Matchmaker 07: July

"Thanks," I mumbled around my sandwich.

"Anything for the lady," he said, the thick twang back.

He could flip the accent on and off like a switch. While he was comical when he was pouring on the accent, his deep voice was sexy as hell when he was speaking normally.

"Do you even have a cowboy hat, Tex?"

He grinned. "With me? No."

"How about at home?"

"Well..." he said with a slow, sly, smile. "I am from Texas, after all."

"And boots?"

His smile spread. "A pair or two. You can't go boot scootin' without boots."

"Boot scootin'?"

"Dancin', darlin'."

I snickered. "Got it. You own a truck, too?" I couldn't say much. I drove a Tahoe myself.

"What do you think?"

"Yes."

"Then you'd be wrong. I have a company truck, of course, but my private car? I just bought a new BMW 8 Series."

That surprised me. "I thought everyone in Texas drove a truck."

"It feels like it, even to me, but no, not everyone. There's me, and I think nine other guys, who drive a car. We've formed a support group." I snickered. "If I need a truck, I have access to plenty, but I'd rather drive a car, preferably a fast one."

"The 8 Series is fast?"

"Oh yeah," he said with a grin. "A lot faster than this weak-ass P-O-S I'm driving over here."

We finished eating, talking about trivial stuff. He was wickedly funny, easy to talk to, not to mention easy on the ears and the eyes. We tossed the wrappers into the trash can before we returned to the motorway.

By the time we reached Shannon, I was nearly out. My long day, full stomach, and the soft drone of the Jag's diesel engine tried desperately to lull me into sleep. I was yawning almost continually as we tromped up to my room, Brent lugging my bags for me.

"Here you go," he said, placing my bags on the bed. "Get some sleep. I'm right next door," he said, jerking his thumb to the room on the left, "so come get me when you wake up tomorrow."

"I might not wake up tomorrow," I yawned again.

He smiled. "Yeah, I know how you feel. Jet lag is kicking my ass too, but I at least had a little nap this afternoon."

"Thanks again for coming to get me."

"My pleasure." He took me gently by the arm and pulled me close before kissing me quickly on the lips. The kiss was fleeting, like a good night kiss after a first date, and he kept his hands to himself. I was surprised, but I didn't especially object. "Good night. Sleep well," he said before he turned, softly closing the door behind him as he left.

I didn't bother with cleaning my face or brushing my teeth. All I could think about was sleep. I quickly stripped down to nothing, not even bothering to find my nightie. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was out, but not before I smiled, thinking about how much fun this month was going to be.

I was considering going down for lunch when there was a soft rap at my door. I looked through the peephole. Easton was standing in the hall. I opened the door wide in invitation.

"Feeling better?" I asked as she entered.

"Much. Twelve hours of sleep will fix a lot of problems."

I smiled. I'd slept a sold nine hours, but Easton had gone three hours longer. "You wear glasses?"

She smiled. "Not normally, but I fell asleep with my contacts in, and I thought I'd give my eyes a break."

I liked them. They were constructed of dark plastic with a slight red tint in a rounded square shape, and they fit her face. Last night, she'd looked exhausted and harried, her short, dishwater blonde hair in slight disarray and her face tired. This morning, however, she was much more vibrant, her hazel eyes bright behind the oh-so-sexy glasses perched on her pixie nose.

There was no doubt she was all woman, but she wasn't as fully figured as women I normally chased. She was tall for a woman, perhaps five-eight or five-nine, with a slim, athletic build, and she damn sure knew how to fill out a pair of jeans. Her comfortably loose top and dress boots completed her look. She looked comfortable and confident in her own skin, and that had a sexiness all its own.

"I was about to head down and see what was for lunch. Care to join me?"

She had a terrific smile. "I'd love to. That burger didn't last long. I'm ravenous."

"Yeah, me too. Ready?"

"Sure."

I led her down to the steps. We were staying in the Avarest B&B, which only served breakfast, but while I was waiting on Easton yesterday, I'd explored the nearby area.

"Is that a miniature donkey?" she asked, tugging me toward the animal as the beast watched the world go by over his fenced enclosure.

"Jack, Easton. Easton, Jack," I said, making introductions as she scratched and petted the animal.

"He's so cute!" she squealed in delight, the animal all but smiling as she heaped affection on him. I grinned to myself. If she were petting and cooing at me like that, I'd smile too.

After she'd had her fill of Jack the ass, we made our way to one of the local pubs that had been recommended. As we entered I felt like I needed to duck since the low ceiling and exposed beams were less than a foot above my head. I was a little taller than the average guy in the United States at a fraction over six-one in my bare feet, and I was taller still than the average Irish guy I'd seen, but not that much taller. If the ceiling heights of these old buildings were any clue, the Irish used to be a lot shorter, or they were used to low ceilings. She turned for a table, but I took her arm and steered her to the bar. I'd been warned by the innkeeper that most pubs didn't offer table service.

"Menu, please, and a pair of pints."

The man smiled as he handed over two paper menus before reaching for a harp glass. "You're not from around here."

"Texas," I said, turning my accent up to full.

"Wisconsin," Easton added, pushing her own accent.

"Yanks," the barkeeps said with a grin. "Welcome to Ireland. Staying long?"

"A month," I said, dialing my accent back to normal. "We arrived yesterday."

"Enjoy your stay," the keep said as he set our beers on the bar.

I took them. "Thanks." I led her to a quiet table. "Ever had a Guinness before?"

"No. You?"

I shook my head. "Shall we?" I asked, hoisting my pint.

"When in Rome," she said, taking a sip as I did.

"Whoa!" I gasped. The beer wasn't bad, but it so thick and creamy I felt like I had to chew it. "That's no Dos Equis."

She smacked her lips and smiled. "I like it!" she said before taking another pull. "Now, that's a beer."

I grinned as I looked at the menu, my smile slowly disappearing. "This is going to be tricky."

"What?"

I flapped the menu. "Coddle? Bangers and mash? Boxty? You have any idea what any of those are?"

She looked at her menu. "Fish and chips."

I snickered. There were no descriptions, so I was totally lost. "Okay, but what's Coddle?"

She grinned. "I have no idea. Boxty?"

"I'm guessing it doesn't have anything to do with a box."

"Maybe it tastes like cardboard?"

I chuckled again. She had a wicked sense of humor. I tapped my finger against my pint. "After two or three of those, you wouldn't care."

"Then drink up," she said as she took a strong pull.

"Screw it. I'll try the coddle. What do you want?"

She dithered a moment. "Bangers and mash, I guess." She paused and smiled. "I hope mash isn't what I think of when someone says 'mash'."

"What?"

"Cattle feed, made from the byproduct of beer production."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Really. Very nutritious."

"Who knows, maybe it is then," I said with a grin as I rose to go place our orders. I returned to the table. "After we finish, I thought we'd visit Bunratty Castle. It's close."

"Sure. When Brooklyn selected me for this trip, I did some reading. Did you know that Ireland is the most castellated country in the world?"

"No."

She nodded. "Left over from when the Normans invaded."

I grunted. Castles and history weren't really my thing. We talked a little as we sipped our beer, still trying to get a feel for each other. We were talking about her time in vet school when the barkeep called.

"Texas!"

I grinned. "I wonder if he means me?" I asked as I rose. "Want another?" I added with a nod at her glass.

"Sure."

I retrieved our food and ordered another pair of pints, returning for the glasses after placing the food on the table. Bangers and mash turned out to be sausages and mashed potatoes. I couldn't help but smile that the tubes of meat were called bangers. I wouldn't mind banging her with my sausage, but I kept those thoughts private. Coddle was a kind of thin, brown, soup looking stuff, with chunks of potatoes and what appeared to be small pieces of bacon, served with a thick slice of crusty bread.

"Oh my God!" she moaned as she tucked in. "This is fantastic!"

I blew the spoonful of coddle cool and took a sip, a smile coming to my lips. I slid the bowl closer to her. "You need to try this."

She did, and smiled, just as I did. "I'm going to have to be careful or I'll gain a ton of weight in the next month."

"Maybe we'll have to try to get in some extra workouts," I said, paying rapt attention to my spoon as I struggled to keep the smile off my face.

"Maybe," she purred.

The way she said it forced me to look at her. As I did, she used her fork to bring her remaining, still whole banger, seductively to her lips before taking a vicious bite out of it and moaning softly. I couldn't help but snicker. I'd just been one upped, and I felt a tightening in my pants as blood rushed to fill my manhood.

As we finished our meal, I checked my phone. It was only four kilometers, about two miles, from where we were to Bunratty Castle. The weather outside was perfect, and I turned my phone so she could see.

"Want to walk it?"

She looked at the phone and smiled. "Oh. I thought you meant another type of exercise, but sure."

My erection had subsided, but I began to harden again with her comment. "Maybe we'll do something else later," I suggested.

She grinned but said nothing. I was impressed as hell that she'd managed to get herself to Ireland last night, without help, with everything that had gone wrong for her, but after getting to know her a little, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. Strong and confident, she was like no other woman I'd ever been with.

I paid and took her hand as I led her out of the pub. I used my phone to get my bearings, turning a slow circle until I was sure of which way I wanted to go. We walked along the narrow streets of Shannon, hand in hand, enjoying the pleasant weather.

We were starting to get more comfortable with each other, and as we walked, we talked a little about our pasts. I found out her father had died when she was only seven. An over-the-road trucker, he'd been killed in an accident when a car had side-swiped his truck. He'd gone off the road and the truck had overturned. He was still be alive when paramedics arrived, but he'd died of his injuries on the way to the hospital.

"I'm so sorry," I murmured. She obviously loved her parents, and it sounded like they had, and do, treasure her.

She shrugged, her smile sad. "It was a long time ago."

"Yeah, but still."

She nodded. "Mom never recovered. She never remarried, never dated, nothing."

"She still alive?"

"Yeah, still living in Eau Claire. She works in the admissions office of University of Wisconsin."

"That's where you're from?"

"Yeah, but I moved to Oconomowoc—"

"Gesundheit!" I interrupted, causing her to giggle.

"—to Oconomowoc when I graduated from vet school."

"How far is that from Eau Claire?"

"About three hours. I get up there and see her a few times a year. What about you?"

I waved my hand in dismissal. "Nothing interesting about me."

"Oh, no you don't. You've been pumping me for information all day. I've spilled my guts, so now it's your turn."

I smile tickled my lips. I'd like to pump her for more than information. "Nothing to tell, really. I went to work right out of high school, which you knew, and I haven't seen my mom or dad in years."

I stopped, and when it became clear I wasn't going to continue she shook her head. "Why haven't you seen your parents?"

I sighed. "Dad used to get drunk and beat Mom, then he left. Technically, they're still married, but we haven't seen him in twenty years or more. Now Mom's an alcoholic living on welfare. I've tried to help her, but she won't leave Dobbin, and all the money I sent her went straight into booze. After a couple of trips to the hospital for alcohol poisoning, I quit sending her money. I wasn't going to help her drink herself to death." She was looking at me with sympathy. "Yeah. I come from a great family."

"You made something of yourself, though," she said, her voice soft.

I shrugged. "I guess I was lucky. My big sister quit high school, then died of a drug overdose a couple of years later." I sighed again with the memory. "Mom attended the funeral, but she was drunk off her ass at the time, and Dad... he probably didn't even know or care."

"I'm... sorry. I shouldn't have pressed. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

I forced a smile. "Don't be. I've washed my hands of the whole affair. One day I'll get a call telling me Mom finally drank herself to death, and I'll finally be clear of it."

She nodded slowly. We could see Bunratty in the distance. "Well, from what I've seen, I think there was a lot more than luck involved in you getting out." I shrugged. "I'm serious. Yeah, I had to pay my way through school shoveling pizza because Mom couldn't afford it, but I never had to deal with what you did, yet you're a successful 'bid'ness' man."

I didn't want to talk about my family anymore. I smiled at her pronunciation. "Maybe."

"No maybe about it."

I shrugged again as we slowly rounded the curving path, the large grey castle looming ahead. We spent a couple of hours exploring the castle. Easton was enthralled, and though I found the castle interesting, I would have moved through the fortress much faster than she did. I didn't rush her. Seeing her so engaged made the experience more enjoyable, and when I got bored as she examined something in minute detail, I passed the time imagining beefy, swaggering, men in armor engaged in sword fights, eating roasted boar with their hands as they drank wine from tankards, or enjoying the rewards for their heroism in the bedchambers with the damsels they'd protected.

When we finished touring the castle, we moved through the grounds. That was even less interesting than the castle, and it must have been the same for Easton, because we didn't pause as often or for as long so she could study something.

Still, all in all, it was a beautiful, magical place, with the castle nestled among the greenery that was Ireland. It wasn't lost on me that the castle we saw was built before Columbus discovered America, but the original Bunratty Castle had been built two hundred years prior to that. I was having a difficult time wrapping my mind around the idea that someone's house was older than my home country, and I knew we'd see things far older before we left Ireland.

We strolled back toward the Avarest as Easton prattled on about what she'd seen. When Brooklyn suggested Ireland as a possible destination, I'd agreed without thinking. I didn't care where we went, but seeing how animated she was, it was clear Brooklyn had picked the perfect location.

"Did you suggest Ireland?" I asked when she paused for a breath.

"No. I thought it was your idea."

I woofed out a brief laugh. "No."

"Well, if it wasn't my idea, and it wasn't your idea, then who's idea was it?"

"Brooklyn's, I guess. She's supposed to be very good at her job."

She smiled and snuggled in a little closer. "I'd say her reputation is well earned."

I nodded in agreement. I assumed Brooklyn interviewed Easton as thoroughly as she had me, and there had to be something in what she said during the interview that had made Brooklyn suggest Ireland as a location. I'd never been out of the country before, and barely out of Texas.

"You ever been out of the U.S. before?" I asked.

"No, you?"

I shook my head. "Never."

She sighed. "I've always wanted to see Europe, but I've never had the time or money. So, thank you, Brent. You've made a dream come true."

It was hardly my doing, other than hiring Brooklyn and paying Easton's expenses, but I'd take the credit. "You're welcome."

We walked around Shannon, admiring the sights. The weather was so pleasant, along with the company, I could have strolled all day, but she dragged me into a pub where we could hear traditional Irish music playing. There was a live band, and we were entertained as we enjoyed a meal and a pint. I was more into Brooks and Dunn, Alan Jackson, and Shania Twain, but I had to admit that the Irish jigs they were playing were catchy and toe tapping fun.

"Can you do your boot scootin' to that?" she asked, her breath tickling my ear.

"I didn't bring my boots."

She snickered as she sat back, her hand on my thigh as I draped an arm around her shoulders.

It was almost ten when we left the pub and made our way back to the bed and breakfast. We crept up the slightly creaky steps, trying not to disturb other guests before we paused in front of her room. I slowly moved in for a kiss, giving her a chance to pull away, but she didn't. I kissed her, keeping it clean.

"Stay with me tonight," I breathed as our lips slowly parted.

She smiled, a soft smile. "Not tonight."

I was disappointed but not surprised. Some of the women I'd been with had allowed me to bed them on the first night, but Easton had more class than all them combined.

"Good night then," I whispered before kissing her again.

I kissed her with a little more passion this time, holding the kiss until she gently pushed me away. She smiled at me as she slowly chewed on the corner of her bottom lip. "I had a good time. Thank you for a wonderful day."

"Anything for the lady," I said, slathering on the twang because it never seemed to fail to make her grin. I was rewarded with another of her beaming smiles.

"Good night," she whispered, reaching behind her to open her door.

"Good night," I replied, my voice equally quiet as she gradually backed through the door, a smile still on her lips, and then slowly closed the door with a click. I smiled and walked the three steps to my own door, opened it, and stepped inside, softly closing the door behind me.

I swam up from the darkness of sleep, Brent tucked in comfortably warm at my back. I smiled to myself as I sighed. Yesterday we'd relocated from Shannon to Killarney, and as we checked in, I'd decided if he asked me to his room again, as he had the previous two nights, I'd join him.

I appreciated that he hadn't tried to force me into his bed. Each night, as he kissed me good night, he'd asked me to join him, and when I'd refused, he'd taken the refusal with a smile and a kiss. Last night I'd taken his kiss, and when he'd asked, he'd smiled for another reason.

My first impression of him had been correct. He was a stone-cold honey, and apparently it was true that everything was bigger in Texas. As we'd slowly undressed, my womanhood had become wetter in proportion to the dryness in my mouth. As we'd kissed, I'd slowly worked him out of his shirt, and holy shit, was he a hottie! He wasn't huge, not like a body builder, but he had terrific definition that would hold a girl's attention, and he certainly had mine. I'd attended a Chippendale's show once with a girlfriend for her bachelorette party, and he was the equal to any of the men on stage. More, he was hung like a bull, and I'd know.