Page 2 of An Alaskan Twin Surprise (Home to Owl Creek 2)

“W-When did you get home?” He blurted out the question as his mind whirled with a dozen or so more inquiries he wanted to hurl at her. All things considered, this seemed like a safe thing to ask.

“A little while ago,” she answered in a low voice. “It was a long trip from Denver.”

She was shifting from one foot to another and casting nervous glances over her shoulder. Denver! So that’s where she’d landed. He’d heard rumors about her whereabouts on more than a few occasions. Hawaii. Seattle. Wyoming. Her mother had always remained tight-lipped on the subject, seemingly unwilling to disclose such information to Gabriel. After a while he hadn’t even wanted to know such detailed facts about the woman he’d been desperate to forget.

“Who flew you in?” he asked, battling feelings of betrayal. He knew everyone in the local plane community, and he couldn’t think of a single one who wouldn’t have given him a heads-up regarding Rachel’s return. They wouldn’t have wanted him to be blindsided in this manner since everyone in town knew their tangled history.

“We flew to Anchorage, then took the ferry over,” she explained.

We. The word immediately put him on edge, causing his body to stiffen. Had Rachel come back with a husband or a fiancé?

Despite his frequent trips to her childhood home to bring Helene medicine and groceries, they never talked about the woman he’d once planned to marry. Rachel had always been a taboo topic of conversation, and he had no idea whether she’d moved on in her life and found the happiness he hadn’t been able to give her. Frankly, he didn’t want to know. She was a part of the past he’d been trying to stuff down for the last few years.

“So, what brings you here?” Rachel’s gaze drifted toward the bag he was holding in his arms. She seemed nervous. He imagined she was feeling just as awkward as he was.

“I’ve been bringing supplies by and taking your mom to appointments when I can swing it,” he explained. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been of much help lately due to his hectic work schedule. But moving forward, he intended to spend a lot more time here due to his promise to help Helene with a home-renovation project. However, that might prove to be incredibly awkward due to Rachel’s unexpected presence at the house.

Her expression registered surprise. “That’s really nice of you. The two of you were always so close. Mama didn’t mention a word about it though.” She knitted her brows together, as if trying to process the information he’d just provided.

He shrugged. “It’s the least I could do. She has a few friends stopping by along with Pastor Zeke and the visiting nurse, but it must get lonely out here since she’s all by herself.”

Rachel visibly bristled. He’d only been stating the facts, but his words were probably sounding like judgment to her ears. He had unwittingly poked at a sensitive subject.

“I only recently found out she was sick. She didn’t tell Neil either. I came as soon as I could make plans to take leave from my job and sublet my condo.”

Gabriel nodded. “I’m sure she’s grateful. She’d never admit it, but I think she’s missed you a lot.”

“You’re right about that,” Rachel muttered under her breath. “She would never say those words to me in a million years.”

Gabriel kept quiet. He had no intention of getting involved in any drama that might break out between Rachel and Helene. In the past he had refereed a multitude of misunderstandings and squabbles between them. Amidst all the dysfunction he’d always known there was tremendous love. Otherwise, Rachel wouldn’t be standing here right now.

“Well,” he said, letting out a deeply held breath, “I should bring these things to her. Is she in the living room?” Rachel nodded, then reached out and held on to the sleeve of his coat.

“Gabriel. There’s something I should tell you,” she said, her tone sounding urgent.

He held up his hand. “Rachel, it’s all water under the bridge. There’s really nothing we have to talk about after all this time. Anything you want to say should have been said years ago. I just swung by to bring these items to Helene and chat with her for a bit.”

Bitterness whipped through him. When he’d wanted to talk things over with her three years ago, Rachel’s response had been to skip out on him a few days before their wedding. She’d left him nothing more than a hastily scribbled note saying she couldn’t marry him. All attempts to reach her had been rebuffed. She had effectively cut him out of her world. His devastation had been complete. Making matters worse, the entire town had pitied him. His sense of self-worth had plummeted, and it had been a long time before he’d been able to look folks in the eye. Whatever Rachel wanted to get off her chest was several years too late!

“It’s really important.” Her brown eyes beseeched him to listen. A shudder went through him. The last time she’d had this expression on her face had been after his plane crash. The sense of urgency in her tone couldn’t be ignored.

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out from the other room. Rachel shut her eyes and let out a groan. More cries followed. It sounded like a baby wailing. Was Helene blasting the television? He didn’t even remember there being one in the living room.

A funny feeling washed over him. All of his nerve endings were on fire. The sounds appeared to be growing louder by the second. “What is that noise?” he asked.

Rachel bit her lip. “I didn’t come here alone, Gabriel. I brought my babies with me.”

* * *

Gabriel’s eyes widened. She saw it all—shock, disbelief and complete, utter amazement etched on his handsome tawny-colored face. Her stomach felt tied up in knots.

“Your babies?” he asked, a frown marring his perfect forehead. He was clearly having a hard time absorbing her words despite the fact that the cries were increasing in volume.

“Yes, I have two little girls. And I really need to see to them,” she explained before turning on her heel and making a beeline to the living room. By the time she entered the room her mother had picked up Lizzy and was rocking her on her lap. Faith was still in her carrier squealing up a storm. Rachel scooped Lizzy up from her mother’s arms, unsure as to whether Helene had the strength to hold her.

“I was doing fine,” her mother groused. “I wouldn’t have dropped her.”

“They’re pretty sturdy babies. I didn’t want to overtax you,” she explained. It hadn’t taken her mother long to complain. She wondered if Helene just enjoyed pushing her buttons.

---