“Damn it.” Crystal slammed her head back against the seat of the car as traffic ground to a complete halt. Her plane had been late, and now they were in the height of rush hour. After snaking their way through Portland, they were now heading west, creeping along from one suburban town to the next. Finally, they’d broken into vineyards and farmland, but now they were stopped again.

“Sorry,” the driver said, flicking a glance toward the backseat from behind the wheel. “This is usually bad on Fridays, but the rain is making it even worse.”

Stupid small towns and stupid rain. She wanted to get to the exhibit reception. She wanted to congratulate Kelsey and celebrate with her friends.

She wanted to see Jamie.

Anticipation spun through her, made more frustrating by the fact that she was stuck in this mess. Her phone vibrated in her lap. She looked down and saw Kim’s number.

Picking it up, she slid her thumb across the screen. “Hey, Kim.”

“Crystal! Are you sitting down?”

“Yes, actually. I’ve been in a car for going on two and a half hours.”

“Oh, that sucks. But I’m about to improve your mood.”

Crystal heard the excitement in her voice and couldn’t help but feel a burst of excitement herself—tinged with anxiety. She’d just given Kim the script treatment yesterday morning. “You don’t have news on the script already, do you?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Shit. Crystal’s stomach dropped into her feet. But wait, Kim sounded really happy. “So this is good news?”

“That might be understating things a bit.” She chuckled. “I sent it to the top tier—who we discussed.” A-list directors and production companies. “Three of them have already called back with interest.”

Crystal’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit. Three?”

“Yep, and there could be more. I think the buzz is out there, and people are rushing to read it.”

“But—but this is just a little story about a woman who went west and…bad things happened.”

“It’s a great vehicle for a woman—multiple women actually—and you know how few of those there are. I’m surprised Alaina isn’t itching to play this part, to be honest with you.”

Crystal processed that for a moment and realized she was surprised too. If this had happened a few years ago—before Alaina had met Evan and had Alexa—Crystal was confident she’d be all over this. And Crystal had to admit she’d be fantastic. She suddenly felt bad for not working more closely with her—for not giving her the treatment first.

Stop it—you don’t owe Alaina anything.

Didn’t she?

No. And Alaina doesn’t expect anything from you.

Crystal wasn’t entirely convinced. Nevertheless, she shoved the thoughts aside. “So what happens next?”

“We see who coughs up the most money and you decide. Or maybe money isn’t the most important thing there—sorry, for most people it is.”

Money wasn’t her driving factor. She had plenty of it. “I guess I’d like to see everything they’re offering. I’d like to have a producer credit.”

“Of course,” Kim said. “I pitched that as nonnegotiable.”

“And no one balked?”

“Nope. You have a great reputation, you know.”

She’d thought so, but that was as an assistant. This was new territory. Yes, she had one producer credit on a small film Alaina and Sean had produced last year, but this was different. This was someone who wasn’t a life-long friend taking a chance on her. Her throat started to constrict. She coughed.

“You okay?” Kim asked.

“Yeah, it’s just… This is more than I imagined would happen.”

“Well, I’m not surprised, obviously. I told you this was a great project, and you knocked it out of the park with that treatment. The romance element with Hiram. Man, I was sobbing at the end of act one. Don’t even get me started on act three.”

Crystal grinned, her exuberance threatening to burst from her chest. “Thanks. For everything.”

“Thank you. You could’ve given this script to Alaina, produced it, and I’d just be a happy moviegoer. That I got to be a part of this process is awesome.”

“Okay, now you’re just blowing smoke up my ass.”

Kim laughed. “You know me better than that.”

Yes, she did. Crystal couldn’t stop smiling. “Do I need to make a decision right now?”

“Hell no. I’m going to email you details on what I have, and like I said, there may be more action. Take the weekend—at least—to review and reflect. We’ll chat first thing Monday. I’ll send along anything else I get, and don’t hesitate to call me at any time with any questions. Promise? I’m working for you here.”

“I promise. Thanks, Kim.”

“My pleasure.”

They disconnected, and Crystal pumped her fist in the air while letting out a sharp cheer. She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry!”

The driver glanced back from the front seat, chuckling. “No worries. Traffic’s starting to break up a bit. We should be in Ribbon Ridge soon.”

“Fantastic.” A bit of her enthusiasm waned. Wow, this was really happening. This movie was going to be made, and the dirty, buried secrets of Ribbon Ridge—and Jamie’s family—were going to be exposed.

Well, if that wasn’t an ice-cold bucket of water on her excitement. Fuck.

Jamie was on her side. He’d be happy for her. So would Alaina and Brooke and Kelsey. But what about the rest of Ribbon Ridge?

She couldn’t help but think of Stella’s comments the day she’d left. And of course Jamie’s mom. They were not going to be thrilled. In fact, they might be downright pissed.

And here she was heading right into the lion’s den—a reception for Kelsey’s exhibit that would be chock-full with Ribbon Ridgers. Hell’s bells.

As they neared Ribbon Ridge, Crystal directed the driver to pull off the highway. She was already running late, might as well stop at the guesthouse and freshen up a bit. After paying her driver and giving a healthy tip, she dashed inside and dropped her bags. She quickly found tonight’s outfit as well as her makeup bag and transformed herself from travel trashed to reception ready.

She hopped in the car and drove into town where parking was tricky thanks to the reception. She found a spot a few blocks away and was grateful that the rain had stopped for a bit. Hurrying toward the library, she checked her phone. Only forty-five minutes late.

The reception was in full swing with light, music, and conversation spilling from the library. Kyle Archer’s restaurant, The Arch and Fox, had catered the event, and Crystal could see food-laden tables through the windows. She also saw several familiar faces.

Panic stole over her, and she froze outside the open door.

Calm down, she told herself. No one knows the screenplay is on the verge of becoming real. No, but they did know she was writing it thanks to whoever had eavesdropped on her at the library that day she’d talked to Kelsey about it. In the conversations she’d had with Jamie over the past two weeks, he’d said he still didn’t know who it was, nor had he heard anything else about it. Maybe the gossip had died a quick, satisfying death.

Yeah, right. Crystal knew small towns, and there was no such thing.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped over the threshold. Immediately, she saw Kelsey standing near the counter where she checked out books. A news crew was interviewing her. Crystal smiled. She deserved every bit of the spotlight tonight.

“Hey.” The familiar, deep voice landed next to her ear just before his lips caressed her cheek.

She turned, still smiling. “Hey. Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a bitch. I’m so glad you didn’t come get me.”

“I’m not. Think of all that time we could’ve spent together in the car.”

She laughed softly, feeling more at ease and appreciating him for making that happen. “You make a valid point. Duly noted for next time.”

He made a face. “Not thinking about next time yet. I have you here, and I’m not letting you go for a while.” He slid his arm around her waist and drew her close, kissing her cheek again.

“Can we go upstairs?” he asked. “I need to talk to you about something.”

She gave him a side-eye. “Seriously? I don’t buy that for a second. You just want to get me alone.”

His mouth curved into a sexy smile. “Well, yes. But I also need to talk to you.”

“Hey, Crystal!” Kelsey yelled and then gestured for her to come over.

Crystal gave Jamie an apologetic glance. “Sorry, give me a sec.” She went to Kelsey and gave her a quick hug. “Congratulations. You look fabulous.”

Kelsey’s long, dark hair was pulled back, and she wore a gorgeous formfitting knit dress in dark red with a chunky necklace. “So do you! The reporter here wanted to talk to you since you were so instrumental in helping with the research for the exhibit.”

“Just a little bit of it,” Crystal demurred.

The reporter smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Jenny St. John from KPTV. We’re recording some bits for the eleven o’clock and weekend news. I wanted to talk to you about your role in all this.”

“I don’t know that I had a role,” Crystal said, her neck suddenly pricking.

“I understand you’ve written a screenplay about the history of the town, and it includes a rather dark chapter involving the Ku Klux Klan. What can you tell us about that?”

Fuuuuuck.

Crystal glanced at Kelsey, who completely blanched. Clearly she hadn’t known they were going to ask about this.

What the hell was she supposed to say? Crystal blanked for a moment, tried to summon a smile, but ultimately just stood there staring at the reporter. Finally, she managed, “I can’t really comment on that right now.”

“Looks like it’s already getting a lot of buzz,” the reporter said with a sparkly grin, seeming oblivious to Crystal’s discomfort. “I read that it has a strong female lead. Will your boss Alaina Pierce be starring?”

She “read”? Crystal narrowed her eyes at the reporter. “How did you hear about this?”

“I saw it online on our way here.”

Son of a bitch. Kim had said the buzz was out there. So fast?

Of course, silly, this is the Internet Age, everything happens at lightning speed.

How many times had she had to troubleshoot stories gone rogue about Alaina? One such event was what had led Alaina to hide out in Ribbon Ridge. In a sense, everything had come back around again. Crystal suddenly felt detached from herself, as if she were watching a movie about someone else.

The hum of conversation seemed to dim as Angie Westcott made her way toward Crystal and the reporter. Jamie intercepted her, and Crystal heard Angie say, “I thought you were going to talk to her.”

Then the reporter turned her head toward the stairs. “Oh, there’s Alaina Pierce. Let’s get her take on this.” She and her cameraman pivoted.

Alaina’s gaze landed on Crystal. She looked pissed—it was subtle and no one else could probably tell but Crystal knew her friend. Alaina’s mouth was set in a particularly tight way, and her eyes held that fake shimmer when she was putting on a performance for the red carpet or the paparazzi.

As the reporter made her way toward Alaina, Angie came forward. “How could you ruin this event with this screenplay nonsense?”

Crystal blinked at her. “I didn’t.” She shook her head. “I had no idea.”

Angie scoffed as she looked to Jamie. “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.”

The library had gone practically silent. The only thing Crystal could hear was the reporter loudly asking Alaina what she thought of the screenplay and would she be starring in it.

Crystal’s lungs squeezed, and she fought to take a breath. She looked from Alaina’s expression of distaste to Angie’s look of condemnation to Jamie. He stared at her, his eyes blank.

She ran from the library as fast as she could.

---

Jamie was frozen as he watched Crystal run out. He started after her, but his mother grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?” she asked.

He pressed his lips together and pulled his arm free. “To find Crystal.”

“Yes, you go do that. Tell her what a mistake she’s made. Why didn’t she listen to you?”

He pushed out a frustrated breath. “Because I hadn’t spoken to her yet. You saw for yourself—she just got here. Never mind,” he muttered, taking off through the open doorway.

He looked up and down the street and saw her rounding the corner a couple of blocks down. Breaking into a sprint, he tore after her, catching up before she could reach her car.

“Hey!” He reached for her, but she sidestepped his hand.

“Don’t touch me,” she said.

“Is what that reporter said true? Is your screenplay a done deal?”

“Not quite. I gave the treatment to my agent yesterday. She sent it around, and it’s, uh, gotten some traction.” She looked down at the ground and kept herself angled away from him.

He circled around to stand in front of her. “That’s really great. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to when I got here. It all happened really fast. I had no idea it would do that, or that it would cause a stir. Believe me, that’s the last thing I wanted, especially today.” She looked up at him, her eyes dark and unfathomable. “When you said you wanted to talk to me before, was that what your mom was referring to?”

“Yeah. She wanted me to talk to you about not doing it—which I’m sure is no surprise.”

“Actually, I am surprised.” She hesitated, but only for a moment. “Surprised you would even ask.”

“Crystal!”

They both turned at the sound of Alaina’s voice. She stalked around the corner quite quickly for a pregnant woman.

Alaina faced Crystal, her eyes blazing. “What the hell was all that about? There’s a screenplay out there already?”

“Just a treatment.”

Sean also rounded the corner, his phone in his hand as he joined Alaina. “Found it.” He handed her the phone.

Alaina glanced at the screen and then back to Crystal, her gaze going from mad to hurt. “You didn’t even tell me you were writing one. Who shopped this for you?”

Crystal’s entire frame was tense—from her clenched jaw to her fisted hands. “Kim.”

“She didn’t pitch it to us.” Alaina exchanged a look with Sean.

“I’m sorry,” Crystal said. “I wanted to see if anyone else was interested first.”

“First?” Alaina asked. “So maybe you’d come to us if no one else wanted it?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” She turned slightly, as if she were about to flee again. But then she pivoted back, her eyes sparking. “This is my project.” She shot an angry look at Jamie. “Not your mom’s.” She glared at Alaina. “Not yours.” She lifted her arms in exasperation. “Not anyone’s in this godforsaken town! I don’t owe any of you anything.” She laser-focused on Alaina. “You don’t manage my life—if anything, I manage yours.” She spun on Jamie. “And I’m not your girlfriend to be managed, contrary to what your mother might think.”

Jamie stared at her, unable to move. She lifted her hand to her mouth and shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I have to go.”

She jumped in the car and sped away. And Jamie still couldn’t even blink. Or speak. Or do anything but watch the car disappear around the corner and into the cold night.

Yes, it was cold. A shiver tripped across his frame, but he didn’t care. He welcomed the cool air to quell the storm churning inside him.

“I really fucked that up.”

Jamie finally blinked, his eyes tearing after such a long time. He turned to look at Alaina, who’d just spoken. “What?”

“I screwed up. I was mad.” She let out a disgusted breath. “I was pissed. And hurt, I guess. I just assumed Crystal would have us produce her screenplay. That’s where I messed up—I shouldn’t have assumed anything.”

“She won’t stay angry with you,” Sean said, his brow creased with concern but his eyes warm with support. “I’ve known her a long time, and this isn’t typical.”

“No,” Alaina agreed quietly. “Which is why I think it’s so important. She tends to just go with the flow. But this time she wanted to do things her way. Can you blame her?” She looked toward Jamie. “What’s the deal with your mom?”

Jamie twitched his shoulders. “She’s just being a pain in the ass. She hates that our ancestors were members of the KKK. Sorry, not just members, leaders.”

Sean winced. “Can’t blame her there, mate.”

“No, but she wants to bury history, and that’s not okay, especially not when Crystal’s worked so hard on this.”

Alaina fixed him with a questioning stare. “You care about her.”

“Of course I do.”

“Ignore what she said—she didn’t mean it.”

“It was the truth. She isn’t my girlfriend.” No matter how much he might’ve thought she was.

Alaina exhaled, then nodded. “Sorry.”

“What are you going to do?” Sean asked.

Alaina ran her hands through her hair, tousling the dark-blonde locks. “I don’t know, give her some space. I’ll check on her later tonight. I guess we should go inside and try to do some damage control. Whatever that would be.”

Sean arched a brow and looked toward Jamie. “Actually, I was talking to Jamie.”

“Oh, shit. Of course you were.” Alaina went to Jamie and touched his arm. “How can I help?”

He appreciated both of their concern, but there wasn’t anything anyone could do. “Nothing. If she wants to get in touch, she knows where to find me. Like you said, she needs some space, so I’ll give her plenty.”

“I think she’ll want to hear from you,” Alaina said. “When she’s had time to process. I’m sure that scene freaked her out.”

It had freaked him out too. “I’ve got damage control to manage too.” He was pissed as hell at his mother, but she was his family, which was more than he could say for Crystal. And damn if that didn’t sting.

“Come on, then,” Sean said, waiting for Alaina to precede him.

The trio trudged back to the library and were accosted as soon as they walked inside. Kelsey and Brooke went to Alaina and the three of them stepped to the side, their heads bent together.

Meanwhile, Luke and Cam descended upon Jamie. Sean clapped him on the arm. “You okay, mate?”

Jamie nodded. “Sure, thanks. I appreciate your support.”

“Anytime.” He nodded once before heading off to his wife who stood with her parents looking concerned. Hell, after a quick scan of the room, it seemed everyone looked concerned.

Except the reporter who loitered in the corner with her cameraman, her head tipped down as she read on an iPad.

Jamie turned his back to her and allowed his brothers to usher him to a back area of the library.

“Where’s Crystal?” Cam asked.

“Dunno. She took off.” Jamie’s gut clenched anew.

Cam put his hands on his hips. “Damn, that was intense.”

“Kelsey and Brooke are really worried about Crystal,” Luke said.

Jamie shrugged. “They should text her, then.”

Luke narrowed his eyes at Jamie. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing. She’s upset and needs to be alone. I’m respecting her space.” Wow, that was a nice way of putting it. But it was exactly what he was doing. She’d been clear—he wasn’t her boyfriend. Going after her or texting her wouldn’t help. “Where’s Mom?”

“Upstairs with a bunch of other people. They’re pretty pissed about all this. They’re talking about whether they can get an injunction against Crystal.” Cam snorted. “Which is ridiculous. Aubrey Archer is up there telling them they’re nuts.”

“She’s explaining the legal realities,” Luke clarified.

Aubrey was a local attorney married to one of the Archers—Liam, the real estate magnate whose company owned half of Ribbon Ridge. If anyone could calm them down, it would be her. When the Archers spoke, everyone listened.

He hoped that would be the case this time. He really didn’t want Crystal to face an angry mob. Shit, he would’ve run off too.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go after her. He did. Desperately. But he would respect her space. For now. In the meantime, he wanted a drink and not from the bar set up out in the main area.

He looked at Luke. “Will you apologize to Kelsey for me? I’m going to take off.”

Luke gripped his shoulder. “She’ll understand. Anyway, I think the evening’s about over, unfortunately.”

“I feel bad for Kelsey,” Cam said.

Luke’s shoulders dropped slightly. “Yeah, me too.”

What a clusterfuck.