To Love A Wild Irishman

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Surely ya aren't still angry at me?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes as she shifted in the stage coach seat and tried desperately to ignore the constant rambling of Finnegan in her ear.

"Little Cass, Little Cass give me a grin. Ya cannot stay mad at your best pal Finn."

Cassandra tried desperately to disguise the short bark of laughter that left her chest as a cough but the amusement in Finnegan's voice when he spoke again let her know that she had failed. "Ya know I love ya, Little Cass. Ya cannot stay angry at me forever for one foolish slip of my tongue. Ya know I have no control over the damned thing and it's gotten me in more trouble than a little. Ya know I....."

"Oh for the love of God would you simply tell the man you are no longer angry at him so he will cease speaking! He has not stopped for hours!"

"Yes, it's nearly as annoying as the two you bickering for five days straight was!" Cassandra snapped back at the elderly woman causing her to lay her hand over her abundant bosom and gasp while her companion covered her over nourished belly and declared how horrid Cassandra and her friends were.

Cassandra was fighting laughter with a fierce desperation as she turned and fixed her gaze on Finnegan. He seemed unflustered by the tension in the stage coach as he sat across from her and smiled imploringly. "Please say ya aren't angry."

Cassandra sighed. It was no use even pretending to be angry at the giant buffoon. He hadn't truly done anything wrong... it was her own guilt over her dishonesty causing her to take what he'd said as something more than it was.

"I'm not angry at you, Finn."

"Glad you both got that worked out," Skinny man grumbled.

"Me too," Finnegan agreed. He reached across the space separating his knees from Cassandra's and took her hands. "Ya know ya mean more to me than--" he paused and glanced around. "--than anythin' else."

Cassandra looked into her eyes and found that she believed him. Suddenly she felt very foolish and cruel for keeping this secret about the map from him. Finnegan wouldn't simply turn his back on her. He loved her. She claimed to have faith in him but was not doing very well in proving that. The map and the treasure might be what had brought him back to her but it wasn't what would keep them together. Besides, Finnegan was resourceful and she was learning to be as well. They would figure the map out together or find someone else who could.

"Finn, there's something really important I need to talk to you about as soon as we have some time alone, okay?"

Finnegan dropped to his knees, elbowing skinny man's leg in the process, and rested his head on her knee. "Are ya alright?"

"I'm fine, I promise." Cassandra glanced at the grumbling patrons inside the stage coach. "But you won't be in a matter of moments if you don't stop angering everyone."

"I don't know how you've managed to stay cooped up in here for all these days." Finnegan shook his head. "The company is dreadful."

"Finnegan!" Cassandra snapped but before she could further scold him cries of alarm came from the driver and shot gunner up front and Seamus' voice was filling the air,

"What do you folks want?"

Finnegan's entire demeanor changed. His body stiffened as he moved to the window, practically laying across the lap of the former bickering women as the stage came to a jerking halt.