taking the turn onto her street. She’d enjoyed spending time with Silas, flashbacks and overly active imagination aside, but she was ready to be in her own house, with the doors and windows locked and her baby in her arms.
She stopped beside his truck. It was a little dinged up, but was clean. It was a working man’s truck, without any bells or whistles. “Thanks for dinner. I enjoyed it.”
Silas looked a little surprised. Had he expected more? Did he think she’d ask him in? She wanted to, and maybe one day she would, but it was too soon. The talk of how she’d come to be here, the questions about Mia’s father, it all had her feeling a little raw.
“Mind if I come in and check on Judge?”
Marnie was there, so they wouldn’t be alone. Silas didn’t strike her as the dangerous type, anyway, so there would be no harm in letting him come inside. Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t been in her house before. “Sure. I guess you’re already missing the big guy.”
“A little,” Silas admitted as they walked to the front door.
Marnie hadn’t even locked it. They opened the door, surprising their babysitter. Marnie jumped up, leaving the sofa as if she had springs. There was a book in her hand. “Quiet,” she whispered. “The baby and the dog both just went to sleep.”
“Oh,” she and Silas both said, at the same time. Their disappointment was evident. She’d wanted her baby; he’d wanted to see Judge. Would he want to wait around in case the dog woke up and wandered in to see him? Did she want him to wait?
Marnie grabbed her purse from the table by the couch, and walked straight to Silas. “Would you give me a ride home? I could call Clint, but he’s hoping to finish that last chapter tonight. It’s a little late for me to walk that far.” Her eyes widened. “I am pregnant, after all.”
Silas sighed and agreed. What choice did he have? Marnie was nothing if not persistent.
Just as well. Gabi told him he could stop by and see Judge any day. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn’t.
Marnie was at the door when she stopped, spun around, and said, “I’m such an idiot. This is a date, and I’ve interrupted your goodnight kiss.” She turned her back to them. “Proceed.”
“We don’t have to…” Gabi began.
Silas stopped her with gentle fingers on her chin and a smile she couldn’t resist. He kissed her lightly. It was a friendly kiss with a hint of something well beyond friendly in it. A promise, maybe. A suggestion that there could be more. He took his lips from hers for a split second, and then they were back. This time the kiss was deeper, and much too short.
Marnie called, “Time!” Then added, “That’s long enough for a first kiss.”
Silas backed away. “How do you know it’s the first?”
“I am not an amateur,” Marnie said as she opened the door.
Silas turned. “I’ll check on Judge tomorrow.”
Gabi nodded, watched the two leave, and then locked the door behind them. She felt Silas on her lips for a long while after she heard his truck pull away.
His reason for asking Gabi out in the first place had been to get close to Mia again and figure out what was going on with the kid. Springer or not? He had to know. He hadn’t gotten anywhere near the kid tonight, but still, the evening had not been a complete failure.
He liked Gabi. His feelings were unexpected. Unwanted, even. He couldn’t afford to like her so much.
“Sorry if I ruined your plans for the evening,” Marnie said as they turned onto the dirt road that would lead to the cabin where Maxwells had lived for years.
“You didn’t ruin anything,” Silas said calmly. “Gabi and I are just friends.”
“Ha! That was not a friendly kiss.”
He glanced at his passenger. “You turned your back to us.”
“I peeked. Duh. Did you really think I wouldn’t? I knew you two would be well-suited. It’s just so obvious.” Marnie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “However, now that it seems you two are on the right path, I have a word of warning.”
“Warning?” he snapped. “You’re the one who…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she said. “Just don’t get seriously involved with Gabi unless you plan to keep it up. I don’t want you to scare her out of town. If y’all get involved and there’s a blowup, she might just get