To Cure an Aching Heart

A WESTERN ROMANCE NOVEL

LESLIE HALES

Copyright © 2021 by Leslie Hales

All Rights Reserved.

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Introduction

Alina has just returned to her hometown, having solid reasons to leave the painful past

and her dream of creating a loving family behind. She’s determined to help her brother’s

farm grow, and she’s full of ideas for expanding his business and becoming his equal

partner. However, running into her childhood best friend’s brother thwarts her initial

plans, and becomes a constant reminder that she is too hurt to trust again. Nevertheless,

her heart seems to completely ignore her mind and before she even realizes it, a unique

connection is created between them. Will Alina be willing to forget her past traumas,

even when they are coming back to haunt her?

John has focused on his family’s farm ever since a tragedy brought him home vulnerable

and heartbroken two years ago. He hasn’t yet felt ready to deal with his own family’s

questions about the traumatic incident, and he is incapable of coping with the harsh

betrayal he experienced. Bumping into Alina is a surprising, welcome change to his

stressful everyday life. Although he is quite reserved at first, there is something about

her that deeply intrigues him, and a fragile bond soon is formed. Will John be able to let

new hope and love bloom for him or will he allow his fear to suffocate him?

As secrets and threats from John and Alina’s past begin to resurface, they begin to

wonder if getting more people involved in their life was a fatal mistake. When an enemy

from John’s past puts Alina in danger, can John come to the fore and protect her, at all

costs? Will Alina dare to put her faith in him even when the odds are against him?

Chapter 1

Alina stared out of the bus window. The town looked just like she had left it. She wasn’tsure if it was a curse or a blessing that the town didn’t seem to change, no matter howmuch time passed. She closed her eyes and pressed her head to the back of the bus seat.She wasn’t ready to be back here. The bus came to a stop, a hissing sound coming fromthe brakes as it pulled into the station.

Alia sat in her seat until the other six passengers got off the bus. It wasn’t surprisingwhen the bus emptied out at the last town. Not many people could be heading toCoontown, Idaho. She gathered up her carry-on case and her purse. It was all she hadbrought with her. She had left everything behind in her haste to get away. She draggedher feet down the aisle, but in the end, she had to get off. For a moment, she thought shewas alone, but then she spotted Nathan.

Despite the town being the same, her brother had clearly changed. He looked tired. Thewrinkles around his eyes were more pronounced. Alina saw her own brown curls andgreen eyes reflected in him. When they were younger, people would constantly ask ifthey were twins.

Alina approached him slowly. He hadn’t noticed her yet. He was busy staring down at abook in his hands. The cover looked worn, and one of them was dog-eared. She walkedup to him and cleared her throat. He immediately looked up, his eyes going wide, andthe book was shoved out of sight into a backpack sitting beside him on one of the waitingseats. He leaped out of his seat, wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug.

“Alina, you’re back.” Nathan pulled back. “I can hardly believe it. How long has it been?Six, seven years?”

Alina giggled. “Don’t exaggerate, Nathan. It has been four, and I visited three years ago,so technically, it has only been three.”

“Are you sure? It feels like forever. I’m sorry if my miss my little sister.” Nathan feigneda hurt expression.

“I missed you too, Nathan.” Alina couldn’t say just how much she had missed Nathanthese past few months. They had been some of the hardest of her life.

“Do you want to get something to eat? The diner down the street just opened last year,and they have some delicious pie that I think you would love.”

“I’m – actually, would you mind if we just go home? It’s been a long day.” There wereother people in town who Alina knew. They would approach her and want to know howthings had gone for her. They would ask about Lewis and why she was back in townwithout him. She wasn’t ready for all those questions yet.

“Sure, you know I am a great cook and could make you something better at home. Thereis a turkey sandwich with your name on it.”

“Thanks, Nathan.”

Before Alina could say anything, Nathan grabbed her carry-on case and led the waythrough the bus station back outside. The sun was shining, and a soft breeze movedAlina’s hair. It was a perfect day, one that she would have looked forward to as a child.

“The truck is this way.” Nathan went around the corner, and Alina followed. She wantedto laugh when she spotted the beaten and nearly broken black truck. It was her brother’spride and joy when he was seventeen, ten years ago. Even then, it looked like a relicfrom the war. Now, it looked worse.

“Nathan, I thought you had the truck replaced.”

“It works perfectly fine. Besides, it was dad’s truck. I can’t just get rid of it. I wouldn’tfeel right driving anything else.”

“He would be proud of you.” Alina ran a hand fondly over the side of the truck bed.When she closed her eyes, she could almost see her father behind the wheel, nodding hishead as he sang at the top of his lungs while driving them to school.

“I know, now come on.” Nathan ran around to the other side of the truck and opened thepassenger door for her.

Alina raised her eyebrows. “Since when do you open the door for me?” she asked, atouch of sarcasm in her voice.

“Since you disappear for half my life without a single reason why then come tumblingback with even fewer answers. I figure that if I’m nicer to you this time, you’ll stickaround.”

Alina slid into the soft, worn leather seat. She tapped her foot against the floor of thetruck while Nathan got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. It sounded as roughas it did three years ago, but it lurched to life and started the vehicle moving down theroad.

“Alina, why did you come back? I’m not complaining or anything, but I do want to know.What went wrong?” Nathan’s voice had lost its teasing lilt and was serious.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” There was nothing Alina wanted to talk about less.

“You might not want to talk about it, but you had to know I was going to have questions,just like everyone else in town. Where is Lewis? What made you come home? How longare you staying?”

“Wow, you have a lot of questions. First of all, Lewis and I are not a thing anymore. Hedecided to stay in the city. I decided it was time to come home. I want to help with theranch and be useful to my family for once.” Alina waited for Nathan to dispute heranswer, but he didn’t.

Instead, he reached over and turned up the radio. The voices of The Oakridge Boys filled

the old speakers making the dash rattle and buzz on the bass notes. After a few longminutes, Nathan pointed out the window.

“There was a tornado almost four months ago. It did a lot of damage. As you can seeover there.”

Alina followed where he was pointing. There were trees twisted and flattened on theground where they should have been standing tall and proud.

“What about the ranch?” Alina could see the sadness in her brother’s gaze at her words.

“We had a lot of damage. Some of the silos were ruined. The corn and potato crops wereruined. The barn roof came off over the old half, and we lost a lot of hay in the loft. Thealfalfa was flattened. I lost three calves that were in the field. We took a hard hit.”

“I’m sorry.” Alina had read about the tornados in the papers, but she hadn’t thought tocall home and see how the ranch was doing. She just assumed that if it were that bad,Nathan would call her.

The entrance to the ranch came into view. The sign above the wooden arch was still inplace, although the ‘H’ from ‘Holloway’ had fallen and was hanging from one of itshooks, giving the ranch an unkept look.

“Here we are. I’m sorry it’s not like what you remember.” Nathan looked apologetic.

“I’m sure it is fine, Nathan. Home is home.” Alina swallowed down the lump that formedin her throat. Even though the Holloway ranch would always hold a special place in herheart, she would never see it as the home she wanted. She had left Idaho in an attemptto make her adult dream home somewhere else. Instead of a dream, it had turned into anightmare. She wondered what Lewis was doing now. He knew she had left by now. Ithad been almost a week. He was probably furious. She wondered if he would guess thatshe was going back to Idaho. He would either look their first or last, she wasn’t surewhich. She scowled at the thought.

“Hey, are you okay?” Nathan nudged her with his hand, shaking her shoulder gently.

“Yeah, just tired.” Alina hadn’t realized she had spaced out.

“There are the silos. See, there’s still one standing that was damaged and one that didn’tcome apart, but I am saving up for a new one. If we don’t get another one, we won’t haveenough feed for the animals this winter.”

“What are you doing for the money? You said the crops were destroyed.”

“They mostly were, though I salvaged some, but not enough. I got me a job at thefeedstore in town that has grown a lot in the past couple of years. They’ve given me a jobfor the moment until I can get back on my feet. Don’t worry; things will work out soonenough.”

“I want to help on the ranch, Nathan. I am not here to just sit back and let you do all the

hard work. I know that I sort of abandoned you after dad died, but I want to make up forthat.”

“You don’t have to make up for anything, Alina. I may not understand why you left, butyou must have had your reasons.”

“Regardless, I want to help, Nathan. Just tell me what I can do.”

“You can help with the horses. I know how much you used to like doing that. We onlyhave eight now. We give riding lessons for young people a few times a week now.Darlene Miller, up the road, is the instructor. She has five students that I know of. Still,we are responsible for all the upkeep of the barns and paddocks and the horsesthemselves.”

“All right, you just tell me what, and I’ll do it.” Alina’s eyes landed on the house. It stilllooked about the same as when she had seen it last. It was more rundown, though. Thepaint looked flakey and faded. It was a long house that was only one story, built in thetraditional ranch house style. Maybe she would paint it on a sunny day. The thoughtgave her a small burst of excitement. It would be neat to see the house looking all freshand new again.

“The big oak tree lost its top in the storm, but your room is just like you left it, or prettyclose anyway. I never saw a need to change it.” Nathan grinned at her as if this was agood bit of news. Alina wanted to remind him that she was twenty-two, not eighteenanymore, but she bit her tongue. This was her home again, and it was about time shestarted to embrace it. She moved to open the door.

“Alina, I know you aren’t ready to talk about the past, but I’m not going to let this go. Iwant to know what happened.” Nathan was serious once again.

“I know, Nathan. Maybe some time, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Okay?” Alinalet herself out of the truck and tucked her hands into the pockets of her sweater. She wasback.

Chapter 2

Alina stared up at the ceiling of her old room. Nathan hadn’t been kidding when he saidthat it was the same as she left it. In a way, it felt like she had stepped into the past, andshe was a kid again. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine her father downstairs,making breakfast and joking with Nathan about how long she took to get ready in themorning.

Alina pulled the big, musty quilt up over her shoulders. Her mother had made the quilt,or at least that was what her father had told her. He said that when her mom waspregnant with her, she had spent the nine months making that quilt for her. It was oneof the things that Alina had regretted leaving behind the most. She rubbed it against hercheek like she had done as a young girl and felt tears prick the back of her eyes.

Alina tossed and turned, sleep evading her. By the time morning came, she felt like shehadn’t slept but a few winks. It must have been more than that, but she felt unrested anduneasy. She could hear the sound of pots and pans clanging below, even though the sunhadn’t even come up yet. It appeared that getting up early was something that Nathanstill did. On a farm, getting up early to get a head start on the day was important. Evenin the city, Alina kept the schedule and the tradition of getting up before dawn.

She stood and pulled on a red and brown plaid button-down shirt and a pair of jeans.She liked overalls or a sturdy dress for working around the farm, but she had left most ofher practical clothes back in Oklahoma. The jeans were loose around her legs and longenough to go over the top of her boots. She pulled her hair back in a high tight ponytail,hoping to keep it out of her face. When she was satisfied, she headed out of her roomand down the hall. A burnt smell filled the house, and a haze of smoke tainted the air.

“Nathan, what is going on in here? What are you trying to do, burn the house down?”Alina rushed into the kitchen. Two skillets were on the stove. Nathan was at the sink,scrubbing furiously at a few dishes.

“Gosh, it burned.” Nathan hurried to the stove and pulled off one of the skillets,dropping it to the floor and hissing as he burned himself.

“I can see that you haven’t gotten any better at cooking.” Alina smirked. She crossed herarms and looked at him skeptically.

“I don’t usually cook anymore. I eat in town at the diner. I just figured since it was yourfirst day back, I would try to make it special.” He put his burned fingers in a cup ofwater.

“Thanks, Nathan. You don’t have to do that. I am here to make things easier, notharder.” Alina grabbed a hot pad from one of the drawers where they had always beenkept and picked up the hot cast iron skillet. She put it in the sink and then did the samewith the other. She turned off the gas burner and then surveyed the messy kitchen. Itseemed that Nathan needed help in more ways than one.

“Why don’t you go and get changed? I’ll take care of breakfast.” Alina pointed toNathan’s shirt. He had stained it with oil, soot, and something else she couldn’t identify.

“Fine, but only because I am starving and about to be late if I don’t leave immediately. Iwant you to feel like this is your home, Alina. I don’t want you to feel like you have totake care of me.”

Alina placed her hands against the countertop and smiled at him. “Nathan, one reason Icame back here instead of going somewhere else is that I wanted to be a help tosomeone. You are my family, and I am here to contribute, to make life easier for you, notharder.”

“Okay, okay! Point taken,” he said with his hands in the air. I like my eggs scrambled, bythe way.” Nathan grinned and hurried down the hall before Alina could scold him. Therewas something familiar and nice about having her joking, teasing brother in her lifeagain. She hadn’t realized how much she missed him. Alina managed to find another skillet that wasn’t piping hot and full of the burnt remains of a failed breakfast.

She put it on the stove and started the burner while she found fresh eggs from therefrigerator and cracked them into a bowl. She whisked the eggs with a fork, then addedsome salt and a little milk. After pouring the eggs into the hot pan, she found somebread that looked somewhat fresh. It was a bit hard, but she was pretty sure it wouldsoften up with some cooking. There wasn’t any butter, so she put a bit of oil in the panfor the bread.

By the time Nathan came back in fresh, clean clothes, she had breakfast set out on thetable for the two of them.

“Wow, that looks nice, Alina. I see you haven’t lost your touch for cooking!”

“Thanks. I noticed the refrigerator was mostly empty. Don’t you ever get groceries?”

“I do. I just … I go into town a lot. I also make sandwiches. Didn’t you see the turkey inthere?”

Alina laughed. “I did see the turkey. No wonder you look so unhealthy. You probablyhaven’t been eating right since I left.”

“I have too. People can eat when you aren’t around, Alina.” Nathan speared severalchunks of egg with his fork and stuffed it into his mouth.

“You don’t pray for your food anymore?” Alina raised her eyebrows.

“I do, sorry.” Nathan bowed his head, and they said grace together.

When they were finished, they both ate breakfast quickly. Alina knew Nathan was in ahurry to go to work.

“Do you want to go into town? Maybe to buy some new clothes?” Nathan chuckled.

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Alina touched her shirt defensively.

“Nothing, just looks like the same shirt that you left with.” Nathan shook his head, andhis eyes were full of laughter and amusement.

“Nathan, stop! It is not. I do need to buy some things, but maybe tomorrow. I thinktoday I’ll just stick around here and try and clean up a few things.”

“First day back, and you’re already calling me a slob. I get it.” Nathan stood and took hisdirty plate to the sink. Have it your way; I won’t stop you from picking up. I’ll be backaround two.”

“Do the animals need to be taken care of?” Alina asked. She hadn’t been out to the barn,but she was pretty sure that Nathan still had animals on the place. It couldn’t be aworking farm otherwise.

“No. I already did it. The cows need to be milked twice a day; I also take care of thechickens in the morning and evening. I’ll have you come with me for the evening choresand show you how everything works. Not that I expect you to do chores or anything, butthat way, you know what is happening. The horses are out in the stables if you want totake a look and say hello.” Nathan grabbed his coat from a peg by the door. “I have to getgoing, or I’ll be in trouble. If you want, we can run to the store this afternoon and get afew things. The fresh food market is on Thursday. You can get all the vegetables andstuff then.”

“Thanks, go already; I’ll figure things out.” Alina made a shooing motion toward thedoor. She was eager to get to work. Her fingers were practically itching. She hated to seea mess, and when she did, she felt compelled to put it in order. Nathan gave her onemore glance with a twinge of concern in it before rushing out the door. The sound of theold pickup roaring to life reached her a few moments later.

Alina turned to the disastrous kitchen. The sink was piled high with dirty dishes. Therewere bits of the burnt food on the counters and the floor. The place looked like it hadn’tbeen cleaned properly for a long time, and everything screamed for attention. She rolledup her sleeves and grabbed a tin bucket by the door. She filled it with soapy water andgrabbed a rag. It appeared that she was going to spend the day in the kitchen.

---*---

When Alina was finally satisfied with the kitchen, it was almost eleven- thirty, and lunchwas on her mind. She believed Nathan when he said that he didn’t eat much at home.She decided to do sandwiches for today and then take Nathan up on his offer to getsome proper cooking materials from town. She sat down, looked around the room, andbegan her list. To pass the time until Nathan returned, she grabbed a basket of mail shehad found sitting on the counter by the door. It was calling her name to be organized. Asshe started pulling out the envelopes and looking at them, she started to notice acommon theme.

They were bills, mostly unpaid. Nathan was behind on the money. It was easy to seefrom the upkeep of the farm, and besides, he had told her about the destroyed silos andthe lost crops. Maybe what Nathan needed right now wasn’t just a cook and someone totake care of the farm, but someone to share the money burdens with.

Alina thought back to her childhood. First, her father had cared for her and Nathan forhis whole life until cancer took him away from them too early. Nathan had filled theirfather’s footsteps at an early age. She had tried to help but always felt like a burden. Nowwas her chance to really help. She could get a job in town, and maybe she could make adent on the bills. When she had lived in Oklahoma, she worked in a flower shop andpaid all her own expenses. A wave of nostalgia washed over her. She missed that flowershop. It was probably one of the things that were the hardest to leave behind. Finding aflower shop here in town was unlikely, but she could probably get something else.

After she had set all the mail in an organized fashion and thrown out anything thatwasn’t necessary, she put the basket back by the door and made some sandwiches. Bythe time Nathan walked through the door at exactly one o’clock, she was sitting at thetable.

“Wow, you found the sandwich materials.” Nathan set down what looked like a heavybackpack and his coat by the door and then washed his hands at the sink.

“Yeah, I figured we should have something for lunch, and you were right when you saidit was the only thing you could make. There is nothing else in the house to make. Youknow you could buy canned soup or something.”

“It looks delicious.” Nathan slid into the seat opposite her. “You even toasted the bread.It’s usually hard to chew.”

“That’s because the bread is old, and if you toast it, it gets softer again.”

Alina wanted to tell him about her resolution to find a job but decided to keep it toherself. She wasn’t going to give Nathan a chance to talk her out of working. Once shehad secured herself a position in town, she would tell him. If he had any reservations, hewould get over it when he saw how helpful a second person working could be.

Chapter 3

John Devin slammed the door of his red truck. That morning, he thought the day wouldbe sunny, but the clouds gathering in the sky were proving to show that it was yetanother deceiving day. The little farmhouse in front of him loomed ominously in hispath. He had promised his mother he would come for dinner today, but he was nowregretting it. He had learned quite a while back that he shouldn’t make promises, butwhen his mother asked, it was hard to say no.

John adjusted his collar and pulled his jacket a little tighter, then knocked on the door.It opened almost immediately.

“John, you’re here!” His mother stepped out on the porch and wrapped her arms aroundhis waist. She hadn’t always been so openly affectionate, but the events of the last fewyears had changed all of them. “You know you don’t have to knock. This is as much yourhome as it is ours.”

“I wouldn’t want to startle you.” John pulled back from his mother and held the dooropen for her before he walked into the house his parents and sister now lived in. Theyhad moved out of the main house when he returned home. They said it was because theywanted to give him space and that they were looking forward to living in the smallerhouse that was a little less central to everything happening on the farm, but John knewit was because the big house had a lot of memories no one wanted to deal with.

“You’ve done great things to the living room.” John looked over the faded green couchand the recliner that his father loved to sit in. The box television that his father broughthome proudly when it first came out sat near the mantle. “The television still broken?”

“Yes, your father hasn’t gotten it fixed. Can you believe it? It’s been nearly eight months.I guess it wasn’t that important to him to watch.” His mother motioned for John tofollow her into the kitchen.

“Where is Dad?”

“He went out to town to grab a few things. He and Christy should be back any minute.How have you been, John? We hardly see you anymore.” His mother moved about thekitchen, dishing up food from the pots and pans into serving dishes.

“I’ve just been really busy. The farm is a lot to handle. Even with Dad helping and theworkers, it can be pretty taxing sometimes.”

“I remember those days. I think your father is happy that he no longer has that burdenon his shoulders. You know you are always welcome to come here for meals or if you justneed a break. It doesn’t have to be something that takes a lot of time.”

John knew his mother was hinting at how he had been avoiding them. He wasn’t exactlyavoiding them as much as he was avoiding the conversations they always wanted tohave. If no one mentioned Matt, he would be a lot happier to spend his extra time with

his family. John sighed. It wasn’t fair to his family to stop visiting, but he didn’t knowwhat else he could do.

“Here, put this on the table, would you?” His mother handed him a glass bowl full ofmashed potatoes. John nodded silently and took the serving dish out to the table. It wasset with china dishes, and there was even a vase with a few flowers at the center of thetable. Seeing all the effort his mother put into the meal made him feel guilty. She got soexcited when the whole family got together. Maybe he should consider what he did andtry to be more present with them, even if it was just for them and not for him.

The sound of the door opening and banging shut had him heading back out to theentrance. His father and Christy were coming through the door, holding brown paperbags in their arms.

“John, you’re here! It’s good to have you here, son.” His father slapped him on the backas he passed into the kitchen.

“I was wondering if you would actually show up. You know the last dinner you missedleft Ma heartbroken.” Christy gave him a stern look.

“I know, I was just thinking about that. I’ll at least try to make it on the weekends fromnow on, okay?”

“That would be a start. You know, they are hurting as much as you are. He was theirson.”

“I know,” John said. “Seeing them so hurt, then disappointing them myself, it makes mefeel selfish and wrong. Maybe that is why I stay away. I just feel lousy about all of it.”

“That isn’t a good reason. Here. Take these into Mom. She is going to need them.”Christy pushed two grocery bags into John’s hands. “I have to go change out of thisuniform. It is bugging me something terrible.”

John looked down at his little sister’s uniform. It was a light blue dress with a whitecollar. He knew it also came with a white apron which she must have already taken off.Christy worked as a waitress at ‘Big Ed’s Diner’ in town. Even though she oftengrumbled and complained about her job, he knew she liked it. If anyone ever suggestedshe stop working, she would become very defensive of the job very quickly.

“Don’t take too long. Mom said dinner was pretty much ready.” John walked into the dining room determined to at least make an effort to be hospitable for the night. Hisparents could probably understand the grief he was going through better than hethought, but he wasn’t ready to share his feelings openly with them.

There were a lot of raw and painful memories that he needed to sort through, but thethought of doing it terrified him, so whenever the topic of his brother’s death came upfor him or his family, he pushed it away. Maybe he thought that if he kept ignoring it,eventually it would go away, and Matt would be alive again. John set the groceries onthe counter.

“Are we ready to eat?”

“I think so. Why don’t you take this out to the table?” His mother handed him anothertwo big plates with food. Whenever his mother cooked, she prepared enough food formore than three times the number of people eating. “I’m right behind you. Tell yourfather and sister to sit down,” his mom called out after him.

John set the platter of fried chicken and the plate of roasted vegetables down near themashed potatoes and took his seat. His father sat at the head of the table.

“So, how are we doing with milk sales?” John asked. Even though John had taken overthe farm almost completely, his father still managed to negotiate sales with places intown and other stores where they sold their product. He helped out with the financialside of things and with guidance whenever John needed it.

“They’re good. I just signed a new contract to replace the one we lost last month. It’sbeen shaky dealing with the milk contractors since the big companies are buying out allthe little guys. I think things are going to start picking up soon, though. You might wantto get some more cows to keep up.”

“I think it is still a bit soon for that. We still have quite a bit of extra milk at the end ofthe day. Maybe with this new contract that will change. It’s crazy how those new-fangledbig farms are putting the milk companies out of business.”

“How have you been, John? We haven’t seen you around much,” his mother interrupted.You missed last week’s dinner.”

John’s parents had an official family dinner every single Friday, and John missed it onpurpose the week before.

“I have been busy, Mom. You know how it is with the farm.”

“I know how it is. I am just worried you are making excuses to avoid us. Sometimes it isgood to spend time with those who understand what you are going through. You knowthat all of us are here for you if you ever want to talk about Matt.” John knew his momhad the best intentions, but he wasn’t ready to talk about Matt. He was afraid if he did, he might fall apart, and that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

“I don’t want to talk about Matt. I’m just fine. You all just think that I am trying to avoidyou or be alone, but I’m just keeping busy.”

“That’s just what it looks like from here.” Christy joined the conversation as she cameback into the room. She was wearing a light green dress with a spray of wildflowersprinted across it. She was barefoot and had wrapped her hair up into a bun at the backof her head. For some reason, the way she was dressed made her look younger, morecarefree. He could still see the sadness in her eyes, though.

“How about we talk about something else? Has Christy had any luck with finding ahusband yet?” John asked just as his mother walked back into the room with more food.

Christy shot him a dark glare. “No, I have not. I am not in a hurry either. I don’t need ahusband right now.”

John put his hands up defensively. “I was just asking. No need to get testy.”

Christy shook her head but wasn’t able to make a response before his mom placed a boatof gravy and a basket of bread rolls on the table.

“Let’s say grace before the food gets cold,” she said as she sat down in her spot. Johnglanced over at the one empty chair at the table. Even though when they had guests, thechair was filled, he would always see it as Matt’s chair.

Christy reached over and took John’s hand, and he took his father’s. They were joined ina circle and bowed their heads. John listened to his father’s low, soothing voice as hesaid grace. When they all opened their eyes, there was a moment of silence before theystarted eating. John knew they were all thinking about the empty chair.

“This is delicious, Mom.” Christy held up a piece of chicken.

John smiled as he tasted his own. One reason to come to his parents for dinner onFriday was for the food. It was definitely better than anything he found elsewhere.

---*---

John sat on the porch in the porch swing that his father had installed when the housewas first built. He pushed his feet against the floor, swinging back and forth. He closedhis eyes and let his mind carry him to another place and time. It was a place that seemedso close, yet so far away. Two years ago, he was a policeman with his brother. It was sounfair that only one of them had returned home.

“Are you excited?” Matt threw John a file. John barely caught it in time to keep all thepapers inside from fluttering to the floor.

“Excited? We are going on a stakeout. You know we could be sitting for hours on endwith absolutely no result to our efforts, right? Totally bored out of our minds too.”

“I know, but if we are on a stake out, then that means no paperwork, and we get tolisten to music. We can just have fun. No work involved.”

John chuckled. “Leave it to you to always find the bright side in a long and potentiallyvery boring day. How long have we been going after these people? It feels like everytime that we almost catch them, they slip away. How do they know when we are goingto show up?” John was starting to get frustrated with the case. The gang they weretracking was always just ahead of them. They had been on their tail for the last sixmonths.

They would get a lead, and then the criminals would slip away at the last minute.

“Chief says we just have to be patient. He’s been after guys like this for his whole

career. He must know what he is doing.” Matt shrugged, excitement showing in hisbright blue eyes. “One of these days, we will catch them. I can’t wait to see the look ontheir faces when we do.”

“You are right about one thing. We will catch them. There’s new proof that they havebeen trafficking weapons. It needs to be stopped. They are putting people in thiscommunity at risk every time they get away with their crimes. I have a feeling we aregoing to have a breakthrough soon.”

“We will, John. After all, we are the best policemen on the force.”

John chuckled. He wasn’t going to validate Matt’s claim, but he could secretly agreewith it. Going into the police academy together had been the best decision he evermade.

John opened his eyes. The sun was setting, and a light breeze was picking up. He couldalmost hear Matt telling him he should head back home before dark.

“You still here?” Christy’s voice interrupted his thoughts as she joined him on the porch.

“Yeah, is that okay?”

“You know it is. What were you thinking about?”

“Matt … you know, our time together in the police force. I never thought it was going toend like this. I always thought that we would be back here together. We talked abouthow when we were ready to retire, we would come back here and start our familiestogether.”

“I know. Sometimes I imagine he is still here. I don’t know how you manage living in theold house.” Christy sat down beside him on the bench swing. She pushed her handthrough her blonde hair. “When we were staying there after we heard he died, I keptthinking I heard him in his room at night.”

“It’s hard. But I can’t move out. I think that if I do, I will be betraying him in a way. Weused to argue all the time about who would inherit the big house. He would be so mad atme if I just abandoned it because of what happened.”

“Yeah, he would. One time, he told me that even if Mom and Dad left the house to him,he was going to split it with you fifty-fifty.”

There was a lump in John’s throat. “If I could have him back, I would let him have theplace.”

Christy simply nodded. The two of them sat there on the swing, watching the sunsetuntil the last of the colors disappeared. John wished there was a way to bring back a dayand undo time. There were so many things he wished he could redo.

Chapter 4

Alina checked herself in the mirror. She had bought a few things in town the day beforeafter Nathan’s comment on her clothes. The new clothes were almost exactly like the oldones. They were even the same color, just newer. She hurried out, down the hall, andinto the kitchen. Nathan was standing there, drinking a cup of coffee.

“You changed?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I did. After all the muck I got on my pants this morning, I’m not sure they will beuseable again.” Alina had risen early with Nathan and helped him with the chores.Between the two of them, they had actually finished pretty quickly. “I wanted to go intotown with you.”

“Really? I have to be at work. Do you know how to drive a manual truck?”

“I can stick around town until you get off work. I wanted to explore anyway … get a feelfor the place, you know?”

Nathan gave her a suspicious look. “Not much has changed since the last time you werein town. It’s practically exactly the same.”

“I know; I just feel like I should take a look around. I can walk if you don’t want to takeme.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Come on, let’s go.” Nathan grabbed his coat, and Alina put on alight sweater and grabbed an umbrella. She had thought the day before was going to besunny, but at the last minute, the weather seemed to change its mind, and it had poured.She was going to be prepared for whatever weather came today.

The ride into town was a short one. Alina didn’t say much. She was too caught up in herown thoughts to make much conversation, and Nathan didn’t seem to mind.

“Are you sure you are just going to wander around until two in the afternoon? That’s likeeight hours. It’s only six-fifteen now.”

“I am going to be fine, Nathan. Don’t worry so much.” Alina wasn’t about to tell him thatshe would be looking for a job, and it might just take her all day. “Don’t worry aboutpicking me up. I will walk home. It’s only like a thirty-minute walk, and I think theexercise would do me good.”

Nathan frowned. “I don’t know if that is safe, Alina.”

“It’s a small town, and I used to walk to town and back when thirteen and going toschool. Don’t start worrying so much now.”

“Fine, but be careful. Things have changed here, even though it doesn’t look like it. Itisn’t like it was back then.”

“I’ll be careful. You should go. You’re going to be late.” Alina closed the door and leaned

against the window for a second. “Thank you for the ride.”

“No problem. Remember what I said. Be careful.”

Alina made her best effort to put on a sarcastic reassuring look. She was pretty sure shepulled it off by Nathan’s exaggerated annoyed expression. She laughed and turned to thestreet in front of her. Main street of Coontown wasn’t that interesting. There was aSalvation Army, a few diners, a car shop, and several other little business shops andstores that she had been to at least once in her life. She didn’t even know where to startin her search for a job, so she just started walking down the street, keeping an eye outfor any help wanted signs.

When she spotted the first sign at White’s Bakery toward the end of the first block, shewent inside and asked for more details. It turned out they needed someone to arrivebefore dawn and be there for ten hours. It was too taxing for what she was looking for.After stopping at two more places and still not finding anything promising, she startedgetting discouraged.

She was considering giving up for the day when her eye caught a bright red and whitesign. It read, “Big Ed’s Diner.” The ‘r’ at the end of the word ‘Diner’ was broken, so itreally red, “Big Ed’s Dine.” As she drew closer, she noticed the sign in the window. Herheart skipped a beat. She had worked in a diner for the first couple of weeks inOklahoma. She hadn’t liked the job nearly as much as she enjoyed working in the flowershop, but it was something Alina knew she could do. She stepped into the shop and wasgreeted by the smell of bacon and coffee.

The place was pretty full. She could only spot a couple of empty tables. No one came togreet her, so she walked up to the counter and leaned against it. After several longminutes of reading the menu, someone clearing their throat in front of her made herlook up.

“Welcome to Big Ed’s Diner, how can I help …” The young woman in front of herstopped talking. Her eyes widened, and her mouth practically fell open. “Alina? It can’tbe! You’re back!”

Alina searched her memory for the face in front of her. Momentary panic clutched herbefore recognition flooded her mind and she settled on the right memory.

“Christy! I didn’t recognize you for a minute. You look so grown up!”

“I know; I’ve changed a bit. Who would have thought, you know?” Christy hurriedaround the counter, and the next thing Alina knew, Christy was squishing her in a tighthug. “I’m so glad you are back. How long are you staying?”

Alina pulled back and shrugged. “Not sure. Forever, I guess. I’m sort of back to helpNathan with the farm.”

“What about Lewis? I thought the two of you were going to start something big in thecity. Is he back too?”

“No, he decided to stay in the city. We aren’t exactly a thing anymore.” Alina forced asmile as if it were no big deal. She hated that it was a big deal.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to explain to me. I always thought that Lewis was a terriblehuman being. I never could understand what you saw in him.”

Alina giggled. “You’re just saying that because you found out I’m not with himanymore.” Alina appreciated Christy’s dedication, but she didn’t need her friend to lie toher. Back in high school, she and Christy had been best friends. For a while, they hadexchanged letters, but they’d slowly lost touch over the years. Alina missed the longconversations they used to have with one another. She’d been worried about runninginto Christy. For some reason, she thought they might not be friends anymore. But nowthat she was talking with her, it was like the last several years hadn’t even happened.

“Maybe, maybe not. What are you doing here; I mean, what made you come to thediner? Do you want something to eat? They have delicious burgers here. I even get oneto eat on my way home sometimes. It’s still a half-hour until lunch, but I think I couldconvince Charlie to make you a burger if you wanted one.”

Alina couldn’t hold back her laugh. It was nice to see that Christy hadn’t lost her bubblypersonality.

“That’s okay; I was actually here because I am looking for a job and saw the sign outfront. Do you know if they are looking for waitresses maybe?”

“You really want a job?” Christy’s excitement was palpable. “That would be amazing. Usworking together every single day! If you get an interview with the boss, make sure notto mention how close we are. Otherwise, he might think it is a bad idea to hire youbecause we would talk all day long.”

“I am looking for a job, for real. If I could work here, it really would be nice.”

“Wait here. Let me tell Aaron. He was just complaining this morning about how it wastaking so long to find a new waitress. Cindy quit a week ago, and we’ve been short-staffed ever since.”

Before Alina could say anything, Christy was rushing off into the back. Alina feltsurprisingly welcomed and hopeful about working in the diner. Christy appeared with aman by her side just as Alina heard the door of the diner opening. They had a little silverbell above the door, which rang loudly whenever it was disturbed. Alina heard it whenshe had walked through the door.

“So, you must be Alina; I’m Aaron. Christy tells me that she knows you from highschool.”

“That’s right. I just came back to town and was looking for a job. I don’t know if I wouldbe qualified to work here, but I would love a chance.”

“The hours are from six-thirty to one p.m. Do those sound like hours you can keep?”

“I can indeed. That sounds perfect actually.”

“Great! Christy will get you the paperwork you need to fill out. You can bring it with youtomorrow morning. If you are free, you start tomorrow at six-thirty. We get a big crowdfor breakfast. It is our busiest meal of the day.”

“Thank you.” Alina could hardly believe what was happening. Here she had thought shewas going to go back home without a job, and she had managed to land one in only anhour.

“We’re going to be working together. I’m so excited.” Christy was almost hopping up anddown. “Tell me all about yourself; what happened in Oklahoma?”

“A lot. Too much to tell you here. Christy, I meant to mention it earlier, but I’m reallysorry about Matt. I heard about it a couple of years ago. I should have come home andtold you personally.”

“Thank you, Alina. And I understand why you couldn’t come. It was a hard time for all ofus.”

“Christy? Can I talk to you a moment?” A deep voice behind Alina made her turn insurprise. She didn’t recognize the man standing there for a second. He had the sameblond hair and blue eyes as Christy. He was taller than her, by a good foot at least. Hiseyes were serious, and his expression guarded. He was looking at her the same way shewas looking at him.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. I was just heading home and wanted to ask you something,Christy.” The man took a step back as he addressed Christy again.

“It’s fine. This is Alina. I don’t know if you remember her. You were always hangingaround with Matt and her brother, John. We used to be friends in high school.” Christywrapped her arm around Alina’s shoulder. She recognized him now as her brother’sfriend, John. She had never had much to do with him as they always seemed to be offdoing their own thing.

“It’s nice to see you again, Alina. How was Oklahoma?”

“Um, it was fine.” Alina forced the same fake smile. For some reason, she didn’t feel likeJohn believed it as Christy had. “I should get going. Nathan isn’t going to be off untiltwo, so I’m going to walk home.” Alina turned to Christy. “Do you have that paperworkthat Aaron mentioned?”

Alina hated to be rude to John. She just didn’t know what to tell him, knowing how closehe was with his brother, Matt. Alina felt like she should say something but knew nothingshe could say would make things better, so her brain was telling her to say nothing at all.She just had to get the paperwork, and then she would be out of the diner and on herway back home.

Chapter 5

John watched as Alina turned to the counter and fidgeted with the menu. He could tellthat he was making her uncomfortable, He just didn’t know why.

“It’s not safe to be walking home alone. It’s a very solitary road up to the ranch.” Johnwalked over and sat down on the stool next to her.

She stiffened and turned to face him. “You sound like my brother.”

“Your brother is right. There have been some assaults lately. How is Nathan these days?”John hadn’t been to see Nathan in a long while, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still careabout him. Nathan was his and Matt’s best friend, so seeing his little sister was a bitjarring. It brought back all the wonderful memories they had shared as youngsters.Alina had never hung around them much. She was usually off doing some girly thingwith Christy, but he had seen her around a few times.

“He’s all right. I just got back the day before yesterday, so I’m not sure. I guess I don’treally know him as well as I used to.” Something like regret played on her face.

“That’s right. You left for the city and have missed out on everything for the last fouryears. Who did you go with? I thought you left here with someone.”

“Lewis, but we’re not together anymore.” Alina’s expression turned dark for just a splitsecond. John regretted asking her. He hadn’t been aware that it was a sore subject.

Her displeasure disappeared as quickly as it had come. She was smiling, sayingsomething about how much she enjoyed being back, but John couldn’t help noticing thatthe smile didn’t reach her eyes. People’s eyes always told the truth. Alina’s eyes lookedsad and tired, and there was a hint of hurt in them. He wondered what happened tomake her so sad.

“Are you still a policeman?” Alina asked.

“No, I gave it up after …” John didn’t need to say it. He had overheard Alina talkingabout Matt with Christy. “I came back and took over the farm for my dad. Are you reallywalking home alone?” The idea of Alina on the road up to her family’s ranch all aloneworried him. Maybe it was his time as a policeman that was affecting his judgment, buthe hated the idea that something bad could happen in broad daylight.

“Yeah, it’s going to be at least another three hours until Nathan gets off work. I don’twant to bother him. I don’t know what the big deal is; I’ve been walking that road aslong as I can remember.”

“Why don’t you ride with me? I’m going that way anyway after I talk with Christy. Iwon’t be long, and I could just drop you off.”

“I don’t know; I don’t want to be a bother. I really don’t mind walking.” Alina lookedsuddenly uncomfortable again.

John thought of the many things that could go wrong. He thought of his own enemiesthat were always in the shadows, just one step away from invading his life and takingeverything that he cared about. He didn’t feel comfortable with Alina walking back homealone. That was for sure.

“As a policeman or an ex-policeman, I just think it’s dangerous. With all the recentassaults in this area … well, if you’d let me take you home, it really would give me peaceof mind.”

“Isn’t it also dangerous to get into a car with someone that you hardly know?” Alinaasked, her eyes twinkling.

“I suppose, but you can ask Christy if I’m trustworthy. I think she will vouch for me.”

“Fine, I’ll ask Christy.” Alina’s uncertainty seemed to be slipping away, and she seemedto actually be considering his offer.

“Ask me what?” Christy finally appeared with a couple of papers in her hands. “Here,just fill these out and bring them with you tomorrow. I already talked with Aaron, and Ihave an extra uniform that will fit you. You can borrow it until you get your own.”Christy handed the papers to Alina.

“Thank you. John here wants to give me a ride home, and I said I would ask you if hewas a safe driver.”

Christy laughed. “It is a great idea. I knew from the moment you said you would bewalking home that he would offer. He’s paranoid about little stuff like walking alone. Iguess being a policeman for any amount of time makes you paranoid.”

“It’s not paranoia; it’s precaution.” John tried to defend himself. He knew it waspointless as both girls laughed.

“I’ll wait for you outside then.” Alina hopped off the stool and tucked the papers into herpurse. She left the diner and disappeared from sight.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Christy asked. “I have to get back to work;Aaron isn’t happy that I already handed two of my tables off to him.

“Have you gotten any more phone calls?”

“What, you want to talk about that here?”

“Yes,” John had been thinking about the phone calls Christy told him about all week.“Have you gotten any more?”

“Well, I got one this morning. Same as last time. They called, and when I answered, theydidn’t say anything. I could just hear someone breathing into the phone. I hung up, justlike you said to do.”

“Do you know if Mom or Dad have ever picked up the phone and had that happen?”

“No. Though Mom said that a couple days ago, she answered and a person on the otherside said they had the wrong number.”

“All right, thanks for telling me. I should get going. Alina is out there waiting. If youkeep getting those calls, you let me know. This could be something serious.”

“Serious how?” Christy’s eyebrows furrowed.

“It just could be serious, okay?” John couldn’t tell her how serious. He had a suspicion,but he wasn’t ready to share his fears with Christy.

“Okay, okay. Have fun with Alina. I’ll see you at the house.”

John ignored Christy’s teasing look and hurried back outside. To his surprise, Alina wasstanding beside his red truck, leaning against the bed, her arms crossed and her chinresting on her arms. Her eyes were closed.

“How did you know this was my truck?” John asked as he walked up.

She smiled. “I just guessed. It looked like something you would drive.”

“I see. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted.”

Alina giggled. “I don’t know. It is a lot newer than my brother’s truck. He’s still drivingDad’s truck.”

“I remember that old rattle trap.” John walked around and opened Alina’s door.

“You don’t have to do that,” Alina said as she hopped up into the seat.

“It’s my pleasure.” John closed the door firmly, then walked around the back. Hecouldn’t remember the last time he’d taken someone in his truck that wasn’t Christy orhis family. He didn’t have someone special in his life. He hadn’t even thought of datingor pursuing that sort of thing ever since Matt died. In a way, he felt too guilty to behappy.

He slid into the driver’s side, started the engine, and glanced at Alina out of the corner ofhis eye. She had her elbow tucked into the corner of the window and was resting hercheek on her hand. She was staring out of the front window, seemingly at nothing, but atthe same time, at everything.

He wanted to ask her what she was thinking but refrained. He was just giving her afriendly ride home. That was it. He was trying to do the right thing because she wasNathan’s sister. He wasn’t in the right place to be making friends or trying to fixsomeone else’s problems when he had too many of his own to count. He could tell thatAlina did need to talk to someone, though.

The unsolved emotions were right there, just behind her gaze. He didn’t know whathappened in the city or with Lewis but seeing Alina like that made him want to payLewis a visit. John asked Alina about the farm and if she’d heard of the tornado thatpassed through a few months ago. He decided it was better to keep the conversation

light; there was less commitment that way.

Chapter 6

Alina waited until Nathan’s pickup truck had disappeared from sight around the corner.He still didn’t know she was working. She wanted to tell Nathan about her job two daysago, but she had decided last minute to keep it a secret. She wanted to wait until she hadsome experience working at the diner and had gotten her footing around town. He wasgoing to start wondering what she had found to occupy her time for half the day everyday in town. It was already Friday, so Alina was pretty sure she at least had the weekendto keep her secret.

Even though it was so early in the morning, the diner was bursting with activity. Alinamade sure she had enough time to slip into the back bathrooms and change into theuniform that Christy let her borrow. She checked how she looked in the mirror with theblue dress. She looked like she fitted in with the rest of the waitresses in the place.

When Alina stepped out of the bathroom, she was nearly run over by Christy.

“There you are! I was about to think you were late. What did you do to John?”

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Christy shrugged. “I just figured I would ask because he seemed happier than I haveseen him in years, and the only thing he’s done differently is spend the afternoon withyou taking you home this week.”

Alina felt a streak of warmth rush through her. “I don’t know that I had anything to dowith it. Maybe he just had a good day.”

“Maybe.” Christy didn’t look convinced.

The diner had doubled its customers in the time it took Alina to change. She wouldnever have guessed that so many people came to Big Ed’s Diner for breakfast. A softhum of conversation enveloped her on her way to the kitchen. She found a white apronto put over her dress, borrowed a notepad and pencil, then headed out into the crowd.

“Why don’t you get table seven? That should be an easy one for you to start with today.”Christy pushed her toward the other side of the dining room. Alina nodded to indicatethat she had heard Christy, then hurried toward table seven. She had been shown achart with all the sections of the dining area and the numbers of the tables. A small cardwas secured under the tables with their number, but they weren’t easily visible.

“At least I took the time to memorize things a little,” Alina thought.

She came to a complete stop as she saw the man sitting at table seven. She lookedaround for Christy, but there was no sign of her. Alina approached the table cautiously.

“John, I didn’t know you came here for breakfast.”

“I don’t always come here. I like a bit of variety, so I will frequent other places

throughout the week.” John grinned, and a hint of mischief showed in his eyes.

“Really?” Alina didn’t know why someone would choose to eat out every single day forbreakfast.

“No, not really. I was just joking. This is my favorite place. They have a killer coffee, andtheir omelet is worth the drive. Farming isn’t as luxurious as it might seem, though, sono, I don’t come every single day.”

“Oh.” Alina felt silly for asking why he was there. It wasn’t as if she was questioningeveryone else’s motives when they showed up for breakfast.

“So, I would love the mushroom, spinach omelet, and a coffee with milk and sugar.”

Alina scrawled his order across her notepad, though she was pretty sure she couldremember it. “Coming right up.”

Alina turned as John picked up a newspaper and started reading. Her cheeks felt warm,and her head was spinning a little. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the heat in thedining area or talking with John that made her feel that way.

For the next fifteen minutes, she rushed from table to table in her section, collectingorders and delivering them to the kitchen. When John’s order was ready, she wasmomentarily relieved. She found herself looking forward to talking to John again. Itpuzzled her as he had been around in her youth, and he had seemed nearly invisible.

“Here you are, one mushroom and spinach omelet and a coffee with milk and sugar.”Alina set the food down on the table in front of him. “I didn’t think you would be one tolike vegetables in your omelet.”

“Really? Why not?” John adjusted his silverware on either side of the plate.

Alina shrugged. “I don’t know; I guess I thought you would like the bacon or hamomelet.”

“My mom always cooked with a lot of vegetables, so maybe that’s why I like them. Doyou need a ride home today?”

“No, my brother should be ready to go home around half an hour after I get off work.”

“All right. Let Christy know if you change your mind. I will be picking her up today.”John’s smile was friendly and made Alina’s stomach fill with butterflies.

“I will. Enjoy your food.” Christy hurried away from his table before she said somethingdumb. For the rest of the day, she couldn’t get John’s offer to drive her home out of hermind. She kept thinking about it and regretting turning him down. Sitting in herbrother’s truck on the way home, Alina started to hope she would get the opportunity tocatch a ride with John again in the future.

---*---

Alina set down two plates of food on the table. She had worked for the last hourpreparing something she considered a healthy homemade meal.

“Nathan! Dinner’s ready!” she called down the hall.

It was strange how quickly she had fallen into the routine of living with Nathan. It waslike when they were children. Things were simple and easy, and they got along muchbetter now they were all grown up. Nathan was right about her enjoying the animals.She loved spending time around the horses, the cows, and sometimes just walkingaround the place. It was so quiet and different compared to Oklahoma.

Nathan came rushing into the dining room. Well, it wasn’t exactly a dining room, butmore a dining area off the kitchen.

“You didn’t have to make anything fancy. You forget that I was used to eatingsandwiches.” Nathan washed his hands in the sink, then hurried to sit down.

“I like cooking sometimes. It gives me time to think.” It wasn’t a lie. Two of the thingsthat Alina enjoyed the most were cooking and reading. Then there was the flower shopshe had left behind when she left Oklahoma. She would never forget the good times shehad there.

“I’m not complaining if it is what you want to do. I love a good home- cooked meal.”Nathan bowed his head, and they said grace.

“So, while I was at work today, one of my friends mentioned something I found veryinteresting.” Nathan looked up from his food.

“What is that?” Alina forced herself not to panic. Whatever Nathan’s friend noticedprobably had nothing to do with her.

“They noticed a new waitress over at Big Ed’s Diner. Apparently, her name is Alina, justlike you.”

Alina nearly choked on the food in her mouth.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you found a job? More than that, why did you feel like youneeded to get a job? I make enough for both of us. You don’t have to work, Alina.”

“I want to work. I want to help out with the farm. I wasn’t snooping, but I did notice thatyou were behind on a lot of bills. I figured if I got a job and started helping out aroundthe place, then you could keep up better and we could improve the farm. I know that youhave been doing this farm alone since dad died and I left, but it doesn’t have to be thatway anymore.” Alina was never sure how Nathan would take the idea of her getting ajob. She held her breath now, waiting for him to respond.

“I don’t know about you working. You never know what sorts of people hang out in BigEd’s Diner.”

“What is it with everyone being so overprotective of me?” Alina shook her head as she

washed her dinner down with a gulp of iced tea. “I am not seventeen anymore. I lived inthe city and took care of myself for years. Nathan, I know you aren’t used to having help,but this will be good for us. I start around the same time you do in the morning and getoff the same time too. We can ride together into town, and it will double the income forthe farm. Don’t tell me that you can’t use the help.”

Nathan sighed. “All right, I do need the help. But promise me you will be careful, and ifyou feel like it is too much to handle or if it ever becomes overly tiring for you, you’llquit. I don’t want you to feel run down and overworked because you are trying to helpme with my responsibilities.”

“I promise already. I wanted to ask you something. Do you hang around Johnanymore?” Alina had been wondering who her brother kept company with these days.She remembered him being close friends with John and Matt when she was younger buthadn’t seen John over at all since she’d been back.

“I still care about John, but I guess he isn’t in the right place to have friends. I tried topick things up with him when he came home after …” Nathan paused, his eyebrowscoming together. “Anyway, I guess he just needs more time. He is a good guy, though.”

“That must have been terrible for him to go through. Do you know what happened to hisbrother?”

“No, all I heard was that he passed away in the line of duty. John is the only one whoreally knows what happened to him, and from what I can tell, he never talks about it. Iknow that is what he wants right now, but everyone has to talk about their past at sometime, even if it is difficult.”

Alina nodded in agreement. She decided to ignore the fact that half of Nathan’sstatement was most certainly aimed at her.

Chapter 7

“Alina! Someone is looking for you out front,” Christy practically shouted as she hurriedinto the kitchen with a tray of dirty dishes.

“Who is it?” Alina was skeptical. She had only been in town for two weeks and didn’tknow anyone besides Christy, John, or Nathan who might have an excuse to seek herout.

“I don’t know. They just said they were a friend of yours.”

“Okay, Aaron, can I have a five-minute break?” It was right after the lunch rush, and shewas about to go home anyway. Maybe whoever was looking for her would stick around abit longer so she could finish her shift.

“We’ve already finished up everything. Go ahead and head home. You only have fifteenminutes left to your shift anyway.” Aaron spared her a few seconds from the clipboardhe was staring at.

“Thank you, Aaron. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Alina took off her apron and hung it on itshook. Now that Nathan knew she was working, she no longer had to change out of heruniform before heading out. When she got to the parking lot, there was no one there.There were a couple of cars, which she assumed belonged to Aaron and whoever wasstaying behind at the diner for cleanup and the afternoon shift. She paused a second,wondering if she should go back in and tell Aaron that whoever was looking for her leftalready when she heard someone clear their throat behind her.

“Alina, you’re looking well,” a deep voice said.

Alina’s heart paused, and she took in a deep breath. She immediately crossed her armsover her middle protectively before turning around slowly.

“Lewis, what are you doing here?”

“I didn’t know that Big Ed’s Diner was a private establishment.” Lewis cocked aneyebrow. He always had a stuck-up air about him as if he thought he knew best abouteverything and anyone who didn’t agree with him had no business disagreeing with him.There were moments like this when Alina wondered what she had ever found attractiveabout him.

“I meant, what are you doing back in town? I thought you were staying in Oklahoma.”

“Ah, well, I was forced to come to town because you were gone when I went to visit you.You didn’t even bother to say goodbye. That was rude if I do say so myself.”

“I didn’t tell you because I figured you were plenty busy with everything else you hadgoing on. Besides, what we had wasn’t going anywhere anyway. I came back home, andthat is that. I didn’t expect you to come after me.”

“Of course, I came after you. I’m your boyfriend.”

“No. You’re not. Not anymore. I am not your girlfriend. There is nothing between usanymore, Lewis. I know that it probably wasn’t right of me just to take off and not eventell you I was leaving, but I am glad that I get the chance now.”

“What do you mean you aren’t my girlfriend anymore? I know we had some argumentsand disagreements, but nothing has changed between us.” Lewis’s face had changed intoa scowl.

“Changed? How can you say nothing has changed between us? I found out about Beth.You started dating another woman at the same time as me. How did you think that wasgoing to turn out?”

“I messed up, Alina. Everyone makes mistakes. You have to forgive and forget.”

“That isn’t a mistake. That is just cruel. It was cruel to her and to me. You have norespect for women.” Alina spat the words. She could still remember the heart-wrenchingfeeling that had overwhelmed her when she found out the truth about Lewis. She lovedhim, and she actually thought he would marry her just like he always said he would.Then she had seen him walking with another woman, their hands intertwined. He hadleaned in to kiss her, and Alina had turned away. She didn’t need to see any more toknow what was happening.

“Alina, give me a second chance. I can get it right this time. We can get married, just likeyou always wanted.” Lewis took a step toward her, and at the same time, she took a stepback. “Don’t be like this, Alina. If you can’t accept an apology and give someone a secondchance, what kind of a person does that make you?”

“A smart one.” Alina’s eyes jumped to movement coming into the parking lot. John’sbright red truck was pulling in.

She didn’t know whether to be relieved or horrified. John didn’t seem to rememberLewis well the last time they had spoken. She wasn’t excited about the rest of herconversation with Lewis happening in front of John. The truck pulled into a parkingspot and stopped. John stepped out, closing the door behind him.

“Alina, come on. I’ve come all this way to find you.”

“It took you four months.” It had been four months since Alina left Oklahoma. She spentsome time in a few towns between here and there, trying to figure her life out. In theend, she decided that coming home was what she needed to do. In all that time, she hadexpected Lewis to come after her, to tell her he messed up, but he hadn’t.

Now here he was. It was too little and much too late.

“It took me time to work things out, to decide who I wanted.”

“I’ve decided what I want. Leave me alone, Lewis.” Alina turned and made a move tostep by him, but he was quick. He jumped in front of her and put out his arms to stop

her.

“You can’t just leave, Alina. I need the right answer. I need a second chance. You have anobligation.”

“Everything all right here?” John’s familiar voice made Alina’s shoulders relax just a bit.She had been so focused on Lewis that she hadn’t even noticed John walking up.

“Fine, and none of your business,” Lewis snarled, not even looking up to see who wasspeaking. His gaze stayed locked on Alina.

“Actually, it is his business. This is my boyfriend, John.” Alina blurted out the wordsbefore she had time to consider the implications. She glanced up at John. There was aflicker of confusion, and then an easy smile covered his face.

“That’s right. It is a pleasure to meet you.” John stuck out his hand, and Lewis looked atit like it was something he didn’t want to touch.

“You can’t be serious, Alina. It has only been four months.” Lewis’s glare turned cold.

“At least I took longer than you.” Alina couldn’t help smiling at her retort.

“I’m not leaving town until you change your mind.” Lewis stuffed his hands in hispockets and shoved past John. Alina didn’t bother to answer.

“What was that all about?” John asked as Lewis peeled out of the parking lot in his greenmustang.

“That was Lewis. I guess he thought he could come into town and erase everything hedid with a few words.” Alina shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way.”

“So, I’m your boyfriend now?”

“No! Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry. I had no right to say that. He just kept insisting, andyou walked up …” Alina didn’t know what else she could say.

“It’s fine. I understand.” John chuckled. “Why don’t we go down to the little café on thecorner, and we can grab a coffee?” John asked.

“What about Nathan? He’s supposed to pick me up in a few minutes.”

“I just ran into him.” John motioned to his truck, which Alina now noticed was full offeed bags. “I mentioned I was coming this way to talk to Christy, and he said he had tostay late at work today. I might have volunteered to drive you home.”

“Really?” Alina wasn’t sure what to think of his helpfulness.

“Really. I know I should have asked first.”

“It’s fine. Are you sure you have time for coffee? Alina hadn’t gone for coffee withanyone except Lewis for years. Going with John was foreign to her. What would theytalk about? Would John be bored and feel like he was wasting his time?

“Of course. I was about to go myself. They have the most delicious baked goods theretoo, best in town.”

“All right then. I suppose I could go. Today has been sort of stressful.”

“I could tell. I am just going to run in and tell Christy something. You can wait for me inthe truck if you want.”

Alina nodded. She didn’t know if this was going to be a terrible idea, but right then, shecould use the distraction.

Chapter 8

John quickened his pace out to the truck. Christy had started her teasing as soon as shesaw Alina get into his vehicle, and John couldn’t blame her. He had kept to himself forthe past two years, so him spending time with Alina must look out of place to Christyand anyone else who was paying attention. There was just something about her that wasmagnetic, and she kept showing up in his path ever since she had arrived in town. Whenhe got to the truck, he noticed how sad she looked before he jumped in beside her.

He hadn’t expected her to call him her boyfriend earlier during her discussion withLewis. He didn’t mind stepping in to make sure she was safe. She certainly hadn’t lookedsafe or happy in the conversation. It was a look John had seen too many times duringhis job as a police officer.

“Do you think Lewis is really going to stick around town?” John asked. He wanted to askif she would be safe, and if Lewis could accept her saying no. Sometimes cases like thisdidn’t turn out well.

“I don’t know. He didn’t look happy when I said you were my boyfriend. I can’t believehe thought he could fix everything by coming here. He was the one who started seeingsomeone else while we were still dating. I don’t know what he expected me to do or howhe expected me to react.” Alina sighed, and John’s heart went out to her.

“I’m sorry he did that. He certainly doesn’t deserve a second glance from you.”

“Thanks. What about you? Christy seemed pretty surprised that you drove me home theother day. Should I be worried about you driving me home?” Mischief gleamed in Alina’seyes.

John chuckled. He was happy to see Alina’s bad mood slipping away even if it was at hisexpense.

“I assure you there is no reason to be worried. I drive Christy home all the time. I justhaven’t spent a lot of time around other people since my brother died.”

“I’m so sorry about Matt. I heard about the news in the paper.” Alina looked truly sorry.“It never gets any easier to lose someone we care about.”

“No, it doesn’t.” John pulled into the parking lot of the café and hurried around thetruck to open Alina’s door. She jumped out, nearly tumbling to the ground as she did so.John reached out and put his hand on her waist. She was so fragile and so strong at thesame time. He pulled back, trying to hide his emotions. She was no longer the little girlwho was Christy’s best friend back when they were kids.

“Come on then. You won’t be disappointed by the coffee here.”

John grinned as they were greeted by the warm smell of fresh coffee and buttery cakes.Somehow, he found himself looking forward to Alina’s company, more than the food.

---*---

“Here we are. I hope the coffee at least helped with whatever was going on with Lewis.”John parked in front of Alina’s house.

“Thank you, John. It changed my day.”

“Hey, I was thinking, my family has a sort of family dinner every Friday. Maybe you andNathan would like to join us. I know my parents would love to have you over. It’s been along time, and they love to have visitors.”

“Thank you. I’ll talk with Nathan about it. Maybe we’ll come.”

“All right then. It’s at seven, but feel free to show up any time between seven and seven-thirty. Dinner is rarely done by seven anyway.”

“We’ll see you then?” Alina was leaning against the truck door, staring in at him fromthe window.

“Sure thing. Have a great evening, Alina.”

John watched Alina walk up to her door, making sure she got into the house safely.There were some habits he would never be able to let go of. Once he saw the door closebehind her, and the lights turn on, he turned his truck around and headed home. Duringthe entire drive back, he couldn’t get Alina out of his head. She was interesting to listento. There hadn’t been a single moment in their conversation where they’d foundthemselves without something to talk about.

He loved the way her eyes lit up when she talked about her childhood memories or whenshe told him about the flower shop where she had a job in Oklahoma. When she spokeabout her life, he could almost imagine being in it.

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts away. He hadn’t even realized he was drivingup to his parents’ house. It was only Thursday, and here he was. Deciding it would berude to turn around after his parents had already seen his truck, he pulled forward intothe drive. His mother was already rushing out onto the porch by the time he got out ofhis seat.

“John, what are you doing here? I’m thrilled to see you, but I wasn’t expecting you untiltomorrow. Did something happen?” She wrung her hands in her apron as sheapproached him.

“I’m fine, Ma. Nothing happened. I was just in the area and figured I would stop by.Especially with you and Pa always telling me that I don’t show up often enough.”

“Come in; come in. We aren’t having anything fancy for dinner, but still, you are alwayswelcome.”

“Thanks, Mom. Also, I invited Alina and her brother over for dinner tomorrow night. I

hope that is okay.”

“Of course, it’s okay. I would love to see them again. According to Christy, you’ve beenspending quite some time with Alina. Anything interesting you want to tell me?”

“No, Mom! Christy is exaggerating. I’ve only seen her a couple of times, and I thought itwould be a nice gesture to invite them for dinner since she just came back to town. If it isweird, I can tell them not to come.”

“Nonsense. Don’t you dare uninvite them. This is going to be wonderful.”

John followed his mother into the house. He was not so sure that dinner the next nightwas going to be wonderful. It might be tense and strained. In fact, maybe it was theworst idea he’d had yet.

Chapter 9

Alina tucked her apron into her bag and walked out into the parking lot. Apparently,Christy had called in sick, and so far, there was no sign of John. Nathan had let herknow ahead of time that he was picking up an extra shift at the feedstore, and she hadreassured him she would find a way home.

Alina realized that she’d gotten used to seeing Christy almost every day since she startedworking at the diner. She thought back to the dinner she and Nathan had attended onFriday night.

Dinner with John’s family had been a delight. It was nice to see Christy’s parents again,and even John seemed lighter and in a better mood during the dinner conversation.Another thing that the dinner had changed was John and Nathan’s relationship. By theend of the night, John and Nathan were chatting like old friends again.

At first, Alina thought she was the only one who noticed, but then she saw the way thatJohn and Christy’s parents were staring at their son with a look of bewilderment.

Alina wasn’t sure of the reason John had kept himself away from people since he’dgotten back, but it made her feel bad for him. Deciding that she had no other choice butto walk, she pushed her bag up on her shoulder and started toward home. Maybe it wasJohn’s constant warnings or Nathan’s paranoia, but she didn’t feel as safe on the lonelyroad as she had before. She kept looking toward the bushes on either side of the road.She kept an eye on the bushes and the trees, half expecting someone to jump out frombehind them.

The sound of a car coming down the road made her freeze. The idea of being out allalone when the wrong car came down the road made her shiver. To her surprise, it wasJohn’s familiar red pickup truck.

She nearly cried in relief. It slowed down and came to a stop beside her. John rolleddown his window and poked his head out.

“Alina, you’re walking home?” He glanced up and down the road.

“Yeah, Nathan decided to stay at work late today. I told him that I could find a ridehome, and then Christy called in sick.” For some reason, Alina felt she’d been caughtdoing something wrong.

“Do you want to come with me? I am going to drop off these cans of milk in town.” Johnmotioned to the truck bed. It was filled with half a dozen milk cans.

“Sure, why not?” Alina didn’t hesitate. Spending the afternoon with John delivering milkactually sounded kind of nice. It certainly beat walking the rest of the way home. Whileshe enjoyed the occasional walk, today she was tired from being on her feet at the diner.Without Christy, things were much busier.

“Great.” John moved as if he intended to get out and open her door.

“It’s fine; I’ve got it.” Alina giggled as she hurried around and let herself into the truck.Lewis never opened the door for her or paid much attention when they went placestogether. With John, that was all different for some reason.

“How was your day? A lot of people in the diner today?”

“Tons. Without Christy, we were swamped. I’m surprised I managed to keep up.”

“Sounds fun. I don’t know how you do it.”

“What do you mean?” Alina rolled down her window just a crack to let a breeze into thetruck.

“How you are nice to strangers all day long, rushing around without a break. I think Iwould get tired or show my exhaustion.” John made a face.

“It’s not that bad. It’s actually pretty nice. You get so busy that you don’t even realizehow fast the time passes. Then when you are finished, you are exhausted, like I amtoday.”

“I’m glad I could give you a ride then.” John grinned. “Have you been back to the theatersince you came back to town?” John asked.

“No, is it different?”

“A little. After I deliver this milk, we could stop by and catch an afternoon showing if youwant to.”

“Are you inviting me to the movies?” Alina was almost confused by the proposal. Whenshe was in high school, every girl in her class wanted to be invited out to the movies.Some of them considered it was the beginning of a solid relationship. Alina almostcringed when she remembered that she had thought the same thing when Lewis invitedher to her first movie.

“I mean, if you want to go, there’s no reason not to.” John shrugged like it wasn’t a bigdeal.

“It sounds like fun.” Alina scolded herself for thinking too much. He had invited her togo to the movies as friends. Just because she was practically new in town after beinggone for four years. The idea of sitting down and relaxing in the theater sounded fun.The milk delivery went quickly, and before she knew it, they were pulling up to the tinytheater she had grown up with. It looked like there had been a few renovations made toit, but overall, it was still recognizable as one of the most frequented places for youngpeople.

“Which movie do you want to watch?” John asked as they stepped into the tiny lobby,which smelled like buttered popcorn.

“You’re letting me choose?” Alina’s eyebrows rose involuntarily.

“Of course! You’re my guest.” John shook his head as if it would be ludicrous for her notto choose.

“All right then. ‘The Black Stallion Returns’ looks good. I saw the first one and it wasgood.” Alina watched to see John’s reaction, half expecting him to pull back his generousoffer of letting her choose and then demand to watch something else. He didn’t, though.He just grinned like he was happy to be seeing her choice of a movie and then boughttwo tubs of buttered popcorn and two sodas from the concession stand.

Alina dug around in her purse for the money for her ticket. When she looked up, Johnwas pushing a ticket into her hand.

“You didn’t have to pay for it; I was just getting the money. Here, let me pay you back.”

“Nonsense. This was my idea, so I’m paying for it. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“All right then.” Alina took the ticket from him reluctantly, then followed him back tothe movie room. She was eager to see the movie, but she was keener to spend theafternoon with John, and that terrified her.

Chapter 10

“Is everything okay?” John asked, looking around, trying to find the reason for theuncomfortable look on Alina’s face.

“I don’t know. It felt like someone was following us, but maybe it was just myimagination. Maybe it was Lewis, and he was trying to see what we were doing.” Alinashrugged, but John could tell that whatever feeling she’d had was still bothering her.Concern rushed through him. Maybe he was losing his edge, and someone was followingthem, and he hadn’t even noticed.

“John?” Now Alina was glancing up at him with an almost frightened look.

“You’re probably right; it might have just been Lewis. You have nothing to worry about.I graduated top of my class in the police academy. Even if someone were following you, Iwould be able to protect us both.”

John pushed back an image of Matt that floated into his thoughts. He hadn’t been ableto protect Matt. Could it be that the people who killed him were following through ontheir threats? Were they here in Coontown?” A shiver ran down his spine.

“We should probably be getting back anyway. What did you think of the movie?”

“It was great. Thank you for taking me. It was exactly what I needed to just relax and getout of my head for a while. Do you go often?”

“No. That was actually the first time I’ve been since I came back to town.” John openedthe truck door for Alina, and she slid in. When John got in on the other side, she had acurious expression on her face.

“Why haven’t you been back to the theater?”

“Matt and I used to go together. It was a sort of habit for us. I guess going there remindsme of him. It reminds me of how much fun we used to have and how much I miss him.”

“I’m sorry. If I had known …”

“Don’t worry about it. Going this afternoon was different in some way. It was good tomake some new memories and not just dwell on the old.”

“I’m glad. I know that we can never be the same after we lose someone, but sometimes Ithink that those people would want us to be happy and keep on living even if they aren’there with us.”

“You’re right. Matt loved living. He loved being happy. I know if I could talk to himtoday, he would tell me to stop feeling sorry for him and myself and get on with my life.I’ve tried, but I just don’t know how.”

Silence filled the truck cabin for the longest time.

“What happened to him?”

“There were some people we thought we could trust. They killed him.” That was all John could bring himself to say. It was more than he had said to anyone about what happened to Matt. There was the debriefing at the police station, and the files that held the truth, but since then, he had held a vow of silence about the events that led to his brother’s death. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. “What made you come back to town?”

John was curious, but he also wanted to change the topic from Matt and their pasttogether.

“Lewis kept on putting us off. Then I found out that he was seeing someone else. Ithought that I might want to stay. I had a job I loved, my own apartment, andeverything. But it wasn’t the same. It felt awful to be in town knowing that I was prettymuch a joke. Everyone knew about Lewis and me, and it was pretty clear what he haddone.”

“Even if that were the case, you weren’t a joke. He was the one who was in the wrong,and I am certain people saw that.”

Alina shrugged. She didn’t look convinced. “Maybe I deserved it. Maybe I was spendingtoo much time working, and that was why he was looking for someone else.”

“What? Alina! Don’t ever say that. You are not at fault. No matter what anyone else everthought or said, you were never at fault.” Anger rushed through John at the thought ofpeople blaming Alina for the fallout between her and Lewis. He wanted to find every oneof those people and tell them how wrong they were.

“Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.”

John pulled up to Alina’s house. He wished the drive had been a bit longer, and didn’twant her to get out of the truck. He told himself from the day he arrived back in townthat he didn’t have time for women, or love, or even family. He was focusing on thefarm, making it a success, and getting his life back together.

But somehow, Alina had made her way into his life and was now breaking down thewalls of his heart. It was a foreign feeling that he didn’t know how to deal with.

“Goodnight, John. Thank you for bringing me home.”

“It was my pleasure.” John wanted to ask her to stay or to come to his family’s house fordinner. He was willing to go for an extra dinner to his parents’ house if it meant Alinawould be around. It was crazy to think that three weeks ago, he had barely known whoshe was.

Alina hurried up the path to the door of her house and went inside. He turned his truckaround and started back home. He had a lot to think about when it came to Alina.

---*---

When John got back to the farm, Christy was standing on his porch. She was pacingback and forth. John groaned out loud. He had told her that she shouldn’t be out afterdark. Both Christy and his parents had keys to his house just in case they ever camearound, and he wasn’t home.

John parked the truck and hurried up to the porch at a jog.

“Christy, where’s your key? You should have waited for me in the house.”

“I know; I lost my key again. It’s at home for sure. I will find it tomorrow, I promise. Ihad to talk to you for a moment.” If Christy hadn’t looked so worried, John would havescolded her more about losing her key.

“What’s going on? It’s the phone calls again, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I just got another one this evening. It was so weird. I am certain someone was onthe line. I waited for a while, and then they hung up.”

“Thanks for telling me. I’m going to take you home right now. There is no way you arewalking home alone.”

“Okay. What do you think the phone calls are about? They’re honestly starting to worryme.”

“I don’t know. Whatever it is, I’m going to figure it out. I’ll call a buddy of mine in thepolice force and ask them if they can do anything to find out who has been calling.”

“Okay. We should probably not tell Mom or Dad, right?”

“Right. I don’t want to worry them just yet.” John knew he would have to tell themsooner or later, but for now, he was going to keep things to himself until he had a betteridea of what was going on.

Chapter 11

“Are you sure you have to go to work today?” Alina asked. It was Saturday, and she hadhoped that she and Nathan would have some time to work on the ranch together.

“Yes. They’re short-staffed at the feed shop and will pay extra if I show up. I really needthe extra money. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay. Maybe I’ll go out to the Devin’s farm and see if Christy wants to spendsome time with me.”

“You could call her.” Nathan motioned to the phone on the wall.

“I don’t have their number. I’ll have to ask Christy for it. I can walk; it’s not that far.”

“Okay, just be careful. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Great. Have fun at work.”

Alina waited until Nathan was gone before she headed out. She knew if she left earlier,he would offer to drive her over to Christy and John’s farm, and then he would be late.

Alina paused at the entrance of the Devin farm. Maybe Christy had Saturday free too.

She smiled at the thought and started walking again. The walk between their farmswasn’t too far. It was only fifteen minutes, twenty at the most. Alina walked toward thebig house. It was bigger than the house she shared with Nathan, twice as big if she hadto guess.

When she arrived, she hesitated. She couldn’t tell if any lights were on. She knockedfirmly on the door. There was no sign of life in the house. If it hadn’t been for John’sbright red truck out front, she would have thought the place was empty. She was aboutto give up her search and go back home when she heard the sound of someone movingaround in the barn. There at the front, John was in front of one of the spigots, washingout some buckets.

Her heart skipped a beat as she approached him.

He jumped a little when he spotted her. “Alina! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m so sorry. I tried going up to the house, but no one answered. I was looking forChristy.”

“Oh, she’s not here. She’s not at the other house either. She went to a dentistappointment. They could only fit her in today.”

“I thought we could do something together, but I don’t have the house number, so Icouldn’t call. I guess I should just go home now.” Alina took a step back.

“Wait, I was about to take the horses out for some exercise; maybe you want to join me?”

“Really? I don’t know. I haven’t been riding since I left town.”

“How? Your brother has several horses.”

“I know. I’ve been helping him take care of them, but I haven’t really gotten the chanceto ride one yet.”

“Well, that is a shame. We have to fix that.”

“Okay. I suppose I could go for a horse ride. I’m not like Alec in the movie, though. I’mnot sure the horses like me.” Alina tried not to show how nervous she was. She wasn’tsure why she was so nervous. “The last time I rode was with my dad.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” John stopped what he was doing and just listened for a moment as ifwaiting for her to tell him more.

“It’s not your fault. I guess when I think of riding, I almost think that I’ll erase thatmemory.”

“You won’t. But if you don’t want to go riding with me, I understand.”

“No, I want to.”

“Okay. Come on, meet the horses.” John stepped through the barn door, and Alinafollowed. The barn was huge. There were rows of cows on either side of the hall. Towardthe very back of the barn, there was a door that led out to a pasture. In the pasture werethree horses.

“We don’t use them that often for farm stuff, but I love riding them. So I give themexercise whenever I can.” John pointed to a light grey one with a white star on her nose.“That’s storm. She’s one of my favorites. I helped raise her.”

“She’s beautiful. What about the stallion?” Alina eyed an all-white stallion that wascasting her suspicious looks.

“That’s Brahms. He’s my second favorite. He is majestic, but he can be very hard tohandle.”

“He looks like it.” Alina took a step back as Brahms tossed his head. He lookeddangerous, even though she felt safe near John.

“So, why don’t you ride Storm today, and I’ll ride Brahms?”

“Who is the third one?” The third horse hadn’t even so much as looked up at them.

“That’s Caramel. She’s Christy’s horse, and Christy takes her out pretty often. She alsodoesn’t really like anyone but Christy. I know it is weird, but she honestly can’t standother people.”

“Storm it is then.” Alina watched as John prepared the two horses with saddles andbridles, then went to mount Storm. The mare was quiet and accepted her easily. BeforeAlina had time to think about what she was doing, she and John were riding across the

back field toward the woods beyond.

---*---

After a whirlwind of a ride, John led them into a large clearing through the woods andunder the trees. It was surrounded by tall trees, and off to one side, there was a smalllake.

“This is one of my favorite spots,” John said as he pulled his horse to a stop.

“It’s absolutely beautiful.” Alina was breathless. The grass was so green, and the onlysound was that of the wind touching the tops of the trees. It was surreal, almost as ifthey had stepped into another world.

Alina dismounted her horse and followed John over to a tree that had a massive trunk.She sank down and pulled her knees up to her chest.

“So, how was it? Your first horse ride after … you know.”

“It was great. I know it is strange, but I actually feel like I was closer to my dad ridingagain.”

“I’m glad you said that because it was thrilling for me. I hope we can do this againsometime.”

“I’d like that.”

“Before you came back to town, I wasn’t really talking to anyone or seeing anyone, youknow? I guess I let myself just sink into a dark place. I am seeing that now.” Johnrubbed his hand above his brow.

“Is that a good thing?”

“I think so. I am going to start trying to let people back into my life. I think that Mattwould have wanted that.”

“I’m glad.” Alina wanted to say that she had stopped believing in love or that there weregood men out there. But then after spending time with John, she was starting to doubther previous resolution. She had felt a certain loneliness coming back to town, and themore time she spent with John, the more she felt that it was disappearing.

“I don’t think this place would be the same without you. I didn’t think that one personcould change a town so much.” Alina wasn’t sure if John meant her to hear the words orif he was talking to himself.

She smiled softly, deciding not to reply.

“Let me show you something.” John jumped up and grabbed her hand, pulling to herfeet. Alina didn’t protest, and he pulled her along, through the trees and around one sideof the lake. As they drew close to the lake, they came upon a field of wildflowers. The

sight was even more miraculous than the last.

“I- I don’t even know what to say.” Alina looked down. She was still holding John’shand. She didn’t want to pull her hand back, liking the way it felt to have him holding it.They felt so close, connected, even though it was something as simple as hand-holding.

“Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are?” John asked, looking down at her withsudden passion in his eyes.

“I-” Alina pulled in a shaky breath. One minute they were standing, staring at thewildflowers, and the next, John was leaning down, pressing his lips against hers.

Alina closed her eyes, and the world seemed to float away for a moment. It was just herand John. There was nothing else but them, and she couldn’t think of anything else. Shecouldn’t imagine being anywhere else, and in that second, everything felt right.”

Suddenly John was pulling back, and Alina opened her eyes.

“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry–I–”

“It’s fine. I mean, I–” Alina trailed off, not sure what to say. Should he have done that?She didn’t know. She certainly hadn’t stopped him.

“We should probably get back. It’s nearly lunchtime.” John hurried away abruptly, andAlina followed. Her heart was a mess of conflict and confusion. She should be ecstaticabout what just happened, having had feelings for John for a while now. Maybe it wasbecause everything was so new, or maybe she wasn’t ready to trust again. She had noidea what was making her feel so strange about it all. The ride back to the farm was asomber one.

Alina insisted on walking herself back to her brother’s farm, and John didn’t stop her,but she didn’t feel as if she had won anything. She felt stranger than ever.

Chapter 12

John paced back and forth, not knowing why he let Alina leave the farm by herself. Heknew the moment she’d gone that it was a mistake. Finally, John jumped in the truckand revved the engine. He needed to tell Alina how he felt about her and repair thingsbetween them before they stayed the way they were and got worse.

It didn’t take him long to find her. She hadn’t walked but a couple of turns. He pulled upto her and rolled down his window. Then, at the last minute, he decided this wasn’t aconversation that he wanted to have through a window.

He opened the door and hopped to the ground.

“Alina, I couldn’t let you go back home like this.”

“It’s still light out. I doubt anything is going to happen between here and home.” Alinamotioned to the sky.

“That is not what I mean. We kissed, and I know you felt that connection too. Ever sinceMatt died, I’ve closed myself off from everyone, and this … whatever we have, it is verydifferent and hard for me. Even so, it’s the best thing that has happened to me in a longtime. I’m asking you for a chance, Alina. My life is a mess, and there are things from mypast that I haven’t dealt with, and I don’t have the foggiest idea of dealing with them.But I think if you give me a chance, you won’t regret it.”

Alina’s mouth opened slightly, and her eyes widened.

“You really want to give us a chance?”

“Does it sound that bad? I know that you just got out of a relationship, and you haveonly known me for a few weeks, but I promise, I only have the best intentions.”

Alina pursed her lips. “I-I want to say no, John, but I don’t think I can. Let’s see wherethis takes us.”

Silence stretched between them. John couldn’t believe the words he had just heard.Deep down, he had been preparing himself for rejection and for Alina to tell him thatshe never wanted to see him again. But here she was, agreeing to give whatever it wasthat they had a chance.

“So, now that we’ve cleared that up, do you want a ride home?”

Alina giggled, breaking the tension away like brushing away dust from her shoulder.“That would be nice, actually.”

“All right then, let me get your door.” John hurried around and opened her door for her.He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

---*---

John walked through the entrance of the big house and into the kitchen. A box of photoscaught his attention. His mother had pulled them out for Matt’s funeral, and they hadnever been put back. John walked over to them and carried the box to the table. Maybeit was the giddiness he felt around Alina still dictating what he did, but it felt like theright time to look at them.

He flipped through them one by one, seeing the happy-go-lucky young man staring backat him in every single photograph. For a quick moment, John tried to remember if Mattever had a disagreeable or bad day. He was always so cheerful.

The phone ringing on the wall startled him. John set the stack of photos down andcrossed the room, picking it up and placing it against his ear.

“Who is it?” he asked, half expecting it to be one of the silent calls that Christy kepttalking about, but then someone answered.

“Hello, John? It’s Terrence.”

“Terrence, it’s good to hear from you. Were you able to find out anything about thephone calls coming to my sister?”

“No. I’m sorry, John. I called you about something else. I know you aren’t technically apolice officer anymore, but I thought you would want to know.”

“What is it?” John’s heart fell. He could hear the bad news coming already.

“There was a spotting in your town. Baldwin is there.”

“What? Are you certain? You have to be wrong.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not wrong.” Terrence sounded dead serious. “I thought I should letyou know, so you can be better prepared if he is there for the wrong reasons. Stay safe,John.”

“Thank you, Terrence. Tell me if you find anything else out.”

“I’m looking into things having to do with the case, and I have a feeling I am missingsomething. I’ll be calling you if I figure anything out about it. You know I always haveyour back.” Terrence paused.

“Was there something else?”

“Yeah, actually there was. I didn’t want to tell you this because I know you won’t want tohear it.”

“Tell me, Terrence. I need every single thing I can get right now.” John knew thatinformation in the police department wasn’t always the best thing. Sometimes somethings were better left unknown. But in the situation he was in, he couldn’t have theluxury of ignoring information.

“Okay. I think you should look through your brother’s belongings. There are some things

that point to him possibly not being as innocent as you thought he was.”

“What? You’re wrong, Terrence. My brother wasn’t dirty. He died in that sitting. He wasthe one who was betrayed and lost his life. If he were helping them, he would havegotten out alive.”

“I want to believe that too. I am just suggesting we look at every angle. Tell me thatyou’ll at least consider it.”

John nodded stiffly, even though Terrence couldn’t see him. It was good to know he stillhad a friend in the force. Even though Terrence was his friend, John wasn’t about tobelieve what Terrence said. There was no way that Matt had anything to do with thedirty side of the police; he was certain of that. Matt always had his back, and John wasgoing to have Matt’s, even though Matt was no longer around.

---*---

John only hesitated a moment before he approached the familiar figure on the street. Hehad thrown the idea of talking to Lewis around in his head for the past couple of days.He already greatly disliked Lewis, but when Alina told him that Lewis kept showing upat the diner, he couldn’t look the other way anymore.

Maybe it was because of what Terrence told him about Matt, but he suddenly had astrong urge to protect Alina from everything, especially Lewis. It was just his luck thatLewis happened to be loitering right in front of the mart where John was dropping off amilk order.

“Lewis!” John half shouted as he approached.

Lewis turned to look at him, and his eyes narrowed like little beads of steel.

“Yeah, what do you want?” The disgust and disdain in the man’s voice was easy to hear.

“I just came to tell you one thing. I suggest that you skip town. I don’t want youanywhere near Alina. No matter how long you stay in town, that isn’t going to changehow she feels about me. You’re making her uncomfortable, and I think it is time youleft.”

Lewis threw his head back and laughed. “You can’t make me leave. You think this townbelongs to you? I’m sticking around and mark my words, this isn’t over yet. She had noright to just dump me.” Lewis’s eyes burned, and his fists clenched.

John was certain that if he wasn’t a head taller than Lewis, he would have tried to attackhim.

“If you keep messing with Alina, we’ll take it to the law.” John turned and hurried awaybefore he said or did something he would regret. He had probably already oversteppedby telling Lewis to leave town. But, even if Alina did see that, he didn’t regret it. Hehoped that his words would at least make Lewis think twice before bothering Alina

again.

Chapter 13

“Are you riding home with John today?” Christy asked. They were sitting on the curboutside of the diner.

Alina shrugged. “I guess that was the plan. Nathan is working again. I feel like since Icame to help, he works more instead of less. You’re coming too, right?”

“No. Timothy is going to be by to pick me up this afternoon.” Christy waggled hereyebrows. “You know, Timothy, the young man I was telling you about last week.”

“You’re going on another date with him?” Alina asked.

“Why do you sound surprised? I can’t count the dates that you and John have been onsince you came back to town. The two of you didn’t know each other one day, then werebest friends the next.”

Alina giggled. “It was not like that, but all right. Do you think it is a good idea? Me andJohn? We decided to give things a try, but if you think that we shouldn’t …”

“Of course, you should! You and John are like the best thing that has happened to thistown in forever. You should see the way he lights up around you. I think my brother hasbecome a different man since you came back. Why are you frowning?”

“No reason. I really like John. It’s just …”

“Just what?”

“I haven’t confronted Lewis. You know how much I hate confrontation. I need todemand that Lewis leave town. That first day that I spoke to him, he could tell that Iwasn’t really serious. I was asking him, being nice, polite. I don’t know how to explainit.”

“So go up to him and tell him what you really think. I’m sure John would do it for you ifyou asked.”

“I think it’s something that I need to do myself. I think I need to stand up to the fact thathe hurt me and tell him to leave. Then I need to be okay if he doesn’t, and I end upseeing him in town every once in a while for the rest of my life.”

“Wow!” Christy wiped her brow. “You are dramatic. Alina, you just have to be honestwith him. Honesty is your best policy. Tell him that you don’t love him, you want himgone, and that’s that. Then the rest is up to him.”

“You’re right. I should talk to you more often.”

“You really should.” Christy pushed off the curb, her blonde hair bouncing as she did so.“There’s Timothy. I should get going.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” Alina gave her a half-wave and watched as she climbed into a

car beside a handsome-looking young man she’d never seen before.

She needed to find the courage to follow Christy’s advice. Lewis wasn’t going to leavetown as long as he thought he had a chance with Alina. So the sooner she told him therenever was going to be a chance, the better.

“Alina! I’m glad I found you here.” A voice behind her made her cringe. It was almostlike she had pulled Lewis to the parking lot with her thoughts. She scrambled up fromthe curb, tucking her hands into the pockets of her uniform. A moment ago, she’d beenfull of determination and words to say to Lewis, and now she felt suddenly dry-mouthedand numb.

“Lewis. What are you doing here?” Alina felt déjà vu, as she said the words. It was justlike the first time he had come looking for her at the diner.

“I came to talk to you. I told you I wasn’t leaving town until you gave me a secondchance. Now you’re sending your new boyfriend to threaten me?”

“What? I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“John found me at a mart the other day and said I needed to leave town and that if Ikept bothering you, you both would get the law involved.”

“We will.” Alina was surprised by her own statement. This wasn’t the first time thatLewis had shown up at her job. Every time he was out in the parking lot, she would waitinside, or she would go around the back or do whatever it took to avoid him. Now shefelt silly realizing what she had been doing.

“Lewis, I should have found you and told you this a long time ago. I really meanteverything I said the first time we spoke when you came to town. I am not interested inyou anymore. It started out because of what you did. I was hurt by how you betrayed me.Now, I love someone else. I don’t have anything left to say to you or to give you. If youchoose to stay in town, so be it, but don’t be coming after me trying to haveconversations with me or trying to get second chances. What we had a long time ago isover. It is over, and I don’t want further contact with you.”

Alina took a deep breath. She’d done it. She had done exactly what Christy told her to.She was honest, and she’d said everything she needed to. She took control of thesituation. She sent up a quick prayer, “Thank you, God.”

She had received the strength she needed to in order to stand up to her past. Lewis waslike a physical reminder of all the mistakes she had made and all the misplaced trustfrom the past.

Now she had confronted that, she felt truly ready to move forward.

“You can’t be serious.” Lewis shook his head. “This is all John’s fault. He’s going to payfor this–”

“No. He’s not. If you try to come after me, or John, or continue following me and

bugging me, I will get the law involved.”

“I have never followed you.” Lewis crossed his arms defensively over his chest.

Alina was caught off guard. She was certain someone had been following her. It was afeeling that rarely left her as long as she was around town and sometimes even whenworking in the diner.

“It doesn’t matter. Just stay away from me and move on with your life.”

A wave of relief hit Alina when she saw John’s red pickup pulling up to the curb. She wasempowered by confronting Lewis, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want it to end.

“Goodbye, Lewis.” Alina didn’t see how he reacted, and she didn’t care. She was donewith Lewis and his hold over her. She was moving on.

Chapter 14

“What was that all about?” John asked, glaring at Lewis, who had an equally angry lookon his face.

“Remember how I told you that I was afraid of Lewis never leaving me alone?” Alinaasked.

“Yes.” John did remember that and how angry it made him for her. She didn’t deserve tofeel afraid at work or her home. Alina deserved the best of everything.

“When I was talking to Christy today, I realized that I didn’t need to wait for him to leavetown or to give up. I had to make him know where I stood, and then I wouldn’t have toworry about it anymore. I finally stood up to him.”

“You did? What did you say to him?” John was slightly shocked.

“I told him that no matter what he does, I won’t be giving him a second thought. So hecan stay in town, or he can leave, but if he messes with either of us, we will get the policeinvolved.”

“I’m so proud of you.” John reached over and squeezed her hand. He really was proud ofher. He could already see the difference in her eyes. She did seem a bit more relaxed.

“He said something strange, though.”

“Really? What was that.”

“He said that he hadn’t been following me. I have felt like someone was following me fora while now. It’s not all the time, but sometimes I think I see someone duck behind acorner or hear footsteps; I know it’s silly.”

“It’s not silly.” John clenched his jaw. If Baldwin really was in town like Terrence said, itcould be his men following him and Alina. He had been dumb in bringing Alina into allof his messes. She had no idea what sort of dangers she was in just by being around him.

“You look worried all of a sudden. Is there something I should know?”

“Remember how I said there were some bad people who betrayed us, and that was howmy brother died?” John didn’t know if he was ready to talk about Matt or the events thatled to his death, but he had to try. If it meant that Alina’s safety was on the line, he hadto fix that.

“Yeah, did something happen?”

“I got a call from my police chief today, which brought back some things from the past.He and a few others were all in on trying to take down a crime ring back when Matt andI were part of the force. The police were always one step behind, and we started to getsuspicious that there was an informant. My brother, he had to be digging around andwanting to be the hero. And then … Well, those same people, they might be after me

now. I found out something else his morning too.” John’s heart twisted in sadness.

“What did you find?” Alina didn’t have a judgment on her face or any sort of demandingattitude. She was patient and sweet, just like she always was.

“I found a letter from the police chief to my brother. Several letters, actually. Theremight be a possibility that he wasn’t as innocent as I thought he was.”

“I see. What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know. There is so much more I could go through. Maybe there is evidence in histhings to clear his name.”

“So why don’t you look through his things? You might find what you are looking for.”Sadness was etched in Alina’s features. She twisted her hands into her dress, fidgeting ashe talked. He could tell she wanted to help him.

“I’m afraid that if I do, I will find more incriminating evidence that I can’t explain away.”John said the words so softly, he wasn’t sure that Alina heard them.

“John, maybe it is time that you learned everything there is to learn about your brotherand then accept the past for what it was. I know that it sounds hard, but don’t you thinkit would be better to know than to live forever wondering? Even if your brother gotmixed up on the wrong side of things, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t the man that youloved and grieve for today. We can still love people and miss them, even if they messedup.”

“Do you really think so?” John knew her words were true. He could feel them. He alsoknew deep down that Matt wasn’t completely in the wrong. His little brother had alwaysstood up for what was right. But if he was so sure, why was he so afraid to look?

“John, I can’t make this decision for you. But if it were me, I would want to knoweverything that happened and all that my brother was involved with. If it can help youprotect the rest of your family especially. You deserve to know the truth.”

John leaned his head against the window as he continued to drive. The trees zoomedpast, and the road bumped underneath him. Everything made sense, at least for now. Heneeded to know the truth about the past if he was ever going to move forward.

Chapter 15

Alina walked through the pastures out behind the barn. There were wildflowerseverywhere at this time of year. As she clipped off the flowers and gathered them into abouquet, she thought of the flower shop. She wondered what it would be like to have herown flower shop. Maybe she could open one here in town.

The idea made her smile.

“What’s so interesting out here?” Nathan’s voice came from the side of the pasture.

Alina looked up. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even heard himdrive up.

“I was thinking of opening a flower shop. I didn’t realize how late it was. I’ll get startedon dinner right away.”

“Relax. You know we could just do something simple tonight. I feel like I’ve barely seenyou these past few days.” Nathan held his hands up. “I know, I know. It’s my faultbecause I’ve been working so much. What’s been going on?”

“Not much, just hanging out with John a bit more these days. I’m worried about him.”Alina wasn’t about to share anything that John told her with Nathan. That would be abetrayal of trust. But she did want someone else to know how worried she was for him.

“I know what you’re going through. I’ve been worried about him since he came home,but I think that whatever you are doing is working. I haven’t seen him this friendly andopen since he came back to town.”

Alina blushed. “Thanks, Nathan. Come on, if you really want to spend some time withme, help me make some supper. Maybe I can teach you how to cook properly.”

“Okay, ha, ha. I’m not that bad of a cook.” Nathan followed her into the house. She gavehim instructions on how to start dinner while she prepared the flowers and tucked theminto a vase. The kitchen warmed up with the heat of the stove. Pretty soon, they weresitting down at the table with some homemade spaghetti and garlic toast. It was one ofthe better meals she knew how to make, that was for sure. She couldn’t say whether itsflavor had anything to do with Nathan helping or not.

“So, are you working tomorrow?” Alina asked.

“No. I thought we could go to church tomorrow. They have a service at nine. I haven’tgone in a while. It’s kind of strange to go by myself, you know?”

“That actually sounds fun. Dad always took us to church, remember?”

“Yeah. I guess there’s something nostalgic about going together.”

“Okay, then. I will wake you up early tomorrow.” Alina grinned at him over her cup ofmilk. She knew milk and spaghetti were a strange combination, but she loved it.

“You wish. You know I am always up before you. I hear your alarm blaring in your room.Don’t pretend like you don’t ignore it.” Nathan jumped up to avoid her playful slap at hisarm.

Alina accepted defeat, and after putting the dishes in the sink, headed off to bed.Tonight, when she laid down and looked up at the ceiling, she was surprised to find thatit actually felt like home again. It didn’t feel strange or out of the ordinary anymore. Itfelt right. She was where she belonged. She closed her eyes and imagined her motherpreparing this room for her. According to her dad, her mom made the room into anursery while she was still pregnant.

Alina swallowed the guilt that stuck to her throat every time she thought of her mother.She was the reason that her mother wasn’t around, at least in medical terms. If shehadn’t been born, her mother would never have died.

Alina sighed. She needed to stop thinking and get to sleep. The next day was going to bea long one.

---*---

Alina looked across the small church at one of the pews toward the back. At first, shethought she was mistaken, but upon her second and third look, she realized that John,Christy, and their parents were occupants of the last row.

Alina was happy to see them there, but it was certainly a surprise. As the service came toa close, Alina stood and led the way across the hallway toward them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Devin, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Alina extended her hand politelyand shook their hands.

“The pleasure is ours. It was wonderful to see you here this morning. Your parentswould have been proud to see the two of you continuing on the tradition of attendance.”

“Thank you. Dad always loved this place.” Nathan’s voice sounded choked.

John stepped forward from behind his parents. “Nathan, it’s been a while.”

Nathan shook his hand. “It has. It’s nice to see you again. How have you been?”

“I’ve been all right.” John looked like he was grimacing, and Alina wanted to ask if hewas actually all right.

“Where are you guys headed after this?” Nathan asked.

“We were about to go down to the café for a little something to eat. Do you want to comewith us?” Christy had stepped forward now.

“That sounds great.” Alina liked the sound of getting something to eat, and of spendingsome time with John, Christy, and their parents.

“All right. It’s settled then. Let’s head out.” John’s dad took the lead, stepping out infront. Alina could see the difference in the man she had known from years back. It wasclear that both he and his wife were still grieving their loss heavily.

She hoped that an afternoon together would help cheer them up.

Chapter 16

John set aside T-shirts, leather notebooks, and old tennis shoes. Seeing his brother’sitems out again was sad and bothersome at the same time. He missed his brother, andthese items made it feel like he would walk through the door at any minute. He wishedthat it was possible. Then everything in his life could make sense again.

He pulled out a novel from the bottom of the box. It was a romance novel, not somethinghe expected Matt to be reading. In fact, Matt took every opportunity to make fun ofChristy and her love of romance literature.

John ran his finger across the cover. Maybe this book made it into Matt’s things onaccident. He flipped open the cover and leafed through a few pages. At first, the novelwas a typical book; then the typed pages turned to rough, handwritten ones. The otherpages had been pasted over the original book pages so that at a glance you would neverbe able to tell the difference. John’s heart picked up pace. This was the thing he’d beenwaiting for. This secret notebook might contain the news he dreaded or the news heneeded. He didn’t know what to expect, but it was time to find out the truth.

He flipped to the first written page. There was a date scrawled up at the top. It wasaround three weeks before the sting, the event that had killed his brother.

I think I’m onto something. Things aren’t adding up. Take a look at the following.

Below Matt’s handwriting was a list of files and file numbers. John turned to the nextentry, then the next. There was one after another. He recognized some of the case files asones he worked on. Toward the end of the strange journal was one last entry before thepages became blank.

Just in case I don’t get a chance to give this to the right people, I’ve put everything on afloppy disk. It’s in the old headquarters. Just ask my brother what that means.

John drew a shaky breath. His hair prickled at the back of his neck. His brother hadknown that he was in danger. He had known that he might not make it home, and yethe’d never involved John with his investigation. John wondered if it would have madeany difference or would have just gotten both him and Matt killed.

He stuffed the fake book back into the box and hurried out the back door. If anyone elseread the notebook, they wouldn’t know what Matt was talking about, but he knew verywell what the old headquarters was. It was the old playhouse where he and Matt used toplay and pretend that they were already policemen, in charge of their own headquarters.

John’s eyes misted at the thought. He wished it were that simple to go back to thosedays. The old playhouse was still standing. The wood his father used was hard white oakand had been painted. He ducked inside, almost hitting his head on the low roof. Eventhough it was old, it still felt very familiar, as if it was still a current thing to spend timethere. He scanned the empty area. The toys they used to play with as children were gone.The only thing left was the little bench that stretched along the back wall.

His breath caught as he rushed over to it. As he expected, on one side of the bench was alittle trap door. When he and Matt were children, they had kept their valuables there.They had called it their safe.

John couldn’t get his head around to see if there was anything in the old safe, so hereached his hand through the opening. There on the bottom was a small metal box. Hefished it out and dusted it off. The latch opened easily, revealing a floppy disk and anote. It had been at least two years since the package was placed in its spot, possiblymore, and yet, it looked so fresh, John could have believed it was left minutes ago.

To catch the bad guys

John read the scrawled handwriting with a breath of relief. Matt really was on the rightside of things, just like he had known all along.

---*---

John gripped the metal box under his arm. He was in the old police precinct, and he wasnot feeling very comfortable. There were things on the file Matt had preserved thatpeople in this precinct wouldn’t want others to know. Detective Andrew Sullivan. Johnhad gotten to know him in the academy, and then they had worked several casestogether. John would have gone as far as to think that Andrew was his friend. Yet, inDrew’s file, there was plenty of evidence that Andrew was with Baldwin. The two wereworking together, right under his nose. While Baldwin had been exposed and forced intohiding, Andrew had continued as a policeman and was surely feeding information to thecriminals on the outside of the precinct. No wonder the gang always seemed to knowwhen they were coming.

John took a deep breath as he passed a few desks, sending out polite nods to some of hisprevious coworkers. His only hope was the new police chief. John had taken the time tolook into him. He had also had Terrence do some digging, but they hadn’t foundanything out of the ordinary. John didn’t want to trust the evidence he had found withanyone, but he didn’t have a choice. He needed the law on his side. Terrence stepped outof an office in front of him.

“John! You’re back in town? I wasn’t expecting to see you here today.”

John nodded, giving a glance around. He’d mentioned that he found something, but hehadn’t told Terrence anything more. He didn’t know who might be listening to theirconversations. John motioned for Terrence to step off to the side with him.

“I found something big.” John kept his voice down.

“About the case?”

“Yeah, remember how you told me to look into Matt?”

“I do. Can’t say I thought you would.” Terrence looked puzzled, and John didn’t blame

him.

“I did, and I found some concrete evidence that is going to blow all of this wide open.”

“Really?”

“Really. Meet me in the chief’s office in about five minutes. Don’t tell anyone, and Imean anyone. There are more people in this precinct that you can’t trust than you wouldknow what to do with.”

Terrence’s eyes widened, but he didn’t protest. Instead, he stepped back into the halland walked away as if they had done nothing more than greet each other after John’slong absence.

John could see a clear path to the chief’s office. He was almost home free, and then thisevidence would be in the right hands. Just as he was about to arrive, Andrew steppedinto his path.

“John, it’s a pleasure to see you back. What are you doing here?” John’s smile was tight,and it didn’t come anywhere near to reaching his eyes.

“I- I’m just here to settle some old paperwork.” John hoped he was acting normalenough to fool Andrew. He wanted nothing more than to throw Andrew into a wall anddemand answers. Andrew had helped kill his brother. How did he dare stand in front ofhim now and act so friendly?

“What’s in the box?” Andrew asked.

John wanted to tell him that it was the incriminating evidence that would put himbehind bars forever. He pushed the urge down.

“Nothing much. Just a gift for the chief.”

“Ah, I see.” The menacing tone was obvious in Andrew’s voice. “Here, you should take alook at this before you give it to him.” Andrew shoved an envelope toward him.

“What is this?” John asked. Before he could press the question, Andrew was gone,hurrying down the hall.

John froze a second, thinking about dropping the mysterious envelope and continuingwith his goal. But what if it was something important? He stopped and tucked the box alittle higher under his arm, and opened the envelope carefully. He glanced around,relieved to find that no one was paying him much mind.

He pulled out a note. It was written on yellow-lined notebook paper in angryhandwriting that made dents in the surface.

Leave the evidence and the investigation behind, or those you care about will pay.Bring every shred of evidence you have to Green Bank gas station by dusk tomorrow,and your family will stay safe.

Chills ran up and down John’s spine. He hadn’t told anyone about the evidence. No oneknew what he was here to do. How could whoever put this envelope together know whathe was trying to do?

John reached back in the envelope. It felt a bit heavy like it was holding something else.As his hand came back with a handful of photos, he could hardly breathe. He flippedthrough them one by one, trying to keep his rage contained as he did so. There was aphoto of him and Alina stepping out of the movie theater. Another photo featured Alinaand Nathan at their ranch. A picture of Christy and Alina laughing on the curb in frontof Big Ed’s Diner, and even a picture of his parents, sitting on the porch swing in front oftheir house.

John felt like he was going to lose his breakfast. Alina was right. She had been beingfollowed, and he should have taken it more seriously. They had been close to her. Theywere so close they could get these good pictures. If they were that close, that meant thatBaldwin might have men near Alina or his family now. The idea made his blood runcold. His eyes went to the chief’s office. If he walked into that office with the evidence, hewould be signing the fate of everyone he cared about.

He remembered another time. The rainy evening two years ago when he put all thepuzzle pieces together. He had chosen to do the right thing then, no matter what the costand the cost had been too high for him to pay. John stuffed the envelope into his jacketpocket and turned, practically running from the precinct. He needed to get somewheresafe and evaluate his options because giving the chief the evidence right now wasn’t oneof them.

Chapter 17

John tapped the steering wheel anxiously. He had been on edge the entire time, his eyeshaving barely left the rear-view mirror since he’d pulled out of the police station. Therein his passenger seat, he had the answers that would get justice for his brother and placeBaldwin and most of his accomplices behind bars. The problem was, he couldn’t deliverit to the right people. He couldn’t put the people he cared about at risk like that. Heknew these sorts of people. They meant business. He had seen it too many times where afamily received a threat, didn’t take it seriously, and then paid the consequences inblood.

He had been driving four hours straight when he reached the fork between the road thatled to either his ranch or Nathan and Alina’s house. It took him only a second ofhesitation to decide. He needed to talk to a friend right now.

He couldn’t place exactly why he had pushed Nathan away so much, but now, right now,he needed a friend. When he pulled up to Nathan and Alina’s farm, he was relieved tosee Nathan’s beat-up black pickup. The old vehicle had style, even if it was technicallyout of style. Nathan hurried up the porch, the envelope that Andrew had given him, backin his jacket, burning a hole in the pocket.

The door opened, and Nathan stood there wearing a grey plaid shirt and a pair of wornjeans. He looked like he had either been sleeping on the couch or had just come in fromchores.

“John, what are you doing here? Alina isn’t home. She went out with Christy for awhile.”

“I’m not here for Alina.”

“You aren’t?” The concern on Nathan’s face made John respect him even more.

“No. I’m actually here to talk to you. Do you have a moment?”

“Oh, sure. Alright. Come in.” John held the door wide. John had only been to Nathan’shome once since he found out about Matt. Since then, it had changed drastically. Somelittle touches and details showed how Alina took pride in her work and her home.

John sank into the faded blue couch in the living room.

“I never did tell you exactly how I lost my brother, did I?” John asked. He had no ideahow else to start the conversation. Nothing he was about to say was easy.

“No, you didn’t. If you don’t want to, I understand.”

“No, I should tell you. We were working on a case to bring in a crime ring. We were alsosetting up a sting. I found some evidence of someone working on the inside, so I took itto my police chief, and he said that I should let it go, that it wasn’t something I shouldget involved in.”

“What? That’s terrible.” Nathan leaned forward in the brown recliner he was sitting in.

“Yeah, anyway, I didn’t want to let it go. I took it to his superiors, and then we went intothe sting. Baldwin was one of the bad guys. I didn’t realize it until we were standingthere, and things weren’t like they were supposed to be. The feds stepped in at the rightmoment, but Matt was shot in the fray. He died almost instantly. He got to say …goodbye.” John took a shaky breath. “Ever since that day, I have regretted the choices Imade. I should never have turned in that file. I should have told Matt what was going on,then he would have told me that he had also come to the same conclusion, but he wasplaying the long game. Regardless, I know that I could have made a better decision.”

“I’m so sorry, John. You should never have had to make that decision in the first place.The chief of police, he failed you. What I don’t understand is, why are you telling me thisnow?”

“Because of this …” John pulled out the crumpled envelope and tossed it to Nathan. “Ifound more evidence against all of them. Matt had been doing his own investigation,and he left the evidence for me to find in case something happened. It is enough to findBaldwin’s accomplice. He could give us information about Baldwin and where he hasbeen hiding all of these years. I think this is what they need to crack the case wide open.”John let his words sound good for a few seconds.

“Then why haven’t you turned this in yet?” Nathan’s eyebrows bunched together.

“Because I went to do that and then Andrew, a dirty policeman, handed me thatenvelope.

John watched as Nathan opened the envelope and pulled out its contents. Nathan’s facepaled as he looked at the pictures and notes.

“How did they get these pictures of Alina?”

“They must have been following her, and me, and you and my family. I don’t wantanyone else to get hurt, but if I give them this evidence, that means they get off free forwhat they did to Matt.

“This is dangerous, John. If you give this evidence to the police, they might hurt Alina.”

“I know. That is why I came to you for help. If we are going to beat them, we need tocome up with a solid plan where no one gets hurt but them. I couldn’t forgive myself if Iput Alina at risk.”

“All right, then, what is your plan?” Nathan’s eyes were kind, supportive, and everythingthat John remembered. It felt good to have his friend back. When he returned fromtown after Matt’s death, he thought he would never want friends again. Right now, herealized that his previous thinking was a mistake.

“I don’t have a plan yet, but the first thing we have to do is tell my family the truth andget them on board. Can you come?”

“Of course.” Nathan stood and pulled on a coat. “Let’s go get some justice.”

Chapter 18

Alina knew something was wrong when she saw a somber John and Nathan walkingthrough the front door. By the time that everyone was sitting down and waiting for themto deliver whatever they had to say, her nerves were through the roof.

Alina stood up and started pacing. She couldn’t take the anxiety anymore.

Alina stopped and leaned up against the fireplace as he began to talk about his brother,his time on the police force, and everything that went wrong the night he lost Matt.Alina’s heart broke for him as she heard the heartbreak and guilt that he had to sufferthrough every single day since the accident. Everything about the way that Johnhesitated to enjoy life or get close to people suddenly made sense.

When he finished with his story, she had tears in her eyes. John’s mother was crying.Christy had her hand on John’s shoulder in a comforting manner, and his father had hisface in his hands.

“What should we do now?” Alina asked. She picked up a few photos from the coffeetable, looking so oblivious in those pictures. Even seeing them and remembering thosemoments, she couldn’t remember anyone being close enough to take them.

“We need to come up with a plan. I know that even though I regret doing the right thingback then, it is the only thing to do. We can’t let these criminals get away. But I also can’tlose any of you. If you get hurt because of me …” John didn’t need to say the rest. Shecould see the words he was trying to say in his eyes.

“If I go to make the drop, I think that Andrew will probably be there,” John said. And heknows that I know the truth. I may not come back alive.

“What if Nathan and I go to the chief of police and turn in the real evidence while youturn in a decoy. You can put enough of the files that aren’t super important on a newdisk, and then you go to the drop-off. You try to stall, and Nathan and I can get youback-up,” John’s father spoke up.

“What about Alina, Christy, and Mom? I don’t know how many guys we are dealing withhere. What if they have someone trailing everyone, and when they find out it’s a fake,they follow through on their threats?” John didn’t want to kill excitement for the plan,but he had to be realistic.

“We could go up to Aunt Nina’s place. She practically lives in a fortress.” Christysounded like she was planning a vacation. She wasn’t wrong about Aunt Nina, though.The old woman lost her husband nearly six years ago and had quickly become paranoid.It led her to fixing her house with every lock known to man.

“That could work. You could leave tonight after dark. Make sure that you put enoughturns and crazy things between you and the car behind you.” John smiled, and it lookedclose to genuine. “Nathan, if you and my dad go for the police chief, you have to try and

do it in a way where you aren’t seen by others.”

“Why is that?” John’s dad looked confused.

“Because I don’t know who all is in on this in the police force. Whoever the bad peopleare, they know who all of you are. If they start thinking something is suspicious, they aregoing to shut it down and make it twenty times harder to pull off.”

“Okay, sneak into the precinct … got it.” John’s dad smiled.

“Are you all sure you want to do this? If anyone is afraid of going through with this plan,I will back out and give in to their demands.”

Alina looked at each person’s face. They were all looking at John with love andadoration.

“I’m ready to do this,” Alina said strongly.

“Me too,” Christy said.

“We have your back.” John’s mom stood and wiped more tears from her eyes. “Justpromise me you will be extra careful. You have no idea of what people like this will do inorder to get their way.”

“I’ll be careful, Mom.” John reached out and squeezed his mother’s hand. Alina waiteduntil everyone else had left, leaving her and John alone. She approached him cautiously.In the past few days, they hadn’t had much chance to talk with one another or discusstheir budding relationship. Now that everything was happening so quickly, she wasstarting to be scared that she would never have a chance to tell John how she felt abouthim.

“Are you alright?” John asked, turning to her. They were still in the living room.

“Yes, I’m just worried about you. I want you back in one piece.”

“Don’t be worried about me. As long as you and my sister and mom do your part, thingson my part are going to go very smoothly.”

“How do you know?” Alina asked. She didn’t want to doubt, but she knew bad thingshappened sometimes.

“I just know. I know that things have been busy, but I just want to thank you for doingthis. Thank you for putting yourself at risk, so I can catch these men, and thank you foreverything you’ve done for me.” John looked down at the ground, refusing to meet hereyes for a moment.

“John, you have done just as much for me, if not more. We are going to get through thistogether, and when everything is said and done, those men are going to be behind barsfor the rest of their lives, sooner than you think.”

“Thank you. You should go back to your house and get whatever you want to take to my

aunt’s house. Then you should stay with my mom. Just in case this all takes longer thanexpected, you should be prepared. And keep your eyes open. They have been followingand watching all of us.”

“I’ll just borrow some of Christy’s things. I don’t want to hold anything up.”

“Okay. I need to copy some of that disk, so I have to go. I’ll see you soon, Alina.” Johngave her hand a quick squeeze before hurrying off, leaving through the front door and inNathan’s jeep a few minutes later with her brother.

Alina felt suddenly vulnerable after he left. She no longer felt safe and protected. Thetruth was, she was terrified of what could happen. She wasn’t sure if the trip up toChristy’s aunt’s house was going to be as safe as everyone thought, but she wasn’t goingto back out of the plan now. She was not going to be the one who caused John to goagainst his conscience. They were going to put these men where they belonged, in jail.

Chapter 19

John paced the room nervously.

“John, this is going to work. Stop thinking that it won’t,” his father said. The day before,when they had all been planning how today would go and what they would do tooutsmart the criminals, everything seemed so plausible and easy. Now that it wasactually time to put their plan of action into place, he was starting to see the holes in it.What if things didn’t work out the way they’d wanted?

They had rented a motel room to meet up before he had the meet at The Chevron gasstation.

“I’m trying not to worry or to think, but it is not working. If anything goes wrong, I wantyou and Nathan to forget about the plan and just get to safety.”

“That is not going to happen. We have your back out there.” Nathan pushed off the wall where he was leaning. “No one is going to see us but the police chief, and no one is going to be suspicious. Look, I’ve got dark glasses for both of us and baseball caps. We will try to stay out of sight. Hey, I’m also going to drive the old Ford that sits in the shed. No one will expect us to be driving in that old jalopy. You just stick to your side of the plan, and we will come through on ours.” Nathan’s words were confident, and his posture and tone of voice actually made John believe that his friend was right. They were workingtogether on this; he wasn’t alone.

“Okay then, it will be dusk in the next hour. We should get going. Remember, we willpresent the evidence just before dusk. That should give the police enough time to get tothe meetup point. You just have to keep them occupied for a short time.” John’s fatherwas standing in front of him. He’d planted his hand on John’s shoulder.

“I’m really proud of you, son. No matter the outcome of this evening, I know that Iraised two fine boys who always did the right thing. You are the best that a father couldask for.”

“Thanks, Dad,” John managed to say around the lump in his throat. “You are a goodfather too. I guess I will see you guys back here in a couple of hours.”

“You’ll see us at the meetup point. We are coming with the police.” John’s fatherchuckled. “You know, when you and your brother went into the police force together, Iwas always a little jealous that it wasn’t something I could do with the two of you. I guessI am going to get a taste of how things were back then.”

“I guess so, Dad. For what it is worth, I think you would make a great policeman.” Johnpaused at the door, taking a final look at his father and Nathan’s faces. He didn’t know ifit would be the last time that he saw them. He certainly hoped not.

“Be safe, John,” Nathan said just as John closed the door behind him.

It was time to put these criminals behind bars so he and his entire family could be safe.

The drive to the gas station took a lot longer than it should have. John made sure to goaround the block several times to check if he was being followed. When he was sure thathe was alone, he continued to the meeting point.

Dusk was just starting to fall. Now was his moment. He could only hope that Nathan andhis father had already turned in the evidence and were convincing the chief of police tobring back-up right this minute. He parked across the street from the gas station,keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity.

A sleek black car pulled into the back of the gas station. The gas station used to be aroaring place, full of life and activity. Now, anyone looking at it would think it wasn’teven open anymore. The store inside the place was empty, two of the gas pumps werebroken, and the one running only worked half the time. John knew why the men hadchosen the place. It was the perfect place to have a quiet meeting without anyinterference.

John stepped out of his truck and pulled the yellow envelope out of the passenger’s seat.He opened it and checked one more time to make sure he had the fake disk and not thereal one. Mixing the two up at this point in the game would be fatal.

John walked across the street like he belonged there. He couldn’t show any fear. Thatwas something he had learned as a policeman. Criminals could smell fear. They wouldnot let you get away with showing weakness. He walked around the back of the gasstation and waited, eyeing the black car. He knew that the people he was supposed tomeet were in that car. He could only hope that both Baldwin and Andrew were there, butthe more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed. Maybe one of them had come, butchances were not both.

Three of the four doors on the black car opened, and three men stepped out. Johnrecognized Baldwin first. He had aged since the last time they’d spoken. Looking at him,John was hit by a streak of anger. How dare this man stand there and be alive and freewhile his brother was buried because of them.

The good memories and trust they had shared when John thought he was the policechief and on the right side were erased. All he saw now was a criminal.

John didn’t recognize either of the other two men. Since Andrew was nowhere to befound, that probably meant he was back at the police station. Dread filled John. Maybethey had been found out before any of this began.

“I hear you have some evidence for me, deputy?” Baldwin sneered as he walked up toJohn.

“I do have some evidence, Baldwin.”

“So much disrespect. You could at least act happy to see me.” Baldwin grinned.

“Drop the act, Baldwin. We both know that if you hadn’t threatened my family for asecond time, I wouldn’t be here.”

Baldwin chuckled, any sort of friendliness slipping from his face.

“That might be the case, but it is still nice to see you, John. It’s good to know that youare still alive, unlike your brother. It’s also good to see you still have the intelligence toknow when you are beat.”

John clenched a fist. How dare Baldwin mention his brother.

“It is interesting to see that you have so much anger toward me. I did give you theopportunity to save him. I told you to ask for a transfer and not to show up to the sting. Itold you to look the other way. But you just couldn’t resist being the hero. Then therewas also the fact that your brother was getting much too nosy. We had to put a stop toit.” Baldwin threw his head back and laughed. “I guess I made the right call. You andyour brother never were really smart. It wasn’t that hard to see which side Andrew wasreally on.”

John seethed but held his words back.

“I’m here to give you what you asked for, and here it is. I want this over with, and then Inever want to lay eyes on you again.”

Baldwin made a motion to one of the men at his side.

“Take it and check it.”

The man stepped forward and jerked the envelope out of John’s hands.

“You know, even though you do seem to have changed, I don’t quite trust you. I’m goingto give you one chance. If you have anything you want to tell me about double-crossingme, or any other plans you might have, now is the time to say it. If I have to find outlater, it is not going to turn out good for you or your family, John.” Baldwin’s voice waslow and calm but terrifying.

John remembered when Baldwin used the voice in the office back when he was policechief. Everyone use to be afraid of that tone. They knew that Baldwin meant businesswhen he used it. It was even more terrifying now. For a split second, John thought aboutgiving up the plan. He could tell them right now about the plan they had. If his fatherand Nathan were compromised, telling Baldwin might give them all a chance to at leastget out alive.

“There is nothing to tell. I learned my lesson the first time.” John displayed no emotionin his reply. He had to stick to the plan. It would all work out. His father and Nathanwould be there any minute.

Chapter 20

John was relieved when Baldwin’s man came back with the disk and an approving nod.He had spent a long time making sure the included files looked legitimate.

Baldwin offered John his hand to shake, but John made no move to do it.

“I’m surprised you came through, John. I guess you have more potential than I thought.It’s been nice doing business with you. And remember, for the future, if you ever get theurge to tell anyone, don’t. We know where you and your family live.”

John didn’t have time to respond to Baldwin’s retort. Angry voices filled the air, thengunshots. Black uniforms flooded the gas station. Bright lights and heavy boots.

“What is going on?” Baldwin shouted. The two men he had brought with him jumpedforward to shield him, shooting their weapons at the ever-coming weapon fire.

John turned and took off running without a pause. He didn’t have his gun on him, andeven if he did, he couldn’t see properly to shoot it. Dusk was past, and darkness wasfalling. He managed to plaster himself against the gas station building and make itaround to the front. His blood drained from his face as he took in the view in front ofhim.

His father was lying on the ground, clutching his leg, blood seeping through his pantsleg. Nathan was beside him, trying to put pressure on the wound.

“John! Thank God you’re all right. We didn’t expect there to be more men. They startedfiring and caught a few of us before we could respond.” Nathan pointed to two otherpolice officers nearby who were also slumped over or injured and had others helpingthem.

John didn’t pay them a thought. Instead, all his attention was focused on his father.

“Dad? Dad! What happened?” John skidded to a halt at his father’s side and fell to hisknees. He gripped his father’s hand. His own hand trembling.

“I’m fine, John. I know the look on your face. This isn’t your fault. Don’t you dare thinkthat for a single second. Nathan and I agreed to be a part of this, and we knew therewould be dangers.” John looked up at Nathan, who nodded somberly.

“Here, keep an eye on him. I need to check on the others and see if they need morehelp.”

John nodded numbly as Nathan hurried off. His father was shot. Was he going to watchanother man he cared about die right in front of him?

“John, look at me. It is just a flesh wound. I can feel it. I am not going to die. I am goingto go home, and I am going to get better and manage to trick your mother into notmaking me take out the trash for a couple of weeks.” His dad laughed, all the while

grimacing in pain.

“I know, Dad. It’s just … seeing you here like this … I see Matt. It was just like this, Dad.We didn’t think anything would go wrong, and then everything did, and I lost him. Ican’t lose you or anyone else. I would never survive it.”

His dad squeezed his hand so tight that his knuckles turned white. “You’re not losing metoday, son. You’re not losing me today.”

John looked over to see a group of policemen leading Baldwin and the two men sent tomake the trade to their police car.

“We caught them.”

His dad smiled. “Yes, we did. I want you to know, son. I don’t hold you responsible foryour brother’s death. You don’t have to hold yourself responsible any longer.”

John nodded. He was starting to see that it was time to let go of the guilt that hadweighed him down for years.

---*---

“Are you sure you’re doing okay back there, Dad?” John asked. They were on their wayto his aunt’s house to get his mom, Christy, and Alina. It was sort of surreal to think thateverything was really over with. Baldwin and Andrew, as well as eight other members oftheir crew had been put in jail. There were still a few loose ends, but the new police chiefwas pretty confident that they would all be where they belonged soon enough. John wastempted to pay Baldwin a visit in his cell but decided that it wasn’t necessary.

After signing a lot of paperwork and a debriefing with both Terrence and the policechief, he had met his father and Nathan at the hospital, where his father received abandage for his leg. It was indeed just a flesh wound, and the doctor reassured him thatwith some proper love and care, his father would be back to normal in no time.

His dad had been smiling ever since he heard that taking out the trash was not approvedactivity for the first two weeks.

“I am doing just fine back here, John. It isn’t like you to be hovering this much. Youshould go back to avoiding me.”

John chuckled. He knew his father was just joking. His aunt’s house loomed into sight.It really was a fortress and seeing it up close made him feel a lot better about the dangerthey had all just gone through.

The gate was unlocked, apparently due to his father calling in ahead that they would bearriving. John couldn’t wait to see his mother and Christy, but he was mostly lookingforward to seeing Alina. In his ordeal today, seeing his father on the ground and Baldwinhauled off to jail, he had realized how much he love and needed Alina. He didn’t carethat they had only been with each other for a short time. He was ready to strengthen

their commitment.

“Here we are. Let’s go make sure they’re all right,” Nathan said, opening the door.

John hopped out and helped Nathan get his father down from the back and into awheelchair. They were safe. They had done the impossible together. He looked up at thestar-filled sky and breathed a prayer of thanks. They had some help from above, he wascertain.

Chapter 21

Alina looked over to where Christy was talking excitedly with her parents. It seemedmore details were coming out about the terrible ordeal the men had gone throughearlier. Exhaustion tugged at Alina’s eyelids. Even though Christy and her mom said sheshould rest, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had been worried about John fromthe moment he stepped foot out of the house to the moment he came to Christy’s aunt’shome.

“Alina, can I talk to you a second?” John’s deep voice behind her pulled her from herthoughts.

“Of course. Do you want to go outside? It’s actually getting a little hot in here.”

John chuckled. “That sounds nice.” They walked across the living room and through thepatio doors until they were standing on the open porch. There was a soft breeze thatsounded like someone whispering. An owl hooted in the distance, and a rustle in thebushes made Alina shiver.

“I’m so proud of you. Everything you did … I am just so happy that you were finally ableto make those men pay for what they did to your brother.”

“Me too. You have no idea how it feels to finally be free. I feel like I can stop worrying somuch. I can let the past stay there and just worry about now and the future.

“I’m glad. I am sorry I couldn’t do more to help.”

John shook his head. “You did everything you needed to by staying here and being safe.”John was staring at her. His eyes were deep, full of emotion. “Alina, I have to ask yousomething.”

Alina’s heart fluttered against her ribcage. She couldn’t imagine what it was that Johnwanted to know.

“What is it?”

“We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, and we haven’t really had the chance totalk about all the important stuff, but while I was out there today, I realized something.”

“And what’s that?”

“I realized that I miss you when I’m not around you. My world is darker without you init. And I don’t ever want to wonder if you are safe or not.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Alina felt so touched, so cared for at that moment; itencompassed everything she ever thought she knew about love.

“Alina, even though you barely know me, and we have a long way to go, will you marryme? It doesn’t have to be right away, or it can be in the next two days if you want. But Ireally need to know, will you marry me?”

“I–” Alina took in a quick breath. She had asked Lewis to propose. She had begged toknow when he would make their relationship serious. Here John was proposing to herbarely a month after they had met. She knew that most people would consider itludicrous for her to accept. After all, she barely knew him. But she knew that she had tosay yes. She had already accepted him in her heart. She might not know every singledetail about John or every single one of his hopes or dreams, but she did know who hewas.

“You’re making me nervous.” John chuckled, and his cheeks were a light shade of pink.

“I – yes. I will marry you.”

“Wait, do you really mean that?”

“I do mean it. I don’t know you very well either, but I know you well enough to knowthat I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

John reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. He picked her straight up offthe ground and spun her in a circle. He set her feet back on the porch gently, thenpressed his lips to hers, taking her breath away. He pulled back, his eyes warm embers,full of love.

“Alina, you’ve just made me the happiest man in Idaho.”

Alina shook her head and looked down shyly. If they compared happiness, she wasn’tsure who would win.

---*---

After talking for almost an hour on the porch about every topic under the sun, John andAlina decided it would be best to go back inside.

“Do you mind if I tell everyone? I know that I haven’t gotten you a ring yet, which I will,but my parents are going to be able to tell something is different about us,” John said ina low voice as they walked in.

Alina nodded. “No, I don’t mind.” She didn’t know how the news would go over, butJohn was right. Neither of them would be able to hide their excitement.

She hadn’t even noticed that he hadn’t given her a ring. His words were enough. If hesaid that he was going to marry her, Alina believed him. When they stepped into theliving room, everyone turned to look at them.

“There the two of you are. We were starting to wonder where you went,” John’s mothersaid.

“Actually, we’ve been talking on the porch, and we have a little announcement to make.”John cleared his throat.

Nathan leaned forward a bit in anticipation, and Christy clapped her hands andsquealed. “Exciting!”

Alina could already feel herself blushing.

“We are getting married!” After John’s words, the room erupted with emotion. John’sparents congratulated them, Christy hugged Alina, and John apologized to Nathan fornot giving him a heads up.

When everything calmed down a bit, Alina cleared her throat.

“I just wanted to say that even though it might seem fast to some of you, John and I, wereally care about each other. We haven’t set a date yet, but it will be sooner rather thanlater.”

Nathan grinned at her. He walked up and gave her a half hug.

“I’m really happy for you, sis. If this is what makes you happy, then I am happy for you.I’m going to miss having your help on the farm, though.”

“Actually, I was meaning to talk to you about that,” John spoke up, drawing both of theirattention.

“About what?” Nathan asked.

“The farms. I was thinking about maybe us discussing a partnership. With twice theland, twice the resources, and triple or quadruple the skill, maybe we could help eachother out. We could get more cows, and working together, I think we could make it gobig.”

Everyone sounded shocked for a second by John’s proposal.

“You really mean it? You would do that?” Nathan seemed like he couldn’t quite believeit.

“I would do that. You are going to be my brother-in-law, and a man always helps hisbrother.”

“I’m starting to like your fiancé.” Nathan pulled Alina against him for a second hug. “Ithink he could actually fit into our family.”

Alina giggled. She knew that John would fit into their family. He would fit into herheart. He was the perfect man she hadn’t believed existed. She loved him, his flaws andall, because no matter what, he had always loved her and been there for her in the waysthat counted. She had a feeling that the adventure they would have together was going tobe something great.

••• THE END •••