Bachelor Dad

by Roxann Delaney

  When they reached the front door, Garrett stopped her. “I’ll find someone to help out when needed.”

  She didn’t doubt that he would at least try, and she thanked him. In the quiet of her car, with Noah tucked into the backseat, she wondered again if the agreement she and Garrett had made to share child care had been a good idea. To her surprise and pleasure, it was working well, especially now that she felt assured that they would have a backup person. She no longer had to worry about losing her child care and, to top it off, she enjoyed having Sophie around.

  But she did worry that she was getting too close to Garrett. She knew better than to trust anyone, but he had been so helpful, it was tempting to simply take her problems to him. She couldn’t do that, though, and she would have to be more careful to keep her emotions out of the arrangement. But that wasn’t proving to be as easy as she’d hoped it would be.

  Chapter Five

  Garrett felt a tug on his rolled-up shirtsleeve and looked down to see Sophie. Tired and grumpy from a long, exhausting day dealing with the city council, he nearly snapped at her, but managed to bite back words he had no business saying. After taking a deep breath and letting it out, he felt a ton of sympathy for working mothers.

  “What is it, Sophie?” he asked, as if she would actually answer. Just one more thing to add to his growing list of exasperations.

  She smiled, ducked her head and then pointed to the table.

  He couldn’t be angry with her for not speaking. It wasn’t as if she seemed to be blaming him for this latest upheaval in her life. Besides, even in her silence, she was a ray of sunshine, no matter how tired he was.

  “Yes, you can set the table, Sophie,” he answered, aware that they were running behind.

  They’d fallen into a routine, Noah included, and she obviously didn’t want it interrupted…or delayed, as was happening tonight.

  “Chow time,” he announced. He pulled out his own chair while the children did the same. Watching Sophie climb on top of a stack of old law books to boost her high enough to reach the table, he thought of all the other families that were repeating the ritual. It came without warning and surprised him. He loved his own family—his parents and sister—but he’d never seriously considered having a family of his own.

  “How was football practice?” he asked Noah.

  Noah looked up. “Okay.”

  “What position do you play?”

  “All of ’em,” Noah answered.

  Garrett considered it and decided that was fair. Playing all positions gave everyone a chance to understand each one and learn where their strengths were, before going on to competition in school when they were a little older.

  “Did you know Sophie can be a cheerleader next year?” Noah asked.

  “Really? Isn’t that kind of young? Who chooses them?”

  “Oh, nobody chooses them. All you have to do is pay, and she’s a cheerleader.”

  Garrett looked at his daughter, who was watching him closely. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Was that something she might like to do? He could imagine her on the field, pom-poms waving wildly as she cheered for the team on the field, and he smiled.

  And then reality struck. Until she decided to talk, he shouldn’t even dream of making plans. And then there was school. She should probably be in pre-kindergarten, at least according to Paige, but he didn’t know if she’d been attending school anywhere and had no way to find out. He didn’t even know where to start and hoped he could remember to ask Libby if she had any ideas about what he should do.

  When dinner was over, Noah and Sophie watched television, while Garrett loaded the dishwasher and straightened the kitchen. Something had come over him, and he couldn’t put his finger on what was bothering him. He missed sharing evenings with his sister and realized his only social life had been to stop in at Lou’s a few times a week for a cup of coffee, or the occasional visit to the Rocking O Ranch to visit with Jules and Tanner O’Brien and their friends. His friends. But there was something else, and he didn’t know what it was he was missing.

  It wasn’t long before Sophie was yawning, and he scooped her into his arms and took her to her bedroom. Paige had given her a book of fairy tales, and once he had Sophie tucked into bed, she pointed to the book on the shelf.

  “Which story?” He took the book and settled on the bed next to her so she could see the pictures as he read.

  She turned the pages, until she came to the story of Rapunzel. He’d only read two pages before she was sound asleep next to him.

  He found Noah at the table doing homework and asked if the boy needed help. Noah shook his head. “Thanks, but math is easy.”

  Garrett had noticed Noah’s good manners the first time they met. Had that been only a few weeks ago? So much had happened, it was hard to believe. Three weeks ago, he’d been a typical single man, thirty-four years old, with an excellent career he enjoyed in a small town in Oklahoma he’d grown to love. Now he was the single dad of a four-year-old daughter, spending his evenings and half of his weekends with two children under the age of ten. Even he was amazed.

  Grabbing his briefcase, he spread the files from work he needed to study on the coffee table. The house was quiet and as he read, his eyelids grew heavy. He heard a woman’s sultry voice call his name, and he smiled as he looked around and found her. The blonde was a dead ringer for Libby, but it couldn’t be. Not in that red dress and those bedroom eyes. He reached out, intending to pull her closer and settle her on his lap. That’s all it would take—

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  The voice wasn’t loud, but it had lost the sultry sound, causing him to frown. “What does it look like?” he asked, wishing she’d just give in and enjoy the moment.

  “Garrett, wake up!”

  Wake up? He tried, but it was like swimming up from the bottom of a deep pool, and as he forced his eyes open, Libby’s face slowly came into focus. He felt her tug and realized that he was holding her hand, keeping her from moving away. “Sorry,” he mumbled, as he let go, then ran his hand down his face. “I must have—”

  “Fallen asleep?” she finished, quickly stepping back, now that she was free.

  He sat up straight, wishing his mind would clear, and saw the pile of papers on the table in front of him. Noah, he noticed, was curled up on a nearby chair, sound asleep. “I was working and, yeah, must’ve fallen asleep.”

  “Worn out by a couple of kids,” she said and shook her head. “Isn’t that kind of pitiful?” But the hint of a smile was proof she was teasing. Before he could think of a fitting reply, she asked, “By the way, where’s Sophie?”

  “In bed. She fell asleep while I was reading to her. You look pretty tired, too.”

  “At least I didn’t fall asleep while I was working.”

  “You’ve got me there.”

  Neither of them said anything for several moments, until Garrett finally broke the moment. “When was the last time you went out and did something different?”

  Her expression shifted. “Different than what?”

  He noticed she’d chosen her words carefully and knew he would need to do the same. He’d discovered that there seemed to be two Libbys. One was the Libby at Lou’s, who flirted and smiled and seemed at ease with him. And then there was this one, guarded and wary. He had also become aware that the little teasing she did was often used as a defense of some kind, although he hadn’t figured out why.

  He answered her question carefully. “Different than what you do every day. Different than spending your day off cleaning and doing laundry.”

  “Ah, you know about my secret life, then.”

  “Yes, Mata Hari,” he answered, standing and straightening what he knew was a rumpled shirt. “I’ve been watching you closely.”

  He smiled slowly as he took a step toward her. She took a small step back. Not enough that she appeared to be afraid of him, but enough to make the space he’d narrowed wider again. This, he decided, was not the
time to play games, nor was it the time to try to find out more about her and what her life had been like before Desperation.

  “Will you give me a hand with Noah?” she asked, breaking the moment.

  “Sure.”

  But as he picked up Noah’s backpack and helped her with the boy’s jacket, he decided it was time that both he and Libby had some fun.

  “BUT I’M AMESS!” LIBBY looked down at her oldest pair of blue jeans and the too small shirt that pulled at the buttons. It was Sunday, her one day off, and the day she got herself and Noah ready for the coming week, including catching up on laundry and cleaning.

  “You look great,” Garrett answered. “If you feel like you need to change, we have a few minutes.”

  A few minutes weren’t going to do the trick. “I’ll need to take a shower.”

  He propped one foot on the opposite knee and leaned back against the worn sofa. “Okay. I can wait.”

  Libby was tempted to tell him—beg him—to go on to the Rocking O Ranch without her. He’d sprung this little visit, which included a barbecue and time with his friends—people she barely knew and rarely spoke with—at the last minute by knocking on her door not five minutes ago and telling her they were all going. He obviously knew that she would have declined the invitation if Noah hadn’t been so eager to go.

  Garrett was as cool as a cucumber and totally certain of himself. Once upon a time, she’d been much the same way. Life had changed her, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the long ago past, before she’d met Eric Cabrera and everything had changed, including her.

  Garrett wasn’t going to let her get out of this, so all she could do was agree and hope she didn’t embarrass anyone. “All right,” she told him. The corners of his mouth turned up only the slightest, but she didn’t miss it and let out an exasperated sigh. “But only because Noah has been begging to visit his friend Kirby.”

  “Whatever it takes,” Garrett replied, without bothering to glance at her.

  She worried about what to wear as she showered and washed her hair. Garrett had insisted the monthly barbecue was casual. Jeans or whatever she felt comfortable wearing was fine. No one would be in tuxes or evening gowns, he’d assured her. Good thing, she thought, because she’d left her evening gowns and the fur wrap behind when she’d packed her car to the top of the roof and lit out of Phoenix with Noah, praying Eric wouldn’t find them and take Noah from her permanently.

  Twenty minutes later, dressed in clean jeans, a lightweight blue sweater and a pair of leather slides she’d forgotten she had, she walked into her tiny living room and cleared her throat.

  Garrett, still on the sofa, turned to look and gave a long, low whistle. “Wow, you look great, Libby,” he said, as he got to his feet.

  Noah, who’d joined Garrett on the sofa while she was getting ready, gave his opinion, too. “You’re the prettiest mom of all.”

  Libby’s hands were cold and she rubbed them together, hoping her smile hid her nervousness. “Well, if everyone’s ready…”

  Sophie, who’d been silently playing with the dollhouse in the corner, raced to Libby and grabbed her hand. Looking up at Libby, she smiled and nodded, then tugged her toward the door.

  “Has Sophie met Jules?” Libby asked, as they drove the few miles to the O’Briens’ ranch.

  “Not yet,” Garrett answered, turning the car onto a graveled drive, lined with trees. “Jules has been at a seminar, and then had to testify at an appropriations hearing, so this is the first chance there’s been to visit her.”

  He glanced at Libby, and she noticed he was gripping the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles were white. “It’ll be fine,” she assured him, keeping her voice as quiet as possible.

  He didn’t speak until he’d brought the car to a stop in front of a two-story white house, complete with a wide porch that wrapped around the front and along the length of one side. “Whatever Jules says, it’s better than being in the dark. I just hope she can shed a little light on it, that’s all.”

  Without thinking, Libby put her hand on his as he continued to grip the steering wheel, and she gave it an encouraging squeeze. When he turned his hand and captured hers in it to return the squeeze, she felt things she didn’t remember ever feeling. She had to force herself to breathe and then to gently pull her hand away.

  The moment was thankfully broken when she and Garrett exited the car and helped Noah and Sophie from the backseat. She wondered if she would be able to eat a bite of food. Whether from being nervous about meeting the O’Briens and Garrett’s other friends or from what she’d felt when he’d held her hand, she didn’t trust herself or her stomach. But she was here, and she’d make the best of the evening, no matter what.

  “We’re around back!” someone shouted.

  “Sounds like Tanner,” Garrett said. “You know him and Jules, right?”

  “We’ve met.” And that was about all, Libby thought. Oh, she’d seen them at Lou’s, even waited on them a few times. And she’d encountered them in town, here and there. They’d said hello or nodded in greeting, but they didn’t know each other well enough to stop and chat. They were acquaintances and nothing more. She didn’t expect this visit to change things.

  Garrett led them toward the back of the house, and even before they reached it, she could hear the laughter of adults and children. They were nice people, she was sure, and she might have been at ease if things were different.

  “We made it,” he announced as they rounded the corner of the house.

  There was an end-of-September chill in the air, and Libby was glad she’d slipped on a light jacket. She’d expected there to be fewer people. She counted at least four couples and several children of varying ages, from barely toddling to teens, gathered on a patio lit by strings of tiny lights and a few scattered torches.

  As Noah hurried off to join the children, Libby quickly reminded herself that this wasn’t all that different than seeing these people at Lou’s or at various places in Desperation. But knowing that didn’t necessarily put her at ease. She was on their turf now, although she definitely appreciated Jules O’Brien’s friendly smile.

  “Libby! I’m so glad you’re here.” Jules hurried over and took her hand. “Garrett said he might be bringing someone, but he wouldn’t tell us who.” She slid a look at Garrett with a twinkle in her eye. “Thank you for coming, both of you.”

  Libby wondered why Garrett hadn’t mentioned who he might be bringing, but decided it wasn’t important. She watched as Jules knelt down in front of Sophie and introduced herself. Sophie hung back at first, but in seconds she was smiling and nodding.

  Jules spoke quietly to Sophie and then to Garrett, before taking the little girl into the house. Libby mentally crossed her fingers that Jules would either be able to get Sophie to talk or, at the very least, could give them news that there was truly nothing really wrong. She knew Garrett was greatly concerned about why Sophie was choosing not to speak.

  Just as Dusty McPherson, Tanner O’Brien’s friend and business partner, walked up to talk to Garrett, Libby heard someone hail her from the other side of the large patio. She turned to see Dusty’s wife waving her over. Kate was famous for her cooking, and it was her barbecue sandwiches that were served at Lou’s, so Libby knew her better than she knew the others, although they weren’t what most people would call friends. Wearing what she hoped was a friendly and relaxed smile, she approached Kate.

  “It’s good to see you,” Kate greeted her. “We don’t get the chance very often. You’re always busy when I stop by Lou’s, and I don’t want to get him mad at either of us.”

  Libby laughed. Kate knew Lou almost as well as she did. “Lou needs those sandwiches,” she said, “so you’re safe. And I usually only have Sundays off, so there isn’t a lot of time for socializing.”

  “Summers are like that for me,” Kate answered, nodding, “at least when it comes to farming. Fall, too, but not as much.”

  “And then there’s your pies
and cakes and your catering.”

  Kate leaned closer. “Catering was Dusty’s idea, but I have to admit I enjoy it. Most of the time. Don’t tell him I said so, though.” When the shriek of what sounded like a child was heard, she spun around. “Be right back,” she said over her shoulder as she hurried away.

  Libby watched as Kate gathered her twin boys and led them away from the patio and onto the grass. After getting down on their level, she appeared to be speaking to each one, glancing now and then to a blond-haired angel of a little girl who had to belong to Kate’s sister, Trish, who stood watching the whole thing. The three small children shared a birthday and were just over a year old. Even so, mischief glowed in the eyes of the two little boys.

  Dusty marched over to the four of them and immediately scooped each of the boys into a football hold, one under each arm, and grinned at his wife. Even at a distance, Libby could see the love the two of them shared.

  “They don’t have a clue what I said to them,” Kate told Libby, laughing, when she returned. “And they seem to be at their orneriest tonight. At least they can’t really run yet. When that happens, I don’t know what I’ll do. Hand them over to their daddy to finish raising, I guess.”

  Libby laughed. “I can barely remember when Noah was that age. He was a good baby, but a curious one, once he discovered crawling. And when he started walking? Look out, world.”

  They talked more about the perils of raising children, and Trish joined them, greeting Libby with the same kindness Kate and Jules had. Libby was amazed at how wonderful she felt, just talking to other women who were her age. Even after she’d divorced Eric, she’d kept socializing to a minimum. He was the son of wealthy parents with connections, in addition to having his own. Anything she did was bound to get back to him, and she didn’t dare do anything that might anger him, even when they were no longer married.

  She’d begun to relax and enjoy herself, when Jules returned with Sophie. The concern on Garrett’s face nearly broke her heart, and she watched as Jules and Sophie joined him. Within seconds, Jules looked up and waved her over to them.