Loving Liam (Cloverleaf #1) by Gloria Herrmann Read Free Book Online Page A

laughter tightly behind her lips when she was annoyed with her father-in-law. There wasn’t a mean bone in his aging body, yet he could get riled up over the tiniest thing. There was never a dull moment with Grandpa Paddy around.
    After visiting and catching up, Liam remembered he was supposed to help Daniel. He marched off in the direction of the basement and almost collided with his brother.
    “Hey, Liam. There’s a couple more boxes near the door, if you want to grab them,” Daniel said, barely managing to peer over the stack of cardboard boxes he was carrying.
    Liam moved carefully out of the way and nodded. He went down to the basement, picked up the remaining boxes, and hurried to the living room to meet up with Daniel.
    “Damn, you’re quick. I always forget how my legs have to take two steps to your one.” Daniel stood several noticeable inches shorter than Liam.
    Liam laughed. As he started to open one of the boxes, Maggie joined them.
    “Mom said you were here. The tree is just lovely, Liam.” She shot a look toward the large, fragrant tree, avoiding direct eye contact with either brother.
    As she stared longingly at the tree, Daniel and Liam swapped looks. Something was definitely going on with their sister. The slight quiver in her voice sounded unnatural and so unlike Maggie. Her demeanor was more aloof and distant than he could ever recall.
    “So is Mel excited for Christmas? It’s only two days away,” Liam asked, hoping to gain more of a read on his sister.
    Maggie turned slightly in his direction. “She’s pretty excited. Melanie is very happy to be here with everyone. She is loving this snow too. We don’t have any over in Seattle.”
    “Well, at least someone is enjoying the snow,” Daniel added.
    “So will Michael be coming over for the holidays?” Liam asked cautiously to see if this would get any sort of emotional reaction from Maggie.
    “He’s flying in tomorrow evening. Then leaving Christmas afternoon to get back to the office. He’s trying very hard to make partner right now, so unfortunately he’s putting in a lot of time.” Her voice was flat.
    Liam and Daniel again eyed each other. Liam now knew Maggie was having some sort of marital issue. He had no idea of the depth of the problem, nor did he really want to delve in and find out. Maybe he would chat with his mother about it. She always kept tabs on everyone in the family, so if there was anything going on, she was the person to ask.
    Right then, their mother rounded the corner. “Oh good, I see you brought all the stuff up from the basement. Well, I have the kids eating, so whenever you guys are ready, the food is warm.” She spun around and was gone as quickly as she had entered the room.
    “Sounds good to me,” Daniel said, rubbing his stomach.
    The three made their way into the dining room quietly. Liam took a seat next to Melanie, who was eating with vigor while Connor and Finn played with their food.
    “Who is ready for Santa in two days?” Liam announced, placing a warm roll on his plate.
    Instant grins and near shouts of what they wanted followed immediately. Liam enjoyed the enthusiasm children possessed, and it was one of the main reasons he’d decided to become a teacher.
    “What do you want Santa to bring you, Uncle Liam?” Melanie asked, her smile extending across her entire freckled face.
    “Maybe some new snowshoes or perhaps a reindeer? Yes, I definitely want a reindeer,” Liam answered playfully with an exaggeratedly contemplative look on his face.
    With an animated shout, the twins declared in unison that Santa would not be giving Uncle Liam a reindeer of any kind.
    “Okay, how about Santa’s sleigh? Think about how fun that could be. We’d all love that,” Liam suggested.
    Melanie frowned and sighed. “I’m afraid that isn’t going happen, Uncle Liam. How else is Santa going to get his job done?”
    “I suppose you’re right. Well, maybe he will bring me a new fishing