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“Sure. If we find them, I’ll call you on your cell phone.” Richie turned to leave.
As the company of firefighters climbed back onto the engine truck, Liam headed toward his car.
Aunt Betty hurried after him. “I’m coming with you.”
“No. Stay here in case they come back. You have my cell number. Call me. If I find them, I’ll let you know.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. I’m so sorry. I should have made them come in when I did, but they were having so much fun with the fort.”
The sorrow in his aunt’s voice halted his steps. He hurried back to her at the gate between their yards. Tears filled her eyes. Her short graying hair wasn’t its usual neat style but looked as though she’d run her fingers through it repeatedly. “This wasn’t your fault. I suspect the girls wanted to go riding and left without asking you because you would have said no.”
“Of course. They’re too young to go by themselves, and I could never keep up with them while walking.”
“I’m going to make sure they understand that when I find them.” How, he wasn’t sure. It was possible they rode to the park to play on the swings as they had yesterday evening with him. If so, Richie and the others would find them.
Driving about ten or fifteen miles per hour, he started down his street, going all the way to the dead end. He got out of his car and yelled their names into the wooded area near the creek. That was another place they loved to play, but there was no sign of them.
He started back the other way, inspecting every place he could. An invisible band around his chest tightened, threatening his breathing. When he reached the block Sarah lived on, he thought he spied the back end of a pink bike in her yard. He increased his speed, afraid to be optimistic. But as he neared, he saw the pink bike and then Katie’s purple one.
He exited his car, praying they were at Sarah’s. He rang the doorbell. No one answered. Stepping to the large picture window in her living room, he pressed his face close. Empty. He shouldn’t be surprised. Most likely Saturday was one of her busiest days at the salon.
But if the girls are here, then where are they?
He reached for his cell to call Sarah at work. A deep bark echoed through the noonday air, and he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He rushed around the side of the house and went into the backyard through the gate in the wooden fence. Giggles echoed in the quiet and spurred his pace. When he rounded the house by the kitchen, he found his two nieces lying on the grass, playing with Gabe.
Finally he allowed relief to loosen the tight hold tension had on him. He sank against the side of the house, watching his nieces so enthralled with Gabe they didn’t even know he was there. He understood their attachment, but he couldn’t let them think they could leave the house without a word to anyone. What should he do?
He took a step toward Madison and Katie, their laughter filling the air and wrapping around him. He hated to see it come to an end, but he had no choice if he was going to do his job as their guardian.
At the sound of the back door opening, Madison looked toward the deck and smiled. “Hi, Sarah. You said we could visit, and we figured Gabe was lonely while you’re working.”
Liam focused his attention toward the young woman, who had occupied his thoughts more than he wished these past few days since he’d met her. She glanced at him, puzzlement in her dark brown eyes.
He fortified himself with a deep breath. “Girls, you need to get your bikes. We’re going home. Now.” Amazingly he said it in a calm voice, but he’d learned in stressful situations that shouting didn’t do any good.
Madison stared at him for a few seconds then whispered something into Katie’s ear. Immediately both girls shot to their feet. Madison started for the gate at the side of the house while Katie bent and hugged Gabe before quickly catching up with her big sister.
When his nieces passed him, he said, “Wait by the car. I need to let Sarah know what happened.”
“Uncle Liam, we didn’t—”
“Madison, we’ll talk when we get back to Aunt Betty’s house.”
Both girls slumped their shoulders and hung their heads as they trudged the rest of the way to the gate.
As Sarah descended the stairs to the deck, commanding Gabe to stay, Liam called Richie and his aunt to let them know he’d found his nieces and would be back shortly. Sarah caught up with Liam as he exited the backyard to keep an eye on his nieces.
She looked him up and down in his firefighter uniform. “It’s obvious you didn’t bring them over here.”
“No. I was at work when my aunt called to tell me they were missing. They left her backyard and rode their bikes here without permission.”
“I can imagine the commotion that caused. The neighbor across the street called when she saw you peeking into a window then heading for the backyard. She knows we work all day Saturday and...”
“Thought I was here to rob your place?” He grinned.
“Something like that. But when I saw the SUV and the bikes, I figured it was you. She’d called the police, and I managed to get hold of them before they arrived. They were on the way. My neighbor told me when I pulled up.”
“Madison and Katie are good kids, but sometimes they act without thinking about the consequences. My aunt was beside herself with worry.” Not to mention he was, too.
“Did you think someone abducted them?”
“Not when I saw their bikes gone. I’m sorry you had to leave the salon.”
“No problem. I had a thirty-minute window to eat lunch. I’ll grab something here and be back before my next client.”
“Still, the girls need to apologize to you and Aunt Betty.”
“I agree. I’ll walk with you to your car.”
He approached his nieces with Sarah next to him. Her presence eased the last remnants of tension in him. “Girls, leaving without letting anyone know was not okay. You scared Aunt Betty. You scared me. Sarah came home from work to check on who was at her house uninvited. What do you have to say to her?”
Katie mumbled, “Sorry,” while staring at her tennis shoes.
Madison took in a deep breath and peered right at Sarah. “We just wanted to let Gabe know we miss him. I’m sorry.”
“Okay, you two, into the backseat. I’ll put your bikes in the trunk. I need to get back to work.”
After he’d set the larger one in the trunk, Sarah picked up the smaller bike and handed it to him. “Have you thought of getting them a dog?”
“Yes, but I can’t ask Aunt Betty to take care of a dog and the girls when I’m working. Dogs require more attention than other pets. After today, she might not want to watch the girls. I’m sure they added a few more gray hairs to her head.”
“How about a cat? They’re pretty independent. I seem to remember when I was a teenager that Betty had a cat. She used to talk about it with my mom when she came to get her hair done. She might not mind helping you with one.”
“I’ll think about it. But not for a while. They need to realize the seriousness of what they did.” He walked toward the driver’s-side door. Before climbing in, he twisted toward her. “Thanks for being so understanding about my nieces.”
Liam opened the door and slid behind the steering wheel, then carefully backed out of the driveway since the trunk lid was up all the way.
Both girls cried out at the same time, “We’re sorry, Uncle Liam,” as if they had rehearsed what they had said. “We won’t do it again.”
“I’m locking up your bikes for the next week. No television, either. When you two disappeared like that, it scared Aunt Betty and me. We didn’t know what had happened to you.”
“But we’re sorry and won’t do it again. Promise,” Madison said in a whiny voice.
Liam locked gazes with his eldest niece in the rearview mirror. “I’m glad, because next time I would have to take the bikes away for a month.”
Katie’s eyes grew round. “A month!”
“Daddy would never do that,” Madison added.
After pulling into his driveway, Liam gripped the steering wheel until his hands ached. When Madison was really upset, she would invoke his brother. He didn’t have a response to that. The mention of his brother just brought forth his sorrow once again at losing his only sibling and his inadequacies as a father figure.
Would he ever be able to follow in his brother’s footsteps?
Chapter Three
After church on Sunday, Sarah changed into capri jeans and a T-shirt imprinted with a photo of Gabe then headed toward the garage to pick up the flat of pink impatiens she would plant under the shade of the oak tree. The day was too beautiful to spend inside. She relished her two days off. She worked hard, but she loved relaxing and gardening. She didn’t cook much, but she could spend hours in the yard.
As she knelt on the ground under the tree, she turned the soil over, preparing to put the flowers in. Gabe sat beside her. But when the back door swung open, he stood, his tail wagging. She glanced behind her.
Madison and Katie, carrying pieces of construction paper, scurried down the stairs and made a beeline for her Lab. Then Sarah caught sight of Liam coming outside, her mom remaining in the doorway. Sarah’s heartbeat kicked up a notch as it had done earlier when she’d glimpsed Liam coming into the church service late, his nieces flanking him. They’d sat in the back and left before she could welcome them. It had been the first time she’d seen him at the later service.
As the girls greeted Gabe, Liam cut the distance between them, grinning as he looked at his nieces, the papers in their hands plummeting to the grass.
Sarah rose. “What brings you by?”
He smiled at her. “After church, the girls had an idea to make cards telling you and Aunt Betty how sorry they were. We just came from my aunt’s house.”
“So that’s what they have with them.” Sarah winced when Gabe stepped on the card Katie had just dropped.
Katie snatched the card from the ground and tried to smooth it out, but there was a long tear in it. Her lower lip puckered as she stared at her work of art. Then she glanced at Sarah. “It’s supposed to be for you.” Her bottom lip stuck out even more as she handed it to Sarah. “I’m sorry.”
“I love pictures of flowers. How did you know that?”
Katie shrugged. “I was gonna draw Gabe, but I didn’t have time.”
“I did.” Madison placed her card on top of her sister’s. “My teacher says I draw good.”
Sarah quickly held one picture with the words “I am sorry” across the top of the construction paper in her left hand and the other in her right. “What a great idea! Thank you.”
Katie thrust her shoulders back while Madison beamed.
Sarah peered at Liam. “Can you stay for some cookies? Mom made chocolate chip when she came home from church.”
“Yes!” the two girls said in unison.
Liam chuckled. “I’d have a riot on my hands if I turned your invitation down.”
Madison moved forward, her attention shifting between Liam and Sarah before she asked, “Can we play with Gabe?”
“That’s for your uncle to decide.”
“For a little while.” As Katie ran across the yard to pick up a tennis ball, Madison hurried after her while Liam added, “I didn’t mean for our visit to interrupt what you’re doing.”
“The ground is ready. All I have to do is plant the impatiens. That won’t take long. Besides, they’re doing me a favor. Gabe could spend all afternoon running after that ball. After fifteen minutes my arm gets tired. This way everyone is happy.” She removed her garden gloves and started for the house. “I’ll bring some lemonade, too.”
When she entered the kitchen, her mother was in the middle of the room, her hands on her waist, facing her grandmother. “Today isn’t a work day, Mama.”
Sarah glanced at her grandmother, dressed in the hat she usually wore to the salon as well as one of her plain dresses that had become her uniform when at work.
“Yes, it is, Tina. If we don’t hurry, I’m going to be late. I have a shampoo to do. I don’t like to keep Marge waiting.”
“We went to church this morning. It’s Sunday.” Sarah’s mother’s voice rose.
Nana shook her head. “We didn’t. I would remember that.” She pointed at the calendar on the side of the refrigerator. “I checked that. Today is Saturday, April 2.” She tapped the date. “See it hasn’t been crossed out yet.”
“Nana, I forgot to mark off yesterday. Sorry.” Sarah took a black marker and slashed an X through the date. “A friend and his two nieces are here to visit. The same ones who rescued Gabe this week. Why don’t you come out and have some lemonade and chocolate-chip cookies with us?”
For a few seconds confusion clouded Nana’s eyes before she switched her attention to Sarah’s mom uncovering the cookies. Chocolate chip was her favorite kind. “I guess so. If you’re sure this isn’t Saturday.”
Sarah nodded. “I’m going outside on the deck. Madison and Katie are playing with Gabe.”
“I need my floppy hat and to change into long sleeves. I can’t be in the sun too much.” Nana glanced once more at the calendar then left the kitchen.
“I’ll bring it out, hon. Go entertain your guests.” Her mother reached into the refrigerator, pulled out the pitcher of lemonade and set it on the counter.
Sarah started to protest, knowing exactly what her mom was doing—trying to put them together. Then she realized the uselessness in attempting to explain. She’d just met Liam, and he was dealing with a lot right now. He might not be the biological father of the girls, but he was a good father—the type she would like for her own children. She gasped. That thought came unbidden into her mind and took her by surprise. She certainly wasn’t hunting for a husband right now.
“Is something wrong, Sarah?” Her mother retrieved some plastic glasses from the cabinet.
Sarah crossed to the back door. “No.” Especially if she made sure to keep those kinds of thoughts to herself. That would be all she needed if her mother thought she was interested in Liam. If she’d learned one thing coming back to Buffalo, it was that her running away from her hometown after Peter had died had only delayed her dealing with his death.
Outside she joined Liam, who sat on the deck steps. “By the time I came out of the church service this morning, you and the girls were gone.”
“We would have gone to the early service with Aunt Betty, but Madison kept changing her clothes. She had to look a certain way. A lot of her friends attend there. Do you always go to the eleven o’clock one?”
“Yes. I can’t get going much earlier than that.” As Sarah lifted her arms to rest them on her thighs, she touched Liam’s. Her breath caught. She should have sat on the bottom stair instead of next to him, but she hated having to twist around to talk to him and then back to watch the girls and Gabe.
“I have to admit when I arrived at Aunt Betty’s at eight this morning, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. We had to fight a fire in the middle of the night. I thought of having them just go with Aunt Betty, but after the stunt they pulled yesterday, she needed some time without them. We went home so I could change from my uniform, and Madison decided to change her outfit five times. I’m not sure if she was stalling or what, but I was determined we would get to church even if we went to the later one and I was exhausted. Gareth always took them and, when I’m not on duty, I try to do what he did.”
“Did you get any sleep?”
“An hour. I’ll be going to bed at the same time they do tonight. I’m still working on getting this daddy gig down.”
She thought he was doing a good job, considering six months ago he had been a bachelor with no children. Taking on a ready-made family overnight wouldn’t be easy for anyone. When a husband and wife had a baby, they had nine months to prepare. Liam hadn’t had any time. “I could watch the girls for a few hours while you catch up on some sleep. I could have them help me plant some flowers, and then we could go to the park with Gabe.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t. I volunteered.”
“But—”
“I’d love to. Gabe enjoys them, and that way he won’t be pestering me to throw that ball all afternoon.” She gestured toward Madison and Katie taking turns tossing the tennis ball for her dog.
“If I hadn’t been exhausted before this, I would be now watching him running after it over and over. How old is he?”
“Seven years old. In his heart he still thinks he’s a puppy. When he crashes, he’ll sleep for hours then want to do it all over again. Much like a child, he wants attention, but Mom and I work often from eight to six, five days a week. When we come home after being on our feet all day, we’re tired, and he’s ready to play all night.”
“That sounds like me when I have a shift where I work most of the time, like yesterday’s. All I want to do is crash onto my bed and catch up on sleep. Usually the kids are at school, but not when I work Fridays or Saturdays, which is every two weeks.”
“What happens when the kids are out of school in a couple of months?”
Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “I haven’t figured that out yet. Aunt Betty has been wonderful, but she is seventy-five. My girls can run rings around her.”
She loved the way he referred to Madison and Katie as his girls. He might be their uncle, but he was settling into the role of being a father well. She wondered if he had ever been married. Instead she asked, “Was your brother younger or older?”
“Younger by three years. I’m thirty-five, and I know better than to ask a woman her age.”
She laughed. “If I can ask, then you can, too, but I’ll save you the bother. I’m twenty-eight.” When the sound of the back door opening announced her mother was joining them, she glanced over her shoulder, wishing she had chosen to sit farther away from him than she had. It didn’t take much to encourage her mom to matchmake.
“If you’re sure about letting the girls stay, I’ll grab a cookie—” a twinkle sparkled his eyes “—or two before I leave and tell my nieces where I’m going.”
“They may not want to stay.”
“Are you kidding? I heard them plotting in the kitchen after church. Katie was sure I’d bring them over if they made cards for you.”
Sarah rose. “It seems your youngest niece knows you well.”
“You mean she has me wrapped around her little finger. I admit sometimes she does, but I wanted to see you again so I agreed after only a little begging.” He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “But don’t tell them.”
“They won’t get it from me.” She turned to the yard and called, “Do you two want some cookies and lemonade?”
Madison had her arm in midthrow and stopped. The ball plopped to the ground near her, and the girls raced toward the deck. Liam stepped to the left while Sarah moved to the right. Madison and Katie ran between them and skidded to a halt at the glass table. Just as she and Liam were going to close the gap between them, Gabe loped by.
“I have some wipes you can use to clean your hands.” Her mother handed each one a cloth.
Sarah looked up at Liam. He chuckled then said, “They came to me that way. They go full throttle like Gabe then crash hard—” he checked his watch “—in about five hours.”
“If I only had half that energy.” Sarah walked toward the table, watching the smile on her mother’s face as she poured the lemonade and made sure the girls had enough cookies. Gabe lay down between Liam’s nieces, probably hoping to lap up the crumbs that fell on the deck.
When Sarah and Liam sat, her mom scrutinized him as she took a chair next to Madison. Sarah braced herself for the interrogation that would probably follow.
“Liam, I understand you haven’t been living here long. How do you like Buffalo?” her mother asked while his nieces were busy finishing their first treat and starting on another.
“It certainly is different from Dallas.” He took a bite of the cookie. “Mmm. This is delicious. Better than the ones I make.”
Her mother’s eyebrows shot up. “You bake cookies?”
“I didn’t set out to be a cook, but in Dallas that became my job at the fire station. I’ll admit I liked doing that more than cleaning the place. Over the years I’ve kept adding recipes to what I can prepare. I figure if I’m going to cook, I should do it well. The guys on my shift here quickly put me in charge of the meals.”
“We used to eat out a lot. Not now. His pizza is the bestest I’ve had.” Katie’s legs swung back and forth as she stuffed the last of the second cookie into her mouth.
“I love his fried chicken.” Madison patted her stomach. “Oh, and macaroni and cheese. It’s not from a box,” she added in astonishment.
“I like to cook, too, but alas, my daughter doesn’t. I’d love to share recipes. The chocolate-chip recipe was my mother’s.”
“Mom, Nana should be out here by now.” Sarah hoped she took the hint and went inside to see about Nana before she started asking Liam more personal questions.
Her mother frowned and pushed to her feet. “You’re right. She’s having one of her days.”
After her mom went inside, Liam asked quietly, “Is your grandmother okay?”
“Some days she forgets things.”
Although she had kept her voice low, Madison heard what Sarah said to Liam. “I forgot how to spell Buffalo on my spelling test, but I remembered Oklahoma.”
“That’s great, Madison.” Sarah was glad the girls didn’t start asking questions about Nana’s memory, and she would remember in the future even when they didn’t look as though they were listening, the girls were probably paying attention.
Katie sat straighter. “I know how to spell my whole name.”
Madison jumped to her feet. “Ready, Gabe.”
The black Lab stood, his tail wagging.
Katie snatched another cookie and started to follow Gabe and Madison.
“Girls, I’m going home in a few minutes.” Liam finished his drink and put his glass on the table.
Madison whirled around. “You can’t. We wanna play with Gabe more. He wants us to.”
Katie nodded over and over.
Liam rose. “I know. Sarah thought you could stay here for a while then go with her to the park with Gabe.”
“After the park, I’ll take you back to your house. Today is just too pretty to spend inside,” Sarah said as the back door opened and her grandmother and mother appeared.
“In fact, when you three come to my house, I’ll have dinner almost ready, and if Sarah wants to eat with us, that’s fine with me.” Liam peered expectedly at Sarah.
“How can I turn down that invitation? I’d love to.”
Madison put her hand on top of the Lab’s head. “So Gabe can stay at our house, too?”
“Yes, while Sarah is there.” Liam smiled at Nana, who had on her floppy hat but was still in her work clothes with short sleeves.
The girls charged down the steps to the yard and ran toward the tennis ball on the ground near the back fence.
“Who’s this young man?” Nana asked as she took a seat. “I haven’t met you before. Are you sweet on my granddaughter?”
Heat flooded Sarah’s face. There was no telling what her grandmother would say. On her good days she wouldn’t have said that so bluntly. She usually was the subtle one.
“We’re friends, Nana. Liam found Gabe when he was lost.”
“Gabe was lost?” Her grandmother chewed on her lower lip, trying to think.
“Yes, a few days last week. Mom, will you keep an eye on the girls while I show Liam out?”
“Sure. Take your time.”
The urge to roll her eyes at her mother was strong, but she refrained from doing it. Instead she walked with Liam around the side of the house and through the gate. When they were in the front yard, she said what she hadn’t wanted to say with his nieces nearby. “Nana is eighty and has bouts of forgetfulness. Today is one of those times. When Mom asked me to move home to help her at the salon and with my grandmother, I couldn’t turn her down. Family is important to me.”
“I agree. Now if I can just figure out this daddy thing, life will run much smoother.”