Liam fumbled with the tiny clasp and finally tossed Sarah a look asking for help. She stepped in and, as he held his niece’s hair up, she secured the necklace.
“It looks good with that dress. I hope you all are as hungry as I am.” Liam tossed a glance toward the table with the treats.
“That’s such a cute cake, are you sure you want to cut it?” Libby asked Madison.
Immediately all the other girls insisted on a slice. After they sang “Happy Birthday” to Madison, she cut the first piece, then Sarah’s mother took over.
When everyone was served, Sarah and Liam sat in the two dryer chairs with a clear view of the back room.
She savored a couple of bites of the chocolate cake. “Mom outdid herself on this one.”
“Mmm” was Liam’s response as he shoveled another forkful into his mouth.
“You’re hungry.”
“I worked nonstop cleaning up rather than taking a break, so I could get here in time. I didn’t want to disappoint Madison.”
“Both of them are having fun. Nana even promised them she would do their nails once a week. It’ll be good for her.”
“When I came in, your grandmother looked like she was having fun, too.”
“How are you doing?” she asked casually, although she hadn’t felt that way the past few days. She’d worried about him and hadn’t been able to even listen to the news reports. She cared more for Liam than she realized. Thankfully his nieces and work had kept her attention most of the time.
“Tired. Glad the grass fire has been put out and grateful to you for your help. When I first came here, all I had was my aunt, but then I became involved with the single dads’ group and I rescued a special dog.” His golden-brown eyes gleamed. “With Aunt Betty’s injury, it just shows me I need a backup plan if something happens.”
“Another grass fire? I hope not.”
“We need rain. I won’t be surprised if we have more if it doesn’t.”
“How do you do it? Mom said something about the fire jumping the highway and consuming the woods between the subdivision and the road. All I could think about was a wall of flames coming at you.”
He took her hand. “Fire can be unpredictable, but I’ve been trained well. Ultimately, I’m learning I have to put my life in the Lord’s hands. I’ve seen Him do amazing things. Thankfully we managed to stop the fire before it took out the homes.”
The rough texture of his touch attested to the job he had handling hoses and other fire equipment. “I’ve taken for granted firefighters and police officers. I don’t think we realize how often you put your lives on the line for us.”
He bent closer to her, his mouth hovering inches from hers.
Laughter drifted to her, and she pulled back, suddenly remembering seven little girls were nearby. “The limousine should be here soon.”
Liam straightened and peered out the front window. “It’s been out there for the past five minutes.”
She rose and turned to look. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because I was enjoying our talk.”
“Where are the girls going?”
“The pavilion at the park.” He shoved to his feet. “I’m so glad the air is starting to smell better. My backup plan would have been dinner at my house.” He strolled into the back room and said to the group, “I’ve got another surprise for the birthday girl and her guests. Are you ready to go to dinner?”
Cheers greeted his question.
Ten minutes later the trunk of the limo was full of Madison’s presents and any belongings the other girls had. Sarah’s mom and Nana were going to clean the salon then meet them at the pavilion.
On the short drive to the park, Liam leaned his head against the back cushion. Slowly his eyes began to close in the midst of constant chatter from the girls. When the limousine stopped, he rallied himself and climbed from the car followed by Sarah.
She stared at the pavilion draped in pink cloth and balloons and white streamers. Brandon and Colt, dressed up in tuxedos, waited at the opening. As the girls piled out of the limousine, their eyes huge, silence reigned for a moment before they all started talking at the same time. Madison led the stampede toward the pavilion.
Liam clasped Sarah’s hand. “Ready for hamburgers and fries served from my niece’s favorite restaurant?”
“This is wonderful. And I can’t believe Brandon is here.”
“Me neither, but he’d told me he would do it last week. As we left the grass fire, I told him to go home and get some sleep. He said no. He was looking forward to doing something uplifting.” Liam started for the pavilion.
Sarah walked beside him, her heart melting at all the work he’d done for his niece. She knew it was time for her to deal with her grief, to move forward. She needed to say goodbye to Peter and to give her and Liam’s relationship a chance.
* * *
His arms full of Madison’s gifts, Liam entered his home, exhaustion he’d fought to hold at bay descending now that the birthday party was over. His nieces raced for the utility room to let the kittens out.
“Where do you want these?” Carrying some of the presents, Sarah stopped in the middle of the entry hall.
“In Madison’s bedroom. Thanks for helping me bring them in. You should have let the limousine drop you off at your place. The girls could have helped me.”
“I left Gabe here. At the time I wasn’t sure you’d be able to make the party. He’s out back.”
“Okay. That must be why I hear the kitchen door slamming shut.” At that moment the black Lab bounded down the hallway toward them.
Sarah greeted her dog then made her way up the stairs to Madison’s bedroom. Liam trailed behind her. This birthday party wouldn’t have happened without Sarah. He was definitely falling for her. Would she be happy raising his two nieces? She would be a wonderful mother for the girls. Wow! Where were those thoughts coming from? He had plans for his future. Leaving Buffalo. Returning to Dallas, where he’d left behind thirty-five years of his life.
Deep in thought, he collided into Sarah in Madison’s doorway. “Sorry. Wasn’t paying attention.” Everything was happening too fast. He felt as if he’d held his breath underwater longer than he should. His mind spun with conflicting emotions.
Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled. “That’s okay. I have those moments, too.” After placing the gifts on the bed, she returned to the hall with Liam and started for the staircase. “In your case, I’m surprised you’re still standing upright. Why don’t you go to bed, and I’ll make sure the girls get to sleep at a reasonable hour?”
“I can’t ask you to do that. You’ve put in a lot of overtime yourself. I can make it another hour or so. That is, if I can get the two to go to sleep.” He sank on the couch in the den.
“Both of them have had quite a day. Tell you what... I’ll make you some coffee before I leave.”
“Thanks. I’d do it myself, but this couch’s arms are locked around me and holding me hostage.”
Sarah chuckled and went to his kitchen. Soon she returned to the den, only to find him with his head against the back cushion, his eyes closed. She carefully set the mug on a coaster on the end table nearby then took the seat at the other end of the sofa. With a glance at her watch, she decided to stay and give the girls an hour before trying to round them up to bed and then she would go home.
Relaxing back, she thought about fixing a cup of coffee for herself but, like Liam, the comfort of the couch held her still. Slowly her eyelids slid closed and she gave in to the darkness...
Giggles and a cold nose nudging her hand pulled Sarah wide awake. She jolted up to find Madison, Katie and Gabe standing in front of her, the girls beaming.
“We wondered why no one told us to get ready for bed,” Madison said while Katie held her hand over her m
outh and snickered.
“Go get your pajamas on,” Sarah whispered. “I’ll come say good-night. We’re letting your uncle sleep. He’s had a long couple of days.”
As soon as the girls left, she stood and snatched his untouched coffee—now cold—and drank half of it. If they hadn’t woken her, she might have been there for hours.
After tucking each girl into bed, Sarah shut their doors and commanded Gabe to sit in the entry hall while she went to wake up Liam.
She hovered over him and shook his shoulders. “Liam, you need to get up. I’m going home.”
Nothing.
She considered leaving him sleeping on the couch, but he didn’t look very comfortable. When he did wake up, his muscles would ache. This time she raised her voice. “Liam. Liam,” she said, trying to rouse him.
Finally his eyes blinked open then closed again. She scanned the den for a blanket or something to throw over him. When she peered back at him, he stared at her. Recognition dawned on him as he straightened, raking his hand through his hair.
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“Almost two hours. Madison and Katie have gone to bed. I’m leaving now.”
He leaned forward, looking at the floor as though he was trying to figure out what she was saying. When he didn’t say anything, she stepped back, turning to head to the front door.
He caught her hand and halted her escape. He pushed himself to his feet but swayed for a second.
Grabbing his upper arms, she steadied him.
“Can you make it to your room?”
“Sure. I need to check the house to make sure it’s locked up. I knew I was exhausted but not this much. I learned as a firefighter to wake up quickly. We never know when a call will come in. I’ll walk you to the door and lock up after you go.”
In the entry hall she turned to him to say good-night but no words came out. The intensity in his gaze captured her—as though he was really seeing her for the first time.
He cupped her face. “You’re beautiful inside and out. Thank you for making this day so special for Madison.”
“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
Monday 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 sai
d, “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.”
The Firefighter Daddy Page 14
