than she really was. Then what?
Inside the house, she dropped the diaper bag and her purse on the couch. She would’ve liked to hold Mia a while longer, to cuddle while she gathered her thoughts, but the baby squirmed and kicked her feet until she was released. Mia ran for her bedroom, and her toy box. Judge trailed behind, casting one long glance back.
Leaving Gabi alone with Silas.
She looked at him. Not long ago she’d been so satisfied to simply lie with him. She’d let her guard slip; she’d let herself believe, for one long and wonderful moment, that she could have a man like him in her life.
“You can go,” she said, forcing the words past the knot in her throat.
He didn’t move. “No. I’m not leaving you alone until we know for sure if the man Jordan talked to is your ex-husband, or not.”
“It doesn’t matter.” If she told Silas she was going to run, would he try to stop her? She’d told him she didn’t, couldn’t, love him, but did he think there might be more, in spite of her protests? “I need time to think, and I can’t do that while you’re here.”
“Fine.” He leaned in and down, kissed her in an achingly familiar way, and headed for the door.
Maybe she could smear another layer of mud over the date on the license plate. It was a short-term solution, but better than stealing someone else’s tag. Would she take Judge with her or leave him with Silas? She didn’t want to separate Mia and the bloodhound, but traveling with a big dog would be a challenge.
Handling Mia would be a nightmare if she took her dog away. She loved that bloodhound. One day Mia would learn that love wasn’t real, but for now…
Silas stopped by the door, turned and looked at her. “Do you have a folding chair?”
Gabi was pulled out of her frantic internal planning. “Why?”
“I can sit on the ground, but if I’m going to plant myself on your front porch I’d just as soon have a chair.”
She shook her head. “You’re not staying.”
“I’m not leaving.”
It was clear arguing with him was going to be a waste of time. And dammit, she couldn’t have Mystic Springs’ critter guy camped on her front porch for hours. People would talk. They’d ask questions she didn’t want to answer.
“Please, just go.”
He walked toward her. She’d never seen such determination on his face. “You want me to leave you alone so you can run again? You want me to step back and let you light out of Mystic Springs while no one is watching?”
“There’s nothing between us…”
“There’s everything between us,” he said darkly. “More than I wanted. More, I suspect, than you wanted. If the man who’s shown up in town is your ex-husband, then let’s face him together. He has no claim on you. He doesn’t belong here. You do. I didn’t see that until now.”
“I don’t belong anywhere,” she whispered.
Silas placed his hands on her shoulders. Those hands were large, warm, and steady. His touch comforted her, steadied her.
“You belong with me. I’ll fight everyone to keep you.”
It was a nice thought. “I hope you don’t have to fight everyone.” It was a tease, an unexpected light moment in a dark time. “You don’t understand. Blake is… he’s not like you.”
“He hurt you. I never will.”
“I know, but…”
“I’ll kill him,” Silas said.
“Metaphorically speaking…”
“Literally speaking.”
Gabi placed a hand on Silas’s cheek. She wouldn’t let him actually commit murder, tempting as it was, but not because she didn’t want Blake dead. She did. But she wouldn’t let Silas carry the burden of taking a life, and she sure as hell didn’t want him going to jail. “How about a compromise?” Something between flight and murder. “Stand with me, if I do have to face Blake again. Help me be strong. Help me protect my daughter.”
Blake was a tough guy when it was just him and a woman he considered to be his property. Would facing Silas be enough to make him back down?
“I will. But first, there’s something I have to tell you.”
Gabi held her breath. Now what?
Silas hesitated. Whatever he had to tell her, he wasn’t eager to spit it out. He opened his mouth, closed it, furrowed his brow. “Never mind. It’s not that important. Let’s grab some lunch and then I’ll take you to The Egg for your afternoon shift with the gray-hairs.”
“Be nice,” she said. “One day you’ll have gray hair.”
“I think I feel