“I agree,” she whispered. “We’ll do what we can with what we’re given and as for the rest—we’ll just have to let go.”
“There are some things, sweet Julia, that a man can’t let go
of."
“Like what?”
“His principles, his heart’s desire, and a woman who shares them both. And it doesn’t hurt if that woman is strong, and smart, and beautiful, and—”
He took her in his arms and kissed her. A proper kiss. The way a man kisses the woman he had waited a life time to find and almost lost to his own foolish pride and pursuit of all the wrong things.
The crowd cheered.
Julia pulled away, gasped softly and ducked her head to hide the warm blush washing over her face.
Cameron nodded to thank the crowd for their support.
“I hate to be a spoilsport, but can I ask you all to lift another spade of dirt?” A photographer gestured to the group. “We didn’t get the picture the first time.”
The shovel brigade gladly obliged, and as the spades hit the dirt, someone called out.
“Hey, Mr. O’Dea, what do we do if one of us hits buried gold like Miss Reed did?”
“If anyone digs up a pot of gold on this lot—”
The hushed attention of the crowd fixed on the man with the velvet voice and the sparkling Irish eyes.
“He can keep it.” He gave one hand a dismissive flick, while the other held Julia close. “I’ve got the only treasure I’ll ever need right here.”
EPILOGUE
Why, I do believe that this is the second St. Patrick’s Day in a row that you haven’t worn green, sweet Julia.”
“That just goes to show how much you know, Cameron O’Dea.”
Julia placed her slippered foot on the edge of a chair. With the most delicate of care, she gathered the hem of her dress in her fingers. The lace and taffeta skirt rustled as she drew it up slowly to reveal the blue satin and lace garter above her knee. A vivid green four-leaf clover encased in a gold-trimmed bubble dangled against her white-stockinged leg.
“Why, Mrs. O’Dea,” Cameron murmured as appreciation glimmered in his green eyes.
She smiled back at him, a quiet, sly smile.
He reached for the garter, in accordance with the American bridal custom, and eased it slowly down her long leg.
The gathered guests, so many that they had decided to hold the reception in the cafeteria at St. Patrick’s Shelter, murmured, laughed, and applauded at the couple’s display.
Julia lowered her lashes. She felt a warm blush tingle on her cheeks. Her foot came to rest on the tile floor, her wedding dress swaying gently as it fell back into place.
Beside her, Cameron swirled the garter around on his finger and then flung it to the waiting bachelors.
A shuffle ensued. Craig Davis emerged with the trophy. The crowd cheered but none more loudly than his longtime, long-suffering girlfriend.
The party fell back into its merry revelry.
“Now that I’ve removed that wee bit of green, you’re once again flaunting the tradition of my favorite holiday,” Cameron warned.
“How do you know?” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “I could still be wearing green—in a place hidden by all this fluff and finery.”
He pulled her close to him and bent his head to whisper against her temple. “Are you now, lass?”
Joy radiated through her entire body. She cherished the feel of her husband’s arms around her. She giggled.
Julia Reed O’Dea, the grim girl who thought she alone could save people from themselves,
giggled
. Julia marveled at the changes she had undergone in the past year.
She placed a hand on Cameron’s shoulder and murmured into his ear, “I guess you won’t know for sure how much green I’m wearing—or not wearing—until we get out of here.”
“How long did you say we have to stay at this reception?”
She laughed again and gave him a quick kiss. “And to think, a year ago we hadn’t even shared a kiss, and now—”
“Yes we did,” he argued. “We had our first kiss a year ago this very day, my dear.”
“No.” She shook her head, her sheer veil flowing over the black coils of her hair. “We almost kissed, but we were rudely interrupted by a couple of phone calls.”
“That’s right.” He frowned at the memory. “Which reminds me, I know you promised not to answer your phone while we’re gone but you didn’t give Craig the phone number of our hotel, did you?”
“Nope.” She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head back. “I trust him. He’s very capable and I know he can handle things on his own.”
Cameron smiled, no doubt, at the change he’d helped bring about in her.
“And what about you, sir?” She poked a finger into his chest.
“If my staff needs to get in touché with me--”
“Nu-uh.” She wrapped her fingers around his gold and green necktie and gave a tug. “For the next week, dear husband, the only one getting in touch with you is me.”
His green eyes flashed.
“As I was saying…” He plucked up her hand and grazed a kiss over her knuckles. “My workers don’t need to get in touch with me.”
She laughed and stroked the soft waves of hair on his bent head.
Across the room Fiona and Devin waved at her. She smiled at her new family.
“Happy, my dear?” Cameron asked his new bride.
“More than I could ever have imagined myself being.”
She rested her hand against his cheek and sighed, content to know that she would spend the rest of her days gazing into those heart-stopping Irish eyes.
Every coin has two sides, Even ill gotten ones. Michael Shaughnessy is not done with the O’Dea family. The story of stolen gold, fool hardy folk heroes and love unfulfilled is not finished yet. Find out what happens with Michael Shaughnessy has paid his debt to society but still has a score to settle… and a long ago love to re-ignite.
A Note to The Reader
Dear Reader,
Thank you for coming along on the chase inspired by a compelling pair of Irish Eyes. Set in my own ‘stomping grounds’, Cincinnati and Kentucky, but with the magic and romance of Ireland, I had a magical time weaving the story of Julia and Cameron. So much that I couldn’t let it go. In my heart I knew the ‘bad guy’ in this story, Michael Shaughnessy, wasn’t bad to the core and I wondered what would become of him.
To find out, I wrote Irish Rogue. The story of Michael and his chance to redeem himself and to find love at long last.
Though not all my books are romance, almost all have a romance at their heart because those are the stories that still warm my heart and make me smile.
If you enjoyed Irish Eyes, why not let other people know with an Amazon review? And please be sure to check out my other books.
This book has been checked and rechecked for errors but even good editors can’t overcome technical issues (or things that happen when authors decided to add one more sentence before hitting the publishing button!). Mistakes do happen and if you find any, feel free to email with the information at
[email protected]
.
If you want to know more about the books I have available for Kindle, check out the next section for links and details.
Other Books By Annie Jones:
Deep Dixie
http://amzn.com/B00A4R8HOK
A small southern town, an old family secret, a man who has to change his life or risk losing his daughter and a woman who wants to help them all without losing her mind - little does she know she's about to lose her heart. Dixie is in deep and it's the best thing that ever happened to her.
The Last Belles
http://amzn.com/B00AEJBGG4
When four Southern belles give a year of service for the last prayer circle in their small town, they make friendships that will last a lifetime.
A Heart-warming, humorous story that brings a humanity to a charming cast of characters that makes them a part of the reader's life. Come to New Bethany, Tennessee, and meet the women who join an old tradition for all the wrong reasons and through a year together find how to put their lives right.
The Christmas Sisters
http://amzn.com/B00958I9BU
The Dorsey Sisters were the pride of Persuasion, Alabama, now they only return at Christmas time. This year if Nicolette has her way they won’t be returning ever again because she plans to sell the family home to fund a few years of a private school for her special needs daughter. But Christmas is a time of surprises and this year when the sister descend on the small southern town they will be met by Sam Moss, the man who may be the father of Nic’s daughter… and is the new minister in town!
Copyright 2013 by Luanne Jones
Published by PoutyGirl Productions
Cover design: Annie Jones
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews – without permission in writing from the author at
[email protected]
. This books is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and placed portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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