“My tire blew,” she explained. “I was about to dig out the spare.”
“I see that. I hear you’re making a move to Edmonton.” Gabe assessed the damage, running one gloved fingertip over the shredded tire. “Starting a new job, your aunts said?”
“That’s the plan,” Olivia agreed. “I need to find an apartment and get settled in before I start work, but first I wanted to stop by The Haven and see everyone.”
“Organizing people, is that what you do?” Gabe clapped on his Stetson, then shoved it to the back of his head, sky-blue eyes darkening as he studied her nod.
“Sort of. My official title was systems analyst, but the job was more about being an administrative assistant to a colonel.” She shrugged. “I was tasked with making his office run more efficiently.” Too much information, Olivia.
“Uh-huh.” Gabe blinked. “Been a long time since you were here, Liv. Your Aunt Tillie and Aunt Margaret miss you.” His intense gaze shifted to scrutinize the other tires. Bald tires.
“I miss my aunties, too, but it wasn’t always easy to get here from Ottawa,” she defended. Please don’t say I should have bought new tires. She’d used a hefty chunk of her precious savings to store her furniture and fund her move far away from the man to whom she’d given her heart, the one who’d lied about loving her. Edmonton would be her fresh start. “How’ve you been, Gabe?”
“Busy. Since the Double M started offering trail rides, Victoria keeps us hopping.” His droll, dry comment didn’t tell Olivia he was joking, but his slow, easy smile did. “I make time to come over to The Haven every week on Fridays, though. Doughnut afternoons.” Gabe licked his full lips and grinned, white teeth blazing against his tanned skin. “Chef Adele makes the best glazed doughnuts. Besides, I enjoy her kids. Those twins are quite a pair.”
“Yes, they are.” Olivia barely knew her adopted niece and nephew, Francie and Franklyn, but that was by choice. If she didn’t get too close to them, she couldn’t wreck their worlds as she’d done to other kids. She pushed up her sleeves. “I guess I’d better change—”
Her words were cut short by the squeal of tires as a dusty white SUV barreled off the highway and around the corner. It slid to a halt mere inches from Olivia’s back bumper. She and Gabe both stared as a woman got out and marched toward them.
“Lady, you have to slow down around here. There could be a horse wandering in the road and if you hit it, you’d be in trouble and so would it.” Gabe sounded irritated, which Olivia thought was odd for what she’d always thought such an easygoing guy. But then this cowboy loved horses as much as other people loved their kids.
The woman seemed unfazed. “I’m looking for a Gabriel Webber.”
“You found him.” Gabe frowned at her. “What can I—?”
The words died on his lips as the woman racewalked around the front of her vehicle to the passenger side. She yanked open the back door and a moment later dragged forward a small boy and an equally small battered suitcase.
“This is your son, Eli,” she announced.
“I’m sorry, lady, you’ve got the wrong guy.” Gabe began shaking his head, but the woman interrupted.
“Eve’s son. Your son.” She stared at him hard. “Eli’s almost six.”
Olivia’s head had been swiveling back and forth between them, trying to figure out what was happening. At the word Eve, Gabe stiffened, but at the word six his face seemed to freeze.
“Impossible,” he finally whispered, blanching.
“Possible.” The woman nodded. “I’m Eve’s sister, Kathy Kane. We’ve never met, though we might have if you’d had a proper wedding instead of dragging my sister to some unsavory elopement and then dumping her when she got pregnant.” When she received no response to her angry criticism she continued. “I live in Calgary now. Where Eve lived.”
“Lived?” Gabe squinted at her. His face tightened into a mask, giving away nothing. He glanced at the boy again. “She’s not living there now?”
“Eve died a month ago. She had cancer.”
Olivia knew less than nothing about raising kids, but she immediately knew it wasn’t right that the woman said the words so baldly, without even a hand on the shoulder to comfort the boy. And yet, Eli seemed untouched by the remark about his mother’s passing. He just stood where he was, staring at the ground, his little face pinched and sad.
“I’m sorry,” Gabe murmured.
“Me, too. She left a mess behind.” Kathy Kane was not a soft-spoken woman; nor did she make any effort to conceal her irritation. “I’ll clean it up. But I can’t stay and talk. I’ve got two kids at home and the neighbor will only watch them for a while longer. I’ve got to go. Wait.” She went back to the car.
For a moment Olivia thought Gabe feared she’d leave because he leaned forward as if he’d go after her. But Kathy returned quickly, carrying a huge handbag into which she dug furtively for a few moments before producing a bedraggled envelope.
“Eve left you this. It’ll explain everything. I wrote my information on the back, just in case you need to contact me, though I’d rather you didn’t. I’ve done enough.” She stepped forward, thrust the envelope at Gabe, her jaw tight. “Don’t bring him back,” she growled, her voice low and threatening. “I can’t keep him. I got enough trouble raising my own kids and paying all Eve’s bills.”
“But—”
“You be good,” Kathy said to Eli, her fingers clutching his shoulder.
Olivia saw the boy wince.
“This is your dad. You’re gonna live with him, like we talked about. Bye.” Without another word or even an embrace, Kathy wheeled around, climbed into her car and roared back to the corner. She disappeared down the highway.
Olivia remained silent, embarrassed that she’d witnessed the incident. Gabe’s frigid expression kept her from offering her sympathy, but then as he studied Eli, his icy appearance began to melt and soften. Longing filled his blue eyes—as if he couldn’t quite believe his dreams had just come true. Several long moments stretched until finally Gabe walked up to the boy and squatted in front of him.
“Hello, Eli. I’m very pleased to meet you. My name is Gabe Webber.” He held out a hand, withdrew it quickly to strip off his leather work glove, then thrust it out again and waited.
Olivia caught her breath when Eli looked up, staring into intense blue eyes that were an exact replica of his own. Their jutting chins had the same hard line. Dark crisp curls flopped onto prominent brows in an identical manner. The child was a mirror image of Gabe. There could be no doubt that man and boy were related.
“Are you really my dad?” Eli’s murmur barely carried over the freshening wind whispering across the foothill grasses.
“That’s what your aunt said.” Gabe let his unshaken hand drop. “I’ll have to read your mom’s letter before I know more.” He gulped, then added very quietly, “But I guess I am your father, Eli.”
Big fat tears began to course down Eli’s cheeks. His shoulders sagged.
“Why didn’t you come?” he asked, his voice breaking on a sob. “I prayed and prayed. Why didn’t you come?”
Then, like a broken reed that just couldn’t hold itself up anymore, the little boy collapsed in a heap, sobbing his heart out.
* * *
He had a son.
Gabe