Rocky Mountain Daddy

by Lois Richer

  “Forgive me for being so stupid, Lord,” he prayed as he traveled. “You are love and forgiveness. I lost sight of that for far too long.”

  As Gabe asked for forgiveness, the rock-solid nugget that had lain in his heart since Eve’s departure from his life began to melt and dissolve until he felt only freedom and joy. Okay, and a little fear.

  “But I’m trusting You,” he said out loud to conquer it, and then he quoted, “‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.’”

  The rain fell harder, soaking him. But Gabe didn’t feel it because he was on a mission.

  A mission of love.

  Olivia wanted to grab the kids and hug them as close as she could. But she knew moving now was the wrong thing to do, so she fixed her gaze on the bear and maintained eye contact.

  Clearly agitated at finding them so near her feeding spot, the mother bear growled menacingly. From the corner of her eyes, Olivia saw Jake take aim.

  “Please help us, God. She’s just a mom protecting her baby. I’m trusting You.”

  The bear sank onto all fours. She was going to charge. Olivia held her breath.

  A shrill whistle pieced the afternoon. Once, twice, three times. The mother bear jerked her head from side to side, trying to locate the sound.

  “Again, Eli,” she heard Jake say. And Eli blew twice more. “Get out of here, bear,” Jake yelled. “Everyone, stand up as tall as you can and yell really loud.”

  Each child did as they were asked. Confused and obviously concerned about her cub, the mother grunted loudly, then swung her head to one side. After surveying them a moment longer, she nudged her cub and together they lumbered off into the woods.

  The entire group burst out cheering.

  “I’ll make sure she’s gone,” Jake murmured. “Stay here.”

  Olivia nodded. She felt wilted, as if her knees were jelly. “Thank You, God,” she whispered. A few minutes later Jake returned. “Gone?”

  “Yes. The wildlife guys will have to catch her and her cub and move them outside the fence. Then we’ll need to get that fence inspected. We can’t have that happening again.” He heaved a sigh. “Let’s get back to The Haven. I could use a big mug of your sister’s strongest coffee.”

  “Me, too. How did you know to bring your rifle?” she asked.

  “I was out riding last night and thinking about this path and decided I’d bring it just in case. Didn’t want to alarm anyone. I should have run the perimeter before we left.” He wore a grim expression. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

  “You always look after everyone at The Haven so well.” Olivia smiled. “The aunties are blessed to have you. Thank you, Jake.”

  “My pleasure.” With his rifle tucked away in his bag, he began encouraging the kids to pick up any trash they’d dropped.

  “Did I blow it okay? Daddy said to be real loud.” Eli studied his whistle.

  “Honey, you were amazing. I didn’t know you had a whistle,” she said, smoothing his hair with a trembling hand. Or a cell phone.

  “I din’t know neither,” Eli said with a grin. “Daddy said he put it in in my backpack in case I got losted, so you could find me in the woods. But I didn’t get losted.” He stopped, listened and then grinned so wide Olivia couldn’t help but smile in return. “He’s coming! Do you hear? He’s coming just like he said he would.”

  “Of course. Your daddy will always come if you ask him, Eli. He loves you very much.” Eli wasn’t the only one who’d learned a lesson today. Olivia had learned she could trust Him in every situation. Always. Even when she had to leave here and move on.

  At that moment Gabe barreled through the brush and stopped in the middle of their resting spot.

  “Daddy!” Eli raced to his father and laughed with glee when Gabe jumped off the quad and swung him into his arms. “I blowed the whistle just like you said, Daddy, and the bear runned away.”

  “Good man.” Gabe pressed his lips against the dark hair so like his own, then gazed into his child’s face. “You scared me, Eli.”

  “Why?” Eli rubbed a hand against his dad’s bristly jaw, reveling in the experience.

  “Because I love you very much. I don’t ever want anything bad to happen to you.”

  “But nothin’ did ’cause Livvie prayed and I blowed the whistle an’ Jake said God sent the bear away.” Eli hugged his father, then leaned away and said very gently, “I love you, too, Daddy. I won’t talk about Mommy no more ’cause it hurts you an’ Livvie says we shouldn’t do stuff to make other people sad.”

  “Oh, Eli.” Olivia was pretty sure those were tears in Gabe’s eyes, though he quickly ducked his head into his son’s neck. “You can talk about your mom whenever you want,” he said, his voice very quiet. “I want you to tell me all about her. I’d like to know about such a wonderful mom like yours.”

  “Really?” Eli asked, then grinned when Gabe nodded. “Well, she always smelled really nice.” He sniffed, then wrinkled his nose, obviously not getting the same vibe from Gabe.

  Olivia smothered a chuckle as the boy wiggled to be free. Gabe set Eli down, one hand resting on his shoulder as if he couldn’t quite let go. Her aching heart eased a little at the sight of Gabe’s fierce love.

  “Can I ride home on that bike with you, Daddy?”

  “If Olivia says it’s okay.” Gabe’s eyes met hers, but she couldn’t read the expression in them. “Are you all right?” he asked very quietly, his gaze intense.

  “Yes. God took care of us.” She smiled. “But thank you for the whistle.”

  “Hey, Gabe.” Jake slapped him on the shoulder. “The wildlife people are probably using that old road to the west to get here. Can you go back that way and tell them to head toward Flinder’s Crossing? I tracked that mother and her cub in that direction.”

  “Sure,” Gabe agreed, but his gaze remained on her.

  “We’d better head back, too,” Jake said, glancing from him to Olivia. “Before daylight’s completely gone. At least the drizzle has stopped.”

  “Yes. Let’s go.” She smiled at Eli. “See you back at The Haven,” she said, meeting Gabe’s solemn gaze.

  “You will.”

  There was something different about him, she decided as she herded the little group toward home. Something softer?

  “Probably worry about his son,” she told herself and focused on helping Mikey, who wouldn’t go with Eli, navigate the rougher spots. “You’re in charge now, so do your job and stop mooning over something you can’t have.”

  “Are you talkin’ to me, Aunt Livvie?” Mikey frowned. “‘Cause I don’t know what mooning means.”

  “Nor should you, Mikey, my boy. Let’s see who can go up this hill the fastest?” She smiled as he dashed upward. Kids were so precious. Kids and families. That’s what made life worthwhile.

  And tall lean cowboys who didn’t smile much and yet still managed to say a thousand things with their intense blue eyes. If only...

  Chapter Fourteen

  Back at The Haven, a very frustrated Gabe stayed for supper and endured the children’s repeated accounts of their treasure hunt as he waited for an opportunity to talk to Olivia. But the woman seemed intent on avoiding him.

  “Hey!” Mikey’s frown expressed his dissatisfaction. “We never got no treasure!”

  Victoria tried to suggest they needed rest and could get it in the morning, but that didn’t fly. Every child in the room began demanding to see the “treasure.” Gabe fully expected Olivia to agree and lead them to it; instead, she beckoned to him to follow her outside.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, surprised by the deep, dark flush covering her face.

  “The treasure. The stupid treasure,” she muttered. When he simply stared at her, she snapped in exasperation, “I forgot to bury it.”

  Gabe couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. It was
such an anticlimactic event and the opposite of Ms. Organization’s usual style that he took a moment to simply enjoy her discomfiture.

  “Well? Are you going to help me or not?” she demanded grumpily as she slapped her hands on her hips in annoyance.

  “Sure.” He shrugged, loving the way her gray eyes turned silver and shot sparks of lightning when she was displeased. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Tell them we can find it in the morning?” she begged, arching her neck.

  “Too late for that, Olivia.” Gabe inclined his head toward the kitchen where a chant of “treasure, treasure” emanated through the open windows.

  “I didn’t think it would work.” She was tired. Who wouldn’t be after such an experience?

  Gabe’s heart softened as he gazed at her. He would do this and anything else she asked of him, anytime, anywhere. He loved this woman so much and he was going to tell her so, only not now when a bunch of kids were yelling, demanding her attention. He was going to tell her when nothing and no one would interrupt.

  “Just tell me what you need me to do,” Gabe said tenderly.

  “There’s a wooden box in my office, under the red pillows. In it there are several bags of those little chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil and some small toys. You need to dig a hole and put our treasure chest in it.”

  “Okay.” I’d do anything for you, my darling.

  “That’s not all, Gabe. The box has to be buried on the north side of the pottery shed because that’s where the instructions will lead them.” Olivia brushed pine needles off her sweater with a disgusted look. “Dig underneath that great big poplar tree. Oh. But before you bury the box, you need to tie a belt around it.”

  “A belt?” He blinked.

  “Yes. It’s part of the rhyme I wrote, but then I couldn’t find a belt, and then it was too late to rewrite the rhyme and we had to leave and that’s why I didn’t get around to burying the treasure. I thought I could do it while they ate, but...”

  Gabe figured his face must have shown his confusion because Olivia exhaled in a long-suffering sigh before resuming her explanation.

  “Their clues specifically say they have to unbuckle the chest and open it to find their treasure.”

  “Ah.” He nodded. “So where do I find a belt?”

  “I don’t know. Improvise.” The noise from the kitchen was deafening. Olivia looked like her last nerve was in danger of fraying. “I’ll go keep them busy, but it won’t be easy. Please, Gabe, don’t take too long.” She hurried away.

  “Find the chest and a belt and dig a hole.” The chest was easy to locate, and the stuff was inside just as she said. That’s when Gabe had the idea. But by the time he’d completed his secret task, the noise was deafening, and he still didn’t have a belt. He caught a glimpse of himself in the office mirror.

  Really? You’re willing to do that? his brain demanded.

  Yep. Truth was, he’d do almost anything for Olivia.

  Gabe lugged the box to the spot she’d mentioned, ran back for a shovel, found a soft spot and started digging. Ten minutes later the hole waited. He undid his belt, fastened it around the box and lowered it into the earth. He felt funny without the familiar weight around his waist but he backfilled the hole anyway. There were clumps of weeds nearby. He pulled a bunch up and replanted them under the tree. Then he smoothed the area. Hopefully the kids wouldn’t notice the disturbance he’d made.

  Then he hurried back toward the house, losing the shovel on the way. Olivia and Jake were struggling to engage the kids in a game, but the response was lackluster. Olivia lifted her head as he entered, a question mark in her lovely silver-gray eyes. For a moment Gabe stood transfixed, staring as he imagined all the futures they could have together. If she’d agree.

  “Gabe?”

  He swallowed hard before nodding.

  “All right, children. You may now open your last clue.” Olivia moved toward him as the sound of rustling paper filled the room. “Ideas? Anyone?”

  “‘Birds love my open arms,’” the eldest read, face screwed up in thought. “Nests?”

  “Birdhouses?” another suggested.

  The kids looked at each other, uncertainly.

  “Trees.” Eli smiled. “Birds like trees. That’s where they build their nests.”

  “He’s right. What’s the next part of it?” one child said.

  “‘Kids like my shade for lunch.’” Again the eldest child spoke. He looked at Eli.

  “Which tree?”

  Gabe watched Olivia’s face, saw the love in her eyes as her glance slid from one child to the next. She was perfect for this job. His heart grew impatient, but he wasn’t going to rush things. He tilted back on the heels of his boots, waiting, praying, trying anything to chase away his doubts about his impetuous actions.

  “We had our sandwiches under a tree,” Eli murmured, brow wrinkled in thought. His eyes searched for and found Olivia. “You brought me lemonade when mine got spilled.”

  Olivia smiled and nodded. Then her glance swerved to Gabe. There was something unspoken there, something he wanted to know more about—when they were alone together.

  “Good thing you came along, Eli,” one of the kids cheered. “We wouldn’t know where to look. Show us, Eli.”

  His chest proudly thrust forward, Eli led the way out the door and toward the pottery shed, the other kids following.

  “Where’s your belt, Gabe?” Olivia’s voice came from just below his left shoulder, soft, filled with—affection?

  “It was needed for a higher purpose.” He so badly wanted to kiss her, to speak from his heart. But he wanted more than that for her. He wanted to make this so special she’d never forget. “You’d better join them,” he said, letting her beauty soak into him. “This is your treasure hunt.”

  “And yours. Thank you, Gabe.” She smiled and it was like fireworks went off. Then she joined the children, who were now pawing at the freshly dug earth.

  Content to watch, Gabe held back, unable to stop smiling. Moments later there was a shriek of excitement as the box was unearthed.

  “There’s the belt, just like it said.”

  “Open it. I want to see what’s inside.”

  He waited, almost breathless as the box was opened and the treasure distributed.

  “Hey, this says Livvie’s name.” Eli held up a white envelope.

  Olivia turned to look at Gabe, a question in her eyes. He simply watched her, saw the way she hesitantly took the note, slid her thumb under the seal and pulled out the slip of paper. She read it, then looked at him, eyes wide. With hope?

  If only she still loved him.

  The next few minutes passed in a blur for Gabe. Someone—Victoria?—urged the children to save their treasure for tomorrow and sent them scurrying for bed, insisting Eli and Mikey needed a sleepover. Gabe let his gaze slide off Olivia just long enough to embrace his son and kiss him good-night. He thought it was Jake who filled in the hole he’d dug, but then he, too, disappeared, leaving Gabe and Olivia alone on the tiny hill just above the house with the full moon shining on them.

  “What does this mean?” she asked, holding up the note.

  “Exactly what it says.” Gabe took a step toward her, loving the fragrance of her hair on the night breeze. “You’re my treasure. I love you.”

  “But—” A furrow appeared on her forehead.

  “I’m free, Livvie. I’ve forgiven Eve, if there was ever anything to forgive.” He took her hands in his just to make sure she heard him out and didn’t run off before he’d said everything he needed to say. “When you and Eli were out there with a black bear—let’s just say I got my priorities straight.”

  “And they are?” She wasn’t quite sure of him. Not yet.

  “That you and Eli are what matter most in my life. My marriage failed, but it wasn’t all Eve’s
fault. It was mine, too. Given my heartless dismissal of her, it’s no wonder she didn’t tell me about Eli.” He paused, stared into her eyes, loving the clarity he saw there. “But whose fault it was doesn’t matter anymore. It’s in the past. I’m more interested in the future.”

  “Which is?” Something in those silvery eyes warned Gabe to be very clear.

  “I love you. I want to be with you. Always. And I don’t care where that is.” He inhaled silently, praying for the right words. “If you still want to live in Edmonton, I’ll move there.”

  “But your new house—?”

  “I don’t want to be there if you won’t share it,” he said firmly.

  “Your job, the horses, Eli’s school?” He knew Olivia was listing them because she still wasn’t certain about him. That was okay. If she loved him they would have the future for him to prove his love.

  “There are lots of jobs, lots of horses, lots of schools,” he said with a smile. “But there’s only one you. You’re the one I want in my life. You moved into my heart, Olivia, and now you own it. Wherever you go, Eli and I go. I love you.”

  “But—” She frowned as tears welled.

  Gabe lifted one hand and gently smoothed a thumb under each eye, pushing away the tears.

  “Darling Olivia, I have finally gotten my priorities straight and they are you. I love you, though I’m surely not good enough for you. I’ll make mistakes and hurt you and not be half the man you deserve. I’m grumpy and selfish and disorganized and I’ve lost my belt which cowboys never do—”

  “And you love me?” she added with a beatific smile.

  He nodded.

  “I can’t fathom why God would batter down my wall of bitterness, why He would take the time to make a dumbbell like me see how wrong I’ve been. And I’m so, so sorry that He had to use you and Eli to make me see sense. When I think of what could have happened—”

  “God was in control, Gabe. We were in His hands.” Her arms crept around his neck. “There is no better place.”