Page 141 of The Convict Gets His Girl

Chase rolled his eyes, but his stomach twisted. "Shit, I'm sorry, man. I tried calling, texting—I even banged on your window."

Raul grinned and stood up. "Hey, I'm just giving you a hard time. Are the kids okay?"

Chase ran a hand through his hair, ash falling around him. "Yeah, normal teenage shit that led to a barn fire and almost burned down a hay field."

Raul winced as they walked toward the back yard. "I'm sorry I didn't wake up to help. Did you get in trouble for driving? Call the cops or fire department to the fire?"

Chase sighed and explained what happened as he found Gladys and led her back through the fence. The chill of the fall air after such an inferno of heat had him shivering, especially with a charred and singed shirt. It scratched at his raw back where debris and heat had burned. It'd be a bitch to move for the next few days, but he'd had worse.

"Destini told me she loved me," he said as he patted Gladys' side.

"Of course she does. Both of them do. When are you going to tell Jewel you love her?" Raul asked as he swung up onto the horse bare back.

He looked up at the stars, thinking about the events of the night. Destini's reaction played on repeat in his brain, and he wasn't sure how Jewel would react. She might pretend it hadn't happened or bury herself in work for days.

"I don't know. It might scare her off. The last time I gave even a hint of my feelings, she literally ran out the door and peeled out."

Raul snorted. "That was how long ago?"

Chase settled the reins in his hands. "Months, I guess."

"Exactly. Tell her how you feel. What's the worst that could happen?"

Chase set Gladys to a slow walk and waved. "We'll see. Thanks for the car—and for not pressing charges for stealing it."

Raul laughed. "As if I would ever. You're always welcome to it, my liege."

Chase shook his head. "Dipshit. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Raul grinned and waved as Chase turned onto the street. The ease of friendship faded as he thought about the night. He could've been trapped in that fire, could've lost Jewel and Destini and his entire life in one fell swoop.

It was time, he knew, to confront Jewel about their relationship. They were past due. His stomach knotted at the thought of losing her though, and the entire ride back home, he prayed that she would stay.

ChapterFifty-One

The tires of Jewel's truck screeched against the gravel, throwing up a cloud of dust that hung like a ghostly veil behind her. She killed the engine and was out of the vehicle before it fully stopped, her boots hitting the ground with frantic urgency.

The front door banged against the wall as she burst inside, her heart racing with a mother's visceral fear. The hallway seemed to stretch impossibly long, each step echoing with potential disaster. She raced up the stairs.

Destini's bedroom door was partially open. Jewel could see her daughter's form curled on the bed, her hair a wet tangle against the pillow. The faint scent of smoke clung to her like a desperate whisper.

"God," Jewel breathed, her hand pressed against her chest. The shower-damp skin, the smoky residue—Ana had been telling the truth.

Destini's shoulders were tense, her back turned. Wet hair cascaded down her neck, droplets of water leaving tiny dark spots on her pillowcase. She was alive. She was home. But the shaking shoulders revealed deep turmoil.

Jewel's professional medical training warred with her maternal instincts. Check for injuries? Demand answers? The smoke smell was subtle but distinct—not just a campfire smell, but something more urgent. Something that spoke of danger, of escape, and confirmed Ana's words.

She took a step closer, watching the shuddering rise and fall of her daughter's breathing. Watching. Waiting. The silence between them felt charged, like electricity before a storm.

"Hey, Mom," Destini said, not turning to her, her voice shaking with sobs.

Jewel's voice broke the silence, raw with emotion as she sank onto the foot of the bed. "Oh my God, what happened? Ana just called to thank Chase for dropping off Skye and mentioned the barn fire. You went to a party? Snuck out?"

The words tumbled out sharp and accusatory, years of protective instinct and buried fear surfacing in a single breath. She watched Destini's back stiffen, muscles coiling beneath skin still damp from her shower.

Destini sat up, spinning just enough to show the side of her face—defiance etched in the set of her jaw. "It's not like that, Mom. It's?—"

"What? A betrayal of trust? I thought you were safe at a friend's house."

---