Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series

Book 1 in the Bound for Ireland Series:

Sometimes the one you need,
is exactly the one you want! You only have to choose to
believe
.

Smashwords Edition

Intractable Souls : Book 1 in the Bound for
Ireland Series

Copyright © 2013 Tricia Daniels

ISBN:
9781301112692

All rights reserved

This literary work may not be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or
photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express
written permission. All characters and events in this book are
fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is
strictly coincidental. The Licensed Art Material is being used for
illustrative purposes only; any person depicted in the Licensed Art
Material, is a model.

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution
of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright
infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is
investigated by the F.B.I. and is punishable by up to 5 years in
federal prison and a fine of $250,000.”

This book contains material that is only
suitable for mature readers. It contains scenes of a sexual nature
between two or more consenting adults.

This book is a work of fiction. All
characters, places and events are from the author's imagination and
should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, events or places, is purely coincidental.

To my sons, who tolerated the missed dinners,
the messy house and did their own laundry (Even before I started
writing). You are beyond a doubt the best thing to ever happen in
my life. And to my Mom, for ignoring my moods and loving me
unconditionally, even when I wasn't at my best.

Miss you Dad, with all my heart.

To all my friends and cousins who put up with
the endless tears, laughter and anxiety. I love you all from the
west coast to the east coast and everyone close to home.

Ireland, September 1923. The gentle breeze
brings along with it, the aroma of crisp fall air and the fragrant
green apples from the nearby orchard. Sunshine cloaks the chill in
the air on the first day of the brand new school year. The sounds
of laughter and children playing fill the yard of the small Irish
country school. Younger boys rush around rough housing, while the
girls in their pinafores gather on the other side of yard.

The older boys organize a game of baseball
over on the grass. The older girls hover close by, whispering and
giggling, most likely about the older boys. In particular, the two
who have taken charge of organizing the game, Owen Jamison and his
brother, Liam. After all, their father owns half the nearby town,
so no one would dare question their authority. The Jamison family
can afford the finer things in these times, but their father
insists that the boys work in either the factory or the stables,
wherever they’re needed. Hard work and a healthy appetite over the
summer has turned them into two very handsome, well toned and
muscular young men. Something that has not gone unnoticed among the
girls.

The Jamison brothers proclaim themselves as
captains and choose their teams from the scruffy bunch of hopefuls
standing in front of them. Getting down to the final two, Owen
scrutinizes them closely. Tough choice. The blacksmith’s son, whose
one eye always seems to be pointing in the opposite direction of
the other… or the new kid, a rather small, fragile looking boy
wearing ill-fitting clothes that look like they belong to an older,
much larger brother. There is something strange about the boy that
Owen can’t seem to put his finger on. He squints, looking back and
forth between them while he considers his choice. “New kid, you’re
with me.” Liam groans at the choice and Owen flashes him a grin,
rubbing it in.

The red headed boy with all the freckles
snickers at the new boy. Making fun of his clothes and the fact
that he’s not wearing any shoes. Owen defends him several times,
but the teasing continues throughout the entire game. “He throws
like a girl.” He shouts, holding his stomach in laughter, during
one of the plays. Silently the new boy glares at him with something
wicked brewing in his eyes.

The score is close, making Owen’s
competitive nature bubble to the surface. The bases are loaded and
the new kid is up to bat. Owen’s muscles tense, nervous about his
abilities. Liam’s team relaxes and starts to chirp him, certain
that they have no worries. “Easy Out!” Someone hollers from the
outfield. “Everybody move in.” The first two pitches are low and
wide and he steps back away from rock that marks the make shift
home plate. Owen stands along the first base line, his arms crossed
and his stance widened with anxiety. The new kid looks over at him,
nods his head and smiles.

On the next pitch, he leans in and cracks
the bat, the sound as he connects with the ball, echoes across the
field. Faster than a greyhound, he’s around the bases, chasing the
other runners as they try to get home. All the boys stand frozen,
their heads looking upwards at the ball that is long gone, over the
fence and into the nearby farmer’s field.

Liam’s mouth hangs open as defeat greets him
through his brother’s victorious eyes and devilish smirk. The
school bell rings, signaling the end of the game. Cursing under his
breath, Liam and the rest of the boys head towards the schoolhouse.
Stopping to put on his shoes, the new kid lags behind. Owen is just
entering the doorway when he hears the red headed farm boy begin to
tease him again. He shakes his head, preparing to take his seat
when he hears the piercing sound of girls screaming and the boys
start to chant. “FIGHT!”

Everyone pushes, trying to get back outside
to watch. Owen, being one of the older, stronger boys, shoulders
past everyone to get to the action. Through the dusty cloud of dirt
that has been thrown up from the scuffle he finds the red head,
flat on his back. Holding him down, the new kid unleashes a few
quick punches, causing his nose to bleed. Owen crosses his arms in
front of him and feels a small amount of satisfaction in that the
obnoxious farm boy deserves what he’s getting. He has no patience
for bullies. When the teacher screeches for it to stop, she looks
to Owen, giving him a silent plea to step in and break up the
fight.

Wrapping his thickset biceps around the
small boy from behind, he lifts him with little effort and pulls
him away. Trying to break free with all his might, he makes Owen
tighten his grip around his chest and hold him back. A strange
expression washes over Owen’s face as he drags him off to the side.
What the? Something is not quite right. Liam pulls the red headed
farm boy to his feet. Brushing off the dirt, he mutters one more
insult.

Rage rushes through the new boy like a wild
fire. Lunging for him again, he struggles to get free of the
muscular cage that has him trapped. Owen pulls him back and
restrains him, holding his small body firmly against his chest. As
the boy struggles beneath him, Owen notices something very wrong
and confusion crosses his face again.

Demanding that they return to school, the
teacher raises an unimpressed eyebrow at the new boy as Owen
releases him. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, behind everyone
else, Owen grabs his elbow from behind and pulls him around the
side of the building, where no one can see or hear. Looking him
over suspiciously, he makes the new kid blush. “Is there something
you want to tell me?” Owen is going to address the issue
immediately.

“No!” He looks down at the ground, avoiding
eye contact.

Owen shakes his head. “Hmmm.” Stepping
forward, he stands directly in front of him, watching the nervous
reaction as he lifts his hand and lightly brushes it across his
chest. Raising his eyebrows, his expression confirms his
suspicions. There may be many things that Owen doesn’t know about
the world around him, but he most certainly knows the difference
between boys and girls. Underneath these loose fitting boys
clothing there is definitely a girl. A curvy, voluptuous girl at
that! Gently brushing his thumb across the swell of her breast, he
watches her face turn red and her chest rise and fall with a sharp
intake of breath. Owen’s pants start to bulge at her reaction to
him. Pressing his finger under her chin he forces her to look up
into his meadow green eyes, and a ghost of a smile haunts his face.
“Are you sure?” Reaching up he removes her baseball cap, letting
her long curls fall to her shoulders, and gives her a playful
boyish grin. Closing her eyes, she lets out a heavy breath. Owen
runs his fingers through her hair, smoothing through the tangles
and pulling it forward. “Now why would you want to hide such
beautiful hair?”

Shrugging, she forces herself to look up at
him, her hazel eyes locked to his. He stares at her for a long time
with a strange, unsettling smile on his face. “You know, girls
aren’t supposed to run around in bare feet and play baseball.”

“I know.” Frozen where she stands, she
wishes he would take his hand off her breast and back up a bit. His
muscular body is way too close and she can’t think straight while
he’s touching her.

“You’ve got one hell of a swing.” Chuckling,
he moves his hand from her breast and scratches his head, looking
at her curiously. “How does a girl, no bigger than a jack rabbit,
hit a ball like that?”

“Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I
can’t hit a baseball.” She challenges.

“True. Girls shouldn’t be starting fights
with boys either.”

She grits her teeth and folds her arms in
front of her. “He made me angry.”

Owen laughs. “What’s your name?”

She looks away. Why does she feel nervous
around him? “Elizabeth O’Connor.”

Handing her back her hat, he grins. “Well,
Elizabeth O’Connor, my name is Owen Jamison and I have a feeling,
that you and I are going to be really good friends.

Owen was right. He and Elizabeth become very
good friends. Inseparable. Wherever Elizabeth finds herself, Owen
is always there by her side. Liam often teases his brother about
it, taunting him by singing childish rhymes about boys and girls
kissing. It earns him more than a few ass kickings. Usually from
Elizabeth.

It doesn’t matter if it’s fishing, studying,
music, sports or taking turns reading aloud from a book he has
chosen from his father’s library while sitting underneath the large
tree in the front yard. They are perfect for each other. Equals in
every way. Best friends. The universe has brought them together for
a reason.

Winter makes it much more difficult to spend
time together but Owen finds ways to be with her whenever he can.
He doesn’t feel complete when they’re apart. When spring arrives,
it finds Elizabeth transformed into a beautiful, feminine, young
woman. Brushing her hair and leaving it down across her shoulders,
wearing dresses and even shoes. Sunny days are spent together
laying in the meadow and talking about their dreams or walking
along the river holding hands and feeding the birds. Owen is
silently aware of the changes in Elizabeth and the subtle shift
taking place in their relationship. Elizabeth, well she feels her
friendship grow into something that feels suspiciously like
love.

As the end of the school year nears, the
senior students prepare for the graduation ball. It’s the social
event of the year and all the girls are aflutter about it. All the
girls, except for Elizabeth O’Connor. She’s brought it up a few
times with Owen, but he really doesn’t seem interested in talking
about it. If Owen isn’t interested in attending, then she won’t go
either.

Staying after class, Owen helps the teacher
with a few chores. Hearing a loud ruckus from outside, he looks up
to see Liam appear at the doorway, winded. “You better come
quick.”

Moving towards the doorway, Owen shows his
concern. “What’s going on?”

“It’s your girl. She’s gotten herself into
another brawl.”

Owen curses and takes off at a quick pace
towards the crowd. Pushing his way through the cheering group of
onlookers, he finds Elizabeth scuffling with one of the girls.
Immediately he intervenes. “Elizabeth!” Grabbing her, he pulls her
to the side, almost tossing her. Stepping in front of her, he
stalls her attack. She can’t catch her breath and her hands are
trembling from the adrenaline that’s still pulsing through her
veins like a violent storm. “What’s going on?” He demands.

With teeth clenched tightly and murder in
her eyes, she can’t speak. Grabbing her by the arm, he tugs her
forcefully to the side of the building and away from the crowd.
“Would you calm down and tell me what happened?”