about me giving you anything.”
He shifted their positions in bed, slipping his arms around her and holding her close. “I’m healthy, too, and you don’t have to worry about me giving you anything, either.”
He then cupped her chin. “Although I didn’t like being rough with you, I enjoyed making love to you without a condom, too.”
And then he didn’t say anything and she didn’t, either. She figured he needed the silence. But when it stretched for what she thought was too long, she moved to lie on top of him and stared into the face she loved so much.
“Talk to me, Gavin. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
A part of her wondered what right she had to stick her nose into his business, to assume he wanted to tell her anything. But another part of her knew she couldn’t let him withdraw. Just like he’d needed her physically, she wanted him to need her emotionally, as well.
She knew his eyes well. Just as well as she knew the shape of his mouth and the fullness of those lips that had kissed her earlier. He would try to fight her on this but she wouldn’t let him. He’d been by himself this way for so long she figured it was hard for him to allow another person into his space. Especially a woman. But she had news for him. She wasn’t just any woman. She was the woman who loved him.
And for some reason, although he’d never given her reason to say the words, a part of her believed he knew how she felt. A part of her wanted to believe that he knew she wouldn’t share her body with just anyone. This wasn’t just an excavation fling for her. It was more. But maybe he didn’t know. Men had a tendency to be dense when it came to the I-love-you stuff.
“For a minute I felt like a loose cannon, Layla,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “So out of control. I could have snapped and killed Lott with my bare hands. It would have given me pleasure to hear the sound of his neck breaking.”
His words, spoken with deep emotion, invaded her mind. She had felt his anger and she’d seen how he’d managed to hold it in check after hearing everything the man had said. Of course the sheriff had been there to stop Gavin from taking matters into his own hands. And his SEAL teammates had been there, too, although she wasn’t sure if they would have stopped him or helped him.
“But now you know the truth, Gavin. Your mother never left you and your dad, after all. She’s been here all this time. Here on the Silver Spurs.”
She watched his eyes flash with confusion. She explained further. “You remember when you told me how the south pasture was your favorite area and your father’s, as well. How the two of you would often camp out there. How you loved the feel of sleeping under the stars?”
“Yes.”
“I want to think that although the two of you didn’t know it, the reason that area meant so much was because your mom was there. She was there, Gavin, and when you were there, without knowing it, you were close to her.”
She saw the moment when her words sank in. Something broke within him. His eyes might not have been expressive to others but they were expressive to her. Without saying anything, he cupped the back of her neck and brought her mouth down to his. Their tongues tangled in a mating so intense that when he finally released her mouth, she felt light-headed and breathless.
Layla was glad she had given him something to think about. But she knew he must still feel guilty over what he’d believed all these years—that his mother had deserted him and his father. His next words proved her right.
“But I didn’t know, Layla. I thought she had gone. I thought she was living another life somewhere without us. I thought—”
She placed a finger to his lips. “What you thought was understandable. You were only a child when she disappeared. But your dad knew his wife. He knew their love. He always believed she would come back. And she did. In fact, she never left. She’s been here for the two of you the entire time. And I know she was proud of your dad and was just as proud of you. The man you’ve become.”
He pulled her close, buried his face in her neck. And she held him. Held him tight and near her heart. A part of her wanted to tell him now how much she loved him, but she knew it wasn’t the time. That admission would come later. For now this was what he needed. To know she was here and that he wasn’t alone.
* * *
Bane’s ringtone woke Gavin and he glanced out the window as he sat up. It was daybreak. “Yes, Bane?” He nodded. “We’re on our way.”
When he clicked off the phone, he said, “Let’s get dressed. Both your team and mine are ready. Now they have two treasures to find.”
A short while later, Gavin pulled his truck to a stop in front of what Layla knew should have been the excavation site. Instead it resembled a crime scene with yellow tape marking the area. Upon hearing the sound of the truck, everyone turned their way. A blanket of snow covered the hillside and forecasters predicted even heavier snow by the weekend. They would need to work quickly.
Layla saw her students standing in a huddle. They’d probably heard what was going on and were trying to figure out how they’d slept through it all. She also saw Ms. Melody standing close to Caldwell, the man’s arms wrapped protectively around her. Nothing discreet there. If anyone hadn’t realized they were a couple before, they sure knew it now.
Roy was talking on the phone and Gavin’s teammates stood next to the digging equipment. She wondered if they’d gotten any sleep, although they looked wide-awake and ready for any action that might come their way.
She’d been so busy observing everyone that she’d failed to notice that Gavin had gotten out of the truck until he was opening the passenger door. He leaned over her to unsnap her seat belt and then effortlessly lifted her out of her seat. “Thanks,” she said, when he’d placed her on her feet.
“Don’t mention it.”
Taking her hand, he walked to where the others were standing. His grandmother left her place by Caldwell’s side and walked over to Gavin. He released his hold on Layla’s hand and pulled Ms. Melody into a big hug. Giving the two some privacy, Layla joined her students. She figured they would have a lot of questions.
After talking to her team, she returned to Gavin and his teammates. Coop explained how they’d fingered Sherman Lott as the bad guy. “After you told us about the footprint and how it was apparent more pressure was being placed on one foot than the other, we knew we were looking for someone with a leg injury or some kind of impairment and who was wearing worn shoes. When we saw Lott’s shoes and saw him rubbing his leg more than once, I got suspicious. I offered him my chair so he wouldn’t have to stand. I told him that I noticed his leg seemed to be bothering him. That’s when he said it occasionally did and was the result of a horse riding accident years ago.”
Coop then nodded for Bane to continue.
“Last night after everyone had gone to bed,” Bane said, taking up the tale. “Mac and I decided to go to Lott’s ranch and snoop around, to see if we could find the kerosene can. Imagine our surprise when we got there and saw him loading up a kerosene can onto his truck, with plans to head back over to your place to burn down the shack. We called Coop and told him to contact you and to call the sheriff. Lott was caught red-handed about to pour kerosene around the shack to torch it.”
Roy approached with an angry look on his face. “What’s wrong, Roy?” Gavin
