No One But You (Silver Springs #2)(94)

“Already?”

He stretched his neck. “Neither one of us are in a good situation. We recognize that. But she’s brought some happiness and companionship back into my life. I’m not going to let Sly take that away from me. We deserve the chance to see if it goes anywhere.”

Aiyana crossed her legs and smoothed her skirt. “Well. That changes things, I suppose.”

He arched his eyebrows. “It does? In what way?”

“Makes it worth the risk.”

She spoke so matter-of-factly he had to laugh. “You’re going to change your mind that easily?”

“What can I say?” She sighed in an exaggerated fashion. “I’m a romantic. To me, love is always worth the risk.”

“I don’t know that it’s love,” he said, trying to back her off a little. “Not yet. Who can say where it will go? But there’s a chance. I definitely feel...a spark.”

“Even the hope of love is worth the risk,” she clarified.

“Good. Then how about a cup of coffee?”

“Why not?”

He jerked his head toward the house. “Come on in. I’ll make a fresh pot.”

“What do you think of Sadie’s son?” she asked as she followed him inside.

“Jayden’s a great kid. Why?”

“I’m just curious how you’d feel about becoming a father.”

“Whoa!” Stopping, he turned to face her. “That’s really jumping ahead. Let me get used to having a girlfriend—with a cute boy—first.”

Some of her enthusiasm dimmed. “You realize that Sly will be part of your life for as long as you’re with Sadie...”

“Hopefully, he won’t be part of her life or mine, no matter what happens.”

“That’s unrealistic. Jayden’s his son.”

He led her into the kitchen and motioned her into a seat as he started the coffee. “We believe he set the fire that nearly burned down her rental, Aiyana. And if we can prove it, he’ll go to prison.”

She looked aghast. “You can’t be serious! I’ve heard rumors rumbling around town that she’s accused him, but I never dreamed it was a real possibility.”

“It’s real, all right.” He explained the logic behind their suspicion while the coffee percolated. By the time he carried two cups over to the table, they’d already moved on to how much she liked Eli’s fiancée, Cora, how she wished Gavin and some of her other boys could find a good woman and settle down and how much attendance at the school she’d founded so long ago had grown over the years. She said they had more students than ever.

Dawson enjoyed the conversation. He especially liked hearing that she was dating someone herself, after being alone for so long. Cal Buchanan, a local cattle rancher, had always had a thing for her. He used to hang around the school as much as possible, even when Dawson was going there. Apparently, they were openly seeing each other now. Aiyana even admitted that he’d asked her to marry him—and that she was considering it.

Their conversation made Dawson feel more normal than anything since he’d been released from jail. He had work to do, but he was still sorry to see her go when she left an hour later. He waved as she backed down the drive. Then he whistled some silly tune as he walked toward the place where he’d been working. But before he could reach his tractor, he saw a section of plants off in the distance that looked as if they’d been mowed down—something he probably wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been taking his time and looking around, taking stock of everything. He was usually too focused on what lay directly in front of him to pay much attention to what lay off to one side.

Curious to see what’d caused the damage, he followed the canal to where it looked as if a car had driven into his crops while making a three-point turn in order to go back the way it had come.

“What the hell,” he muttered as he squatted to finger the tire tracks. He hadn’t driven his truck back here, not in ages. Which meant someone else had to have come recently—and, judging by the number of times a vehicle had turned around in this very spot, more than once. But why would anyone come here the first time, let alone again and again? There was nothing but dirt and artichoke plants.

Unless...

Dawson stood and turned. He had an unobstructed view of the house from this vantage point, and it wasn’t that far away.

A creeping sensation came over him as he realized that this would be the perfect place to park at night if someone wanted to do a little snooping—on him and Sadie. And Dawson had a good idea who that person might be.

*

Dawson was trying to call her, but Sadie couldn’t talk right now. The arson investigator had just pulled into the drive and was walking up to greet her. He was late, thanks to traffic he’d encountered leaving Los Angeles. When he’d let her know it’d be an extra hour or so, Chief Thomas, who’d been planning to meet him with her, had gone to the station and left her to handle the appointment on her own. He’d also given her permission to go in and get what was left of her belongings. He told her the firefighters had salvaged what they could and staged it in the kitchen, where she’d be able to get to it from the back door. They didn’t want her to go anywhere near the side that had been burned for fear she might get hurt. She probably could’ve searched through what they’d saved while she waited for Mr. Steele, but she’d been putting that off. She didn’t want to be too emotional when the arson investigator arrived.