Page 5 of An Alaskan Twin Surprise (Home to Owl Creek 2)

Gabriel crossed his hands in front of him. “She didn’t come alone.” The words slipped past his lips.

“Don’t tell me she got married and brought her husband along with her,” Hank groaned.

Connor put his head in his hands and shuddered. “Man, that’s rough. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that. She has children. Babies. Twins.”

Connor choked on his coffee and sputtered, spraying the liquid in Hank’s direction.

“Hey! Watch it there!” Hank picked up his napkin and swiped at his face. He glared in Connor’s direction.

Gabriel felt the heat of two pairs of eyes focused on him like laser beams.

“She has kids?” Connor asked. His eyes were nearly bulging out of his head.

“Yep. Twin girls. And she’s not married. Not sure if she’s divorced or what, but Helene said she’s a single mother. It’s a bit strange no one here in town ever mentioned it. I don’t recall ever seeing a single picture of them at her house.” Gabriel felt a tugging sensation in the region of his heart just saying the words out loud. He felt a pang realizing she’d lived out certain dreams without him. He didn’t want to admit it even to himself, but it hurt.

Hank let out a low whistle. “Wow. That must’ve been a lot to wrap your head around.”

“I guess it’s not that shocking,” Connor said. “She’s allowed to move on with her life, but you must be reeling from it all.”

Gabriel nodded tersely. He wasn’t sure he’d fully recovered from the events of yesterday.

Despite his attempt to appear cool, calm and collected regarding the reappearance of his ex-fiancée, his heart hadn’t stopped thumping wildly in his chest since the moment he’d seen her.

“No wonder people are flapping their mouths around town,” Connor said with a grimace.

“She’s given them fodder to chew on.”

“I don’t want anyone talking badly about her.” Gabriel’s tone was curt, brooking no argument. “I know it might seem strange, but I still feel protective about her.” He wasn’t sure his friends would understand, but he’d spent so many years loving Rachel he simply couldn’t allow folks to tear her down. It wouldn’t sit well with him at all. As a man of faith, he knew trashing someone wasn’t honorable.

“I hope you know we would never do that,” Connor said. “We may not approve of the way she ended things with you, but we don’t want to see her hurt, especially when babies are involved.”

“You’re a good man, Gabriel Lawson,” Hank said, reaching out and slapping him on the back.

“She came home to help out her mother. That’s what matters,” Gabriel said. “Helene needs her family around her at a time like this.”

“So how do you plan to handle her being back in town?” Connor asked. “It might get a little bit awkward.”

“We really don’t have a good reason to cross paths,” Gabriel answered.

Hank frowned. “Aren’t you doing some work at Helene’s house?”

Gabriel let out a groan. He’d conveniently put that out of his mind in an effort to convince himself that he wouldn’t have to see much of Rachel during her time in Owl Creek. Helene was on a fixed income and with mounting health costs she wasn’t able to afford a professional contractor. Due to the fact that his own father had taught him the ins and outs of his contractor business before he’d retired, Gabriel could work on Helene’s home-improvement project with his eyes shut. He was performing the work for free as a favor to Helene. Her late husband had been the one to teach Gabriel the skills of being a pilot. He had taken him under his wing and inspired him to get his pilot’s license at seventeen years old.

There was no way in the world he could ever bail on the project, but the very thought of seeing Rachel on a regular basis made his head pound.

Suddenly, Piper was standing at their table, her expression strained. “Is it true?” she asked, hurt ringing out in her voice.

Gabriel didn’t bother to ask what she was talking about. He had known when he’d woken up this morning that the news of Rachel’s return would spread like wildfire through Owl Creek. As the owner of the diner, Piper was privy to all the latest gossip. It had only been a matter of time before someone mentioned Rachel being back in town.

“Yes, it’s true. I saw her yesterday when I brought Helene some supplies,” he admitted. “She came back to help with Helene’s care.”

The line of Piper’s mouth appeared harsher than he’d ever seen it before. Steam was practically coming out of her ears.

“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” she spit out. “Rachel left us like a thief in the night and her return is just as abrupt as her departure.” She reached out and touched Gabriel on the shoulder. “I’m so sorry. You’re the last person who deserves to be blindsided again.”

Before he could say a word, Piper stormed away from their table.

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