It didn’t take long to exhaust the usual casual subjects—favorite books, movies, and sports teams. Maybe it was time to move on. When he reached for the check, Safara grabbed it first. “It’s my turn to buy.”
“Fine, but I’m keeping score. I’ll buy next time. Think if we drove to the next town, we could eat without being stared at?”
She laughed. “Maybe, but I know quite a few people there, too.”
He held the door open for her. “Fine, then we’ll drive even farther. Make a day of it.”
And wouldn’t it be great if they also made a night of it? Not that he’d suggest taking that step quite yet. Eventually, though, he wasn’t going to be able to resist fanning the spark of attraction he saw in her eyes when she thought he wouldn’t notice.
The evening air felt good, cool without being too cold for comfort. “How far away do you live?”
“About a mile from here on the outskirts of town. Why?”
He rocked back on his heels to stare up at the night sky. “It’s a nice evening. I thought maybe we could walk.”
Safara joined him in admiring the stars above. “I’d like that, but are you sure? You’ll have to walk all the way back to get your truck.”
“The exercise will do me good.” He patted his stomach. “Especially after that giant piece of chocolate cream pie.”
He let her set the pace as they strolled. Other than the diner and the service station, all the other businesses were closed, which afforded them the closest thing they’d had to privacy all day. After the first block, he gave in to the temptation to snake his arm around her shoulders and tug her in closer to his body. He would’ve let go if she’d protested, but instead, she settled her left arm around his waist.
“Do you have to work tomorrow?”
Safara nodded. “No, but I’ll probably go in to cover so Dad can be with my grandfather.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t ask your deputy friend if you could join him and his crew when they head up to my place in the morning.”
She continued to walk right beside him, but there was new tension in the way she moved. They might still be physically close, but he could feel the separation anyway. “I trust Will to do it right. He’s good at his job and doesn’t need me looking over his shoulder. I’m sure he’ll share whatever he can with Dad. Either way, it’s his case, not ours.”
Eli wanted to call bullshit on her, but he didn’t bother. Maybe she really believed what she was saying, but more likely she hoped to throw him off the scent with her too-casual attitude. No way she or her father would be satisfied with someone else investigating her grandfather’s attack. He’d bet his bottom dollar that they not only suspected the perpetrator was the same guy who had attacked Safara, but they knew it was.
If he were them, he’d go by the book and let the county sheriff’s team do their job. Once Will finished his investigation up on the mountain, he’d go on the hunt himself. He’d give them twenty-four hours, forty-eight max, before Safara and maybe her father headed up to the ridge to do their own search. The only thing they wouldn’t expect was for Eli to be lying in wait to see what the hell was going on up there.
But that was a problem for another day. Right now, he wanted to enjoy the last few minutes of their time together.
They turned off the main drag. “I live just down the street.”
He wasn’t ready to say good night and head back up the mountain by himself, but his gut instinct said this wasn’t the time to press Safara for more than this quiet walk through town. There were too many secrets between them. He might wish that she’d trust him enough to tell him what was really going on, but he couldn’t fault her for playing her cards close to her chest when he was doing the same thing.
“This is it.”
Safara coasted to a stop in front of a small house set some distance back from the street. It was well maintained and gave off a warm and welcoming vibe.
“I’ll see you to the door.”
She took a step back. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. I want to.”
Because he just wasn’t going to walk away from her one second before absolutely necessary. She stared up at him for a long second or two and then slowly nodded. What had she seen that had her taking his hand and leading him toward her house? He couldn’t find the words to ask and wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answers.
All too quickly they were standing on the porch. He waited while she dug out her keys and unlocked the door. “I don’t suppose you want me to come in and look around. You know, to make sure everything is okay.”
Rather than take offense, she huffed a small laugh. “While I appreciate the gentlemanly thought, I wouldn’t inspire anyone with my ability to be a police officer if I’m afraid to walk into my own house by myself.”
He couldn’t argue with her about that. “Well, then I’ll say good night, but there’s one more thing I need to do before I go.”
“Which is?” she asked, but from the way her dark-lashed eyes slowly drifted down to focus on his mouth, she already knew the answer.
