“Uncle Liam, we didn’t—”
“Madison, we’ll talk when we get back to Aunt Betty’s house.”
Both girls slumped their shoulders and hung their heads as they trudged the rest of the way to the gate.
As Sarah descended the stairs to the deck, commanding Gabe to stay, Liam called Richie and his aunt to let them know he’d found his nieces and would be back shortly. Sarah caught up with Liam as he exited the backyard to keep an eye on his nieces.
She looked him up and down in his firefighter uniform. “It’s obvious you didn’t bring them over here.”
“No. I was at work when my aunt called to tell me they were missing. They left her backyard and rode their bikes here without permission.”
“I can imagine the commotion that caused. The neighbor across the street called when she saw you peeking into a window then heading for the backyard. She knows we work all day Saturday and...”
“Thought I was here to rob your place?” He grinned.
“Something like that. But when I saw the SUV and the bikes, I figured it was you. She’d called the police, and I managed to get hold of them before they arrived. They were on the way. My neighbor told me when I pulled up.”
“Madison and Katie are good kids, but sometimes they act without thinking about the consequences. My aunt was beside herself with worry.” Not to mention he was, too.
“Did you think someone abducted them?”
“Not when I saw their bikes gone. I’m sorry you had to leave the salon.”
“No problem. I had a thirty-minute window to eat lunch. I’ll grab something here and be back before my next client.”
“Still, the girls need to apologize to you and Aunt Betty.”
“I agree. I’ll walk with you to your car.”
He approached his nieces with Sarah next to him. Her presence eased the last remnants of tension in him. “Girls, leaving without letting anyone know was not okay. You scared Aunt Betty. You scared me. Sarah came home from work to check on who was at her house uninvited. What do you have to say to her?”
Katie mumbled, “Sorry,” while staring at her tennis shoes.
Madison took in a deep breath and peered right at Sarah. “We just wanted to let Gabe know we miss him. I’m sorry.”
“Okay, you two, into the backseat. I’ll put your bikes in the trunk. I need to get back to work.”
After he’d set the larger one in the trunk, Sarah picked up the smaller bike and handed it to him. “Have you thought of getting them a dog?”
“Yes, but I can’t ask Aunt Betty to take care of a dog and the girls when I’m working. Dogs require more attention than other pets. After today, she might not want to watch the girls. I’m sure they added a few more gray hairs to her head.”
“How about a cat? They’re pretty independent. I seem to remember when I was a teenager that Betty had a cat. She used to talk about it with my mom when she came to get her hair done. She might not mind helping you with one.”
“I’ll think about it. But not for a while. They need to realize the seriousness of what they did.” He walked toward the driver’s-side door. Before climbing in, he twisted toward her. “Thanks for being so understanding about my nieces.”
Liam opened the door and slid behind the steering wheel, then carefully backed out of the driveway since the trunk lid was up all the way.
Both girls cried out at the same time, “We’re sorry, Uncle Liam,” as if they had rehearsed what they had said. “We won’t do it again.”
“I’m locking up your bikes for the next week. No television, either. When you two disappeared like that, it scared Aunt Betty and me. We didn’t know what had happened to you.”
“But we’re sorry and won’t do it again. Promise,” Madison said in a whiny voice.
Liam locked gazes with his eldest niece in the rearview mirror. “I’m glad, because next time I would have to take the bikes away for a month.”
Katie’s eyes grew round. “A month!”
“Daddy would never do that,” Madison added.
After pulling into his driveway, Liam gripped the steering wheel until his hands ached. When Madison was really upset, she would invoke his brother. He didn’t have a response to that. The mention of his brother just brought forth his sorrow once again at losing his only sibling and his inadequacies as a father figure.
Would he ever be able to follow in his brother’s footsteps?
After church on Sunday, Sarah changed into capri jeans and a T-shirt imprinted with a photo of Gabe then headed toward the garage to pick up the flat of pink impatiens she would plant under the shade of the oak tree. The day was too beautiful to spend inside. She relished her two days off. She worked hard, but she loved relaxing and gardening. She didn’t cook much, but she could spend hours in the yard.
As she knelt on the ground under the tree, she turned the soil over, preparing to put the flowers in. Gabe sat beside her. But when the back door swung open, he stood, his tail wagging. She glanced behind her.
Madison and Katie, carrying pieces of construction paper, scurried down the stairs and made a beeline for her Lab. Then Sarah caught sight of Liam coming outside, her mom remaining in the doorway. Sarah’s heartbeat kicked up a notch as it had done earlier when she’d glimpsed Liam coming into the church service late, his nieces flanking him. They’d sat in the back and left before she could welcome them. It had been the first time she’d seen him at the later service.
As the girls greeted Gabe, Liam cut the distance between them, grinning as he looked at his nieces, the papers in their hands plummeting to the grass.
Sarah rose. “What brings you by?”
He smiled at her. “After church, the girls had an idea to make cards telling you and Aunt Betty how sorry they were. We just came from my aunt’s house.”
“So that’s what they have with them.” Sarah winced when Gabe stepped on the card Katie had just dropped.
Katie snatched the card from the ground and tried to smooth it out, but there was a long tear in it. Her lower lip puckered as she stared at her work of art. Then she glanced at Sarah. “It’s supposed to be for you.” Her bottom lip stuck out even more as she handed it to Sarah. “I’m sorry.”
“I love pictures of flowers. How did you know that?”
Katie shrugged. “I was gonna draw Gabe, but I didn’t have time.”
“I did.” Madison placed her card on top of her sister’s. “My teacher says I draw good.”
Sarah quickly held one picture with the words “I am sorry” across the top of the construction paper in her left hand and the other in her right. “What a great idea! Thank you.”
Katie thrust her shoulders back while Madison beamed.
Sarah peered at Liam. “Can you stay for some cookies? Mom made chocolate chip when she came home from church.”
“Yes!” the two girls said in unison.
Liam chuckled. “I’d have a riot on my hands if I turned your invitation down.”
Madison moved forward, her attention shifting between Liam and Sarah before she asked, “Can we play with Gabe?”
“That’s for your uncle to decide.”
“For