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

by Marie Force

  Time for Love

  McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 9

  By: Marie Force

  Published by HTJB, Inc.

  ISBN: 9780985034160

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at marie@marieforce.com.

  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  www.marieforce.com

  The McCarthys of Gansett Island Series

  Book 1: Maid for Love

  Book 2: Fool for Love

  Book 3: Ready for Love

  Book 4: Falling for Love

  Book 5: Hoping for Love

  Book 6: Season for Love

  Book 7: Longing for Love

  Book 8: Waiting for Love

  Book 9: Time for Love

  Who's Who on Gansett Island

  The McCarthy Family

  “Big Mac” and Linda McCarthy, owners of McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina and McCarthy’s Gansett Island Inn, are parents to:

  Mac McCarthy Jr., who is married to Maddie Chester McCarthy and father to Thomas and Hailey McCarthy

  Grant McCarthy, living with Stephanie Logan

  Adam McCarthy, dating Abby Callahan

  Evan McCarthy, living with Grace Ryan

  Janey McCarthy Cantrell, married to Joe Cantrell, owner of the Gansett Island Ferry Company

  Judge Frank McCarthy, brother to “Big Mac” McCarthy, father to:

  Laura McCarthy, cousin to Mac, Grant, Adam, Evan and Janey; engaged to Owen Laurie

  Shane McCarthy, cousin to Mac, Grant, Adam, Evan and Janey

  McCarthy Friends & Family

  Owen Lawry, musician and best friend of Evan McCarthy; engaged to Laura McCarthy

  Luke Harris, co-owner of McCarthys Gansett Island Marina and married to Sydney Donovan

  Sydney Donovan, interior decorator, married to Luke Harris

  Ned Saunders, best friend to Big Mac McCarthy and fiancé of Francine Chester, mother of Maddie McCarthy and Tiffany Sturgil

  Francine Chester, mother of Maddie McCarthy and Tiffany Sturgil; fiancée of Ned Saunders

  Tiffany Sturgil, sister to Maddie McCarthy, daughter of Francine Chester, mother to Ashleigh Sturgil; dating Blaine Taylor

  Bobby Chester, estranged father of Maddie McCarthy and Tiffany Sturgil, estranged husband of Francine Chester

  Jim Sturgil, estranged husband of Tiffany Sturgil, father to Ashleigh Strudel

  Seamus O’Grady, hired to run the Gansett Island Ferry Company; involved with Carolina Cantrell

  Carolina Cantrell, mother of Joe Cantrell, love interest of Seamus O'Grady

  Dan Torrington, celebrity lawyer and friend to Grant McCarthy, dating Kara Ballard

  Kara Ballard, operator of Ballard's Launch Service, dating Dan Torrington

  Abby Callahan, former girlfriend of Grant McCarthy, dating Adam McCarthy

  Dr. Cal Maitland, former island doctor and ex-fiancé of Abby Callahan

  Charlie Grandchamp, stepfather of Stephanie Logan, dating Sarah Lawry

  Sarah Lawry, mother of Owen Lawry, dating Charlie Grandchamp

  Mark Lawry, father of Owen Laurie

  Blaine Taylor, Gansett Island police chief, dating Tiffany Sturgil

  Slim Jackson, Gansett Island pilot

  David Lawrence, Gansett Island doctor, former fiancé of Janey McCarthy Cantrell

  Daisy Babson, friend of Maddie McCarthy's, housekeeping manager at McCarthy's Gansett Island Inn

  Jenny Wilks, lighthouse keeper

  Mason Johns, island fire chief

  Truck Henry, Daisy Babson's abusive ex-boyfriend

  Victoria Stevens, Gansett Island midwife

  Rebecca, owner of the South Harbor Diner

  Chelsea, bartender at the Beachcomber

  Doc Potter, island veterinarian

  Paul and Alex Martinez, owners of Martinez Lawn and Garden

  Marion Martinez, mother of Paul and Alex Martinez

  Chloe Dennis, owner of the Curl Up and Dye Salon

  The Children of Gansett Island

  Thomas McCarthy, son of Maddie McCarthy; adopted son of Mac McCarthy

  Hailey McCarthy, daughter of Maddie and Mac McCarthy

  Ashleigh Sturgil, daughter of Tiffany and Jim Sturgil

  Holden Newsome, son of Laura McCarthy and her ex-husband, Justin Newsome

  Author’s Note

  Welcome back to Gansett Island and to a story I’ve been looking forward to writing for quite some time now. We first met Dr. David Lawrence in Book 2, Fool for Love, after he’d disappointed island golden girl Janey McCarthy. I wondered if it would ever be possible to redeem David’s character to the point that readers would want to see him get his happily ever after. Over time, David has grown on me—and on readers—and he’s proven there’s more to him than the one-time lapse in judgment that ended his long relationship with Janey. He’s even been positively heroic on more than one occasion.

  But giving David his happy ending required a very special heroine, so I waited until the right one came along. Daisy Babson, who has known her own share of heartache—most recently in a tumultuous relationship that ended violently—turned out to be the one for David, as you will see in Time for Love.

  Bringing David and Daisy together was a lot of fun, and I hope you’ll be cheering for them the way I was when writing their story. When you’re done reading, join the Time for Love Reader Group. Since spoilers are permitted (and encouraged) there, we ask that you wait to finish the book before you join the group.

  While writing Book 9, I finally conceded that I can’t continue to give you a new story for every past couple and also do right by the couple featured in the current book. So I’ll be picking and choosing among past favorites for new stories as we go forward, while keeping you updated on all the other Gansett Island regulars. However, I expect Mac and Maddie will continue to appear in every book as I never seem to run out of stories for them!

  Next up will be the long-awaited story for Jenny Wilks, the lighthouse keeper who lost her fiancé on 9/11. Readers are fascinated with Jenny, and I have quite a story in mind for her that I’m looking forward to writing. Make sure you’re on the mailing list for announcements about Book 10, Meant for Love.

  After that, I hope to sneak in Gansett After Dark, which will showcase Laura and Owen’s wedding along with some “after dark” time for each of the couples from the previous books. It’ll be a great opportunity to catch up on what everyone is up to and to see them living out their happily ever afters. I’ve got plenty of other stories, tricks and surprises up my sleeve, so buy your ferry tickets and head on over to the island, where the fun is just beginning!

  Very special thanks to Sarah Spate Morrison, Family Nurse Practitioner, for answering many pregnancy-related questions for me, as well as my behind-the scenes team Julie Cupp, Holly Sullivan, Nikki Colquhoun, Kristina Brinton and Ashley Joswick; copy editor Linda Ingmanson; and beta readers Ronlyn Howe, Kara Conrad and Anne Woodall. You all help me so much with every book, and I couldn’t do what I do without you.

  And to you, my faithful readers, thank you as always for making all my dreams come true! You’re simply the best! />
  xoxo

  Marie

  Chapter 1

  Daisy scurried about the spacious living room, picking up toys, folding blankets, plumping pillows and generally doing anything she could to stay busy. It had taken forever to get her friend Maddie’s three-year-old son Thomas into bed. He’d been excited to have Daisy babysit for him and his sister Hailey, and Daisy was praying she’d heard the last of both kids as she prepared for her special guest.

  Thinking of him made her stomach flutter with nerves. Why in the world had she invited him to come over to keep her company after the kids went to bed? Why in the world was she running around Mac and Maddie’s house, straightening up as if it were her own home? As if she’d ever live anywhere this nice.

  Maddie sure had tumbled into a pot of gold when she met and married Mac McCarthy. Not that Daisy begrudged her friend’s happiness. Quite the opposite, in fact. Maddie was one of the best friends Daisy had ever had, and no one deserved to be happy more than Maddie did.

  It’s just that sometimes Daisy wondered if she’d ever find the kind of happiness Maddie had with her devoted husband. Daisy’s most recent relationship with Truck Henry had turned into a disaster when he got violent with her—more than once. That was over now, and for good this time.

  She’d learned her lesson about giving second chances to people who didn’t deserve them. Too bad she’d had to suffer badly bruised ribs and a host of other injuries before she wised up. She’d rather not think about those unhappy memories when her new friend David Lawrence was coming over to hang out with her.

  Why had she invited him?

  It had been a weak moment the night before. He’d taken her out for a lovely dinner at Stephanie’s Bistro and had asked what she was doing the next night, which was how she’d ended up inviting him to her babysitting gig.

  Now she felt like a foolish teenager waiting for the captain of the football team to show up. No doubt he had far better things to do than hang out with her on one of his rare nights off. He’d probably felt obligated to accept her invitation, and the whole thing would be painfully awkward.

  When it came right down to it, they had absolutely nothing in common. She was a hard-working—if perpetually poor—housekeeper at the McCarthy’s hotel, and he was the island’s only doctor. She’d come from a family that invented the term dysfunctional, whereas he’d been raised with his sisters on the island and gone to a top college and medical school in Boston.

  She’d dated one loser after another while he’d been engaged to Mac’s sister, Janey McCarthy Cantrell. Janey was married now to Joe Cantrell and expecting their first child at the end of the summer.

  Daisy had never heard what went wrong between David and Janey, but their long relationship had ended suddenly two summers ago. She could’ve asked Maddie and almost had a few times, but she’d been unable to bring herself to actually ask.

  In the meantime, David had been so nice about coming by to check on her injuries and so gentle with her as she recovered. They’d fallen into an unlikely friendship that continued when she stopped by the clinic a couple of times to share the influx of food her friends had brought her. David worked so hard that he often missed meals, and it had seemed only fitting to share with him when he’d been so good to her.

  It was foolish, she knew, to let her heart get all pitter-pattery over a guy who was just being nice to her because that was his job. It was doubly foolish, she also knew, to nurture the world-class crush that had come from his many kindnesses. Thus, it was triply foolish to be hoping that something might come of the time they’d been spending together.

  Romance, Daisy thought, is so fraught with peril. At least it always had been for her. She simply chose the wrong men. The habit dated back to high school when she’d yearned for a boy who turned out to be a cheating pig. Next came a lovely guy who became a mean drunk and then another with a gambling addiction she’d failed to recognize until he’d wiped out her meager savings account.

  Then came Truck and his meth addiction and meaty fists.

  Daisy shuddered thinking of the awful night when Truck most likely would’ve raped and killed her if the island’s police chief, Blaine Taylor, hadn’t broken down her door and stopped him from finishing the job.

  A knock on the sliding glass door made her startle. Had she really wasted all that precious time thinking about things that couldn’t be changed? And now David was here and she probably looked like a wreck after wrangling babies all night. She combed her fingers through her long, blonde hair, hoping to restore order as she walked over to the door to unlock it.

  “Hey,” he said as he came in smelling of fresh air and a hint of cologne that made her want to snuggle in close to him. He wore a navy blue button-down Gansett Island shirt with khaki shorts.

  Daisy had never seen him dressed so casually. “Hey.”

  “Are they asleep?”

  “I think so. I’m told it’s a minute-to-minute thing.”

  He smiled, revealing a flash of straight, white teeth that made her want to sigh with pleasure. She had a thing for a great smile, and David Lawrence’s smile was one of the best she’d ever encountered. Coupled with thick, dark hair and serious brown eyes, that smile was downright potent. Even the slight bump in his otherwise perfect nose was appealing.

  “Is that…” He brushed at something on her shoulder, making her nerve endings tingle. “Spit-up?”

  “Oh crap,” Daisy said, mortified. Heat singed her cheeks and made her scalp itch. “I forgot that Hailey nailed me at bedtime. I’ll just run up and borrow something of Maddie’s. She won’t mind.”

  “Don’t bother.” He took her hand and led her to the kitchen, where he wet a paper towel and went to work on the spot on her shoulder.

  Daisy had never been more acutely aware of her own intake of oxygen than she was in that moment with his face about six inches from hers as he worked with single-minded purpose to clean the spot off her thin top. While focusing on the shine of his dark hair, she concentrated on drawing in enough air to remain conscious without gulping in the deep breaths she desperately needed.

  “There,” he said after an interminable few minutes. As he backed away from her, his fingers brushed against her neck, and damn if she didn’t gasp. “Sorry.”

  “Oh no, don’t be sorry. I…um…”

  “What’s wrong, Daisy?” He studied her in that deep, dark, serious way he did so well.

  “Nothing,” she said in a cheerful tone that sounded forced, even to her. “Want a beer or some wine or something?”

  “I’d rather know why you seem so uncomfortable. I thought we had a nice time last night. I was looking forward to seeing you tonight, but if this isn’t a good time, I can go.”

  “No, I don’t want you to go.” Daisy covered her face with her hands. “I’m making a total mess of things.”

  “Tell me what’s wrong.” He covered her hands with his and gave a very gentle tug that revealed her eyes.

  “I’m nervous, and that makes me feel stupid.”

  “Why are you nervous?”

  “Because you’re here. Because I invited you, and I wasn’t sure if you really wanted to come or you just said you would because I asked you to and you didn’t really want to—”

  And then he was kissing her, and Daisy’s brain cells positively fried the second his lips landed on hers.

  He was a really good kisser, as if that was any big surprise. His lips were firm but soft and moved over hers in a light caress that was neither too much nor too little. It was just right, and quite simply one of the best kisses she’d ever received. Just as she began to relax and kiss him back, he withdrew.

  “Sorry,” he said, his forehead leaning against hers. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

  “I’m glad you did that.”

  “You are?”

  She smiled, because really, how could she not? He was so cute. “Maybe you’ll do it again sometime?”

  “We might be able to arrange that.”

&
nbsp; Daisy discovered she was no longer nervous about having him there. Now she was nervous for a whole other reason, a much better reason. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

  He took a step back from her. “Sure.”

  “Maddie left some on the coffee table if you want to see if any of them interest you. Popcorn?”

  “I won’t say no to that.”

  “How about a beer?”

  “Will you have one, too?”

  “I’m going to stick with Coke.”

  “Then I will, too.”

  While she made the popcorn in an oil popper that Maddie had once told her dated back to her high school years but still worked perfectly, he went into the living room to check out the movies. Reliving the kiss, Daisy was acutely aware of him in the next room.

  What did it mean? What was he thinking? Was he looking for a summer fling or something more lasting? What was she looking for? Nothing serious. That was for sure. After what had happened with Truck, she’d been prepared to swear off all men permanently. But then David kept showing up, chipping away at her defenses one visit at a time.

  “These are all chick flicks,” he said.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I am a chick.”

  “Oh, I’ve definitely noticed.”

  Daisy nearly swallowed her tongue.

  “Have you seen Love and Other Drugs?” he asked, as if he hadn’t just totally rocked her with that comment. “Looks kind of good. A girl with Parkinson’s falls in love with a drug rep.”