One Step Away: Once Upon a Proposal

by Sherryl Woods

  “Yes.”

  “Well. I’m certainly not going to judge you on that score. I don’t want my great-grandchildren spending the next several years in another country, either. Gabe’s been fighting this issue for longer than he should have had to.”

  “His children are what matters most to him.”

  “And what matters most to you, Bobbie?”

  Bobbie’s lips parted, but words felt elusive. “Not letting everyone around me down.”

  “What about letting yourself down?” Fiona leaned forward until she could catch Bobbie’s hand in her own. “I’ve known you for more than ten years, Bobbie, and you have more enthusiasm and passion for life than anyone else I know. You’re far harder on yourself than you need to be. So what if you’ve had a lot of different jobs. It’s given you experience in a dozen different ways. And so what if you don’t have a PhD or a graduate degree? With all of these dogs you’ve raised, you’ve touched the world in ways that most people can never imagine. I hate seeing fear of making a misstep hold you back. Life isn’t always about the perfect decision at the perfect time in the perfect place. It’s also about all the missteps we make in between.”

  Bobbie realized her cheeks were damp. She swiped her hand over them. “Golden Ability is too important.”

  “It’s too important to be left to someone who doesn’t care about it as much as you do.” Fiona squeezed her hand. “I know you can do this, Bobbie.”

  Bobbie inhaled. Could she?

  Everyone around her seemed to think she could.

  If she wanted more out of life, didn’t she have to take the step?

  “Okay,” she said on an exhale, and then had to sit there, still, while the world seemed to spin around her just a little.

  “Good girl,” Fiona said.

  Another rush of tears burned suddenly behind her eyes, but she blinked them back. “I hope none of us end up regretting this,” she muttered.

  “Well, I know I won’t,” Fiona assured. “Now. Go find me some lime Jell-O, would you? It’s the only thing around here that is remotely appetizing, since they won’t let me have cheeseburgers and fries.”

  Bobbie laughed brokenly. She leaned over her friend and hugged her tightly. “I love you, Fiona.”

  Fiona’s hand patted her back. “And I love you. Now stop worrying so much. Everything will work out. Even Gabe.”

  Bobbie straightened and slid her fingers beneath her eyelashes again. She badly wanted to believe Fiona, but not even she could guarantee her grandson’s heart.

  So Bobbie went and tracked down the lime gelatin—three little cups of it—and left them with Fiona, along with a promise to come back the next day to start working on the process of becoming the director of Golden Ability. Then she went home to Zeus and Archimedes, who’d been patiently waiting to be let out.

  The light on her message machine was blinking and she jabbed it, fully expecting to hear Gabe’s voice at last, but even there she was disappointed.

  “Bobbie, this is Martin Paredes. We met at a HuntCom picnic this summer and it’s taken me this long to track down a way to contact you.” He laughed. “Anyway, I’ve got two tickets for the Seahawks this weekend, and I remember you had an interest in football, so I thought you might—”

  Frustrated, Bobbie hit the delete button while he was still talking. It was the only message on the machine.

  She exhaled and told herself there was no reason why she had to wait for Gabe to call her, but old habits died hard. And one thing Cornelia hadn’t raised her daughters to do was chase down a man. Even if he had given her the most incredible night—and morning—of her life.

  So she took the dogs for a walk that was long enough to work some of the pent-up energy out of them, fed and watered them, and heated herself a can of soup before sitting down in front of the oven to try to scrape up the mess left by the charcoal briquette that had once been a frozen pizza.

  “In my next life, I’m going to have an oven that’s self-cleaning,” she told the dogs after she’d scraped blackened cheese off the bottom of the oven for so long that her wrist ached and her ears hurt from the screeching sound of metal against metal.

  “Take the job that Fiona’s offering you and you could afford to buy a decent oven in this life.”

  She dropped her metal spatula and spun around on the floor. The brilliance that suddenly filled her chest at the sight of Gabe standing there was almost scary. “Well, I guess we’ll find out, since I told her this afternoon I’d take it.”

  “You did?” He smiled widely. “That’s great!”

  She lifted her shoulders, feeling strangely self-conscious. “I’m going to give it my best shot, anyway.” It was all that she could do. “I, um, I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Obviously.” He dropped a paper bag from a local fast-food joint on the counter and crouched down to rub the dogs, who looked like they were ready to go into delirious fits of pleasure as a result.

  She knew how they felt.

  “I knocked and rang the bell.”

  “Sorry.” She folded her arms around her knees, afraid that if she didn’t contain them, she’d crawl over to him to get his hand on her instead of the dogs. “How’d the meeting with Todd’s counselor go?”

  “Same as always.” His smile died and his voice went short. “But since Steph figures she’ll be taking them both out of Brandlebury within the next few weeks, that’s even more reason not to move him to a different math class.”

  Forget her intentions. She let go of her knees and instead walked over to him. She ran her fingers through his hair, and settled her palm alongside his jaw. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Glad one of us thinks that.” He took a deep breath and slid his arms around her waist until she was pressed closely against him. She could feel the weariness in him when his head lowered onto her shoulder. “I told the kids we were engaged. Lissi wanted to know if she can be a bridesmaid and Todd warned me that he wasn’t going to wear any suit.”

  Her throat went tight and her eyes burned. If only it could all be true. She stroked her hand through the heavy silk of his dark hair and pressed her lips softly to his temple. “Everything’s going to be okay, Gabriel.”

  But even as she said the words, she couldn’t help wondering how.

  Chapter 13

  “Bobbie, this is my attorney, Ray Chilton.”

  Bobbie managed a nervous smile and shook Gabe’s lawyer’s hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

  They were standing outside the courtroom, waiting to go inside where Stephanie, her husband and the children were already seated. The middle-aged man peered so closely through his bifocals at Bobbie that she couldn’t help worry that she’d worn the completely wrong thing to a child custody hearing.

  “You’re younger than I expected,” he finally said.

  Bobbie felt herself flush, but she managed a smile anyway. “Sorry.” She might have been able to take Tommi’s advice that her new slate-gray skirt suit was the epitome of conservative and responsible-looking, but she couldn’t add on years that she didn’t possess.

  “Don’t let her age fool you,” Gabe inserted. “She’s the new director of Golden Ability.”

  “Oh?” Ray cast another look at her as if he were mentally adding that fact to her qualifications as Gabe’s fiancée and prospective stepmother to the children he was there to fight over. “Interesting.”

  Bobbie kept her smile in place. It wasn’t easy, though. She still could barely believe that she’d accepted the position that Fiona had offered, not even after having spent most of the previous day with her at the hospital, taking a virtual crash course in running a non-profit.

  For now, the plan was for her to begin at the administrative offices on Monday. Fiona was supposed to be released from the hospital by then, and she would spe
nd an hour at the agency with Bobbie each afternoon.

  The idea still took some getting used to, though Bobbie had to admit it wasn’t as terrifying as she’d expected it to be. And her sisters and mother had been positively thrilled when she’d called to tell them the news. They’d each even claimed that they weren’t surprised by the turn of events at all.

  The court clerk stuck her head out into the hall, catching their attention. “We’re ready,” she chirped brightly.

  Bobbie suddenly felt a wave of nausea. She brushed her hands down the front of her suit and reminded herself that she was there for appearances only. Gabe grabbed her hand, though, as they entered a courtroom that was hardly larger than her own living room.

  She took a seat in the row of seats behind Gabe, and folded her hands in her lap, trying to smile naturally at Lisette and Todd, who were sitting pale-faced and fidgeting behind their mother alongside a tall, good-looking man that Bobbie assumed was their stepfather, Ethan.

  She knew the children had already spoken privately with Judge Gainer in his chambers before the hearing had begun, and could only imagine how hard that had been for them.

  Were children supposed to have to choose one parent over another?

  She inhaled and looked forward again as the judge—a short, gray-haired man—entered the courtroom and took his seat behind a wide desk. Her fingers nervously twisted the diamond ring on her finger while the court clerk read off their purpose there, and then it was a matter of sitting silently while Stephanie’s lawyer recounted all the reasons why Stephanie and Ethan should be allowed to retain full custody of the minor children, Todd and Lisette.

  After a while even the judge started to look bored, or at least that was Bobbie’s hopeful impression.

  And then it was Gabe’s turn, and she held her breath, watching him approach the stand—which in this case, was simply a hard-backed chair sitting next to the judge’s desk. Like Ethan, he was wearing a charcoal-gray suit, and in that moment, he looked much more like his name should be on the masthead of the Gannon Law Group rather than a man who usually wore a hard-hat and work boots, with a roll of building plans resting over his shoulder.

  Across the courtroom, his gaze met Bobbie’s for a moment, and then he was looking back at his lawyer as Ray started speaking.

  She twisted her hands more tightly in her lap until the diamond was cutting an impression into her palm and she forcibly relaxed them. She didn’t know how Gabe could manage to look so calm and controlled when she knew beneath that smooth surface he was even more wound up than she was.

  “Your honor, Mr. Gannon has proved his dedication to his children,” Ray was saying. “He’s relocated here to Seattle at some professional cost to his company, Gannon-Morris—”

  “Excuse me,” Stephanie’s lawyer interrupted. “Gannon-Morris expanded by Mr. Gannon’s relocation here. Their profits are higher than ever. We have copies of Gannon-Morris Limited’s financials if—”

  The judge waved impatiently. “No, thank you. Continue, Mr. Chilton.”

  Ray smoothed down his tie and continued pacing in front of the judge’s desk. “My client has adjusted his entire life to allow for more time with his children. His standing in the community is well-known; his character references that you’ve already reviewed are impeccable. There’s no reason to believe he’s unfit for joint custody with Mrs. Walker.”

  Stephanie’s lawyer rose again. “What about his fabricated engagement to marry Bobbie Fairchild for the sole purpose of making himself look less like the man-about-town and more like a more suitable parent?”

  Bobbie went still, her eyes meeting Gabe’s again. His expression didn’t change one iota. “There’s nothing fabricated about it,” he said evenly.

  The other lawyer leaned over while Stephanie whispered in his ear. Then he straightened again. “You met Ms. Fairchild only a few weeks ago, isn’t that right?”

  “Your Honor—” Ray started to protest, but the judge lifted his hand.

  He was suddenly looking far more interested and he leaned on his arm, directing his attention toward Gabe where he sat beside the desk. “Mr. Gannon?”

  “Yes, I met Bobbie a few weeks ago. She rents my grandmother’s carriage house and I was doing some repairs there.”

  Bobbie couldn’t help holding her breath, though she knew there was simply no way any of these people here besides Gabe and herself could know just exactly how that first meeting had gone.

  “Must have been love at first sight, then,” Stephanie’s attorney drawled mockingly.

  Other than a slightly lifted eyebrow, Gabe didn’t respond to the goad.

  “My client doesn’t make a habit of casual relationships,” Ray stated.

  “Or serious ones,” they all heard Stephanie mutter.

  “Control your client, Mr. Hayward,” the judge said calmly.

  “Sorry, Your Honor,” Stephanie’s lawyer quickly apologized.

  The gray-haired judge’s lips twisted a little. He looked back at Gabe. “When do you plan to marry this woman?”

  Bobbie held her breath again.

  “We haven’t set a date,” Gabe said, which was true. “My grandmother recently had a heart attack and is still in the hospital. Naturally, that takes precedence at the moment over wedding planning.”

  “And your fiancée understands,” Mr. Hayward said, again sounding mocking.

  “Bobbie’s the most understanding woman I know,” Gabe returned. His gaze met hers across the courtroom.

  The judge tapped his pen against his desk for a moment. Then he straightened in his chair again. “I see no reason why Mr. Gannon’s engagement should adversely affect my decision here today. In fact, both Todd and Lisette had positive things to say about her.”

  “Notwithstanding the judgment of children,” Mr. Hayward said, “since Ms. Fairchild is going to be the stepmother of my client’s children—and therefore involved to some extent in their caretaking—perhaps we should hear from her.”

  “Your Honor, Ms. Fairchild’s character isn’t in question right now,” Ray interjected.

  “Perhaps it should be,” Hayward suggested silkily.

  Bobbie wanted to sink through the floor when the judge cast her a speculative look. “Presumably, you are the fiancée in question?”

  She nodded.

  He gestured her forward. “Come up here, then.”

  “Your Honor, this is highly irregular.”

  “And it’s my courtroom, Ray,” the judge reminded Gabe’s lawyer testily, “so I’d like both you and Luke there to shut up and sit down and I’ll ask the questions that I figure need answering, if that’s all right with you?”

  Both lawyers abruptly sat.

  “Come up here, Miss... Fairchild, is it?” The judge glanced at his clerk, who nodded.

  Certain that everyone would be able to see her knees knocking together below the modest hem of her skirt, Bobbie went forward. The clerk popped up from her chair, looking annoyingly cheerful and perky, and swore her in.

  “Have a seat,” the judge invited. “Mr. Gannon, you can step down.”

  Gabe rose and Bobbie met his gaze as she moved around him to take the chair he’d just vacated.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured.

  Which meant what, exactly?

  That he knew she was going to blow everything for him?

  She swallowed the knot in her throat and sat down, staring mutely at the judge.

  “That’s a nice ring,” he offered.

  Startled, she looked down at the diamond solitaire. “Thank you.” Her fingers curled. “I—I think so, too.” That, at least, was the God’s honest truth.

  He smiled a little. “Family court is a nerve-wracking place to be most times.”

  She shot Gabe a quick glance. He was sitting beside his l
awyer, his blue gaze steady on her face. “I imagine so. I’ve never been in a courtroom before at all.”

  “Most people would consider that fortunate.” The judge tapped his pen again. “Tell me about yourself.”

  “Um—”

  “Your age, your profession. That sort of thing.”

  Her shoulders relaxed a little. “Twenty-seven. And I’ve just accepted the position of director at Golden Ability. It’s a canine assistance agency here in Seattle.”

  He nodded. “I’ve heard of it.”

  And how glad she was to say that, rather than that she was a lowly clerk at Between the Bean. Not that she was ashamed of her time working at the coffee shop, but even she knew “clerk” didn’t exactly smack of responsibility and capableness the way “director” did.

  “I’m also a puppy raiser for the agency,” she added. “Which essentially means that I foster pups that eventually go on to become assistance dogs of one type or another. I’ve done that for about ten years.”

  The judge was nodding. “Pretty steady work, sounds like. And you’ve lived in Seattle for a while, then?”

  “Born and raised.”

  “Prior marriages or children?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Excuse me, Your Honor.” Stephanie’s lawyer rose again. “But our understanding is that Ms. Fairchild was previously engaged.”

  Bobbie realized if she could just keep her focus on Gabe’s face, she didn’t feel quite so nervous. “That’s true,” she allowed. She flicked a glance at the judge. “I was briefly engaged to Lawrence McKay.”

  “The councilmember? What happened?”

  She felt a flush working up her throat. “We realized we weren’t right for each other.” She moistened her lips, waiting for some reminder at any second of the public nature of that particular event. But, thankfully, none came. “He’s since married someone else and I’m sure they’re much better suited,” she added.

  “I had a broken engagement myself, before I met my wife,” the judge said, casting a censorious look toward Stephanie’s table that had the lawyer subsiding in his seat once again. “A broken engagement usually has fewer consequences than a broken marriage. I ought to know,” he added with obvious irony. Then he tapped his pen a few more times. “What do you think of your fiancé’s children?”