My Wild Irish Dragon (9 page)

“Nah. Gaia loves her modern muses. And Amber is the muse of air travel, after all.” He grinned. “Don't worry. She's careful. She materializes in the coat closet where no one can see her suddenly appear.”

“The closet, huh? No one thinks it's strange that she's comin' out of the closet…in a literal sense, I mean.”

Rory chuckled. “I knew what you meant. She plans to say she was cleanin' it a bit, if anyone asks. So far, no one has.”

Chloe heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. A lot of them. Now she was truly puzzled. Her brother wouldn't have invited her whole work group for dessert, would he?

Into the kitchen walked her three Ulster cousins. Conlan, Eagan, and her least favorite—Aiden.

Oh joy.

She pasted a smile on her face and followed Rory to shake their hands. She was surprised when Aiden grasped her in a big hug.

“Welcome,” Rory said.

“Thanks fer havin' us, Cousin,” Conlan said. “I knew you wanted us to come for Christmas, but that's a busy time of year back home.”

“Indeed,” he said. “Though there's never a bad time for whiskey makin', is there?”

They all chuckled.

“Anyway, the American Thanksgiving sounded like a lovely holiday, and when Amber told us about how it was for families and friends comin' together to count their blessin's… Well, we could hardly refuse. Are you sure you have room for us?”

Rory laughed. “We do. As much as we still intend to open this place as a bed and breakfast, we've been puttin' it off…enjoyin' a little time alone.”

“With your sister, it seems,” Aiden pointed out.

“I live next door,” Chloe said. “I come when I'm invited.”

Eagan slapped her on the back. “An' it's been ages since I've seen you, luv. How's she cuttin'?”

“Survivin',” she answered.

Amber clapped her hands together. “Well, you must be exhausted from your trip. Let me show you to your rooms. Just one more flight up. Would you like to use the elevator this time?”

“No need,” said Aiden. He shimmered, transformed into his dragon form, grabbed the suitcase with his clothes, and flew up the stairs.

“Show-off,” Chloe muttered under her breath.

Conlan laughed. “That he is. Lead the way, Amber. Eagan and I aren't too tired to amble up another flight of stairs.”

They picked up their suitcases and followed their hostess up the stairs the “human” way. As soon as they were out of sight, Chloe frantically whispered in Rory's ear.

“Why did you invite them to Boston? You know Mother Nature spends a lot of time here. If she catches 'em shiftin' into dragon form, she'll be furious.”

“I'm sure Amber will speak to them about it. She knows the goddess better than all of us.”

Suddenly a small whirlwind formed in the opening to the dining room. When the swirling stopped, Mother Nature, in all her glory, stood there with her hands on her hips.

“Did I hear someone call my name?”

“Ah…no?” Rory attempted.

“Maybe I should rephrase that,” the Goddess of All said. “I heard my name. What do you want?”

“We didn't mean to bother you, Goddess. Truly. We were just mentionin' how you honor Boston with your mighty presence…”

She waved a hand. “Cut the blarney, dragon. That Irish charm doesn't work on me.”

Chloe knew for a fact the touchy deity was able to be placated with flattery, so she tried her hand. She simply had to be better at it than her brother was.

“Gaia. We
are
honored by your presence. If we mistakenly called to you when we were mentionin' your name in a positive way, we apologize—wholeheartedly. We know how busy you are. Now, if you need to return to any—”

“No, thanks. I think I'll stay right where I am for a few minutes,” she said. A chair materialized under her butt as she sat.

Chloe exchanged a look with Rory that could only be interpreted as “Oh, shite. What do we do now?”

“Why don't you make yerself comfortable in the dining room, Goddess?” asked Rory.

Gaia rose and the chair disappeared. She strode to the dining room, took a seat at the head of the long table, and asked, “Is Amber around?”

“Indeed she is.” Rory grabbed a stack of plates from the sideboard. “Some new guests just arrived and she's helpin' them settle in. Would you like to join us for pie?”

The goddess ignored his invitation. “It's about time you had some paranormal guests. I thought for a minute that my plan of keeping you all in one place wasn't working.”

Plan? Working?
Chloe knew the goddess had gifted Amber and Rory with the building, but she'd thought it was a reward for Amber because she took the job of a modern muse. The goddess badly needed someone to take care of things the ancients couldn't do. As a former flight attendant, Amber had proven invaluable when helping floundering pilots stay calm and land safely in any number of situations.

Gaia looked directly at Chloe. “Yes. The building was a reward for my new muse, but it was your brother's idea to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast for visiting paranormals. I merely encouraged the idea since it served my purposes.”

“I see,” Chloe said. “Can I pour you a cup of tea, Gaia?”

“Don't trouble yourself.” She pointed to a spot on the tablecloth in front of her and a steaming cup of tea appeared. She took a sip and said, “Mmm… Darjeeling straight from my hills of northern India. Delicious.”

I guess she's not going to offer us a cup.

“Sit down, little dragon. I'm perfectly capable of sharing—when I want to.” Full tea cups appeared in front of her and Rory. “While I'm at it…” She snapped her fingers and four more cups appeared around the table.

How did she know there were four more?
Chloe stopped her thought mid-sentence.
Duh, the Goddess of All knows where her children are.

“Not always, little dragon. Now, what kind of pie do you have?”

Amber appeared in the doorway. “Gaia! What a pleasant surprise.” She strode over to her and kissed her on both cheeks. “What kind of pie would you like? I can pop out and get it for you.”

Mother Nature narrowed her eyes. “I hope you don't use your powers to ‘pop out' to the bakery willy-nilly, Muse of Air Travel. As you know I would be furious if you were seen reappearing anywhere.”

“Of course not, Gaia. I'm completely aware of your number one rule, and I wouldn't tip off any humans. My reappearance would take place around the corner from Mike's. That side street is quiet right now.”

Her uneven brows rose. “Mike's? In the North End?”

Amber grinned. “Is there another?”

“Damn. Now my mouth is watering for a strawberry cannoli.”

“I'll get an assortment,” Amber said.

“Don't bother. I'll stop by on my way home. Listen. I need to speak to your guests.”

Amber looked surprised but nodded. “Right away, Goddess.”

As Chloe and Rory exchanged curious glances, Mother Nature said, “What?”

“Is there somethin' we should know about our cousins' visit?” Rory asked.

She shrugged. “I guess we'll all find out at once, won't we?”

Soon the cousins tromped into the dining room and Rory invited them to sit anywhere they liked. Aiden and Egan sat far down on one side while Conlan took a spot next to Mother Nature at the head of the table.

Gaia faced Conlan and smiled. “Do you know who I am?”

“No, luv, but I'd like to change that.”

Chloe watched as he turned on the Irish charm like a faucet.

“I wouldn't mind knowin' a beautiful lass such as you.” He held out his hand.

When Mother Nature grasped his hand, he turned hers and brought it to his lips, placing a light kiss on her knuckles.

Chloe held her breath. Either the goddess was going to interpret the gesture as one of respect and be pleased, or all hell could break loose.

“Me name is Conlan Arish. It's lovely to meet you…”

“I'm Mother Nature,” she said.

Conlan dropped her hand. His eyes rounded as he stared at their guest deity, speechless.

“I'll bet you get that a lot,” Chloe said.

Mother Nature just chuckled. “Yeah. It never gets old.” She turned her gaze to the other two men at the far end of the table. “And you are?”

“Aiden Arish, mum. And this is me brother, Eagan, the youngest. You've met the eldest and head of our clan. That'd be Conlan.”

Her expression darkened. “You will not call me mom—or ma'am. Got it?”

Aiden simply nodded. Then he asked, “What would you like to be called? Yer Grace?”

She laughed. “Gaia or Goddess will work.” As soon as everyone had been served pie and tea, she said, “Now I'd like to get down to business.”

Conlan had recovered by that time. “What type of business are you in, uh…Gaia?”

She chuckled and shook her head. “I'm Mother Freakin' Nature. That makes me CEO of the Universe.”

He slapped himself upside the head. “Naturally. My apologies.”

She waved away the comment. “Forget it. I need to ask you a couple of questions.”

“Of course, Goddess,” Conlan said. “Anythin'.”

“What is the purpose of your trip and how long are you planning to stay in Boston?”

Chloe glanced at Amber and whispered, “Is she the paranormal TSA or something?”

Amber gave a slight shrug and turned her attention back to the head of the table.

“We're here to visit our family and celebrate the American Thanksgivin'. We'll be stayin' for about a week.”

Mother Nature's brows knit. “Family? I thought you were from Ulster?”

“Indeed we are, Goddess,” Conlan said. “We were born in the same castle in Erin as our cousins here. Then, thanks to a little tiff between our parents, me brothers and I moved up to the North.”

It was all Chloe could do to keep from bursting out in laughter at the words “little tiff.” Conlan had downplayed the bloody Battle of Ballyhoo just a
wee bit
. His father had tried to assassinate and overthrow his own brother—in other words, her uncle had tried to take her father's throne. It was a wonder they weren't mortal enemies…especially when they weren't very mortal. A grudge like that could last for millennia.

“I know all about it, Chloe,” Gaia said. “At least the history. What I don't understand, or trust, is this…” She indicated the entire family around the table with her palms up.

Rory cleared his throat. “Goddess. We've put our petty concerns behind us. Our parents' ambitions to rule Ireland as kings is no longer relevant. And to be sure, it was never our concern in the first place. We were but children at the time.”

She folded her arms and looked at Chloe and Aiden in turn. “So what was the reason these two were brawling on the castle lawn the summer before last?”

Chloe smirked. She couldn't help it. It looked like Aiden was trying to hide a smile too.

“Sorry, Goddess,” she said. “We had a disagreement over some family heirlooms. The whole matter has been put to rest.”

“How?” Mother Nature demanded.

“We shared,” Rory stated simply.

Gaia's brows rose. “Shared?”

“Yes, Goddess,” Conlan said. “Rory is the leader of his clan as I am leader of mine. We talked out the misunderstandin' and decided to split the ancient treasure. All we wanted was to be treated equally.”

Something shimmered in the corner of the Goddess's eye. At last she clasped her hands over her heart. “My babies learned to share! No mother could be prouder.” Birds broke into song.

“Where did the feckin' birds come from?” Chloe muttered.

Mother Nature raised one eyebrow and stared at Chloe. “Really? I'm celebrating a miracle and you want to disrespect my songbirds?”

Suddenly the ribbet of frogs and chirp of crickets joined the chorus.

A wonderful Thanksgiving had taken place without too much family drama. Actually, the Ulster cousins had decided they'd like to contribute the turkey. Chloe imagined if Amber knew they were coming home with a live one, she'd have asked them to buy the cranberries.

Amber couldn't kill the bird, so they'd had a pet turkey for a while. Finally it was time for the turkey to return to the farm and for Chloe to return to work at the fire station. Chloe strolled into the kitchen and walked right into an argument between Ryan and some guy she'd never seen before.

“Hire a pet sitter for once.”

“I did. I hired the Fierro family. Jayce took my cats and volunteered the rest of you. Gabe has my dog. Noah wanted the rabbits…”

“So, you just assumed you could stick me with your African gray.”

She was just about to turn and leave when she spotted a beautiful bird. The feathers were a soft silver color. It was larger and shaped differently than a mourning dove, and it had the sweetest face. “Hello. What's your name?”

“Gwendolyn,” the bird answered.

Chloe gasped. “She speaks!”

The guy whirled around, apparently unaware that Chloe had come in. “Yes. She's an African gray parrot. They're the breed with the largest vocabulary. I haven't had time to train her to say much.”

“In other words, Chloe, she'll just screech and squawk most of the time,” Ryan said.

“Oh, but she's beautiful. I'd love to take her home, but I'm here for the next few days.”

“That's great,” the guy said. “I'm only going to be gone for a belated holiday weekend. My family gets together between Thanksgiving and Christmas and celebrates everything at once. You can understand why I
have to
go. She doesn't need a lot of care. She stays in her cage…”

“And poops in it,” Ryan added, “which you'll need to clean up, plus the birdseed that lands everywhere.”

“There's a newspaper on the bottom that you can pull out and change here.” The guy tapped what looked like a thin drawer that ran the width of the cage.

Chloe took another look at the bird's hopeful face. “Does she bite?”

“Not unless you poke or startle her.” The guy stuck out his hand. “I'm Private McCall, by the way.”

“Oh! You're a firefighter?”

“Yes, ma'am. I work with Scrooge's brother, Gabe.” He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, indicating Ryan.

She smiled. “Scrooge?” That wasn't a name she'd want Ryan to get stuck with. He'd been generous with his time and help. He just didn't want to take care of this bird, for some unknown reason. “I'll do it,” she said.

Ryan groaned.

“That's great! If she bothers you, just cover her cage with this.” McCall handed her a black fabric cover with gray stripes on it. “She'll quiet right down. You won't even know she's there.”

Ryan shook his head and stalked out of the kitchen.

Chloe received instructions on the amount of birdseed needed and how to refill the water bottle.

She cooed to Gwendolyn and the bird answered her with “Pretty lady.” That did it. She was officially in love.

“I may not want to give her back,” she said with a smile.

McCall grinned too. “I feel a lot better knowing she's in good hands.”

“So where are you going for Thanksgiving that you can't take your pets?”

“I'm from California originally. Most of the family is still there.”

“California. I've never been there, but I'd like to go someday. It must be interesting to live near Hollywood and all that.”

“I live closer to Oregon than Hollywood.”

“Oh. So I guess you're used to colder weather.”

“Yeah, but that area gets a lot more rain than snow.” He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. “I should get going. Where would you like to keep Gwendolyn? I'll take her cage and stand if you'll just grab her seed.” He pointed to a large bag of birdseed on the kitchen counter.

“Sure. I can keep her in my room while I'm here. If she makes too much noise and keeps the guys up—”

“She won't,” he said. “But yeah. You could keep her in an office or the training room. Just don't put her anywhere cold, like the basement, or where there are fumes, like the garage.”

“Don't worry about a thing. I'll take very good care of her. If the guys complain, my brother may be willin'…although maybe not. He runs a bed-and-breakfast. You're sure she won't squawk all night?”

“Positive. Just cover her cage.” He kissed her cheek and took the bird and stand into the hall just as Haggarty and the lieutenant strolled in. They halted, eyebrows raised.

“I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Arish,” Haggarty said.

“I don't.” She didn't have time for chitchat. McCall was headed toward the stairs and he'd need to know which room was hers. She grabbed the seed and strode after him.

“That's not what it looked like to me,” she heard Haggarty say. “What did it look like to you, Lieutenant?”

She didn't hear his answer, and she didn't want to. She simply wanted to get the bird up to her room. She'd cover her if anyone was sleeping. It could be days before anyone knew the beautiful African gray was there.

With any luck
.

* * *

Ryan returned to the kitchen. He never had gotten the cup of coffee he'd gone there for in the first place.

Haggarty and Streeter glanced up at him.

“Did you know Chloe and McCall are seeing each other?” Haggarty asked him with a sly smile.

If Haggarty thinks he's going to get a rise out of me, he has another thing coming.
Ryan returned his smirk. “If by that you mean they have eyeballs and are probably looking at each other when they talk, then yeah. I guess they're ‘seeing' each other.” He used air quotes to rub in the sarcasm.

“He kissed her.”

Shit.
How should he respond to that news? Not with the jealousy that suddenly surged through him. That would set tongues wagging. He simply shrugged.

“You don't seem to care. So, if he's not asking her out right now, you wouldn't mind if I do?” Haggarty asked.

Ryan leaned back and burst out laughing. He hadn't had a good belly laugh like that in a while.

Haggarty was frowning. “What's so funny? Oh, you mean because I've given her a hard time? Some chicks dig that, and if not she'll be flattered anyway.”

Ryan had to struggle to get his mirth under control. When he could finally speak, he said, “Go right ahead. I'd just like to watch when she shoots you down.”

He reared back, looking offended. “What makes you think she'll shoot me down?”

Think fast. You can't say “because she hates your guts.”
“I overheard her being asked out by one of our fellow trainees. I think she said something about hell freezing over before she dates a firefighter.”

“Yeah. Okay. I can see why she might not want to do that.”

The lieutenant, who'd been quiet up to that point, looked relieved. “I'm glad she thinks it's a bad idea.”

“Why's that?” Haggarty asked.

“Because it is.”

“Well, I just came in for a cup of coffee,” Ryan said. “Thanks for the, um, interesting conversation.”

“Hey, you won't say anything to Arish, right?” Haggarty narrowed his eyes.

“Of course not. What am I, twelve?” Ryan grabbed his coffee and left the kitchen. He took determined strides to the third-floor stairway—and Chloe.

* * *

Ryan stepped inside Chloe's room and closed the door. “Did you know Haggarty was thinking of asking you out?”

She almost dropped the bird's dirty newspaper. “What did you say?”

Ryan folded his arms and leaned against her closed door, smirking. “I said Haggarty wants to ask you out.”

“On a date or to meet a firing squad?”

Ryan chuckled and scratched his head. “I know, huh? I was as shocked as you are.”

“Are you sure you're talkin' about feckin' Haggarty? The feckin' thorn in my rib since I got here?”

“Positive. He asked if you were seeing McCall first.”

She crumpled up the old newspaper and tossed it in the wastebasket. “Idjit. He saw McCall give me that unasked-for, unwelcome kiss on the cheek for takin' care of Gwendolyn.”

“That's what I thought too. But there's something you should know about American men.”

“And what's that?”

“Sometimes the more they seem to hate you, the more they like you.”

She rolled her eyes as she peeled off a couple of new layers of newspaper. “Irish lads can be like that, but they usually outgrow it. One laddie actually tried to put gum in my hair once.”

Ryan groaned. “What happened to him?”

A sly smile crossed her face. “Let's just say the gum landed on the end of his nose, and then his nose landed in the dirt.”

Ryan laughed.

She laid the clean newspaper in the bottom of Gwendolyn's cage and continued puzzling out the information she'd been given. “But
men
do this here in America? I'd have thought they'd grow out of that behavior quick when they finally realize what they want us females for. Or do your women sleep with them even if they're treated badly?”

Ryan plopped down onto her bed. “Some do. I've never understood that, but it happens.”

“Sheesh.” Chloe wagged her head. “Feckin' Haggarty. So what did you tell him?”

“I made up a little white lie. I said I'd overheard you turn down a date with a fellow trainee of ours. And then for good measure I added that you'd said hell would freeze over before you'd date a firefighter.”

She walked over to him, grabbed him underneath the arms, and hauled him onto his feet. “That sounds like somethin' I'd say.”

He grinned. “Maybe this isn't the best timing, but I got two tickets to a Celtics game. Do you still want to go?”

“Ha. If you were considerin' it a date, then 'tis poor timin' indeed. But if you saved me from havin' to turn down a feckin' date with feckin' Haggarty, then you did me a major favor. I'd be happy to accompany you to this Celtics game if I have the night free.”

“I picked one of our days off next week and avoided Friday. I think that's when you play at the tearoom, right?”

“This crazy schedule may mess up some sessions, but I plan to be there whenever I can. My sister Shannon will fill in for me if I can't be there.”

“Our tickets are for Wednesday.”

“About a week before Christmas then.”

“Yeah. Is that doable?”

Her eyebrows raised. “Doable?”

He smiled. “Yeah. It means, can you do that?”

“Ah. In that case, yes. I'm doable.”

He grinned at her but didn't say anything.

“What?”

“Nothing. You're just…adorkable.” With that, he swooped in and gave her a quick kiss, then opened the door and sauntered away, whistling.

“Feckin' men…” she muttered.

“Feckin' Haggarty!”
Gwendolyn announced.

“Shite!” Chloe threw the cover over the cage. “You will forget those words if you want your next meal, birdie. If not, he'll probably have Nagle make parrot for dinner.”

* * *

The following Tuesday, Ryan grabbed Chloe in the hallway and pulled her into one of the vacant offices, shutting the door.

“What's goin' on?” she demanded.

He grinned as he pulled two tickets out of his pocket. “Are you ready to be introduced to an American sport with an Irish flair?”

“Drinkin' whiskey and brawlin'?”

He laughed. “Probably not. How about beer and basketball?”

“I guess it sounds okay. A little tame though.” A slow smile crept across her lips.

He couldn't help himself. He hadn't kissed her in days. He swooped in and captured her delectable mouth. She responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck and meeting his tongue with hers.

Perhaps she'd missed his kisses as much as he'd missed hers. But they had to be careful. Chances are the lieutenant would tell the captain, and then…who knew what would happen? If one of them wasn't transferred right away, they'd at least be operating under a high level of scrutiny.

Ryan had tried to casually ask about couples on the same shift at the most recent family Sunday dinner.

There was precious little information since in-house females were rare, but Jayce had said he knew of a couple in another city. Apparently they had been split and were now working in different groups. It was a pain trying to get together, so they eventually broke up. Or maybe they'd broken up and then one of them had to change groups. Jayce wasn't sure.

Ryan's father had reminisced about one of the earliest female firefighters. She was already married and became a firefighter after helping her husband study for his exams. Apparently what her husband was doing to help people made an impression on her. She wound up retiring as a chief…and they stayed together.

None of that had really helped. It seemed like things could go either way. He wondered if the couple who'd split up would have reconciled if they'd continued to work side by side.

He'd dropped the subject as soon as his brothers started getting suspicious. When Noah came right out and asked if he was interested in the new female probie in his firehouse, he'd laughed. Then he told the same lie he'd told to Haggarty—about her declaring she wouldn't date a firefighter until hell froze over. She hadn't seemed to mind his saying it the first time, so he figured he'd be in the clear if it ever got back to her.

Miguel and Jayce gave each other a look, as if they had been talking beforehand and were thinking the same thing. Sometimes the Fierros seemed to have a psychic shorthand. They weren't telepaths. They just had some sort of nonverbal communication where a significant glance conveyed something specific and was usually interpreted correctly.