Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (17 page)

“You were going to be a doctor?”

He takes a seat on the side of the couch.
“Hardly, I took one year of pre-med.”

“Why did you quit?”

No longer eager to send him away anymore she
looks at him with wide eyes, full of curiosity. She wants to hear
about his life. She’s intrigued now.

Ethan’s thoughts flash to his childhood.
“When I was a child the family business was struggling. My mom was
forced to work with my dad at the office and I was left to look
after my three sisters when they were at work.” He adjusts the way
he’s sitting starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable with
sharing something so personal with her.

“You have three sisters? You’re the only
boy?” She sounds surprised.

“Yes.”

That doesn’t sound right to her. “You don’t
have a brother?”

“No.”

A look of bewilderment glosses over her
face, making him narrow his eyes in an inquisitive manner. “What’s
going on in that mind of yours?”

She tries to hide her embarrassment.
“Nothing. I was just wondering.” She’s confused. He’s never
mentioned a brother so she has no idea why she thinks he has one.
In her mind, she sees the two brothers together and they look very
much alike. For some strange reason she feels like he’s a twin or
that they’re very close in age. Where on earth is that thought
coming from? Shaking her head quickly, she tries to jiggle that
thought loose. “Are you the youngest or the oldest?

I’m the oldest.” Ethan squirms
uncomfortably, starting to feel a little vulnerable.

“My youngest sister, Kaylie, was very
premature, such a tiny little thing, no bigger than a lady bug, and
always so sick. She almost died from the complications of a high
fever when she was a little over a year old.” He was just a child
himself at the time and he shudders at the memory of her lying
lifeless in the bed she shared with two other sisters in the cold,
cramped family home in the country, where they moved to save
money.

Olivia listens, watching him as he tries to
hide his emotion behind a masculine veil. “I would never have
forgiven myself if she had died on my watch.” He looks off into the
distance avoiding eye contact with her.

Starting to feel compassion for him, Olivia
sits up and leans in against him. For a moment, he’s hesitant, but
he puts his arm around her tucking her in under his arm and presses
her snuggly against the hard muscles of his chest. He feels
tightness in his belly and he’s not sure if it’s because he’s
talking about his past or if it’s being this close to her. The back
of her head rests on his shoulder and she reaches for his hand. ”No
parent should ever place that much responsibility on a child,
Ethan.”

“They had no choice.” He shrugs his
shoulders. “I spent my teenage years looking after bumps and
scrapes, broken bones and broken hearts. When I finished high
school I thought that’s what I wanted to do. Fix people.”

Well that makes sense, she thinks. When she
starts to caress his hand with her thumb in a soothing gesture, he
nuzzles his chin against her head. Her touch is so warm and tender
it stirs something inside him. He stops talking and matches the
rhythm of her breathing. Why does it always feel like there’s an
electric charge running through his body when she’s near?

“So you took a year of pre-med... then
what?”

“Like I said, my parents were struggling
financially. I had to work in order to put myself through school. I
took odd jobs wherever I could. I ended up in a small sales office
working on commission. That’s where I learned that I had a gift for
business.”

She’s amazed. “Wow!”

“I changed focus and after my first year the
company I was working for was so impressed with my grades that they
paid my full scholarship so I could pursue my business degree. Then
they hired me full time.”

“Really? Was that at Aurora?”

He looks down to find that she has now
intertwined her fingers with his and is holding his hand. That
electricity zings through his blood stream, making him feel warm.
“Yes, at Aurora. I owe them everything and I almost screwed it up.”
He starts to tense. He shouldn’t have brought that up, now she’s
sure to have questions. “But that’s enough about me. It’s a really
boring story really.”

“Do you regret not being a doctor?

“No, not really. I’m really good at what I
do. I’ve made money and been able to help my parents. I still work
with the emergency response team… or I do, when I’m in Ireland.
I’ve applied here to work as part of the volunteer emergency and
rescue team, but I haven’t heard back from them yet.”

Looking over at the shelf by the TV, she
sees her sister’s picture and she becomes curious about his. “What
are your sister’s names?”

“Madison is the oldest; she’s two years
younger than me and then McKenna. Kaylie is the youngest. I was 14
when she was born. My mom thought she was going through menopause,
so that pregnancy was a shock to my parents.”

“’I would guess so!” Olivia is touched by
the vulnerability Ethan shows her while he shares his life with
her.

“Kaylie was a twin.” He offers, not knowing
why he suddenly has the urge to tell her everything. That’s
something that he never even shared with Jessica. He becomes
nervous when he realizes that this woman wields a lot of power over
him. Too much, he worries. He’s never wanted to share the details
of his life with someone before and it’s making him feel more than
a little unnerved.

Olivia is surprised. “Was?”

“Yes, my mother was very sick during the
pregnancy and had complications that caused her to go into labor
before she was full term. Kaylie’s twin, Katelyn, died shortly
after she was born. She went into distress and the hospital wasn’t
equipped to deal with the needs of a baby that premature. It was
really tough on the family.”

The door swings open, startling them both.
Rachel stops dead at the sight of them cuddling on the couch.
Olivia sits straight up, realizing how it must look when Rachel
flashes her a look that basically says ‘what the heck are you
doing?’

Olivia pulls her hand away from his. “You’re
lucky Ireland. Reinforcements have arrived.”

“I guess I can leave now.” He looks
disappointed as he stands up and heads to the table, closes his
laptop and stows it in his duffle bag. Rachel stops him and asks
for the update on the medication routine as he makes his way to the
door.

“Did she do what she was told?”

Ethan gives her a wicked grin. “Yes, every
four hours… she did EXACTLY what I told her to do.”

The words are no sooner out of his mouth
when he’s hit square in the face with a cushion from the couch,
lobbed at him by an extremely perturbed Olivia.

“You wish, Ireland!”

Ethan snickers and tosses the cushion to
Rachel. “I think that’s my cue to leave.”

“Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.”
Olivia growls from the couch.

Ethan gets Rachel’s attention and nods his
head in the direction of the door, indicating that he wants to
speak to her outside. She follows him out and closes the door.

“What’s up?” She’s concerned.

“She doesn’t remember much about the last
couple of nights. I thought it was best not to tell her.”

“Really? She doesn’t remember?” Rachel is
surprised.

“No. She has vague memories of the bath and
she’s asked a few questions but I kind of played it off as if it
was just a dream induced by the fever.”

Rachel agrees. “Good call.”

“So I’ll leave her in your hands and get on
my way. Please make sure she eats some soup or something.” Ethan
looks dejected and Rachel wonders if it’s because he’s had no sleep
for two nights or if it’s because he doesn’t want to leave. She
holds out her arms for a hug to thank him for all he’s done.

When he’s gone, Rachel walks over to the
couch and stands in front of Olivia demanding an explanation.

“OK Seriously? What’s going on with
you?”

“Nothing.” She pretends that she doesn’t
know what Rachel is talking about.

“Don’t give me that crap, lady. First you
beg me not to leave you here with him. Then I get here and you’re
cuddling on the couch together. THEN not two seconds later you’re
throwing things at him and being rude.”

Olivia gets defensive. “I wasn’t rude.”

“Yes, you were. Ethan has been here for two
days looking after you, and you are no picnic let me tell you.
Instead of thanking him you tell him not to let the door hit him in
the ass?” Rachel scolds her and Olivia realizes that she probably
deserves it.

“I can’t help it. He makes me so angry.”

Rachel sits beside her. “Did you ever think
that maybe he makes you angry because you actually LIKE him?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Olivia snaps.

“Whatever… if you didn’t care about him you
wouldn’t let him get you so riled up.”

She thinks about it for a moment and frowns.
“Things would never work out between us.”

“Why?“

“I don’t know… he’s rude… and bossy. Girls
fall all over him and his ‘look at me I’m Irish’ accent.” She
pauses. “Besides he doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would
be happy to settle down with one girl.”

Rachel looks at her in astonishment.
“Really? That’s the best you’ve got? I think you should give him a
chance. He’s smart and successful and an extremely sexy man. Scott
says he’s taken quite an interest in you. He said that you are the
most beautiful woman he has ever seen.” She pokes Olivia playfully
in the arm. “Just get to know him a little better before you kick
him to the curb. Ok?”

Look at her friend being all sincere in
pleading Ethan’s case. “I don’t think that’s going to happen, Rach.
Every time I talk to him he says something so ridiculous that it
makes me want to stomp REALLY HARD on his toes.”

Rachel laughs.

“Did he really tell Scott that he thinks I’m
beautiful?” She’s drawn in for a moment and.

Rachel celebrates inside. There is hope
after all. Now all she has to do is keep her away from Noah.

“Yup, that’s what he told Scott.” Rachel
gets up and heads for the kitchen. “Ethan says you need to eat so
I’m going to make you some soup.”

Olivia’s head is spinning. She doesn’t know
what to think anymore. Just a few days ago she had decided that
there was something dangerous about him and that she needed to stay
away. Now she’s seen a very different side of him. One that’s
tender, kind and gentle. She looks to see if Rachel is out of
sight, then picks up her phone, and sends him a text.

From Olivia: Hey, thank you for looking
after me. Sorry about the pillow to the face 

Almost instantly, she receives a reply.

From Ethan: No worries beautiful. I’m glad
you’re feeling better.

Ethan gets back to Scott and Rachel’s house
and tosses his bag on the floor in his room. Stepping into the
shower he lets the warm water rain down onto his sore and aching
muscles. He hadn’t realized just how tired he is. Thoughts of
Olivia linger in his mind as he rinses the lather from his hair.
When he’s finished drying off, he pulls on a pair of athletic
shorts and props up the pillows on the bed. Settling in, he turns
on the TV, opens his laptop, and answers emails until his eyes are
tired and sore. He closes them tightly and pinches the bridge of
his nose trying to relieve some of the pressure. Sighing heavily,
he leans his head back against the wall with a thud.

Thinking about Olivia again, his erection
tents his boxers. It doesn’t matter how hard he tries to put her
out of his mind. He’ll have to figure out what he’s going to do
about her. He can’t ignore the fact that he’s been dreaming about
her, since he arrived here in Canada. The minute she got out of her
car at that soccer game, it was as if she walked right out of his
dreams. He didn’t understand it. Didn’t want to. All he knows right
now is that after being with her the past few days, staying away
from her is no longer an option. He can’t. He won’t.

It’s been several days since the stubborn
infection knocked Olivia off her feet. Finally feeling better, she
wanders around the house feeling bored and lonely and decides to
call Rachel. “Hey, I’ve got to get out of this house. I’m going
crazy.”

“Don’t you dare even think about coming to
work on a Monday if you don’t have to!”

The same small brick townhouse that has kept
her safe for the last three years now feels like a prison.
“Honestly, Rachel. I can’t stand being stuck here another
minute.”

“Well don’t come in here for heaven’s sake.
It’s bad enough that you insist on working from home. Scott said
they dropped your car off this morning, why don’t you go for a
drive and get some air? Maybe do some retail therapy?”

Olivia opens the door to the back yard and
sees her car in the driveway. There’s an envelope on the back porch
and based on the lump in it, she assumes it holds the keys. “That’s
actually a pretty good idea. Do you want to go with me?” Fumbling
to open the package, she dumps the keys into her hand.

“Sorry, sweetie. I’m stuck here.” Rachel is
a little distracted, shuffling papers on her desk.

“You suck!”

“I love you too, but I’ve gotta go.” The
phone goes silent and Olivia knows that she has been hung up on.
Something Rachel is known to do when she’s finished with a
conversation. She heads upstairs and looks at herself in the
bathroom mirror. Yuck! She makes a face as she reaches over and
turns on the shower. Being sick sure makes a girl ugly. The water
is warm and soothing and the soapy bubbles smell so good.

Dressing in a pair of casual slacks and a
pink, frilly tank top, she feels like a new woman, strong and
healthy. Grabbing her purse, she heads out the back door and is
startled by the flutter of wings as they whiz past her head and
lands on the fleet car parked beside her Mustang. The little green
bird chatters at her like its trying to give her an important
message, hopping frantically back and forth on the hood of the
silver grey car. “Are you trying to tell me something bird?”