The Firefighter Daddy

“I’m locking up your bikes for the next week. No television, either. When you two disappeared like that, it scared Aunt Betty and me. We didn’t know what had happened to you.”

“But we’re sorry and won’t do it again. Promise,” Madison said in a whiny voice.

Liam locked gazes with his eldest niece in the rearview mirror. “I’m glad, because next time I would have to take the bikes away for a month.”

Katie’s eyes grew round. “A month!”

“Daddy would never do that,” Madison added.

After pulling into his driveway, Liam gripped the steering wheel until his hands ached. When Madison was really upset, she would invoke his brother. He didn’t have a response to that. The mention of his brother just brought forth his sorrow once again at losing his only sibling and his inadequacies as a father figure.

Would he ever be able to follow in his brother’s footsteps?

Chapter Three (#ulink_f94aa653-c65e-5ee8-81da-94cebe57c7a3)

After church on Sunday, Sarah changed into capri jeans and a T-shirt imprinted with a photo of Gabe then headed toward the garage to pick up the flat of pink impatiens she would plant under the shade of the oak tree. The day was too beautiful to spend inside. She relished her two days off. She worked hard, but she loved relaxing and gardening. She didn’t cook much, but she could spend hours in the yard.

As she knelt on the ground under the tree, she turned the soil over, preparing to put the flowers in. Gabe sat beside her. But when the back door swung open, he stood, his tail wagging. She glanced behind her.

Madison and Katie, carrying pieces of construction paper, scurried down the stairs and made a beeline for her Lab. Then Sarah caught sight of Liam coming outside, her mom remaining in the doorway. Sarah’s heartbeat kicked up a notch as it had done earlier when she’d glimpsed Liam coming into the church service late, his nieces flanking him. They’d sat in the back and left before she could welcome them. It had been the first time she’d seen him at the later service.

As the girls greeted Gabe, Liam cut the distance between them, grinning as he looked at his nieces, the papers in their hands plummeting to the grass.

Sarah rose. “What brings you by?”

He smiled at her. “After church, the girls had an idea to make cards telling you and Aunt Betty how sorry they were. We just came from my aunt’s house.”

“So that’s what they have with them.” Sarah winced when Gabe stepped on the card Katie had just dropped.

Katie snatched the card from the ground and tried to smooth it out, but there was a long tear in it. Her lower lip puckered as she stared at her work of art. Then she glanced at Sarah. “It’s supposed to be for you.” Her bottom lip stuck out even more as she handed it to Sarah. “I’m sorry.”

“I love pictures of flowers. How did you know that?”

Katie shrugged. “I was gonna draw Gabe, but I didn’t have time.”

“I did.” Madison placed her card on top of her sister’s. “My teacher says I draw good.”

Sarah quickly held one picture with the words “I am sorry” across the top of the construction paper in her left hand and the other in her right. “What a great idea! Thank you.”

Katie thrust her shoulders back while Madison beamed.

Sarah peered at Liam. “Can you stay for some cookies? Mom made chocolate chip when she came home from church.”

“Yes!” the two girls said in unison.

Liam chuckled. “I’d have a riot on my hands if I turned your invitation down.”

Madison moved forward, her attention shifting between Liam and Sarah before she asked, “Can we play with Gabe?”

“That’s for your uncle to decide.”

“For a little while.” As Katie ran across the yard to pick up a tennis ball, Madison hurried after her while Liam added, “I didn’t mean for our visit to interrupt what you’re doing.”

“The ground is ready. All I have to do is plant the impatiens. That won’t take long. Besides, they’re doing me a favor. Gabe could spend all afternoon running after that ball. After fifteen minutes my arm gets tired. This way everyone is happy.” She removed her garden gloves and started for the house. “I’ll bring some lemonade, too.”

When she entered the kitchen, her mother was in the middle of the room, her hands on her waist, facing her grandmother. “Today isn’t a work day, Mama.”

Sarah glanced at her grandmother, dressed in the hat she usually wore to the salon as well as one of her plain dresses that had become her uniform when at work.

“Yes, it is, Tina. If we don’t hurry, I’m going to be late. I have a shampoo to do. I don’t like to keep Marge waiting.”

“We went to church this morning. It’s Sunday.” Sarah’s mother’s voice rose.

Nana shook her head. “We didn’t. I would remember that.” She pointed at the calendar on the side of the refrigerator. “I checked that. Today is Saturday, April 2.” She tapped the date. “See it hasn’t been crossed out yet.”

“Nana, I forgot to mark off yesterday. Sorry.” Sarah took a black marker and slashed an X through the date. “A friend and his two nieces are here to visit. The same ones who rescued Gabe this week. Why don’t you come out and have some lemonade and chocolate-chip cookies with us?”

For a few seconds confusion clouded Nana’s eyes before she switched her attention to Sarah’s mom uncovering the cookies. Chocolate chip was her favorite kind. “I guess so. If you’re sure this isn’t Saturday.”

Sarah nodded. “I’m going outside on the deck. Madison and Katie are playing with Gabe.”

“I need my floppy hat and to change into long sleeves. I can’t be in the sun too much.” Nana glanced once more at the calendar then left the kitchen.

“I’ll bring it out, hon. Go entertain your guests.” Her mother reached into the refrigerator, pulled out the pitcher of lemonade and set it on the counter.

Sarah started to protest, knowing exactly what her mom was doing—trying to put them together. Then she realized the uselessness in attempting to explain. She’d just met Liam, and he was dealing with a lot right now. He might not be the biological father of the girls, but he was a good father—the type she would like for her own children. She gasped. That thought came unbidden into her mind and took her by surprise. She certainly wasn’t hunting for a husband right now.

“Is something wrong, Sarah?” Her mother retrieved some plastic glasses from the cabinet.

Sarah crossed to the back door. “No.” Especially if she made sure to keep those kinds of thoughts to herself. That would be all she needed if her mother thought she was interested in Liam. If she’d learned one thing coming back to Buffalo, it was that her running away from her hometown after Peter had died had only delayed her dealing with his death.

Outside she joined Liam, who sat on the deck steps. “By the time I came out of the church service this morning, you and the girls were gone.”

“We would have gone to the early service with Aunt Betty, but Madison kept changing her clothes. She had to look a certain way. A lot of her friends attend there. Do you always go to the eleven o’clock one?”

“Yes. I can’t get going much earlier than that.” As Sarah lifted her arms to rest them on her thighs, she touched Liam’s. Her breath caught. She should have sat on the bottom stair instead of next to him, but she hated having to twist around to talk to him and then back to watch the girls and Gabe.

“I have to admit when I arrived at Aunt Betty’s at eight this morning, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. We had to fight a fire in the middle of the night. I thought of having them just go with Aunt Betty, but after the stunt they pulled yesterday, she needed some time without them. We went home so I could change from my uniform, and Madison decided to change her outfit five times. I’m not sure if she was stalling or what, but I was determined we would get to church even if we went to the later one and I was exhausted. Gareth always took them and, when I’m not on duty, I try to do what he did.”

“Did you get any sleep?”

“An hour. I’ll be going to bed at the same time they do tonight. I’m still working on getting this daddy gig down.”

She thought he was doing a good job, considering six months ago he had been a bachelor with no children. Taking on a ready-made family overnight wouldn’t be easy for anyone. When a husband and wife had a baby, they had nine months to prepare. Liam hadn’t had any time. “I could watch the girls for a few hours while you catch up on some sleep. I could have them help me plant some flowers, and then we could go to the park with Gabe.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t. I volunteered.”