Riley must have noticed the older couple too, because she lowered her voice and pitched forward in her seat. "Like it or not, I'm already mixed up with you." Her voice grew more fervent. "Because I have never stopped loving you, Daniel."
Hearing Riley echo his sentiments caused his chest to swell, which was good because his heart raced so fast he could have powered his truck with it. He wanted to drag her out of the diner right now and have a heart to heart with her. He needed to know she wouldn't change her mind when he spelled out to her all the ways his past could catch up to him.
He leaned forward again, bringing his face within inches of hers. "There are things you need to understand about me—about my past—before you make declarations like that."
"I doubt there's anything you can say that will change my mind."
"Don't be so sure."
"Tell me then."
He glanced around again. The diner was starting to fill up with the lunchtime rush. "Not here."
Riley looked around too, then slowly nodded. She sat back in her seat. "Fine, but we are going to talk about this." She picked up a French fry and pointed it at him. "I need to let Uncle James know my answer soon. And like it or not, it all depends on you."
Great! As if I'm not worried enough about how she'll react when I tell her of my indiscretions, now her future rests in my hands.
Thirty minutes later, after Amy walked away with Daniel's credit card, Riley stood. "I need to go to the restroom before we head home."
As soon as she was out of sight, Daniel pulled his phone from his pocket and called Robert.
"What's going on?" he asked as soon as Robert answered. He could be as abrupt as Riley's oldest brother when it came to her well-being.
"Jake and I finally managed to convince Ainsworth Riley wasn't at the ranch—despite her Jeep being here—and that he needed to leave. I'm not sure we were as successful at convincing him to leave her alone, however."
"You let him leave? You didn't arrest him?"
"Couldn't. Yes, the restraining order states that he can't come within three hundred feet of Riley. Technically, he didn't—since she isn't here—so I couldn't arrest him."
"But he didn't know she wasn't there when he showed up on her doorstep."
"No, he didn't, and I pointed out that had she been there, I would have arrested him. As it is, I just followed him to the motel on the south end of town."
"What's he doing there?"
"My guess? Renting a room." Robert's voice was grim. "It doesn't look like he plans to leave town any time soon."
Daniel cursed under his breath.
"My sentiments exactly. This means you can't let Riley go home."
"What am I supposed to do with her? We're done with lunch and we’re about to head back to the ranch. I'm not sure I can come up with a good enough excuse to convince her to stay at my house for the rest of the day and night."
His thoughts turned to the north cabin where he and Riley spent the night a few weeks ago. They hadn't taken supplies out to replace the ones they'd used yet. It would be the perfect place to hide away for a while, but he wasn't sure he could stand spending hours in the saddle again in his condition.
"No, your house is too close. I don't want her anywhere near the ranch." Robert stopped talking for a moment and Daniel was about to ask again how he was supposed to keep Riley away, when Robert spoke again. "Take her out to the lake."
"The lake?"
"Yes, take her to my mom's family's cabin at the lake. Riley knowsthe door code. Spend the night there, then check in with me in the morning, and I'll fill you in on Ainsworth's whereabouts."
Daniel wanted to argue. Taking Riley out to the lake would trigger all kinds of memories. Fun, carefree ones from their youth and romantic ones from the two evenings they spent there during the summer they dated.
"How am I supposed to convince her to stay there without telling her why?"
Robert laughed, sounding less like the sheriff and more like the big brother Daniel knew. "Flirt with her. Convince her you've been dying to spend more time with her."
"What?" Daiel balled up his used napkin.
