Destiny Came Knocking: A Snow Valley Romance

by Cindy Roland Anderson

  Shane didn’t reply, which meant Gabe had won the round. In reality, Gabe hadn’t known a dog could really be that obedient. He’d grown up on a ranch with several dogs, and they always kind of did their own thing.

  The doorbell sounded, and his nerves kicked in, making his mouth feel dry. He swallowed and told himself to get a grip. Piper would be coming over for the next five nights in a row, and he didn’t need the added complication of being attracted to his temporary next-door neighbor.

  Rascal started barking at the door. He knew if he opened it, the dog would jump up on Piper and then bolt outside. At least the invisible fence had been worth the money it cost. He could only go to the edge of the yard before stopping.

  “Shane, can you please take Rascal out back while I let Miss Piper in?”

  “He won’t hurt her,” he said, giving Gabe another exaggerated eye roll. “Besides, she likes dogs.”

  “Please do as I ask?” Gabe hooked his finger under Rascal’s collar and led him over to Shane. As soon as he knew the dog was outside, he wiped his palm across his pant leg and opened the door. “Hey, come on in.”

  “Thank you.” She stomped a few times on the porch to get the snow off of her boots and then stepped into the entryway.

  As Gabe closed the door, she started to take off her coat. “Let me hang that up for you,” he said, holding out his hand. A light flowery scent wafted around him as he slipped her coat onto a hanger and hung it in the closet.

  “Thanks.” She had already taken off one boot and was in the process of slipping off the other one. He smiled when he saw her striped finger-toe socks that looked as if she’d donned a pair of knit gloves on her feet.

  “Cute socks.”

  “Oh.” Pink tinged her cheeks as she glanced down to look at her feet. “I completely forgot I had these on.”

  “Can I have gloves for my feet too?” Lindsey asked, crowding in around Gabe’s legs.

  “Maybe for your birthday,” Gabe said, smiling at his daughter.

  “I’ll be seven!” Lindsey announced this to Piper while holding up the correct number of fingers.

  “Seven?” Piper said. “That’s amazing.”

  Lindsey beamed and reached out to take Piper’s hand. “Do you want to see my Barbies? I had to put them away because Daddy said our house was a pigsty.”

  Gabe felt his own face redden when Piper looked at him with amusement. “It’s been a while since we’ve done a good cleaning.”

  Piper’s eyes twinkled with laughter before she turned her attention back to Lindsey. “I would love to see your Barbies.”

  Gabe watched the pair cross the room hand in hand. Piper sat down next to Lindsey, and again he noticed how closely the color of their hair resembled one another. MaryEllen’s hair had been lighter in color and had a red tint to it. It struck him that if Piper and Lindsey were to be seen in public, people would naturally assume they were mother and daughter.

  He moved closer and was tempted to pull out his phone to take a picture. He honestly couldn’t remember his ex-wife ever sitting down with Lindsey to ask about each of her Barbies. She was usually too busy working out at the gym or off to Billings on a shopping spree.

  “And this horse looks just like Dolly,” Lindsey said, holding up a Barbie-sized palomino horse. “That’s the name of the horse Daddy is giving me for my birthday.”

  “You’re a lucky little girl.” Piper reached out and touched the toy animal. “I always wanted a horse.”

  Gabe hoped Piper didn’t think he overindulged his children. He really tried not to, but sometimes giving his kids gifts made him feel like he was somehow making up for the loss of their mother. Besides, a horse was a good way to teach a child how to work hard by caring for the animal.

  “Want to see my new dress?” Lindsey asked, popping up to her feet. “Caytie gave it to me and it’s so pretty.”

  His daughter started to tug on Piper’s hand, leading her toward the stairs to go up to her bedroom. Gabe couldn’t let them go up there. Lindsey’s room was a mess. The little girl had more stuffed animals than a gaming booth at the county fair. Her bed wasn’t made— that task was a low priority and wasn’t worth the fight each morning. However, he was still behind on laundry, which meant most of the dirty clothes cluttered her floor.

  Piper looked to Gabe for permission. He was torn about what to do. Obviously his daughter was starved for attention from a woman. He tried to be both mother and father, but with all the other responsibilities, he often fell short. Like having a messy house.

  “Not now, Linds. Miss Piper is here to help us with Rascal. We don’t want to take up too much of her time.” Thankfully, Shane and Rascal came bounding in, thwarting the argument his daughter was about to launch.

  The dog jumped up on Lindsey and then proceeded to jump up on Piper. She popped her knee gently and in a commanding voice said, “No. Down.”

  Rascal tried again to jump on her, but Piper repeated the procedure. This time Rascal complied, and she immediately pulled a treat from her pocket and gave it to the dog. “Good boy.” Then she looked at Gabe and the kids. “First lesson. It’s not okay for Rascal to jump on anyone. He doesn’t know that because he’s just trying to be friendly and say hello.”

  “Can we teach him to shake his paw instead?” Shane asked, as if finally catching on that having an obedient dog might not be such a bad thing after all.

  “That would be a lot of fun, but first we need to show Rascal who is in charge.”

  “How do we do that?” Lindsey asked.

  “Well, dogs live in packs, which is like a big family. There is always a leader of the pack called the Alpha male. Right now, Rascal is the Alpha male in this family.” Piper said this while looking at Gabe. He might have taken it as an insult if not for the small smile that flickered at the corners of her mouth. “Rascal doesn’t really want the job as Alpha male and will be happy to have someone else take over.”

  “Can I do it?” Shane asked, raising his hand like he was in an actual classroom. “That sounds cool.”

  Piper glanced down at Shane and smiled. “Yes, you can do it.” Her gaze traveled to Lindsey. “You can all be the Alpha male so Rascal can just have fun being a dog.”

  “I don’t want to be a male alphabet,” Lindsey said, scrunching up her nose in distain. “Can I be a princess instead?”

  Stifling a laugh, Gabe caught Piper’s eye, and they shared a smile. “Yes, you can be a princess.” She placed a hand on top of Lindsey’s head and slid her palm down the length of her hair.

  The affectionate gesture made Lindsey lean into Piper’s side. It took Gabe by surprise, while at the same time making him feel envious. Longing to be touched in such an intimate and tender way burned inside his chest.

  Obviously his daughter wasn’t the only one starved for a woman’s attention.

  Piper was a good teacher, and by the end of their hour-long lesson, they’d all grasped a basic idea of how to make positive changes with Rascal. It gave Gabe hope that the dog would become more family than a nuisance. That is if the lesson’s stuck.

  Lindsey yawned, and Gabe realized it was nearing the kids’ bedtime. Usually he was ready to get them into bed because it gave him a little time to himself. However, tonight he was reluctant to say anything. He knew if he did, Piper would likely go home, and he didn’t want her to leave.

  But when Lindsey started whining about Shane giving Rascal a treat without making him listen first, he knew it was time for bed. She would only grow increasingly unreasonable. His little princess required at least ten hours of sleep to be happy.

  “Okay you two,” Gabe said, interrupting their argument, “it’s time for bed.”

  “But I’m not tired,” Shane whined.

  “I’m not either,” Lindsey said with a yawn.

  “You both have school in the morning. Please say goodnight to Miss Piper.”

  “No.” Lindsey crossed her arms across her body and jutted out her lower lip. “I still need to show
her my dress.”

  Gabe didn’t want the evening to end on a bad note. He scooped up his daughter and tickled her tummy, making the little girl giggle. “You don’t have any treats in your pockets that will make children obey Daddy’s, do you?” he asked Piper.

  She grinned. “I might have a few left.” She pulled out the doggy treats. “I’ll give you each a treat if you go do what your Daddy asked.”

  “But they’re for a dog,” Lindsey protested.

  Shane rolled his eyes. “You wouldn’t give us dog treats.” Then a mischievous smile crossed his face. “But if I go to bed right now, can I have an extra half hour of screen time tomorrow?”

  “You’re a smart negotiator.” Gabe reached out and tousled his son’s hair. “All right, you’ve got a deal.”

  “Thanks, Dad!” Shane pumped a fist in the air and raced upstairs.

  Lindsey cupped her father’s face in her hands. “What do I get if I go right to bed?”

  “What would you like?” Gabe pressed his forehead against his daughter’s. He supposed he could always bring the dress downstairs if that’s what Lindsey really wanted.

  “I want Miss Piper to go sledding with us.”

  Gabe swallowed hard as the words hung in the air. That was the last thing he expected his daughter to ask for. At her age, she had no idea what it would mean if Piper showed up with him and his kids to a Snow Valley social event. Everyone would assume he was dating Piper. Funny, while that thought still made him nervous, he found he wasn’t completely opposed to it. But how did Piper feel?

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to ask her.”

  He turned to look at Piper as Lindsey repeated her wish. His gut churned with apprehension as two emotions— fear and hope— competed for her answer to be yes.

  The look on Piper’s face said she might be feeling the same way.

  Chapter 7

  Why did it feel like she’d just been asked the million-dollar question and she wasn’t sure if she had the right answer? Placing a hand over her fluttering stomach, Piper moistened her lips and tried to read whether or not Gabe wanted her to accept the invitation.

  She was torn. On one hand, she knew it wasn’t smart to get too attached to this family. But on the other hand, what would one evening of fun hurt? It’s not like Gabe had asked her out on a date.

  “You don’t have to come with us,” Gabe said. “But we’d really like it if you did.”

  Heat unfurled inside her chest, and her heart thumped wildly. That was sort of like asking her on a date, right?

  “I’d like to come, but I don’t have a sled.”

  “We can share with her, right, Daddy?” Lindsey said sweetly.

  “Yes, princess.” Gabe’s eyes bounced to his daughter’s and then back to Piper. “We can share with her.”

  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 forgott
en 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 principal 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.