Time for Love , The McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 9 Read online

  Carolina elbowed him in the ribs. “Knock it off.”

  Laughing, Seamus kept an arm tight around her shoulders as they watched the boat turn around to back into port. “Look who’s at the helm,” Seamus said.

  “I didn’t know Joe was on this boat.”

  “I didn’t either. He must’ve swapped with someone.”

  As they watched Joe competently align the huge ferry with the pier and back it smoothly into port, Carolina was filled with pride. “He’s so darned good at that.”

  “He sure is. I remember the first time I did it here. Damn near crapped myself with that tight turnaround in the smallest harbor I’ve ever seen. But Joe stood right next to me and talked me through it. He showed me all the Gansett Island tricks in that one lesson.”

  “I remember so well the first time my father taught him. They came home that night, and my dad was bursting with excitement. ‘The boy’s a natural,’ he said.”

  “I wish I could’ve met your folks.”

  “I do, too. My dad would’ve liked you.”

  “Would he have approved of you and me?”

  “Oh, God, yes. They begged me for years after Pete died to go out with someone else. They would’ve loved you and the way you boss me around.”

  “I do not boss you around.”

  She gave him her most withering look.

  “I encourage you to expand your horizons. That doesn’t count as bossing.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  The cars and trucks came first off the ferry, followed by a flood of people with suitcases, bicycles and dogs on leashes.

  Because he still had his arm around her, Carolina felt Seamus stiffen.

  “Holy hell. What in the name of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is he doing here?”

  “Who?” Carolina followed his gaze to a compact gray-haired woman accompanied by a young man—an extremely handsome young man.

  “My cousin, Shannon.”

  Oh perfect, Carolina thought. A surprise guest!

  Seamus released his tight hold on her and walked toward the ramp to greet them.

  Nora O’Grady’s bright blue eyes lit up at the sight of her son as the evening breeze lifted a lock of her gray hair.

  Seamus scooped her up and swung her around. The pure joy she saw on his face as he hugged his mother told Carolina a lot about how much he’d missed her. His extremely handsome cousin stood next to them, taking in the town with an aura of disdain. Fabulous. His hair was a darker shade of reddish brown than Seamus’s and longer, Carolina observed, as Seamus hugged Shannon.

  He was a bit taller than Seamus, at least five years younger, and lanky but muscular. He must have women falling at his feet, Carolina thought as the three of them came toward her with Shannon carrying a duffel bag and Seamus positively beaming as he pulled a suitcase on wheels.

  Carolina had never seen him look so happy as he took her hand and squeezed it.

  “Mum, Shannon, this is Carolina Cantrell, the love of my life. Carolina, my mother, Nora O’Grady, and my cousin, Shannon.”

  As they all shook hands, Carolina felt the heat of Nora’s stare on her. How would it feel, she wondered, to meet the love of your son’s life and to discover she was nearly twenty years older than him? Judging by the shock Nora was trying hard to hide, her son had failed to mention the age difference to his mother. This just got better and better.

  Joe came off the boat and walked over to them. “Hey, Mom, Seamus.”

  Carolina smiled up at her son as he kissed her cheek. “Hi, honey. I want you to meet Seamus’s mother, Nora O’Grady, and his cousin, Shannon. This is my son, Joe.”

  “And my fabulous boss,” Seamus added.

  “Oh, hey, great to meet you,” Joe said as he shook their hands.

  Nora’s sharp gaze darted between Joe and Seamus before finally landing on Carolina. “Well,” she said in a heavy Irish burr, “t’isn’t this going to be an interesting visit?”

  *

  As Janey got closer to her delivery date, Maddie started bringing dinner to her and Joe at least once a week. She remembered all too well how clumsy and cumbersome she’d felt toward the end, especially with Thomas.

  She’d been on her own then, panic-stricken about bringing a baby into the world without the help of the child’s father. Those frightening and uncertain days seemed like a far-off time now that she was happily settled with Mac and their children, but it wasn’t all that long ago.

  She knocked lightly on Janey’s front door, hoping she wasn’t disturbing her sister-in-law.

  “Come on in,” Janey called.

  Maddie walked into the foyer of the contemporary house Joe and Janey had bought a mile from where she and Mac lived. She absolutely loved having them close by. Janey’s dogs came rushing to see who’d come to visit. “It’s just me, guys,” Maddie said to them as they gave her a thorough sniffing.

  “I’m beached on the sun porch,” Janey said.

  Maddie put away the chicken, roasted potatoes, salad and brownies in the kitchen and went to find Janey stretched out on a chaise in the screened-in back porch. “What a lovely spot this is,” Maddie said, taking in the mature landscaping in the big back yard and the colorful pots of flowers Janey had put on the patio outside.

  “We quite love it and so do the dogs,” Janey said. “Can I offer you something to drink that you’ll have to get yourself?”

  Maddie laughed and collapsed into a chair. “No, thanks. As long as I can sit here long enough for Mac to get the kids in bed, I’ll be happy. It’s been a long day at the ranch.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Hailey is teething and starting to cruise around, which means she can get into Thomas’s stuff, which means I have to be hypervigilant about what he’s playing with so she can’t get ahold of something she can choke on. And then she gets something of his, and suddenly that’s the thing he most wants to play with, and he forgets all about how much he loves his baby sister. Ahh, good times.”

  Janey laughed. “Sounds like it. So my mom might’ve mentioned that you and Mac put on a bit of a show for Thomas the other night…”

  “Ugh! Don’t remind me. I’m still recovering from the trauma!”

  “And how is he?”

  “Hasn’t mentioned it again, so we’re hoping we can leave that special moment in the past.”

  “Tell me the whole thing, leaving out any disgusting details about my brother that’ll scar me for life.”

  Maddie relayed the story in the least amount of detail possible, which made Janey howl with laughter.

  “I’m going to pee my pants if I don’t stop laughing,” she said when she recovered her breath. “That is freaking hilarious.”

  “Glad you think so. It was mortifying for us.”

  “I don’t even want to think about that happening to us in a couple of years.”

  “The worst part is I was so gone on champagne that we got all carried away and never even thought about protection, so…”

  Janey’s big blue eyes went wide with surprise. “You could be pregnant?”

  “God, I hope not, but we picked the worst possible time of the month to be forgetful. I can’t get my head around the possibility. It’s way too soon after Hailey’s memorable arrival. Speaking of Hailey’s memorable arrival… Have you heard about Daisy and David?”

  “I heard something to that effect. What do you think of it?”

  “He’s been really great to her since Truck attacked her.”

  “Other than one particularly egregious lapse in judgment, he’s always been a good guy. He wasn’t the good guy for me, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be for someone else.”

  “I worry about that egregious lapse in judgment where Daisy is concerned. She’s been through so much. I don’t know all of it, but I sense some heavy baggage there—even before she met Truck Henry.”

  “I’d like to hope David has learned his lesson where infidelity is concerned. He may be the best possible guy for Daisy. He’s got som
ething to prove—to himself and others.”

  “I suppose. If he hurts her…”

  “You have my permission to kill him.”

  “Thank you.” Maddie hesitated, uncertain now about something else she’d planned to discuss with Janey. “So the cookout this weekend… I talked to Mac, and I told him I want to invite her. If I invite her…”

  “You’d have to invite him, too.”

  “Right. Mac wants to know how you feel about it before we invite them. We wouldn’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable at our home.”

  “Honestly, I don’t care at all if he’s there. I loved him for a long time, but I don’t love him or think about him anymore. Joe, on the other hand… He might have a problem with it.”

  “Have a problem with what?” Joe asked as he came in through the kitchen and went straight to his wife. He leaned over the chaise to kiss her.

  “Maddie is thinking about asking Daisy Babson to come to the cookout on Sunday.”

  “Why would I care about that?” Joe asked, sitting on the chaise and taking Janey’s hand. “Daisy’s a nice person.”

  “Yes, she is, and she’s a nice person who is dating David Lawrence.”

  “Ah. Hmm. Well, that might be a bit weird.”

  “Too weird for you?” Maddie asked.

  Joe glanced at Janey. “What do you say?”

  She shrugged. “I couldn’t care less. He’s nothing to me but an ex-boyfriend. He’s certainly no threat to us.”

  “Then go ahead and invite them,” Joe said with a sweet, private smile for his wife.

  “And you’ll behave?” Janey asked him, crooking an eyebrow.

  Flashing a shit-eating grin, he kissed her hand. “As well as I ever do.”

  “I don’t want any broken noses at my house,” Maddie said.

  “I’ve grown up a lot since then,” Joe said.

  Maddie and Janey laughed.

  “Sure you have,” Janey said.

  “Speaking of my newfound maturity, guess what just happened at the ferry landing? Seamus’s mother and cousin arrived. I was there when my mom met them, and judging from the way Mrs. O’Grady was sizing up Mom, I don’t think Seamus warned her about the age difference.”

  “Oh yikes,” Janey said. “That must’ve been awkward.”

  “She was looking at me and at Seamus and doing the math. Totally awkward. My mom looked like she was ready to kill. Just when I think I’ve got my head around that relationship, something happens to get me wondering again.”

  “Don’t go there,” Janey said. “It works for them. It doesn’t have to work for you.”

  “Something tells me it’s not going to be working too well for them tonight,” Joe said.

  “Have I been here long enough for Mac to get the kids in bed and suffer sufficiently without me?” Maddie asked.

  “I think you need at least another thirty minutes and a glass of wine to ensure an adequate level of suffering,” Janey said.

  “That sounds really good, but I’ve sworn off booze after the other night.”

  “You’ve sworn off champagne. Not wine.”

  “Isn’t champagne a form of wine?”

  “Not in my house. Joseph, will you please pour Maddie a glass of wine?”

  “I’d be happy to if it contributes to Mac’s suffering.”

  “There’s some dinner out there for you guys, too,” Maddie said.

  Janey shook her head. “You have to stop cooking for us.”

  “You can’t make me.”

  “I’m not going to try very hard, don’t worry.” Janey rested her hands on her distended belly and winced. “I’ve got a kicker in there.” She tried to find a more comfortable position. “Have you heard anything from Syd about the surgery?”

  “It went well. She’s sore, but out of the hospital. They’re spending tonight and maybe tomorrow night in a hotel in Boston so they can be close to the hospital if there’re any complications.”

  “How soon will she know if it worked?”

  “Three or four months.”

  “I hope she gets pregnant right away.”

  “Me too.” Maddie accepted a glass of red wine from Joe. “Thank you, sir.”

  “I was reading a magazine article about how most people are opting for in vitro rather than tubal-ligation reversal these days,” Janey said.

  “They considered that, but living out here, it’s an ordeal to get to doctors for treatments. So they’re trying this first. If it doesn’t work, they may go that route.”

  “I want to snap my fingers and give her twins,” Janey said.

  Laughing, Maddie said, “If she gets pregnant with twins, I’ll tell her it’s your fault, and while we’re on the subject of twins, have you heard anything about how Laura is feeling?”

  “Still pretty awful. She’s throwing up a lot. Owen said he’s going to take her to the mainland to see a specialist if it doesn’t let up soon.”

  “That has to be so miserable, and while she’s planning the wedding, too.”

  “I don’t think there’s much wedding planning going on right now. She told me it’s going to be a JP on the deck of the Surf with a buffet at Stephanie’s. That’s all she’s capable of at the moment.”

  “Can’t say I blame her for keeping it simple. Thank God I never had the pukes with either of mine.” Maddie’s cell phone rang, and she groaned. “Fair warning, if this is your brother, I’m going to be tempted to ignore it.”

  “You have my permission to ignore it.”

  “Oh, it’s Tiffany. Mind if I take it?”

  “Not at all,” Janey said. “Tell her I said hi.”

  Maddie took the call from her sister. “Hey, Tiff, what’s up?”

  Tiffany was talking so fast Maddie couldn’t hear her.

  “Whoa, back up. Slow down.”

  Tiffany released a deep breath that hitched with what might’ve been sobs. “Jim found out that Blaine is moving in with me, and he’s threatening to sue for full custody of Ashleigh.”

  “What? Are you serious? He can’t do that!”

  “He’s doing that,” Tiffany said, sniffling. “He sent a letter letting me know if we move forward with our plans, he’s going after custody. He doesn’t even want her, Maddie. Why is he doing this?”

  “Because he’s a son of a bitch who doesn’t want you to be happy with someone else.”

  “I don’t know what to do. What do I do?”

  “Have you called Dan?” Maddie asked, referring to the island’s other lawyer, Dan Torrington.

  “I left him a message, but he hasn’t called me back yet.”

  “I’ll ask Mac to call Kara. He has her number. Maybe she knows where he is. I’ll call you right back.”

  “Okay.”

  “Unreal,” Maddie said to Joe and Janey. “Jim found out Blaine is moving in with Tiffany, and he’s going after full custody of Ashleigh.”

  “Just when we think we’ve seen the full extent of that guy’s douchebaggery, he goes and tops himself,” Joe said, visibly disgusted.

  Maddie pressed the top number on her list of favorites to call her husband. “Mac, I need you to call Kara for me. Tiffany is trying to get in touch with Dan, and he’s not answering his phone.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  Maddie filled him in on what was going on.

  “Someone needs to have a conversation with that asshole,” Mac said.

  “Not you.”

  “I won’t be held responsible for my actions if my path should cross his.”

  “Will you please call her?”

  “Right now.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be home soon.” Maddie put her phone in her pocket. “I can’t believe this. He divorces her and then pulls this crap when she moves on with someone else?”

  “Typical Jim Sturgil,” Janey said.

  “He can’t do this to her,” Maddie said. “Not after all he’s already put her through.”

  “I’m sure Blaine will be all over it,” J
oe assured them. “Dan will be, too.”

  “I want Dan Torrington to shred Jim,” Maddie said as she got up to leave. She would call Tiffany back in the car. “That’d please me greatly.”

  “That would please a lot of people,” Joe said. “I’ll walk you out.”

  Maddie bent to kiss Janey. “Hang in there, kiddo. Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will. Thanks for dinner.”

  “Happy to help.”

  *

  Nothing on God’s green earth could get Dan Torrington to stop what he was currently doing to answer a phone that wouldn’t quit ringing. And then Kara’s phone started up, too, and the moment was totally blown.

  “Goddamn it,” he muttered, making her laugh. He released her and winced when his still-recovering ribs protested against even that small movement. They’d waited weeks to get back to where they’d been before the accident, and now that they were finally there, the outside world was intruding.

  “Let’s answer the calls, see what’s going on, and get back to where we were,” she said in that husky, sexy voice that had become the center of his world.

  “Fine,” he grumbled, knowing there was no point in trying to re-engage her when they were both so distracted. Try telling that to his raging boner, which had yet to receive the “game-off” message.

  She got out of bed to get both their phones.

  Dan propped himself up on an elbow to get the best possible view of her sweet ass as she walked out the door to the living room, where they’d left their phones on the coffee table when a heated make-out session had finally, finally landed them in bed.

  He’d had to assure her a hundred times that he felt absolutely fine and ready to pick up where they’d left off before the sailing accident that resulted in broken ribs and a broken arm. His arm was much better. The ribs were still giving him grief, but as long as he didn’t breathe too deeply, he had faith he could perform up to par. Or so he hoped…

  He was about to die from wanting her. Long weeks of heated looks, tender care and devotion from her as he recovered had left him in a state of perpetual arousal. If something didn’t happen soon, he was convinced he’d spontaneously combust.

  “It’s Tiffany,” she said, handing him his phone. “And Mac left me a message to tell you to call her.”