Winter in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance)

by Anderson, Cindy Roland

  Shoot, he should’ve come over sooner. Now Shane would join in with his sister on the campaign to get a puppy.

  “Hey, bud,” Gabe said, gaining his son’s attention. “After Lindsey shows me her cookies we’re going to head home, okay?”

  The little boy’s face fell, but he didn’t argue back. “Okay.”

  Lindsey pulled him into the kitchen to find Piper bent over in front of the oven. He tried not to notice how well her jeans hugged her curves, but it was difficult since they fit her very nicely.

  “Miss Piper, Daddy’s here,” Lindsey said, startling their host.

  Piper yelped as the hot pad dropped. She straightened up and looked at her reddened fingertips.

  “You need to get them under cold water,” Gabe said surprising them both when he took her hand and led her to the sink. Wordlessly, he turned on the cold water and stuck her fingers under the stream.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  Still holding her hand, he lifted his eyes to meet hers. They were beautiful eyes with tiny flecks of gold in the green. He swallowed. “The cold water will help ease the pain.”

  “It’s definitely working.” Her full lips tilted up on the ends. “You can let go now if you want.”

  That’s when Gabe realized that his fingers were growing cold from the water. “Yeah, I guess I can.” He let go and took a step backward.

  The scent of scorched cookies wafted around them and Gabe quickly went over to the partially closed oven door and pulled it open. Most of the cookies had dropped down on the bottom, turning black from the flames of the gas oven.

  Acting quickly, he turned the oven off, grabbed the oven mitt from the floor and pulled the pan of remaining cookies out. Piper had a container on her countertop that held kitchen utensils, and he found a set of steel tongs he could use to get the cookies from the bottom.

  As he began retrieving the blackened cookies, Piper handed him an empty cookie sheet that he could put them on. “I can do this,” she said when he took the tray from her.

  “So can I.” He nodded with his chin. “You need to go put your fingers back under the water.”

  “They’re fine. Not even blistering.”

  Gabe didn’t have to time to look to see if she told the truth. A loud piercing sound rent the air.

  “I don’t like that noise,” Lindsey said, covering both of her ears. “Make it stop, Daddy.”

  Kellen, Ivy and Shane all came into the smoke-filled kitchen as Piper opened up the kitchen window. Gabe was still trying to fish out two more cookies that were smoldering near the back.

  “We’ll take the kids over to your house,” Ivy said. By this point, Lindsey was crying while still demanding for Daddy to make the noise stop and Anastasia was barking wildly.

  “Thank you. If you can stay for a few minutes, I’ll help Piper clean up and then come home.”

  “Take your time,” Ivy said with a wink.

  Piper had her back turned and was using another cookie sheet to wave the smoky air toward the open window.

  “Have fun,” Kellen mouthed and then gave him the thumbs up.

  Gabe rolled his eyes and waved goodbye. A smoke filled kitchen wasn’t very romantic. Not that he wanted it to be romantic.

  “I’m fine, Gabe,” Piper said after they were alone. “You can go home to be with your kids.”

  “Linds is going to be fine.”

  “But—”

  “I’m staying, Piper,” he said, cutting off her protest.

  They held one another’s gaze until she finally nodded her head. “Okay. Thank you.”

  Heat filled Gabe’s chest when her lips parted into a sweet smile. Feeling off balance, he turned back around and made a few more attempts at getting the cookies. Finally, he decided to remove both of the oven racks and was successful at reaching the black cookies.

  They smoldered on the tray as he brought them to the sink, dumped them inside, and turned on the water. The scent of burnt butter and chocolate permeated the air, but at last the piercing noise from the smoke alarm ceased. Anastasia was quiet too.

  “Well, at least I know the smoke alarms are all functioning.” Piper stopped waving the air out the window and placed the cookie sheet onto the countertop.

  “That’s true.” He replaced the oven racks before closing the door. When he turned back around, Piper was watching him. Resting his back against the countertop, he said, “Sorry about the cookies.”

  “You didn’t burn them.”

  “You wouldn’t have dropped the cookie tray if we hadn’t startled you.” He pushed away from the counter and crossed the floor. “How are your fingers?” he said, reaching for her hand. The moment he touched her soft skin, a crazy zing of heat traveled from the contact spot and made his pulse rate jump.

  Piper stilled and took in a quick breath. “Um, that’s the wrong hand.”

  Gabe met her hazel eyes as awareness crackled between them. He had a choice to make. Did he reach for her other hand to examine her fingers or let it go? Logic told him to let it go, but his heart urged him to release her hand and pick up the other one. “No blisters,” he said in a low voice. “They’re just a little red and probably tender.”

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly. Then she removed her hand and placed it over her stomach. “I’m good. You can go now.”

  Gabe’s lips lifted into a half smile. Usually he was the one pushing women away. It should terrify him that he didn’t want to push her away or to be pushed away, but for some reason it didn’t. “Can I ask you a question?”

  Piper’s eyes went wide. “Okay.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “Go ahead.”

  “Do you always make chocolate chip cookies when people visit you?”

  Chapter 5

  Piper stared at her insanely attractive neighbor and wanted to smack him in the arm. Here they’d just had a moment together and she was almost positive he was going to ask her out. Even more irritating, she was going to say yes. But he wanted to know if she made cookies for anyone who stopped by?

  “No, I don’t make them for just anyone.”

  One of his eyebrows rose up. “So it’s just for us?”

  She narrowed her gaze. “Not exactly. Kellen and Ivy also stopped by.”

  “True.” He watched her for a few seconds. “I’m no expert, but the cookies you sent home with us the other night tasted too much like homemade cookies to have come from prepackaged frozen cookie dough.”

  It was sort of impressive that he could tell the difference. “I use frozen cookie dough, but it’s my frozen cookie dough.” Uncomfortable with this man’s penetrating gaze, Piper twisted around and opened the freezer. She pulled out the bag of frozen cookie dough balls and held it up for Gabe. “I like to bake homemade cookies but don’t want to eat more than a few at a time so I freeze it and then bake however many I feel like eating.” She placed the bag on the counter. “Or when guests come over.”

  “You probably shouldn’t bake cookies every time we come over to visit or my kids will start to expect it.”

  Piper felt as if a hive of bees had just been let loose inside her stomach. The way Gabe Wesson talked made her believe he and his adorable children were going to be regular guests in her home. “I’ll make sure to stagger the cookie baking with their visits.”

  Concern flashed in his eyes, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Not that we’re going to be invading your space or anything. I’m sure once the puppies are gone we won’t bother you.”

  His words were as effective as an exterminator who had just killed off every single bee buzzing innocently in her stomach. “Of course.” She shivered from the open window. “Thank you again for helping me clean everything up. Will you please tell Kellen and Ivy I’ll let them know when the puppies are ready to be held so they can pick one out?”

  “Sure. Do you have their number?”

  Shoot. She’d completely gotten so caught up in being the perfect host by baking her famous chocolate chip cookies that
she’d forgotten to get the young couple’s contact information. “No.”

  Gabe withdrew his phone and tapped on the screen a few times. “If you give me your number, I can text you their contact info.”

  It had been a while since a guy had asked her for her number. She desperately wished she could ask him if he was just trying to be sneaky about getting her number or was it really just for the puppies?

  She gave it to him, and he read it back to verify he’d gotten it right. “I’ll pass this on to the Thomas’.” He pocketed his phone. “And now I have your number so I can contact you about how much I need to write the check for.”

  When she opened her mouth to protest, he held up his hand. “I Googled Cavalier King Charles puppies, so I know you’re losing a lot of money.”

  She was losing a lot of money, but she didn’t expect him to make up for the entire loss. Besides, it was just as much her fault. Any responsible breeder would not have let the event happen in the first place.

  “I don’t know what my expenses are yet. Emma, the breeder I was collaborating with, is in London for the next two weeks at dog shows. She was a friend of my mom’s and hadn’t charged me anything up front.”

  “But you’ll let me know, right?”

  “Yes.” She had agreed for now, only because he didn’t seem like he was going to let it go. But Piper couldn’t let him pay for her mistake.

  He stood watching her for a few more seconds. Then shifting his focus to the open window, he said, “The smoke has cleared out so you might want to shut your window now.”

  “I will.”

  Glancing at her briefly, he nodded his head. “Okay, I guess I’ll see you around.”

  “See you.”

  Good manners called for her to walk him to the door. He paused for a moment to watch Anastasia and her babies. “Which one did my kids pick out?”

  “Lindsey wants a girl. She doesn’t care which one. Shane wants the big male sleeping on the right side.”

  “I’ll help you find homes for the puppies,” Gabe said, a slight frown forming on his lips. “But I can’t handle a new puppy along with everything else I’m juggling.”

  “I understand. I’ll do my best to sway them if they come over again.”

  “Thank you.”

  She felt the weight of his responsibilities settle over the room and wished she could help ease his burdens. It was on the tip of her tongue to invite him to bring the kids over tonight for dinner, but her cell phone dinged an incoming text. Then it dinged again and again. The only person who liked to do this was her crazy little sister.

  “You better get those before your phone blows up.”

  “It’s my sister. She likes to annoy me.”

  A smile edged up one side of his mouth. “I might have to try that some time with my sister.” Then he opened the door and, without looking at her, stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

  Just like before, when he and his children had visited and then left, she felt an overwhelming sense of loss and loneliness. Her phone dinged another text message, but she wasn’t sure now was a good time to talk to her sister. Ignoring the messages, she went back into the kitchen. The acrid scent of burnt cookies lingered in the air, and it made her smile. From now on, she was positive that smell would forever remind her of the moment Gabe had rushed to her aid, grabbed her hand and stuck her fingers under the cold water. She rubbed her thumb over the roughened skin on her fingertips, remembering the feel of his touch.

  She liked him. Merely acknowledging that thought made her uncomfortable, so she amended her thinking to include his children. Yes, that was better. She liked the Wesson family. They were great neighbors.

  While she cleaned up the mess made from the burnt cookies, she allowed her thoughts to linger on Gabe and his children and how much she enjoyed their company. What could it hurt to get to know them better?

  It’s not like Gabe was secretly married. Ivy had purposely made sure Piper knew Gabe was single, hinting at playing the part of a matchmaker if Piper wanted her to. The invitation she’d received for the sledding party Ivy and her husband’s family were hosting next week was also issued to Gabe and his children. Ivy had casually suggested they might come together, since Piper was new to the area and all.

  The familiar sound of a FaceTime call rang out from the desk, interrupting her thoughts. She hurried back into the family room and picked it up.

  “Didn’t you get my text messages?” Tomi asked indignantly. “I sent them an hour ago.”

  “I got them. I just didn’t have time to read them yet.”

  “What if it would’ve been important?”

  “Was it?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes.”

  Piper frowned. “What’s going on? Are Maggie and Dad okay?”

  “They’re fine.” Tomi switched the view and Piper saw a box sitting on her sister’s bed. “I just wanted to tell you the boots I ordered for you finally came!”

  “Please don’t tell me you ordered those frilly pink boots.”

  Tomi flipped the screen back and shot her a peeved look. “Okay, I won’t tell you.” Then she grinned. “But just in case I were to send you some kind of thoughtful gift, because you have the most adorable and selfless sister and she does stuff like that, could you give me your new address?”

  Piper tried not to smile. Her sister was adorable, but cared way too much about Piper’s wardrobe. “What’s going to be in this hypothetical package?”

  “It’s a surprise, so I can’t tell you,” Tomi said with an exaggerated grin. “Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

  Rolling her eyes, Piper promised to send her the address.

  “So,” Tomi said, “you never did call me back to give me an update on your puppies? Did the neighbor apologize for his roaming dog?”

  “He did.” Just thinking about Gabe made Piper’s cheeks go warm. “And he’s promised to reimburse me for my expenses.”

  “Are you blushing?” Tomi asked.

  “No.” Piper waved her hand in front of her face. “It’s just really warm in here.”

  Tomi laughed. “You are the worst liar. So tell me what’s going on? Is your neighbor hot?”

  Extremely. “He’s a nice guy with two kids.”

  “And did you find out what happened to his wife?”

  “Enough to know they’re divorced.” She still didn’t know the story, but it was obvious Gabe’s wife had abandoned them all. “And that was confirmed by the vet as well as a couple who want one of the puppies.”

  “Wow, you must really like the guy since you’ve done your research.”

  “It’s not like I did background check.” Although, if she’d had that as a policy before dating someone, Tucker Langston’s lies would have been uncovered long before Piper allowed herself to fall in love with the jerk. “It’s a small town and people like to talk.”

  Okay, so back to my original question. Is he hot?”

  “Don’t you have anything better to do than harass your sister?”

  “You’re avoiding my question, which means you do think he’s hot.”

  “Whatever.” Wanting to move onto another subject, she turned the tables and asked about her sister’s love life. “So, how are you and Troy doing?”

  “Oh, Piper.” Tomi sighed dramatically. “When will you learn that diversion never works on me?”

  Obviously she hadn’t learned. “I just realized how late it is and I need to let Anastasia outside for a potty break. I’ll talk to you later.” Piper ended the call before her sister could protest any further.

  Not fifteen seconds had passed when her phone dinged with a text from her sister. I think you’re attracted to your neighbor, but you just don’t want to admit it.

  Seconds later, another text came through, making Piper roll her eyes.

  The definition of attraction: the action or power of evoking interest, pleasure, or liking for someone or something.

  Piper was so tempted to respond, but didn�
��t want to engage in a text war. She did laugh when a final text appeared on the screen.

  You’re welcome :)

  Still smiling at her sister’s antics, she put on her coat and called for Anastasia. Since the sun hadn’t set yet, it was earlier than her usual time to let the dog out, but she was already committed and her sweet dog probably needed a break.

  The puppies all whimpered as their mother got to her feet and jumped out of the box. Piper opened the door to the backyard and let Anastasia out.

  Suddenly Anastasia started barking and bounded toward the fence separating her property from Gabe’s. She continued to bark excitedly, and Piper could hear a very enthusiastic answering bark from Rascal.

  “Anastasia, quiet,” Piper said in a firm voice. Her dog immediately obeyed the command. Rascal, on the other hand, continued to bark wildly, sounding like he would jump the fence if given the chance. Anastasia glanced over at Piper and then looked back at the fence. She barked again, and Piper reissued the command. Once more, Anastasia immediately ceased her barking. Knowing it was too much of a temptation for her dog, Piper patted the front of her leg. “Come, Anastasia. Come here, girl.”

  Piper had long since stopped carrying doggie treats in her coat pocket so she was very proud of Anastasia for following the command. The dog bounded toward her, hopping effortlessly through the deep snow. Piper got down and greeted Anastasia, giving her praise and affection. “You’re such a good girl.” She got a doggy kiss on her cheek.

  “How did you do that?” a male voice asked from the other side of the fence.

  She glanced up and saw Gabe resting his arms across the top of the six-foot fence. Since he was easily six two, she guessed it wasn’t that hard to do, but for someone who only reached five foot five with three-inch heels on, she was impressed.

  “Do what?”

  “Get your dog to listen to you.” Rascal kept barking, and Gabe turned to hush the dog. It didn’t work. He looked at Piper with a helpless expression on his handsome face. “How do I get him to listen to me? I can’t ground him from the computer or TV, and sending him to his room for a timeout doesn’t work either.”