An Irish Blessing: The Irish Sisters Trilogy (Montana Sky Series) Read online

  Patrick let his admiration, no, his love, show on his face, without daring, yet, to speak and risk another rejection.

  With her palm on Thunder’s neck, Alana peeked at him before lowering her gaze. “Ye were quite taken with my sister.”

  Something about the way the skin tightened around her eyes made Patrick think he’d hurt her by singling out Bridget. Caught off guard by the comment, he tried to explain. “I’m just a rough rancher. Mostly, I’m focused on my horses. I’ve never courted a woman before. No wonder I’ve fumbled my way through the whole thing. Yet, Alana, I’ve come to care deeply for you.”

  When she lowered her gaze, apparently giving Thunder her full attention, Patrick knew he’d missed the right answer—the tricky answer. I could dodge or admit the truth. “I was taken with Bridget, yes. Since then, I’ve done a great deal of pondering on the subject to figure out why. I think my instincts were leading me in your direction. But you hid behind your twin. You never talked to me. In fact, you avoided me. Bridget was more outgoing, and she shared my love of horses, so she was the obvious choice. And she was there, Alana, and you were gone.”

  She glanced up, a guilty look in her eyes.

  Ah, I’m right. Although best not rub that in. “If I’d put the two of you side by side, I’d have focused on you, not Bridget.”

  Alana raised a skeptical eyebrow, looking about to argue.

  He lifted a hand in placation. “All right. I might still have focused on her at first, but if I had been around both of you for long, I know my heart would have chosen you.”

  Will she believe me?

  Does it matter? Even if she cares, her heart might not be free. “Your aunt hinted that your affections might already be engaged…a man in Ireland.”

  A sad emotion crossed her face. “Timkin, my closest friend from early childhood, is…very dear to me.”

  His stomach clenched as if trying to absorb the blow.

  “Like ye with Bridget, my heart led me to another man,” she said, her expression earnest. “I thought the feelings I had for Timkin were the same as what he had for me, because I knew I was dear to him, too. But he didn’t feel the same…depth. Didn’t want to wed, which devastated me.”

  He lifted his hands as if to embrace her, to give comfort but reined in the impulse, not sure yet if she’d welcome his touch. “I do understand. Bridget’s rejection hurt mostly because it hit my pride, especially since, at the same time, she chose another man instead of me. But I didn’t feel deeply enough for her to be devastated.”

  “I wish I could say the same.” Alana sighed and inclined her head. “I must be honest. I was at the point of not wanting to go on. Without Bridget at my side almost every moment of our journey to America, with her forcing me to live, I might have sunk into a decline and not recovered.” The emotion behind her words lingered in the air.

  Patrick sucked in a breath, not wanting to think of a world where they’d never met, where Alana had died of a broken heart.

  “I can see that I wove a fantasy around Timkin that wasn’t really love, but a picture in my mind of what love is supposed to be.” She touched her chest and rubbed a circle there. “Now, I can allow his place in my heart to be merely that of a dear friend.”

  Has she space there now for me? Patrick had never wanted anything, not even a win from Thunder’s biggest races, like he wanted to be Alana’s true love. “I’ve had my share of wild times and wasn’t ready to settle down until I came to Sweetwater Springs. But even then, it was you, my dearest Alana. You, with your sweetness and goodness, your care for my well-being, have gentled me to your hand.” Knowing he’d laid out his feelings, he waited anxiously for her response.

  * * *

  Alana couldn’t resist teasing Patrick about his analogy. “Gentled to yer hand? Like Thunder?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m being serious here. I want to marry you.”

  She sent him a mock demure glance from under her lashes.

  “I know living away from your sister will be hard. But Crenshaw isn’t far by train, and you could visit often. When I bring Thunder to service mares in the ranches around Sweetwater Springs, you could accompany me. Or I could hire James, and he and Bridget could move to live near us.”

  The extent of his thoughtfulness deeply touched her, making her tumble the rest of the way into love. But Alana wasn’t quite ready to say yes. She had a sense that he’d value her all the more for having to work for her acceptance. Besides, she wanted to tease him a bit. Picturing the Thompson and Cameron homes, Alana asked, “Does yer house have a washroom with indoor plumbing?”

  “Of course,” he said with a shrug of obvious impatience. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Then, I will consider marrying ye.”

  “You’ll consider my proposal because I have indoor plumbing?” he asked in an exasperated tone.

  “Not that ye have indoor plumbing. All humans have such,” she said playfully, touching his stomach. “But because yer house does.”

  He scowled, but his eyes showed a hint of vulnerability.

  Alana clasped Patrick’s arm, feeling the hard muscle under her hand. “Nay, love. ’Tis only an extra blessing, for I’d live with ye in a humble homestead and be grateful to do so.”

  His scowl smoothed out. “Alana,” he said, her name a sigh of relief. “‘The more I give to thee, the more I have.’”

  The line from Romeo and Juliet that he’d read while gazing at her four nights ago sounded pleasant to her ears.

  “‘For both are infinite.’” A gleam lit his eyes. “Including my home’s indoor plumbing,” he added.

  She chuckled.

  “You’re going to keep me on my toes, aren’t you?” Patrick pulled Alana into a hug and lifted her off her feet.

  Alana squealed with laughter, a sound she couldn’t recall ever making, and playfully smacked him. “Set me down, ye oaf. I’m not done talking.”

  “As her majesty commands.” He slid her down, but didn’t entirely release her, keeping a loose grip around her waist.

  Nor did she release him. Instead, she splayed her palms over his upper arms.

  “Is there something else you need to know? If you’re wondering whether the barn has an indoor washroom, the answer is no.”

  Alana pretended to pout, but she couldn’t maintain the expression, for the joy bubbling up made her smile.

  His expression grew serious. “As important, if not more important than indoor plumbing, are your medical studies. If you wish to work with the local physician or veterinarian…go away to school, then I will back you one hundred percent, even if that means living apart with only visits for a few years.”

  Happy tears misted her eyes. She’d never felt so respected and adored. “If I hadn’t met ye, I might have missed what it really is to love. I wouldn’t have thought that a big rough rancher with a scary horse would understand me so thoroughly. That he’d feel safe enough for me to become unjustly angry with.” She squeezed his arms for emphasis. “That he’d coax my secret dreams into words and guide me through my fear of horses. Whereas Timkin indulged my fears, ye helped me face them. I didn’t appreciate yer interference at the time, but now that I’ve ridden Thunder, I’ve freed myself.”

  “I can tell,” he told her with obvious pride.

  “I’ve realized how much more important it is to have a partner to help me be the best I can be as a woman and a wife.” She gave him a shy smile. “And I can be a helpmate to him in that same way…to you in that way.”

  Patrick’s eyes watered. He took a shuddering breath, roughly rubbed an arm across his face, and gathered her to him.

  The intimate feel of his body, his strength, made her feel cherished and protected.

  His eyebrow angled up. “Now can I kiss you as I’ve wanted to for days, or do you have more talkin’ to get out?”

  Alana chuckled and sent up a silent prayer of gratitude for all that had brought her to this moment. Filled with blessings and bliss,
she tilted her face to his.

  With the tender touch of his hand, Patrick cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes—into the very depths of her soul. Then he leaned down and tentatively brushed his lips against hers, as if fearing she might still pull back.

  The brief contact of his mouth sent a shiver through her. Alana rose on her tiptoes to press against him and returned his kiss with all the fervor in her heart, wanting him to know she’d finally found her way home.

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  Coming January 19th

  A Rolling Stone

  Book Three of

  An Irish Sisters Trilogy

  Abandoned by the father of her illegitimate baby and pretending to be a widow, Catriona O’Donnell leaves Ireland to find her twin sisters in America. She intends to put her wild past behind her and, once united with her sisters, establish roots and make a home for her unwanted child.

  Moss Callahan has a bad case of wanderlust, drifting from job to job on a quest for new horizons and interesting adventures. On the point of moving on from Sweetwater Springs, Montana, he encounters Catriona, who faints into his arms, forcing him to return to the Thompson ranch and his former employment.

  Moss feels responsible for the beautiful widow and her baby, and his attraction to her grows. But his wooing won’t be easy, for Catriona is bitter and wants nothing to do with men, especially handsome rascals, who won’t settle down.

  Available for pre-order on Amazon

  To My Readers,

  Thank you for patiently waiting for Alana and Patrick’s story. I know I promised it a year and a half ago, but other deadlines, a move, home renovations, and just plain fatigue, got in the way.

  I meant for An Irish Blessing to be the same length as A Valentine Choice, but Alana and Patrick’s story came out 21,000 words longer, and I suspect Catriona O’Donnell’s might as well. Sometimes characters have a will of their own, and gentle Alana sure came to have a feisty side.

  (By the way, chamomile tea is no longer recommended to sooth a colicky baby.)

  Catri, the black sheep of the family, will be reunited with her sisters and have her own romance in the third book in The O’Donnell Sisters Trilogy. I originally thought the novella would be titled Easter Reunion, but since isn’t Eastertime, I changed the title of Catri and Moss Callahan’s book to A Rolling Stone. I wanted to call the story, A Family for Flea, but my editor, Louella Nelson, convinced me to make yet another title change. Lou didn’t think Flea was a good nickname for a baby. Moss happens to agree with Lou, and A Rolling Stone does fit better on the cover. But I’m still nicknaming the baby Flea, at least while in utero.

  A Rolling Stone is available in preorder on Amazon for a January 19th release. Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter so you don’t miss any news about my books. http://debraholland.com.

  As always with my Montana Sky Series, An Irish Blessing was tied into other books—Bridget and James in A Valentine Choice and Sally and Harry in Irish Luck (a story in the anthology Montana Sky Christmas.) Elizabeth Sanders was my very first heroine in Wild Montana Sky, although the book is no longer the first in the series because I’ve added a great many stories that come earlier in time. Henrietta, Rory, and the children play a part in Healing Montana Sky, and eventually K.C. Granger will have her own book, Montana Sky Justice.

  While you are waiting for me to finish writing my stories, try reading Montana Sky Kindle World books. The Kindle World books are stories written by other authors set in Sweetwater Springs and Morgan’s Crossing, using my characters as background characters. Currently there are 24 stories, with more to come. Look for a whole new batch on December 15, 2016, just in time for the holidays—although they won’t all be holiday stories. The Kindle World tab on my website takes you to these books. Some of the authors are creating their own mini-series within mine, so scroll down and see which authors have two or more books. http://debraholland.com/kindle-worlds.html

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  To Joe:

  With thanks for the inspiration.

  In gratitude to:

  My editors:

  Louella Nelson

  Linda Carroll-Bradd,

  Adeli Brito

  who always make my stories better.

  To Delle Jacobs, friend and talented cover artist, for my beautiful covers.

  John Mitchell, for all the changes and updates made to his sister Delle’s covers.

  To Lara Asmundson, my wonderful narrator

  To my formatter:

  Amy Atwell,

  whom I always trust to do a great job.

  To my beta readers:

  My mother, Honey Holland

  My aunt, Hedy Codner

  To all my Facebook friends, especially the readers group, Pioneer Hearts,

  who make suggestions when I ask for help

  and are so eager for more Montana Sky Stories,

  I’m truly blessed to “know” you!

  Please sign up for my newsletter at http://debraholland.com/

  MONTANA SKY SERIES

  in chronological order

  1882

  Beneath Montana’s Sky

  1886

  Mail-Order Brides of the West: Trudy

  Mail-Order Brides of the West: Lina

  Mail-Order Brides of the West: Darcy

  Mail-Order Brides of the West: Prudence

  Mail-Order Brides of the West: Bertha

  1890s

  Grace: Bride of Montana

  Wild Montana Sky

  Starry Montana Sky

  Stormy Montana Sky

  Montana Sky Christmas

  A Valentine’s Choice

  An Irish Blessing

  Painted Montana Sky

  Glorious Montana Sky

  A Rolling Stone

  Healing Montana Sky

  Sweetwater Springs Scrooge

  Sweetwater Springs Christmas

  Mystic Montana Sky

  2015

  Angel in Paradise

  THE GODS’ DREAM TRILOGY

  Fantasy Romance

  Sower of Dreams

  Reaper of Dreams

  Harvest of Dreams

  Season of Renewal

  TWINBORNE TRILOGY

  Lywin’s Quest

  NONFICTION

  The Essential Guide to Grief and Grieving

  Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude: A Ten Minute Ebook

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Debra Holland is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the award-winning Montana Sky Series (sweet, historical Western romance) and The Gods’ Dream Trilogy (fantasy romance).

  Debra is a three-time Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist and one-time winner. In 2013, Amazon selected Starry Montana Sky as one of the Top 50 Greatest Love Stories.

  When she’s not writing, Dr. Debra works as a psychotherapist and corporate crisis/grief counselor. She’s the author of The Essential Guide to Grief and Grieving, a book about helping people cope with all kinds of loss. She’s also a contributing author to The Naked Truth About Self-Publishing.

  To learn more and join her newsletter list, go to http://debraholland.com.