Free An O'Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods

were talking to. Those two did everything humanly possible to drag out the entire dating process because they were terrified of making a commitment. Now that they have, they have the enthusiasm of the recently converted. I think we owe it to ourselves to give dating a chance.”
    Laila nodded, then gave him a heated look that just about melted his resolve.
    “As long as it doesn’t take too long,” she said, her gaze pointed. “I’ve been thinking that maybe I’d like to be a convert, too.”
    For the first time in weeks, maybe months, Matthew’s heart soared. Maybe Gram was right and he’d been misreading all the signals. Maybe what he wanted was right in front of him, if only he’d reach for it.

5
     
    N ell thought she detected a flare of disappointment in Dillon’s eyes when she arrived at the train station with Matthew and Laila in tow.
    “Dillon, this is my grandson, Matthew O’Brien, and his friend, Laila Riley. Her brother, Trace, is married to my granddaughter Abby.”
    Whatever his disappointment, Dillon was too much the gentleman to make the young people feel uncomfortable. He gave them a beaming smile and took their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet more of Nell’s family, though I admit I’ve been wondering why I’ve yet to see the first sign of her sons.”
    “Mick and Jeff have been busy, and Thomas, in fact, has just arrived,” Nell was quick to say.
    “As if that has anything to do with it,” Matthew teased. “Believe it or not, my grandmother is afraid my uncle Mick might forbid her to see you. He seems to have a real aversion to the idea of her dating.”
    Dillon chuckled until he looked into Nell’s eyes. Then he reacted with dismay. “Can this be true? Your son disapproves of your dating, even though you’ve been a widow for some time now?”
    “He’s simply having a little difficulty getting used to the idea,” Nell said, scowling at Matthew for making such a revelation. “For now I’m trying to be considerate of his feelings. You’ll all meet when the time is right.”
    “Which, if Gram has her way, will be on the day we leave for home,” Matthew countered, a twinkle in his eyes. “I think she enjoys sneaking around and making my uncle a little crazy.”
    Nell scowled at him. “Young man, you are not too old for me to send you back to the hotel to your room.”
    Matthew laughed. “Will you send Laila with me?”
    “She’s done nothing wrong,” Nell pointed out. “And that would turn a punishment into a reward, now, wouldn’t it?”
    “To say nothing of the fact that I intend to see Howth today,” Laila added. “Matthew, behave yourself. Stop teasing your grandmother.”
    Matthew sighed dramatically. “Now you’ve taken all the fun out of the day.”
    Dillon looped an arm around his shoulders. “Buck up, Matthew. You’ve a beautiful woman by your side and we’re going to a picturesque seaside town. If you can’t enjoy yourself under those circumstances, then you’re not any relation of Nell’s. She’s a woman who’s always been able to find joy in any moment.”
    Nell regarded Dillon with surprise. Was that how he remembered her? All she recalled were the tears she’d shed when she’d finally made her choice to leave Ireland and return to Maryland and the life her parents had wanted for her with Charles O’Brien. Duty had trumped what she’d felt at the time, convincing her it couldn’t possibly be anything more than infatuation. She’d left so much misery in her wake. All she remembered of that time was the heavy burden of her guilt. Time, apparently, had washed away whatever bitterness Dillon must have felt back then.
    She saw the sign on the platform flash, indicating that their train was arriving. Her heart skipped a beat at the prospect of a day’s adventure down memory lane. This time, she assured herself, they would be happy memories. She’d make sure of that. How could they be otherwise when she was surrounded by people she