Epilogue

EVERYONE WAS JUST OVERREACTING. Including herself.

No one was after Esme Shaw, aka Shae Johnson, not anymore.

Maybe Blackburn never had been, and she’d spent the past five years in hiding for nothing.

Shae Johnson—everyone called her that now, even Uncle Ian, although in his eyes, she still saw him hesitate just a second, the instinct to call her Esme front and center in his brain. She sat at the skirted round table watching the guests two-step in the middle of the PEAK barn dance floor and tried not to wish the last five years back.

Overhead, round paper chandeliers dappled light onto the wooden planks, and white tulle draped the rough-hewn beams. Over three hundred guests danced or sat at the round tables, so many headliner stars at the party that she’d stopped being surprised when Garth Brooks or Brad Paisley edged up behind her in the buffet line. The country music bash of the season. Plenty of selfies and snapshots were populating Instagram, she had no doubt.

Still, Shae had avoided any of the pictures. Even if Blackburn hadn’t been seen for over a month, she didn’t want to take any chances. But she couldn’t help but think that Uncle Ian had been completely overreacting when he asked her to move home until Blackburn was found.

She missed her room at Ian’s ranch, sold nearly a year ago to Ben King. For now, she’d agreed to the guest room at Ian and Sierra’s new house, a cute bungalow in Mercy Falls, but she wanted the entire mess over. In fact, she’d met with Ella yesterday, and Ella had suggested she make a statement and file an affidavit about the events she saw, and agree to testify against Blackburn. In the event that he showed up to face his crimes.

She couldn’t put her life on hold forever, thank you.

“Put the fork down and let’s dance.”

She looked up to see Ned Marshall grinning down at her. He indicated the way she was playing with the uneaten frosting on the piece of Ben and Kacey’s massive white wedding cake.

If anyone could make her forget the limbo in which she lived, it was Ned Marshall. Tall, dark hair, amber brown eyes, with the kind of smile that stuck around inside a girl.

Ned made her feel safe in a you’re-not-defenseless kind of way, as if he trusted her to take care of herself but stayed close enough in case she couldn’t.

The fact that he’d driven twenty hours to show up for the reception . . . maybe she hadn’t been dreaming the connection they shared this summer during the search for his brother and others.

A connection that continued, via phone calls and texts and Skype, since she returned to Minneapolis, then moved to Montana.

“I thought you’d never ask,” she said and took his hand, found it warm and strong and everything she needed it to be as he led her to the floor.

Onstage, Ben’s newest Mountain Song Records artist, Joey McGill, twanged out a cover of one of Ben’s songs.

When you need a friend

A shoulder you can cry on

Someone who understands what you’re going through

Just look over here, see me standing closer

Ned pulled her close, his hand on the small of her back. Despite his small-town Minnesota roots, his husky, cowboy fragrance enveloped her. He had worked for the past five summers fighting fires out west—although this summer he’d been sidelined by an injury—and had the body to prove it, with lean, strong legs and wide shoulders. She hung on as he two-stepped her around the floor.

Gage and Ella swayed together in the center of the room, and it looked like Ty was trying to teach Brette a few steps near the corner of the dance floor. Shae nearly didn’t recognize Brette, with her hair now in a bob below her ears. Something else was different about her too, but Shae couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe it was just the joy that radiated out from her, the way she looked at Ty with such warmth that probably they didn’t even notice the nip in the October air.

She’d spotted Pete earlier, dancing with some blonde, but she noticed the girl now sat alone at a table, watching the crowd. Shae remembered Pete from her time in Mercy Falls. Very hot, very reckless, the kind of heartbreaker Ian had told her to stay away from.

Apparently he hadn’t changed his ways despite what went down with Jess in Miami over a year ago.

Shae grinned at Sierra, caught in Ian’s arms, her short dark hair pulled back in a headband. She’d worked for two tireless months to pull together tonight’s party, mostly without Kacey and Ben’s help, thanks to Ben’s summer festival schedule.

With Ty now helming the chopper at PEAK, Kacey had spent the better part of the rest of the summer in the front row of Ben’s concerts, honeymooning between gigs. They’d even purchased their own RV and flown Audrey out to join them.

They’d all arrived home a month ago for Audrey to start school and to finally make Ian’s old ranch house their own.

Yes, it was time everyone just calmed down and went on with their lives.

If only Shae hadn’t overreacted, if she’d just trusted Ian and the law, hadn’t panicked and taken her safety into her own hands, maybe she could have saved them all years of heartache.

Years gone by, my eyes are dry

But the echo of my heart won’t tell a lie

I’m coming home to the one I love

Second chances, given from above

Second chances. Maybe, finally.

Sam and Willow danced by, a brilliant solitaire engagement ring on Willow’s finger. She remembered Willow from her high school days. A hippie at heart, free-spirited Willow seemed exactly the right match for serious Sam Brooks, although Shae only really knew the deputy from her days with Dante and the few run-ins Dante had with the local law.

Sweet, misunderstood Dante James, her first real love.

Shae shook her head. Not now. She’d fought her regrets, her demons long enough. Lifting her face, she caught Ned’s eye, and he smiled down at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes that made her laugh.

Yes, second chances.

The song ended, and he twirled her out, dipped her, and his lips brushed her neck.

She giggled as he righted her and he threaded his fingers between hers. “Want to take a walk?”

“Mmmhmm,” she said, returning to her chair for her jean jacket.

They stepped outside, and the night turned magical, the stars so close she could pluck them free if she climbed the black, craggy horizon. The Milky Way ran a trail of diamonds to forever, and a pale moon had risen to light the way.

Ned pulled her close, his body heating her as he headed toward the chopper parked outside for the festivities.

“What do you have in mind, Ned Marshall?” she said, but let him pull her along.

They’d nearly reached the chopper, but whatever sweet mischief Ned had planned halted when she heard the voice, rising from nearby.

“I realize I owe you a conversation, but . . . what, are you dating her?”

Shae stilled, searched for the voice, and spied the source.

Jess Tagg was here? Shae remembered the EMT from a year ago, when they’d searched for Uncle Ian and Sierra, lost in the Caribbean. Jess stood outside the barn in a ring of light, her blonde hair shiny and her arms folded over a simple black dress over a white blouse with puffy sleeves. And across from her, Pete, in dress pants and a crisp white shirt rolled up to his elbows.

“No—she’s just a friend—” Pete raised his hands as if frustrated.

“That you were kissing!”

“You’re engaged, Jess. What was I supposed to do—wait forever? You made it pretty clear what you wanted.”

Jess must have been crying because her hand went up to wipe her cheek. “I’m not engaged, Pete. You can’t believe everything you hear or read on the internet.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t just read about it. Ty told me. And frankly, he’s a pretty reliable source when it comes to your secrets. And, by the way, I can hear silence pretty well. I haven’t heard from you . . . in almost a year, isn’t it? And you show up tonight, hoping that I’ll just sweep you into my arms like nothing has happened?”

Jess’s voice dropped, but it still carried in the wind. “You promised you would.”

“Let’s talk about promises, shall we, because the last thing you said to me was, I’m coming back, I promise.”

“And?” she snapped. “I’m here. Right now. I’m here. And you’re kissing someone else.”

Ned veered them away from the spectacle. “That’s not pretty.”

“I think there’s some history there,” Shae said. But the romantic mood had shifted. Ned must have sensed it because they meandered away from the chopper, toward the parking lot. He led her to his truck. After putting down the tailgate, he lifted her onto it.

“That’s better,” he said, his face close to hers. “I really missed you.”

“Me too,” Shae said, and when he bent, she lifted her face to meet his kiss, decadent with the taste of summer and longing and new beginnings. She had settled in to let him deepen the kiss when she heard the hiccupped breath, a noise of surprise. Shae broke away from Ned to see Jess walking past, averting her eyes.

“Sorry,” Jess mumbled.

“It’s okay,” Ned said.

But Shae slid off the tailgate. “Jess, you okay?”

To her surprise, Jess, the one who had held her together during those desperate days when they all thought Ian was dead, looked completely unraveled. Eyes reddened, her jaw tight, she shook her head.

“I’m an idiot. A complete fool.” She pressed her hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

“Can we help?” Ned sounded genuine and not at all like he might be miffed at being interrupted.

Jess looked at them, as if considering their offer. Then, “No. I just need to see if Willow will let me take her car home. She met Sam here, and . . .”

“I’ll drive you,” Ned said. “C’mon.”

See, Shae could seriously fall for a guy like Ned.

“Are you sure?” Jess said, relief in her eyes.

“Yes.” Shae went around and opened the door to the passenger seat. After a moment, Jess acquiesced and climbed into the backseat.

Shae hopped in the front, and Ned fired up the truck, backed out.

“I know you heard the fight,” Jess said.

Shae glanced at Ned, said nothing.

“It’s not his fault—not really. Pete didn’t know I was going to be here. And I wasn’t sure he’d be here either. I . . . hoped so, but . . .” Jess took a breath. “Sorry. I’m just babbling.”

Ned turned onto the highway toward Mercy Falls.

Silence, and apparently Jess surrendered to the need to fill it. “It wasn’t fair, what I did to him. I just . . .” She sighed. “It’s probably too much to think he’d forgive me.”

Shae couldn’t help it. “So, are you engaged?”

Silence, then, “Not right now.”

Shae frowned but noticed Ned’s movements, as if checking out the car behind him. “What’s the matter?”

“I think that truck is following us.”

Shae turned in her seat. Made out, through the darkness, an older truck, the lights round and barreling down on them. “Well, he is too close—oh.” Her snarky reply vanished as the truck suddenly sped up. “It’s going to—”

The truck rammed them. They jerked hard, her words turning into a scream.

“What the—” Ned shouted. He pushed the gas pedal down. “He’s trying to run us off the road.”

“Who is it?” Jess said.

Blackburn? But Shae’s brain couldn’t turn that fast. She was too busy sweeping up her phone.

The truck moved up beside them.

The speedometer hit ninety, and she turned cold.

C’mon, Uncle Ian. Maybe she should have called 911.

Ned’s lights carved out the road, and Shae could see the Mercy River running alongside the pavement down in its canyon.

“Hang on!”

The truck came at them again.

Jess screamed. Metal crunched and Ned pounded the brakes, tires squealing. They hit the ditch, bouncing hard in the dirt. The truck sped out ahead.

Ned did a U-ey and floored it back along the highway, putting distance between them and the truck.

“Ian’s not picking up!”

Jess had her own phone out. “Pick up, please.”

“I don’t know what he’s driving, but he’s got more under the hood than I have.” Ned glanced in the rearview mirror.

Shae jerked around.

The truck’s lights blinded her a second before he slammed into them. Ned fought as the truck took control, shoving them forward.

“Hang on to something!” Ned yelled as the truck bullied them sideways. He stood on the brakes, tried to turn the wheel.

The ditch launched them. Shae screamed, reached out for something—anything—found the dash, Ned’s hand, maybe. They landed on the passenger side with a bone-crunching jerk. The momentum, however, shoved them over toward the river.

Heat exploded through Shae, her entire body on fire as they flipped.

Then the world turned dark as the truck rolled and rolled and rolled . . .