No One But You (Silver Springs #2)(100)

“It’s made my life a living hell.” And she knew it wasn’t going to get easier if she had to leave town, leave him. She lifted her head to peer into his face. “Why’d you take me in? Have you lost your mind? Look at me! I’m in such a mess. I have a little boy to take care of and literally nothing to take care of him with.”

“You have all you need,” he said. “You’ll see.”

She scowled in defiance. “You didn’t answer my question. You should’ve turned me away, especially once you realized my ex is a freaking psychopath. I gave you the chance. Now you’re having to deal with his actions, too.”

A contemplative expression claimed his face as he smoothed the hair out of her eyes. “I don’t know why. I guess if you search hard enough, there’s always a glimmer of sunshine in life. I used to watch for it through the slats of my cell. That was literal sunshine, of course. It’s what kept me hanging on—that little patch of light. Not a lot to cling to, but enough. I see something similar, something hopeful and warm, when I look at you.”

She studied his handsome features. “I make you feel better?”

“You do. I told you before, you make me feel like a man again.”

“Because we have mad, wild sex. We can’t keep our hands off each other,” she said sulkily.

He tucked her hair behind her ears. “It’s more than that. At least it is for me.”

It was a lot more than that for her, too, but she didn’t care to acknowledge the fact.

“I like that I’m needed, wanted and able to help,” he added.

Her heart was beating hard, knocking against her ribs. “That scares me to death.”

He smiled. “What does?”

“What if I fall in love with you? I can’t do that. I can’t trust my own heart. Not after what I’ve been through.”

“Don’t worry about ‘what ifs’. We’re just going to take things one day at a time.”

“But I doubt the investigator will come up with anything. I mean, look at this mess.” She gestured around her. “What can he or anyone else tell from this?” She kicked a burned shoe to one side. “It seems as if Sly always gets away with whatever he does. There’s no justice in the world, Dawson. What happened to you is a perfect example.”

He wiped her tears with his thumbs. “It’s not over yet. For either one of us. But maybe I’m feeling optimistic because I heard from Oscar today.”

She sniffed to stop her nose from running. “You did? What did he say? Does he remember the drifter?”

“He does. He could also tell me why that drifter was in town. He’s the brother of one of the boys who went to New Horizons last year.”

This was encouraging. “Which boy? And is he still at the school?”

“That’s what I need to find out.”

“Aiyana will jump all over that.”

“I’ve already called her. She’s working on it. Could take a couple of days. Shouldn’t be much longer.”

Sadie drew a deep breath. Hearing this news made a difference. So did having Dawson’s support. As much as she didn’t want to lean on him, didn’t want to admit that having him come, even though she told him he didn’t need to, made her feel capable of going on in spite of the despair. “That’s wonderful,” she said.

He frowned as he gazed around at the burned bedroom. “Are you sure your pictures are gone?”

“I’ve looked everywhere. They’re not here. No plastic container. No pictures.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I guess we just have to take the blows life deals us and, when we get knocked down, get back up again, right?” What other choice did she have? She couldn’t give up.

“That’s right. And you can do it. Getting up is hard, but it’s all that counts in the end.”

With a nod, she slipped her hand in his. “Okay. Let’s go. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Why don’t you ride with me? We’ll pick up Jayden and take him out for ice cream before coming back to get your car. Ice cream won’t fix everything, but—”

She wiped the last of the wetness from her face. “It’s better than sobbing on the floor,” she finished with a broken laugh. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you the past couple of weeks.”

He squeezed her hand. “Don’t even mention it. You’ve saved me, too.”

That made her smile. She’d grieve over her pictures later, she told herself. When she had the fortitude. Right now she had to soldier on—for Dawson, who could have a chance at proving that the transient he encountered at the gas station was not only real but possibly culpable of his parents’ murder, and Jayden, who was depending on her to be strong.





26


There was no one at the ice cream parlor. That came as a relief to Sadie. She didn’t want to encounter anyone with her red, swollen eyes. Having to face the girl behind the counter was bad enough.

They each picked their favorite flavor. Dawson got a double scoop of mocha almond fudge; she and Jayden each got a single cone of chocolate.

Assuring her they’d come back to town to recover her car later, Dawson drove them home so they could prolong the peace they’d found together. That simple gesture, keeping her with him even though it wasn’t the most practical thing to do, made her appreciate him even more. She was falling in love again, all right. She didn’t want to be—especially with her future in Silver Springs being so uncertain—but she couldn’t deny what she was feeling, couldn’t pretend otherwise. That fact became all too clear when Jayden fell asleep on the way and, once Dawson carried him into the house for a nap, she caught hold of his hand before he could go out to work.