At the distressed look on Lindsey’s face, she offered her a smile and crouched down. “Let’s see what you’ve got here.”
“I don’t want you to leave,” Lindsey said, gripping her toys close to her chest.
“I’m not going anywhere right now, honey.” Piper reached out and took the model horse that was about to fall to the ground. “Now what did you say the name of your horse is? Polly?”
“Dolly,” Lindsey said with that adorable giggle.
“Silly me.” Piper got down on the kitchen floor and helped set up the horse and trailer. She asked a few key questions about the horse and if Lindsey’s Barbie was training Dolly to ride in the rodeo. It was enough to spark Lindsey’s imagination as she began roleplaying.
Piper stayed on the floor with Lindsey, listening to her play. She was so cute and so eager for attention. Piper knew Gabe was a good father, but that didn’t mean he could fulfill both roles as mother and father. She knew from experience what it was like to grow up with a single parent. But where her father had stayed actively engaged in Piper’s life, Gabe’s ex-wife had basically abandoned her children. They needed a mother. And right now Piper wished she could play that role. But that would mean she would have to marry Gabe, and since he was keeping her firmly in the friend zone, it wasn’t a likely development.
The timer on the microwave buzzed, and she got up from the floor to check on the casserole. When she cleared the buzzer, she noted the time and was surprised Gabe wasn’t home yet. It made her nervous to think about what his reaction might be when he discovered she’d come over and made his family dinner. Would he look at it as a friendly neighbor kind of thing to do or would he think she had overstepped her bounds?
“Is it done?” Lindsey asked from beside her.
“Yes.” She pulled the dish out with a pair of oven mitts and placed it on top of the stove. “Look how yummy the topping is, and you did that.”
“Let me see.” Lindsey started to climb up on the countertop, but Piper hurried and scooped her up so she didn’t burn herself.
“Doesn’t it look delicious?” she said, loving the feel of the child in her arms.
However, Lindsey wasn’t looking at the casserole. She was focused on Piper’s face. Then, just like she’d done with her father last week, she placed her small hand against Piper’s cheek. “My daddy wants to marry you.”
Piper’s breath caught, and she wasn’t sure how to respond. Was it fair to ask for clarification from a six-year-old? Probably not, but she could ask the man himself. She’d just locked eyes with Gabe Wesson who stood in the kitchen doorway, looking as shocked as she was.
Chapter 12
Gabe watched the color in Piper’s cheeks go from a ghastly shade of gray to a lovely color of pink. He felt bad for her and needed to clarify Lindsey’s declaration. His daughter had mixed up her words again. She sometimes did that, and he usually found it amusing. Like when she prayed for him to get into a car crash on the way to work or that she would have a bad dream when she actually meant for the opposite to happen.
He needed to explain his daughter’s quirk to Piper. Hopefully, he wouldn’t mix his words up, because right now he wasn’t so sure he didn’t want to marry her. She seemed to get prettier every time he saw her. Aside from finding her attractive, he loved her kind heart and the tenderness she showed his children. Keeping his distance the past few days had been pure torture. Every time he was with her, he battled his feelings and wasn’t sure how long he could keep up the pretense that he wasn’t interested in being more than friends. And now she had cooked a homemade meal for him. He wasn’t going to lie… it was a pretty fantastic thing to come home to.
“Hey,” he smiled and loosened his tie. “Doreen texted me and said you were here.” The text had come in just as he pulled into the garage, so it hadn’t given him much prep time to put up his shields against falling for Piper.
“Daddy!” Lindsey said, wiggling out of Piper’s arms to rush across the floor to hug him. “I made you dinner!”
“You did?” He lifted her up and kissed her on the cheek. “That’s quite an accomplishment.”
“Miss Piper helped me.”
Gabe’s eyes met Piper’s. He liked the shy smile on her face. “Thank you for helping Lindsey to make dinner. It smells really good.”
She tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and gave a little laugh. “It was fun, and Lindsey did the most important part.”
“I smashed the crackers,” Lindsey said proudly. “Come look.”
Setting his daughter on her feet, he let her lead him over to inspect the casserole. Piper moved out of the way to accommodate his body. He wished he could snake an arm around her waist, pull her close to him, and kiss her properly for making the end of a very stressful day so wonderful.
He still might do that. Just not with his daughter looking on.
“Lindsey, before we eat, can you please take your toys back to the living room so they don’t get stepped on?”
“Okay.” She skipped over to her toys without giving him any resistance. “Miss Piper played rodeo with me,” she said as she gathered up the truck and trailer. “Can she stay after dinner and play with me again?”
“Miss Piper is going to teach us to train Rascal, remember?”
“Rascal was naughty again, Daddy. He ate our pizza.”
Gabe laughed and glanced at Piper. “That explains the cryptic text from Doreen. She said you’d explain what happened to the pizza.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “I’m not sure how to teach him not to do that again.”
“Are you saying my dog is hopeless?”
“Um… let’s just say the lessons may need to be extended indefinitely.”
“I’m perfectly fine with that,” he said in a low voice, forgetting all about keeping things cool.
Her eyes narrowed as she slightly tipped her head to the side, like she was trying to see him at a different angle. “You do realize there are probably much better trainers in Snow Valley you could hire.”
“I doubt that.”
“Gabe,” she said incredulously, “he ate a whole pizza that was supposed to be your dinner.”
“I wasn’t looking forward to cold pizza for dinner, so I should probably thank him for that.”
That made her laugh, and Gabe loved the sound of it. “Seriously, Piper, thank you for making dinner. You didn’t need to do that, but I’m grateful you did.”
“I enjoy cooking and was going to make this for dinner anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal to do it over here instead.”
“It was a big deal, especially to Lindsey.”
At the mention of Lindsey, she averted her gaze. Piper obviously remembered the last thing his daughter had said— that he wanted to marry her.
“So, about what Lindsey said. You should know that sometimes she gets things twisted around like praying she’ll get hit by a car when crossing the road.” He smiled when she looked at him sharply and hurried on to explain, “She really means to pray she won’t get hit by a car.”
She scrutinized him for several seconds. “So what she meant to say was my daddy doesn’t want to marry you?”
Now it was Gabe’s turn to be embarrassed. He could tell she wanted to ask why he’d been discussing marriage to her with his six-year-old daughter in the first place. “When I was tucking Lindsey in last night she asked me if I could marry you.” He left out the part that she wanted Piper as her new mommy and wondered if she could also get a new baby brother or sister out of the deal. “I explained to her that I couldn’t marry you because we didn’t know each other very well.”
“That’s true.”
Gabe considered her for a moment. This was the perfect chance for him to tell her that he’d like to get to know her better. That he wanted to date her. That ever since his daughter had asked him to marry Piper, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. That even though falling in love still scared him, and his son might not like the idea, he wanted to give it a shot.
Before he could voice any of his feelings, Lindsey and Shane started arguing.
“Miss Piper!” Lindsey shouted from the living room. “Shane doesn’t think I cooked dinner.”
“Duh, that’s because you didn’t,” Shane said. “You just helped her.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“No it isn’t.”
Sighing, Gabe pushed away from the countertop. “I better stop this before it blows up into a fight.”
He walked into the family room just as Shane called Lindsey stupid and told her to shut up. “Hey, you know better than to talk to your sister like that. Apologize right now.”
“No, she is stupid.” Shane glared at him with defiance. “I hate Piper, and I don’t want her to be my new mom!” He threw down a piece to his Legos and stormed up the stairs. A few seconds later, Gabe heard his bedroom door slam shut.
So much for his decision to date Piper. He didn’t want to be responsible for anymore hurt to his children.
Glancing at Lindsey, Gabe held out his arms. “Hey, Linds, come here.” She fell into his embrace and gripped him around the neck. “It’s okay, sweetie,” he said, rubbing her back with his palm.
In between great gulps, she explained all she’d done was tell Shane she wanted Miss Piper to be their new mommy. In her little mind, it was that simple. But life was sometimes so complicated and so unfair. His children didn’t deserve to feel this kind of pain. They were innocent.
He just let her cry, part of him wanting to join in with her. Shane’s reaction was a reality check about all the issues he’d have to deal with if he did start dating, let alone got remarried. He couldn’t do that to his kids. Not until they could understand adult things.
“It’s going to be okay.” He pulled her back from him and wiped away the tears with his thumb. “Why don’t you go into the bathroom and wash your face with cold water, and I’ll go talk to your brother.”
“Is he in trouble?”
How could Gabe discipline him for his actions? It would be like putting an infant in time out for crying. “He shouldn’t ever talk to you that way, and I’ll make sure he says sorry.”
Satisfied for now, Lindsey went into the bathroom. Gabe got to his feet just as Piper came into the room. The color was gone from her face again, and she had her coat on. “Hey, I let Rascal out back and covered the casserole with tinfoil. There’s rice on the stove to go with the dinner.”
“You don’t have to go.” The words were out of his mouth before he could consider the ramifications. Hadn’t he just come to the conclusion that dating was a bad idea for his kids? Logically, he knew it was the best thing to do, but it was hard when his heart yearned to have someone like her in his life. He’d forgotten how it felt to connect with someone. MaryEllen had stopped loving him long before she’d cheated on him.
“I think I better.” She licked her lips. “And maybe I shouldn’t come over anymore. You know, so your kids don’t have to worry, especially Shane.”
The disappointment he felt physically hurt as if his heart had shrunk inside his chest. “If that’s what you want.”
Her eyes clouded, and he knew it wasn’t fair to lay all the responsibility at her feet. “I want your children to be happy,” she said softly.
Gabe dropped his chin to his chest. He wanted his children happy too. But he also wanted to be happy again. Cold air surged into the room, and Gabe raised his head and watched Piper walk out of his life.
Lindsey came out of the bathroom and glanced at the door. “Where did Miss Piper go?”
“She decided to go home.”
Lindsey’s eyes widened. “Is she coming back?”
He was fairly certain Piper wasn’t ever coming back. Still, he couldn’t tell his daughter that. “No, not tonight, honey.”
“But what about my cracker dinner?”
“We’ll still eat it.” Although he doubted he would be able to taste or enjoy a single bite. “Let’s go talk to your brother,” Gabe said, holding out his hand.
As they approached Shane’s bedroom, Gabe saw the door was cracked open a fraction, and then he heard the patter of feet run across the floor. Shane had most likely been at the top of the stairs eavesdropping.
Knocking once, he pushed open the door to find his son sitting on his bed. The anger he’d expressed earlier was no longer on his face. Instead, he looked lost and in need of a hug. Gabe let go of Lindsey’s hand and held out his arms. The little boy practically flew from the bed as he threw his arms around Gabe’s neck.
After giving Gabe a squeeze, Shane pulled back and said, “I’m sorry I told Lindsey she was stupid.”
“Thank you. Do you think you can tell her that?”
“Yes.” He looked at his sister. “I’m sorry, Linds.”
“Miss Piper went home, and she’s not coming back,” Lindsey said, brushing off the apology. “She won’t get to eat any dinner.”
Shane took this in and actually looked like he felt bad about that. “Can we take her some dinner?”
Gabe felt a spark of hope. “I think that would be nice.”
“I’ll go get my coat!” Lindsey shouted as she raced out of the bedroom.
“Dad?” Shane asked, that troubled look back in his eyes, “are you going to marry Piper?”
If someone had asked Gabe that question a few weeks ago, he would’ve laughed. But he hadn’t counted on meeting someone like Piper. Drawing in a fortifying breath, Gabe decided to be honest. “Not right now.” He swallowed, unsure of how much he should say or if what he said was even possible. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Lindsey… I haven’t known Miss Piper very long and would need to spend time with her before she and I decided whether or not to get married.”
“Would she be my new mom?”
“Nobody can ever take the place of your mom, Shane.” Gabe tamped down his irritation for his ex-wife. He had never wanted to have this kind of conversation with his child. “I’m still your dad even though your mom married Liam, right?”
“Right.” His blue eyes lit up. “Mom said he’s my stepdad.”
“Exactly. And when you and Lindsey stayed at your mom’s house that week I had to go to Texas, did that mean I wasn’t your dad anymore?”
“No. You’re always my dad.”
“Always. Even when I’m not with you… I’m always your dad.” Gabe pulled the little boy in for a hug. “Your mom doesn’t live with us anymore, but she still loves you and Lindsey, okay?” That last part was stretching the truth. MaryEllen wasn’t capable of truly loving anyone else but herself.
“Okay.” Shane squeezed Gabe hard. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, kiddo.” He released his hold and straightened up. “Now let’s go eat dinner. I’m starving.”
Ten minutes later, armed with the casserole and rice, Gabe and the kids walked over to Piper’s house. The wind had picked up a little, and he dreaded the forecasted high winds. He needed to remember to batten down everything outside that could blow away before going to bed.
Hoping Piper would be receptive to their peace offering, Gabe knocked on the door. He followed up with ringing the doorbell a minute later.
“I’m cold, Daddy,” Lindsey said, moving in close to Gabe’s leg. “Why won’t Miss Piper answer the door?”
“Maybe she’s not home,” Shane said. “Can you call her?”
Gabe shifted the casserole so he could free up a hand. He patted his pockets, but came up empty. “I must have left my phone.”
“I want to go home,” Lindsey said. “It’s too windy.”
The wind had picked up in the short time they’d been outside. Glancing one last time at the door, Gabe nodded his head and followed his children back to the house. Snow skimmed along the cold surface, and the front door already had a small drift forming along the bottom.
While the kids warmed up in front of the fireplace, Gabe found his phone and texted Piper.
Are you okay? We brought dinner over to share w
ith you but no one answered. BTW, it was Shane’s idea.
Gabe stared at the screen, hoping she would reply. After a few minutes had passed without any indication she’d received the text, he slipped the phone into his pocket and called for the kids to come eat dinner.
The food was good, even rewarmed in the microwave, but the mood was very subdued. Both of the kids were quiet and worried about the wind. After taking their plates to the sink, Gabe suggested they get ready for bed and then they could watch a movie together.
“Can Miss Piper come watch it with us?” Lindsey asked.
Gabe glanced at Shane to see how he felt about his sister’s request, but both children’s eyes were focused on the howling wind outside. A forceful gust rattled the kitchen window and the lights flickered. He really hoped the power didn’t go out. Like most of his neighbors, he had a generator. Mrs. Williams didn’t.
“I’ll try calling her again to ask while you two get into your pajamas.”
Lindsey smiled and made a hasty retreat, leaving Gabe alone with Shane. The little boy looked uncomfortable, like he wasn’t sure what to say.
“Is it okay with you if we ask Miss Piper to watch a movie with us?” Gabe asked.
“Yes, but what if she says no because of me?”
That was a real possibility, but she wouldn’t do it out of a revenge or anger. Gabe crouched down so he could see into Shane’s eyes. “Miss Piper isn’t angry with you, Shane. She cares about you and Lindsey.”
“I don’t hate her, Dad. I don’t know why I said that.”
“I know you don’t hate her.” Gabe exhaled slowly. “Sometimes we say things when we’re scared or don’t understand something. I promise you Miss Piper isn’t mad at you.”
“I want to say sorry.”
Winter in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance) Page 39