Liam Read Online Free Page B

Saturdays together while your brother helps Lily in the store. Of course, you already knew that.”
    “I hadn’t realized it was a regular occurrence. Miss Smith, I’ve been gone for more than three months, I’m sure there are many things about my family I don’t know, so please continue. Enlighten me.”
    “Well,” she paused and took a breath. “Your brother Zach is trying to court Lily Sutter but she’s not having any of it. She told me that although Gemma is the best thing that ever happened to her, she’s not falling for another handsome face.”
    “Zach will be pleased to know she thinks he’s handsome,” he said dryly.
    She cocked her head for a moment deep in thought. “Yes, I suppose he would get that impression. Good looks seem to run in your family, so I’m sure it’s something you’ve heard before.”
    “It’s gratifying to know you think so.”
    “Oh, don’t act so surprised,” she admonished him. “You must know how handsome you are.”
    “It’s not something I think about much.”
    “Well, I should hope not. That would make you exceedingly conceited, now wouldn’t it?”
    “Yes ma’am. I guess it would.” He smiled. She was feisty. He liked that in a woman.
    Liam ignored the stares he got as he carried Eleanor through camp to the doctor’s office. He didn’t much care what people thought of him. They got some raised eyebrows, some guffaws and knowing glances. In Chinatown, the Celestials simply got out of their way and looked the other direction rather than directly at them.
    They arrived at the doctor’s cabin, a small building made out of logs and held together with mud. There was a window in the door and one to the left side of it.
    Liam lightly kicked the door a couple of times with the toe of his boot.
    “Doc? Doc Cochran? You in there?” he called out.
    “Coming, coming,” called the doctor just before he opened the door. “What is it?” he questioned grumpily.
    “Hello, Doctor Cochran,” said Eleanor with a little wave of her free hand, keeping the other wrapped securely around Liam’s neck. “I seem to have sprained my ankle. Mr. Anderson was kind enough to bring me here.”
    “Well, come in,” said Doc, holding the door wide open so Liam could carry Eleanor in. “Put her right there.” He pointed at the table in the middle of the room. “Now, let’s have a look.”
    The doctor grabbed a button hook out of a drawer in his desk, unbuttoned Eleanor’s boot and gently took it off.
    “How does it look, Doc?” asked Eleanor.
    “It’s a good thing your boot buttoned up. I’d have had to cut it off otherwise. But it did keep the swelling down,” he let her boot fall to the wooden floor. “You won’t get that shoe back on now.” He ran his fingers over the ankle, gently pressing as he went.
    “Oww. That hurts,” said Eleanor, trying to pull her foot away from the doctor’s probing fingers.
    “Yes, I’m sure it does,” said the doc wearily. “But you have well made boots so at least nothing is broken. You’ve got a good sprain and you’re going to have to stay off of it for a few weeks. Then you can start to put weight on it again. Keep it up as much as possible for the first week, and if you can get ice to put on it, if not then just cold creek water, that will help keep the swelling down, too.” Doc wrapped her ankle snugly, but not too tight, with a long strip of cloth. “This will keep the swelling down and give you a little support, but not enough to walk on.”
    “How am I supposed to do my work if I can’t walk? For that matter, how am I supposed to get home?” asked Eleanor, a bit of a whine in her voice.
    Doc rolled his eyes at her melodramatics. “I’ll give you a pair of crutches, closest to your height, which will allow you to get around your father’s tent, but as to seeing the girls at The Gem , you’re going to have to put off those visits for a while. I’d rather not see you trying to navigate through the muddy streets