To Love A Wild Irishman

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty

"Shite, Cassandra, have ya gone completely daft?!" Finnegan demanded.

Two days had passed since Morgan had taken Cassandra and they had been laying low in town simply recovering from the stress and fear they'd lived through. They hadn't seen a single sign of Morgan, Nick or Ben and Cassandra knew that the three men had not been in town because Seamus and Calvin had been on high alert for them under strict orders from Finnegan.

"No, Finnegan, I am not daft. We cannot avoid the situation forever."

"I think we can and I think we can do it quite nicely," Finnegan countered as he flopped down on the bed. "Runnin' from problems is somethin' I'm rather good at."

Cassandra rolled her eyes and slapped his legs off the bed, though it was too late to save the bedspread from the mud that had been on the bottom of his boots. "What are you so afraid of?"

"Bein' shot, hanged, burned at the stake."

"My father will not burn you at the stake!"

"Ah, you're right, Little Cass, that t'would be too much work for the man. More than likely he'll simply strangle the life from me with his big, meaty hands."

Cassandra laughed and sat down on the bed, laying her hand over Finnegan's cheek. "Oh my big strong man, don't you worry, I'll protect you."

"I don't see why we have to tell him anythin''" Finnegan countered. "The man disowned you."

"Because I fell in love with you! I don't blame him," Cassandra replied causing Finnegan to laugh and pulled her down on top of him.

"Aye, I don't blame him either. But do we have to go visit?"

"Finn, I want this. I want my mother and father to see how happy I am, to see that I made a good choice and to know that they're going to be grandparents."

Finnegan winced. "Do we have to tell them all in one visit that I not only married ya but that I got ya with child too?"

"Yes," Cassandra assured him as she sat back up.

"Alright then, it's your father. His apoplexy will be on your conscience."

"Oh give me a break!" Cassandra exclaimed. "He's not going to drop dead, Finnegan, and he's not going to kill you either. Now we are going to go back to my parents because that's what I want to do. At least for a short visit. I will send them a telegram and..."

"No!" Finnegan leapt to his feet and stared at her with earnest. "Don't send them a telegram!"

Cassandra shook her head, pinched her nose between her fingers and frowned. "Why not?"

"I'll go with ya to your parents and I'll face your father like a man but don't warn him I'm comin'," Finnegan replied. "If ya do that it'll give him time to assemble the troops and have the gallows ready."

***

"Have ya lost your mind, Finnegan?" Seamus demanded in the diner that day as the group met for lunch. "Isobel will break down and Vincent will kill you."

"Thank ya for the support," Finnegan mumbled, shoving away his plate of food.

"Good grief!" Cassandra exclaimed, stealing a chunk of potatoes from Finnegan's plate. "No one is going to kill anyone."

"He did seem rather eager to knock my head from my shoulders, Little Cass," Finnegan reminded her. "And that was before I married ya and put a little Irishman into your belly."