Nantucket by Nan Rossiter Read Free Book Online Page B

.”
    â€œWhat would you do all day?”
    â€œFish, cook, build boats, work on my house, play with my kids. . . .”
    â€œYou’re going to have kids?”
    â€œMm-hmm.”
    â€œAnd raise them here?”
    â€œIs there a better place?”
    â€œHow many are you going to have?”
    â€œA whole tribe!” he said with a smile. “Being an only child isn’t fun.”
    â€œSo, let me get this straight—you want to escape civilization to get away from everyone . . . but you still want to have a whole bunch of kids?”
    â€œMm-hmm.”
    â€œWhat if you have a child who can’t get along with his or her siblings?”
    â€œThat’ll never happen. My kids are going to be great; I’ll teach them to love nature and to build things with their hands.” He stopped abruptly and Cadie, who’d been following him on the narrow path, almost bumped into him.
    â€œHere it is,” he said, pointing to a weathered three-quarter Cape with a long thicket of roses climbing over its roof.
    â€œOh, my,” she whispered softly.
    Liam pushed open the rickety gate. “I’m going to buy this place someday.”
    Cadie followed him up the overgrown path and Liam lifted the train of tiny pink roses that hung over the house and jiggled the wooden door open. They stepped into a room that was bare of furnishings but filled with light. Cadie looked around at the wide board flooring, covered with sand, and at the broken panes in the windows. “It sure needs work!”
    â€œIt does,” Liam agreed, surveying the little house as if he already owned it. “But it’ll be beautiful when it’s done. Just look at these fireplaces,” he said, motioning to the tremendous stone chimney dividing the main level into three rooms—each with its own hearth.
    â€œI can definitely see its potential,” Cadie said as she followed him through the kitchen and out into the yard. The heady aroma of lilacs filled the air as she gazed at the overgrown gardens.
    â€œThere’s an herb garden over here,” Liam said, kneeling down next to a small raised bed. He brushed off the faded wooden markers. “Basil, chives, thyme . . .”
    â€œDo you know who owns it?” Cadie asked.
    Liam shook his head. “It’s been like this since I was a little kid and it just gets more overgrown every year.”
    â€œMaybe the person’s too old to take care of it.”
    â€œMaybe.”
    â€œI can picture a woman coming out here to snip herbs for her dinner or lilacs for her table.”
    Liam nodded. “Whoever it is, I hope they don’t put it on the market before I have enough money to buy it.”
    They walked back through the house and Liam closed the doors.
    â€œIt’s beautiful,” Cadie said as she followed him back along the path. “Thank you for showing it to me.”
    When they got back to the beach, Liam pulled off his shirt. “Going in?”
    Cadie watched him straighten out the corners of the blanket. “I am, ” she said, “but I need some sunscreen on my back.” She held out a bottle of Coppertone and pulled her tank top over her head. “Would you mind?”
    Mind?! Liam shook the bottle, poured a generous puddle into the palm of his hand, smeared it across her shoulders and felt her shiver. “What’s the matter?”
    â€œIt’s chilly.”
    â€œOh, don’t be a wimp,” he teased, rubbing the cream under the strings of her bikini. “Want help on the front too?”
    â€œI think I can handle the front,” she said, taking the bottle back from him.
    â€œWell, let me know if you change your mind,” he said with a grin as he rubbed the extra sunscreen on his nose.
    Cadie watched him walk to the water. She’d never met anyone like Liam before. Most of the boys in her circle of friends were more concerned about the cars they drove and the girls