“Sorry,” she said. “There are no seats left on any flights direct from Sea-Tac to Chicago. If you want to fly to L.A. first, I can get you to Chicago by 5:00 a.m. Or you can fly to Atlanta and then to Chicago, but that puts you in really late, too. You can go to the airport and wait to see if something opens up.”
“No,” Dermot said. “Never mind. I’ll try to book something for next weekend. Take a look at the schedules for me and find some good flights.”
He sighed softly as he waited for the traffic to start moving again. If he hadn’t scheduled a sales appointment in Tacoma for late in the day, he would have been home by now, enjoying a cold beer and ordering a pizza.
He’d gone back to his normal eating habits since returning from Wisconsin. Farm work had kept him incredibly fit and even the huge breakfasts and crazy fair food hadn’t impacted his waist. But once he returned to his sedentary life in Seattle, he’d had to work hard to keep fit.
There were days when he longed for the deep, exhausting exercise that he got loading straw and feed bags into the back of the truck, and muscling goats into the milking stanchions. It was hard work, but it had been satisfying.
And yet, he knew he couldn’t live on the farm with Rachel. As much as he loved her, for now, his place was here with his grandfather and his brothers. They’d both been trapped by family loyalty, Rachel in her quest to keep the farm in the family and him in his need to pay back his grandfather for everything he’d done to raise them.
As much as Martin Quinn wanted his grandsons to go out into the world and find their own dreams, he loved having them home, too. The company ran better with the four of them at full speed.
Dermot picked up his cell phone and hit the memory dial for Rachel. If he were stuck in traffic, then he’d find something pleasant to occupy his time. But, to his surprise, she didn’t pick up. Instead, one of the boys answered.
“Hey, is this Trevor?”
“Nope, Taylor.”
“Taylor, it’s Dermot. How are things going? You working hard?”
“Our mom is living here now,” Taylor said. “She’s learning how to milk the goats. And she’s making soap to sell. And Aunt Rachel hired a guy to help with the milking. Did she tell you that?”
“She did. How’s he getting along?”
“He’s not as fun as you. He hardly says anything. His name is Leroy and he has a tattoo, but Eddie likes him because he was in the Navy and so was Eddie.”
Dermot chuckled. He’d heard all the news from Rachel, but Taylor seemed determined to fill him in. “How are the goats?”
“Benny jumped into the truck yesterday when Aunt Rachel was taking Trevor out for a driving lesson. And Aunt Rachel says that the goats will start having babies in March. I think you should come and see us.”
“Is your aunt Rachel there?”
A long silence came over the line and Dermot waited for an answer. “She’s not here right now,” Taylor said. “But she told us if you called we should tell you that she would talk to you later.”
“All right. I’ll talk to her later. Say hi to Trevor for me. And be good for your mom, okay?”
He turned the phone off after they said their goodbyes and tossed it onto the seat. Just as he did, the traffic began to move. He drove slowly at first, and then, once he passed the scene of a disabled semitruck, it picked up to normal speeds.
Dermot pulled into his parking spot at the end of the pier and grabbed his briefcase, then stepped out of the car. He hadn’t made any plans for the weekend. Nothing seemed to appeal when it came to social activities. His brothers had been as preoccupied as he had since their return and they’d barely had time to speak, much less meet for a beer or a ball game.
He fumbled in his pocket for his key and shoved it in the dead bolt. The lock clicked.
“Dermot?”
The voice was so soft, at first he thought he’d imagined it. He closed his eyes and pushed the door open.
“Dermot?”
There it was again. But this time, it sounded real, present. He slowly turned to find Rachel standing on the dock. His breath caught in his throat and he stared at her for a long moment. She was like a vision, a beautiful angel with spun gold hair and green eyes.
He dropped his briefcase and crossed the distance between them in a few long steps. Grabbing her in his arms, Dermot picked her up off her feet and gave her a fierce hug. “Holy hell,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
He didn’t give her time to answer. Instead, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. She was everything he remembered her to be, soft, sweet, the perfect fit in his arms. Dermot drew back and looked down into her eyes. “I can’t believe it’s you. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
“Is it all right that I came?”
“What? Of course. Are you kidding? I’m so damned happy to see you I can hardly breathe.” Dermot kissed her again. “God, you’re so beautiful.” Suddenly, he realized the significance of her arrival. “I just talked to Taylor. He didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Dermot nodded. “It’s a big surprise.”
“Now that Jane is living at the farm, I kind of have my life back. She and the boys have decided to stay. I can leave.”
Dermot gasped, the news a complete shock. His mind scrambled to take it all in. Could she come to Seattle and live with him? Did she even want to live with him?
“What does this mean?”
“It means that I’m here. For as long as you want me. I was hanging on to the farm because of the promise I made to my father. But now that my sister is there, it’s all in good hands. Since you left, I’ve been really lonely.”
He smiled down at her. “Me, too. I don’t like being so far away from you.” Dermot took her hands in his. “Rachel, I’m in love with you. There is no other woman for me. And I really can’t imagine living my life without you. And now that you’re here, I’m not going to let you go.”
“I don’t want to go,” she said. “Well, I do have to go back to Wisconsin. Jane still hasn’t gone through a season of kidding, so I have to be there in the late winter to early spring. But I was thinking we could go back together. Kind of like a vacation?”
“You have this all worked out,” he said.
“I do.”
“I think it’s a good plan. I think it’s exactly what I’ve been hoping for.”
She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a fierce hug. Dermot laughed, then picked her up and carried her inside the house. He’d dreamed about having her in his arms again, but he never thought it would be this simple.
“I love you, Rachel.”
“And I love you, Dermot Quinn.”
“Are you going to miss your goats?” he asked.
She stared up at him with sparkling eyes. “They’re in the best hands. They have a wonderful family to look after them. And they’re going to live happily ever after.”
“And what about us?”
“I think we’re going to have a wonderful life together. And I want it to begin now.”
“What do you want?” He expected her to demand that he take her directly to bed and make love to her. But he was surprised by her request.
“I want to