“I want us to be a family,” Gabe said.

“Why?” Blair pressed him for an answer, knowing he wouldn’t have one. Gabriel Sloan had never wanted any encumbrances in his solitary life. Things couldn’t have changed that much.

“Because he’s my son, and I owe it to him,” he exploded. “And because you’re his mother and I owe you, too. I should never have…”

So he felt guilty for that one night of indiscretion? Blair smiled bitterly. Well, it was as good a reason as any to suggest marriage, she supposed. It just wasn’t her reason, not the one she’d dreamed of, anyway.

He might be willing to marry her, but in the end she would turn him down cold. Daniel was her son, and she intended him to feel the love in his life. Gabe didn’t believe in love.

And Blair couldn’t settle for anything else.

LOIS RICHER

lives in a small Canadian prairie town with her husband, who, she says, is a “wanna-be farmer.” She began writing in self-defense, as a way to escape. She says, “Come spring, tomato plants take over my flower beds, no matter how many I ‘accidentally’ pull up or ‘prune.’ By summer I’m fielding phone calls from neighbors who don’t need tomatoes this fall. Come September, no one visits us, and anyone who gallantly offers to take a box invariably ends up with six. I have more recipes with tomatoes than with chocolate. Thank goodness for writing! Imaginary people with imaginary gardens are much easier to deal with!”

Lois is pleased to present this latest book in her new series IF WISHES WERE WEDDINGS for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired line. Please feel free to contact Lois at: Box 639, Nipawin, Saskatchewan, S0E 1E0, Canada.

His Answered Prayer
Lois Richer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This is my commandment, that you love one

another, as I have loved you.

—John 15:12

This book is for kids everywhere, big or little,

who hurt because Mommy or Daddy isn’t there.

Your Father above is waiting with open arms.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Letter to Reader

Chapter One

“Mommy?”

“Yes, Daniel.”

“Where is my daddy?”

“Uh…”

“I’m gonna pray really hard, so God will send me a daddy.”

Blair Delaney sighed, her son’s earnest question from last night still ringing in her ears. Daniel hadn’t waited for the answer she didn’t have—or at least, one he’d understand—but had bluntly petitioned heaven with his heartfelt demand.

She shoved her hair behind her ear and deliberately pushed the problem of Daniel’s absent father out of her mind. It was procrastination of the worst sort, but she couldn’t deal with it now. She had to focus on the tasks at hand. Her family depended on her. They needed her to be strong, to keep things on track, to take care of them.

She picked up the shortwave radio and pressed the button.

“I’m heading for the hives in the west field, Mac. If I’m lucky and things are as good as they seem out here, I won’t have to feed the bees sugar for much longer now.”

“That’s good, Busy Bee.”

The old nickname drew a grin. Trust Grandpa to put a smile into her day. She wasn’t going to let him down. Somehow she’d manage Daniel and all the other little problems that kept creeping up, demanding her attention.

“It’ll be nice for you to stop making these runs every day.” Mac’s voice came strong and clear, proof positive that he was once more feeling up to snuff.

Blair let out a breath of relief. That lingering winter cold that had rattled around in his chest since December scared her. Maybe it was finally gone. Blair heard him ask how long she’d be.

“The thing is, I’m not sure, Grandpa. Daniel will be at kindergarten till three. I should be back long before the bus gets there. Can you check on Aunt Willie for me, make sure she takes her medication on time?”

Mac’s ready answer sent a shaft of pleasure straight to her heart. Sometimes it was nice to be needed, to do things that really mattered to the ones you loved.

Blair snapped the radio into its holder seconds before she had to grab the wheel and force it right on the rutted, muddy road. Spring in the valley made it tough to negotiate the unpaved foothill roads that bordered Colorado’s famous Rocky Mountains. But when the valley sprouted this bright vibrant wash of color, she couldn’t wish herself anyplace else. This was home.

Ten minutes later Blair surveyed the first blush of green that tipped the branches surrounding her field. Below her feet, tiny plants forced their way through the soil and stretched to meet the sun. It was fresh, it was good. It was hers.

Or it would be one day.

Blair strode across the meadow where she’d set out her beehives, the same meadow she’d worked so hard to make a profit on. As she walked, her mind focused on Daniel’s upcoming field trip. The class kitty was still short of the requisite funds. His teacher needed her to organize one more fund-raiser before the end of May. Blair would have to come up with a plan. Just another little job to see to.

The hives seemed in good repair, once she removed the outer insulating wraps. A quick check inside proved the durability of this particular strain of bees, and she pushed away any lingering doubts she’d had about spending so much on them.

“With any luck at all, this will be a banner year for Mind Your Own Beeswax.” The words brought a satisfied smile to her lips.

The company had been her idea over six years ago, just after her life had fallen apart. She’d run home to Grandpa Mac and his sister Wilhelmina. Even though they were barely scraping by on the tumbledown ranch they’d chosen for retirement, they welcomed her, and Daniel when he’d arrived, with open arms. They needed her, and Blair had willingly pitched in. Her fledgling honey and beeswax candle business really took off after Daniel’s birth and now consumed most of Blair’s time.

With a practiced eye she studied the field. The Merrihews always planted early. That was one of the reasons she chose to rent to them. That and the fact that their clover crops provided exactly the environment her bees needed.

Blair mentally calculated how much her earnings and Mac’s pension brought in and then subtracted the costs of Willie’s special expenses and the costs involved in helping their friend Albert Hunter. He had a predilection for inventions that never quite took off.

“It’s going to be a stretch,” she muttered, unwilling to even consider what would happen if her grandfather were no longer there. She didn’t love him just for his pension, though he’d teased her about it often enough!

If I could just expand a bit, she thought, turning to survey the hilly terrain beyond. But where?

A movement to the left caught her attention, and she frowned. Someone was out there. Blair walked to the truck, trying to identify the lone figure perched atop a mound of dirt, studying the southern portion of her valley through a surveyor’s transom.

“Not another one! Why won’t these guys take no for an answer? We’re not going to sell. This is part of Daniel’s heritage.” The land wasn’t as good as a daddy, of course, but next to love, it was all she had to give her son.

She scrambled around the edge of the field, hiding herself in the bushes and trees that surrounded the area so she’d be able to sneak up behind the intruder. She needn’t have bothered. He didn’t seem to notice her or anything else around him, lost as he was in his scribbling on the small notebook he’d pulled out of his pants pocket after checking his sighting once more. He was so totally immersed in his own world that the snap of a twig beneath her feet didn’t break his concentration.

When she was about fifty feet away, Blair left her cover and moved into the open.

“You’re trespassing,” she called loudly, hoping to startle the interloper.

He jerked upright, his body tall and lean and still. Then, ever so slowly, he turned around. Blair gasped.

“You!” She clenched her fists against her thighs as all the hurt of the past welled up inside. “What are you doing here, Gabriel?”

Gabe Sloan stood there in his sand-washed silk shirt, designer jeans and Italian leather boots, a twisted smile rolling across his handsome face. His hair, jet-black and poker straight, lay in its familiar style, cut close to the head. Eyes, those piercing mossy green eyes, took in every detail of her appearance.

“Blair,” he murmured, his lips barely moving. “The trusting, always truthful, disappearing Blair Delaney.” His mouth slashed a chilly grin. “To what do I owe the honor of your sudden return to my life?” He stared at her like a hawk sighting a mouse. But his voice exhibited total disinterest in her answer.

“I’m not in your life, Gabe,” she whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing, though the sinking in the pit of her stomach assured her he was there. “In fact, I never was. Not the way I wanted to be. You never needed me, remember? You don’t need anybody.”

His face tightened, and his eyes hardened. His wide mouth pinched in a stiff little smile. He avoided her glare.

“Part of that is true. Though why you had to take off, run away like a scared young rabbit is beyond me.” Gabe sighed, his whole body shifting. “It doesn’t matter anymore, does it? You were too young—for a lot of things. I should have known that.” He shook his head, eyes hard but with an underlying rueful glint that flashed to meet hers.

“I had a duty to protect my company, Blair. Whether you liked it or not.”

She tossed her head, angry that he was still using his company as an excuse to push her away. “Uh-uh. You wanted me to sign that prenuptial agreement to protect yourself. It was obvious you had no intention of putting everything into our marriage. You’d already provided a way out!”

He laughed, a short harsh bark that told her he hadn’t changed his view of her, or people in general. Gabe always believed someone was out to cheat him. She watched as he turned that suspicion her way.

“You don’t understand because you never had a head for business, Blair. You were too deep into your chemistry formulas and theories. So go ahead. Pile all the guilt you want on my head. I’ve been through it before. You won’t say anything somebody hasn’t already left at my door. Fortunately, you got away in time, before regrets got the better of you.”

A lot he knew! She regretted so many things. Blair shook her head. She wasn’t going back to that misery of self-doubt. She wasn’t ever going back. He wouldn’t do that to her again.

“The only thing I’m interested in chewing you out for is your presence on my land. I’d like you to leave, Gabe.”

“Your land?” The great Gabriel Sloan frowned, obviously confused by her protest. “This is my land. And I have the papers to prove it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Blair snapped, furious that now, at this stage of the game, he was still looking for an ulterior motive. “We hold the deed to all of this property.”

“We?” His body stiffened, eyes alert as he digested this bit of information. “Are you married?”

“It’s none of your business.” She returned his stare with a glare that usually made people look away. But Gabriel wasn’t like other people. “No,” she finally admitted.

“But you always said, uh—” he thought a moment “—that your parents were dead.” He peered at the ground, frowning, obviously sifting through what little he could remember as he kicked at a clump of dirt.

Blair could almost hear that computerlike brain of his clicking through the file of information he had about her, deleting this byte, updating that one. Finally he spoke.

“The only people you ever talked about were your grandfather and some aunt. I don’t remember anything about Colorado.”

“That’s hardly surprising.”

Blair swallowed the rest of her snappy comeback at the impaling glint of those now-emerald eyes. She remembered how those eyes changed color to suit his mood. That intense scrutiny, that ability to look right through her, they all combined to send twitching jitters skipping over her nerves.

“Should I have asked, Blair?”

Blair fumed at the spin he put on her words. She’d forgotten how good he was at twisting what she said. He made it sound as if she’d woven a web of deceit instead of opening her heart up to him, only to have it thrown back in her face!

“I never lied to you, Gabe.” At least, only by admission.

“Does that mean you and your family live around here now?” He studied her curiously, his eyes roving slowly over the top of her head to the tumble of lopsided curls she’d raked her hair into this morning on her way to the truck.

Slowly his gaze flowed past the big bulky sweater, ragged jeans and muddy cowboy boots. Then he glanced across the fields that would soon blossom with flowers.

“I never took you for the down-home, country type, Blair.”

“You never really knew me.” She let the sharp words pour out, angry that Gabe even imagined he’d known the person inside of her. “That much was obvious from the way you used me.”

“I didn’t use you!” His face washed in a red tide of anger. “It wasn’t my fault you expected too much.”

“I did, didn’t I?” she agreed quietly, turning to stare at the gorgeous blue sky that sparkled over the snowcapped mountains in the distance. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing down the lump in her throat. “Way too much, as it turns out.”

Please help me, she prayed desperately. I never thought I’d see him again. I thought You would lead me to someone else. I don’t want this!

“Blair? What are you doing? Open your eyes!” His hand on her arm helped wake her to the fact that her reality had changed. The peace she’d always found in this valley was shattered, shifted into something ominous that could turn on her if she wasn’t careful.

Blair jerked her arm out of his grasp and whirled away, anxious to put as much distance between them as possible.

“I’m fine. There’s nothing for you here, Gabriel Sloan. Nothing! This is my family’s land. I’d like you to leave.”

He stayed where he was, saying nothing. And when Blair couldn’t take his silence for one moment longer, she headed for her truck.

“Blair?”

His softly voiced request made her stop in her tracks.

“It’s my land now. At least part of it is. I did buy it. Free and clear. No encumbrances.”

She shouldn’t be surprised. It was the way he’d always preferred to live—never let anyone get too close. The words pricked a nerve in her mind. Blair whirled, her forehead wrinkled in a frown. He sounded so positive of his right to be here.

“Not possible, Gabriel. You must have the wrong place. This particular quarter section is my grandfather’s. He’s had it in his family for years. He’s willing it to me when he dies.”

Gabe seemed unabashed by her assurance. He simply shrugged, then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

As he read the legal description to one of the three quarters Mac owned, Blair felt the bottom tilt out of her world.

“No.” She shook her head stubbornly. “Someone has made a mistake.”

“Perhaps you?” His mouth tilted in a questioning quirk. Blair took the document and scanned it, her eyes halting abruptly when they fell on the signature at the bottom.

“Mac?” she whispered. “Mac actually sold you this?”

“Mackenzie Rhodes.” He nodded. “He wrote to me, offered to sell me a little bit of heaven about four months ago. I had someone check it out, then decided to buy. This is the first time I’ve seen anything other than the videos and snapshots that were taken.” He stopped, one eyebrow quirked upward. “Is it a problem?”

Blair sucked in a deep breath and concentrated. Hard.

“It’s a mistake,” she mumbled at last. “It has to be. He wouldn’t do this to me. He wouldn’t. Not Mac.” It was the only solution she could some up with. “Not my own grandfather,” Blair asserted, giving a vigorous shake to her head. “He knows how much I depend on this land.”

“You do?” Gabe surveyed the area with interest. “Why does a chemist with your qualifications depend on this particular land? And for what?”

Her qualifications? If he only knew.

“I need it for my business.” She saw the jerk of his head and compressed her lips tightly, stemming the diatribe that ached for release. “I have to earn my way, you know.”

“Don’t we all.” There it was again, that sardonic twist that manipulated his attractive mouth into a mocking sneer. “Are you doing a field study or something?”

“I have hives all around this field.” At his skeptical look she lifted a hand and pointed. “There, see those white boxes? And there?”

Gabe squinted into the distance, then finally nodded.

“That’s only a small number of the hives that provide the honey I sell. I also make candles, though I doubt you’ve heard of my company.” She told him the name and shrugged when his eyes didn’t light up. “I didn’t think so. We’re pretty new on the scene.” She shifted uncomfortably. “What are you staring at?”

“You. I can’t seem to see you sticky with honey.” His smile begged her to see the joke. “You always looked so elegant, so refined. If Eunice Standish could see her model for women’s fashions now, what would she think?”

Anger snipped at Blair. How dare he malign her for making an honest living? How would somebody as rich and spoiled as Gabe ever understand how hard it was to provide just the daily bread for four other people?

“I only took that part-time job because it paid so well. And to please you, so I’d look the way you wanted.” She shrugged carelessly. “Now I don’t really care what you or Eunice or anyone else thinks. This is my life.” She straightened to her full height and frowned. “As interesting as this is, Gabe, I do have work to do. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave now.”

“What work do you have to do today?”

She jerked her head at his curious tone, but could find nothing derogatory in his eyes. Maybe she’s misjudged him. Maybe he had changed. She shrugged and grudgingly told him.

“I’m going to unwrap the last of the hives. I’ve done most of the ones on the south side, but I left a few hives in this field till today because that part of the hill takes longer to thaw out.”

“Can I watch?”

Blair sighed. Why now? Why here? Why today? Couldn’t he have gone hunting for land somewhere else? Why did he want land, anyway? The Gabriel Sloan she knew scorned any place that didn’t boast all the amenities of his deluxe L.A. condo.

“Blair? I promise I won’t interfere.”

“If you do you’ll get stung!” That made her smile. She wondered if he’d understand her hidden meaning.

“It’s happened before. A certain college student used to do it quite often, as it happens. I missed her.”

Blair got caught up in the storm of sea foam that swirled in his eyes. Her breath caught, reminding her how easily Gabe Sloan could draw her in, make her believe she was the most precious thing in his life. It wouldn’t happen again.

“I doubt you even noticed I was gone,” she returned sourly. “I’m sure you were too involved in the latest gizmo and high-tech security to keep it under wraps.” She wished it wasn’t true, but reality was hard to ignore.

“I noticed, Blair. Especially when I had to cancel that elaborate wedding.” His voice growled low, full of mocking innuendo. “Caterers, church, flowers, it took a lot of time.”

And money. Blair heard the words even if he didn’t say them. She forced her foot not to stamp. He was thinking about the money again, she just knew it. The one thing that had managed to uproot a love she was sure they’d share until eternity.

Gabe studied her, head tilted to one side in that familiar pose, and Blair smiled at the gesture so exactly a mirror of Daniel’s.

Daniel!

“I—that is, I have to get busy. You can trail along if you want. Or not. I don’t care.” She stalked through the bushes, ignoring the whoosh of mud as her boots found firm passage through the spring runoff.

She could hear Gabe following her but ignored him.

It didn’t take long to get to the last few hives and undo their insulated covers. She folded them carefully, then turned to face him.

“That’s all there is to the show for today, Gabe. I’ve got to get home and get to work. There’s a lot to do. Goodbye.”

He said nothing, simply stood there, studying her as if she were one of the oddly hewn pieces of smooth alabaster he’d collected so avidly six years ago.

“Can you find your way out of here?”

She tossed the hive wrappers into the back of the truck then turned to face him, hands clamped to her hips.

“Blair, I have legal title to this land, and I’m not backing out. This is exactly the kind of place I’ve been looking for.” His lips clamped shut, the expression on his face changed, hardened. “Perhaps the best thing to do is check it out. Now. Before things go much further.”

“What things?” She gaped at him, her mind numb.

“An excavation crew is set to come in here Monday morning.”

“Excavation?” Blair blanched at the thought of her beautiful valley, destroyed. “Why?”

“I’m building a house. I intend to live in this valley, Blair. It’s going to be my home.”

She couldn’t take it in, couldn’t understand what kind of a joke he was playing.

“But you live in Los Angeles,” she reminded him, depicting the picture she remembered late at night when she should have slept. “You crave bright lights, fast cars and people you can impress by ignoring them.” Yes, that was the real Gabe. “Why would you move here, to the middle of nowhere?”

It didn’t make sense. None of this did. Gabriel Sloan was as city as they came. Going out with starlets, winning at squash, traveling on the big showy jet, those were the things he needed to prove himself. Gabe craved all the glitz and glamour of the nightlife that L.A. offered. There was nothing around here that would interest him.

His voice roused her from her introspection.

“I’m experimenting, Blair. Isn’t that what you used to encourage? I want something different from my life. The company just isn’t enough anymore. It bores me. I’ve hired a manager. I want to take some time and relax for a while. Consider what’s next.”

“You’ve let go of the reins?” She squeaked in disbelief. “You? The guy who thinks everybody’s out to take him?” It was a direct quote. He’d said it over six years ago on that fateful morning when all her dreams had died.

Oh, God, where are you? Does he know about Daniel? Is that why he’s here?

The very thought made her head spin, and all the blood rushed to her feet. He was going to steal Daniel! And he had money and power enough to do it.

“Blair? Sit down.” He pushed her onto a huge granite slab of glacial rock whose quartz sparkles flashed in the bright sun. His hands rubbed hers, his surprisingly warm and gentle. “You’re still as thin as a reed,” he muttered, pausing to brush a ringleted tendril from her cheek. “And this hair is still a riot of curls. I didn’t think it was possible, but you’re thinner. Are you still so busy taking care of everyone else, you don’t take care of yourself?”

She pulled away, but she had no energy to get up. Not yet.

“I’m fine. I’m just busy. I guess I forgot to eat breakfast.” As if that would have changed anything. She glared at him. “Why now, Gabe? Why here?”

“I wanted a change. And I was intrigued by his description. Heaven on earth. Who wouldn’t want that?”

There was a bitter tilt to his lips that made her wonder if Gabe had suffered some financial setbacks she didn’t know about. Or perhaps he’d lost the edge that put his company out in front.

“Who indeed?” She was going to strangle Mac when she got hold of him. How could he have sold this land out from under her, especially to Gabe? How could he have set this all up when he knew the risks? And it was a setup. She had no doubts about that.

Gabe picked up her hand. “You’ve got calluses here,” he murmured as his thumb brushed across her palm. “You shouldn’t work so hard, Blair.”

Yeah, right! Like how else would she live? Blair shifted away from him and clambered awkwardly to her feet. Why was she always so ungraceful whenever he was around? Why did he make her so nervous?

Because of Daniel.

But she hadn’t had Daniel to think about back then. In the old days just the sound of Gabe’s voice had made her skin prickle with anticipation.

She shoved the memories away.

“I’m going home to talk to my grandfather,” she murmured. “Something isn’t right here.”

“I assure you it’s all perfectly legal. I don’t do business any other way.” He sounded angry that she’d suspect him of subterfuge. “You should at least remember that much.”

Blair didn’t respond. Instead, she walked to her truck and climbed in, mulling the whole thing over inside her tired brain.

“No, I know. It’s just that Mac said—” She glanced at him, vaguely surprised that he’d followed her. “Never mind. I’ll sort it out. You’ll probably get a letter canceling the whole deal.”

Gabe shook his head and shoved her door closed.

“No, the deal’s already been finalized. I’m not allowing anyone to back out now. If you wait a minute, I’ll get my vehicle and follow you. I’d like to know the answer to a few questions of my own.”

Blair glanced at her watch, then nodded grimly. Daniel wasn’t due home for at least another hour. If she hurried, she could get this all sorted out and have Gabe on his way before kindergarten was dismissed for the afternoon.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of her grandfather’s old house. She couldn’t help contrasting its ramshackle appearance with the elegant, glossy glass-and-chrome condo Gabe had lived in seven years ago. Her battered brown half-ton sat rusting on the spot while his polished black and silver sport utility screamed money. Night and day.

Still, what did it matter? He’d always known that she wasn’t in his league, didn’t have money to burn. Her part-time job had been a good one, and she’d been comfortable sharing digs with Clarissa Featherhawk and Briony Green. But every extra cent she hadn’t needed for college went home to Mac and Willie, to repay them.

“Having second thoughts about introducing me to your family?” The mocking query brought her to the present.

Without a word Blair tripped up the stairs to the back door. She opened it, then moved back to allow Gabe in. He stepped out of his expensive boots first, then through the doorway and into the kitchen, his eyes curiously appraising the old farmhouse.

“Mac? Can you come in here? Now?”

Blair stepped out of her boots and grabbed the coffeepot. Without wasting any movements, she poured two mugs of the steaming black brew, set them on the table and motioned Gabe to sit down.

Gabe raised his eyebrows at her silent order, but took his seat without speaking. He took one sip of the coffee, coughed, then added a generous measure of cream and sugar.

Blair sat and pretended to ignore him.

“Hey, Busy Bee. You’re early. How were the hives?” Mac strolled through the hallway and into the kitchen, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Gabe. “Hello.”

“Mac, this is Gabriel Sloan. He thinks he’s bought the south quarter from you. Gabe, this is my grandfather. The infamous Mackenzie Rhodes of your letter.”

Her grandfather flicked an eyebrow at her acid tone, then turned his attention to their guest.

The two men silently sized up each other, shook hands and then sat. Blair glanced from one to the other.

“Well?” she demanded of her grandfather. “Aren’t you going to tell him that it’s a mistake?”

Mac smiled tenderly and reached out to fold her hand in his.

“No,” he murmured. “I’m not. I sold Mr. Sloan the land. It was mine, I had a right to and I did it.” His face showed no sign of repentance.

“But, Grandfather, you know that I depend on that land!” Blair felt the sting of his betrayal to the soles of her feet. “How could you sell it to him? Why not to me? I would have bought you out!”

She glared at Gabe, who kept his head bent, studying his coffee as if it would metamorphose into his favorite mocha latte. Blair switched her focus to her grandfather.

“Why?”

“You know why,” he returned evenly, his face stern. “We’ve discussed it before. I think it’s the right thing to do. It’s time. You know that.”

Blair pursed her lips, mindful of the heated arguments she’d had with him for months now. Mac believed she owed it to Gabe to tell Daniel’s father he had a son. She thought she’d made him understand how foolish it would be to expect Gabe to accept the boy, to believe Gabe could father his child the way Mac had fathered her.

Apparently none of her protests had touched him.

“How can you do this to us?” she said under her breath. “This is my business. You have no right to interfere in my private life.”

Mac didn’t back down, his dark eyes glossy with unshed tears. “I have the right of a man who loves his granddaughter more than life.” He reached out to pat her cheek. “I’m not young anymore, Busy Bee. I won’t be around forever. I want to know my family is okay.”

“And this is how you do it? By going against me, behind my back, selling this land out from under me? I can manage for all of us. Haven’t I done fine so far?”

A thin high-pitched voice wobbled out a few notes from a well-known hymn. The sound grew louder as Willie entered the kitchen.

“Ooh, what a handsome fellow!” Willie’s cooing voice spoke behind Blair’s right ear.

Blair sighed. Not now, she prayed. Please don’t let Willie blurt out the truth. “He’s yours, isn’t he, Blair.”

“He’s—”

“Mac sold him some land, Willie.” Blair broke in, desperate to keep her grandfather from spilling the beans. “The south quarter.”

“You sold our heritage, Mackenzie?” Willie coughed delicately into her lavender lace handkerchief as she fluttered around the kitchen. “Have things become so bad that we must sell off our birthright to live?”

Blair was about to set her straight, to add further explanations, when she heard a noise outside. Her grandfather sat up straight, her aunt collapsed into a chair and Gabe frowned at them all. Blair couldn’t move a muscle as her son came bounding through the door.

“Hi, Mom! The bus came early ’cause the school had a fire.” Daniel let his jacket, backpack and lunch bag fall where they would, his gaze fastened on the tall, dark-haired stranger who sat staring at him.

“Hey, you an’ me got the same hair,” Daniel declared, his mouth stretched wide in a smile. “My mom has a picture of you. Are you the answer?”

Blair gulped down a sob, unable to say a word, though her hands closed over her son’s shoulders as she hugged him close for one brief moment, prolonging what she somehow knew would change irrevocably from this moment on.

“The answer?” Gabe swallowed, his eyes swinging from Mac to Blair to the little boy. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Daniel wiggled himself free of his mother’s hold and went to stand in front of the big man. Two pairs of eyes, the same startling green, inspected each other.

“The answer,” Daniel explained, “to my prayer. For a daddy. I’m almost six an’ I really need a daddy. Are you gonna be him?”

Chapter Two

“Gabe, this is my son, Daniel. Daniel, I’d like you to meet Gabriel Sloan.”

Gabe almost laughed at the words. She didn’t want the boy to meet him at all. And he knew why. This child was his son!

Gabe stared at the mirror image of himself at five. The little boy in front of him solemnly shook his hand as the truth smacked Gabe squarely between the eyes. He had a child. He was a father!

“So I was wondering, Mr. Gabriel, are you the one?”

Gabe jerked back to reality with stunned surprise as a small hand carefully patted his arm.

“The one?” he repeated blankly. His eyes sought Blair and he swallowed hard at the pain and worry he found swirling in the depths of her molten chocolate eyes. He focused on the boy. “Uh, I’m not exactly sure just yet.”

“Oh.” Daniel’s mobile face fell with disappointment, but brightened a moment later. “That doesn’t mean no,” he insisted. “My mom says she’s not sure lots of times. It means maybe.”

“Right.” Gabe swallowed, the thought of parenthood engulfing him in a wash of anxiety. Not yet, his brain screamed. I’m not ready for that yet, God! I’ve only just taken the first steps to changing my life.

“It’s okay. You can think about it if you want.” Daniel smiled, then leaned near Gabe’s ear. “But could you hurry up? My teacher says we’re having parent-teacher day pretty soon, and Joey Lancaster is bringing his dad. I don’t like Joey Lancaster.”

Gabe got the implied message loud and clear. My dad is better than yours. Poor little tyke! Belatedly he wondered how long Daniel had been praying for a father.

A wave of anger washed over him as he considered how much he’d missed. A baby, a toddler, hugs, good-night kisses, Christmases and birthdays. He’d known none of that. But Blair had. And she’d kept him in the dark. On purpose. That hurt more than he’d ever imagined, though Gabe didn’t understand why. He knew he wasn’t daddy material. He was a loner. He didn’t need anyone. He couldn’t afford to.

But she could have told him.

Gabe turned to stare at Blair and immediately rethought his position. He had no rights when it came to Daniel. None. He’d lost them all when Blair, sweet, innocent Blair, walked out of his life with her childish dreams ruined. By him.

“You need me, Gabe,” she’d sobbed that morning.

He cringed, remembering his furious response. “I don’t need anybody.”

“I thought you loved me enough to believe I’m not like the others. I’ve tried so hard to be what you want, but you still can’t see the real me. You can’t see beyond the security of your business and your money. You can’t see love.”

That memory could still make him ache for her shattered innocence. Blair, backing away from him, hair tumbling around her shoulders in that glossy riot of curls that he’d touched only moments before.

Once, just that once he’d let himself desire something more than security. Daniel was the result. The knowledge ate at him like acid on an open wound.

He’d sent her away with his child.

“You’d better do your chores, Daniel. Maybe Albert will help you.” Blair’s soft voice broke through his reverie.

Gabe looked up. Who was Albert? Someone Blair was interested in? Was that why Daniel needed a father, to ward off the unwanted attentions of this Albert person?

“Okay.” Daniel grabbed two cookies from the nut-cracker cookie jar that perched on a low shelf. He whirled to grin at Gabe. “See you later,” he offered.

“Yes, you will,” Gabe returned evenly, refusing to look at Blair. “I’m glad I met you, Daniel.”

“Me, too.” Daniel raced out the door, jacket forgotten as he sang a new song.

“You’re the child’s father, aren’t you?” The woman Blair had called Willie stood surveying him with watery blue eyes. “Anyone with vision can see that you’re Danny’s daddy. It’s about time you showed up and took some responsibility. Now the first thing will be to get the child a decent home.”

“Don’t, Willie. Daniel isn’t going anywhere. He’s going to stay right here with me.” Blair’s chocolate eyes dared Gabe to say any different. “I’ve got things to do. Mac, you and Mr. Sloan no doubt have your deal to discuss. I’m going out.”

She was gone in a rush, those russet-tipped curls flying behind. Gabe stood and watched her through the window. He heard two voices speaking, saw an older man hug her close and kiss her cheek before the derelict old truck rattled down the road.

“She’s not too happy with me, son. And I can’t say I blame her. It was a nasty trick to play on my granddaughter.” Mac’s sad voice was resigned.

“Then why did you?” Gabe could see no remorse on the lined, worn features.

“Because I love her. And I love that boy. I don’t want to see either one of them hurt. I’m not as young as I was, you know. I’m afraid of what will happen to her when Willie and I aren’t around for her to devote herself to. Blair is killing herself trying to look after us all.”

“Look after you?” Gabe returned to his seat and thoughtfully sipped his coffee, aware that the ethereal Willie had drifted into another room. “Why should she look after you? Are you sick?”

“Willie is, though she won’t admit it. Her medicine costs something terrible. I’ve got a heart condition, but it’s nothing serious. Not yet. As long as we’ve got my pension, we can manage, but what happens when I’m gone? Albert can only do so much.”

There it was again.

“Albert?” Gabe fixed the older man with a severe look and waited.

“Albert Hunter. He’s been our friend for years. Keeping busy around here is about the only thing that makes him forget the bottle. He’s an inventor. Blair brought him home one day, asked me to help him sober up, and she’s been taking care of him ever since. That’s what Blair does—takes care of people. She needs to be needed.”

“Oh.” Gabe digested it all with a nod, his mind busy as he tried to merge this information with the woman he’d known. “Are you sure Daniel is my son?” he blurted. It was a stupid question.

Mac apparently agreed. He favored him with a severe look. “You know that right well enough, without me telling you. We were supposed to fly out Saturday morning for the wedding that night. But just as we were heading out the door, Blair phoned and said it was off. Next thing we knew, she’d dropped out of her last year of college. She came home at the end of October. Boy turns six at the end of May. You work it out.”

Gabe didn’t have to. He knew without doing the math. Hidden away in a trunk he hadn’t opened in years was a picture his mother had put in an album just days before her death. His first day of school. He and Daniel could have been twins.

Gabe couldn’t stop the questions. “Why didn’t she tell me? Let me know?”

“Don’t be daft, son! You pushed her away.” Mac sniffed, his face scrunched up in anger, eyes blazing. “This is going to hurt her a lot, and I don’t like to see my granddaughter hurt. Goes against everything I believe. The Rhodeses take care of each other. Always.”

“So why drag me into your wonderful life?” Gabe couldn’t stop the sneer from coloring his voice. This man would know soon enough that he wasn’t the person to direct Daniel’s young life. Gabe was totally wrong for that job. Suspicion dawned. Was this just another taker, the latest in a long list of people after his money? “What do you want from me?”

Mackenzie Rhodes fixed him with a fierce glare. “I want you to be a father to that little boy. It isn’t right for him to grow up without a dad. Children need a man in their lives.”

“What about you? And Albert?” Gabe almost laughed at the glower on Mac’s face.

“I’m half dead! I can’t be around for the boy forever, much as I’d like to. My rheumatism acts up in the winter so’s I can barely get out of bed.” He swiveled his arm as if to prove that it was damaged. “Albert’s a good man, but he’s not the boy’s father. You are. Daniel needs someone to love and protect him and his mother. You owe him that.”

No doubt he was right, Gabe conceded. He did owe the boy. But he couldn’t be a father. He didn’t know how. Even the prospect of it made him jumpy. Suddenly it was as if he was ten again and his dad was laughing at him.

“Swim, boy. Be a man.”

Gabe could feel the doubts swirling overhead, waiting to cover him, to suffocate him just as the water had filled his lungs. He couldn’t do this! He wasn’t father material.

“I, uh, that is, I’m not…”

“Anybody can learn to be a father.”

“But I don’t…” Mac’s steady gaze kept Gabe pinned to his chair, stopped the words that would express his doubts.

“You just have to look beyond yourself to someone else’s needs.” The wise eyes narrowed. “You told me in that letter your lawyer wrote that you wanted that land to build a house on. Said you were going to settle down, give up the city. That all true?”

Gabe nodded slowly, remembering his dream. A home of his own, a place to find out exactly who he was behind all the pretense.

“Why?” Mac’s back straightened.

“Why what?”

“Why does a big, important computer fella like yourself want to run away from his life?” Mac tipped back in his chair and considered Gabe from that perspective.

“I’m not running away.” Gabe wished he’d had some warning, some preparation for this inquisition.

“Aren’t you?” Mac munched on one of the cookies he’d appropriated from the jar. He handed the other one over. “She can sure bake cookies,” he muttered happily.

“Blair?” Gabe waited for the other man’s nod. “When I knew her she didn’t bake anything. She wore exotic outfits and crazy makeup. She reminded me of a butterfly whenever we went out.”

“You didn’t know the real Blair. Never played dress-up in her life. She likes things casual, comfortable. So what about now?” Mac’s question was abrupt, to the point.

“She’s still beautiful, but in a different way. She looks more fragile, and yet somehow stronger.” Gabe tried to puzzle it out. “I can’t say it properly.”

“I wasn’t talking about her looks. I was asking how you feel about my granddaughter.”

Gabe flinched under the scrutiny, his mind whirling a hundred miles an hour. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything! How can I? All of a sudden I see a woman who walked out on our wedding years ago. And I find out I have a kid, a son I’ve never even heard about before. It’s a little overwhelming.” He frowned, his mouth as sour as if he’d just eaten a dill pickle.

Mac barked out a laugh. “That’s life for you. Want some advice? Get used to it. Fast. And make a decision.”

“A decision?” Gabe frowned, wondering if the old fellow was hinting at something. “What kind of a decision?”

Mac straightened, his chair banging to the floor with a snap that had Gabe flinching.

“Be a man! Figure out if you’re going to break that boy’s heart by walking away from him. Decide if you’re gonna take on the role of father and be the best darn father any kid ever had, or if you’re going to run away from your responsibility. Make a choice.”

For a moment, Gabe heard his father’s tones, his father’s mocking reminder that he’d never quite measured up to the standard. He surged to his feet, tension coiling inside him faster than lightning. And he’d thought running his company was pressure! “I have to think.” He spat the words out.

Mac shook his head as he set his cup on the counter. Then he turned and faced Gabe, his eyes tired, his expression sad.

“Don’t know why I bothered,” he muttered. “Guess I figured you’d have some spunk and gumption and wouldn’t let a woman do all the work. But, on second thought, you’re not the kind of man my kin needs, Mr. Sloan. You like to run away from your problems instead of facing them.”

“Not true.” Gabe shook his head. “I like to figure out what the situation is before I make a move.” He met that stern gaze unflinchingly, his voice cold. “And I’m not letting you renege on this contract. That land is mine.” He patted his chest pocket and the paper beneath.

“Only if you build on it within the six months,” Mac reminded him. “Anything else and the whole thing reverts back to me.”

“I know that.” Gabe pulled his boots on, then straightened and looked the other man in the eye. “I’ll need to think it over,” he repeated. “That’s the way I do things.”

Mac nodded, but his face showed worry. “Just don’t run away,” he ordered. “That doesn’t do anyone any good.”

“I’m not the one who ran. Blair did that, the day we were to be married.” The bitterness still rankled. She’d dumped him, made him look a fool in front of his colleagues and associates, shown him up as a failure. He couldn’t quite forgive her for that. Not even all these years later.

Mac’s hand closed around his shoulder, his eyes piercing. “What other option did you give her?” he demanded quietly. “Blair loved you completely. I know that for a fact. She wanted to be your wife, she wanted the two of you to build a life together. She believed God sent you into her life, and she was ready to do whatever you asked of her. What did you do to spoil that?”

Gabe returned the stare, his temper sizzling. “I didn’t do a thing any other businessman in my position wouldn’t have done. If you knew anything about business, you’d know you have to protect yourself and your work. It didn’t mean I didn’t care about her. It was only a preventive measure.”

Mac smiled sadly. “Protect yourself, eh. Who protected her, this young fiancée of yours? Did you?” The condemning words echoed around the room as Mac turned and walked away, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

There wasn’t any more to be said. Gabe had failed then, and he knew it. He stepped outside, pulling the door closed quietly. He climbed into his truck and started it. As he left the house, then the yard and finally the valley, he couldn’t help but admire the beauty laid out before him. It would be so nice to live here, to get away from the constant, petty demands on his time, to go back to just fiddling with things, daydreaming of new ways and means. He had only just begun to learn who was beneath the facade of successful computer designer. How could he take on a kid, do all the things a loving father should? Where did you go to find out how to love?

Gabe drove five miles into the minuscule town of Teal’s Crossing and returned to his hotel room. Five minutes later he was lying on the bed, reaming out his lawyer.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this goofy deal, Rich? I walked right into it. If I don’t build a house here, I lose the land and the money. Whose interests are you protecting, anyhow?”

Richard Wellington was well used to his boss’s anger. He snickered loudly over the line. “I did tell you, Gabe. At least six times. But you were so hung up on getting the plans drawn for this dream home that you completely ignored my warnings.”

“And are they? Finished, I mean?” Gabe licked his lips at the mention of the plans he’d secretly reveled in for weeks. A place that would prove he was far more than anything his father could have dreamed of. A place that would show the world he didn’t need any of them. A place he could hide.

“Ready and on the way to you by courier. Contractor says he’ll start digging right away. Got some materials coming in the first of next week.” Rich sounded very smug. “Pool should be ready right on time.”

Those words sent a shiver up his spine, but Gabe ignored it. He’d deal with the past one step at a time. He couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Gabe didn’t know how else to broach the subject so he asked it straight out. “Rich, what happens if I get married?”

Silence.

“Well, uh, I guess you get a wife. Why?” The tentative response verged on suspicion.

Gabe swallowed, then dove in. “Remember Blair?”

Guarded silence, then a whoosh of air. “Yeah, I remember. Had you tied up in knots for months after she left town. Why?”

“She’s here. It’s her grandfather who’s selling the land.”

“Uh-oh.” Papers rattled. “Why didn’t I know that?”

“I don’t know.” He waited a moment. “She’s raising my son, Rich.” Gabe was stunned at the measure of satisfaction and pride he felt in saying those words. Son. Child of mine.

“What!” Rich burst into a volley of questions, which he proceeded to answer himself. Then he trotted out a list of things Blair could do to lay claim to the company, which he could prevent by suing for custody. “I’ll have the papers to you in two days.”

“I don’t want to sue her for custody,” Gabe murmured as an idea grew, taking shape and form in his mind. “I think I want to get to know my son. His name is Daniel.”

“Daniel? Your father’s name.” Rich’s voice was sharp. “How did she find out?”

Gabe smiled. Rich had learned distrust the hard way. Gabe had taught him all about it every time the young lawyer handled another deal. Now the man was as paranoid as he. The thought was not comforting.

“I don’t know that she has found out anything. But that doesn’t matter right now. I just know that this kid thinks he needs a father, and I can’t turn my back on that. I remember what it was like too well.”

“I suppose you do.” Rich was silent for a long time. But when he finally spoke, his voice was filled with ominous warning. “Gabe, are you sure this child is yours?”

“Oh, yes. He’s mine. That is not in question. Besides, Blair wouldn’t lie.” Though, if he remembered correctly, Blair hadn’t told him anything about Daniel. His lips tightened. “So, buddy, how do I go about forcing her to let me get to know the boy?”

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Rich’s voice urged him to reconsider.

“I’m sure. His name will be Daniel Sloan, but he’s not going to have a childhood like mine. Not if I can help it.”

Rich appeared to accept this, for he offered no further objections. Instead his voice softened, bounding over the phone line with enthusiasm.

“I think you’ll make a great father, Gabe. And Blair always did worship the ground you walked on. If I remember correctly, she was ready to marry you. Why would she object to your presence now? I never did understand why she took off like that. You never said.” A pregnant pause offered the opportunity.

Gabe swallowed, but he wouldn’t lie to himself or his friend. He’d lived his life by dealing in cold, hard truth. He wouldn’t stop now.

“It was my fault, I demanded she sign that prenup when I knew deep down that she wouldn’t. I used her, Rich. I took her love and put my own conditions on it. And then I let her go as if it didn’t matter. Yeah, she loved me once. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue now. She might agree to marry me, if I pushed it, but it would only be for Daniel’s sake.”

He remembered her sad, mournful words when she’d phoned him the morning of their wedding day.

“I planned a white wedding in the church. My grandfather was going to walk me down the aisle. My great-aunt is bringing a big, showy cake. I was going to promise to love you forever. I was going to make sure we had lots of pictures so we could tell our children how happy we were.”

Gabe could still hear his caustic laugh. “Forever is in the movies, Blair. It doesn’t happen in real life. And I won’t be having any children. Not ever.” He let her hear the steel in his voice. “I’m not the father type. That part is nonnegotiable.”

She’d gone silent then. He could almost see her face pinch tightly. Her voice, when it came at last, was soft, broken, brimming with tears.

“Goodbye, Gabriel Sloan. I love you. I’m sorry you won’t believe that you’re capable of more than making money.”

“Gabe? Gabriel!” Rich’s worried tones kicked him to the present.

“I’m here.” He sighed. “I don’t think marriage is an option anymore, Rich.”

“Are you sure you don’t just want to sue for custody? Take the kid away. With your bankroll, you’d win hands down.”

Daniel’s bright, expectant face rolled into his mind’s eye. Gabriel shook his head.

“Daniel’s lived with her for over five years,” he whispered. “She loves him and he loves her. I won’t destroy that.” I just want to stay on the edges, feel the warmth, understand what makes a family.

“Up to you, buddy. Okay then, if you’re determined to get close to the kid, I guess the surest way is to threaten custody. If she’s as good a mother as you think, she’d marry you rather than lose her kid.”

Gabe laughed, but there was nothing amusing in the thought. “I don’t think she’d ever marry me, Rich. And I sure can’t marry her. You of all people know I’m not a family kind of man.” He swallowed hard. “Six, almost seven years, but, after all, what’s really changed?”

“Then you bluff. Threaten everything you can think of. I know you, Sloan. You’ll think of something to make her see you’re better suited to raising the kid than her.”

Gabe hung up with the advice still ringing in his ears.

But you’re not better suited, not at all. It’s just another lie you let people believe, his conscience reminded him. You couldn’t possibly take that boy from the one person who loves him more than life. You have nothing to offer him. At least, nothing that really matters.

“What do I know about being a father?” he whispered, worry overtaking his brain. “How can I be sure that I won’t do something wrong? That I won’t scar him or cause something that will make him unhappy years down the road, after I’m gone?”

It was a prospect he had to deal with. He knew how easily that could happen. His father hadn’t wanted to leave his son the memories he carried. At least, Gabe told himself that, hoping it was true. But Daniel, Sr., hadn’t been able to accept the son he’d fathered, either. Gabe simply didn’t fit the baseball and fishing mold his father had set.

In fact, Gabe hated sports. All he’d ever wanted was to create things, to build things. To use his brain. Being sent to his room in punishment had provided hours of solitude to do just that.

“I won’t force Daniel to be a replica of me,” he assured his tired brain. “He doesn’t have to like computers. If he wants to fish, I’ll fish. I can learn that stuff. The company’s okay, now. I’ve got all the money I’ll ever need. I owe it to myself to take some time off—to see if Blair and I can make a go of it.” He thought about Mac’s letter. Why had it arrived when it had? Was God giving him a second chance?

“I owe it to him to do better than my dad did for me.”

Which shouldn’t be hard, given the past.

You owe him love.

That word sent a shiver of worry through his brain. Love? Gabe didn’t think he had it in him. Not the kind of love the songs were about, the kind of love he’d read about in stories and poems. Certainly not the emotion that required you to give away everything you valued for the sake of someone else, the kind of love that made you vulnerable and weak, prey to others.

“He doesn’t need to see that part of me,” Gabe told himself. “He’ll never know about that. I’ll make sure of it.”

But as he lay in his hotel room thinking about a black-haired little boy and his too solemn mother, Gabe wondered how he’d keep that shriveled-up, scared part of himself locked away when he’d spent such a large part of his life wondering where the next con to get his money would come from.

“One day at a time,” he reminded himself. “With God’s help, I’ll face this one day at a time. That’s what Pastor Jake said on Sunday.”

Surely if you kept your eyes on the future, you couldn’t get caught up in the past?

“Daniel’s my only chance to make amends,” he whispered, eyes closed as he prayed for help. “At least if I mess up, and I probably will, I know that Blair will make sure my son gets all the love he needs. He won’t end up like me.”

Please, God, don’t let him end up all alone like me.

Chapter Three

I don’t understand how You could do this to me, God. Mac’s always loved me, I know he has. Why did he have to find Gabe, send him that letter, stir things up? Why couldn’t he have left well enough alone? Why did You let it happen?

Days later, and it was still a silly question! Blair knew the answer, at least the one Mac had given this morning when she’d asked.

“I’m old, honey. Some days I get tired and feeling down. I miss your gran, God rest her soul. Lots of times, all I want is to go to Heaven and rest, talk to God about things, give Myrtle a hug and kiss. But I couldn’t ever die peacefully if I thought you and Daniel weren’t cared for. It wouldn’t be right.”

“We’re fine, Grandpa. We’re managing really well now. I have the business and it’s growing, Willie’s doing better with those new pills and Albert hasn’t had anything to drink since a year ago at Christmas.”

Mac had snorted derisively. “Ha! You’re lying to yourself, Busy Bee. We’re scraping by and just barely doing that. What happens if the bees don’t produce their usual this year? Or if some of those orders get canceled? We’ll be in hot water then, and no mistake.” He’d patted the pocket that held his bankbook with smug satisfaction. “At least this way I can be sure you’ll have a nest egg to fall back on, and you’ve got the right to leave your hives in place for the next three years. He paid a lot for that land, you know.”

“He can afford it. And that’s a bunch of baloney, Grandfather! You’re as healthy as a horse! Selling that land to Gabe was just a way to manipulate him into finding out about Daniel, and you know it. I thought you loved us more than that.”

She fixed him with a stern look, but Mac didn’t back down.

“It’s because I love you two so much that I did it. You and Daniel need Gabe. And he needs a chance to be the boy’s father. He’s ready to move ahead with his life. Leaving the city and that company prove that. I think he’s changed.”

“You don’t know that, Mac. Gabe takes the company wherever he goes. And he doesn’t want to be a father, not at all. It’s just a duty thing.” She shut off the piercing memory of that moment, that one single second of pure joy when he’d looked, really looked at Daniel, fully acknowledged that the child was part of him. She’d hoped to argue her case more fully. But Mac had shrugged and walked away.

Reality intruded as Blair dipped another taper into the wax and watched while it drizzled off, knowing that she was spoiling its finish by waiting so long. But today, business just didn’t seem as important. She had to figure out what to do, decide how she was going to explain to Daniel that Gabe wouldn’t be his father. Not ever.

“After all, he’s had more than seven days to accept the idea. And he hasn’t called, hasn’t even spoken to Daniel. What kind of a father is that?”

No kind of father at all. Which was exactly why she’d never told Gabe about her son. He hadn’t wanted to be a father, that much she was clear on. If she’d doubted it then, watching him avoid the children she worked with in her spare time would have been enough. And there were his words over the phone that last awful morning. I’ll never be a father. The idea was repugnant to him!

The phone pealed a summons. “Hey, Blair!”

“Clarissa? How are you?” Blair grinned as she envisioned her formerly thin college buddy now hugely pregnant with the twins she’d been told to expect.

“I’m big, okay? Enough said.” Clarissa’s normally sweet voice halted, then continued. “I just read something I thought you might be interested in. Gabriel Sloan has handed over management of his company to a group of vice presidents.”

Blair gulped, then nodded. “He’s here, Pris. Mac sold him a piece of land, and he’s apparently going to build a house on it. Some kind of castle affair, if the rumors are true.”

Clarissa’s voice wavered quietly down the wire. “Does he know?”

“About Daniel? Yeah, he knows.”

Clarissa’s mutter of protest left no room for doubt. She was mad. “They don’t let women as big as me fly, Blair Delaney, but if you don’t spill the beans, I’ll sic Briony on you. And you know how inquisitive she is.”

Blair giggled at the reminder of their friend and former college roomie, the third in their group who had also been dumped by her sweetheart. Bri had a scientist’s mind. She liked the facts laid out clearly and concisely. She never accepted “no” for an answer.

“Nice try, Pris. But you can’t. Bri’s off somewhere in the Canadian Rockies doing the last bit of research for her thesis.” Blair unplugged the kettle and poured herself a cup of hot water, dipping the lemon mint tea bag in and out rhythmically for several moments.

“I see.”

Blair waited, a tiny smile nudging the corner of her lips. Clarissa didn’t disappoint her.

“Wade? I’ll need the van. I’m going on a little trip to see an old college buddy who’s trying to hold something back.”

“No, you are not traveling, Clarissa Featherhawk! You’re staying right there.” A mutter of threats rumbled across the line. “All right, already! Gabriel Sloan arrived a few days ago. He’s staying in the hotel in Teal’s Crossing and he’s tearing up my land as we speak. That’s all I know.”

“Is he still as good looking?”

Blair closed her eyes, took a deep breath and admitted the truth. “Yes.” She let her mind brood on the ultra short raven’s wing hair, the hard jawline, the full mocking lips.

“Does he still have those glacial green meltwater eyes?” Clarissa demanded. “I’ve never seen eyes that could turn such an aquamarine color. He used to make my knees shake when he looked at me.”

Still does, Blair wanted to yell. She quelled that schoolgirl response.

“I never understood why his Hollywood buddies didn’t offer him a job. He’s every woman’s dream man.” Clarissa giggled. “Except mine, of course. Wade’s the one I dream of.”

“Lucky Wade.” Blair covered a rush of feelings by asking Clarissa innumerable questions about her pregnancy, her husband of almost one year, her readymade family. Anything to keep the talk off of Gabe.

“You’re stalling, Blair. Trying to throw me off the scent. That’s always a good sign. I guess I’d better let you go so you can think about Gabe some more.” Clarissa chuckled at her mumbled protest. “Keep me posted,” she ordered before she rang off.

“As if there’s anything to keep her posted on!” Blair said to herself. She emptied her cold tea into the sink and concentrated on work.

“So this is where you’re hiding out?”

Blair whirled, shocked as much by the low, amused tones as by the sound of his rich, full voice echoing among the rafters of her bee barn.

“I wasn’t hiding,” she disagreed. “I have work to do. Unlike some people I could mention. Are all the little peons at Polytech too busy to miss you, Gabe?” She got back to dipping.

He didn’t take offense. Instead he walked up and watched what she was doing.

“If you want the truth, they don’t want me there anymore,” he told her, a mocking smile tilting his lips. “It seems that I’m bad for their thinking. Their productivity goes way up when the boss isn’t hovering around.” He watched as her hands suddenly became busier with a series dipper that held six wicks. “I didn’t know you sold dipped candles, too. Can I try that?”

Blair frowned, but after studying his face, she found no hint of mockery. He looked genuinely interested in her work.

“I suppose.” She showed him how to dip the wicks, then turn and redip to get the multicolored effects her customers loved.

Gabe tried several, lips pursed in concentration as he perfected the action. When she could stand the silence no longer, Blair took the rack out of his hand and set it aside.

“What do you really want, Gabriel?”

“I want my son.”

Blair knocked the rack on the floor, completely ruining all her work. She ignored the mess and the expense as she stared at him, searching for an answer in his unfathomable stare. The words rocked her to the core of her being. Why, when she’d known it would come to this?

“You want Daniel? But you don’t even know him!” She glared at him, daring him to deny it. “He’s a little boy who’s only ever known this place as his home. What kind of a father would rip him away from the only family he knows?” She chewed him out with her eyes, letting him see the contempt in them.

Gabe stayed where he was, his eyes watchful, swirling and slumbering with hidden menace as they studied her. “I don’t want to take him away from you, Blair. I know how much you mean to him. I lost my own mother when I was young. I know what that’s like.”

She frowned. What did that mean, and why was he suddenly opening up now? He’d never given her much insight into his past when they were engaged.

“I came to ask you something,” he murmured at last.

“Go ahead. I reserve the right to refuse an answer.” She wouldn’t let him see her fear. Please help me, God. Don’t let him take Daniel.

“Will you marry me?”

Blair wanted to laugh. Or cry. Something. Her eyes studied him, shocked by his quiet words. “Marry you? Why, for goodness sake?”

He looked innocent enough, his hands hanging at his sides, his feet crossed at the ankles as he leaned against the workbench in his natty designer clothes. Blair knew the pose was a disguise to conceal his thoughts. What was he planning?

“Why? Hmm.” He frowned for a few minutes, then smiled at her, his eyes lighting up in the teasing glint she’d almost forgotten. “To keep a promise I made once, over six years ago.”

“What promise?” She kept her gaze trained on him, refusing to fall for the diversion. “You never actually proposed. I did that, I think. You said okay.” She looked away from his eyes, noticed the wax hardening on the floor. She bent to scrape it off the tiles, glad to avoid the speculation in his curious stare as the heat of a blush burned her cheeks.

“Maybe I didn’t actually say the words, but I led you to believe that’s what I wanted, too. Now it’s pay-up time. So will you please marry me?” He waited till she’d straightened, then held out a black velvet box, and when Blair didn’t take it, snapped it open to reveal a glittering marquise diamond set on a narrow gold band.

“Please, Blair?”

Blair’s breath got tangled up in her throat, and she couldn’t draw fresh air into her lungs. She stared at the gorgeous ring and wondered how he’d known she had always loved that particular setting. It wasn’t what he’d chosen last time.

“I’m building a house, a home. That’s why I bought that land from your grandfather. I’d planned to move here anyway. I’m leaving Los Angeles. For a while, at least.”

“Why?” Her voiced croaked, her disbelief echoing around the room.

Gabe shrugged, but she could see him closing up against her probing, hiding his thoughts away, just as he’d always done. “Because I need to regroup, get a new game plan, figure out where I’m going from here.”

She snickered, tossing the lump of misshapen wax into the garbage. “Yeah, right! You’ve always known that, Gabriel. Straight to the top. Business first. The biggest, the best, the brightest. That’s always been your focus.”

“It was,” he admitted quietly. “But lately, it just doesn’t mean as much. I feel like I’m missing something.”

“So by marrying me, latching onto my son, you’ll fill in some piece of your life that you didn’t know existed seven years ago?” She shook her head, her ponytail flopping from side to side. “I don’t think so. Thanks anyway, but we don’t need your pity.”

“It isn’t like that.” He sighed, leaning his narrow hips against her counter. He set the ring on the workbench as if it didn’t matter a whit to him whether it got lost in the wax kettle or not. “Besides, he’s my son, too. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

There was something in his voice, some plaintive yearning that made her stop fiddling with the wax and look at him.

“Would you have believed me?” she murmured. She could have wept at the hurt that darkened his eyes and made his lips pinch together. But it couldn’t stop the questions.

“Can you guarantee that you wouldn’t have tried to take him away or talk me into giving him up for adoption?” She made herself continue in spite of the torture contorting his handsome features. “You said you never wanted a child.”

“That was before I knew, before I realized….” He stopped, brushed a hand across his eyes, scuffed a polished toe against the floor. “Maybe I’m just not saying this right.”

Unreasoning anger flooded her.

“You’ve said everything you need to say. You’ve done your duty, Gabe. Don’t worry, I’ll tell Mac you offered. But no, I won’t marry you so you can try out your hand at playing father.” She saw his mouth tighten and hurried on.

“Daniel is the most important thing in the world to me. I love him, and I won’t let you hurt him. You don’t want a gold digger for a wife, or the encumbrance of a child in your life. Remember?”

When he winced at the repetition of his own words, Blair felt a stab of shame. But she wouldn’t take them back. Daniel was too important to be used as a pawn, no matter how much she’d once cared for this man. She would not weaken, wouldn’t let him see that she’d never given up the dream of a husband, and a home where she was the most important person in her husband’s world.

“You’re turning this around, Blair. Making it ugly. And that’s not what I’m saying. I want us to be a…a family.”

“Why?” She pressed him for an answer, knowing he wouldn’t have one. Gabriel Sloan had never wanted any encumbrances in his solitary life. Things couldn’t have changed that much.

“Because he’s my son and I owe it to him,” he said, exploding, mouth tight, eyes hard as emeralds. “And because you’re his mother and I owe you, too. I should never have…never mind that.” His cheeks darkened.

So he felt guilty for that one night of indiscretion? Blair smiled bitterly. Well, it was as good a reason as any to suggest marriage, she supposed. It just wasn’t her reason, not the one she’d dreamed of, anyway. Not when she remembered her grandparents’ marriage, and from what Mac said, her parents had been happy, too.

“So tell me, Gabe, just how would this marriage work?” She’d string him along, pretend she would go along with it. For a while. It would be interesting to note just how far the great Gabriel Sloan was willing to go with this experiment at nobility.

But in the end she would turn him down cold. Daniel was her son, and she intended him to feel the love in his life. Gabe didn’t believe in love, and she couldn’t forget that.

“Blair?”

She glanced up, then at his hand on her arm. Though he moved it immediately, Blair was only too aware of his touch and her reaction to it. How could she still feel this way? Especially now.

“I want the very best for Daniel,” she began, trying to focus the conversation and direct it where she wanted it to go. “I know how much he’s wanted a father. Especially lately. He keeps asking me about you, where you are, what you do, what you’re like.”

Gabe’s face whitened. “He knows I’m his father?” His eyes were huge, his hands tight with tension as they clenched and unclenched at his side. “What have you told him?”

“He doesn’t know you are his father.” Blair fiddled with a tray of glitter that would accent the Christmas candles. “He doesn’t know anything about his father. I’ve never said a thing.”

“Then how—”

“They’ve been doing a series of projects at school about families.” Blair shrugged at his frown. “This is a little community. Daniel knows the families of the kids in his class. He’s seen two parents, a happy home, siblings. Some of the kids like to brag about their fathers.” She shrugged. “I don’t suppose his teacher thought of him as any different when they started on their family study unit.”

“Which is exactly the scene you always wanted,” Gabe muttered, peering at her. “Your ideal was always this happy home scenario, wasn’t it? I can still hear you talking about how wonderful families were. I thought it was just a line.”

And I can still feel how much you didn’t want that. Blair searched for some underlying meaning to his words, but could find nothing to show he was goading her.

“Yes, well, we all have to grow up sometime. That isn’t going to happen for me. I’ve got Mac, Willie, Albert and Daniel to look after. I’ve learned to deal with my reality. The truth is, raising a child takes a lot out of you. I’m not sure I could handle any more of them.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if there were two of us parenting? I could take over sometimes when you needed a break. Or vice versa. We could share our son.”

It felt funny to hear him call Daniel that. And yet, Gabe was his father. He owed Daniel.

“We don’t have to be married for you to be involved in his life,” she offered, turning her back as she clicked off the switch controlling the wax warmer and began boxing already completed sets of candles. Surely she couldn’t mess that up. “If you’re so determined to stay here, fine. Build your house. Live in it. You can see Daniel, be around for him. But his home will always be with me.”

“Why are you so dead set against marriage? Once you would have jumped at the chance.” He stood opposite her, his hands mimicking her movements as he, too, boxed candles.

“I’m not against marriage, when it happens for the right reasons. You’re mixing those reasons up just like you’re mixing these orders up. You don’t know the formula.” She quickly redid the boxes he’d finished.

She wouldn’t give in to the anger, wouldn’t talk about the burn of distrust inside that still, after all these years, ate away at her. Let him think what he liked, she wasn’t going to drag herself through it all again. She’d learned her lesson, learned it well.

Forgive and forget, Mac said. Very well. It had cost her dearly, but she’d forgiven Gabe. She had! But Blair Delaney wasn’t so stupid that she would ever forget the shame or the sense of betrayal he’d left her with. Not ever.

Gabe stood, staring at her with an odd questioning look.

“Sorry. Did you say something?”

“The formula for marriage?” A twisted smile tugged at his mouth. “You always did bring chemistry into everything.”

His wink reminded her of the past they’d once shared. A past she didn’t want to remember. She shook it off like a nasty pest and focused on his next words.

“What reason could be more right than providing a home for a child?” His voice remained calmly reasonable.

Blair sighed, then turned and walked toward her office. She wasn’t going to get anything done as long as he was here. At least she could sit down for a moment, even if she couldn’t relax.

One glance told her that Gabe had followed. He folded himself onto one of her small, ratty chairs and tilted back, his eyes intent on her.

“I know women grow up with this fairy-tale idea about weddings and marriage. Fine, you can have all the white lace and orange blossoms you want. I’ll even hire a white charger if that will help. But the bottom line is that I intend to be a father to my son, Blair.”

Blair studied him with narrowed eyes, her fingers knotting in her lap, where he couldn’t see them.

“It would only be a temporary father,” she argued angrily. “As soon as somebody from your office calls, you’ll go trailing back. And Daniel will be left behind, wondering why you don’t call him or take him to his soccer games. I’m not allowing that.” She held his gaze, daring him to say what she saw glinting in the depths of his eyes.

“The thing is, you can’t stop it, Blair. I am going to have my son.”

His mouth clamped in that implacable line she remembered so well. The emphasis was unmistakable. Blair could see the tiny white lines radiating from his lips and knew he meant business. Oh, God, please make this stop!

He leaned over and wrapped his fingers around hers, holding her hand carefully in his. Blair felt herself drawn by his eyes. Something glinted there, some shred of desolate rejection that she knew involved his past.

“I just want to spend some time with him, Blair. Is that so wrong?” His voice softened, cajoled. “You’ve had almost six years with him. I haven’t had six minutes.”

There was no condemnation in his eyes, but Blair felt guilty anyway. She’d deprived Gabe of seeing Daniel’s first smile, his first step, of hearing his first word. Little joys that parents should have shared. He’d been robbed of them.

“I don’t want to take him away, Blair. Please believe that I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to put the past behind us and make something good for the future. Something for Daniel.”

She tugged, and he let go of her hand, but stayed leaning across her desk, his face serious.

“Please? I don’t want people gossiping about his parents, or the fact that we aren’t married. I don’t want him teased, mocked, ostracized. You said it yourself, it’s a small town.” He looked triumphant at having found this bit of wisdom to use against her. “Surely you wouldn’t do that to an innocent child?”

Blair refused to trust in those softly spoken words. She’d trusted his honest intentions once before, and he’d disappointed her deeply. She wouldn’t go that route again. Instead she cut to the truth of the matter.

“You’re not in love with me, Gabe. You never were.” She stated the facts baldly, ensuring that he knew she’d accepted the truth about their relationship.

“Wasn’t I?” He shook his head, his eyes hooded, shading his thoughts. “I don’t know what love is. I was infatuated with you, that’s for sure. For a while you made me believe things I’d never thought possible, sort of like a Tinkerbell in disguise.” He grimaced at those words and tried again.

“I mean, well, I guess I felt more alive when you came into my life. I haven’t felt that in a long time, Blair.”

It was an honest admission that she hadn’t expected. But she couldn’t allow it to sway her. Not now, not with Daniel to think about.

“That’s nice of you to say, Gabe. But I don’t want to base my son’s future, my future, on something you might have felt a long time ago. It wouldn’t be practical.”

He leaned back, his mouth tipped in a frown as he studied her. “When did you become so practical?”

She smiled, letting the sarcasm tinge her words. “A little over six years ago,” she murmured, then felt ashamed as a flush covered his cheekbones. “I’ve had to be practical. Otherwise my family and I wouldn’t have survived.”

Gabe jumped to his feet, shoved his hands in his pockets and strode across the room and back. He stopped right beside her.

“Look, I know I messed up. I was a jerk, an idiot, a creep. You can call me whatever you want and feel totally justified. But I didn’t know about Daniel! Now that I do, I want to try to make things right.”

Blair sighed, more weary than she’d been in months.

“You couldn’t just jet back to L.A., back to your company and your life there? You couldn’t just forget about him?” She breathed out the wish with a hope and a prayer, knowing as she did that it was futile.

Silence reigned. She glanced up curiously and found him staring at her, his jaw clenched, his eyes roiling with anger.

“Could you do that? I’m not my father, Blair. I’m not going to ignore my son, dump him in his room and forget him there. I know firsthand what that kind of life is like.”

“I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say.

Gabriel Sloan had never shared his past with her, never allowed her to see into his childish hurts and disappointments. Oh, she’d had a few hints here and there, had known his adolescence had been less than perfect.

But this sounded like abandonment. Was that why he was so anxious to build a relationship with Daniel?

“I can’t see how it would work.” She fiddled with the pens jammed into the tin-can penholder Daniel had given her last Christmas. “I have to take care of my grandfather and my great-aunt. I can’t just leave them to fend for themselves. They’re old, they need me. Albert, too.”

“So we’ll include them.” Gabriel’s simple statement shocked her into silence. “It could work, I know it could. We’ll make the house bigger, include a place for them in our family. I’ve never had a grandfather or any aunts.”

“Gabriel, you’ve always lived alone. You don’t know what it’s like to have people around you all the time.” Blair almost laughed at the idea of it. “Daniel isn’t going to go away just because you’re thinking up a new computer gizmo. He’s a child. When he wants attention, he wants it now.”

A thousand problems filled her mind, and yet she didn’t voice them. She couldn’t. Not when she saw the shimmer of hope that transformed his face into boyish eagerness.

“I’m not involved with any project. I hire people for that. Polytech almost runs itself now. Besides, that guy, Albert, is working on this neat idea. I checked it out yesterday. It sounds crazy, but I have a hunch….” Gabe’s thumb rubbed his chin, his mind consumed with a new problem.

Blair smiled, remembering the habit from the old days. How many times had he taken her for dinner and started talking about his work, only to end up scratching diagrams on napkins and completely forgetting his surroundings?

“Gabe?” He turned from his perusal out her window, his eyes far away. “This is exactly what I mean. Just when you’re in the middle of something, Daniel will come and ask you to play. Or Mac will need help with something. Or Willie will burst into your room and relay some insight that sends everything else out of your brain. This isn’t your L.A. condo. You won’t be able to get into your jet and take off to some spa in the valley whenever you want. Parenthood is a full-time occupation.”

He smiled, a huge, ear-splitting grin that begged her to share his exhilaration. “I know I’ll have to make some adjustments.” He rubbed his palms together as if he could hardly wait. “But I’ll get used to it.”

Blair scrambled for another route to dissuade him, frantically searching her brain. It was obvious Gabe was considering the idea of a family. She’d never have guessed that, and the knowledge made her question what other facets she’d missed in this complicated man.

“What would you expect from me? I mean, I’ve never been married, but I know I don’t want to do it more than once. I couldn’t do that to Daniel.” She risked a glimpse at his face. “After all, we’re not in love or anything. It wouldn’t be the usual marriage.”

Blair rearranged the items on the top of her desk again, her mind veering from the question she most wanted to ask.

“Blair?” He stood beside the desk, his hand stretched toward her. “Stop babbling and come here.”

Blair looked at the floor, at her scuffed boots, at the messy desk, at her ragged fingernails. She looked everywhere she could until, finally, she looked at him. Then she slipped her hand into his and allowed him to draw her near him. Gabe’s other hand clasped hers as he looked deeply into her eyes.

“It’s not just Daniel I want,” he murmured, his voice rippling over her taut nerves. “I think…I want all of it.” He swallowed hard, his chest bulging as he took a deep breath.

“All of what?” She couldn’t believe she was hearing this.

“I’d like the chance to find out what being a family means. I’m thirty-five, Blair. I know for sure what I don’t want, and I think I know what I want. I’m willing—no, excited about making us into a family, including your grandfather, your aunt, even Albert. The more the merrier, as far as I’m concerned. I never had that, and I’d like to experience it. I’d like to prove that I’m not the selfish, egocentric swine my father was.”

“But—” His fingers brushed over her lips, and Blair immediately ceased speaking. This was important. She had to hear what he was about to say. His voice was faint, hesitant.

“You have to understand something. I don’t need anyone, Blair. I can go on with my life the way it was, and I’ll be just fine. I could give you money, support you and Daniel, and you’d probably do a bang-up job of raising him.” He made a sad little face. “But I don’t want to do that. It would be like walking away, wimping out when I know I owe you both more than that.”

He shifted, raked a hand through his shorn hair. Clearly the words made him nervous.

“I don’t understand this family thing you’ve got going here. It’s not part of my experience. You say I’ve missed out, that I don’t understand. I’d like to. I’d like to be the kind of man your grandfather is. I’d like to have Daniel look at me the way he looks at Mac—as if the sun rises and sets on his shoulders.” His hands gripped hers.

“It’s hard to explain, but I’d like to give the boy the things a father should, even though I don’t know what those are. I want to be there to see him grow up and explore his world.” His fingers tightened. “I’m not stupid. I can learn how to be a father. Maybe Mac will even help me. Just don’t shut me out, Blair.”

She hesitated, her mind swirling with doubts. “I don’t know.” He was obviously sincere, she could see that. But for how long?

“Please, Blair, give me a chance. Just say you’ll think about getting married. I can wait, as long as you’ll let me stay and get to know him. We can sort all the rest out as we go along. I promise I won’t rush you, I won’t push you, I won’t abandon you. I just want to share Daniel with you.”

Stymied by his admission of need when he’d just insisted he didn’t need anyone, Blair sought for something to say. It was tempting, so tempting. To be able to share Willie’s medical bills with someone who could shoulder them, to have some of the burden of her money woes lifted, to know Daniel wouldn’t be short-changed because of her childish mistake—it was all there for the taking.

Maybe it could work. Maybe she could have someone to talk to, to share the problems with. Maybe Gabe could be the man she needed, the father Daniel wanted. Maybe she just had to ask.

And that was the problem. Blair didn’t ask for help. Not anymore. She was the one in charge, the person other people depended on. She couldn’t relax that guard.

What was it he’d said? Share it with you. He’d sounded so forlorn, as if he’d never been able to share with anyone. And yet Gabe had been a member of the church, always chaired, hosted and funded a horde of projects, even spoken occasionally to the men’s groups.

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