In this enchanting follow-up to Mulligan Stew, award-winning author Deb Stover returns to the sprawling Irish countryside, where just a dash of magic on an ancient isle can spark the fiery depths of love and passion…
Maggie Mulligan is thrilled to be back in Ballybronagh, surrounded by her lively Irish clan. All she wants is to raise enough money to keep the local school open so she can keep her teaching job. So why is she suddenly preoccupied with the mysterious American who has come to Ballybronagh?
Working undercover has taken former New York City police detective Nick Desmond to Ballybronagh, where he plans to gather enough evidence to take down his father’s killer. But it isn’t long before Nick feels torn between his long-held yearning for revenge and his overwhelming desire for the beautiful schoolteacher. If he isn’t careful, his longing for Maggie will overtake him, generating repercussions that are far more dangerous than his original mission…
51 Amazon Reviews, 4.5 of 5 star average. Multi-award-winning book originally published by Penguin in 2003 as part of the Irish Eyes imprint.
"Where in America are you from, Nick?" she asked, needing to break the spell that had woven itself around them.
"New York. Born and raised. I guess that's no secret."
Aye, but something is. Why was she so certain of that? More importantly, why did she want to spend time with him despite that certainty?
Then he touched her hand again and it took Maggie a few heartbeats to recover from the shock of awareness. "Dance?" she finally whispered. Why couldn't she put two intelligent words together around this man?
"Right. Dance." He gazed toward the tall windows, open to the evening air.
An almost full moon cast a silver streak across the water. "'Tis beautiful," she said, drawing a shaky breath as the music surrounded them, wrapping them in a cocoon of intimacy.
"Beautiful." He dropped his hands to her waist. "You're going to think I'm crazy, and I'm not so sure you'd be wrong."
Maggie bit her lower lip, baffled by the powerful pull she felt toward this man. "Tell me."
"There's something about you. It's like... I know you, but I don't."
Her blood pulsed hotly through her veins as if a potent drug had overtaken her senses. He took a step closer, lowering his face toward hers. His breath was warm against her, and the thrumming of her pulse grew stronger, louder, more demanding. A deep longing eased through her.
"Not now. Not here," she whispered, still vaguely aware of the crowded dance floor and her family's presence.
"Not here," he agreed, his expression intense. "Soon."
She nodded, for she could do nothing more as they began to dance. Aye. He would kiss her.
There was no force on earth powerful enough to stop this. To stop him.
To stop them.
