t look at her. “To a woman like that? Only in my dreams.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Aisling’s brown eyes twinkled. “She seemed to enjoy the conversation with you yesterday. I think she kind of liked you.”
He looked at her, hardly daring to hope. “Do you really think so?”
Grinning, Aisling pointed at the highway sign coming up. “There’s our exit.”
Conor refocused on the road, taking the off ramp and taking a left onto Littlegrange Road. The rain was coming down in sheets as they headed south, the road eventually turning into Dowth Road as they neared the mound. They could see it in the distance, a great green loaf rising above the flat countryside, and he sped up. When they finally pulled into the carpark, water and mud sprayed as he came to an abrupt halt. He threw the car into Park and turned to Aisling.
“You stay here,” he told her. “If she doesn’t want to be found, she might run from me. I need you to stay here in case she runs; you can see the entire mound from here. If she takes off and you see her, I want you to honk the horn like crazy. All right?”
Aisling nodded, watching him get out of the car. “Do you want an umbrella?”
He shook his head, pulling his crumpled Drogheda United baseball–style hat out of the backseat and pulling onto his spiked hair. Slamming the car door, he zipped up his rain coat and began to walk around the base of the mound, heading towards the southern tunnels.
The rain was letting up somewhat as he made his way around the east side of the mound. It was heavy with wet foliage and protected him from the light rain that was now falling. The clouds above were even starting to clear and patches of blue appeared. Moving through the dripping brush, he came upon the first of the three tunnels. Pulling out his torch, he flashed it down into the tunnel but saw nothing; it was dark and cold.
He moved on to the second tunnel and shined his torch in that one, but it was black and empty. The third tunnel was several feet away and he went to hit, pulling out his torch and preparing to shine it into that tunnel. But as he took a step into the dark archway, he immediately spied a lump on the ground just a few feet from the door.
Startled, he flashed his torch downward and saw Destry sitting with her back against the wall, huddled in a ball. Her knees were up, her arms embracing them and her face was buried in the tops of her knees. When the flashlight fell on her, she yelped in fright, her head swiftly coming up. Conor jumped, too, because she had. He snapped off the torch so it wouldn’t blind her.
“Destry?” he went into a crouch in the small tunnel, moving towards her in the wet earth. “What are you doing here, sweetheart? You scared Aisling to death when she couldn’t find you.”
Destry looked at him; she was pale, her beautiful face streaked where she had wept and wiped her face with dirty hands. She was also wet, shivering in the darkness.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
He could see how cold she was and he knelt beside her, taking her hands into his warm palms and feeling that they were like ice. “I took a wild guess when Aisling said you were missing,” he told her. “How did you get here?”
His warm hands felt so good. She looked down at his massive mitts as they closed around her small ones and fat tears began to roll down her cheeks.
“I took a taxi,” she whispered. “It cost me a fortune.”
He caressed her
Similar Books
