Page 30 of An Alaskan Twin Surprise (Home to Owl Creek 2)

“I’m a lot tougher than that. And so are you,” he said, his laughter dying off as they locked gazes. “You came back to Owl Creek with a lot more grit than when you left.”

“I’d like to think I’m a better person now. Older, wiser and more grounded.”

She hoped Gabriel could read between the lines without her elaborating. This version of herself would never run away from the man she loved. Not for anything in this world. The person she was today would have stood her ground and faced her fears. Or so she liked to think.

Looking into Gabriel’s beautiful brown eyes almost made her lose her train of thought. His dimples only added to his charm. They were standing so close to one another she could see his breath as he spoke and the tiny caramel flecks in his eyes. Time had only made him into a more stunning version of the man she’d loved.

“Those changes haven’t gone unnoticed,” he rasped. He reached out and caressed her cheek with his gloved hand. It didn’t bother her at all that it was damp from the snow. It made the moment even more real.

Silence settled over them and neither one said a word for a span

of a few moments.

Something intense was hovering in the air around them. She could feel it washing over her like a spring rainstorm. It was obvious that Gabriel felt it too. She could see it in his posture and the way he was looking at her. Rachel held his gaze, knowing instinctively what was coming. She didn’t move an inch, for fear of messing things up. She craved this kiss more than she’d ever imagined possible.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now,” Gabriel said in a low voice as he leaned down and placed a searing kiss on her mouth. His lips moved over hers powerfully yet tenderly. Rachel felt as if her knees might buckle under the impact of this wonderful kiss. It had been so long since she’d felt Gabriel’s lips against her own, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be kissed by him. He smelled of pine and the crisp Alaskan air. His lips tasted like cinnamon. She wanted this kiss to go on until the stars were stamped from the sky.

“Gabriel.” Rachel whispered his name as the kiss deepened. She felt his hands running through her hair, but then a sudden shaft of light washed over them, causing them to slowly break apart.

They both turned toward the door where Sydney was standing with a toddler in each arm. Cries of Mama rang out like a sweet melody. Never in her girls’ lives had she felt so conflicted about hearing those beloved sounds. It meant she’d been torn away from Gabriel’s arms in the middle of an amazing kiss. But she’d missed the twins so much! She had to go to them.

“I’m sorry,” Rachel said to Gabriel as she turned back toward him. “I have to go see the girls.”

“Don’t be sorry, Rachel. I understand.” There was something emanating from Gabriel’s eyes that made her want to invite him inside, but she needed time to greet the girls and to think about the embrace they’d just shared. What did it mean for her and Gabriel? Their relationship had shifted, yet many things between them were still in limbo. Sharing a kiss just made everything more complicated. It left her feeling confused. She knew that it was important to keep an emotional distance between them, but this tender exchange put a wrench in those plans.

She ran toward the porch, mounting the steps in record time. Scooping the girls up in her arms, she began raining kisses down on their little faces. The twins giggled and laughed as if they were being tickled. When she turned around to get one last look at Gabriel, he was already in his truck and driving off into the night. The sight of his rear lights glowing in the darkness made her wish for things she’d thought had slipped through her fingers long ago.

* * *

Morning came well before Gabriel was ready to welcome it. At the crack of dawn, he stood out on his back porch and greeted the day with a hot mug of coffee and a breathtaking view of the mountains. Seamus had agreed to take all his other local flights so he could fly to Anchorage and pick up Helene and Neil. According to Neil, his mother had received word last night that she could be released, so he planned to pick them up earlier than expected.

The kiss he’d shared last night with Rachel was weighing heavily on his mind. Although it had felt blissful in the moment, he’d known a short while later that it had been a mistake. It only served to complicate matters and neither one of them needed any more drama in their lives. They’d tried once before at the happily-ever-after and it blew up in both their faces. There was still a wide chasm between them, one he wasn’t sure could ever be repaired.

He shook off thoughts of Rachel and geared himself up for his flight back to Anchorage. It would serve as a welcome distraction from his ex-fiancée and the push and pull he felt toward her.

Gabriel couldn’t remember ever feeling such a sense of accomplishment as when he met up with Helene and Neil at Lake Hood to take them back home. He’d always thought flying clients to remote areas off the Alaskan grid were his most epic moments as a pilot. But he’d been wrong. Now he knew there were other experiences far more meaningful.

Gabriel had shared a quiet moment with Helene in the time before the plane took off from Lake Hood. The area had been under a fog advisory, and they were waiting for clearance from the FAA that it was safe to fly. An exhausted Neil had already fallen asleep in his seat with a big blanket covering him up.

Helene had brought a bunch of magazines to look at during the flight. Presently, she was flipping through one of them and letting out the occasional laugh. She was wearing a bright red silk scarf around her head along with a pair of dark sunglasses and bright lipstick. Helene looked like a famous movie star in hiding, he thought with a chuckle.

“You look mighty fine for someone who just had surgery,” Gabriel said, reaching out to squeeze the older woman’s hand.

“I haven’t dressed up in ages. I knew I wouldn’t be feeling my best today, so I wanted to add a little oomph to my appearance. I must admit I’ve been a bit down in the dumps lately, but that’s all about to change.” There was a light glimmering in Helene’s eyes he hadn’t seen in quite some time. She was slowly but surely getting her bearings back. Focusing on her physical appearance was a huge step forward.

“I know this hasn’t been easy for you, but you’ve shown a lot of courage by doing this.”

“How could I not when Rachel and the girls are counting on me? I don’t want to let them down. I did too much of it in the past,” she admitted, biting her lip. “I wasn’t the best mother after Lance died.”

“We all fall down from time to time. We’re human. You ought to forgive yourself, especially when you and Rachel seem to be so tight these days.” He grinned at her. “It’s been nice to watch the two of you repair your relationship.”

Helene frowned. “She’s still disappointed in me though. I’ve been so uncertain about undergoing follow-up treatment and she’s been trying to convince me to go ahead with it.”

“What’s stopping you?” he asked, curious to hear her reasons. So far he wasn’t even sure Helene had been asked to explain herself. Perhaps understanding her rationale would bring them one step closer to resolving things.

“It used to be fear, but after coming all this way and having the procedure, I don’t think I’m afraid anymore.” Helene sounded as if she hadn’t even grasped her own feelings on the matter until this very moment.

“Does that mean you’ve changed your mind?” Gabriel asked, his heart beating fast with the realization that Helene had come to this decision on her own terms.

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