Page 24 of Big Island Horizons
Tara shrugged. “Sixteen years of bringing food with me everywhere I go is a tough habit to shake. Tossing food and water into a backpack is second nature.”
“I was never good at that. Maddie and I were always stopping somewhere when she was hungry, even if it was just a roadside stand for bananas.”
“I always had more food than money.”
“Food, land, three healthy kids. You’re rich in what matters.”
She smiled. “True.”
“It’s hard to believe that our kids are nearly grown. You’ve got some time left with your girls, but Maddie and Cody… they’re basically adults.”
“Don’t say that!”
He chuckled. “They are, though. They’re both happy working for the family businesses now, but that won’t last forever. Blink and they’ll fly the nest.”
“Cody’s been taller than me for years, but we’ve got a couple of years left before they’re gone. More if they live with us through their first couple years of college.”
“Maddie’s going to have her first couple years of college done by the time she’s eighteen,” he said mournfully. “She’s taking classes in Hilo already. A couple years from now she’ll be transferring to some school on the mainland.”
“Homeschool kid problems,” she commiserated, only half joking.
“At least we got more time with our kids than most people do.”
“A lot more,” she agreed.
“Well, you got a lot more. I was still working overtime those early years. I didn’t quite have my priorities straight.”
“You stepped up when Laura got sick, though.”
“I tried. I could never fill the hole that her mother left, but I’ve done my best.”
“You’ve done a wonderful job,” she assured him. “Maddie’s an amazing kid, and she adores you.”
“She is amazing. Sometimes I wish she were a little bit less extraordinary so that she would stay closer to home. Is that terrible?”
“It’s normal. I’m secretly hoping that Cody does all four years of college in Hilo so that I can still have all my kids close to home. But I try not to let on how desperately I want him to stay on island.”
“You’re a better parent than me, then. I’ve practically begged Maddie to stick around.”
“She already knows that you’ll support her in whatever she decides to do.”
“Yeah, I suppose she does. More fool me. That house is going to be so quiet without her. It’s too big for one person.”
“I’ll bring the girls up,” she said lightly. “They make plenty of noise.”
“I’d like that.”
“Careful what you wish for. Paige asked me for a horse recently, and you know I don’t have room for that. We’d have to board it with you.”
“Tara, I’d give you a horse in a heartbeat.”
She gaped at him. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” he insisted, eyes on the road. “The only reason I haven’t had you stop paying for lessons is all the money goes to Maddie. You and your girls are welcome on the land anytime.”
Tara looked out the window, her cheeks warm. The coastline slid by in a mixture of bright sunshine and dappled shade. Massive monkeypod trees stretched their leafy branches out over the highway, creating umbrellas of green and gold overhead.
Liam turned off of the highway and onto a narrow residential road, taking her up through a piece of the island that she had never seen before. He parked near the end of a driveway with a metal gate, thick chain, and heavy padlock. Three separate signs readPrivate Property No Trespassing.
