I’d thought we should all sit together right up front—me, my parents, Autumn, Brian, and the twins—like a brick wall surrounding Dylan, protecting him. My dad said no, that we needed to spread out, be in positions to counter anyone deciding to start trouble. That made sense, but I’d claimed a seat in the front row, needing to be as close to Dylan as possible.

That there had even been a special town meeting called, forcing Dylan to speak of things that were no one’s business, infuriated me. I couldn’t begin to imagine how difficult this was going to be for him. Glancing behind me, I saw that the meeting hall was packed. Apparently the entire town had heard about the meeting, because all the seats were taken and people were lining the walls.

“Idiots,” I muttered.

“Did you say something, dear?”

I glanced at Gloria. “No, not a thing.” She and Naomi had come early to get front-row seats, and she had a notepad on her lap, ready to write down everything Dylan said. On the other side of her, Naomi was fiddling with a recorder. Dylan had promised to give them their interview as soon as the witch hunt was over, and that made me angry too. They were like vultures circling the carcass. From the glee in their eyes, I’m sure that was how they saw tonight’s event.

“Has he confided in you?” Naomi asked, leaning around Gloria.

“Why would he tell me his personal business?” Hint, hint, nosy woman.

Gloria rolled her eyes, implying I was being silly. “Because the two of you are an item? Don’t bother denying it, Jenn. The whole town knows you spend nights at his place. Perhaps that’s not wise of you.” She patted my hand. “Not if he killed his wife.”

“He didn’t kill his wife!” The noise of conversations buzzing around us fell silent at my shouted words, and I could feel the eyes on me of those who’d heard me. I had to go outside and get some air before I suffocated. “I’ll be right back.” To further claim my seat, I left my jacket on the metal chair.

It was cold when I stepped out, but I didn’t really feel it. The burning rage inside me kept me warm. When I saw the mayor’s car turn into the parking lot, I stepped to the side of the building, not wanting to have to acknowledge him. He should have put a stop to this circus, should have stood up for his police chief, but the man would never do anything that might harm his reelection chances. No way was I going to vote for him again, though.

After the mayor and his wife disappeared inside, I came out of hiding. Stephanie wasn’t with them, which pleased me. I didn’t want her here, witnessing Dylan’s trial. Because that’s what it was. The town was putting him on trial, and I hated that the people I’d known all my life were eagerly awaiting his arrival so they could hear all the juicy details.

Another car pulled in, the twin to my Mustang. I hadn’t met the man who’d come all the way from Chicago to stand by Dylan’s side. The lot was full, what with everyone and their brother here, but I waited for him to find a place to park. I wanted to meet Dylan’s former boss, assure myself he was up to the task of helping to get Dylan out of this mess.

“Hey, you,” I said, walking up to Dylan when he exited the car.

“My favorite redhead.” He brushed his lips over mine, then glanced around the parking lot. “Looks like the whole damn town is here.”

“Yep. They’re all waiting for the star of the show to arrive.” He must have heard the bitterness in my voice because he gave me a gentle smile.

“It’s okay, Jenny. It was all probably going to come out eventually. Better now. Get it over with, so I can move on.” His gaze lifted toward the west, where the sun was setting behind the mountain. “Either here or somewhere else.”

That shouldn’t bring tears to my eyes since I’d be leaving soon, and whether Dylan was here or not wouldn’t matter. But he loved this town, and as much as he tried to hide it, he was hurting. I could see it in the way his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Is this the lovely Jenny?” a man asked, walking around the front of the car.

Dylan nodded as he put a hand on my shoulder. “Jenny, Garrett Caulder. Garrett, I have the honor of introducing you to a very special lady.”

His words warmed me, as did the way he tucked me next to his side. I ran a critical eye over Garrett Caulder. The first thought that came to mind at seeing him was that he belonged in a boxing ring. He had the appearance of a bruiser with his rugged features and a nose that had obviously been broken at some point. And his body… he looked like he could take on Rocky without breaking a sweat.

When Dylan had told me about him, it was obvious this man had Dylan’s utmost respect. “Mr. Caulder, a pleasure to meet you.” I held out my hand.

He wrapped two big hands around mine, a grin on his face. “None of that Mr. Caulder shit, beautiful Jenny.”

His eyes were warm, and even though I’d just met him, I found that I liked the man. Dylan had warned me that his former boss had a foul mouth, though. I hoped he’d tone it down when we got inside, if he talked. This was the Bible Belt, and at least half those inside would take offense. “Garrett then. You have a packed house waiting for you, Dylan.”

“Guess we better get to it then,” Dylan said.

As we turned to leave, Daisy whined from inside the car. I glanced over at her. “You should bring her in with you.” People around here were dog lovers whether it was their house dog, yard dog, or hunting dog. Daisy would steal their hearts.

“You sure?”

When I nodded, he gave me a happy smile. “Can you really help him?” I asked Garrett while Dylan was busy putting the leash on Daisy.

“I guess we’ll know soon. I’d take him back to the Chicago PD without hesitation, but he seems to love it here.” He eyed me with a smirk on his face. “Now I know why.”

Heat traveled up my neck to my cheeks, but before I could think of a response, Dylan joined us. Obviously Dylan had told Garrett that we were seeing each other, and I wondered what had been said about me.

Dylan eyed the door to town hall, letting out a long breath. “Let’s do this.”

I wanted to pull him back to his car and take him away so that he didn’t have to walk inside that building. Instead I slipped my hand into his, squeezing his fingers. No matter what happened next, I wanted him to know that I thought… What did I think? I wasn’t sure anymore.

How could I get on a plane and leave this beautiful man behind? Even the idea of doing that made me question my sanity. I missed the first step leading up to the door.

“You okay?” he asked when I stumbled.

No, I wasn’t okay. I would be leaving him in a little over a week, and I wanted to plop my butt on the floor and have a good cry. “I’m fine,” I lied. Tonight wasn’t about me, though, so I put aside my misery.

Conversations stopped midsentence as soon as we walked in. Dylan held his head high, his posture perfect, and he looked so good in a dark charcoal pinstripe suit, a white button-down, and a red tie. Like the CEO of a billion-dollar conglomerate. Although I wasn’t sure how many CEOs had a dog as their faithful companion. As if Daisy sensed the importance of this night, she held her elegant head high as she pranced along beside him. But her ears were laid back, signaling her displeasure at the tension filling the air.

Dylan squeezed my hand before letting go. Once again I had the urge to pull him out of the room so that he didn’t have to go through this. Instead I walked with him toward the front, proud to be at his side. When we reached the first row, I slipped back into my seat. Dylan walked to the front where the mayor stood. Garrett moved behind them, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

“Who’s that?” Gloria asked.

“He’s a captain with the Chicago Police Department, Dylan’s former boss.”

She leaned close. “I’ll need to interview him, too.”

Like I had any control over Dylan or Garrett. I didn’t answer her, mostly because Dylan glanced at me, and all other thoughts flew right out of my head. Without thinking about what I was doing, I tapped my chest, right over my heart. The way one side of his mouth quirked up in a lopsided smile brought tears to my eyes. How was I supposed to walk away from this man? But I would. I had a promise to keep.

Jim John banged on a block of wood with his mayoral gavel, the same one my father had used when he held the office. I’d always thought that was Jim John’s favorite part of being mayor, being able to make enough noise to get everyone’s attention onto him.

“There have been some concerns expressed about our new police chief, Dylan Conrad. He’s agreed to answer any questions you might have.” He stepped off to the side.

That was all he was going to say? What a toad. He knew the truth, and he should have shown more support for his police chief. But he was putting a protective wall between them. A just-in-case one should Dylan fail to win over the town. Maybe I’d talk my dad into running again in the next election. Hell, I’d run to make sure Jim John didn’t get reelected.

Dylan kept his face carefully blank, but Garrett narrowed his eyes at our mayor. Maybe he’d go over and punch Jim John in the face. One could hope. I glanced back at Dylan as he stepped forward. He appeared to be relaxed, but I knew him. The tension lines at the corners of his mouth and eyes gave him away.

“For those I’ve not met yet, I’m Dylan Conrad. To give you a little of my background before I open the floor to questions, I began my career in law enforcement with the Chicago Police Department after obtaining a degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois in Chicago. I spent a little over two years on street patrol before moving to vice as a detective, heading up that department for the past year.”

I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like he’d moved up the ranks pretty fast. That didn’t surprise me, though. Dylan was a highly intelligent and focused man. If the people of this town didn’t realize how lucky we were to have him, then they didn’t deserve him.

“Now I’ll take your questions.”

The man was definitely smart. I’d expected him to say something about his wife and what had happened, but he was going to force others to bring that up. He darted a glance at me, and I saw the question in his eyes. I gave him a little nod of approval. Yes, he was perfectly handling what was an unfair situation.

“I have a question, Chief,” Connor said, standing.

What was he doing? I frowned at my friend. We were here to support Dylan, not give him a hard time.

Dylan nodded. “You have the floor, Mr. Hunter.”

“We are…unfortunately, I have to say, called out too often to rescue a tourist who has fallen from the top of a waterfall or gotten lost while hiking. We’re experienced at handling those operations, but I’d like to see an advanced training program put in place for these kinds of rescues. For the police department and fire department personnel, along with volunteers like Adam and me. Do you have any plans for something like that?”

If I were sitting next to Connor, I would have kissed him. I should have known to trust him.

The first real smile I’d seen from Dylan tonight formed on his face. “Actually I do. A few days ago I talked to a friend who runs a training program like that in Denver. He’s agreed to help us develop one for our town as soon as we get approval from the town council.”

I shifted in my seat to see the reaction to that, pleased to see quite a few people nodding their heads in approval. Gloria raised her hand, and I wanted to grab it and pull it down. The wariness returned to Dylan’s eyes, but before he could call on her, my dad stood.

“Chief, it’s my understanding that our police officers haven’t received a raise in over a year. These men and women are dedicated to protecting and serving our community. I know you are bound by budget restrictions, but have you looked into a way to scrounge up a little money to give our officers a much deserved raise?”

“Yes, Mr. Nance, that issue has already been addressed.”

“We got a raise last week,” someone in the back yelled. Applause broke out, and I leaned around Gloria to see a line of cops standing against the wall, all of them clapping. My father had already known the answer to his question when he asked it. It had come up at our strategy meeting at his house.

Gloria raised her hand again, but Autumn beat her to the punch when she stood. “Our police department’s uniforms have to be the ugliest ones in the world. They look like baby poop.” Laughter broke out in the room. She grinned. “I know, right?” She glanced around, getting nods. “Anyway, can you do something about that?”

Another question that had been answered at our meeting. I had never been so proud of my family and friends.

“We found a little money to spend on new uniforms, Miss Archer,” Dylan said. “In about three weeks, you’ll see them for yourself.” That got another round of applause from the cops lining the wall.

“Well, I hope they’re cool ones.” Autumn looked over at the officers, raising a brow.

“They’re awesome,” one of the female cops said.

It struck me, listening to Dylan answer the questions that he never said I did this or I did that. His answers had a way of including his whole department, as if they were a team who’d accomplished these things together. He was such an amazing man.

Having learned her lesson, instead of raising her hand, Gloria stood. My heart thumped hard in my chest. If that was my reaction, I couldn’t imagine what Dylan was feeling.