GABRIEL
Gabe smiled as he watched the boys shriek and hide from Amelia behind the trees and bushes as she brandished the water rifle. He bit the inside of his cheek when Elli sneaked around the trunk of the maple tree where Ryan was hiding. Gabe was glad he had swapped out the paint guns for water rifles after Sarahâs threat, figuring that the colored water would be easier to clean from their clothes and hair, and have the added bonus of cooling the kids down in the waning summer days. He couldnât stop the laughter when Amelia squirted Ryan, who gasped in shock.
âDonât let us girlies down!â Grandma called from the deck. Gabe smiled when he thought about the big hug she had given Amelia when the little girl streamed through the large oak doors.
With another chuckle, he lifted his phone and recorded a video of Amelia catching the other boys and Ryan rolling on the grass as he laughed. He sent it to the moms and was just about to put it in his pocket when a spray of water hit him on the chest. He heard his grandmother cackle as the kids screamed in laughter.
âHey!â he growled in protest, jumping up from his chair and giving chase, the children scattering in all directions. Gabe scooped Elli up and ran with her over his shoulder around the yard till he found the hosepipe, opened the nozzle, and sprayed the boys. The little girl giggled until she hiccuped. Ryder sneaked behind Gabe and folded the hose closed, cutting the water flow. With an exaggerated expression, he shook the nozzle and peered down the hole. He roared when Ryder released the hose, a splash of cold water hitting Gabe in the face, and he dropped to his back, Amelia and the boys leaping on him with gales of laughter.
With loud groans, Gabe jerked his body in pretended death throes, the children falling flat around him as they giggled. When silence fell for several minutes, Gabe sat up slowly and saw that the kids had fallen asleep.
He quietly got to his feet and looked at the four children all covered in mud from head to toe. He grimaced when he realized that he was as muddy as them. At a quiet click, Gabe looked up at the deck to see his grandmother gleefully taking photos of them. Looking at the yard, he grimaced. He had one helluva job to restore the yard to its normal glory.
Gabe shook his head with a wry smile as he climbed the steps to the deck, pressed his muddy chest to Grandma, and chuckled when she yelped, swatting at him.
âWill you watch them while I take a quick shower?â he whispered.
âSure.â She nodded. He kissed her now-muddy cheek before going into the house.
SARAH
Sarah laughed as she watched the video Gabe had sent while she sat in the car before going into the restaurant for her shift. She wiped away tears of mirth as she watched Amelia splash Ryan with a water gun. She was filled with a sense of pride at her daughterâs sneakiness and sent the video to Seth. She replayed the video, and then put a hand to her stomach as it fluttered uncontrollably when Gabeâs rumbling laughter could be heard. Her heart skipped a beat, and she remembered the days they had at the lake, when he was up for any dare, just to make Amelia laugh. Sarah missed his laugh.
As she reached for her bag, another video came through, this one from Grandma. With confusion, she opened it and burst out laughing when she watched all the kids turn on Gabe. With a soft smile, she watched the large man easily tuck her daughter under his arm and run around the backyard. The yard itself had undergone a makeover with a large tent in one corner, chairs and a log surrounding the brick fire pit, a hammock strung between the old maple tree and a sturdy hibiscus bush, and various water toys strewn across the emerald-green lawn. Gabe had gone out of his way to entertain the children.
Her eyes were drawn to his tall figure, the light shining from his unique blue eyes brightening her day. A smile curved her lips at Ryderâs prank and the way Gabe reacted. It was almost natural when Amelia laid her head against Gabeâs shoulderâthe four children were so tired they fell asleep where they had fallen. Sarah felt a momentary panic when she couldnât see any of Elliâs golden curls, the little girl being covered in mud, but then realized that it was Gabeâs job to get her daughter cleaned for Connorâs christening and breathed a sigh of relief.
Sarah was still smiling when she started her shift, her mood light as she thought about a muddy Gabe. Her breath hitched and she felt her cheeks flameâ¦as she thoughtâ¦~about a muddy Gabe~. His T-shirt had been plastered to his sculpted chest and well-defined abs. She had obviously seen him without a shirt throughout the summer and each time had left her with her tongue stuck to her dry mouth.
All of those times had been difficult, and she had been glad of the sunglasses covering her expressive eyes from his all-seeing gaze. But seeing him like this, Sarah was glad that she wasn't there in person. She might not have been able to stop herself from stepping up to him, peeling that T-shirt from his body, and tasting every bit of his exposed skin as she soaped and rinsed the mud from his corded forearms, bulging biceps, and lightly haired chest. She felt her stomach flutter and her inner muscles contract when she remembered what he had looked like when he stood up out of the lake, the water sluicing down his body, and she envied those water drops that had clung to his skin.
âOi, Sarah! Are you listening to me?â Cleve, her sous chef, asked as he stood at her elbow. They were talking about the new dish the owner wanted on the menu, and Cleve had been raving about it since Sarah came in, so she had tuned him outâunintentionallyâwhile she was slicing the strawberries for her exotic three-layer cheesecake.
âShit,â she hissed when the tip of the knife nicked her thumb. She dropped the knife and put her hand under the faucet at the sink, chewing on her lip at the slight sting of the running water. She could feel Cleve staring at her and knew his gray eyes would be wide with shock. When she was in the kitchen, she was focused, and nothing affected her. Except today. Except for the image of doing un-Sarah-like things to Gabriel Von Ashner. âShit,â she muttered again.
âSarah? Is everything okay?â His English accent was more pronounced when he handed her a Band-Aid and helped her put it on the cut. âYou seem flustered.â
She felt her cheeks become even more red and hot as she fixed her gaze upon the blue strip covering her thumb and cursed at the efficient bun she wound her long blonde hair into when she was working, not a bit of the luscious locks out of place for her to hide her face. âIâm fine.â
âNo, youâre not!â Cleve refuted loudly. He narrowed his eyes and then glared at her. âItâs that friend of yours, isnât it? The tall black-haired delectable dessert?â
âNope,â she stated, but the blush deepened.
âYouâre a shitty liar, Sarah Marshall!â
âFine,â she groaned, knowing that Cleve wouldnât let it go. She took her phone from her pocket and played the video that Grandma sent her.
Cleve paused it, and stared, his mouth hanging open as he studied Gabe. She swiped her phone from his hand, a spurt of jealousy flashing through her at the sight of her friend being smitten at the sight. His expression did not change when he turned to her. âIf I knew he was packing that kind of guns, I would have stripped myself naked and fainted at his feet. Geez, Sarah! I can now see why youâre so distracted. Now youâve got me all hot!â
Sarah laughed at his accusation. With a hefty sigh, Sarah knew that she would do far worse than faint at his feet. She wasnât sure where they stood after this morning and his admission, she just hoped that he didnât ghost her again. The last three weeks were terrible without being in contact with him. Gabe had a quiet humor that few people saw. She remembered the day he did the physical test for the sheriffâs department, and how he moaned that the youngsters were doing yoga poses to warm up when he could hardly lift his knees. It surprised them both when he scored the highest out of the group and had a special celebration that night in Grandmaâs yard at the very firepit the kids were probably roasting hotdogs at that very moment.
âItâs a good thing youâre not getting close to him then. I wouldnât be able to handle the competition,â Sarah teased.
âDarling, donât you know,â he retorted, moving back to his station. âYou wouldnât stand a chance.â
âIf you value your fingers, you wouldnât dare,â Sarah called after him.