The Firefighter Daddy (7 page)

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

* * *

Sarah sat behind her steering wheel, watching Liam and Brandon leave the parking lot at the restaurant. When she asked about his participation in the bachelor auction, she sensed she'd hit upon a touchy subject. The date must not have gone well. At least he'd only had to go out once with the woman and, as he'd said, it had been for a good cause.

She checked the clock on the dashboard and hurriedly started her engine. Her next appointment at the salon sometimes came early and hated being kept waiting.

Ten minutes later she pulled up at the back of the shop. Nana sat on the stoop, watching Sammy eating the food she'd put out for him. Her grandmother loved this part of the day. Maybe Sarah would talk to her mom about checking into the allergy shots and coming up with a way to keep at least one kitten. Having a pet was good for a person. She'd realized that when Peter died. Gabe had gotten her through some bad times.

“Hi, Nana. Is Sammy letting you pet him yet?”

Her grandmother tilted her head and studied the white tomcat. “Not yet. But I'm patient. Today I've got a treat on the step next to me.”

“Good strategy. Get him used to you. It might work.”

“You know the white kitten looks like Sammy except for that one smattering of black on his tail. I think I'll call him Junior.”

Sarah leaned down and kissed Nana's cheek. “I love you. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen until my client comes.”

“That's good. I came out here because Betty is here and complaining about her aches and pains. She's younger than I am, but the way she's been carrying on, you would think she was older.” Nana shook her head and held up the treat for Sammy to see where she placed it. “She might take one of your kittens. She saw the poster and asked about them.”

Great. If she could get Brandon to take one for his boys, Liam to take one for his nieces, one for the lady coming this weekend as well as Nana, that would mean all of them would have a home. Then she wouldn't have to worry. As she entered, the sound of her mother and Liam's aunt Betty talking drew her toward the main part of the salon.

“Why, Tina, you're downright devious. What if your daughter finds out what you did?”

Sarah stopped and ducked back into the kitchen before the two women saw her. What had her mother done?

“I made Captain Pierce promise he wouldn't tell Liam I called and requested he be on the fund-raiser committee. I've got to do something, or Sarah will be an old maid.”

Old maid? Not possible.
I
'
ve already been married
.

“I want grandchildren, and she isn't getting any younger.”

Embarrassment seared into Sarah's cheeks. She was only twenty-eight not forty-eight.

She was about to interrupt their conversation when Betty said, “I don't know how much longer I can care for the girls. It takes the two days Liam is around to recuperate from having them for twenty-four hours. Don't get me wrong—they're sweet kids. But for Gareth I would watch them a couple of hours until he came home from work. That was so much easier.”

Poor Liam. No wonder he was extra careful not to cause his aunt any more work than what she was doing.

“If we could get Sarah and Liam together, that would solve both our problems,” her mother said over the sound of the blow-dryer.

Sarah's marital status was
not
her mom's problem. She balled her hands, her fingernails stabbing her palms.

“Yes, hopefully by summer, when Madison and Katie are out of school.”

Her mother chuckled. “Then we have our work cut out for us.”

“I'm going to see if I can get the girls to help. Those poor children need a mother.”

The bell over the front door rang, indicating someone was coming into the shop.

While her mother greeted Sarah's next client, she took several deep breaths to restrain herself from charging into the room and confronting her mom and Betty. A minute later she entered the shop as her client took the chair in Sarah's booth. She decided not to let her mother know she had overheard her talking with Betty.

Not until she talked with Liam.

* * *

Late Wednesday afternoon Sarah pulled into her garage with Nana. Her last client had canceled, so she'd left the salon early. She needed to talk with Liam about what she'd overheard yesterday. She hoped he and the girls were still here. Her grandmother was functioning well and could keep an eye on Madison and Katie playing with the kittens.

All last night she'd kept tossing and turning, rehashing the conversation between Mom and Betty.

She wasn't ready to date. Although she had dated a little in Tulsa, returning to Buffalo had made her feel as though the accident had happened recently. She didn't know if she should have a talk with her mother or just ignore all her plotting. Maybe Liam could figure out what to do.

The sound of the car door opening pulled Sarah away from her dilemma. Nana swung her legs around to stand.

“Wait, Nana. I'll help you.”

“Nonsense, Sarah. I'm perfectly capable of getting out of the car on my own. If I could just get Tina to understand I can, just at a slower pace.” Nana gripped the seat and door frame and pulled herself upright. “See. I'm not totally falling apart.”

“She doesn't think that.”

“Hogwash. I haven't forgotten how to walk. I can walk circles around her.”

Sarah pressed her lips together to keep from chuckling at the image popping into her mind. When she unlocked the door to the house, she let Nana go in first then followed her. She immediately hurried to the back window in the alcove and spied Liam and the girls. She sighed.

“Nana, can you watch Madison and Katie while I have a word with Liam privately?” She looked over her shoulder at her grandmother with her hat on and her purse hooked over her lower arm.

A twinkle lit her blue eyes. “I will, and I won't even tell Tina you wanted to talk to Liam alone. It'll just fuel her meddling.”

“Why do you say that?”

“My hearing is just fine, too. I heard her and Betty Colton talking about getting you and Liam together. Tina doesn't realize how loud she is at times.”

Sarah closed the space between them and hugged her. “You're the best. Thanks!”

Her grandmother set her purse on the kitchen counter, removed her hat and started for the door to the deck. “I'll sit under the oak while they play. Those two are adorable, but something is bothering that older one. What's her name?”

“Madison. And I think so, too.”

When Sarah stepped onto the deck with Nana, Liam swiveled around. Surprise widened his eyes as his gaze tracked slowly down her, as though making sure she was all right. His perusal left her slightly breathless.

“The youngest is Katie,” Sarah whispered in a raspy voice to her grandmother as they descended the stairs to the yard.

Liam checked his watch as he walked toward them. “You're home early. I thought for a second we'd overstayed our visit, which, with those two, wouldn't be that hard. They are masters at delay tactics.”

Nana smiled. “It's nice to see you again, young man. I'm sitting over there.” She gestured toward the folding chairs under the big oak tree.

“I need to talk to you—” Sarah took his hand and pulled him toward the deck “—out of earshot of a couple of little girls.”

“This sounds serious. Have we been kicked off the committee?”

“In your dreams. No, this is about my mother and your aunt.”

“Oh.” He stretched his long legs out in front of him as he settled into a chair on the deck.

Too charged to sit, more from his look earlier, Sarah remained standing. “Nana is watching the kids while we talk, but to be on the safe side we should probably stay nearby.”

“How's she doing?”

“Today was great. On Monday, Mom took her to the doctor. He sees Nana every three months. He changed her medication. Yesterday was a good day, too. Maybe this new medicine will help her.”

“So what's going on with your mother and my aunt?”

Sarah glanced over her shoulder to make sure the girls were at the rear of the yard, playing with the kittens. Gabe stood nearby, keeping an eye on the babies, which he'd decided was his role in their lives. “When I went back to the shop yesterday, Betty was getting her weekly wash and set. I came in the back way, and they didn't know I was there or I'm sure they wouldn't have been talking about us.”

His eyebrows slashed downward. “Us?”

“We're on the committee because Mom orchestrated it. Once she had me taking her place, she called your captain and asked him to assign you to be one of the firefighters working on the fund-raiser.”

Liam's expression went blank for a few seconds, then storm clouds brewed in his eyes. “How does Aunt Betty fit in?”

“My mother was recruiting her to help get us together. She gladly joined forces to see us as a couple.”

The firm set of his jaw emphasized the tic in his cheek. “I should have hired someone to keep the girls rather than continue having Aunt Betty watching them. I didn't—still don't—want to disrupt their routine any more than I have to. What do we do?”

Sarah finally sat next to him. “I don't know. It's all I've been thinking about.”

“We can't quit the committee, and I really don't want to. Once I make a commitment, I stick with it.”

“Me, too. I just hate being manipulated by Mom.”

“Okay. We're on the committee and now know what's going on. Just because they wish it, doesn't make it true.”

“Right,” Sarah said, and yet for a few seconds she wondered what it would be like dating Liam. He certainly was good-looking. But the quality she liked in him the best was his caring nature. “Should I have a talk with Mom about this?”

“Beats me. I'm still trying to figure out my nieces. Madison's birthday is in a couple of weeks, and I'm not sure what to do. I've never planned a birthday party for a little girl.”

“I'll help you. I haven't, either, but I was a little girl once. It'll be fun. When is it?”

“April 23. It's a Saturday and I'm scheduled to work. I'll check to see if I can trade a shift with someone on the Friday before.”

“If you can't, we can have the party on Sunday afternoon.”

“I don't want to miss Madison's birthday.”

“You won't if we do it that way.”

He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I mean the actual day, especially the first one with her dad gone. Birthdays in my family were always important. I'm sure they were that way with Gareth. I've gotten photos of some of his productions.”

“Oh. Like what?”

“A bouncy house. A magician to do tricks for the guests.”

“This is how you celebrate your birthday?”

“Not anymore. I was never as big about it as my younger brother. How about you?”

“We went out to dinner and I had a cake. Occasionally, I had girlfriends over to spend the night. Mom doesn't even want her birthday acknowledged.”

He laughed. “We were raised on two different planets.”

Sarah scanned the backyard. Nana was with the girls, holding the almost-all-white kitten. She was definitely going to talk to her mother about keeping that one. Once it was big enough, it could be outside most of the time. “What would you like to do for Madison?”

“Something a little different, but I'm not sure what.”

“Let me think about it.” She already had some ideas but didn't want to say anything until she did some checking to see if she could pull it off. She would have to rebook her standing Saturday appointments, too.

“You know we still haven't come up with what to do about your mother and my aunt.”

“Again, let me think about it. I don't want her to think she can manipulate me in the future, but she's always been one determined woman.”

“And now that we know what she's up to, we can throw up roadblocks until she gets the message.”

“That might work, but my mom really wants grandchildren. She wanted a house full of kids, but couldn't have any more after I was born. I could say I was brainwashed from an early age, but not really because I love children and want to be a mother.”

For a few seconds she thought about telling him how her miscarriage had affected her, but that she hadn't given up hope she would have a family one day—just as soon as she worked her way through her grief.

“I do, too, that's why—”

“Katie, get down from there. You're gonna fall,” Madison shouted from behind the shed, a frantic ring in her voice.

Chapter Six

L
iam leaped to his feet and, with a quick visual sweep of the yard, took in Madison standing near a large crab apple tree, holding two kittens and staring up. Nana, holding two other kittens, approached his eldest niece. As he charged down the steps, he couldn't see Katie or the fifth one in the litter.

“Where is Katie?” he shouted when he was halfway to Madison.

Turning to him, she pointed to the crab apple. Tears streaked down her face. “One of the kitties got away from us, and she went after it. I didn't know it was up in the tree.”

As Sarah joined Liam, he scanned the flowering branches and spotted Katie near the top. His heartbeat thumped rapidly against his chest for a few seconds before he went into firefighter mode, as if an emergency was part of his life every day.

“Katie, stay where you are.” He headed toward the base of the tree, glancing at Madison. “She'll be okay and so will the kitten.”

Sarah slipped her arm around Madison, who leaned against her, still crying.

“But I can't get to Blackie. She's scared,” Katie said over the cries from the stuck kitty. “Uncle Liam, she's the one I like the bestest.”

“I know.” The crab apple was nearly thirty feet tall and twenty-to twenty-five-feet wide. Liam assessed the weight the branches between him and Katie could take. “You come down, and I'll get Blackie.”

“I can't. She'll get scared. She's shaking.”

All he saw for a moment was the fear in Katie's eyes, her teeth digging into her lower lip. “Stay still, then. I'm going to get a ladder.”

“Please hurry. I don't want her to fall. I was paying attention to another kitten and didn't see her leave.”

He had a ladder at home, but maybe Sarah had one. “I'll be right back.” Liam motioned to Sarah.

She slipped her arm from Madison and hurried to him. “There's a ladder in the garage that I use to clean the gutters. It might work,” she said before he could ask.

“Can you keep an eye on her? I'll get it and be right back.” He already started for the back door, knowing that both of his nieces were in good hands with Sarah.

He quickly found the twelve-foot ladder, hoisted it against his side, punched the garage door open and hastened around to the backyard. Gabe sat between Nana and Madison, who moved closer to the tree, all of them talking to Katie.

As he reached the tree, Sarah sat on the bottom limb, a few feet closer to Katie. “I got stuck in a tree once. A kid dared me to go all the way to the top. I got halfway and a branch I held snapped off. I clung to the tree until help came.”

Liam settled the ladder against the other side of the crab apple where it fit better as Katie asked, “Did you ever climb trees again?”

“Yes, but only when I was sure it was big enough for me. That's why I'm staying on this bottom branch. The upper ones might not hold my weight like it will for you.”

The fear he'd seen in Katie's eyes had faded as she held on to the main trunk of the crab apple. The kitten's cries still filled the air, spurring him faster before either one did something dangerous. From his side he climbed a few feet higher as his youngest niece's gaze latched on to him.

When he reached the last rung of the ladder, he smiled at Katie. “It's been a while since I've been up in a tree. It's like looking out your bedroom window on the second floor.”

Katie turned her head from side to side. “I don't like it. Too high.”

“I'm going to help you scootch around to the ladder. Once you're on the ground, I'll get Blackie.”

“She's scared like I am.” Inch by inch Katie came around to the other side of the tree then set one foot on the branch near the ladder.

While Sarah and Madison held the ladder steady at the bottom, Liam poised halfway on the ladder and the biggest limb nearby. “Give me your hand.”

Katie clutched a close branch while she reached for Liam's fingers. When he clasped her, she edged forward.

“You're almost there. A few more inches,” he said, guiding her toward the ladder.

Katie grasped the top rung, swung around and placed one foot on it. Liam adjusted his hold so if she slipped he could grip her better and prevent her from falling. Katie glanced down, and her eyes widened.

“Katie, look at me. Sarah is holding the ladder still. Put your other foot on it then your hands.”

Slowly his niece did as he said and clung to the ladder.

“I knew you could do it. Now go down to Sarah, and I'll get Blackie.”

When Katie was close to the ground, she hopped off the ladder and shouted, “I did it. Get Blackie, Uncle Liam. Please.” Then she fell into Sarah's arms and hugged her.

Liam's gaze linked with Sarah's and for a brief moment the world fell away and they were the only two people around. He wanted to get to know her better. Not only did animals respond to her, his nieces did, too. She had so much to offer.

“Uncle Liam,” Katie called out, pulling away from Sarah and peering up at him, “don't forget Blackie.”

He blinked several times and swiveled toward the kitten on a thin branch about a yard away from him. He held out his hand and said in a coaxing voice, “Come on, Blackie. You can get down.”

The kitty looked around then issued a loud cry.

“Okay, then I'll come up there.” Liam inspected the branches surrounding Blackie and decided one was thick enough to hold his 180 pounds. He hoped.

He reached for a limb above to help steady him as he climbed. Then he looked around for another so his weight would be distributed. When he found one bigger than a pinkie finger, he started his ascent. As he searched for a foothold, he put more downward pressure on the branch he held in his right hand.

Snap.

He teetered on the limb while grasping for another one to hold.

The sound of gasps drifted up from below.

“I'm okay.” He stabilized himself and took a deep, composing breath.

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”

Katie sobbed the words, ripping his heart in two. “Honey, you have nothing to be sorry about.” He glanced down at her to reassure her. Both girls' arms were wrapped around Sarah while Gabe and her grandmother kept an eye on the other four kittens.

He hated to think how the girls would take it if something happened to Blackie.
Lord, I need Your help. Please.

He reassessed the path he needed to take. At least Blackie was terrified enough that she wasn't moving. Again he began talking to the kitten in a soft, soothing voice as he shifted direction and scaled the tree from the other side. Finally he made it to within an arm's length of Blackie.

“See, I told you I would get you. Stay still while I reach for you.”

Blackie quieted her cries and listened as Liam continued to reassure her while at the same time leaning toward her and plucking the kitten from the branch. Sagging with relief, he cradled the soft ball of fur to his chest.

An idea popped into his head. He unbuttoned his shirt partway and placed Blackie between it and his chest. He felt the sharp dig of the kitten's claws and stroked his hand down her back.

“You're okay. Stay there and we'll both be on the ground in a minute.” He prayed his calm words would convey the right message.

As he scrambled to the ladder, Blackie settled down and retracted her claws. When his feet touched the ground, his nieces swarmed him. He withdrew the kitten from under his shirt and knelt in front of Katie, putting the kitty into her hands.

She took Blackie then plastered herself against him. “You are the bestest, Uncle Liam. Thank you.”

“Sweetheart, next time come get me.”

“I will. I promise.” Katie gave him a kiss on his cheek and then took Blackie to see the others.

Sarah stepped to his side. “I'm glad that lady is coming this Sunday to take one of them. Less to keep an eye on. That happened fast.”

“With kids it often does—at least, that's what I'm discovering.” His right hand hurt, and he looked at it. “I didn't even realize I'd scraped my hand on a branch.”

Sarah took hold of him. “Let me get something to clean that.”

“You don't have to. We need to leave soon, anyway.”

“It's no problem. It's the least I can do. You're helping me with these kittens.” She started for the house. “Be back in a sec.”

Inside Sarah closed the kitchen door, leaned back against it and dropped her head. She stared at her shaking hands. When Liam had slipped and had to catch his balance, her heart had plummeted. Seeing him almost get injured only reinforced in her mind that she wasn't ready to put herself out there emotionally again to marry. She didn't want to lose another man she loved.

As she made her way to the bathroom to fetch the peroxide and a Band-Aid for his palm, she couldn't stop visualizing him falling out of the tree and hitting the hard ground. She gripped the counter and stared at her reflection: white as a sheet, a haunted look in her eyes. She could love this man if she wasn't careful. When she'd first met Peter in high school, she'd known they would marry.

She shook the thoughts from her mind. She'd just met Liam last week.

She grabbed her first-aid supplies and hurried to the backyard.

When she stepped onto the deck, Nana was talking with Liam. Next to Katie, Madison jumped to her feet.

“You are such a baby. How can you be so stupid?” Madison screamed, her hands clenched at her sides.

“No, I'm not,” Katie yelled back, tears streaming down her face.

Liam turned toward Madison. “Maybe it's time for us to go.”

Madison glared at her uncle. “I hate you all.” She ran toward the gate.

Sarah tried to stop her, but she didn't move fast enough. “I'll go get her.”

Halfway across the yard, Liam said, “It's my problem. I'll find her.”

As he passed her she touched his arm and whispered, “I'll calm Katie down.”

“I appreciate it. Right now I don't know what else to do for Madison.”

The defeat in his voice tore at her heart. She cupped his hand and looked into his sad eyes. “Love her and be there for her like our Lord is for us. Be the father she needs.”

He squeezed her hand then continued his trek toward the gate.

Sarah sent up a prayer for Liam.
He needs You, God
.
Help him say the right words to Madison.

As Sarah joined Katie, still sobbing, Nana held four kittens in her lap with Gabe sitting in front of her. Katie had Blackie cradled against her chest.

Sarah sat cross-legged on the ground next to the little girl and put her arm around her shoulders. She didn't say anything as Katie struggled to stop crying.

“She's mean,” the child said between sniffles. “I wish I didn't have a sister.”

“You know, I always wanted a sister. It got kinda lonely being an only child. I had to play by myself a lot.”

“Yeah, we used to play together all the time.”

“What happened?”

Katie shrugged. “She's always mad now.”

“What about you?”

“At her.”

“Anyone else?”

Katie tilted her head toward Sarah, her forehead wrinkled. “This boy at school. He teases me on the playground.”

“Why are you mad at her? Anything else besides yelling at you today?”

“She's always telling me I'm stupid.” Katie lifted her chin. “I'm not stupid.”

“No, you aren't. When a person is mad, she sometimes will say things she doesn't mean to someone she loves.”

“But why?”

“Because she's upset about something.”

“Daddy?”

“Maybe.”

“She cries about him, especially at night.”

“Have you told your uncle about that?”

Katie shook her head. “She'll get more mad at me.”

“Why don't you try this? When Madison gets mad at you, ask Jesus to help her.”

“Will He?”

“Yes. He doesn't like seeing people hurting.”

Katie grinned and cuddled against Sarah, whose heart swelled at the warmth from this sweet girl. In that moment Sarah realized how much Katie and Madison meant to her.

* * *

In front of Sarah's house, Liam looked up and down the street. Where would Madison go when she was upset? Home? Aunt Betty's? Then he remembered a place at the park she'd discovered on Monday while putting up posters and thought would be a perfect fort to play in. He would check there first then the other two places.

Five minutes later he spied the large shrubbery and jogged toward it. When he reached it, he knelt and stuck his head through the opening. Madison huddled in a corner, her legs drawn up and clasped against her chest.

“Go away.”

“No.”

“I'm not gonna talk to you.” She set her mouth in a stubborn line he knew all too well.

“That's okay.” Liam crawled under the vegetation, perfect for kids to fit through, not so much for a man six foot four. He hunched his shoulders and settled in the widest space across from Madison.

She laid her head on her knees and peered away for five minutes before she straightened and gave him a glare. “Ever since you came, my life has been—” tears welled in her eyes “—awful. Daddy's gone. Everything is different.”

Liam sighed. Madison admitting this out loud was a step in the right direction. Usually she told him he wasn't her father and stomped away. And each time his own grief over his brother's death pierced his heart as it did Madison's.

“I know how you feel.”

“How? You aren't me.”

“Since I got the call about his death, my life has changed. Your daddy was my brother. I loved him very much. When we were kids, he was my best friend. He was only a couple of years younger—like you and Katie.”

Madison chewed on her bottom lip. “She could have hurt herself bad today or...” She swiveled her head to stare through the branches.