Night Games (11 page)

“Did you get the plate number?” Brian walked over to inspect the horse.

Katy stared at him askance. “You're kidding, right?” When he didn't answer, she continued. “I thought he would zip on by, but he didn't. He got right behind me and laid on his blasted horn.” Time for another commercial break. “Stupid pea-brain.”

“And?” Brian carefully checked the harness and shafts.

Ally wondered how he could be so calm. She
was still working on her pounding heart and erratic breathing.

“That horn scared the crap out of me. Thought it would do the same to the horse. I looked over the side of that road and thought I was about to take a shortcut to heaven.” Katy walked over, pulled the horse's head up, and kissed it soundly on its surprised nose. “I'll never complain about a laid-back horse again. I figured when he heard the horn, the horse would jump and take the wagon over the edge, but he kept right on walking.”

Katy sighed and looked uncomfortable. “The horse had more sense than I did. I was scared and not thinking straight. All I could remember was that you turn the wheels into a skid.”

Okay, Ally was officially confused. “What's that have to do with anything?”

Katy glared at her. “Nothing. Anyway, I steered the horse to the right, and that damned driver wasn't expecting us to swerve into his path. He tried to go around the wagon, but he clipped us.” Katy's expression dared her to make a comment. “Knocked us against the wall.”

“Are you sure the driver was a man?” Brian patted the horse and turned to Katy.

“Well, I'm not sure. Everything happened so fast. But he drove like a man.”

“We're not going anywhere without a new wagon.” Ally glanced at Brian while Katy walked to the back of the wagon.

She didn't say it, but Brian knew they'd
reached a proving ground. Ally wanted him to use the Constructor. “Is this what you really want? Katy will find out. We could just wait until someone comes by, and you could go back to Liscannor to call the office. They'd bring out a new wagon. This accident wasn't your fault.”

Ally offered him a half smile. “Getting cold feet, Byrne? Katy will find out eventually anyway if we park at your keep while you help with my book.”

“So you've made a definite decision to stay?” The logical part of him reasoned that if she stayed there'd be no relaxing vacation. But a part of him that had never spoken up before said having Ally around would be fun. Fun? Women had never been fun. They'd been nothing more than a number on a scoreboard. Maybe it was time to explore the fun concept.

Her smile faded. “I need to write a blockbuster book about sex and the single life without going through the field-testing stage. I need to consult an expert so I can write a reasonable facsimile of the real thing. I've never tried to fool my readers before, but look where writing from the heart got me.”

She meant it as a joke, but he didn't laugh. He wanted to touch her, but he didn't. A milestone in his life. It was the first time he'd ever wanted to touch a woman and hadn't.

Ally drew a deep, steadying breath. “I guess I've found out something not so admirable about myself.
I value my writing career more than my integrity.”

Brian couldn't let that go by. He shook his head. “Not true. You simply realize your limitations and are consulting an expert. The audience you're appealing to will expect wild and sexy. Can you deliver wild and sexy?”

Her smile returned. “Wild and sexy isn't in my experience bank. How about logical and informed?”

“Won't sell books, babe.”

She nodded. “That's what I thought. Anyway, the up side of this is you're the perfect consultant. You know your subject, and you won't be around later to write a tell-all book about me. Oh, and you don't want sex or money in return. All in all, you're the perfect one-night stand.”

Her intense stare told him she'd just defined the parameters of their relationship. No sex.

Brian glanced at the Old One, still nestled in Ally's arms. “What do you think, Boss?”

The Old One's eyes gave nothing away. She was evidently opting for a wait-and-see approach.

“You have a deal.” His common sense groaned at the complete idiocy of those words.

Ally visibly relaxed. “So what about the wagon?”

Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out the Constructor. Closing his eyes, he visualized the outside of the wagon. Then he thought about the interior. Hmm. He remembered seeing
the interior of an ancient building through a Virtual Viewer a few years ago. It had fascinated him.

Brian smiled. He hadn't promised to restore the wagon to its exact pre-accident state. Ally needed some fun in her life. Not take everything so seriously. He could probably use a laugh, too. After he saw Ally's reaction, he could change the wagon back to its original interior.

Opening his eyes, he punched in the appropriate code. The ground shook, the wagon shimmered, changed, and Ally whispered a particularly interesting oath he hadn't run across when he was learning the slang for this time period. He'd have to ask her to repeat it later.

Ally's face paled, and Brian realized how hard it was for her to face the physical proof of who he was. She could write off what he'd told her as the babbling of an idiot, but she couldn't explain away what the Constructor did.

Ally slid her fingers over the wagon's side, a side without a mark where a moment before it had been scraped and dented. Her fingers shook as Katy reappeared around the side of the wagon. “If the horse had spooked, or you hadn't steered away from the cliff, Katy, we probably wouldn't be here. The driver didn't even stop to see if we needed help.”

Katy ignored her. She was staring transfixed at the wagon. For the first time since Brian had met her, Ally's great-aunt was speechless.

Katy moved closer to the wagon, but didn't reach out to touch it. “Godalmighty, what the
hell did you do to that wagon?” She turned her astonished gaze toward the Constructor, then slowly raised her eyes to Brian's face. “I came to Ireland to see ordinary stuff like ghosts, leprechauns, or the pooka. Not weird stuff like this. This I'd expect in California. How'd you do it, and what's that thing in your hand?”

Brian frowned. Had he scared her? She was old, and he hadn't thought ahead to what the shock could do to someone Katy's age. “Sorry if I frightened you.”

Ally intervened. She put her arm around her great-aunt's waist and steered her away from the wagon. “I'll explain everything.” Her comment seemed as much for Brian as it was for Katy.

Brian walked to the horse's head and absently stroked the animal's neck. The confidence his sense of touch usually brought him was absent this time. When he'd first met Ally, the thought of having to cut his vacation short and return to 2502 didn't bother him much. It was just an annoying inconvenience. But now? He wanted to stay. He wanted to know Ally better, help her write her book, even help Katy spot a few Irish fairies. Surprisingly, his desire to fix up the castle wasn't at the top of his list anymore.

This wasn't entirely good. He'd never gotten involved in any woman's life. Didn't know how. And he wasn't used to being uncertain where a woman was concerned. Besides, his time here was limited to a few weeks. It wouldn't pay to care too much about Ally's life.

No matter what his logic said, the rest of him was damned glad to see Ally and Katy returning with smiles on their faces.

Katy sidled up to him and pointed at the Constructor. “Lend me that when we get back to the castle. Got to build something.”

“What?” He hadn't expected Katy to be so unaffected by what Ally had told her. But then again, this was the same woman who sincerely believed she would meet a vampire. So he supposed a man from the future wasn't such a big deal.

“I want a john.”

John? Frantically, Brian scanned his memory for the meaning of this bit of twenty-first century slang. “You want a prostitute's client?” The beginning and end of that sentence definitely did not go together.

Katy stared at him, then grinned. “You've got a lot to learn, good-looking. I want to build a toilet. The wagon's great for traveling from town to town, but it doesn't have a toilet. Since I want to stay at your castle and find some spirits, I won't be close to any facilities. Got to have facilities.”

Brian thought about modifying the wagon but decided a toilet would take up too much space. When he got back to—

“And I want you to sit down and tell me all about your job. How does a passionate woman get to play your game? Your league have any openings for mature women? Bet they're equal
opportunity employers.” Katy looked way too hopeful.

“Come on, Katy. Let's get into the wagon.”

Brian rubbed the back of his neck to relieve the tension.
Thank you, Ally O'Neill.
He didn't think the league would survive Katy.

Ally glanced at Brian. “Thank heavens these Irish roads aren't busy or we would've been zapped a dozen times by now. I forgot that the wagon is sitting on the wrong side of the road.” She moved toward the wagon.

Brian felt anticipation building. Surprised, he savored the feeling. He'd never played a trick on anyone before. Maybe before his mother had left, but that was too long ago to remember. Definitely not after. But now? He could hardly wait. “You go into the wagon. I'll drive. But first I want to check everything one more time.”

He watched the women climb onto the wagon, then open the door to go inside. He saw the exact moment they peered inside. He wasn't disappointed.

“Ohmigod!” Ally swung around to stare at him, dropping a disgruntled Old One onto the seat.

Katy disappeared inside. “Well, isn't this nice? Looks just the way I picture
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
.”

 

 

 

 

“You have a warped sense of humor, Byrne.” Ally grimaced as she stole another quick glance into the wagon. Yep, it hadn't changed. The new décor was still overwhelmingly scarlet, reeking of sex and sin. “Change it back.” She would
not
live in a bordello on wheels.

Brian settled onto the driver's seat, picked up the reins, and clucked to the horse. The Old One slipped past Ally to join Katy inside. Ally grasped the edge of the door as the wagon rolled slowly toward the castle. “Why change it? You have to write a sexy book, so it makes sense you need a sexy environment to put you in the mood.”

“I don't need a mirrored ceiling to put me in the mood. What's sexy about waking up in the morning and seeing your hair standing on end? Sounds scary to me.” She would control her temper.
She
never
lost her temper. Even when Dave the Dork announced he was abandoning her for young-and-exciting Erica, she'd discussed the situation in a calm voice. Ally smiled. Calm didn't mean she wouldn't get even, though.

Brian shrugged. “Sleep on your side. But if anything exciting ever happens in your bed, you'll have a front row seat.” He didn't sound like a man who intended to do any redecorating soon.

Ally looked into the wagon again. Katy and the Old One had their collective noses glued to one of the many paintings that covered every bare space. “Don't worry, Katy. I'll make him get rid of those paintings.”

“Why would you do that?” Katy never took her gaze off the painting. “I like this one.” She cocked her head to the side. “Don't know if two people could do this, though.” She finally looked at Ally. “At my age, the body don't bend real good anymore.” She sounded regretful.

Ally rolled her eyes. No help from Katy, so she turned her attention back to Brian. “We have to return this wagon when we're finished with it. I can't return it looking like a pleasure palace, a . . . bordello in a barrel.”

“Guess I can understand that. Let's compromise. I still think you should wallow in sexy surroundings to get the old creative juices flowing. When I'm ready to leave, I'll change it back to the original.”

Ally's gaze narrowed. He was enjoying this way
too much. “Do you need a sensual environment to do
your
work?”

He turned his head to grin at her.

Hmm. Maybe that hadn't been a great question. She didn't need to know any more than she already did about his job.

“I can perform anywhere, sweetheart.” His soft insinuation was that wagon seats were not beyond his abilities. He returned his attention to the horse as he guided it along the dirt lane leading to the castle.

“Then why would
I
need this . . . this . . . ?” Her powers of description failed her.

“I'm a lot more talented than you are, babe.” He pulled the horse to a stop, then jumped from the wagon.

And didn't realize that he'd just put his life in grave danger.
More talented?
What an arrogant, egotistical—

“Come in and see this place, Ally. I want to fix my place up like this when we get home. Get myself a hot granddaddy and a sexy nightgown. . . .” Until now, the only thing that got Katy this excited was The Home Shopping Channel.

Ally would kill Brian Byrne for this. “Coming, Katy.” She glared at him, letting him get a foretaste of how his life would end.

He didn't seem intimidated. “Go in and look around. It'll grow on you. I'll build your bathroom before I go back to my place.”

Grow on you? Right. Sort of like scarlet mold. Sighing, she went inside the wagon.

It was worse than she'd imagined. The Old One was lying on her back, all four legs waving in the air as she studied herself in the ceiling mirrors. Katy was engrossed with the sink. What was so interesting about the sink? A sink was a sink. She'd just draw Katy outside where she could talk some sense into her and . . .

Ally saw the sink. She closed her eyes. She opened them. Nope, still there.