Scarlett had just gotten back from the flower shop when she heard the pounding on the door. She opened it, and Rigby rushed in, furious.

“I just got a call from my agent who spoke with my attorney. Your grandpa is suing me.” He paced back in forth in front of her. “And that’s not all. He’s holding a press conference tomorrow at the town hall with the very reporter who’s been trying to bury me.”

“What?” She was still reeling from what she’d found out at the flower shop and now this. Everything was coming at her so fast she could hardly keep up. In the first place, she was beyond ticked at Rigby and mad at herself for letting her guard down where he was concerned. He’d waltzed back into town, and she’d fallen hard for him. Now she was paying the price.

“Douglas is suing me for fracturing his leg when I stumbled and dropped him.” A crazed look came into his eyes. “What’re you gonna do about this?”

She rocked back, bristling, her hands going to her hips. “What am I gonna do?”

“Yeah, he’s your grandpa.” His jaw hardened as he threw up his hands. “I just can’t believe he’d be so spiteful, after I risked my life to save him.” He let out a harsh laugh. “If the old man were here, I’d give him a piece of my mind.”

“I am here,” Douglas muttered, hobbling in on crutches. “If you’ve got something to say to me, you can say it right now.”

Rage twisted Rigby’s face. “How could you do this? I went into that burning house. Carried you out. If I hadn’t been there, you would’ve died.”

“Keep your voice down,” Scarlett warned. “You don’t want the whole bed and breakfast to hear you.”

“I don’t care who hears me,” Rigby yelled.

Douglas glared at him. “If you hadn’t interfered, the firemen would’ve come in and gotten me. And they wouldn’t have dropped me on the floor and fractured my leg.”

Rigby let out a humorless laugh. “You keep telling yourself that, old man.” He pointed at Douglas. “You and I both know that if I hadn’t gone in and gotten you out, you would’ve died that day, you stubborn fool. And I don’t want accolades for it, because I only did what anyone would have done, but I don’t want to be sued for it either.”

Scarlett went cold, a bleak despair snaking around her heart. Everything was falling apart right in front of her eyes.

“I don’t like the tone of your voice,” Douglas countered. “You have no right to barge in and start making accusations.”

“You want accusations? I’ll give you accusations! This has nothing to do with the fire or your leg. You hate me because I’m with Scarlett, and that’s why you’re determined to drag my name through the mud.”

“You’re not good enough for Scarlett, and you never have been. Why don’t you slink back to Tampa where you belong and leave us alone?”

Rigby balled his fist. “I should’ve left you in that burning house.”

“Enough!” Scarlett yelled. “Stop it!” Tears sprang to her eyes as she eyed them both. She turned to Rigby. “First of all, you and I aren’t together anymore!”

He rocked back, his face draining. “What?”

“Did you really think you could sneak around with Pepper McClain behind my back, send her flowers?” Her voice caught, the hurt slicing through her. “I trusted you, Rigby.”

Rigby frowned. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Save it,” she barked. “I’ve been to the flower shop, talked to Cindy Stubblefield. She told me you came by the shop and paid cash for the flowers.”

“Scarlett, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve only been out with Pepper McClain once since I’ve been in Clementine, and you know about that. I took her to the concert because Harper said it would make you jealous.”

Rigby sounded so convincing that she almost believed him, despite the mounting evidence. “Pepper came into the restaurant today, dropping hints about the two of you being together, said there was something about it in The Clementine Connection.”

He let out an incredulous laugh. “And you believed her?”

“No, not at first, but then I went to the blog and read the article about how you’d been seeing her and buying her flowers. Then Vernon suggested that I go to the florist and find out who ordered the flowers.”

Rigby’s eyes turned to balls of ice, his voice razor sharp. “When did you talk to Vernie?”

“At the restaurant after Pepper stopped by. He came in to give a report on Grandpa.”

Rigby’s eyes flashed with indignation. “Well, that was convenient.” He shook his head, disgust twisting over his face. “So, let me get this straight … Pepper comes in telling lies, which is no big shock. She tells you to read a post in Maryanne Wheatley’s gossip blog, and it throws you into a tailspin. Then Vernon happens to show up right after and mentions that you should go to the florist and find out who sent the flowers.”

Unease trickled down Scarlett’s spine. Rigby was making some very valid points. “Cindy said you paid cash for the flowers.”

A hard amusement glittered in his eyes. “Another convenience. Nothing can be traced, making it her word against mine.”

Scarlett’s jaw went slack as her mind ran through all the events. “Are you suggesting that Pepper and Vernon are somehow in cahoots? That seems a little farfetched.”

“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m only saying that I didn’t sneak around with Pepper McClain.” He winced. “The very idea turns my stomach.” Hurt brimmed in his eyes. “But what bites the most is that you were so quick to accept the worst.”

She gulped, swallowing hard. “It just all came at me so fast, and then when Cindy said you’d stopped by …”

Marbles popped out at the corners of his jaw. “From the minute I stepped foot back in Clementine, I’ve done nothing but try to prove my love to you. I’ve never given you a reason to doubt me, and that’s all you’ve done.”

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t been so quick to take up with Sadonna Roberts in Tampa, Scarlett wouldn’t have been suspicious,” Douglas piped in. “Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me.”

Rigby shook his head. “You’ve got it all figured it out, don’t you?”

“You may have my granddaughter fooled, but I see you for what you are,” Douglas countered, “A wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

At this point, Scarlett had as much as she could tolerate. She turned to her grandpa. “You’ve said enough,” she spat.

Her outburst shocked him into silence as his mouth drew into a tight line.

“I can’t believe you would stoop low enough to sue Rigby, then hold a press conference with the very man who’s trying to destroy him.”

Uncertainty crept into Douglas’s eyes. “I’m doing this for you.”

She lifted her chin. “No, you’re doing it for you! I know you’re my grandfather, but if you continue with this ridiculous charade, I’ll never speak to you again.” She turned to Rigby. “I’m sorry … for everything.”

He nodded, rubbing a hand across his forehead, looking as defeated as she felt. “I’ve gotta go.”

Panic fluttered in her breast, and she knew she couldn’t let him leave without making amends. “I’ll call you later, and maybe we can get together?” She still wasn’t sure what to make of the blog and flower thing, but she could tell from Rigby’s vehement reaction that he was innocent. Or at least she was about ninety percent sure he was.

He gave her a slight smile tinged with sadness. “I don’t think so. I need time to sort through this.”

She nodded, the sting of rejection splattering over her. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her grandpa, then he turned on his heel and left.

Scarlett spun, tears rushing to her eyes. “How could you do that? Sue the very man who saved your life?”

“You may not see it now, but I’m protecting you,” Douglas muttered, hobbling over to a nearby chair and sitting down. He placed his crutches beside him and positioned his leg on the ottoman. “Let’s call Vernon, ask him to come over so we can get his take on the situation.”

A hysterical laugh gurgled in her throat. “Have you not heard a thing I’ve said? I love Rigby. I always have, and I always will.”

A furrow appeared between his brows. “But what about Pepper McClain and the flowers? Do you really want to be with a man you’re not sure about?”

“No, I don’t,” she snipped. “But I can tell you this, right now I’m a whole lot more sure about Rigby than I am about Vernon.” Something Rigby said stuck in Scarlett’s mind. Vernon had shown up right after Pepper left. And Cindy Stubblefield was one of Vernon’s patients, he’d just delivered her baby. Was there a connection? Maybe. She cocked her head, another thought occurring to her. “Who put you up to suing Rigby?”

He looked startled.

Bingo. She’d touched on something. She knew her grandpa well enough to know that even though he didn’t like Rigby, he wouldn’t come up with this on his own. “It was Vernon, wasn’t it?”

“That doesn’t matter,” he said, his lower lip wobbling like a limp spaghetti noodle.

“Vernon was the instigator.” It was written all over her grandpa’s face. A burning anger coursed through her veins. “How could I have been so stupid?”

“Vernon’s only trying to protect you. And besides, we’ll need money for the house and my treatments if the insurance doesn’t cover everything.”

Her voice went shrill. “You’re trying to pad your own pocket at the expense of Rigby’s career?” Bitter disappointment rankled her. “You taught me to be honest and good. That’s not how you’re behaving.”

He shrank back, not meeting her gaze.

“What does Coralee think about this?”

She saw the answer in his chalky expression as she gave him a vindicated look. “Uh, huh. Just what I thought.”

“My first priority is to you,” he grumbled.

“Your first priority should be to the truth,” she shot back, eyeing him. “‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.’” His face seemed to shrivel into itself, and for the first time it hit her that he was old and frail. “You need to fix this.”

His eyes darted around wildly. “It’s too late. The press conference has already been called.”

She gritted her teeth. “I don’t care what you have to do. You’re gonna fix this. Do you hear me?”

Reluctantly, he nodded.

“So, get up. We’re gonna get to the bottom of this blog and flower nonsense, starting with why Cindy Stubblefield lied.”

His eyes rounded. “But I don’t have the strength to go hobbling to the flower shop with you.”

“Well, you were gonna summon enough strength to hobble to the town hall tomorrow to destroy an innocent man’s career. I suppose you can gather enough strength to find out the truth.”

* * *

Scarlett helped her grandpa through the door of the flower shop, then strode up to the counter noticing how Cindy Stubblefield ducked slightly when she saw her. Yep, she was guilty … guilty as sin.

Cindy offered a tentative smile. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you back here today.” She glanced around nervously. “Oh, you brought your grandfather with you. Hello, Mr. Foster. I’m so sorry to hear about the fire and your leg.”

“Thanks,” Douglas said tersely.

“So, what can I do for you? Are you here to place an order?” She reached for the notepad, a slight tremor in her hand. Beads of sweat formed across her forehead.

How had Scarlett missed the clues before? Probably because she’d been so blindsided by the accusations. “No order today.” Scarlett placed her hands on the counter leaning forward until she was eye-to-eye with Cindy. “But you can help me with one thing.”

Cindy glanced toward the door like she wished she could dart through it and disappear.

“You can tell me why you lied about Rigby buying those flowers.”

She jerked, her right eye twitching. “I … I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You said Rigby came in and payed cash for flowers, which he sent to Pepper McClain, but that’s not true, is it?”

She bit her lower lip, red splotches climbing up her neck.

Scarlett held Cindy’s gaze even though she could tell Cindy was itching to look away. “Why did you lie?”

Her lower lip trembled as tears pooled in her eyes. She shook her head back and forth. “Dr. Stanley said all I had to do was say Rigby sent the flowers and that he’d tear up my delivery bill.” A sob tore through her throat. “I don’t make much money working here, and being a single mom and all … Well, it didn’t seem like one little white lie would cause too much harm.”

Scarlett arched an eyebrow. “Well, it did.”

Cindy brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her whimpering. “I’m sorry.”

Scarlett took in a deep breath, nodding. Then she turned to her grandpa, who had a black look on his face. “Rigby was telling the truth, and Vernon has been playing us.”

He shook his head, at a loss for words.

“Thanks, Cindy, for telling the truth.”

Panic registered in her eyes. “Am I gonna get in trouble with the police?”

Scarlett sighed. “No, there’s no law that can protect its citizens against lies … unfortunately.”

Cindy jerked, her face going whiter than the countertop.

“Good day,” Scarlett quipped as she helped her grandpa out of the shop and to the car.

A few minutes later, when he got seated, Douglas rubbed a hand across his chin. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe Vernon would do that.”

“And yet you were so quick to believe the worst of Rigby,” she said, repeating Rigby’s words. “And so was I,” she said quietly. She started the engine. “But we’re not finished yet. We have one more stop to make.”

* * *

Had it not been such a serious situation, the shock on Pepper McClain’s face when she opened the door would’ve been comical. She looked at Scarlett and then at Douglas.

“We’ll make this short and sweet,” Scarlett said. “We know you’ve been in cahoots with Vernon Stanley to make it seem like Rigby has been sneaking around with you.”

She slung her head back, nostrils flaring. “That’s absurd!”

“No, what’s absurd is trying to slander an innocent man.”

“Haven’t you seen all the coverage of Logan Slade and Kim Turner on her vlog? This is what happens to celebrities—deal with it!”

“You can come clean now and save yourself a boatload of embarrassment, or I can call Maryanne Wheatley and give her the full scoop. I’ve talked to Cindy Stubblefield who’s admitted Vernon was behind the flowers. It won’t be too difficult to further prove your story is a fraud.” The next part was a stretch, but she had to bait Pepper to get the truth. “Vernon said you were the instigator behind the whole thing. I’m giving you a chance to tell your side of the story, or else you’ll get stuck holding the bag.” She paused, lifting her chin, a taunting edge in her voice. “And while your story won’t be nearly as exciting as Logan Slade and Kim Turner’s, I’m sure people would love to read it all the same.”

Pepper’s eyebrows darted together. “He said I was behind it?” She let out a shrill laugh. “He’s the one who came to me. Said he had the perfect way to bury Rocket Breeland, get him back for going out with me once, then dumping me like last week’s garbage.”

Triumph shot through Scarlett as she smiled. “Thanks, that’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

Pepper’s face fell. “Y—you tricked me.”

“Yes, I did. And you fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”

An ugly sneer twisted over Pepper’s features as she looked at Douglas and chuckled. “You’re the biggest sucker of all. Vernon’s been feeding you a load of crap for years so you’ll hate Rocket. He’s been using you to get to Scarlett.” She shook her head, glaring at them. “Y’all are idiots!” Before they could respond, she stepped back and slammed the door in their faces.

Scarlett turned to her grandpa who looked like he might pass out. “Let’s get you to the car and back to the bed and breakfast.”

He nodded numbly, the fight gone out of him as he shuffled to the car.