Chapter 25
At a steady beeping outside her bedroom window, Silver rolled over in bed and propped up on her elbow. She blinked away the sleep and listened more carefully. Male voices. Revving engines. And more beeping.
What was going on?
She wanted to bury her face in her pillow and give herself a good cry before getting up, her usual routine every morning for the past few weeks.
It was the best way she’d found to relieve the pressure inside that came from missing Dustin.
Of course, the crying only provided a temporary release, because the sadness came rushing back throughout each day.
She was embarrassed to admit that Beryl had been resorting to coming to her room and practically dragging her out of bed.
The faithful assistant had finally called Franklin out to the ranch a few days ago.
He’d arrived early enough in the morning to witness the struggle Beryl had in getting Silver to leave her bed.
Franklin had encouraged Silver with the advice about putting the past behind her and moving forward. But as much as she’d wanted to put the past behind her and stop loving Dustin, she couldn’t. She couldn’t dislodge him from her mind, no matter how hard she tried.
The problem was that she didn’t want to try. All she wanted was him.
Tears immediately sprang to her eyes. She grabbed her pillow and buried her face in it, letting the tears flow.
Why oh why had she allowed herself to fall in love with Dustin all over again?
Why had she hoped that this time things could be different?
And why had she given in to all her feelings?
She would have been better off if she’d kept her heart closed off to him.
Instead, she’d opened it wide, and he’d come striding in and taken a sledgehammer to it.
She pressed her hand against her chest to the pain radiating there. It hurt so much.
The sobs slipped out into the pillow. She wanted him so badly that she didn’t know how she could go one more day without him. Should she call him? Text him? Ask him to at least be friends? They could keep in touch the way he’d suggested.
She hadn’t wanted just friendship, had thought cutting him out of her life completely would be for the best. But she’d been wrong. She needed him, and she was willing to beg him for anything he would give her.
More beeping and engines outside her window penetrated her haze of sorrow.
Really. What was going on outside?
Wiping her eyes and cheeks, she sat up and pushed back the sheet that had tangled in her legs. She breathed in, trying to swallow the pain radiating in her chest. Then she stood and crossed to the window.
Morning light filtered in through the cracks in the blinds.
Her lamps around the room were all still lit too.
Even though she’d been stepping back into the past to walk through all that had happened to cause her anxiety, she knew it would take time to overcome her fear of the dark.
She was on the pathway to recovery and couldn’t expect to reach the destination in only a few steps.
She peeked through the slats in the blinds. “What in the world?” Her heart jumped, and she immediately lifted the blinds and gave herself a full view of the ranch yard. It was filled with construction vehicles—a large dump truck, backhoe, bulldozer, and more. Workers in hard hats milled about.
On the edge of all the busyness stood two men—one in a tailored suit and another in shorts, a tight workout shirt, and reflective sunglasses, his ball cap on backward.
Franklin and Dustin.
She would recognize them anywhere, especially Dustin.
Her heart sped into a sprint, stumbling and tripping and falling over itself. What was Dustin doing here?
She was also curious what had brought Franklin out to the ranch again and why the construction vehicles and men were here. But at the moment, the only thing that mattered was Dustin.
She took a step away from the window, out of sight. What should she do?
For a moment she stood paralyzed, not able to think or breathe or move. Except for her heartbeat, which pulsed with growing need—the need to see him, be near him, if only to hear his voice and feel the searing heat of his eyes upon her.
Yes, she needed him more than she needed anything else. Because the truth was, she’d been withering without him, like a blossoming flower that didn’t have the sunshine and water and nutrients it needed.
She didn’t give herself the chance to second-guess what she was doing. Instead, she flew across the room, out of her bedroom, down the stairway, and into the front hallway.
Beryl stepped out of the sitting room, where she’d been interviewing people over the past week for the housekeeper position.
Paula had been arrested even before Silver had arrived home the night of the kidnapping.
Over the few days after that, they’d learned that Paula’s son had been a foreman on a building project that had been headed up by one of Upton St. James’s companies.
He’d suffered an injury and had been denied compensation.
Over the ensuing couple of years, his medical and therapy bills had grown so large that he’d become angry and overwhelmed.
He’d also apparently had a difficult time finding employment because of his injury.
Paula’s son had tried to speak with Upton St. James on several occasions but still hadn’t received any help.
So after he’d died, Paula’s family had come up with a plan that could alleviate the problems—or so they thought—and get the compensation they needed.
They’d forced the previous housekeeper to quit, put Paula in her place, and had then used Paula to plant the letters and provide information about Silver.
Now all of them, including Paula, were in jail. Silver didn’t agree with their methods of stalking and intimidating her, but she also didn’t agree with Daddy’s callous treatment of a man in need.
She’d talked with Franklin and asked him to pay off Paula’s son’s medical bills. It was the least she could do. Although the family would have to face legal charges for what they’d done, she didn’t want to be too harsh on them.
Beryl scanned Silver from her head to her toes. “Where are you going?”
“Dustin’s here.” It was the only answer Silver could think of, the only one that mattered. She reached the front door and threw it open, her heart thudding harder with every step that brought her closer to him.
She exited onto the wide wraparound porch.
“You should get dressed first,” Beryl called from behind her.
Silver didn’t stop. She crossed the porch and started down the front steps. As she did so, she frantically sought out Dustin. Her gaze landed upon him still in the same spot next to Franklin, who was holding a large sheet and poring over it intently. Dustin was looking at it too and nodding.
Should she shout out his name? As loud as the construction vehicles were, she guessed he’d never be able to hear her.
She strode down the front pathway, the bright sunlight bathing her in warmth. She didn’t care that she’d literally just jumped out of bed, that her eyes were likely red from crying and her hair was messy. She couldn’t let him get away without her talking to him again.
As she left the path and sank her feet into the lush grass, he glanced up and toward the house. In an instant, his gaze landed upon her. He didn’t hesitate even for a second before leaving Franklin’s side and starting toward her, almost as if he’d been waiting for her to appear.
He hadn’t been, had he?
He picked up his pace, jogging now.
She halted in the middle of the yard, drinking him in like a barren and parched land in the middle of a drought. She didn’t care if he could see her need for him. She didn’t care if he could sense how much she wanted him. And she didn’t even care if she humiliated herself.
Nothing else mattered. She’d missed him too much to do anything but just watch him with his confident swagger, the proud bearing, the strong shoulders, and the incredibly handsome—almost movie-star quality—face.
When he was just a few steps away, he slowed down. “You shouldn’t be out here like this.” Although she couldn’t see his eyes through his dark sunglasses, she could tell he was taking her in from her head down to her toes.
She glanced down only to realize she had on one of her summer pj sets—a silky tank top and short shorts. She probably should have grabbed her robe on her way out of her bedroom, but she’d been too eager to see him.
Should she fling herself at him and hug him? Should she fall onto his feet and beg him never to leave her again? Or maybe she needed to be rational and greet him like a sane person instead of acting like a crazy woman.
“Hi, Dustin.” Her greeting came out breathless. “It’s good to see you.”
He pursed his lips, then glanced at the workers, who were now stopping and staring at the two of them.
“I missed you.” The words fell out before she could stop them. “I’ve missed you a lot.”
With a growl, he quickly spanned the distance between them. Before she knew what he was doing, he’d swept her off her feet and into his arms. Then he began stalking toward the house, carrying her effortlessly.
She didn’t struggle against him. She was right where she wanted to be. She closed her eyes and breathed in what felt like the first real breath since she’d climbed into the helicopter that night almost four weeks ago.
He didn’t stop until they were inside the front hallway. He kicked the door closed with a slam, then began to lower her to her feet.
She slid an arm around his neck and clung to him, forcing him to hold her.
Beryl once again appeared in the doorway of the sitting room. Her eyes rounded at the sight of Dustin. Then quietly, she backed up and closed the door, disappearing from sight.
Dustin stood stiffly, as though he was uncomfortable.
But Silver didn’t want him to let go of her, wanted him to go on holding her like this forever. She could live here in his arms, couldn’t she?
“We need to talk, Silver,” he said.
“Okay,” she murmured, nuzzling her nose into his shirt, breathing him in along with his spicy bourbon aftershave.
“But not like this.”
“Like what?”
“With you hardly wearing anything.” His voice was low and gravelly and filled with desire. “Go get some clothes on.”
She almost smiled, something she hadn’t done too often recently. “Only if you promise to wait right here and not go anywhere while I get changed.”
He hesitated. “Fine.”
“Fine.” She tilted her head and almost nuzzled his neck, stopping short and breathing him in again.
He held her tighter for a moment, then lowered her feet to the ground. His thumb gently skimmed her bare arm before he took a large step back.
The soft graze sent her insides tumbling. She didn’t want to read too much into the touch, but surely it had to mean something. She wanted it to mean everything would be all right. But as optimistic as she always was, she couldn’t let her hopes rise too high only to have them knocked down.
She forced herself to climb the stairs. Halfway up, she peered over her shoulder.
He was standing right where she’d left him, in the middle of the hallway, and he was watching her. Even with his sunglasses on, she was experienced enough to know he’d been checking her out.
This time she didn’t hold back her smile. And as she continued up the rest of the way, she made a point of adding a little more swing to her step and plotted how she could convince Dustin to give their relationship another chance.