Right Where We Belong (Silver Springs #4)(75)

“Yes. We’re keeping it all in the family,” he joked.

When Gavin put the hammer away, latched his toolbox and stood, Savanna shifted her gaze to the man she’d had difficulty not looking at ever since he and Eli had pulled into her drive. Just the sight of him made her chest tighten and her fingers itch to touch him. She’d never craved contact the way she craved contact with him, and it didn’t matter how many times she told herself that she was being ridiculous, that she’d met him only two weeks ago, that she was acting like some kind of lovesick teenager. She couldn’t seem to control her reaction. She felt how she felt. “Thank you,” she told him.

Acknowledging her gratitude with a nod and a fatalistic smile, he started toward the door.

“Hey, Savanna’s promised to make you dinner,” Eli called after him, catching him before he could go out.

Savanna hadn’t included Gavin in her invitation, but since Eli had just put her on the spot, she quickly agreed. “Yes, um, I will. Of course. If you and...and Heather would like to come when I have Eli and his wife over...”

Gavin raised his eyebrows to signify that he had no idea where she was going with such an invitation, and she let her words fade away. She didn’t know where she was going with it, either. That was opposite to anything she’d ever really want to do. She was just trying to be polite so that Eli wouldn’t find it odd that only he and his wife were invited.

“Or maybe I’ll drop something off sometime,” she finished lamely.

“You coming?” Gavin said to Eli. “We promised the boys at the ranch we’d play some ball today, and I’m sure they’re getting tired of waiting for us. Then I’ve got a gig that’s four hours away.”

“I’ll be right out,” Eli said.

The screen door slammed shut but didn’t stay closed. The kids followed Gavin outside while Eli hung back. “Don’t mind him,” he said, lowering his voice and gesturing toward Gavin’s retreating back. “He’s dealing with some personal problems that have nothing to do with you.”

She drew a deep breath. “You mean the baby.”

He stood taller. “He told you Heather’s pregnant?”

She nodded.

He clicked his tongue. “Here’s hoping he doesn’t marry her.”

“He’s going to,” she said, and she couldn’t blame him. Part of her even admired him for trying to be such a stand-up guy.

“It would be just like him,” Eli agreed with a frown.

The kids came back inside as Savanna watched Gavin and Eli drive off. Gavin hadn’t touched her, hadn’t even brushed against her, given her a sexy smile or tried to be alone with her since that night they’d made love under the stars. That brief flash of sexual activity was over, she told herself. Even if the attraction remained, they couldn’t act on it. She needed to accept that.

She did accept it, she told herself.

And yet she was still taking her birth control.

*

That afternoon, Savanna drove the kids to town. The stove was installed. The bridge was finished so she could cross it with confidence. The broken windows Gavin had boarded up in the beginning had been replaced along with the back door. There was still a lot to do, but she was feeling good about the progress on the house. She’d even called Detective Sullivan and told him she’d be willing to come to Utah, if he felt it was truly necessary, and he’d said he’d see about making the arrangements.

After all of that, she felt as if she, Branson and Alia deserved a little family fun, and with Gavin’s mother’s barbecue and swim party tomorrow, she hoped to find a new swimsuit. She doubted Gavin would even look at her. He was being so careful not to say or do anything that could be construed as inappropriate for a man in his situation that everything had become odd and strained between them. Whenever she caught his eye, a troubled expression would descend on his face before he pulled his gaze away. She hated that.

Again, she considered backing out of the barbecue, but it was all her kids could talk about. She didn’t want to disappoint them. And she was interested in meeting Aiyana. From what Savanna had been able to determine so far, Gavin’s adoptive mother was someone worth meeting. While Savanna was in the dressing room trying on a pair of shorts, Branson told the salesclerk at the thrift shop that they were going to New Horizons for a swim party, and the clerk said that Aiyana was one of the nicest people in the world.

Savanna bought the shorts, since they were only four dollars. She bought a few things for her kids, too, and then they went out for ice cream. Branson wanted to show her where Gavin had taken them. They even stopped by the park and fed the ducks before visiting the only shop in town Savanna thought might sell swimsuits.

She found a gorgeous black bikini as soon as she walked through the door, but it was too expensive.

She put it back on the table, checked the other swimsuits and found that they were all beyond her budget. She was about to leave when she spotted the clearance rack. Since it was spring, she didn’t expect to find any swimsuits on sale, but she checked, anyway, and was surprised to find a stunning one-piece in a nude color that looked like it might fit. The tag said there was a seam coming undone on one side, so it had been marked down, but she could easily fix that.

“How do you like it?” the salesclerk asked once she was in the dressing room and had had time to put it on.