Page 3 of An Alaskan Twin Surprise (Home to Owl Creek 2)

“That sounded like Gabriel at the door. Where is he?” Helene asked, craning her neck as her eyes focused on the entryway.

Rachel shook her head. She had the feeling her mother had known full well that Gabriel would arrive at the house and come face-to-face with her and the twins. Hadn’t Gabriel mentioned he’d been coming by regularly? Surely his visit wasn’t a surprise to Helene?

Rachel heard footsteps behind her. When she turned around, Gabriel was standing in the threshold looking extremely uncomfortable. He was shifting from one foot to the other with the bag still held tightly in his hands. His gaze was focused on the twins.

“Gabriel!” Helene called out. Her entire face lit up with joy. Rachel couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. How she wished her mother would look at her with such blatant adoration. But growing up in Owl Creek alongside Gabriel had always made her aware of his status as the town’s favorite son. Some things would never change, she realized. His goodness radiated like the sun.

“Good afternoon, Helene,” Gabriel said, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He walked over toward her rocking chair and leaned down to give her a hug.

In the meantime, Rachel had picked up Faith so that her two girls were perched on both sides of her hips. Their cries had quieted so now they were both merely breathing heavily and making little noises. As a mother she knew instinctively that they had reached their limit for the day, having traveled thousands of miles to reach their destination.

“I’m going to have to fix them something to eat,” she said in an attempt to fill the silence. “They’re probably hungry.”

Gabriel didn’t utter a word. His steely gaze felt like laser beams. She imagined he was still in shock that she’d shown up out of the blue with two toddlers.

“Gabriel, those are my grandbabies. Faith and Lizzy,” Helene said, smiling as she looked in their direction. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

Gabriel nodded as he looked them over. He turned back toward Helene. “You never said a word about being a grandmother,” he told her in a chiding tone. “And yes, they’re lovely.”

“It really wasn’t my business to tell,” Helene answered, her mouth set in a prim line. “The circumstances have been less than ideal. Rachel is raising these babies all by herself.”

Rachel let out a shocked sound at her mother’s bluntness. “Mama!” She felt her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. “Please stop talking as if I wasn’t standing right here. You don’t need to explain my life to anyone!” Not to mention she was speaking to Rachel’s ex-fiancé, the man she’d once loved more than anything. The same man she’d run out on because she’d been too afraid to marry a bush pilot and run the risk of him dying in a plane crash like her father. If Rachel wanted to tell Gabriel about her life she was fully capable of doing so without her mother’s interference.

Helene rolled her eyes and let out a huff of air in response.

“Sit down and stay a while, Gabriel,” her mom suggested, patting the love seat next to her. “I’d love to hear about your latest bush-pilot adventures.”

“I really can’t stay. I need to get back to town,” Gabriel said. Once again his eyes settled on Rachel and the twins. “I just wanted to drop off these things. I managed to track down those books you’ve been trying to find. I have them on order.”

Helene clapped her hands together. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I can always count on you, Gabriel.”

“You’ve always been good to me, Helene. I’m just returning the favor. I’ll see myself out,” he said with a nod before beating a fast path out of the room.

Rachel didn’t have time to say goodbye to him. She felt certain Gabriel had wanted it that way judging by the rapid speed of his departure. In a perfect world, she imagined he’d never wanted to lay eyes on her again. Yet here she was, showing up in their small Alaskan hometown with two toddlers and no wedding ring. She could only imagine what he thought of her.

“I’ll never understand why you didn’t just go on and marry him.” Helene made a tutting sound. “You’ll never do better than Gabriel Lawson.”

Although her mother’s words might be true, they still caused a sharp knifelike sensation to spread through Rachel’s chest. Did Helene think she needed to have her nose rubbed in it? She already lived a life ripe with regret. She’d hurt a good man like Gabriel due to her own fears and anxieties. Ever since she’d left Owl Creek, Rachel had carried the weight of it on her conscience.

“Like you always told me when I was a child, it’s in the wind, Mama. There’s nothing I can do to change it now.” She turned away from Helene and blinked back tears. “Would you like a snack or something to drink? I’m going to fix the girls so

mething to eat.”

“I’m fine. You go and get those babies taken care of,” Helene instructed, her expression softening.

Rachel placed the girls down on the floor and reached for their hands before leading them down the hall toward the kitchen. In moments such as this it was nice that the twins were now able to walk. Although their steps were halting, they were getting the hang of using their legs to explore the world around them.

Just as they entered the kitchen, Rachel stopped in her tracks. A lump rose to her throat at the sight of the two high chairs sitting next to the kitchen table. Her mother must have ordered them in anticipation of her arrival. The sweet and loving gesture meant the world to her. She needed a bit of comfort at the moment and her mother’s thoughtful gift enveloped her like a warm, cozy blanket.

The day had been filled with lots of ups and downs. Showing up in Owl Creek after such a long absence was a bit jarring to her senses. Nothing seemed to have changed, yet her own life was vastly different. It was only her first day back in town and she felt as if she’d been run over by a truck. Seeing her former fiancé had thrown her completely off-kilter.

Gabriel Lawson was the whole package. With his dark good looks, rugged frame and magnetic personality, he drew admiring stares wherever he went. Everyone adored him. And Rachel had been completely devoted to him, believing their futures would be forever entwined. But because of her own fears and the inherent dangers of Gabriel’s job, everything had fallen apart right before their wedding.

Rachel couldn’t identify all of the emotions churning around inside her right now. All she knew was that for the millionth time since she’d left Owl Creek, she wished she had handled things differently. Although she regretted the pain she’d caused Gabriel by running away, she didn’t regret her decision. There was no way, then or now, she could live each day in fear of losing a husband in a horrific plane crash the same way she’d lost her dad.

Chapter Two

There was something about soaring up in the wild blue yonder that made Gabriel feel as if all was right in his world even when it wasn’t. Being up in the air was truly the closest he’d ever felt to God in his entire life. For him, flying was about truth and belief. It allowed him to push past boundaries and seek out the extraordinary. It centered him when it seemed as if nothing made sense. As a bush pilot he went out into the wild and uncharted Alaskan territories, delivering supplies and taking passengers to rugged and untamed destinations.

---