Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts Page A

stove to scowl at his brother. “First it’s one thing, then it’s another, and you never know which way they’ll be coming at you next.”
    â€œOh, well, then.” Aidan’s concern melted into amusement. He helped himself to tea and leaned back on the counter while Shawn muttered and worked. “We could talk all day and half the night and not come close to solving that particular puzzle. ’Tis a thorny one. But it’s more pleasant to have a female causing you problems than to have no female at all, don’t you think?”
    â€œNo, not at the moment.”
    Aidan only laughed. “Well, which one is it that’s causing you grief?”
    â€œIt’s no one. It’s nothing. It’s ridiculous.”
    â€œHmm, not saying.” Aidan sipped and considered. “Must be in the way of a serious matter, then.”
    â€œEasy for you to smile and look smug,” Shawn tossed back with bitter annoyance. “All cozied up as you are with your Jude Frances.”
    â€œI reckon it is.” Aidan nodded. “But it wasn’t always, and you gave me good advice when I was at my own wits’ end. Maybe you should take some time and give yourself some on this, if you don’t want to hear from me.”
    â€œI don’t want a woman in my life just at the moment,” Shawn muttered. “And this particular one won’t do at all. Just won’t.”
    He tried not to think of that wild and wicked kiss, or the way Brenna’s compact body had plastered itself to his.
    â€œNo, it won’t,” he said again, then adjusted the fire under the pot of meat filling with a sharp turn of his wrist.
    â€œYou’d know best what suits and what doesn’t. I’ll just say there comes a time when your head’s telling you one thing, and the rest of you just won’t listen. A man can be a child when it comes to a woman, wanting what he shouldn’t have and taking more than he can handle. Knowing something’s not good for you doesn’t stop you from wanting it.”
    â€œI wouldn’t be good for her.” Calmer now, Shawn took out a bowl to make the pastry for the pies. “Even if there weren’t other factors involved, I wouldn’t be good for her. So that’s the end of it.”
    With the flour and water mixed to a firm dough, he covered the bowl and stuck it into the refrigerator. “I’ll be making poundies,” he told Aidan while he creamed butter and suet for the next stage of the pastry. And I’ve some samphire that young Brian Duffy picked for me that I’ve pickled into jars, so we’ll have that tonight as well, as it goes nicely with the salmon you bought this morning. You tell Jude to come over so I can fix her a plate.”
    â€œI will, thanks. Shawn—” He broke off as Darcy shoved through the door again, looking aggrieved.
    â€œYou ask me to come down early, then you push me back out the door. If the pair of you are going to stand in here and tell your little men’s secrets, I’m going back upstairs and do my nails, since we don’t open for nearly an hour as yet.”
    â€œLet me pour you a cup, darling, for I’ve abused you something terrible.” Aidan gave her a little pat on the cheek, then pulled a chair out at the table with a flourish.
    â€œWell, I’ll have a cup, but I want some biscuits with it.” She folded her hands on the table after she sat and gave her brother a challenging smile.
    â€œBiscuits, then.” Aidan got down a tin and set it in front of her. “I need to talk to both of you, as it concerns the pub.”
    â€œThen you’ll have to talk while I work.” Shawn retrieved the bowl from the refrigerator and began to roll out the pastry.
    â€œWell, you were late, weren’t you?” Aidan said easily. “The man from New York, the Magee? It seems he’s interested in the idea of linking the