The Firefighter Daddy (13 page)

“Both of your nieces are special to me.”

He dipped his head toward hers, and his lips whispered across hers, sending goose bumps racing through her. His hands delved into her hair and pulled her against him. His arms locked around her as he deepened the kiss.

She became lost in his embrace, never wanting to end this bond that had been building for weeks.

When he finally stepped back, his gaze held hers as though his arms were still around her. Mesmerized by the golden sheen in his brown eyes, she struggled to picture Peter in her mind. She couldn't. Liam was all she saw.

Panic nibbled at her composure. Suddenly she fumbled for the doorknob behind her, managed to grasp it, then spun around and dragged the door open. “Good night,” she murmured.

Halfway down the sidewalk, she slowed her pace, finally noticing Gabe was by her side. Liam made her forget everything. It was happening too fast.

Chapter Eleven

M
onday morning Liam parked in Sarah's driveway and grabbed the container with the cookies the girls and he had made for Tina, Nana and Sarah. As he climbed from his car, he smiled at the memory of finding Madison and Katie trying to make the sugar cookies. It was reminiscent of the day Sarah had come to get Gabe, except he'd caught them before too much harm had been done.

This time, after his nieces had cleaned up the flour on the counter, they'd started over with his assistance. Once the baked cookies had cooled, Madison and Katie had spread frosting on each one and then halved them. That was when the real fun had started. Earlier he'd taken them to the store to find sprinkles and different kinds of decorative toppings for the cookies. The girls had spent an hour finishing the gift for the ladies who had thrown the best birthday party ever, as his nieces now referred to Saturday.

Liam mounted the steps to the porch and rang the bell. Sarah opened the door, ready to go with him to interview an auctioneer for the bachelor auction. But her gaze latched on to the plastic container he had.

“What's that?”

“A thank-you from the McGregory family for Saturday's party.” He passed it to her.

“Why didn't they come later to deliver them?”

“Funny you should ask. Your mom has rubbed off on them. Last night when I went in to say good-night, Katie was in Madison's room, whispering. I heard enough to know they were going to have me bring them to you. Katie really needs to practice talking softly.”

“But we'd already planned to see each other.”

“They didn't know about us going to see the auctioneer for the fund-raiser. I tried to get them to give you the cookies after school today, but they insisted you needed them right away.”

“I wonder if Mom has recruited them since I told her to stop.” Sarah let him into the house.

“Maybe. When I dropped them off at school this morning, Madison reminded me about the cookies. She's looking forward to seeing you today while I take Katie to dinner, so watch out.”

“I'll put these in the kitchen and let Mom and Nana know about them. They're out back while Nana is trying to keep Junior from climbing the fence.”

When Sarah left the room, Liam could still smell her fragrance with a hint of vanilla. Her scent brought another memory of last night to the foreground. Katie had poured too much vanilla into the cookie dough, causing him to try to spoon part of it out of the bowl.

“Ready?”

He turned toward her. Their kiss the other night crept into his thoughts. He wanted to blame it on being drowsy, but he couldn't. He'd known what he was doing and had enjoyed every second. “I'll feel better when we get an auctioneer.”

“We have seventeen bachelors. We only need three more and possibly a couple of backup ones. In three weeks we've accomplished a lot.”

He held the screen door open for her. “We work well together.”

“I heard Beatrice is causing problems on the publicity committee. Oh, did I tell you that Mom and I are forming a caregiver group that will meet next Sunday at the church?”

“Good. I look forward to the single dads' group meeting. I missed most of it last Thursday.” Was there such a group in Dallas? Surely there was, and he could connect with it when he moved back. As the children grew older, he imagined different issues would surface, needing attention and advice on how to handle them.

As he drove to the county fairgrounds south of town, acres of burned vegetation lined both sides of the highway.

“I'm surprised the fairgrounds survived the grass fire. It was so near the area.”

“But the wind blew in the other direction.”

“Did anyone figure out how the fire started?”

“A dead branch fell on a power line and snapped it. It sparked what happened. When the conditions are as dry as they've been, it doesn't take much.” Liam slid a glance toward Sarah after he parked at the main building at the fairgrounds. Maybe he wouldn't move to Dallas. He had a few months to decide.

A livestock auction was taking place inside. Liam and Sarah made their way toward the front as the last horse was bought.

“Mr. Caldwell is lively. He'll make it fun.” Liam spotted the man leaving the stage and wove through the crowd to catch him. “Mr. Caldwell, may we have a word with you?”

“Sure. I'm finished for the day.” The older gentleman wore wire-rimmed glasses and was completely bald.

“I'm Liam McGregory.” He shook the man's hand. “And this is Sarah Blackburn. We're here to see if you would volunteer to be the auctioneer at the annual children's fund-raiser the first Saturday in June?”

“What would I be auctioning off? I assume that's what you want me for.”

“Yes,” Sarah said, “we're doing a bachelor auction at the end of the evening. We plan on having twenty men of various ages.”

“Interesting. I usually handle items like cars, furniture and animals. Yes, I'll do it. It should be fun. I have a grandson the age of the children this fund-raiser will benefit. I'd love to do my part.” He pulled a business card out of his shirt's top pocket. “Can you email me all the particulars? I'll put it on my calendar. I go to the fund-raiser every year.”

Sarah took the card from him. “We have another favor to ask you. Will you agree to be interviewed as part of the publicity for the event?”

“As you probably saw, I love to talk, so why not. Just let me know when and where and I'll be there.”

After Liam and Sarah thanked him, they left. As Liam switched on the engine, he made a decision. He wanted Sarah and him to spend some alone time together. Usually his nieces and her family were with them. “It's lunch. I'd like to take you to the Sooner Boomer Café. Do you have time?”

“They have the best prairie salad.”

“Prairie? Is it made with grass?”

“Cute. Not totally. There's green lettuce and spinach, feta cheese, glazed pecans, a fruit in season, tomatoes and strips of grilled buffalo meat.”

“I've never had buffalo meat. Does it taste like chicken?”

She laughed. “No, it's like beef, and it's healthier and leaner than other meats. They have burgers made with buffalo.”

“I'm game.” Liam backed out of the parking space and drove toward the town. “I know that Colt raises buffalo on his ranch.”

“Quite a few ranches in the area do.”

As he headed for the café, he looked forward to getting to know Sarah more. There was something between them, and he wanted to explore it.

* * *

Sarah finished her last bite of the prairie salad and sat back as Liam signaled the waitress for a refill on his coffee. “Tell me something about you.”

“I grew up in the Dallas area. Texas is in my blood.”

“Then it must be strange being in the midst of us Okies.”

He chuckled. “I've managed. Ever since I could, I've been a firefighter like my father. I like the challenges of the job.”

“Are you a risk taker?”

He tilted his head to the side and stared off into space. When his gaze found hers again one corner of his mouth lifted. “I guess in some ways I am.”

“What about now, with being the guardian of your nieces? Have you thought of doing something less risky?”

“I could worry about the future or just live it. I'm in God's hands and, as long as I'm doing something I love and helping others, I won't change.”

“So you don't take precautions?”

“I didn't say that. When I was fighting the grass fire, I almost got caught with no way out. I didn't panic, but thought about my options, chose one and managed to get away from the flames. I've gone through extensive training.”

Sarah's stomach plummeted. “Fire can be unpredictable.”

“Life can be unpredictable. What good would it do to worry about the future when there's no way to predict what will happen? I tried to map my life out, and I thought I had it all figured out. Then something came out of the blue and changed everything.”

“Your brother's death?”

“Yes, but before that, I was married. She walked out on me, leaving only a note.”

“I'm sorry.”

“We had problems like all marriages. I wanted to work through them. She didn't.”

“Does she live in Dallas?”

“Yes, only a couple of blocks from me. She remarried as soon as she could.”

Her heart ached for him. Before she'd dated Peter, she'd dated a guy who was in her classes at high school. When he broke up with her to date someone else, the worst part was seeing him every day until the end of the school year. “I know what you mean about having your life all figured out and suddenly everything changes. Peter died in a car wreck. I was driving. It wasn't my fault, but I used to run through the accident over and over in my mind, trying to figure out how I could have done something different.”

Liam waited until the waitress refilled his coffee, then leaned toward her. “What happened?”

“An older man ran a stop sign and plowed right into the passenger side. Where Peter was sitting. We only had one car, and I needed it later so I took him to work. If only my appointment had been a different day. If only I had swerved and avoided the wreck. If only...” Her throat closed around the scenarios she used to run through that would have left her life on the same course. Or would it? Liam was right. They didn't know what was going to happen in the next ten minutes, let alone the next ten years.

Liam touched her hand resting on the table between them. “Were you injured?”

She fiddled with her spoon by her plate, toying with telling Liam everything. She was tired of avoiding the subject. That hadn't done any good. Avoidance didn't mean it would go away. “Most of my injuries healed quickly. Except one. I was five months pregnant and lost my little girl.”

He tightened his hand over hers. “I'm so sorry. That doesn't even begin to tell you how I feel.”

“For months I dreamed of the day my baby would come into this world. I didn't consider she would die. I've always felt I would be a mother. Still feel that way. Have you ever known something deep down?”

For a long moment he stared at the table between them. When he raised his gaze, a shadow darkened his eyes. “I knew I would follow in my father's footsteps. I wanted to continue my dad's heritage. I wanted to belong to his fire station. Those guys all became like a father to me. My captain in Dallas was my dad's best friend. I miss talking to him.”

“Have you talked to him much since you moved here?”

“About once a week. It's nice hearing about what's going on, but mostly just talking with someone back home.”

“When I lived in Tulsa, I missed Buffalo and talked to my mom often.”

“Why did you leave?”

“When Peter died, I didn't want to leave Mom's house. I couldn't live in mine anymore, but I also had a hard time dealing with going other places. I couldn't move to another part of town like a person could in Dallas and create new memories. I had to move away. I needed to start over.”

“Now you're back here. What's different?”

“You ask tough questions.” She sucked in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds then slowly exhaled. She wished she could deal with pain that easily. The compassion in his eyes urged her to trust him and let another one in again. “Time, partially. My mom needed me to help with Nana, and I'm finally realizing I can't move on without letting go of the past once and for all. Not forget it, but release its hold on me.”

“Have you?”

“I'm getting there. I can drive by the intersection where the wreck occurred without falling apart. That's actually where I found your poster about Gabe.”

“So we might not have met if you hadn't.”

“I like to feel Gabe would have found his way home, but he loves your nieces.”

“Having him there even for a few days showed me that a pet would be good for the girls. They take care of their kittens. They make sure they have water and food. They clean their litter box. But, mostly, they have bonded with Buffy and Blackie. So a lot has changed since I met you, and it's been good.”

“I notice Madison talks to you more and doesn't get as angry at Katie.”

“I've gone to say good-night to her and often find her talking to Buffy. She's been telling Buffy about her dad. I still wish she would come more to me about Gareth.”

“Each person has to find their way through their grief. Maybe Buffy is Madison's.”
You
'
re becoming mine
. That thought stunned her and, for a few seconds, the world seemed to come to a stop. No, that wasn't possible. She'd only known him a month.

“But I want my nieces to know they can come to me. I may not be their father, but I love them like a dad.”

“A person might not be someone's birth father, but that doesn't mean he doesn't play the role of one.”

The waitress placed the bill on the table. “Do y'all want anything else? Dessert? We have a great peach cobbler.”

“I still have a few errands to do before I watch Madison.” She'd been putting off going to Peter's and Emma's graves for a while. It was finally time.

“Same here.” He withdrew his wallet and put some cash to cover the tab on top of the receipt. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks. Have a great day.” The waitress removed some of the dishes and left.

Sarah rose at the same time as Liam. As they walked to his SUV, he was silent. The quiet continued on the way to her house.

When he pulled into her driveway, he stared out the windshield as though in deep thought.

Finally he looked at her and smiled. “I enjoyed lunch.” He cradled her face between his rough palms. “You've helped me finally figure out what I need to do.”

She returned his grin. “Talking to you has been good for me, too.” She took one of his hands and kissed his palm. “Now I'd better get going, or I won't be here for Madison.”