Discouraged, Piper got up and went into the kitchen to stir the chili. It was a very real possibility she might have to take a job in another state. Grabbing a bowl, she dished up a generous amount of chili.
After settling onto the small dinette table, she opened her laptop and logged onto Netflix. She tried to lose herself in one of her favorite series, but frequently found her mind thinking about the Wesson family and what had happened to make their mother leave and take the baby with them. She wondered why Gabe hadn’t fought for custody of the baby too, especially since he was an attorney and already had custody of the other children.
Later that night, she bundled up and took Anastasia outside for a potty break. While she waited for her dog to finish her business, she noticed the blinds at the Wesson house were cracked open enough to see inside. Gabe sat in an overstuffed chair, holding his daughter close while reading a book to her. She could see Shane sitting on the floor next to the piano, playing with his Legos.
Longing to be part of the scene before her pierced Piper like the icy January air as a vision of her sitting at the piano materialized in her mind. Gabe happened to glance up just then and stared at her. Whether or not he could see her, she was embarrassed to be caught watching him like some stalker. She quickly ducked her head and called for Anastasia to come back.
For the rest of the night Piper tried to vanquish the cozy scene that included her sitting at the piano, but it was etched permanently in her mind.
Chapter 4
Lindsey bounced up and down with excitement when the doorbell sounded. “I hope my new boots fit me this time,” she squealed as she followed Gabe to open the door.
“Me too, princess.” The cowgirl boots he’d ordered his daughter for Christmas from the Rodeo Drive Boutique had been too small. Caytie McAllister, the owner of the store, had offered to have a new pair made, even though it wasn’t her fault Lindsey’s feet had grown a half inch. He’d wanted to pay for both pairs of boots, but Caytie refused, saying she donated unwanted boots and clothing to a few charities, so it wasn’t a loss. She’d called Gabe at work to have him pick up the boots at her store, but he’d been away from the office and said he’d pick them up the next day. Caytie had texted him ten minutes ago to say Kellen and Ivy Thomas were on their way over to deliver the boots.
“Settle down, Rascal,” Gabe said, holding the barking dog back from the door. He knew from experience the rambunctious canine would jump up on their guests if he didn’t restrain him.
“Surprise!” Ivy Thomas said when he opened the door. She held up a pink box with the Rodeo Drive Boutique’s logo on it. “I have one pair of absolutely adorable boots for a little girl named Lindsey.”
“That’s me! That’s me!” Lindsey said, waving her arms above her head while simultaneously jumping up and down.
Gabe invited Ivy in and held open the door a little longer as her husband, Kellen, followed her inside with a dress bag.
“Man, it’s so cold out there,” Kellen said as he handed over the dress bag to Gabe.
“What’s this?” Gabe had to let go of the dog in order to keep Rascal from attacking the bag. He attacked Kellen instead.
“Caytie sent it over,” Kellen said, scratching Rascal behind his ears. “She said it should fit Lindsey perfectly.”
“But I didn’t order anything else.”
Kellen laughed. “You should know by now that doesn’t stop Caytie.”
“They fit, Daddy!” Lindsey said, dancing around in front of him. “They’re just as pretty as Mommy’s boots.”
The mention of MaryEllen turned Gabe’s stomach. He’d surprised his wife with a new pair of boots made by Tate Johnson as an early birthday present the year before to help ease the rift between them. They had been very expensive and MaryEllen had loved them. They were among the things she took with her when she moved out a month later.
“They’re beautiful, honey.”
“Is that for me too?” Lindsey asked, pointing to the dress bag.
“It is.” Gabe unzipped the bag to reveal an off-white dress Lindsey had begged him for the last time they were in the shop. While money wasn’t too much of an issue, he hadn’t been willing to spend a hundred dollars on a dress his daughter would wear to church a handful of times. He couldn’t accept the gift and would have to pay Caytie tomorrow.
“Can I try it on?” Lindsey pleaded with him.
“I see that look in your eyes,” Ivy said, taking the dress out of his hands, “and it won’t do any good to try and pay for it.”
“She can’t just keep giving everything away,” Gabe grumbled.
“Try telling her that,” Ivy said with a laugh. Rascal jumped up and Ivy lifted the dress bag out of the way just in time. “Down, Rascal.” She glanced over at Gabe. “We’re trying on the dress, so maybe you could take your sweet dog outside for a few minutes?”
“He’s not that sweet,” Gabe said under his breath as he grasped the dog’s collar and led him toward the kitchen.
“Really?” Kellen asked, following him to the back door. “He seems like he’s perfect for your children.”
“Oh, he’s great for the kids.” Gabe opened the door, and Rascal raced for the biggest snowdrift, rolling around on his back. That dog had more energy than both of Gabe’s kids had after eating most of the candy in their stockings Christmas morning.
Pulling the door shut, he glanced at Shane sitting at the family computer, making sure he still had his headphones on. Then he met Kellen’s gaze. “Rascal got my neighbor’s purebred dog pregnant, and she was not happy.”
“The dog or the owner?” Kellen asked wryly.
“The dog seemed perfectly happy with her golden puppies. Ms. Jensen… not so much.”
“When did this all go down?”
“I found out a couple of days ago.” Gabe rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I looked up the cost of puppies for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and can understand why she was so upset with me. They go anywhere from twelve hundred to two thousand per dog, depending on the pedigree.”
Kellen whistled. “How many puppies are we talking about?”
“Five.” Gabe glanced across the fence toward Piper’s house, wondering how much this whole fiasco was going to cost him. “My kids want one, but I’m not giving in no matter how much they beg.”
Kellen looked in the same direction. “Ivy really wants a dog. Maybe we’ll go check them out before we leave.”
“Do me a favor and don’t say anything around my kids.”
Just then, Lindsey raced toward Gabe, wearing the fluffy dress. “Daddy! Ivy wants to see the puppies. Can I please go with her?” She clasped her hands in front of her, looking up at him through her dark lashes. “Pretty please?”
“Sorry, man,” Kellen mused. “That ship has sailed.”
Since he’d been promising his daughter she could see the puppies again, there was no point in arguing. “All right, but take off the dress first.”
“But I want Miss Piper to see it.”
“You don’t want to get it all dirty, do you?” Ivy said. She pulled her phone from her coat pocket. “How about I take a picture of you? That way Caytie and Miss Piper can both see you in the dress.”
Lindsey posed for Ivy and then grabbed her hand, tugging her back toward the bathroom to change out of the dress. “The puppies are so cute and Miss Piper is so nice and pretty.”
“Is she pretty?” Kellen asked, once his wife was out of earshot.
Gabe thought about his neighbor and felt his neck grow warm. Yeah, Piper Jensen was very pretty. So pretty that he’d had trouble falling asleep the past few nights because he kept thinking about her. But to be fair, it wasn’t entirely his fault he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Aside from Lindsey constantly asking to go see her, along with the puppies, Gabe noticed she took her dog out each night about the same time. By the light of the moon and the soft porch light, he could easily see her through his family room window. A few times he could swear she noticed him too.<
br />
Glancing at Kellen, he lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. “I guess.”
Kellen’s mouth stretched into a smile. “You only guess, huh?”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Gabe said irritably. “It doesn’t matter how pretty she is. I’m not interested.”
“Who said anything about you being interested?”
Gabe snorted a laugh. His friend had a point. “Okay, so maybe I’m a little overly sensitive, but I’m so tired of everyone in town trying to play matchmaker and marry me off.” He saw the smirk on Kellen’s face and wanted to derail this conversation. “By the way, I take it you’re enjoying married life?”
That did the trick. A grin split Kellen’s face. “Oh yeah, I’m enjoying it very much.”
His smile faltered, and Gabe knew the guy probably thought he shouldn’t sound so enthused about something that had completely sucked for Gabe. Before Kellen could apologize, Gabe said, “I’m happy for you, man. Ivy is beautiful and I’m glad you found her.”
Kellen glanced at his wife as she came out of the bathroom. He still wore the look of a besotted groom, even though the couple had been married in September. “Me too. I thank God everyday for her.”
“What are you two talking about?” Ivy asked her husband.
“Just discussing how lucky I am to be married to you.”
“Ah, that’s so sweet.” She rose up on her toes and gave Kellen a quick kiss on his mouth. “But I know there’s more to the story so spill.”
Kellen laughed. “You’ll have to ask Gabe.”
Lifting an eyebrow, she looked to Gabe. “Well?”
Gabe was not about to admit he thought his neighbor was pretty. He cut Kellen a peeved look before telling Ivy about Rascal’s new role as a father.
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out for her, but I doubt she’ll have a problem finding the puppies homes.”
He hoped so. It was just one more thing on his list of things to worry about.
“I’m ready, Ivy.” Lindsey came out of the bathroom, still wearing her new boots.
As a single parent, Gabe had to pick his battles carefully. Making Lindsey take off the new boots wasn’t worth the fight that would ensue. Saying no to a puppy was much more important.
“Put your coat on,” Gabe said as Lindsey practically dragged Ivy toward the front door.
Kellen started to follow, his limp barely noticeable due to the prosthetic leg he wore after losing part of his leg from an IED in Afghanistan a couple of years earlier. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, turning back around. “We’re hosting a sledding party next Friday on the hill by our house.” He handed Gabe a postcard-sized invitation. “Grandma Ilene and Ivy’s Aunt Tillie are providing homemade scones and hot chocolate to keep everyone warm. And George will have the horse and sleigh out to give rides. It should be a fun night.”
“Thank you.” Gabe’s kids had been begging him to take them sledding for the past month, but they always had something come up. “I don’t think I have anything on the twenty-seventh, so we’ll be there for sure.”
“You can bring a date if you want to,” Kellen said with a smirk.
“I’m good.”
“Or, maybe you’ll meet someone there.” Kellen shrugged and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “You never know who might show up.”
Gabe glared at the man’s back, tempted to follow him outside so he could scoop up a big ball of snow and throw it at his head. Apparently, Kellen had joined the find-Gabe-a-date club.
Even though Shane still had twenty more minutes of screen time left, he took off the headphones and scooted his chair back from the desk. “Can I go look at the puppies too?”
“Sure.” Gabe trailed behind his son to make sure he put his coat on. As the boy took off to catch up with Kellen, he called out to him, “Make sure you and your sister come home with Ivy and Kellen.”
“We will,” Shane hollered before disappearing from Gabe’s sight.
Rascal followed Shane but stopped when he came to the invisible boundaries Gabe had set up. The dog sat back on his haunches and started to whine.
“Come here, Rascal,” Gabe called. Of course the dog didn’t pay any attention to him. Gabe tried one more time and then decided not to worry about. The invisible fence worked well and the dog wasn’t going anywhere. If he changed his mind and wanted to come inside, he would let Gabe know.
Enjoying the feel of the warm sun, he lingered on the porch, fighting the temptation to go over to Piper’s house too. He wanted to believe the only reason he wanted to go there was to prevent his kids from getting any ideas about adopting a puppy, but he knew that wasn’t the truth. Other than catching a glimpse of her each night on her back porch, he hadn’t seen Piper for a few days now. A cloud moved in front of the sun, and he immediately felt the temperature drop. He opened his door to go back inside, but paused when Rascal started barking wildly as a truck turned onto Piper’s driveway. Gabe recognized Ian Davie’s truck and wondered why he was stopping by for the second time this week.
Something that felt a little like jealousy pricked Gabe’s heart as he watched the bachelor veterinarian climb out of his truck. Tamping down the feeling, he told himself it didn’t matter if Piper Jensen started dating one of Snow Valley’s most eligible bachelors.
“Hey, Gabe,” Ian said, lifting a hand to wave at him.
“Hi.” Forgetting all about his coat, he crossed his property until he came to the low fence separating the two yards. “What brings you here?” Gabe hadn’t meant to sound so proprietary. He hoped Ian didn’t pick up on that vibe.
“Just making a house call.” He looked at Gabe strangely. “I thought you knew about the puppies?”
“Oh yeah. Of course.” Gabe cleared his throat. “I guess you know about the role Rascal played in that, right?”
“Yeah.” Ian glanced at the dog. “I feel partially responsible for not following through with getting Rascal neutered.”
“That wasn’t your responsibility. I’m his owner now.”
“Still, I feel bad. I told Piper I’m waving all my vet fees.”
“And I’m covering the other costs, so that just leaves finding homes for all the puppies.”
“It shouldn’t be too hard.” Ian smiled and lifted his eyebrows. “Much like the owner of the dog, puppies are very irresistible.”
So Ian was interested in Piper. Why did that bother Gabe so much?
“My kids are in there with Kellen and Ivy. Just so you know, we are not getting a puppy.”
“Do they know that?”
“Yes.” He narrowed his eyes at Piper’s house. “At least I though I made that clear.”
Ian glanced toward Piper’s front door and then looked back at Gabe. “I’ll shoot you a text if it looks like the kids need an intervention.”
“Thanks.”
Ian waved and made his way toward the front porch. Gabe didn’t move and watched as Ian knocked on the door. A couple of seconds passed by before Piper opened her door.
“Hey, Ian, come on in,” Piper said with a lot more enthusiasm than she’d greeted Gabe with.
Envy sliced through him, making it feel as if an artic wind had just moved in. Shivering, he went back inside his house and stood in front of the fireplace, trying to warm up and trying not to think about Piper and Ian as a couple.
Brooding in front of the fire wasn’t helping, so Gabe tackled a few chores that he’d put off. Knowing Lindsey was down to her last clean shirt, he started a load of wash. Then he moved into the kitchen and cleared the breakfast dishes from off the countertop. The dishwasher hadn’t been emptied, something the kids were supposed to have done after school, so Gabe did it, all the while berating himself for not being a better parent. Maybe he should make up a daily chore list the kids had to cross off before they got any screen time.
He sighed as he added soap and started the dishwasher. There was so much he should be doing as a parent, but it was hard playing both father and mother.
The hou
se seemed too quiet. Gabe should be happy for the reprieve and ought to take advantage of having some alone time, but he felt too restless inside to relax. Finally, he decided he better go and get his kids. It wasn’t wise to allow them to spend so much time with the puppies.
After donning his coat, he opened the door to find Rascal panting on the porch. Barking once, as if to thank Gabe for letting him in, he trotted across the floor and headed straight for the oversized doggy bed situated in front of the fireplace.
Pulling the collar around his ears, he hurried along the path to Piper’s house. Funny that up until a few days ago, he’d never even considered coming over to meet his new neighbor. As he approached the front door, Gabe noticed Ian’s truck was gone. It was stupid that it made him feel better. Pressing the doorbell, Gabe felt nervous and excited about seeing Piper again. As the door opened, he wondered if she would give him the same warm greeting she’d given Ian.
“Hi, Daddy,” Lindsey said.
“Hey, sweet pea.” He told himself he wasn’t disappointed Piper hadn’t been the one to open the door. But as he closed the door behind him, his eyes scanned the room looking for her. Shane and Ivy sat on the floor, staring at the puppies. Kellen was seated in the chair behind his wife. Piper was nowhere to be found, but Gabe caught the scent of chocolate and vanilla again. Did the woman make cookies every time she had someone stop by?
“Piper’s in the kitchen making cookies and I’m helping her,” Lindsey said, leading him toward the kitchen. “Come on and I’ll show you.”
Gabe nodded his head when he met Kellen’s eyes. “Find one you all like?”
“She wants them all,” Kellen said with an exaggerated sigh.
“They are all so adorable,” Ivy said. “How can I choose?”
“It’ll probably be easier once they’re old enough to hold,” Gabe said. He stopped in front of the birthing box, watching the expression on his son’s face as he gazed on the wriggling golden bodies.
Winter in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance) Page 32