Jed had been in the middle of a heated phone call when I’d left the building, but he’d hung up before I reached him. From the way he was leaning on the top of the car, it hadn’t ended well. He looked like he was pissed.

“Are you okay?” I asked as a gust of wind kicked up my dress and blew my hair into my face.

Jed straightened, his gaze landing on my face, and he gave me a soft smile. “I am now.”

I half-expected him to say it with a leer, not that he’d ever looked at me that way before, but his smile was genuine. It melted the frost of my earlier despair. Maybe having Jed with me was a good thing. I gave him a playful grin in return. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He hung the gas nozzle back on the pump and walked around the back of the car toward me. “It means I’m starving, and now that you’re back, we can get something to eat. What are you hungry for?”

I pointed at the truck stop behind me. “They have pizza inside.”

He shook his head. “I want real food. Are you up for stopping somewhere?”

“It depends,” I said slowly. “I can’t go anywhere too expensive. I have money, but I don’t know how long I’ll be gone . . . I need to make it last.” Then I remembered the bus stop. “Not to mention I owe you for your bus ticket and mine.”

He put his arm around my back, a gesture that felt more comforting than it probably should have, and steered me toward the passenger door. “We’ll work out all the details as we go,” he said as he opened the door for me yet again.

I climbed inside, and he shut the door behind me.

“Who were you talking to earlier?” I asked as soon as he got into the driver’s seat.

He turned on the car and steered us back onto the highway. “It’s not important.”

I decided to push it. “It looked important.”

He turned to glance at me. “It was Skeeter. We didn’t see eye to eye about something, but you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Was it about me?” Had Skeeter told him to spy on me?

He reached over and grabbed my hand, linking our fingers together. “No. In the grand scheme of things, it was about me, and it was a long time coming.” He shot me a look. “Mexican? Chinese? Steak?”

I was still in shock that he was holding my hand. This time he didn’t just squeeze it and pull away; he held it like it was something precious. This was by far the most intimate touch we’d ever shared. It suggested familiarity and fondness, not lust and desire. This was dangerous ground.

He mistook my silence and said, “Or we can get pizza, if you’d prefer.”

Should I remove my hand from his? For better or worse, I liked it. “Well, we are in Texas now. Maybe we should get Tex-Mex.”

“Tex-Mex it is.”

It didn’t take us long to find a restaurant, and it was early enough for dinner that we didn’t have to wait for a table.

After we ordered our food, Jed sobered. “How are you doin’ after talking to Kate?”

“Better now,” I said. It felt like we’d made our visit to the psych ward several days ago, not earlier that afternoon. “I was stupid to think she would tell me anything, but I had to try.”

“Do you think she knows everything, or is there a chance she’s guessing?”

I considered ignoring his question, but I didn’t get the impression he was trying to fit the puzzle pieces of my life together. More like he was asking out of concern for me. “She definitely knows more than I would like. If she went to Ardmore and started snooping into my life, Beasley wouldn’t be too difficult to figure out.”

“Is he one of the people you need to talk to about the azaleas?”

My eyes narrowed. “Why do you think I need to talk to anyone about the azaleas?”

“Because you’re ashamed of what it signifies. You need to know what Kate knows so you can do damage control. The best way to do that is to figure out who she—or the person she hired to look into you—talked to.”

“Why are you helping me?”

He gave me a half-shrug and half-grin. “I needed a vacation.”

“I’m serious, Jed,” I said, leaning forward. “Why are you doing this?”

He shifted in his seat. “The honest to God truth, Neely Kate, is that I don’t know. I’ve been asking myself that very question since I bought those tickets and got on the bus with you.”

“Did Skeeter tell you to tag along with me?”

He released a bitter laugh. “No. The opposite, in fact.”

My eyebrows shot up. “He wants you to come back? What about me?”

“The conversation devolved before we got around to you.”

“What happened?”

He looked like he was weighing his words before he said, “I suspect people have fed you bullshit most of your life, and I don’t want to be one of those people, so I’ll tell you even at the risk of scaring you off.”

My pulse picked up. “Okay.”

“Skeeter gave me an ultimatum. Either turn around and go back or not come back at all.”

“He fired you?” I asked in dismay and disbelief.

“Yeah.”

“You got fired for helping me, and you don’t even know why you’re doing it?” He was right. It sounded fishy as hell.

“He’ll change his mind,” he said, sounding bitter. “He always does.”

I blinked in surprise. “How many times has he fired you?”

“Maybe one too many.”

That answer worried me, prompting me to say, “You still haven’t explained why you risked Skeeter’s wrath to help me.”

He picked up a sugar packet and began to turn it in his hand. “Let’s say I really wanted that vacation.”

“A permanent one.”

He shrugged. “I’ve never had a vacation before. Maybe we should head to Florida when we finish in Ardmore.”

“We?”

“Why not? You’re not sure if you’re going back to Fenton County—”

“I never said that.”

He gave me a no-nonsense look. “You didn’t have to, Neely Kate. It wasn’t hard to figure out, just like I figured out that you were heading to the bus station.”

“You knew I was coming to Oklahoma.” It was a statement, not a question. I still hadn’t figured out the how of it.

“Before you took your first step down the porch.”

In hindsight, that duffel bag was a pretty obvious tell. “But how’d you know I was taking the bus?”

He put the sugar packet down on the table. “That part was a gamble, actually. I knew you were headed to Oklahoma, but I also know you don’t have a lot of money. We both know your car would never make it to Little Rock, let alone another state. If you were considering not returning to Fenton County, you would want to make the money last. The cheapest way to get to Oklahoma would be to ask a stranger for a ride, but I was hoping you wouldn’t resort to something so dangerous. The fact that you escaped the hospital by bus was additional evidence.”

I shook my head. “You saw me.”

“I almost didn’t. By the time I figured out your escape plan, you’d already run out the back door. I’d just gotten outside when I saw you getting on the bus.”

“How’d you know it was me?”

There was that grin again. “I’d recognize those sexy legs anywhere.”

I sucked in a breath, surprised he wasn’t hiding his interest.

He rested his forearm on the table, a nonchalant pose that didn’t quite match the hungry look in his eyes. “You made it painfully clear at the bus station that you don’t want to sleep with me—and I suspect I made it painfully obvious to you, when you were plastered against me, that I am very interested in sleeping with you. That being said, I respect your choice, Neely Kate. You are in full control of what happens on this trip. I’m not going to try anything, so you don’t need to be on edge. You have enough to be anxious about without worrying about fending off advances from me. Nevertheless . . .” He smiled at me again, and this time it was full of promise. “I’m a red-blooded man who has the eyes God gave him, and as long as I’m not being lecherous, I see no reason to hide my attraction to you.”

My body flushed. “And if I change my mind?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Then you’re in control of that too.”

My mouth parted in shock, but the timely arrival of our food saved me from having to respond. When the waiter left, I picked up my fork, ready to dive into my enchilada.

This time the interruption wasn’t so timely. My phone rang before I could take a bite.

“Do you think that’s Rose?” Jed asked.

“Yeah.” I could feel my heart pounding in my ears.

“Do you want me to go outside or to the bar so you can get that?”

I’d considered continuing my evasive maneuvers, but she deserved better, and if Jed was taking a no-secrets policy, I could at least be open with this. “No. Stay.”

I grabbed my phone out of my purse, answering the call seconds before it went to voice mail. “Hey, Rose.”

“Thank God.” She sounded like she was about to cry. “Where are you?”

“I’m safe.”

“And I’m grateful for that, but where is that?”

“Rose . . .”

“You said you’re taking care of things. What exactly does that mean? Does this have to do with Kate? Are you in Little Rock?”

I gave Jed a defeated look, but I couldn’t bear to hold his gaze, so I glanced down at my plate. “Yes, I saw Kate, but there are some other things I need to see to.”

“This has to do with your past, doesn’t it?” Her voice was teary again. “What is Kate holding over you? I’ll tell Joe, and the three of us can deal with it together.”

“No! Don’t call Joe!” I said in a panic. I hadn’t even considered the possibility that she would, which was pure carelessness on my part. I’d convinced myself well and good that I’d managed to outrun everything . . . so much so I’d lost my survival instincts. It was a wonder it had taken so long for my past to bite back. “He won’t understand.”

“Because he’s in law enforcement?” She paused. “I know you think we’ll turn away from you once we find out your deep dark secrets, but we won’t, Neely Kate. We love you. No conditions. No strings. Just come home, and we’ll face it together.”

“I can’t come home, Rose.”

“Ever?” She sounded panicked.

That was a good question. If things were as bad as I feared, I’d have more to worry about than how Rose and Joe would take the truth. I’d be evading a warrant for my arrest. “I don’t know.”

“You come home right now, Neely Kate Rivers!” she demanded in a voice so sweet it was almost comical. “You come home, and we’ll come up with a plan together. You can’t do this alone.”

“I’m not alone.”

She hesitated. “Who’s with you? Witt?”

I could see why she might think I’d turn to my cousin, but Witt didn’t know any more than she did. “No. Not Witt.”

“Then who?”

I looked up at the man across from me, and he nodded.

“Jed.”

Rose was silent for a second. “Jed? How did Jed end up with you?”

“It’s a long story, Rose, and I’ll tell you later. Once this is taken care of.”

“Come home, Neely Kate.”

It hurt not to tell her yes, especially since I loved the sound of that—home—but I knew I couldn’t give her what she wanted. Not yet. “I love you, Rose.”

“You let me speak to Jed right now!”

I held the phone down. “She wants to talk to you.”

He grimaced, but his lips were tipped up in a slight smile. “I heard.” He reached out and took the phone. “Rose.”

I heard her voice, although I couldn’t make out all the words, but it was obvious she was giving him an earful.

Finally, he said, “Rose. I’m watching out for her, and if you have any doubts, just remember how I watched over you.”

She was silent for about five seconds; then I heard her say something else, something much too quiet for me to hear.

He said, “I promise,” then handed the phone back to me.

“Rose,” I said when I returned the phone to my ear, “I know you don’t understand, but this is something I have to do.”

“I know.” Her voice broke and she sniffed. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

I started to cry. “Yes.”

“No,” she said insistently. “I don’t think you do; otherwise, you wouldn’t have run off without me. But you listen here: if you’re not back by next Sunday night, I will come to Oklahoma and find you and bring you back myself.”

“I never said I was in Oklahoma.”

“I’m no fool, Neely Kate Rivers. I will come find you. Do you understand?”

I laughed through my tears. “Yeah. I understand.”

“Promise me that you’ll stick with Jed.”

I glanced up at him. “I promise.”

“Good, because I can’t think of any other man I would trust you with besides Joe. So do what you need to do and come home.”

“I will.” Then I remembered one other issue. “What are you going to tell Joe?”

“What do you want me to tell him?”

I knew she wouldn’t want to lie. “Just tell him I had to go take care of some Rivers family business . . . which is true. Say that I took off and you didn’t know I was leaving until after I left.”

“He’ll probably call you.”

“I know. I’ll talk to him.”

“Good. He cares about you too.”

“I know. Now I have to go.”

I hung up and put the phone on the table.

“You okay?” Jed asked.

I nodded and picked up my fork.

Silence hung over the table for several minutes before Jed broke it with a question. “How long did you live in Ardmore?”

This seemed harmless enough to answer. “I’m not sure about the first time. We probably moved there when I was five or six and stayed until I went to live with my grandmother when I was twelve. The second time . . . nearly two years.”

“You moved back after you graduated from high school?”

I nodded.

“Why?”

I considered not answering, but in the scheme of things, this one seemed harmless enough too. “I kind of got lost with the whole Rivers family. They’re this big, loud, overwhelming group, and I felt like I could never get my footing. I needed to go somewhere I felt like me.”

“And you went to find your mother.”

I nodded. “But she was gone, of course.”

“Yet you stayed.”

I wasn’t sure how to explain. “You’ve lived in the same place your entire life. You know what it’s like to feel like you belong somewhere. I’ve never had that. Not until Rose.”

“Not even with Ronnie?”

I shook my head. “No.”

We fell into silence again and finished our dinner. Jed flagged down the waiter so we could pay our bill. I insisted on paying for my half of the meal. It was bad enough he’d put his life on hold—and gotten fired to boot. I didn’t really understand why he was doing so much for me, but I didn’t want to owe him any more than I already did.

We walked across the parking lot, and when we reached his car, I turned to face him before he could open the door for me. “I’m still trying to figure out why you’re here with me.”

“I told you.”

“No. Not really.” I wasn’t buying that he didn’t know. I suspected he was still hoping to get laid. “Are you coming with me in the hopes I’ll change my mind? You’ll exchange . . . what? Support? Driving me around? Paying for my bus ticket for sex?”

His eyes darkened. “Let’s get something clear right now.” His voice was so hard I nearly jumped.

“What?” I asked with a defiant look.

“You are not a whore. You will not be bought, by me or anyone else. Have I made myself clear?”

I stared at him in disbelief, and damned if tears didn’t burn my eyes. “You don’t know my past.”

“And it might be better if I don’t know, seein’ as we’re about to muck around in it. I might have to beat a few faces in, and I’m not sure you have enough money to bail me out.”

I smiled in spite of my tears. “Why are you so nice to me?”

“Because you’re worth being nice to. I don’t think you see what I see, Neely Kate.”

“And what’s that?” I asked against my better judgment.

“I see a woman so fierce she’d take on a man twice her size without a second thought. I see a woman who is willing to risk anything and everything to help her best friend. I see a woman so desperate to hold on to the few people who love her she’s willing to risk her life to keep them.” He gave me a sad smile. “I see a woman who deserves love more than anyone I know. I’m irredeemable, but I can help you.”

I stared at this man who felt as lost and hopeless as I did. I slipped my arms around his back and pressed the side of my head to his chest. “You’re not irredeemable, Jed.”

His arms tightened around me, but this embrace was different than the one at the train station. This one was about comfort and strength.

Maybe we could save ourselves together.