Blind Love (Cowboys & Angels 5)

“I looked it up,” she said with a huge grin. “I means…ready for this? She who intoxicates.”

We all let out a gasp. “Wow,” I said as I looked over to the entrance of Cord’s Place and then back down the street to Maebh’s restaurant. The sign read Aisling.

“Aisling?” I asked as Waylynn shook her head.

“It’s pronounced, Ash-ling. Jonathon said it means vision or dream.”

“That’s beautiful…” Corina and I said at once.

“Y’all should see the inside. You feel like you’re stepping back in time. The mahogany is amazing. Jonathon had to hire a guy from Dallas to come down and bring Maebh’s vision to life. There are shelves she plans on filling with books.”

“Books?” Corina asked, confused, just like me.

Waylynn nodded and motioned for us to follow her. “Come on. Let’s see if we can peek inside.”

When we walked up, the lights were on but you couldn’t really see into the place.

Waylynn cupped her hands around her face as she peeked into the windows. “Her vision is for people to come during the day, grab a coffee, a sandwich and relax. Hence, the books.”

The front door opened and a beautiful woman stepped out. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. She wore overalls that had paint covering almost every square inch. She didn’t look to have on even an ounce of make-up, and she certainly didn’t need it. She had the most beautiful green eyes I’d ever seen.

She smiled the sweetest smile ever. “Hello. How are you ladies doing?”

“I love your accent!” I blurted out while the other girls all laughed.

“And I love yours!” she replied.

“Sorry to bug you, Maebh. I was trying to give the girls a peek. We were headed to Cord’s Place.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? How fun.”

“Would you like to join us?” Paxton asked.

Maebh’s cheeks flushed. Interesting. Was that excitement about being asked to hang out with the girls, or was that because she would get to see Cord?

Amelia squealed. “Yes! Please do, I’d love to get to know you better! Plus, you haven’t met Harley. Our town vet!”

I chuckled and stuck my hand out to shake Maebh’s.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hear you’re adding a restaurant!”

She nodded. “Would you all like to come in for a tour?”

The five us responded with an overly excited, “Yes!”

Maebh laughed and motioned for us to follow her in. The first thing I noticed were the old, wide plank floors. I remembered them from the pharmacy that used to be here. As a little girl I would try and keep my feet on one plank as I walked.

Lifting my gaze, I took in the beautiful blue walls. They matched the paint on Maebh’s overalls.

“These bookcases are stunning!” Corina said as she made her way over to them.

“Thank you! My inspiration came from a picture of some bookcases that are in our home back in Ireland.”

Corina faced her. “You still have a home in Ireland?”

“Oh, yes. It’s been in my father’s family for years.”

“Wow, that’s sort of cool knowing you have a place to stay if you want to go back.”

Maebh smiled and nodded. “There will be a bit of a sitting area here in front of the cases. I want to open for a few hours in the mornings a few times a week, for those who’d like to come in for coffee and relax.”

“Great idea!” Paxton said.

We moved through the place, taking it all in as Maebh gave us a tour.

Amelia turned to Maebh. “It seems like it will be really cozy, yet have an elegance to it.”

“I hope so. That’s the look I’m going for.”

Looking up, I couldn’t help but notice the amazing crown molding. “This used to be the old pharmacy, but I do not remember that crown molding.”

Maebh laughed. “It had been covered up. Jonathon’s workers discovered it. You should see it up in the sitting room.”

“Sitting room?” Amelia asked.

With a wide grin, she motioned for us to follow her up the old wood steps. “This part of the restaurant is nearly finished.”

The moment I stepped off the last step, I was in awe.

“Holy shit,” Waylynn gasped. “Jonathon told me it was beautiful, but he didn’t say it was stunning!”

“What is a sitting room, Maebh?”

“I guess it would be like your bar, not like Cord’s Place. It’s more of a cocktail bar. So, if you are early for dinner, or even after dinner, you would come up here and order perhaps my father’s famous whiskey and have a bit of craic.”

“Crack? What kind of place are you running, Maebh!” Paxton said with a wink.

“It’s spelled, c-r-a-i-c, but yes, pronounced like your crack. It means good conversation. High-spirited fun.”

“I love this idea!” Paxton said. “For those who don’t really want the atmosphere of Cord’s Place, you can come here. I can totally see me and Steed coming up here and relaxing on a date night.”