“Knocks Odin right off his little paws.” She looked at Geordie and asked, “So why are you all up here?”
“I wanted to see the ocean. We were here for a while when we first came over from Scotland, and I liked it, but my mother wanted a place with a wee bit of land and Da had heard about all the land west of here, so they headed out there. It was this year as the weather warmed that I started to get a real urge to see the ocean again.”
“Yet you came east. There is an ocean on the West Coast, too.”
“East has better train connections, and the West is also a lot more dangerous than people realize.”
“And I am heading to Maine because my mother asked me to come home,” said James.
“Ah, not a request one can ignore. She probably wants to see that you are fine,” Belle said. “During the war, the list of our dead posted in the square from time to time must have frightened her half to death.”
“Well, yes, that might be some of it, but my father hurt himself and can’t finish some work he needs to get done.”
Belle nodded. “Yes, this time of the year is a bad time to leave things undone.” She carefully moved the cat and stood up. “Well, you are welcome to stay as long as you want and the ocean is right out there. Now I need to go and finish putting together the dinner.”
. “Need any help?” asked Geordie.
“No. Thank you. Things are just cooking and I only have to check. I’ll call if something comes up. Over the years I have actually come up with a lot of things to help me.” She picked up the tray they had put their empty dishes on and disappeared into the kitchen.
James stretched out his legs and sipped his coffee. “I think we were lucky to find this place. I will probably stay here for a day or two, then head home.”
“Do ye want us to come with ye?” asked Geordie.
“No, wait until I have a better idea of what needs doing. I will contact you if I have a desperate need of a few extra hands.” He looked at Geordie. “I think this is a perfect place to satisfy that craving you have to look at the ocean.”
“Certainly is convenient. Right out the door and down the steps. Hell, can probably sit on the edge of the hill and just look at it whenever I get in the mood.”
“Maybe that is one reason that man wants this property so bad,” said Robbie.
“Possibly. It is not only high up but far back, so should be safe from the water rising. Very tempting property, depending on what he has in mind,” said James.
“Cannae see him running a place like this.”
“No, but the number of people coming to the ocean when the weather warms might warrant something fancier, and I can see him liking some fancy hotel with his name on it. It would be a shame to build something like that here.”
“There is money to be had in entertaining visitors to the ocean?”
“It begins to look like there might be, and, if interest is building, it is always best to be one of the first to respond. Especially if the visitors tend to be wealthy. And most are. After all, who else can leave work for a few days to wriggle their toes in the water? And more trains run to the coast now.”
“Then I had best get my fill of ocean-watching while I can,” said Geordie.
“Good idea. I have been trying to think of how to warn my folks about what I think is coming. We are not right on the water, but we are very close and have a nice piece of land. I want to be sure they have all they need to prove the place is theirs, all theirs, with no debt owed anyone. Buying up your debt is only one way rich men manage to take your land.”
“You’ve already looked into it all, haven’t you?”
“Oh, yes. The ones who do underhanded things to grab land can be found everywhere. The war was treated like a gold mine by some of them. Lots of land, papers proving ownership gone, and so on. I need to make certain my folks have good, solid proof.”
They all looked toward the kitchen door when a soft thud sounded, and saw Belle rolling out a cart. They all moved quickly to give her a hand. Very soon they were seated around the table, trying to ignore her pets, which lurked around, attempting to convince someone to feed them or drop something.
It was a good meal, simple but filling, just as Geordie liked it. He smiled faintly when she offered them a fruit tart with heavy cream to pour on it. It all reminded him of home. Geordie decided James was right. They had been lucky to find this place. He was going to enjoy staying here to get his fill of the ocean.
Chapter Seven
“Och! I cannae breathe!”
Geordie sat up and rubbed his eyes, then noticed James trying to do the same. Then they both looked at Robbie, and Geordie had to choke back a laugh. Thor was sprawled on top of his brother. Robbie was trying to wriggle out from beneath the dog, interspersed with attempts to push the dog off the bed.
“Thor, I really cannae breathe,” Robbie said. The dog just stared at him, tail wagging and his mouth open a bit.
