Page 34 of The Past

The farm stretched behind us, more visible than normal because of a cloudless night and a nearly full moon.It wasn’t far, but the incline was steep, and with every step, the lights of the city of Clonmel became clearer beyond the horizon.

Tommy walked beside me in easy silence, the beam of light bouncing just ahead of us.I felt his curiosity burning, but I told him nothing about where we were going—only to follow and trust me.

I glanced up at him, catching the way he studied our surroundings.“Yer quiet,” I mused.

His mouth quirked up at the corner.“I’m takin’ it in.I used to think Kentucky was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen, but this is giving it a run for its money.”

The hawthorn grove stood ahead, a tangled cluster of ancient trees, their gnarled trunks thick and twisted from decades of wind battering this hillside.I knew every inch of this place—had spent countless hours beneath these branches, tucked away from the rest of the world, hidden but never truly trapped.

I glanced back at Tommy, my fingers tightening around his.“Just wait until ye see where I’m takin’ ye.”

Stepping off the narrow path, I led him beneath the trees, where the air grew still, sheltered from the night breeze by the dense canopy above.The ground was uneven beneath my boots, soft with fallen petals and dry leaves, and I could still smell the last traces of the hawthorn blossoms clinging stubbornly to the branches.Most of the flowers had already begun to carpet the ground, indicating that spring had gone and summer was here.

The grove wasn’t large—maybe fifteen, twenty trees at most—but the way they grew, their trunks bent and their limbs twisted together made the space feel enclosed, almost sacred.Some of the trees stood close, their branches arching toward one another like old friends whispering secrets, while others stretched wider, leaving open patches where the moonlight spilled through in pale, silvery streaks.

The wind barely reached us here, just the occasional breath of cool air rustling through the leaves.The hush of the night wrapped around us, and for a moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the world.

I stopped in a clearing where the trees thinned just enough to reveal the rolling valley below, Clonmel spread out in golden specks of light against the dark silhouette of Slievenamon Mountain.The sight never failed to steal my breath, the contrast between the quiet solitude of the grove and the distant hum of life below.

Tommy let out a low whistle beside me.“Damn,” he murmured.“That’s something else.”

I smiled, watching his face as he took it all in.“Told ye it was worth the walk.”

It was the first time I’d ever brought someone here—my own hidden place, where I’d come to think, to dream, to escape.And now, standing here beside Tommy, his fingers still laced with mine, it didn’t feel like running away.

It felt like finding something I hadn’t known I was missing.

I took the blanket from Tommy, startling him, and spread it out.We sank down onto it, side by side with our attention on the view of the town in the distance.

I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.“That’s Clonmel,” I said, nodding toward the lights.“Largest town in the county.The River Suir runs through it, and beyond that, ye can see the outline of Slievenamon Mountain.”

Tommy exhaled, his breath visible in the cool air.“Hell of a view.It’s crazy how all those lights from the town sort of make the entire area glow.”

“They say that mountain is enchanted,” I murmured.“A fairy mountain, home to thesidhe.”

“She?”he asked curiously.

“Spelled s-i-d-h-e, but yes… it’s pronouncedshee.Irish for fairies.And inside the mountain, supernatural women live—temptresses who lure men away with their beauty and magic, never to be seen again.”I gave him a sly smile.“Ye should be careful, Yank.If ye hear a woman callin’ yer name from the slopes, best not to follow.”

Tommy smirked, leaning in just enough to make my breath hitch.“Too late, darlin’,” he drawled.“Pretty sure I’ve already fallen under a spell.”He lifted a hand to tuck a stray curl behind my ear, his voice teasing but laced with something deeper.“Though I don’t think it’s thesidheI need to be worried about.”

My heart stumbled as his fingers lingered at my jaw, the warmth of his touch spreading through me, and I no longer felt the chill.“No?”I asked breathlessly.

Tommy grinned, mischief written all over his face.“Nah.I think the real danger’s sittin’ right in front of me.”

His hand dropped away without so much as a kiss, and I’m pretty sure that was intentional.He had me on the line and I wasn’t twisting to get off.“This place is pretty magical,” he murmured, looking back out over the twinkling valley.

I smiled.“Aye, it is.I used to come here as a child and sit for what felt like hours, pretending I was a queen overlooking my kingdom.”

He chuckled.“Sounds about right.”

I nudged his shoulder playfully before continuing.“Clonmel’s a town of history.It was a trade town centuries ago—livestock, butter, cider, all of it moved through there.”

“Cider, huh?”Tommy mused.

I smirked.“Aye.Bulmers Cider—best in Ireland.Made right there in Clonmel.”

Tommy rubbed his chin, still peering down over the town.“Sounds like I oughta take a trip over there.”

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