A bittersweet expression stole over the man’s face. “That it is, Hudson. That it is. This property has been in my family for nine generations. If the acquisition takes place, it will be the first time in over two hundred years the property hasn’t been majority owned by someone in the family. Ever since my brother moved away last year, it’s just been me in charge. It’s not the same.”
His words stayed with me long after he’d left to arrange my tour guide. As I finished the last bites of my food, I realized how important it was I keep the purpose of my visit to myself. If this historic brewery and inn had been in the Murray family for that long, there was no telling how upset the locals would be when they learned it could be majority owned by an American investment firm within weeks.
The woman in the apron asked if I needed anything else.
“No, thank you. I’m all set. I just need to know where to find my tour guide.”
She smiled up at me. “Och, that’d be Charlie. You can find him in the bar across the way.”
Charlie.
No.
No no no.
4
Charlie
Charlie’s Revelation:
Everyone has daddy issues.
It was way too early in the morning when my uncle’s text came: Need you to do a tour. Be here by nine.
Fuck. Here and I was enjoying a nice lie-in with thoughts of the tall American with the sexy eyes. So much for that. Dev probably wanted me to take a group of old ladies around. They were the only tourists who came to the pub that early in the morning.
I texted back: Make Cait do it. I did the last one.
His response wasn’t wrong: She sucks at it. You’re way better. This is a financial analyst doing an assessment for me. Need it to be good.
Fuckity-fuck.
I rolled out of bed and made it into the shower. A businessman. Even worse. I hated those types. And they usually had absolutely no interest in the history and details of the place. They mostly wanted to see the numbers or drink the beer. Or chase after my sister.
I wondered if I needed to shoot Cait a warning text that there were business blokes around this morning. Nah, maybe I’d wait and see who they were first.
After dressing and shoving down a quick bite, I made a tea to go and began the long walk along the footpath to the B&B. The sun was up, but the October air was fresh and cold. My dog trotted along the path ahead of me, up and back, up and back, until she settled down to the familiar distance.
By the time I arrived at the front desk, I’d decided to keep my eyes open in case I was lucky enough to catch a glance of the American again. There was something about Hudson Wilde that had captivated me the night before. He’d looked vulnerable in some kind of way I couldn’t quite identify. I wondered if he was simply out of his comfort zone by being in rural Ireland. I’d heard many times how few Americans were interested in international travel. Maybe he was one of them. Maybe he wasn’t comfortable in a strange place with strange customs. Either way, I was anxious to catch another glimpse of him and hopefully even more than that.
A quick fuck with the man would be pretty bloody amazing. But, in typical me fashion, I couldn’t help but also wonder what caused his eyes to look so lost and why he’d mentioned his brothers when he’d been flirting with me the night before. While I would have pegged him as straight the minute he sat down, by the time I walked him up to his room, I’d realized how wrong my initial impression had been. He’d flirted and blushed at me all night. He’d called me beautiful.
He’d called me his.
And fuck if that hadn’t made me a bit loopy inside.
Stupid.
“Ah, Charlie, there you are. Your man is here ready for you to take round.”
I hadn’t realized just how off in my head I’d wandered until I heard Liv’s voice calling me from the reception counter in the lobby.
“Huh?” I asked before remembering the purpose of my early-morning arrival. “Oh, right. Yes. I’m ready. Who do you have for me?”
I should have known. Of course it was him.
Hudson stepped out from the far side of a postcard carousel and caught sight of me. His eyes widened comically, and a deep blush seeped up the sides of his neck.
“Oh,” he said. “Oh, uhh… hi. I mean, ah, hi. Hello.”
Oh my god, what a dote. The man was the cutest fucking thing on the planet.
“Hi,” I replied with a grin. “How are you feeling this morning, Hudson?”
Was it possible for him to blush more? If so, he did.