It was those other things that worried her. She couldn’t make another mistake. Not at this juncture. She was already trying to rebuild her life.
16
Aiyana had to tell him, didn’t she? She couldn’t risk having Dallas be blindsided. A man who could murder his whole family wouldn’t be likely to care about how it might affect his one remaining child to be confronted by him. If Robert Ogilvie possessed a sensitivity gene, he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did in the first place.
That meant he’d most likely come to Silver Springs for selfish reasons. He’d been in prison for twenty-three years. The entire world had changed since he’d been locked up. Aiyana could see where he might be lost and bewildered and looking for some way to establish a life on the outside, but with so much time gone by, there probably wasn’t a soul left who could or would help him. The only thing he had on the outside was a son.
What if he wouldn’t be willing to leave until he located Dallas and saw for himself that his son wasn’t going to forgive him and allow him back into his life?
She watched Dallas joke around with his brothers, pinning them to the ground when they tried to challenge him, as they put away the mower and other tools. As the older brother, he was obliged to put down the younger upstarts, who loved wrestling with him. He was happier than she’d ever seen him, and yet she knew he still battled the demons that had plagued him since his mother’s and sister’s murders. She wasn’t sure he’d ever find the peace she wished he could have. He felt too responsible for Jenny’s death, wouldn’t allow it.
How would this latest development affect him?
She wanted to kick herself for ever responding to Robert. Now she saw his attempt to reach out in a completely different light. He’d sent those letters—the one to her and then to Dallas—just before being released, intending to establish contact, so he could examine the possibility of building a relationship with Dallas. Having someone to help him would make everything easier.
But was Robert really clueless enough to think what he’d done could ever be forgotten? That Dallas wouldn’t feel more loyalty to Jenny, if not his mother?
“You okay?” Cal came up to her while wiping his face with a handkerchief. He still worked as hard as a much younger man. She loved how strong and driven and eminently good he was. “You were so happy a few minutes ago.”
“And now I’m worried,” she admitted.
“The wedding will come off without a hitch. We’re almost ready. What’s left to do?”
“I’m not worried about the wedding.” She checked to be sure Dallas, Liam and Bentley couldn’t hear her. “Robert Ogilvie is out of prison.”
Concern entered his expression. “Dallas’s father? Already?”
“Already?” she echoed. “It’s been nearly a quarter of a century.”
“But he was sentenced to forty years. And it’s my opinion that he should never get out. He murdered his wife and daughter!”
“True, but he cooperated with the police, confessed and showed remorse—once he was caught. That, along with good behavior, must’ve shortened his sentence. His age probably factored into it, too. I bet the parole board no longer saw him as much of a threat.”
“Hey, he’s only in his sixties.”
Cal was sixty-one, eight years older than she was, but she was too caught up in this latest development to laugh at his wounded pride. “Statistically speaking, men your age don’t commit murder.”
“Well, he’d better keep his distance from you and Dallas, or I might prove to be an outlier.”
She knew he was only joking, but she also knew he’d do anything to protect her, if necessary. “He’s here, in Silver Springs, Cal.”
He lowered his voice. “How do you know?”
“Eli called. Robert was over at the school, looking for me and asking about Dallas.”
“You don’t think he means to harm Dallas in any way...”
“No. But just reentering his life could push Dallas into a very dark place.”
“What should we do?”
“We have to prepare him, let him know that his father is no longer behind bars. What other choice do we have?”
Cal rubbed the salt-and-pepper beard growth on his chin. “Dallas is a man now, Aiyana.”
“What does that mean?”
“We can no longer protect him. As difficult as it might be, he has to be the one to deal with this. Once he learns Robert is in town, he might head back to Vegas, which would mean he’d miss the wedding, but—”
“That’s how you think he’ll react?”
“I do. I think that’s what all those hours of climbing are about—they’re his escape. But, considering the circumstances, you wouldn’t hold it against him if he missed the wedding, would you?”
She’d been looking forward to having all of her children home, was planning to have a family photograph taken. But she would never ask Dallas to stay if he would be happier elsewhere. “Of course not.”
“Just be sure to let him know that, so he feels he can leave if he needs to.”
“Actually...”
“Uh-oh, I know that look,” he said. “What are you thinking now?”
“Before I tell Dallas that Robert’s in town, why don’t I try talking to Robert? Maybe he’s not as bad as his past would indicate. It could be that he’s sincere in his remorse. He stated as much in his letter. And if that’s the case, I might be able to convince him to leave without contacting Dallas. If I have to, I might even offer him some money to leave us alone. Then we can enjoy the wedding and Christmas as a family before we have to break the bad news.”
“If you could work that out, it’d be better than blowing up everything and having to deal with all that emotionality and upset right now, when we have so much going on,” he agreed.
“Yeah. Why let Robert ruin Christmas and the first family get-together we’ve had
