I’d imagined the venue to be an old hall or a church basement, but never in my life did I expect it to be a beautiful barn on the Mayor’s property, with a live band, decorations galore, and a feast set for the entire town. Judging from the crowd, all two hundred and fifty residents, including the kids, were here, so it was appropriate to see five pigs roasting over a fire pit at the front, stacks of pots boiling over with corn cobs, and wine and beer spilling from wooden barrels.

Inside the barn, bales of hay had been stacked in the corners, and a band was tuning their equipment up on a makeshift stage. White lights were strung from post to post, around each beam and joist and column, sparkling as if it were some kind of holiday. On each side of the barn, the doors were fully open, letting in the fresh country air. Bouquets of flowers had been propped on each table and tucked in every nook one could find. The smell of freshly baked goods, roasted lamb, corn and over-foamed beer wafted everywhere. And everyone was talking, eating, and cheering. I saw an older grandfather showing off dance moves he’d practiced with his cane while an older lady clapped along with a song from the eighties playing from a stereo. I squeezed Eric’s hand the moment I walked into the hall, in awe of the amount of work it must have taken to prepare everything. I absolutely adored the festive feeling of approaching summer.

“This is beautiful.”

“It’s not New York, but we make do with what we have.”

“Are you kidding? I think New York needs a bit more country. Eric, I have a feeling this will be a really fun night.”

He leaned in to whisper, “I promise you it will end with me inside you and you screaming my name.”

“Well, then let’s go home now.” I pulled on his hand.

“OK,” he shot back, pretending to agree.

“I’m kidding. Oh, look, your parents came!” I pointed toward one of the tables.

“You must have worked some magic on them, Emma. This is the first time they’ve been to a summer fest since the kidnapping.”

Wow! I hoped this was only the first step forward with the plan I had to heal the family. Since the moment I met the Waters’ I wanted nothing more than for them to experience the kind of joy I’d always had when spending time in New Jersey. I needed to restore their hope and faith, and I wouldn’t back down until I had.

“Let’s say hello.” I waved toward their table.

“How about you say hello, and I’ll get you some food and drink and meet you at their table.”

“Sounds good.” I stood up on my toes and kissed him on his full lips. He opened his mouth wider, which only made me want to dive deeper. Once his hands were around my hips, pulling me into his body, I couldn’t help but forget we’d barely passed the barn’s threshold and were being gawked at by more than one girl. I finally pulled away, saying, “I better let you get that food, otherwise I feel like my eyeballs will soon be scratched out by half the ladies here.”

“You’re the only lady I care about, Emma. And I’m sure you could hold your ground against any of the women here. Plus, they’ve got nothing on you.”

He smacked his lips to mine once more and gently squeezed my behind before heading for the tables of food. As I made my way toward his parents’ table, I noticed Missy behind the dessert counter helping Mrs. Gladden plate pieces of pie and lay them in a nice line. Wanting to say hello, I changed my direction.

“Hi, Missy. Hello, Mrs. Gladden.”

“Hi, Emma. I’m glad you came.” Missy’s mood appeared to lift the moment she saw me.

“Emma, I’m so happy you’re here.” I went around the counter to embrace my confidant.

“Thank you both for inviting me. Are you going to be serving pie the entire night?” I asked.

“Hopefully not.” I saw Missy looking at one man in particular, who was standing beside Eric and Derek. The resemblance between Derek and him was undeniable, and I remembered Blake being mentioned before.

“I see you prefer younger men, Missy.” I reached my hand up for a high five, but she shied away. “You should ask him to dance.”

Missy giggled. “Oh, girls here don’t ask boys. It’s the other way around.”

“Maybe you should start a new trend, then.”

She lowered her head in embarrassment, saying, “I don’t know if I’d ever have the nerve to do that.”

“Think about it. Trust me, men like a woman who’s a little forward and goes for what she wants. Besides, I need you to teach me that square dance of yours, so I hope you don’t mind if I ask you to dance.”

She chuckled. “All right. Apple pie?”

“Sure.” I grabbed two plates and was once again on my way to Eric’s parents’ table. From the corner of my eye I saw Claire watching Eric fill our plates.

“Hi,” I greeted the Waters. “I’m so glad you came. It’d be weird just knowing Eric here.”

“It looks like you already know Missy quite well. And we heard you helped the Sheriff out with his computer.”

“Missy was the one who told me about the fest. And Sheriff Lowes needs to get a new laptop to get his work done. It really wasn’t a big deal.” I waved my hand sitting down at the table.

Mrs. Waters continued staring at Missy. “Poor child. She really does need more friends.”

“Why do you say that?” I started digging into pie that reminded me of our first date in New York.

They gave each other a knowing look, as if contemplating whether to say anything.

“She came to our town as an orphan. Father Perry found her wandering by a forest on the outskirts of town, and the church took her in. They eventually donated the spare home they had for all the work she’s done, but she’s always seemed so lonely and sad. I’m so happy to see her coming to her own. It’s been too long since I’ve seen a smile on her face. Look at those eyes, aren’t they beautiful?”

Missy’s face had felt familiar and welcoming since the day I met her. And yes, it was those eyes that had drawn me the first day I saw her at the general store.

With a side glance, I saw Eric talking to Derek and his brother again. And that’s when Claire made her first move of the night, strolling toward him, grasping him around his waist from the back, and turning him toward her. She stood up high on her toes and pressed her lips to his. My stomach turned. Everything inside me twisted into tight knots. Eric finally set the plates to the side, grasped her wrists and pulled away with force. Thankfully he was not happy about her little surprise, and neither was I. I made a mental note to have a chat with the bitch once I got a chance.

“She’s just trying to make trouble, dear. Don’t pay any attention to her,” Joanna said.

“You mean I’m not the only one she rubs the wrong way?” I chuckled, a hint of nerves trailing on my voice. There was no way I’d let her get away with kissing my man.

“You’ve got good instincts, Emma. I never understood why Eric dated her at all. They had nothing in common.”

But neither did Eric and I. After all, I came from the big city, and he was born and raised in a small town. Could we really make this work? There was just too much standing in our way. The distance, and our way of life was too different. I’d made a decision to conquer the first on my own, try to work from Ogden for a while and see how we could manage, but could I really stand living so far away from my family?

Eric once again had our plates of food in his hands, carrying them from the other side of the room.

“Hi Mom, Dad,” he said to his parents, setting the food aside before kissing his mom on her cheek and shaking his dad’s hand.

“May I have this dance?”

“You haven’t eaten…”

“A lady never says no to a dance,” his mom whispered in my ear, nudging me lightly.

“Please?” The need spilled from his lips, tightening my belly. “We can eat later.”

“But I’ve never danced country.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll lead.”

He pulled me into his arms, and the two of us began dancing in the middle of the dance floor. Only two more couples joined us, swaying to the motion of dinner music, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone.

“Did you wash your mouth?” I asked.

“I wanted to drink bleach after that. I’m sorry, Emma. I didn’t know she would stoop so low.”

I could feel my body sink into Eric’s. His shoulders finally relaxed as he kissed the top of my head. “I don’t want you to feel what I know I would, because I’d kill if another man with such intentions got within a few feet of you.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

He brought me closer to his body, wrapping me completely in his arms, soothing any worry that may had crossed my mind. “Emma, I’m sure that wasn’t the last time she tries to pull something tonight.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s in the right place in my town.” I smiled. “After all, I’m expecting to be a permanent resident here soon.”

It still seemed impossible when I thought about it. Since the moment I got here, I felt like I was living out a dream – far away from New York, letting go of the stress and the fast pace of life. Eric tightened his grip around me, and I leaned my head against his chest. As we danced, a face I recognized flashed at the side entrance. I froze as Eric continued the rotation and turned back to see him again, but he was gone.

“What’s wrong?” Eric asked.

“Nothing. I think my mind is playing tricks on me.” But my instinct argued right away, and when we took another turn, I saw that same man again, at the same side doors of the barn, looking right at me, as if taunting me to follow him. Was it possible that it was him?

“There’s something I need to do.”

“What is it Emma? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

I might have. “Nothing… I just need some fresh air.”

“All right, let’s go.” He took my arm, hooking it onto his. I didn’t want Eric worried just yet. I could have made a mistake, and even if it was in fact John Huntz, there were too many people around for him to try anything.

“Actually, can you get me a bottle of water?”

“Yes, of course.”

I strolled to the side door, as wary of Huntz as if he were Ted Bundy. Cautiously, I scanned the entrance, but he was nowhere to be seen. I strolled a few yards with my back against the barn door. With clouds covering the usually bright sky, the night was the darkest one I’d seen in Ogden. I could barely make out a parked tractor a few feet away. As I was about to head back, my arm struck something solid protruding the wall. A hunting knife was stuck through a note. I pulled it out, reading, “Stop looking for me.”

A crackling of broken twigs sounded from the bushes. I swiveled on my foot before picking up the knife and tiptoed toward the sound. Huntz wouldn’t be hiding behind some green shrubs, and the quiet sobs I now heard made me pick up my pace.

Once I saw Missy sitting on a lone bench, I slid the knife into a side pocket inside my boot. Her eyes glistened as she sat with her knees curled underneath her, looking out at the forest. The beautiful doe eyes held fear I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“You saw him too, didn’t you?” I asked her. Missy shook her head sideways. “I can see it in your eyes, Missy.” I sat beside her. “Do you know John Huntz? Have you seen him here before?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

I took her hands into mine and held them there for a moment. “You’re safe with me, Missy. Do you understand that?”

She nodded.

“There was a girl who helped Eric and Annabelle escape when they were kidnapped. Was that you? Do you remember that time?” I lowered my voice even more. “Are you John Huntz’s daughter?”

“Yes.” Her voice shook and entire body trembled.

The click of a gun sounded from behind, and I turned around. Huntz stood a good ten feet back, pointing it my way. He breathed heavily through his nostrils without saying a word, and then his phone rang. He removed it from his side pocket and checked the screen. His gaze flew from the display to us and didn’t give me even a second to make a move.

“You’re lucky I’m needed elsewhere. But I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see each other,” he said before walking backward toward the forest.

Missy broke into a sob.

“He’s gone, Missy. Come on. Let’s get you out of here.” I helped her up, looking for Eric, and had the unfortunate pleasure of running into the one person that made me cringe.

Claire blocked our way, saying, “This place brings back so many memories.” She sighed. “You know, boys in this town take girls in the barn to make a statement. This is where Eric and I… Well, I usually don’t kiss and tell, but you know what I mean.”

Yeah, I knew exactly what she meant, and it was definitely to gloat that I was standing in the spot where Eric had been with this woman. Not that I really cared about it at this moment.

“Get out of my way, Claire.” I pushed past her, holding onto Missy who was still shaking in my arms.

“You know, he’ll come back to me. He’ll spit you out like old gum and come to what he knows best.”

I turned around and stood right up to her nose, leaning in closer, throwing icicles through my eyes. Hopefully she’d get a hint to back off.

“You may have had him as a boy, but he’s a man now. You couldn’t handle what he has to offer, and if you fucking try to stand in my way, I swear I’ll break those claws of yours and make sure you can’t hook another man.”

“Watch me.”

I grabbed her wrist before she sauntered over toward Eric. “Over my dead body, Claire.”

“I need to tell Eric I’ll return his shirt to him this week, after I wash it.”

Why would she have his shirt?

She squared her shoulders, gloating, “I had to leave mine at his house yesterday, after he got me all wet.”

I knew that she’d visited – Eric had told me – but he’d skipped the ‘wet’ part. And even if my gut told me it was a misunderstanding, Claire had definitely planted a seed of doubt in my mind. She was trying to get to me, and it was beginning to work.

“You haven’t been in a barn with him yet, have you?” she asked.

There was no way I would spill our private life to her. She didn’t deserve it. I could have easily slashed her hopes by telling her that I had been in Eric’s barn, but that wasn’t the point. And I highly doubted it would have stopped her from whatever plan she had brewing.

“That’s none of your business, but I can tell you that I’m not sure what the big deal is.”

“You know, when Hunter comes back to town, I hope he takes you back to the hole you came from.”

I froze. How the hell did she know Hunter? She must have sensed my confusion.

“Yeah, he’s a good friend of Eric’s. And you thought you knew him well.” She swayed her hips and left me standing, completely speechless as pieces of a disturbing puzzle began clicking in my mind.

Eric coming all the way to New York to hire a private investigator, his chummy demeanor with my family, guilt when I’d mentioned my brothers and tried to get more information about his friends at the camp... Had I been set up?

Missy tugged at my arm, saying, “Don’t let her get to you.” And she was right. I had a much bigger problem at hand now. When Eric saw me with Missy heading for him, he rushed toward us.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Get your parents home. Now.”

His brows narrowed.

“He’s here,” I answered his unspoken question.