Mindy Obenhaus - A Father's Second Chance

“Night, Daddy.” Cassidy hugged him first, quickly followed by Emma.

As the two girls started down the hallway off the living room, Gage opened the door.

“I’ll try to have them settled before you get back,” Celeste said.

He nodded. “Good.” Then closed the door behind him.

* * *

Gage tromped across the street to the condo he hadn’t seen anybody go into or out of in recent months. Ouray was a small town. But what were the odds that Celeste would live right across the street from him?

Roughing a hand over his face, he glimpsed the starry sky. He was never going to get the girls to sleep. They were beyond wired tonight, probably from the cookies Celeste gave them. Which meant he could forget about finishing that quote. Or the laundry. Or anything else, for that matter. And he didn’t even want to think about the challenges he’d have waking them up tomorrow morning.

He frowned as he approached the well-maintained condo. If he accepted this project with Celeste, would she bang on his door at all hours of the night, telling him how to do his job?

Surely she wouldn’t.

Would she?

Not unless she found another bear in her garage.

He’d never forget the sight of her standing on his front porch, her long blond hair piled precariously on top of her head, eyes big as saucers...right before she passed out.

Not quite the tough facade he’d seen this afternoon. When he carried her inside, she’d looked so...small. Fragile. And smelled of vanilla.

Chucking the annoying thought, he lifted the lid on the remote keypad and punched in the numbers Celeste had given him. He should be at home, making sure Emma and Cassidy were in bed. Not catering to some city girl. He’d done enough of that with Tracy.

Light spilled from the garage as the door began its ascent. Gage stepped inside the front door, only to discover the window was frosted.

He peered down the narrow hall, then up the stairwell. Only one way to get the view he needed.

He climbed the first set of steps and paused at the landing to check the view out of the small rectangular window. Perfect. But what was that loud whistling noise?

With no sign of the bear, he took the second set of stairs two at a time. The beautifully decorated living room stopped him in his tracks, though. Looking at the brown leather furniture with its perfectly placed throw pillows, he felt as though he were invading Celeste’s privacy. Like he shouldn’t be here.

Probably because he shouldn’t. He should be with his daughters. Not leaving them alone with a stranger. And for all practical purposes, Celeste was a stranger. Aside from the fact that she was a good cook, bossy and had an appreciation for historic architecture, what did he really know about her?

Training his ear on that incessant whistling, he whisked past the pristine dining area and rounded into the kitchen. On the stove, steam spewed from the spout of a kettle. He quickly turned it off and moved the kettle to another burner before marching back down to the window without so much as another glance at Celeste’s inner sanctum.

He resumed his post just as the bear wandered into the driveway. It was a young one. Not a cub, by any means, but not an adult either. With the whistling silenced, Gage could hear the animal’s unhappy grunts, as well as a few of his own.

The bear continued down the street, but Gage watched until it was out of sight before returning to the first level. He hurried past the bathroom and bedroom that were off the foyer then entered the garage via the interior door.

Oh, man. He admired the black ragtop Mustang parked inside. “Talk about a sweet ride.” He slowly circled the vehicle, looking for signs of damage. A couple of scratches on the rear bumper but, lucky for Celeste, the canvas was untouched.

Scanning the rest of the single-car space, he shook his head. That bear must have had a good ol’ time. And based on what little he saw of Celeste’s immaculate house, she was not going to like this. What a mess.

As he suspected, the back door was open. He closed it and twisted the dead bolt, making sure it was secure, then grabbed a lawn and leaf bag from the box on the shelf and started collecting the trash that had been scattered.

Why are you doing this?

He thought about the look on Celeste’s face when he explained how to get rid of the bear. Not to mention the way she backed him up when he told the girls to go to bed. Actually, he was kind of surprised she did that. It had been a long time since somebody had his back.

After gathering the trash, he tied the bag and tossed it in the receptacle, making sure to secure the lid. Then he turned out the light and used the keypad to close the garage door before returning to his house.

All was quiet when he stepped inside, so he continued down the hall to check on the girls. Amidst the warm glow of their pink butterfly lamp, he could see that both were asleep. And so was Celeste.

She was leaning against Emma’s white headboard, head drooped to one side, with a book in her lap. One hand lay atop Emma’s back as the child snuggled beside her.

Something shifted inside him. He longed for his girls to have a mother’s nurturing. Someone who did those little things that said, “I love you.” Things like reading books, painting their nails and doing their hair. Someone who understood tea parties and Barbie dolls. Someone who was a helpmate to him.

Looking away, he ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t cut out for marriage, though. Even if he was, it certainly wouldn’t be with someone like Celeste. She was too much like his ex. Confident, independent, driven...All things that had drawn him to Tracy.

Unfortunately, Tracy had had no interest in motherhood.

Time to get Celeste out of here. He never should have left her with Emma and Cassidy in the first place.

Making his way between the two twin beds, he laid a hand on Celeste’s arm.

She didn’t move.

He leaned over until his mouth was inches from her ear. “Celeste?” He caught a whiff of vanilla.

A strand of her hair tickled his cheek, causing him to jump.

Celeste did, too. “What are you doing?” Though her words were whispered, they were undeniably sharp.

“Trying to wake you up.” He stormed out of the room and busied himself by straightening the living room until Celeste appeared.

“You’ve got a couple of great kids there.” She crossed her arms. “Not one argument. They settled right in and were asleep before I even finished the story.”

“I’m glad they didn’t give you any trouble.” He set the girls’ backpacks beside the front door. “You’ll be happy to know that your house is bear-free.”

“Thank you. You saved my life tonight.”

“I doubt that.” He darted into the kitchen to dump a handful of string cheese wrappers. “He was just a little guy.”

“Little? Not when he was standing on his hind legs, looking me straight in the eye.”

He rejoined her. “If he would have been full grown, he’d have been looking down at you.” Much like he was right now. When did she get so short?

“I guess I’d better go.” She moved to the door. “I really do appreciate you helping me out, though.”

He nodded, holding the door open. “Doesn’t look like I’ll have that quote by tomorrow.”

“I understand.” She stepped onto the porch and stared across the street. Judging by the way her fingers dug into her arms, she was scared.

He knew he should walk her home. Set her at ease.

But he couldn’t. Not while his heart was longing for things that would never be.

He peered up at the darkened sky. “I’ll keep watch. Make sure you get home safely.”

Her smile lacked its usual confidence. “Okay.” She started down the stairs. “Thanks again, Gage. I owe you.”