Page 35 of An Alaskan Twin Surprise (Home to Owl Creek 2)

This, he realized, was what he’d missed most about Rachel not being in Owl Creek.

The laughter. The light moments where everything seemed to be right in their world. Although he knew there were issues still brewing between them, for the first time they didn’t seem so insurmountable. If they could share a special moment such as this one and bask in the delivery of Tabitha’s son, then anything was possible.

“Tell me I’m not imagining what’s happening between us,” Gabriel said, needing to know he wasn’t going crazy. He’d been mistaken once before about Rachel. He knew all too well how one’s emotions could mess with one’s head. Gabriel wanted to make sure he was seeing things clearly.

“You’re not. I still feel so connected to you,” Rachel acknowledged, letting out a little sigh. “I never imagined for a single moment we could get close again after everything that happened in the past.”

“Neither did I, if I’m being honest,” Gabriel admitted, linking his fingers through her own.

“I wasn’t very mature back then. I’ve learned the hard way that running away never really solves anything. I like to think I’ve grown a lot over the past few years,” Rachel said. “My triumphs have outweighed my mistakes.”

“I’m really proud of how you finished your schooling and got your nursing degree.”

“Finishing my studies and earning my degree was challenging,” Rachel admitted. “When I left here, I headed to Colorado and crashed on a friend’s couch for a few weeks. I soon realized I needed to be gainfully employed and working toward completing my coursework. So I went after it with a vengeance.”

“You were always so passionate about becoming a nurse. Even when we were kids you were always patching up broken-winged birds.”

“I was, wasn’t I? I’d almost forgotten.” She wrinkled her nose. “One Christmas my parents bought me a little medical bag and it was as if they’d bought me a ticket to the moon. I can’t remember ever being so thrilled about anything.”

“It’s a wonderful feeling to love what you do,” he said, feeling grateful for his career as a pilot and all of the hours he’d been able to spend soaring through the

air. He didn’t know what he’d ever done in this world to receive such a blessing. Being a pilot was the fruition of a lifelong dream. He couldn’t ask for a greater vocation, although he did wish that Rachel was on the same page as him regarding his career. He would love to see pure joy in her eyes when she was up in the air.

“It’s a great day to be a nurse-midwife,” she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder and letting out a sigh. He put his arm around her and leaned in. It felt good to be in this space with her where it was just the two of them. In a few minutes they would head back inside to check in on Tabitha and Casey before Rachel headed home to Helene and the girls. Tomorrow he would be back at work, flying tourists around the local area and making sure his aviation company stayed on track. But for now, he was content to savor these precious moments with Rachel.

Moments like this didn’t come around very often and he intended to soak it in while it lasted. He prayed things would stay like this forever, although he feared they wouldn’t. Over the past few years he’d become a realist. Life always seemed to have a way of blindsiding him when he least expected it.

* * *

The next morning, Gabriel woke up with a feeling of gratitude firmly lodged in his heart. His family had been blessed by the birth of his nephew. He’d received an early morning call from Gary raving about his baby boy. The call had been full of emotion as his brother-in-law profusely thanked him for recruiting Rachel to help out with the birth. As he’d told Gary, all the glory went to God and Rachel’s midwife abilities.

Due to back-to-back clients, he didn’t have time to swing by the Marshalls’ house.

All he needed were a few days to complete the home renovation. He was itching to get back over there and complete the project. Who was he kidding? He really wanted to see Rachel and spend some time with her and the girls. They were all he thought about anymore other than Lawson Charters. He was determined to expand his company. There was so much potential in this region of the state. He was going to be part of a conference call tomorrow afternoon that could change everything.

He could use a favor from the big guy upstairs to bring his company to the next level. For him this new opportunity wasn’t about getting wealthy or having bragging rights. It was about expanding his beloved charter outfit and bringing more jobs to Owl Creek. It would provide him with a deep sense of professional accomplishment and pride.

By the time he’d finished his charters for the day, Gabriel was wiped out and in need of a warm meal. There was a text message on his phone from Connor inviting him to have dinner at the diner with him and Hank. Even though he was exhausted, Gabriel texted back saying he would be there. He knew he’d been avoiding spending time with his two best friends because of Rachel. His budding feelings for her was something he felt protective about and he didn’t want his best friends poking at it. He feared it wouldn’t end well.

He swung by his house first to feed Scooby and take him for a long walk in the woods. By the time they were back home the Siberian husky was panting as if he’d run a marathon. He patted him behind the ears. “Good boy. I’ll be back in a little while.”

Gabriel made his way into town in fifteen minutes flat. On his way he paused to admire the town square. It was quaint and inviting with the lampposts emitting a warm glow and townsfolk bundled up to ward off the chill. He knew some people didn’t care for small towns, but he loved this one with all of his heart. Hopefully one day he would get married and raise a family right here in Owl Creek. Once he’d been convinced that he would be with Rachel for the rest of his days. He’d been terribly wrong. He would hate to get his hopes up again only to be disappointed.

It would be smart to take things slow and steady considering their tangled past. Things had fallen apart before without any warning. It was a sobering thought. He’d learned the hard way that life had a way of throwing curveballs at a person.

When he entered the diner, the sounds of fifties-style music reached his ears. He grinned at the sight of Piper dancing with one of the older town residents, Lloyd Simmons. Lloyd was a widower who regularly came to the diner to bring some cheer to his life. Living alone after forty years of wedded bliss was hard to deal with for a social butterfly like Lloyd. Leave it to Piper to liven things up in the older man’s world.

He paused to watch for a moment, then made his way to their usual table. Hank and Connor were already seated across from each other and involved in an animated discussion. Connor scooted over so he could sit down next to him.

“Nice to see you, Gabe. I wasn’t one-hundred-percent certain you’d show up,” he said, playfully jabbing him in the side.

“Where have you been hiding?” Hank asked. “We haven’t seen you since the wedding.”

“I’m a busy man,” Gabriel answered. “I’m trying to expand my business and taking on a lot of new clients.”

“Your business, huh?” Hank asked, smirking.

“I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time at the Marshalls’ house.” Connor sat back against the booth and folded his arms across his chest.

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