Harlan had been home for four days. In her own home with her children in their own beds. The house had a newly installed, upgraded security system, and three rotating guards were assigned to them. But otherwise she’d managed to make it as normal as possible. The house was small compared to the compound her mother lived in, but that was why Harlan had chosen it. Still on the property, but outside of the gates and security perimeter of the main house it served as living quarters for the main house staff decades ago. Coming home to it offered a tiny bit of healing. It was hers, and it was familiar.

Turning on the television, she sank into her plush, oversized chair and pulled a blanket over her lap. Jessica’s advice had resonated with her. Harlan was readying for war. She was going to battle her way to happiness by any means necessary. The wheels had begun to turn in her head, and small glimmers of hope were sparkling in the darkness.

The intercom buzzed and a voice from outside filled the room. “Miss Kalling, there is someone here to see you. Dallas Rockland.”

“Uh, send him in, I guess,” she stammered.

“Are you sure? I can ask him to call or come back tomorrow.” The man sounded excited at the idea of tossing Dallas out on his ass.

“It’s fine,” she said, more confidently this time. “Send him in.” Her large hooded sweatshirt had a couple of bleach stains on it, and her hair was twisted into a messy bun. She’d long since washed off her makeup, but none of that mattered. Dallas had already seen the rawest parts of her spirit; she knew he wouldn’t care about her clothes.

When he slinked through the front door she nearly lost her breath at the sight of him. The fleeting bit of worry she put into her appearance melted away as she saw the state he was in.

Bloodshot eyes, hair unkempt, and clothes wrinkled to nearly unwearable. “Dallas, what happened to you?”

“I haven’t been home in a few,” he said, trying to smooth his hair down as though he just realized how bad he looked. “I’m sorry to come back here after telling you I wouldn’t.”

“It’s all right,” she assured him, walking him to the couch. “I heard about the car. I’m so sorry that happened.”

“This security team seems better,” Dallas said, gesturing with his chin over at the door, the shadow of a big man still on the other side of the glass.

“Emmitt pulled out all the stops this time. He hired a company with a great track record. I haven’t talked to these guys much, but they seem good.”

“I can’t imagine why you don’t want to talk to them.” He hung his head and groaned. “I’m sorry for how things happened Harlan. I shouldn’t have—”

“Careful what you apologize for,” she interrupted. “If you apologize for taking me to the safe house, or for what we did while we were there, it might break my heart.”

“No,” he said, his head shooting up, and his gaze fixed on her. “I don’t regret a second I spent with you. I just regret the circumstances. I regret letting anything put you or your girls at risk.”

“Why did you come here tonight?” she asked, her chest tight with anxiety. She hoped he might say just the right thing or the whole world outside had changed enough to make things simple between them.

“I had something I wanted to tell you in person,” Dallas replied. “It’s about Rylie.”

“What?” Harlan asked wearily. There was no room left in her heart for bad news.

“He went back to see my friend Lilly. He’s been there almost a week now. She said he’s making great progress, going to meetings every day and getting help from doctors on staff. It’s a slow process but he’s saying the right things right now. It seems like he has a chance.”

“A week?” she asked, imagining the clarity that must have returned to Rylie now. She couldn’t recall the last time he’d gone that long without a drink.

“He’s not asking to see the girls yet or anything. But I’m sure eventually he’ll reach out. I wanted you to know there’s hope for him.” Dallas, with some effort, stood and cleared his throat. “I know it’s hard to trust people, and I haven’t given you any reason to do so. But I hope for the girls’ sake he pulls himself together. They deserve to be happy.”

“Thank you,” she said, wiping away the hot tears that were streaming down her cheek. “Hope isn’t a cornerstone of my life philosophy right now, but I’d like my girls to have a chance at it. That’s all you came by for? How is Tim doing?”

“I’m not sure, he won’t see me anymore. He kicked me out and won’t take visits from me.”

“Because of what happened with the car?”

“No,” he explained. “Because I blew it with you, and he is tired of me doing that. There’s more to the story though. I just can’t get him to tell me what it is.”

“You should go home and get some sleep,” Harlan suggested. “Or crash here on the couch.”

“I’m not giving up on the case,” Dallas replied quickly, trying to answer the question Harlan didn’t have enough courage to ask. Does this mean we can be together?

“You’re not?” she asked, an arrow plunging into her chest. “Even though he’s told you to?”

“He’ll have no choice but to see me once I get him a new trial. Or if I get him exonerated completely by proving Larry committed the murder. I’m not stopping.”

“Right,” Harlan said quietly. “Well, take care of yourself. Watch your back.”

“I’m glad to see you’re keeping your security team and not giving them trouble. It’s the right thing to do.” Dallas swallowed hard.

“I’ve made some important decisions,” she explained as he trudged toward the door, feet shuffling slowly. “I’ve figured out how to get some control back in my life and still stay safe.”

“I’m glad,” he nodded, knocking lightly on the door as not to startle the man on the other side. “I’m sorry again,” he apologized as he stepped outside.

“Stop being sorry,” she ordered. “Just sleep, feel better.”

“I hope Rylie calls,” he forced out. “I hope things work out for you.”

“Maybe you should start saving some of that hope for you, Dallas,” she suggested. “You count too.”