As Piper gazed into his blue eyes, her imagination went into hyperdrive at the thought of sharing the same sled with Gabe. She envisioned the romantic setting like something out of a Hallmark Christmas show with Gabe’s arms around her, holding her close as they glided down the hill.
“So is that a yes?” Gabe asked, pulling her back to reality.
“Oh. Of course. Yes,” she said, feeling her cheeks go hot. She hated how easily she blushed and prayed it wasn’t noticeable. “Well, I better get home to Anastasia.”
“Thank you for coming over,” Gabe said, capturing her in his warm gaze. “We… I learned a lot.”
“You’re welcome.” She couldn’t pull her eyes away, even when Lindsey slipped out of her father’s arms and rushed over to hug Piper around the legs. “I like you, Miss Piper.”
“I like you too.” The words were meant for Lindsey, but somehow she said this while still looking directly at Gabe. Her mouth went dry as he took a few steps nearer. The shadow of whiskers on his jaw was more visible at this proximity. She curled her fingers into her palm, fighting the temptation to reach out to run her hand over his face. Then her eyes drifted to his mouth, and the sudden desire to feel his lips on hers overtook her senses.
She needed to leave. Now.
“I… I guess I’ll head home.”
A confident grin stole across his face, like he knew exactly where her thoughts had gone. Embarrassed, Piper whirled around and quickly crossed the room, gripping the doorknob.
“Piper?” Gabe said in an amused voice. “Did you forget something?”
She stilled and looked over at him. Did that mean he had read her mind and now was asking her for a kiss? “Um… like what?” she asked, trying hard not to let her eyes drop to his mouth again.
“Your coat?”
Right. Her coat. “Yep.” She hurried over to the closet. “Definitely need my coat.” Actually, that wasn’t true. Her body temperature had risen several degrees in the last few seconds. Pulling the closet door open, she fumbled with the hanger to get her coat, but her shaking hands made the task difficult.
“Here, let me help,” Gabe said from beside her.
Startled by his stealth, she jumped and let out a small yelp.
“Sorry.” His lips twisted into a knowing smirk. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She was scared all right. Scared of what she might do if he kept looking at her like that. And why did he have to smell so good? The temptation to bury her face in the crook of his neck was overwhelming. She needed a distraction, but he no longer held his daughter. In fact, the little girl had disappeared up to her bedroom. Why did she pick now to be obedient?
“May I?” Gabe asked in a low, sexy voice that sent a shiver all the way to her toes.
May he what? Then she saw her coat in his hands and the fog in her brain cleared. “Oh, sure. Thank you.” Positive her face was flaming red, she turned around and slipped her arm in one sleeve and then the other. With trembling fingers, she dipped her chin and tried to zip her coat. She’d performed the simple task thousands of times, yet her fingers weren’t cooperating. Taking a slow breath, she started over and was finally successful.
Needing to leave before she made more of a fool of herself, she pulled the door open. “Have a good night.” Without looking at him, she rushed outside and pulled the door closed. And that’s when she realized she’d forgotten her boots. Seriously? What is wrong with me?
Turning, she raised her hand to knock on the door, but couldn’t do it. It was better to risk getting pneumonia rather than face Gabe Wesson again. She wasn’t fast enough though. The door opened and there stood Gabe, holding her snow boots in his hands and a grin that said he found her forgetfulness quite humorous.
“You might need these too.”
“Right.” She snatched the boots out of his hands and quickly slipped them on. The bottoms of her socks were damp, but she didn’t care. “Thank you,” she said briefly glancing at him.
“Any time.”
As she rushed away, she was positive she heard Gabe laughing as he closed his door, which made her feel even more ridiculous. The minute she got inside, she made a FaceTime call to her sister.
“I was just about to call you,” Tomi said when she answered. “So, how was it?”
“I’m an idiot.” Piper toed off her boots. She grimaced as she pulled off her wet socks and then slipped her cold feet into her fuzzy slippers. “I just made a complete fool of myself.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
Piper leveled her sister with a look and then explained what had happened. After Tomi stopped laughing, she said, “I bet he thinks you’re even cuter than before.”
“Whatever.” Piper sank down into the soft leather chair positioned next to the fire. “I don’t want to go over there again.”
“But you promised to help them with their dog.”
“I’m having serious doubts about my ability to help the animal.”
“You’re the best teacher I know. You’ll figure it out.” Tomi’s face lit up. “Oh, I forgot to tell you that I sent your package. It should be delivered tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” Piper had completely forgotten about the pink boots she was certain she would never wear. But now that she thought about it, they would be really cute to wear to the social on Friday. She could always change into her snow boots once she started sledding.
After ending the call, Piper let Anastasia out while she cleaned up the whelping box Emma had loaned her. The puppies were getting bigger and were so cute she couldn’t stay mad about the situation. She still dreaded telling Emma and had no idea what she’d be financially held accountable for, but at least she was gainfully employed… for as long as the dog-training gig lasted.
A hollow feeling swirled inside her stomach as she paced around the quiet house. No matter how hard she tried to be positive, anxiety about her future always seemed to be one step behind her. It wouldn’t take much for it to close in and overtake her.
Needing to do something proactive, Piper sat down with her laptop and spent the next couple of hours online looking for job opportunities. Before going to bed, she applied for two teaching positions she was qualified for. One job was for a charter school in Arizona and the other for a private school in Nevada. At least Mrs. Roberts, the principle at the academy, had been kind enough to give her a good reference letter. Mrs. Roberts felt bad about what had happened to Piper and believed her side of the story. Had it been left up to her, Piper wouldn’t have lost her job. But the academy’s board members were judge and jury and didn’t want a scandal.
She didn’t sleep well that night and woke up feeling more restless than she had been the night before. The sun shone brightly, and she thought about taking Anastasia for a short walk. It only took opening the back door to let Anastasia outside to dash that idea. Instead, she made good use of the stationary bike Mrs. Williams had in her family room while watching a YouTube video to brush up on this evening’s dog training lesson at the Wesson’s.
Simply thinking about seeing Gabe again made her nerves kick in. She absolutely would not make a fool of herself again. So she was attracted to him? Big deal. The memory of his blue eyes peering at her with interest flashed in her mind, making her stomach dip. Okay, so maybe it was an extreme case of attraction. Still, that didn’t mean she needed to act like an idiot by forgetting her coat or her boots or to breathe whenever he was near.
She reigned in her emotions by reminding herself that she was only in Snow Valley for a few more months. She would enjoy this time, and then she would have to face reality and figure out where to go from here.
Part of her reality came in the form of an email from Emma, inquiring about Anastasia and if the puppies had been born yet. Knowing she couldn’t put it off any longer, she sat down and explained what had happened. After pushing send, she closed her laptop and told herself she could handle whatever the consequences were. Worst-case scenario, she would sell what she could to pay for
her mistake. If she had to, she would ask her father for a loan. He’d offered to help her before, but she’d always been fiercely independent.
A knock sounded at her door. Since she wasn’t expecting anyone, she checked the peephole and was alarmed to find Doreen, the nanny to Gabe’s children, standing alone on the porch, her eyes filled with tears.
“May I help you?” Piper asked.
“I hope so.” The young girl sniffed. “I hate to bother you, but Lindsey’s been throwing up since she got home from school an hour ago and now Shane has started.” Her lower lip trembled. “I can’t take care of them anymore by myself and I can’t get a hold of Mr. Wesson. Lindsey has been crying for you. The kids told me you’re coming over to help train Rascal later on, but I was hoping you could come earlier to help me with them.”
“Of course.” Piper shivered as the cold air penetrated her flannel shirt. “Let me get my coat on and I’ll be over in a minute.”
“Oh, thank you so much.” The girl stepped back and wrinkled her nose. “You’re a lifesaver because I really don’t do well with throw up.”
Neither did Piper, but she couldn’t bear the thought of the children being sick without their father or mother to comfort them. She hoped she could ease their discomfort until Gabe got home, especially since Lindsey was asking for her.
Quickly, she donned her coat, slipped on her snow boots and hurried out the door, following the cleared pathway to her neighbor’s house. Without knocking, she twisted the doorknob and stepped inside the house.
Doreen glanced over at her, relief written all over her face. Lindsey stood in front of the nanny, her little face as pale as the white snow. “Miss Piper, I want my daddy.”
“I know, sweetie.” Piper had limited experience with children that were sick. There had always been a school nurse at the academy. She moved toward the child, hoping her presence could help make her feel a little better. Just before she reached the little girl, Lindsey’s eyes widened and she threw up on the floor.
“I’m gonna be sick,” Doreen said, covering her mouth as she raced toward the bathroom. Piper winced when she heard retching followed by violent vomiting.
“I’m sorry, Miss Piper,” Lindsey said on a sob. “I didn’t mean to throw up on the floor.”
“It’s okay, honey. I can clean it up.” Ignoring the pungent smell, Piper circled her arm around the child’s shoulders and moved her away from the mess on the floor. “Do you feel like you’re going to throw up again?” Piper asked as she guided her up the stairs.
“No, but my tummy still hurts.”
Piper went into the bathroom and found a washcloth. Wetting it with tepid water, she cleaned Lindsey’s face, noticing something foul crusted in her hair. “Warm baths always made my tummy feel better when I was a little girl. Would you like to take a bath?”
“Uh huh.”
Grateful Lindsey didn’t have a fever, Piper started the water, making sure the temperature wasn’t too hot before plugging the bathtub.
Once Lindsey was in the water, the child seemed to relax. Piper needed to check on Shane but didn’t want to leave until she could turn off the water. She opened the door and found the little boy lying on the carpet in the hallway.
“Hey, bud, how are you feeling?” She crouched down and brushed some of his hair away from his eyes. He felt a little warm, but nothing to be alarmed about.
“Sick,” he said. “I don’t want to throw up again.”
“I know, sweetie.” She stroked his hair again. “Do you feel like you need to right now?”
“No.” He looked up at Piper. “I already did a few minutes ago.”
Piper really hoped he’d made it to the toilet or she would have two messes to clean up. “Do I need to clean it up?” Piper asked softly.
“No, I used my dad’s toilet.”
“Good boy.”
“Miss Piper!” Lindsey hollered out.
Scrambling to her feet, Piper turned toward Lindsey. “What is it?” she asked, eyeing the proximity of the toilet to the tub.
“Can I have bubbles?”
Relief swept over Piper. “Sure.” She found the bubbles and poured a capful under the flow of water. The sweet scent of strawberries wafted on the air, chasing away the smell of sickness. She waited a minute longer and then turned off the water. When she turned back to Shane, he had gotten to his feet.
“Can I lay down in my dad’s bed?” Shane asked.
Wanting to keep the child in close proximity to a bathroom, she decided to say yes. Knowing the kind of dad Gabe was, she guessed he wouldn’t mind.
“Sure,” she said and then followed him down the hallway. She paused at the threshold to Gabe’s room, hesitant to enter his private quarters without him here. Not that she’d go into his bedroom if he were here. Her cheeks heated at the thought as her eyes took in the king-sized bed.
As Shane buried under the covers, Piper did a quick perusal of the room. Except for a few photographs of the kids on the dresser, the room was bare of any decorations. A blue dress shirt lay across the recliner with a tie draped across it, and a few pairs of socks littered the floor. Other than that, it was fairly tidy.
“I’m going to check on Lindsey,” she told Shane from the doorway. “Call me if you need me, okay?”
“Okay.”
Doreen appeared at the top of the stairs, looking haggard and defeated. “I’ve left a couple of messages for Mr. Wesson, but it keeps rolling over to voicemail. He hasn’t responded to any of my texts either.” Her eyes darted toward the bathroom. “I’m really sorry, Piper, but I don’t feel very good and need to go home.”
“No need to apologize. And I can stay.” Piper took a step forward. “What time does Mr. Wesson usually get home?”
“Tuesday’s are his late day, so it should be around six-thirty.” She gave Piper a watery smile. “I really appreciate you coming over to help. I… the throw up… it’s still on the floor.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. You just go home and feel better.”
“I will.” She pulled her keys from her pocket. “Thank you.”
Stepping back inside the bathroom, Piper noticed Lindsey had abandoned the Barbie and looked like she might fall asleep. “Hey, sweetie. How about we wash your hair and get you in a clean nightgown?”
“Can I get in my daddy’s bed too?”
“Does your daddy usually let you sleep in there?”
“Only when I’m sick or have a bad dream.”
Well, the child was definitely sick. “Sure, but first let me wash your hair.”
Selecting the strawberry-scented shampoo designated for kids, Piper washed Lindsey’s hair, careful not to get any of the soap in her eyes. The label claimed the product to be tear-free, but Piper didn’t want to chance it just in case it still stung. After following up with conditioner, Piper helped Lindsey out of the tub and wrapped her in a fluffy bath towel.
“I’m cold,” Lindsey said with a shiver.
“I’m sorry.” Piper used another towel to help dry the little girl’s long hair. Finding a wide-toothed comb in the drawer, Piper gently worked it through the wet hair. Although it had been years ago, she still remembered how tenderly her mother had combed her hair when she was a little girl. “Would you like me to braid your hair?” Piper asked a few minutes later.
“Okay.” Lindsey watched her in the mirror. “Daddy doesn’t know how to do braids.”
“My daddy didn’t either,” Piper said with a smile.
As Piper plaited the thick, dark hair, Lindsey continued to watch her through the mirror. When she was almost done, the little girl said, “Mommy braided my hair before she moved away.”
Emotion clogged Piper’s throat at the sadness reflected in the child’s eyes. She wasn’t sure what to say. “I’ll bet you miss her,” she said softly.
The child considered this for a moment. “I love Daddy,” she said with a conviction beyond her six years. “He won’t ever leave me.”
&nbs
p; “No he won’t.” Tears stung Piper’s eyes, but she refused to let any of them fall. Smiling, she gave the little girl a brief hug. “All done.”
They went into Lindsey’s room and found a clean nightgown and underwear. Before going into Gabe’s room, the little girl picked out a horse from among the plethora of stuffed animals scattered on the dresser and floor. Then Piper followed the child into Gabe’s room and helped her climb onto the bed. As Piper pulled the blanket over Lindsey, she noticed Shane was asleep. She hoped both of the children were done throwing up. Unlike the wood floor downstairs, this room was covered with light colored carpet.
“I’m going to go downstairs and clean up a little before your daddy gets home, okay?”
“Okay.”
Unable to resist, Piper leaned down and pressed a kiss to the little girl’s forehead. “If you need to throw up again, run to bathroom and call for me.”
Eyes already drooping with sleep, Lindsey nodded her head and turned to snuggle up to her stuffed horse.
Piper quietly descended the stairs and covered her nose with her shirt when she caught the foul scent of sickness. She could hear Rascal barking to come back inside, but wasn’t about to bring the unruly dog into the house until the mess was cleaned up.
Making her way into the kitchen, she looked inside the cabinet under the sink, locating paper towels and a spray bottle of cleaner. She grabbed the kitchen trashcan and took it with her into the living room. Most of the mess was on the wood floor, only a small amount hitting the edge of the plush area rug that covered most of the room. She made quick work of it, keeping her shirt over her nose so she didn’t gag. After depositing the soiled paper towels into the trashcan, she returned the cleaning products back under the sink, removed the trash bag and took it outside.
Rascal dashed into the house, barking wildly as if to scold her for leaving him outside for so long. “Quiet,” she commanded and wished she had a treat for the dog when he immediately obeyed. “Good boy,” she said, patting him atop his golden head before going back upstairs to check on the kids.
Shane was still sleeping, but Lindsey’s eyes popped open when Piper crept into the room. “Miss Piper, will you read me a story?”
Winter in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance) Page 35