“Me, too.”

He always did. She was easy to be with. His recent conversations with Jack and Taryn had made him wonder if he was making a mistake. If he should break things off with Dellina before they got too serious. He’d come over the previous evening to discuss that with her. But somehow going out to dinner and then staying with her had made more sense.

They enjoyed each other’s company. They had fun together. Nothing about that was bad. He knew how to keep his feelings at a distance. As for Dellina, she knew his past and understood the rules. She wouldn’t push him. He believed that. So why not enjoy what they had.

“I have to go,” she said as she hurried to the bed. She kissed his mouth, then straightened. “I’m so late.”

“I’ll call you later,” he told her.

“I’ll answer.”

With that, she was gone.

He got up and took a shower, then dressed. He would head to his place to shave before going into the office. He walked toward the back of the house. Before he left, he wanted to make sure the back door was locked. He’d just stepped into the kitchen when the front door opened and someone yelled.

“It’s me. Are you here?”

Fayrene, he thought, recognizing the voice.

“Dellina’s already gone,” he said as he secured the lock, then moved toward the living room. “She had an early appointment.”

Fayrene stood by the front door, her little dog in her arms. She looked tired.

“Is something wrong?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“Yes. No.” She dropped onto the sofa. “The usual. Ryan and I had another couple over for dinner last night. I thought it would help him see we need to get married. But things didn’t go as I planned. Her water broke and, let me tell you, that’s a lot grosser than I ever thought.”

Sam glanced at the door and thought about bolting. This wasn’t his area of expertise. Yet even as he inched toward freedom, he realized that he knew exactly what she was doing wrong. His mother would be so proud.

He took a seat across from Fayrene.

“This has to stop,” he told her. “Put on your big-girl panties and tell Ryan what you want.”

She rolled her eyes. “I can’t.”

“You won’t. There’s a difference. If you’re not prepared to ask for what you want from a man who loves you very much, then you’re not ready for marriage. It’s a full-time commitment. It requires everything you have, and being honest about how you feel is the cornerstone to success. If you can’t be honest about this, what else won’t you be able to talk about?”

Fayrene’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s really harsh.”

“It’s really the truth. Ryan is doing what you asked. He didn’t want to wait, but he is. That is a good quality in a man. Now you’re playing some twisted game, trying to get him to violate his own code of ethics. Because you believe if he really loved you, he could read your mind. Well, he can’t. No one can. If you don’t get smart pretty soon, you’re going to lose the man you want to marry.”

Fayrene’s mouth dropped open.

Sam waited a second. When she didn’t say anything, he rose. “Good luck,” he told her, then walked out of the house.

* * *

SHELBY GILMORE STARED at the two men in front of her.

“I don’t understand,” she admitted.

It was hard to talk. Her jaw was swollen. Not broken, she thought. At least she hoped it wasn’t. She was less sure about her ribs.

Pain dodged her every step. She was exhausted from not sleeping. She couldn’t. Not only might her mother need her, but it wasn’t safe. Her father loved to sneak up on her when she was most vulnerable and do his worst.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Friends,” the younger of the two men said.

They were both big enough to be frightening. One―she thought his name was Ford―had an easy smile, but she could see the darkness in his eyes. The other man, a few years older, terrified her. He had a scar across his neck—as if someone had tried to slit his throat. Who would have been that stupid?

“A friend of ours knows your brother,” Ford told her. “We’re here to take care of you.”

Shelby told herself not to bother believing. Because nothing good was ever going to happen again. She was trapped with a monster because her mother was dying of cancer. Her mother wouldn’t leave and Shelby couldn’t leave her alone. Only a few more weeks, she told herself. But her escape would come at the loss of one of only two people she loved in the world.

“Kipling sent you?” she asked.

The two men exchanged a glance.

“Sure,” the older one said. “Here’s what’s going to happen. Your dad thinks he’s smarter than everyone else, but he’s not. We’ve collected evidence on his criminal activities. It’s enough to keep him locked up for a long, long time. The police are arresting him right now.”

Her father in jail? Was it possible? She didn’t have a whole lot of information on what he did to fill his day, but she knew it involved people who lived outside the law.

“We’ll take you to the police station later,” Ford added. “Not to confront him, but so you can know he’s behind bars. The district attorney will want to talk to you and the police will need to search the house later to gather evidence.”

Shelby struggled to take in all the information. Her father arrested? Jailed? Was it really possible he wasn’t coming back for a long time?

She only needed a few weeks. Her mother wouldn’t last much longer. Then she would walk away and never come back. After that, she didn’t care what happened to the man.

The older man, the one with the scar, sat next to her on the sofa. His gray eyes were surprisingly kind.

“A nurse will be here shortly. She’s going to help with your mom.” He pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket. “This is the name of a therapist we want you to see.”

“About my mom dying?” she asked.

“That and everything else you’ve been through.”

He reached toward her. Shelby had to consciously keep from flinching as he lightly touched her jaw.

“You have that looked at?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

“We’re going to let a doctor decide. We’ll go as soon as the hospice nurse arrives.”

“How did my brother do all this?” she asked, fighting tears, knowing she just might not be in this alone anymore. “He’s still in the hospital in New Zealand.”

“Let’s just say he has a friend who is taking care of things for him,” the man told her.

Someone knocked on the front door. Ford went off to answer it. Shelby looked into the gray eyes of her rescuer.

“Who are you?”

“You can call me Angel.”

Despite the pain in her jaw, she managed a smile. “Seriously?”

He made an X on his chest. “It’s the name I was born with.”

She knew she should say something funny. Something that lightened the mood or showed that she was tough. Only she couldn’t think.

Ford returned with a petite brunette in bright pink scrubs.

“Hi,” the woman said with an easy and compassionate smile. “I’m Nancy. I’ll be taking care of your mom.”

Shelby started to speak, only the words got stuck and then she was crying. Angel drew her into his arms.

She usually hated when men touched her. If they were close, she couldn’t see where the hit was coming from. But somehow Angel was different. Maybe it was because he had so much power he didn’t need to hurt those less strong than himself. Maybe it was exhaustion. Whatever the reason, she relaxed into his embrace and gave in to the tears that had been waiting for so long. She surrendered to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, she was going to get out of this alive.

* * *

FAYRENE AND CARAMEL walked through city hall. She’d called ahead to confirm that Mayor Marsha was indeed back from her vacation and in her office. Which begged the question of why the other woman hadn’t come to pick up her dog.

“Don’t take it personally,” Fayrene told the Pomeranian. “You’re totally adorable. I don’t want you to go back. But she is your owner.”

Caramel gave her a doggy smile that both assured and comforted. As if she were confident that every outcome would be to her advantage.

Fayrene led them into the foyer of the mayor’s office. Bailey sat behind her desk.

“You’re right on time,” she said. “Go on in.”

Fayrene frowned. “On time? I didn’t have an appointment.”

“I know, but Mayor Marsha said you’d be in this morning.”

Okay, that was weird, Fayrene thought as she walked through the open double doors.

Mayor Marsha stood when they entered and smiled. “Fayrene. Thank you for stopping by. I trust you didn’t have any trouble with Caramel.”

“No. She was wonderful. Ryan and I adore her.”

Fayrene waited for the little dog to dash forward to greet her owner, the way she did whenever Fayrene returned from an errand. She would bark and spin and dance on her hind legs. But instead she stayed calmly at Fayrene’s side. Her tail wagged, as if she were interested in Mayor Marsha, but there was no real excitement.

The mayor motioned to a sofa and chairs in the corner. “Shall we?” she asked.

Fayrene followed her over and settled on the sofa. Caramel sat on her lap, as she often did, again showing little or no interest in Mayor Marsha.

“Um, how was New Zealand?” she asked, feeling awkward.

“As beautiful as everyone says. I had a lovely time, but I’m very ready to be back home.” The older woman smiled. “I hear you’ve had some excitement in your life.”

“Me? Not really.”

“Didn’t Montana’s water break while she and Simon were visiting? That can’t have been comfortable.”

“It was strange,” Fayrene admitted. “Have you seen their new baby?”

“I have. I was at the hospital the very night Henry was born. Such a handsome boy.”

“But that was a few days ago,” Fayrene said before she could stop herself.

“Yes, I’ve been home about a week now.”

Fayrene instinctively drew Caramel close. “You left your dog with me all that time?”

The mayor’s expression softened. “Oh, child, I thought you knew what was happening. Caramel isn’t mine. I took care of her for a few weeks while I figured out where she belonged. She’s in her forever home now. With you and Ryan.”

Fayrene opened her mouth, then closed it. “You’re giving her to me?”

“I think of it more as Caramel making her choice. Unless you want me to take her back. I can find her another home.”

“No!” Fayrene closed her arms around the little dog. “No, she doesn’t need to go anywhere else. I’m happy to take her.” More than happy. Relieved not to have to give up her little girl. “But why didn’t you say that before?”

Mayor Marsha smiled. “Because you would have told me all the reasons you couldn’t have a dog. And in your head, they would have made sense. I’ve known you all your life, child. You and your sisters faced terrible tragedy at a young age. You got through it and now you’re thriving. But you’ve always been a little stubborn. You see things a certain way and nothing else will do. A trait that is both admirable and sad. By ignoring the possibilities in favor of what you’ve already decided, you can miss out on some of life’s greatest pleasures.”

Like Ryan, Fayrene thought, her mind barely able to keep up with what the mayor had told her. She needed him to propose a certain way because that was what she saw in her head. Nothing else would do.

“I... Thank you,” she said as she stood. She tucked Caramel under her arm. “Yes, of course we want her. And you’re right. About all of it.”

She turned and hurried out of the office.

By the time she got to the sidewalk, she was shaking. A thousand thoughts crashed in on her. She saw clearly how much she’d risked with her rigid rules and expectations. Sam had been right. Dellina had been right. Everyone had been right and she’d been too stubborn to listen.

Once outside, she put down Caramel. The little dog seemed to understand her urgency and hurried along beside her. Ryan would be at work, Fayrene thought as she went up to Fifth Street, then turned. She could only hope he was in the offices and not out at the manufacturing facility.

She practically ran through town. As she waited at a light, she picked up Caramel. The little dog was panting from running to keep up. Still holding her new pet, she hurried across the street.

When she reached Hendrix Construction, she paused long enough to catch her breath, then went inside. The receptionist wasn’t at the front desk, so Fayrene went through the swinging half door and back toward Ryan’s office.

He was there! She paused in the doorway, studying him, taking in the familiar, handsome lines of his face. He hadn’t seen her yet—he had his back to the door. As he talked about tolerances and adjustments, he picked up a photo of the two of them and lightly ran his thumb alongside her face.

“Sure, Joe,” he said. “Get the information and give me a call back. I’ll be here all day.”

He hung up, then saw her. He smiled and rose. “This is a nice surprise, Fayrene. What are you—” The smile faded as he moved toward her. “Honey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She flung herself at him. Caramel was between them, but the little dog simply relaxed into the double embrace and gave them both kisses.