I understood Jenny’s purpose in bringing her friends together, I truly did. And it humbled me that these people were ready to stand with me before they even knew what I had to say. But that was because they believed in Jenny, not me.

Christine’s story and mine was deeply personal, one I’d never expected to share. Jack had forced my hand, though, so here I was in a room with people I barely knew—except for Jenny—about to bare my soul. I didn’t like it.

Instead of running out like I wanted to do, I told these people about my wife. When I finished, Jenny’s mother had tears running down her face, and I didn’t like that either. “So that’s it,” I said, spreading out my hands.

“And your old partner’s here now, stirring all this up?” Jenny’s father asked.

“Yes, sir. Or he was last night when Jenny saw him. I have my officers watching for him, although I didn’t tell them why. If he’s staying in a motel around here, I’d guess he’s using an assumed name.”

“We need to draw him out,” Adam said, his emerald earring twinkling.

“I agree, and I’m working on that. This morning I met with the mayor.”

That had been one of the most difficult conversations of my life. Jack coming to what I considered my new hometown, a place I’d fallen in love with, had forced me to put the situations with Stephanie’s arrest and Moody on the back burner. That didn’t sit well. I had a job to do, but first I had to deal with my past.

“And?”

I glanced at the hand Jenny had put on my arm. She had no idea what her touch did to me, even one simply meant to let me know she was here for me. “And I told him everything. He’s not real happy with me right now, mostly because I’m airing my dirty laundry in public.”

“He said that?” Jenny asked.

“Yeah. He thinks it’s going to make him look bad for hiring me.”

Jenny’s father made a snorting noise, drawing my attention. “Jim John has his own share of dirty laundry, so don’t let him give you any shit.” He glanced at his wife. “Sorry, I couldn’t think of a better word.”

Did Porter know what hold Moody had over the mayor? I needed to find a moment alone with him, see if he’d tell me anything. “Since he wants to make sure that his new police chief hire doesn’t come back to bite him, he agreed to my request for an open town meeting. I’ll answer anyone’s concerns.”

“I don’t think I like that,” Jenny said.

Autumn nodded in agreement. “What you told us isn’t anyone’s business. Some of these yokels around here will see it as some kind of gladiator-versus-the-lion event and just for the fun of it, they’ll be rooting for the lion.”

“Now you’re scaring me,” I teased. I couldn’t help but smile at her analogy. Truthfully she’d pretty much hit the nail on the head. That was how I saw exposing my past to the people of Blue Ridge Valley, the very ones I’d taken a vow to keep safe. Unfortunately it had to be done.

“But clever not to act like you have something to hide,” Connor said.

I nodded, glad I’d gotten the twins’ earring colors down. “Not so sure it’s as clever as it’s unavoidable. Jenny said everyone at the bar heard Jack, so you know the talk has started. The smartest thing to do is meet it head-on and hope the dust settles. My boss at Chicago PD is flying in to back up my story.”

“What can we do?” Adam asked.

“Spread the word about the town meeting. It’s tomorrow night at eight. If anyone has time, you can help me put up a few posters announcing the meeting. Also, keep an eye out for my former partner.” I scrolled through my phone, pulling up the picture of my former friend that I’d downloaded this morning. As it was passed around, I described the car he was driving. “If you see him, please call me. It would be best if you didn’t try to engage him in any way. If he should say anything to you about me, tell him about tomorrow night’s meeting.”

Jenny scrunched her eyebrows together, puzzlement clear on her face. “You want him there?”

“Oh yeah.” I was counting on it.

Three hours before the town meeting, I picked up my old boss at the Asheville airport. Other than the people I’d had lunch with, no one else, not even the mayor, knew Garrett was coming. Compared to either of Chicago’s two airports, finding a parking spot outside of baggage claim was a breeze. I leaned against my car, Daisy at my side, watching for the man who’d helped to mold the cop I was today.

Garrett walked out the door with three big dudes wearing Harley-Davidson jackets, all of them laughing. Knowing my old boss, he was telling them a dirty joke. Garrett spied me, waved to his new friends, then headed my way.

“Good to see you, Cupcake,” he said, dropping his tote bag and wrapping me in a bear hug.

The man always made me laugh, except when I’d displeased him. “I was hoping you’d forgotten my nickname by now.”

“Not a chance.” He let go of me and eyed my dog. “And who do we have here?”

“This is Daisy.”

“Hello, Miss Daisy.” He held out his hand, and she put her paw in it.

I figured by the time we got back to Blue Ridge Valley, the two would be fast friends. We loaded up and headed home. What would he think of my little town? He’d tried to talk me out of quitting and moving here, saying that I’d be bored out of my mind within a week. Truthfully I’d feared he’d be right, but I didn’t miss the senseless gang wars, watching kids without a future shooting each other without an ounce of regret, or seeing Jack’s face every day.

“You run down Jack yet?”

“Yep. He’s staying at a motel outside of town.” He had been spotted by one of my officers yesterday afternoon. I’d followed my former partner back to the motel. As tempting as it had been to confront him then and there, I’d reined myself in.

“Think he’ll hear about the meeting?”

“After he disappeared into his room, I stuck fliers announcing the meeting on all the cars, including his.”

“You clue in your department to what’s going on?”

“Not yet. I wanted to wait until you were here to talk to them. We’re headed to the station now.” And wasn’t I looking forward to that? “Daisy, you’re being rude.” She had her face stuck between the seats, wanting attention from her new friend.

“Tell Cupcake to leave you alone, Miss Daisy.” Garrett scratched her chin, sending her eyes to rolling back in her head.

“Christ, man, please don’t call me Cupcake in front of my cops.”

Garrett gave one of his deep belly laughs. “I’ll try to resist.”

“How’s Derrick?”

“Lovely as ever. He’d be perfect if he’d stop trying to keep bad guys out of jail.”

The man had actually sighed at hearing his husband of six years’ name. They

were as different as night and day. The two of them—Garrett, the hard-ass cop and Derrick with his public defender’s liberal heart—should be like oil and water, but somehow they made it work. Derrick reminded me of the actor Henry Cavill, but with the most piercing green eyes I’d ever seen.

Garrett, on the other hand, looked more like a pit bull and had the tenacity of one. He worked out every day, had the body to prove it, and had the face of what I thought of as an MMA fighter’s—strong jaw and chin, almost black eyes that could snare you in their glare, and leathery skin that could take a hit without splitting open.

“Now that we’ve gotten my love life out of the way, let’s talk about yours. You still doing the celibate thing? Not good for you, man.”

“There’s someone.”

Not surprisingly, he went into pit-bull mode on hearing that, plying me with questions. I told him about Jenny and her dream to see the world.

Garrett glanced behind him. “You seeing what I’m seeing, Miss Daisy?” Daisy gave him one of her doggy grins.

“What?” I said when he winked at my dog as if the two of them shared a secret.

“Your eyes light up when you talk about your Jenny. You’re in love with her.”

I glanced at him. “I guess I am, or at least getting there. Nothing will come of it since she’s leaving soon.” And I had to figure out how to put a stop to wanting more than she was willing to give.

“You need to romance the hell out of her. You know, sweep her off her feet until she forgets about taking off on you. Either that or quit your job and go with her. You got plenty of money to see you through a life of leisure.”

I didn’t admit that I’d briefly considered doing just that before dismissing the idea. First, Jenny had never indicated she wanted me tagging along on her travels, and second, I had a contract to honor… if I still had a job after all was said and done.

“It’s really pretty here,” Garrett said, glancing around as we exited the interstate. “If I ever get Derrick to take time off, we should come here for vacation.”

I snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“Yeah, the man’s gonna end up dying at his desk, which is really going to piss me off.”

“Maybe you should try kidnapping him.”

Garrett’s eyes lit up with unholy glee. “Damn, Cupcake, that’s a great idea.”

And it wouldn’t at all surprise me if Garrett did just that in the near future. I pulled into the department’s parking lot. “Well, here we are. You have no idea how much I don’t want to do this.” All my officers’ cars were in the lot as I’d told them there would be a short meeting before the shift change.

“Chin up, my friend. Out of the three people involved, you were the only one innocent of any wrongdoing.”

That wasn’t true. I was guilty of turning my back on Christine when she’d needed me the most. But Garrett would argue with me if I voiced my regret, so I only nodded.

“Anyone going to have a problem with what you’re going to tell them?” Garrett asked as we walked toward the door.

“One for sure. Moody, my captain. I’m working on kicking his ass out the door. Other than him, I’m hoping not.” We stopped outside the entry while I filled him in on my issues with Moody.

“He definitely needs to go. You can’t have him going behind your back, attempting to undo all you’re trying to accomplish”

“I know. It was on my list to deal with today. Then Jack showed his lovely face.” The last thing I wanted to do was to walk into that building and talk about Christine to my cops. Daisy inserted herself between us, her doggy gaze locked on me. She whined, apparently picking up on the tension radiating from me. I put my hand on her head, letting her know that whatever happened, she was mine.

We walked into the lobby, and all my cops gathered there fell silent. My stomach decided this was a good time to act up, and I wished I had some antacids. The speech I’d prepared deserted me at seeing the people I’d come to care for waiting to hear why they’d been called to a special meeting. I’d come here wanting to be the one to make them proud of being a Blue Ridge Valley police officer, but I was about to be their biggest disappointment.

Garrett bumped his arm against mine, and I could almost hear him saying, Chin up, Cupcake. Daisy—the dog that loved every single cop here except Moody—all of a sudden was shaking like a leaf as she pressed herself against my leg. Damn it. She was picking up on my negative vibes. I straightened my spine, making a point of meeting the eyes of each of my cops.

I saved Moody for last. When our gazes collided, I saw from the victorious gleam in his eyes that he’d somehow managed to run into Jack. He knew and was already gloating. This would be my first test on how people would react to what I had to say. I cleared my throat.

“We’ll keep this brief so the next shift can head out. I… ah… If you haven’t already, you’re going to hear some rumors concerning me the next few days.”

Moody’s grin was pure evil. “You gonna tell us how you killed your wife?”

Every man and woman in the room swiveled their heads, staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. A few gasped. “No, I’m going to tell you about the day she took her own life. Christine, my wife, was very depressed, so much so that she decided she couldn’t face another day.” I refused to besmirch her memory by telling them she’d had an affair. That was none of their damn business.

“That’s not the way I heard it, Chief.”

Moody’s sarcastic emphasis on Chief wasn’t lost on me. “Then you heard wrong. The man who told you that has a problem with me and is simply trying to cause trouble.”

“Why should we believe you?”

I wanted to put my fist through Moody’s face. Knocking him out cold would shut him up.

“Because he’s telling the truth,” Garrett said.

Moody frowned. “Who the hell are you?”

Tommy took a step forward. “I believe you, Chief.” Several of my officers nodded in agreement.

I shot Tommy a grateful nod. “I’m sorry. I should have introduced my friend here. This is my former boss, Captain Garrett Caulder of the Chicago PD. He was also the lead investigator on my wife’s suicide. He’s here to answer any of your questions.”

“How do we know he’s really who you say he is? Maybe you’re paying him to back up your story.”

Now you’ve done it, Moody. I swallowed a snort, knowing what was coming.

Garrett eyed my captain as if he were studying a slug under his shoe that he was about to smash. “Exactly who are you?”

Moody puffed out his chest. “Captain Ralph Moody. This is my town, and we don’t much like strangers.”

“You thinking of using that thing to run me off with my tail tucked between my legs?” Garrett asked, eyeing the hand Moody had put on his gun handle. He glanced at me, his eyes dancing with mischief. “Damn, Chief, this is fun, like being in a Clint Eastwood movie. Is this where I get to say, ‘Go ahead. Make my day?’ I wish you’d told me how much fun I would have here. I woulda come sooner.” He turned back to Moody. “Do I get till sundown, hoss?”

Moody scrunched thick eyebrows together. “I don’t like you.”

“Seems we have something in common after all. I don’t much like you either.” Garrett turned away from my captain, as if bored with the man. “Do any of you have any questions about what you just heard? If so, now’s the time to ask.”

When no one spoke up, he said, “You can trust your new chief. He’s a good man and a damn good cop. If anyone still has any doubts”—he glanced pointedly at Moody—“he wasn’t home when it happened. A neighbor heard the shot and called it in, then stood outside the door until the cops arrived. No one entered or exited. End of story.”

With that said, he walked out, leaving me to wrap things up. Maybe I should reconsider asking Jenny if I could tag along on her world tour. Take off with her and forget about everything threatening to steal my new life.

Moody stepped in front of me. “How do we know he’s telling the truth? I talked to Conrad’s former partner. He says different.”

“You’re such an ass, Moody,” Tommy said.

“Hear, hear,” someone muttered.

I swallowed a grin that the youngest and shyest member of my force had the balls to risk Moody’s wrath. Or maybe it was that Tommy trusted me to have his back, because I did.

“If we’re done here, those off shift go home, and those heading out, be safe out there.”

Every single one of the cops in the room—except for Moody—lined up to say something to me as they headed out. Things like, “I’m standing with you,” from Gene Lanier. “You got us cool uniforms,” Kim Payton said. “And you got Kim and me off break-room cleanup duty.” Sarah Griffin added as my two female cops high-fived me at the same time, making me lift both my hands for them to slap.

It went on like that for a few minutes, until Moody, Daisy, and I were the only ones left in the room. Daisy growled when he glared at me.

“If you think this is the end of it, you’re a fool,” the man said, a sneer on his face.

He was trying to rattle me, but I refused to bite. “Some free advice, Moody. A wise man never counts his chickens before they hatch.”

For the first time since I’d heard Jack was in town, doing his best to smear my name, I was happy. Except for Moody, every one of my cops had backed me, Garrett had flown seven hundred miles after one phone call to guard my back, and Jenny had believed in me without hesitation. Not only that, she had recruited her friends to stand up for me. Even if things didn’t go the way I hoped tonight, I was blessed. Not a state of mind I’d ever expected to achieve after what I’d gone through.

“I’m bringing your former partner to the meeting tonight. We’ll see how long you last here after he tells everyone what you did.”

“I should have let you have at him, Daisy,” I murmured after he walked out. “If it doesn’t go well tonight, you’ll still love me, right?” She slobbered doggy love all over my hand in response. I glanced at my watch. “Well, girl, time to face the music. You’re going to have to stay in the car, okay?” In truth I felt like I was facing my execution, but I’d do it with my head held high.