Willa fumbled with her keys as she stood on the side-entrance patio at Daleigh and Ryan’s place. The couple had purchased an old Victorian home on the Perquimans River, right on the edge of town. It was close enough that Willa could walk there and enjoy the other homes along the tree-lined street in the process.

Willa had knocked on the door, but, when she heard no answer, she found her keys and let herself into an area that had been a library at one time. Now it was a home office for Daleigh and the independent record label she’d started.

Willa had begun working as her assistant and social-media manager a year ago. She liked the job for many reasons, but mostly because it gave her flexibility to be with Trevor. Plus, the twenty-five-hour work week was more accommodating for her ever-changing schedule.

“Hello?” Willa stepped onto the wooden floor and deposited her purse on the desk that served as her workspace.

“I’ll be right there!” Daleigh called from the other end of the house.

Willa sat down, ready to start the workday. Today she needed something to distract herself. All she’d been able to think about was how much she missed Trevor. Occasionally—and unfortunately—thoughts of Declan entered her mind as well.

She could hardly believe that after all these years he’d come back to this area. And of all the places he could move, he’d picked the house beside hers. Had he known that she lived there before he signed the lease? Why would he do that?

This was exactly what she didn’t need.

Declan Donovan was what she didn’t need.

“Good morning, Willa.” Daleigh appeared, her hair still wet from the shower. She absently rubbed her swollen abdomen, and her face beamed with pregnancy glow. “How are you holding up today? You dropped Trevor off this morning, right?”

Willa shrugged, hating the fact that she felt so sorry for herself. But she did. “I’ve been better.”

“Missing Trevor?” Daleigh’s gentle Southern accent rolled through the air.

“You could say that.” With Trevor gone, she felt like she was missing a part of herself. They’d been inseparable for the past four years. She fought the tears that threatened to escape. Letting go was so hard.

Daleigh squeezed her shoulder. “Oh, honey. I know it must be difficult. But I’m sure he’s having a blast.”

“He’s stronger than I give him credit for.” Willa knew that was true, but it didn’t do anything to change the fact she wanted to always protect him. And that protecting him would be exceedingly harder to do as he got older and desired more independence.

An hour later, Willa’s ears perked as deep voices sounded outside. One of them was her brother’s and the other sounded like . . .

Her head snapped up as the door opened.

Declan Donovan stood there with Ryan.

Yes, this day could get worse and more complicated faster than Mildred’s pecan pie disappearing at the church’s annual homecoming picnic.

Her cheeks flushed when she saw him. She recalled how she’d halfway hoped that, if she ever ran into him again, he wouldn’t have aged well. Why couldn’t he have a middle-age spread, a balding head, and a soft neck?

Declan nodded a greeting to her as he stepped into the room, Ryan following behind. The two of them had been good friends forever. Except Willa didn’t realize they’d kept in touch after Declan moved away. She hadn’t bothered to ask and hadn’t really wanted to know.

“Afternoon, Sis.” Ryan tapped her shoulder as he walked past her on his way to Daleigh.

“Morning.”

“Hello to you too, beautiful.” He gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. “How are you feeling today? Can I get you anything?”

“I’m fine,” Daleigh said, her eyes lit with warmth. “Now, stop fussing over me.”

“Never.”

Willa smiled. She loved the tenderness of Ryan and Daleigh’s relationship. The two of them made being in love look so effortless and easy. It made Willa miss being married. Miss being loved and part of a couple.

Ryan turned back to Willa, his eyes traveling from her to Declan and back. “I heard the two of you already ran into each other.”

Willa swallowed hard. “We did. We’re neighbors. Surprise, surprise.”

“Small world, isn’t it?” Ryan nodded toward another desk. “Why don’t you have a seat there, Declan? This will be your space.”

Willa’s eyes widened as she tried to compute what was happening. She couldn’t possibly be understanding this situation correctly.

She turned to Declan, her gaze inquisitive. “You’re working here?”

“We’re bringing him on as security for a little while.” Ryan planted himself in the middle of the room like a referee about to negotiate a fight.

Her eyes widened even more as concern ricocheted through her. “Security? Why do you need security? Is something wrong?”

What was she missing here? Apprehension started to envelop her.

“Calm down.” Daleigh raised her hands. “No problems. We’re just taking precautions.”

“Why?” Willa demanded, a sick feeling trickling into her stomach. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“The world is getting crazier.” Daleigh’s voice sounded calm as she explained. “There are out-of-control fans out there. And with the tour coming up soon, we just want to be careful.”

Before the baby came, Daleigh was doing one last concert tour. It would be for only one month, and she would hit fifteen cities, mostly on the East Coast. After that, she was taking a year-long sabbatical with the baby.

Willa wanted to believe that Ryan and Daleigh were just being careful, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to do so. She felt certain there was something they weren’t telling her.

“There’s more to this,” she persisted.

“You worry too much,” Ryan said.

“You don’t worry enough,” she countered.

He released a long breath and glanced at Declan. Something unspoken passed between them. Finally, Ryan said, “The truth is, I’ve been concerned about those threats I’ve gotten lately. I know they may be nothing, but I want to be on the safe side.”

Alarm coursed through her. “Those notes you’ve been getting with the generic language? I had no idea they had shaken you up. You said there was no need to worry.”

“We just want to take precautions,” Declan said, his voice as cool and in control as ever. “The notes were vague but unsettling.”

Had someone threatened Daleigh? Her baby? Was the upcoming tour a target?

That’s what it must be.

Willa could hardly stand the thought of people she loved being in danger. So maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to have Declan here after all. She could deal with him . . . if it meant not losing someone else she loved.

Guilt pounded at Declan as he sat at his temporary desk. He wanted to tell Willa everything—especially about the photos with her face crossed out. But he’d promised Ryan that he’d only share what was necessary.

The best thing he could do right now was to try and track down the person who was responsible. That was going to be a task within itself, especially considering there was so little evidence.

He wrote down a list of traits he projected the sender to have. The guy was probably uneducated. Older. Bitter. Had a grudge. Had a family member who’d suffered in some way.

Ryan said that the police chief had sent off a couple letters for fingerprint testing. The prints hadn’t matched anyone in the system. Meanwhile, Ryan had never seen anyone leave the notes. There was no postmark or any other indication of who the sender might be, other than the mention of a brother.

With no suspects, it was going to be hard to stop this guy unless Declan caught him in action.

His attention turned to Willa as she stood and grabbed her purse. “I think I’m done here for the day.”

He stood also. “I was just wrapping up to leave as well. Can I walk with you?”

She eyeballed him suspiciously. “How did you know I walked here?”

She was still just as observant as ever. That was a good thing, especially given the current situation.

“I didn’t see your car out front,” he told her.

She studied him another minute before nodding and silently conceding. “I suppose I can’t stop you if you’re walking at the same time and in the same direction.”

He’d take it. He grabbed his stuff and waited for Willa to do the same. After they told Ryan and Daleigh goodbye, they stepped into the bright sunshine outside. Summer was in full swing here in eastern North Carolina.

A fruit stand was set up on the corner, and fresh watermelons and tomatoes beckoned a picnic. A family strolled past with ice cream cones. The mailman walked by with a bag full of letters strapped over his chest, waving hello to everyone he passed.

Slowly, Willa and Declan fell into step beside each other. An awkward silence stretched between them. There were years hovering there—years and years of unspoken conversations.

“This town pretty much looks the same.” He started with a safe enough topic. And he was telling the truth. So few things had changed. Some of the businesses had closed and new ones had opened in their place. But, otherwise, Declan almost felt like he was stepping back in time.

“It pretty much is the same. Jean Jenkins still yells at you if you cut through her yard and trample her grass,” Willa said with a small smile.

“I’ve been guilty of that many times.”

“Even though I weeded her garden for free, that still hasn’t absolved me of her evil stares.”

Declan smiled. The woman had told Willa that she needed help with her garden. Willa felt sorry for her and had agreed to help. Willa hadn’t realized that the garden wasn’t the one in her backyard, but that the woman had subleased land on a nearby farm. A whole acre of it.

Still, Willa had kept her promise and helped Ms. Jean.

“You were the town sweetheart after that,” Declan said. “No one could argue with that. In fact, you may have achieved sainthood.”

She shrugged as they continued walking. “It wasn’t that bad helping her out. Just a little bit of a bigger project than I’d thought.”

Willa had always been one to help others, one who let her compassion overrule her own desires and plans at times.

“The drugstore has a new owner,” Willa continued. “He’s a younger guy named Doug something or other. He’s probably in his early thirties. But he’s doing a good job. And you can still get a cone of ice cream for less than a dollar.”

“It’s a bargain. I paid six dollars for a cone when I went to Ocean City last time.” Though he’d tried to sound lighthearted, his chest panged as his sentence faded. He’d been there with Sarah. It had been one of their last trips together.

“There’s also a new police chief in town,” she continued. “Joshua Haven.”

“We didn’t go to school with him, did we?” he asked.

Willa shook her head. “No, but he married Charity White. Do you remember her?”

“I do. It would be hard to forget her after what happened to Andrea . . . I’m glad the family finally has some resolution.”

A crime dating back more than a decade that involved both Charity and Andrea had recently been solved. In the process, it made national news.

Memories of growing up here flashed back, complete with Tim McGraw singing “Live Like You Were Dying.” They were in the country—in God-fearing, dog-owning, gun-toting territory. And there was nothing wrong with that.

“There are some charms to small-town living,” he said.

She glanced at him. “But I guess you liked the big city. DC, right?”

So, she’d known where his last assignment was. “That’s right. It was exciting up that way. But, after a while, the pace can wear on you. It’s nice to slow down.”

“How long are you in town?” The question almost sounded strained. Or was it strangely hopeful? More like, “How long until you leave?”

“Maybe a month or so. I’m not sure. I just need some time to breathe.”

They turned from Main Street onto Willa’s street—and now his street also, he supposed. For a while, at least.

Willa slowed and turned toward him, concern in her eyes. “Declan, tell me the truth. Is Daleigh in danger? Is that why you’re here?”

The depth of worry in her eyes only made this harder. “It’s a safety precaution.”

“You keep giving me that spiel. I want the truth, not a sanitized version of it.”

He swallowed hard. “Ryan is worried.”

“Well, I guess so. I don’t want anything to happen to Daleigh either. I can’t even bear to think about that.”

“I’m just going to help keep an eye on the situation.”

She finally nodded, as if accepting his answer. They paced a few more steps and stopped in front of Willa’s house. Declan glanced at the home, noting the wheelchair ramp built to the side of the porch.

His muscles went rigid when he saw something out of place.

“Did you leave your front door open?” he asked.

Willa’s eyes widened. “No, of course not. Since the break-in last week, I’ve been especially careful.”

He stepped toward the house. “Stay here while I check things out.”

And he knew Willa was shaken because she didn’t even argue.