When the Band Finished Playing, They Howled Out for More

For the second time in less than thirty minutes, Bella watched the sweet-talking Irishman walk away from her. Complete dismay held her fast to her barstool, though a part of her wanted to chase down the gorgeous man with the lovely words. Edward Cullen.

If she'd found him appealing before, the fact that he was in town for the hurling tournament sealed the deal. He was the potential man of her dreams, and she'd just let him walk away. For just a moment, she'd wanted to interrupt his concise explanation of hurling to tell him she knew exactly what it was, but…anything to keep him talking.

Bella knew the sport of hurling well. Her older brother, Emmett, played on their hometown team in Nashville, and as badly as she wished she had the skill required to play the game, she just didn't. In fact, Emmett liked to joke that she should carry around a roll of yellow caution tape in her purse. Putting a long, wooden stick in her hands and dropping her in the middle of a field with a bunch of rowdy lads and ladies chasing after a smallish ball was just asking for an accident of epic proportion. She did like to hit the ball around with the team, but the one time she'd tried to participate in a scrimmage, she'd come away with a bloody nose and a sprained finger and had somehow broken someone else's hurley. So no, Bella didn't participate physically. Instead, she was in charge of registration. She was more than fine with that.

So as she watched Edward walk out the front door of the pub, sharing his disappointment in the fact that they'd only had mere minutes to talk, she consoled herself with the fact that she would most likely see him at the next day's tournament.

"Who was that?"

Bella startled slightly and turned to see her sister-in-law Rosalie also gazing at Edward's retreating back.

"Um," she answered, struggling to school her features into something like disinterest. "He's playing in the tournament tomorrow."

Rosalie pursed her lips against a grin and arched an eyebrow at Bella. "It looked like he wanted to play a lot more than that."


Tomorrow, you'll learn tha game o' hurlin'. Who's excited?