The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy

and those like him go out day after day, casting their nets, fighting weather, and breaking their backs. Why do you suppose they do it?”
    “Why don’t you tell me?”
    “They love it.” She tossed her hair back, watching the boat ride a crest. “No matter how they bitch and complain, they love the life. And Tim, he cares for his boat like a mother her firstborn. He sells his catch fair so there’s no one would say Riley, he’s not to be trusted. So there’s love of the work, tradition, reputation, but at the bottom of it all is profit. Without an eye on making a living, it’s only a hobby, isn’t it?”
    He caught a curl of her hair as it flew in the wind. “Maybe I’m attracted to your mind after all.”
    She laughed at that and began walking again. “Do you love what you do?”
    “Yes. Yes, I do.”
    “What is it appeals to you most?”
    “What did you see when you looked out your window this morning?”
    “Well, I saw you, didn’t I?” She was rewarded by the humor that moved warmly over his face. “And other than that, I saw a mess.”
    “Exactly. I enjoy most an empty lot, or an old building in disrepair. The possibilities of what can be done about them.”
    “Possibilities,” she murmured, looking out to sea again. “I understand about that. So you enjoy building something out of nothing, or out of what’s been neglected.”
    “Yes. Changing it without damaging it. If you cut down a tree, is what you’re putting in its place worth the sacrifice? Does it matter in the long run, or it is only short-term ego?”
    “Again the philosopher.” His face suited that, even while the windblown hair and little scar spoke another, less quiet side. “Are you the conscience of Magee, then?”
    “I like to think so.”
    An odd sentiment for a laborer, she thought, but it appealed to her. The fact was, she couldn’t at the moment find one thing about him that didn’t appeal. “Up on the cliffs there, beyond the big hotel, men once built grandly. The structures are ruins now, but the heart remains and many who go there feel that. The Irish understand sacrifice, and why and when it matters. You’ll have to find time to walk there.”
    “I’ll plan on it. I’d like it better if you found time to show me the way.”
    “That’s another possibility.” Judging the hour, she turned to walk back.
    “Let’s build on it.” He took her hand to stop her, enjoyed the faint hint of irritation that came into her eyes. “I want to see you.”
    “I know.” Because it was the simplest angle, and never failed her, she tilted her head and allowed a teasing smile to play on her lips. “I haven’t made up my mind about you as yet. A woman has to be careful when dealing with strange and handsome men.”
    “Sweetheart, a woman with your arsenal uses men for target practice.”
    Irritated, she tugged her hand free. “Only if they ask for it. Having a pleasing face doesn’t make me heartless.”
    “No, but having a pleasing face and a sharp mind is a potent combination, and it’d be a waste if you didn’t know how to use both.”
    She considered flicking him off and walking away, but damned if he didn’t intrigue her. “Sure and this is the strangest of conversations. I don’t know if I like you or not, but maybe I’m interested enough to take some time to find out. But at the moment, I have to head back into work. It wouldn’t do for me to be late after I’ve lectured Sinead.”
    “She underestimates you.”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “She underestimates you,” Trevor repeated as they walked back across the sand. “She sees the surface—a beautiful woman with a keen sense of fashion who’s passing the time working in her family business. One her brothers run. A woman who in her mind holds the lowest position on the ladder and doesn’t do much more than take orders.”
    Darcy’s eyes narrowed now, but not against the sun. “Oh, is that how you see it?”
    “No, that’s how your Sinead sees it. But she’s young, inexperienced. So she doesn’t see that you have as much to do with the running of Gallagher’s as your brothers. The way you look doesn’t hurt a thing when it comes to setting the atmosphere, but I watched you today.” He glanced down at her. “You never missed a step, even when you were pissed off you never broke rhythm.”
    “If you’re trying to get ’round me with compliments . . . it’s in the way of working. Though I have to say I can’t remember having