Bachelor Dad

by Roxann Delaney

  She didn’t have the energy to argue, so she followed Lucy to the ambulance, sitting just inside the big doors in the back. “This really isn’t necessary,” she attempted.

  Lucy slipped the stethoscope in her ears and smiled. “I’ll feel better if you let me check, okay?”

  Libby nodded and breathed deeply when told to. All the while, she thought about the things they’d lost. They’d had so little to begin with, and now this. Life had begun looking better, especially financially, since she no longer had to pay for child care. Instead of scrimping on other things so Noah could enjoy playing football, she could afford to splurge a little.

  Now everything was gone. Or ruined. Furniture, clothes, everything. Somehow she would have to find another place to live and buy the things needed to make it livable for Noah. Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes.

  As Lucy finished checking her, Sheriff Rule walked up with one of the city councilmen. “Mike Stacy is our fire chief,” he explained, introducing the man. “We thought you might want to know what happened. It wasn’t your fault, Libby. We want you to know that.”

  Determined not to cry, she could only nod. Did it really matter if it was or wasn’t her fault? If it was, would they sue her? Run her out of town on a rail? She covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath. When she felt calmer, she lowered her hands and looked at the fire chief. “Go ahead, Mr. Stacy.”

  “There’s still some smoldering, but we’ll keep an eye on it,” he told her. “By morning, you should be able to look through things and see what’s salvageable.”

  Unable to speak in case it would push her over the edge, she nodded again.

  “The county fire marshal will be out at some point and make the official determination on the cause, but we’re pretty certain it was an electrical fire that started in the wiring in the wall between your place and Mrs. Moran’s. Luckily, someone said she’s visiting her sister right now. We’ll try to get a number for her tomorrow and let her know.” He put his hand on Libby’s shoulder. “It’s an older place and probably hadn’t been checked for some time. I’m sorry this had to happen to you, but I’m sure there are people in town who would like to help you.”

  Libby tried to quietly clear her throat, but failed. “Thank you. I guess I’ll know more after we go through things tomorrow.”

  He nodded and patted her shoulder, his eyes full of sympathy. “We’ll need to find a place for you and Noah to stay, at least for tonight.”

  Before she could even think, Garrett stepped up, still holding Sophie in one arm and the other around her son. “She and Noah will stay with us.”

  Mike Stacy looked at him and then at Libby. “That would be fine. Whatever you both decide to do.”

  Libby wasn’t convinced it was a good idea. This was a small town and rumors spread like, well, they spread like wildfire. She wouldn’t subject Garrett and Sophie to that kind of thing.

  Pulling the blanket around her a little tighter, she stood. “There’s no need for that, Garrett. We’ll find a motel or something, at least for a while, until we can decide what to do next.” Not that she thought they had any alternative, now that they had nothing.

  The fire chief was called away at that moment, and Garrett glanced around, then stepped closer to Libby. “I’d be happy to get you a hotel room in Oklahoma City, but have you forgotten that Noah has school to attend?”

  She opened her mouth to answer, but closed it quickly. “There must be someplace closer.”

  “There isn’t, so don’t argue.” He looked down at her son. “Noah, can you stay in my car with Sophie while I help your mom?”

  Libby hadn’t noticed how shell-shocked Noah looked until then, when he nodded in answer to Garrett. There was nothing to do while Garrett took the two children to his car, so she waited. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay at his place tonight. Noah spent so much time there, he’d be comfortable, and she’d just have to deal with it. By morning she might have an idea of what to do next, because right now, she was coming up empty-handed.

  She watched as Garrett returned, stopping to speak to Mike Stacy again before joining her. “I know you’re concerned with what people will think,” he told her, keeping his voice low, “but in a case like this, I think people understand. It isn’t going to reflect badly on you.”

  “I wasn’t thinking of me,” she said, without thinking. Pressing her lips together, she stared at the ground. “You’re the city attorney,” she reminded him, looking up at him. “I don’t want to jeopardize your position.”

  “Desperation isn’t like that,” he insisted.

  She thought differently, but didn’t say so. There was no use arguing. She was too tired, too confused and too scared. All she could do at that moment was hope she could find another place to live in Desperation and find it quickly.

  When they arrived at Garrett’s, every muscle in her body ached, but she managed to help get Noah and Sophie inside and calmed down. Noah’s shock had worn off, and all he could do was talk about the fire and what had happened. All Libby wanted to do was curl up in a corner somewhere and go to sleep. Maybe if she could do that, when morning came, she’d discover this had all been a bad dream.

  “We’re going to have to do some shifting,” Garrett announced, before Libby could sink to the sofa.

  She looked around the room confused. “Shifting?”

  “This is a three-bedroom house, but one of those bedrooms is currently my home office.”

  “Oh,” she answered, seeing the problem. Why had she agreed to this in the first place? And why, knowing there wasn’t room for four, did he insist? As she thought about it, the more she wished she’d put Noah in the car and driven away.

  Garrett took a step toward her, obviously noticing that she was ready to bolt. “Now don’t worry,” he assured her. “When we redecorated Sophie’s room, we decided to wait to get her a new bed. She still has the double bed that Paige used. If you wouldn’t mind sleeping with Sophie…”

  “No,” Libby answered, almost too quickly. “No, of course I wouldn’t mind. If Sophie doesn’t.” But after one look at Sophie, who had tumbled onto one of the big, comfy chairs and was sound asleep, Libby wasn’t worried. The little girl was probably out for the night.

  Garrett stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded. “Good. Then I’ll take the sofa in the office, and Noah can have my bed.”

  “Noah can take the sofa in the office, Garrett. There’s no reason for you to give up your bed.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “But I do,” Libby insisted. “Believe me, he’s slept on worse.” Memories of sleeping in a cramped car in late February, shortly after they’d left Arizona were still vivid. She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders, determined not to let Garrett win this round. “If you aren’t agreeable to that, then we can find someplace else.”

  Sighing, he shook his head. “I don’t want you leaving. It’s late and you’re tired. If it doesn’t work out well tonight, we’ll make whatever changes are necessary tomorrow. There are too many other things to think about, Libby. Let’s all just get some sleep and tackle what we have to tomorrow.”

  Libby nodded. He was making sense. Besides, she didn’t want to get in her car and drive away. Exhaustion had set in, and there was no telling how long it would take her to find a place to stay, not to mention the cost.

  “All right,” she agreed. “I guess there’s no reason why we shouldn’t stay.” Except that spending time with Garrett in such close quarters wasn’t good for her heart. She’d just have to ignore the way it tripped when he smiled. Or spoke. Or simply stood there and did nothing.

  THE STRONG SMELL OF SMOKE permeated the damp and chill morning. Garrett straightened and rubbed the small of his back, looking around the fire site. Not far away from him, Libby was on her knees, going through the debris in what had once been Noah’s bedroom. There was very little left of what had once been their home. The fire had apparently started behind a baseboard between
the two apartments, spreading upward. If it had started in the ceiling, there might have been less fire damage to their belongings. But he was only guessing, and it didn’t change anything. Libby and Noah had been left with almost nothing.

  He walked over to where Libby was going through what appeared to have been a dresser. “Any luck?” he asked.

  She glanced up and shook her head. “It’s not like he had a lot,” she answered, as she moved charred rubble aside. She took a deep breath, which seemed to relax her a little. “I’m sure there are a lot of used clothing stores in Oklahoma City where we can get things to replace some of what we’ve lost.”

  “Libby—”

  “You know,” she said, “it really isn’t as bad as it seems. We’ll do okay.”

  As she said it, she looked up at him, and he read the determination in her eyes. No matter what, he had faith that she would get through whatever life threw at her. He suspected she had been doing that for some time. But Libby never talked about her life before Desperation.

  Before he even had a chance to assure her that everything would work out, he noticed Hettie Lambert carefully making her way toward them. He wasn’t surprised to see her. Most people in Desperation thought of Hettie as the town matriarch. Her great-great-grandfather, Colonel George Ravenel, had been the first to settle in the area and built a Southern mansion in what then were the wilds of Oklahoma territory. In the past few years, Hettie had turned the Ravenel Mansion into the Shadydrive Retirement Home. The inhabitants of it lovingly referred to it as the Commune, and it included not only those who had retired and no longer wanted the responsibilities of running their own home, but a few younger people who had moved in, as well.

  “Oh, Libby,” Hettie cried, when she drew closer, “what a mess to have to deal with. We need to get some others out here helping. There’s no reason for you to have to do all of this.”

  Libby stood and turned to smile at Hettie. “There isn’t nearly as much work to do as there might appear to be, Hettie, but thank you. I’m nearly done.”

  When Hettie finally reached her, she took Libby into her arms. “These kinds of things are devastating, I know. But good can come of it, too. Mark my words, there’ll be major changes—and all good—in your life.”

  Libby laughed quietly as Hettie released her. “I’ll do that and look forward to it.”

  “Well,” Hettie said, stepping back, “no matter what you might think, there’s still a lot to do here. I’m sure I can round up a little help.” She glanced at Garrett and smiled, before turning back to Libby. “You give me a list of all the things you’re going to need to replace.”

  Libby lowered her head. “That would be pretty much everything.”

  “I’m not surprised, considering.” Hettie looked around the burnt remains of the duplex, sighing softly. Then she seemed to shake off the sadness of the devastation and turned back to Libby. “Where are you and Noah staying?”

  “With Sophie and me,” Garrett answered quickly.

  Hettie’s right eyebrow raised just a tad, but she nodded. “You have room, then.”

  “Libby is bunking with Sophie, and Noah took the sofa in my office.”

  “I met little Sophie at Fall Festival,” Hettie told Libby, moving away from the business of the fire. “She’s a sweetheart.”

  “She is,” Libby said. “I’ve been so fortunate to get to take care of her while Garrett’s at work.”

  Hettie nodded again. “I heard he was watching Noah in the evenings. What a terrific arrangement for the two of you. It’s good that two single parents can help each other.”

  “We think so,” Garrett replied, glancing at Libby.

  Hettie leaned closer to Libby. “If you can wait until some time next month,” she said, her voice low, but still loud enough that Garrett could hear, “the Marsdens’ apartment at the Commune will be available. If you and Noah don’t mind living with a bunch of fuddy-duddies, that is.”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful!” Libby cried.

  Garrett couldn’t deny the prick of disappointment he felt. Granted, his house was one bedroom short of being enough room for all of them, but that could be remedied. He just didn’t know how yet.

  “You two could still continue with your babysitting arrangement,” Hettie assured them. “Everyone loves it when there are children around. They’d probably spoil both of them.”

  Garrett cleared his throat, hoping his feelings didn’t betray him. “It’s good that you may have a place, Libby.” He turned to Hettie to explain. “She’s been worried she wouldn’t be able to find anything.”

  “Thank you so much, Hettie,” Libby said, hugging her. “Now all I have to do is find a way to fill an apartment.”

  Her hopeful smile hid a sadness that Garrett suspected went deep. “Yes, thanks, Hettie.”

  “No thanks needed,” she said, with a wave of her hand. “That’s what friends are for. And if I don’t get going, some friends might not be too happy that I’m late.” She reached out and took Libby’s hand. “Don’t you worry, Libby. I mean it. You won’t go wanting for anything. This town was born of the disappointment and desperation of people looking for new lives, and it’s never failed anyone. It won’t fail you.”

  Garrett watched as tears filled Libby’s eyes, and she nodded. “All right, Hettie,” she answered. “I promise not to worry. And thank you again.”

  With a smile of encouragement and a pat on Libby’s shoulder, Hettie turned and made her way out of the rubble. As she left, Garrett turned to Libby. “See, it isn’t going to be as bad as you thought it would be. Now aren’t you glad you didn’t leave last night?”

  Libby avoided looking directly at him. “I was only going to leave to find somewhere to stay temporarily.”

  But Garrett suspected that wasn’t the whole truth. Last night he’d believed and still did that she was entertaining the idea of leaving Desperation permanently, although he didn’t know why. As far as he knew, she enjoyed living there.

  “Hand me the bag,” he told her, wishing he knew what to do or say to make her feel better. “I’ll take it to your car.”

  “There isn’t much in it,” she said, handing the black trash bag to him.

  “You need a break. Go on back to my place and clean up, while I go out to the Rocking O and pick up Sophie, then we’ll all get some lunch.” When Libby started to shake her head, he put his hand on her shoulder. He felt her stiffen beneath it, so he gently pulled it away. “Libby, I’m sorry, but you can spend all day digging through this mess, hoping to find things, but in the end, you’re only going to exhaust yourself. That isn’t going to solve anything.”

  She nodded, but didn’t look at him. “I know. There are only a few other places I want to check for things. I can do it this afternoon. And then—” She stopped and swallowed. “And then I’ll be done here.”

  There it was again, that talk that sounded as if she were planning to leave. Well, he wasn’t going to let that happen. Not until she could recover from the fire, at least.

  “I’ll pick you up at my place in twenty to thirty minutes, then,” he told her. “Is that enough time?”

  “Plenty.”

  He waited for her to get to her car and start it, and then he drove on to Jules and Tanner’s ranch, while she continued to his house. As he pulled in the long drive at the Rocking O, he wondered if he’d ever again see the spunky Libby he’d met at Lou’s. It was if the fire had been the last straw for her. But she needed to realize that there was always a way to make things right. She’d already bounced back and found an answer to her child care problems. Somehow he was certain this, too, would end up working out.

  “WHERE ARE we going?” Libby asked for the second time. She was beginning to lose her patience with Garrett, who was being quite tight-lipped about something. He’d been acting strangely since the fire nearly a week before, and it all made her nervous.

  “I told you,” he answered, with a sigh of what sounded like exasperation. “We’re going to
the Chick-a-Lick for dinner, but I have to stop by the council meeting for a few minutes first.” Glancing at her as he drove down Main Street, he smiled. “It won’t take long.”

  His answer hadn’t changed, and she still didn’t feel comfortable with it. It wasn’t as if she had any options, except maybe opening the door and jumping out, and she wasn’t that crazy, although there had been days lately when she hadn’t been so sure that she wasn’t.

  Hettie had shown up two days after the fire with some shirts, jeans, underwear and socks for Noah. Jules and her friends—Kate, Trish, Nikki and Garrett’s sister, Paige—had sent some blue jeans and sweats for her, along with some shirts for work. She didn’t really need a lot and appreciated their kindness.

  “Looks like they moved the meeting to the opera house,” Garrett said as they drove by the city building. He drove a little farther to the corner and pulled into an empty parking space right in front of the renovated building. “How lucky can you get, huh?” he asked, shutting off the engine and opening his door.

  Libby climbed out of the car and opened the door for Noah in the backseat, while Garrett retrieved his daughter. Together, they walked to the building and entered the foyer, where the restored ticket booths sat empty.

  The long hallway echoed with each step they took, and Libby was tempted to walk on her toes to keep from making so much noise. They passed the door to the Sweet and Yummy Ice Cream Parlor, which was strangely empty and dark. It wasn’t yet closing time, she was sure, but the other offices and small businesses were all dark, too. She didn’t have a chance to point it out to Garrett, when Sophie made an announcement.

  “Daddy, I need to potty.”

  Garrett came to an immediate stop and looked at her. “Now?”

  Sophie nodded.

  “Well…” He looked at Libby, who was standing on the other side of his daughter.

  “I’ll take her,” Libby said, taking Sophie’s hand and smiling down at her. “Do you know where the ladies’ room is?” she asked Garrett.