His Answered Prayer

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.”