A/n's: Well, after a long hiatus...I'm back. I'm not really sure if anyone's still interested in this fic, but since I'm tiring to avoid writing the friggin' essay I have to do on Thornton Wilder's Our Town this seemed like the perfect thing to do.

Chapter Four

She'd been back at work for two weeks now. Her new duties took a great deal out of her, but she found them satisfying. Sharni perched herself on the edge of her bed and began to rip open the parcel that had come for her from Mint. She found herself holding her copy of Cardiac Nursing.

Then she saw an envelope. She tore it open and read.

I found this in the library.

Be good enough to accept my apologies for my unjust accusations. I have to be in Dublin for a few days so please let me know when you are likely to be off duty, so that I can arrange to be available to take you to dinner.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Calloway

She read the letter again. In just such terms must Mark Calloway have invited fellow tycoons to a working lunch. But it was no way to entice a woman.

Before she went to bed she sat down and wrote him a note, as formal as his own, telling him that she was grateful for the return of her book, but that there was no necessity for him to take her to dinner.

******

Two weeks passed. Maria wrote to say that the following weekend was the date set for the reiteach of Sally Fergusson and Murdo Strachan, and could Sharni get away? A reiteach an engagement party, and Sally as a dear friend of hers, so Sharni wrote to her aunt, giving her travel details.

Saturday she made Dublin Airport in good time. It was a fine, warm summer day, and she was looking forward to the weekend.

"Sharni!"

The deep, beautiful voice behind her caused her to jump. She looked around. Even in those prosaic surroundings Mark Calloway was overpowering.

"I'm glad I bumped into you," he said, "because now you can travel home with me. My helicopter's here."

"But-I have a seat on the plane."

"The three o'clock is a very popular flight. There's a mess of people at the desk hoping desperately for returned tickets. By coming with me you'll enable one of them to get a seat on the plane."

He had a point. "It would be a real treat to be able to get there direct and not have to take the ferry," she said at last.

******

The helicopter was nearing the village.

"There's a piece of open land," said Mark. "I'll set you down there, and you won't have far to walk."

A bump and they had landed. Mark opened the door and got out first, reaching up to help her down.

"I'll see you at the reiteach tonight," he said. "Will you promise me the first dance?"

"Of course," she said. It would have been impossible to refuse.

When the helicopter whirled away, Sharni turned to face the interested crowd that had gathered round her.

"Well," said Carol, "I suppose there may have been a bigger sensation round her in the last fifty years, but I can't recall it."

"And he demanded the first dance," said Uncle Robert, who had been standing close enough to hear what was said. "But I thought you could have answered him a little more enthusiastically, lassie."

"I said yes, didn't I?" Sharni protested.

"Ay, but you made is sound like a duty. That's no way to catch a fisth."

"Robert," she said indignantly, "will you stop your nonsense? Carol, make him behave!"

But even Carol failed her this time. "It would be a fine thing for us all," she said wistfully.

Sharni's cheeks flamed.