Page 21 of The Past

We arrived at a fine restaurant in town—one of those dimly lit, upscale places where the waiters wore waistcoats and the cutlery was polished to a blinding shine.

Brian ordered a whiskey before I even had a chance to glance at the menu.He didn’t ask if I wanted a drink, and I was thinking tonight might be the best time to get drunk.Even though the drinking age was eighteen and I wasn’t quite there yet, those laws were pretty lax.

Instead, I sipped at my water and Brian continued talking.And talking.And talking.

He ordered my meal for me and kept talking.

Finally, he must have noticed my silence, because he tilted his head and asked, “So, what did ye do today?”

His attention had me straightening in my chair and I knew the best course—the one my father expected—was to say something that would make me more appealing.Instead, I hesitated only a second before answering.“Ran steeplechase on my horse Brannagh.”

Brian blinked in shock.He blinked again, letting it sink in.It was such a risk to tell him what I did because if word ever got back to my father, I’d be in big trouble and so would Rory.

But I had the measure of a man such as Brian Kavanagh and I knew he’d never believe it.

I was validated when he laughed sharply, wagging his finger at me playfully.

“As if,” he said, shaking his head.“Come on now, what’d ye really do?”

There’s no telling where the sudden burst of rebellion came from, but I sat up ramrod straight in my chair.“I told ye.I ran steeplechase.”

He scoffed, waving a dismissive hand.“Everyone knows women shouldn’t be doin’ that.Too dangerous.”

My hands curled into fists under the table.“And why’s that?”

Brian hesitated, then shrugged.“Ye could get hurt.”

“So what?”

He frowned, clearly confused by my lack of agreement.“Well, I wouldn’t let my daughters or my wife do anythin’ so reckless.”

I inhaled sharply, preparing to tear into him, but then he leaned forward, his tone shifting.

“Ye know our parents want us to marry, right?”

I froze.Was he really going there so quickly?

Brian gave me an easy smile, settling back in his seat.“It’s a good match, Fi.Glenhaven and Kavanagh Stud—together, we’d be unstoppable.Think about the legacy we’d build.The bloodlines, the success.”He sat back, confident.“I imagine it won’t take long before we’re married because I can sense we have a good connection.We’ll have a good life together.A lovely home, lots of kids.”

My mind wandered again.

Tommy.The way he’d looked at me today, full of admiration, not dismissal.The way he’d celebrated my run, called me fearless.

Brian’s voice cut back in.“What do ye think?How many kids do ye want?”

I blinked.“What?”

He grinned.“I was askin’ how many kids ye want.I’m thinkin’ three.”

At this point, I decided to go with it and see just how insane the conversation could turn.

I batted my eyes at him.“I was thinkin’ seven.Maybe eight.I like even numbers.”

Brian looked momentarily startled, but then nodded, as if genuinely considering it.“Seven’s a lot, but I think we could manage.”

I stifled a groan.He truly didn’t get it.

“I mean,” he continued as our dinner plates were delivered, “if ye want seven, that’s a lot of work on ye.”He waggled his eyebrows.“I have the easier part, if ye know what I mean.But anyway, we’d have to have a fairly large home.Maybe we can move into Conlan Manor at Glenhaven.It’s plenty big…”

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