A Father's Second Chance. Mindy Obenhaus

meat. Building the catering side of Granny’s Kitchen was important to her bottom line. As were those old hotel rooms over the restaurant.

      Donning her oven mitts, Celeste grabbed another foil-covered pan of meat from the oven. The smoky aroma wafted around her as she carried it into the main room. It had taken her all summer to decide how best to address the upstairs units, but she’d finally decided to convert the cluster of six tiny rooms into three large suites. All while remaining true to the building’s character and Victorian architecture.

      She set the pan into the chafer, thinking of all the beautiful millwork throughout the upstairs space. The wide baseboards and detailed moldings...quality like that was hard to find these days. She could only pray God would lead her to the right contractor. One who didn’t cringe when she mentioned the word salvaging.

      After replenishing the sausage, she topped off the grated cheese and bacon bits at the mashed potato bar, pleased that everything had turned out so well. Word of mouth was a powerful thing, especially in a small town like Ouray.

      A popular tune boomed from the DJ’s speakers and people flooded the dance floor. Celeste paused to watch. Young and old, everyone appeared to be having fun. Including two little blond-haired girls in lavender dresses. Emma held her daddy’s hand, as did the other girl Celeste presumed was her sister.

      Although she found Emma’s father to be a bit on the arrogant side, the adoring look on his face as he twisted and twirled his two precious daughters around the dance floor melted Celeste’s heart. His girls were obviously the center of his universe. And though they were without their mother, Celeste got the feeling that Emma’s dad was the kind of guy who would do whatever it took to be both mother and father. He would never desert them, like Celeste’s father had.

      A sad smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Those two were lucky girls indeed.

      * * *

      Gage Purcell escorted his daughters, Emma and Cassidy, off the dance floor. In the year and half since his wife, Tracy, had left, Emma’s tantrums had grown more and more frequent. Maybe it was a coping mechanism. Maybe she blamed him for her mother’s absence. Whatever the case, he needed to find a way to make them stop.

      The fact that a total stranger could settle his daughter better than he could had bugged him all night. Not that he wasn’t appreciative of the caterer’s intervention. The last thing he’d want to do is ruin his sister’s special day. Still...

      He raked a hand through his hair, eager to call it a night. Dinner and dancing had gone on far longer than he anticipated, though the latter had afforded him some special moments with his daughters. But now that the bride and groom had made their exit...

      “Time for us to think about going, too, girls. It’s way past my bedtime.” Gage wove his daughters between the round cloth-covered tables to retrieve their sweaters.

      “But you go to bed after us, Daddy.” Seven-year-old Cassidy peered up at him with serious eyes.

      “That is true. So it must be way, way, way past your bedtimes.”

      “I’m not—” yawning, Emma leaned against a folding chair “—tired.”

      He chuckled, knowing his youngest would likely crash before he even put his truck into Drive. Kneeling beside her, he held up her pink sweater. “But your old dad might fall asleep at any—” His eyes closed, he lowered his head and pretended to snore.

      Emma giggled. “Wake up.” Her tiny hand nudged his shoulder. “Wake up!”

      “What?” He jerked his head. “I must have dozed off.”

      Emma shoved her arms into the sleeves of her sweater. “You’re silly.”

      Turning his attention to Cassidy, he held up the purple sweater.

      His oldest complied immediately, a dreamy smile lighting her face. “I loved this day.”

      Standing, he donned his tuxedo jacket and stared down at his two beautiful girls. Their usually straight blond hair had been curled and pulled back on each side and their fingernails were painted the same pale purple as their dresses. “I guess you did. You look like little princesses. And you got to hang with the big girls.”

      “That was the best part,” said Cassidy.

      A twinge of guilt prodded Gage. With their mother out of the picture, the girls didn’t get to do many girlie things, so he was glad Taryn had included them in all the primping and pageantry that leads up to a wedding.

      “Don’t forget the cake, Daddy.”

      He should have known Emma wouldn’t forget. He could only hope the caterer didn’t.

      Taking his daughters by the hand, he started across the hardwood floor.

      “Hey there, Gage.” His old friend Ted Beatty, a shift supervisor at one of the mines outside town, walked alongside them.

      Gage had been trying to get a job with a local mine since moving back to Ouray last year. So far, though, not one nibble.

      “Whatcha know, Ted?”

      “Not much.” He stopped.

      So did Gage. He eyed the man who was a little older than his thirty-one years. A deep love of mining and its history had bonded the two from a young age.

      “Any hiring going on?”

      Ted shook his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Don’t give up, though, buddy.” He gripped Gage’s shoulder. “Things could change at any time.”

      Easy for him to say. Ted had remained in Ouray, getting his foot in the door early when the first gold mine had reopened. Gage, on the other hand, had gone off to Colorado’s School of Mines for a degree in mining engineering. If only he’d hung around. Maybe he’d be following his dream instead of biding his time working construction.

      “Daddy...what about the cake?” Emma squeezed his hand, bringing a smile to Gage’s face.

      His girls were the reason he gave up his dream job in Denver and moved back to Ouray. He needed the support of his family. And he’d do it a thousand times over, whatever it took to provide a stable, loving environment for them. He only wished he could say the same for their mother.

      He shifted his focus back to his friend. “We’re on a mission, but let me know if you hear anything.”

      “Sure thing, Gage.”

      Emma skipped alongside him as they continued on to the kitchen. He hoped she wasn’t getting a second wind. If that happened, they could be up all night.

      He carefully pushed open the swinging door.

      “Nana!” Both girls bolted toward a long stainless steel work table as his mother, Bonnie Purcell, stooped to meet them with open arms.

      Behind her, the caterer moved aside and busied herself at the sink. But not before her deep brown eyes narrowed on him.

      “Oh, my precious girls.” Mom embraced her granddaughters. “You were so good today.” She released them, smoothing a hand over her shimmering dress as she rose. “Gage, have you met Celeste?” His mother’s gaze drifted between him and the caterer, that matchmaking twinkle in her eye.

      Man, Taryn hadn’t been married but a few hours and his mother had already set her sights on him.

      Well, she could try all she wanted, but Gage wasn’t going down that road again. He was a failure at marriage and had no intention of setting himself or his daughters up for another heartbreak.

      “Not officially.” The caterer grabbed a towel from the counter. Chin jutted into the air, she held out a freshly dried hand. “Celeste Thompson. Nice to meet you.”

      Recalling the irritation that had accompanied his parting words earlier in the evening, he reluctantly accepted the gesture. “Likewise.”

      Long, slender fingers