Melissa left work at three the next day. Anna had done a great job closing up while she was in Seattle, so she decided to have her close at least twice a week from now on. This gave her a few hours to herself that she could spend on finishing her mystery and then she and Jack could ride to trivia together when he got home.

Roger was happy to see her and she took him out for a quick walk around the yard. He was a good dog, very lovable, and she was getting used to his enthusiastic greeting whenever she got home. She would miss him when he and Jack moved out. Once they were back in the house, she grabbed her laptop, made a cup of green tea and settled into her favorite living room chair. It faced the back slider, so she had a nice view of the back yard. Roger flopped at her feet and she reached down to give him a pat. She spent the next few hours immersed in her story and jumped when she heard keys in the front door. The time had flown by.

"How's the writing going?" Jack asked as he stepped inside and Roger ran over and threw himself at him.

"Hey, buddy, ready for a walk?"

"It's going good." Melissa stretched and stood up. "I didn't realize how late it was. I haven't moved from that chair since I got home. Except for a quick walk with Roger, but he's probably ready to go again."

"I'll take him out and then we can head out whenever you're ready."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the ranch restaurant for trivia. Everyone was already there—Jaclyn and Simon, Bernie and David, Lily and Cody and Wade and Clark. Melissa had met David's doctor friend a few times now and liked him quite a bit. He reminded her a little of Jack. They were both too handsome for their own good and very personable. They slid into the two empty seats and Melissa sat next to Wade.

"Where's Maddie tonight?" she asked.

"She and Vivian are having a girl's night with Violet and Sadie. They left me all alone. So here I am."

"Well, we're glad of it," Melissa said with a smile.

"Jaclyn, did you take home the trophy?" Jack asked.

"Yes! Of course I did, thanks in part to all of you." Jaclyn was beaming and Melissa was happy for her. She really did work magic in her kitchen and seemed to enjoy it so much.

Barbi came by a moment later and took both their drink and food orders. They really didn't even need the menu as they always ordered the same things.

"It seems unusually busy tonight," Melissa commented as she glanced around the packed room. All the tables were filled and people were two or three deep at the bar.

"We've been at full capacity for the past week. A lot of people come for the fair and stay for the music festival this weekend."

"At the fair?"

"Yes, like the two bands we saw the other night but this weekend, it goes all day Saturday and Sunday. They bring in some well known acts and it's very popular."

"That might be something to do this weekend, if you're interested?" Jack asked.

"We are probably going on Saturday. Come with us!" Lily said.

"I wish we could go,” Bernie said. “We have a dinner we can't get out of."

"I'd love to go. A whole day of music sounds great," Melissa said.

Their pizza was as good as usual and even with more teams playing, they still did well and were in first place going into the last question. However, on the last question, they could easily lose it all as they could bet any amount and most teams bet everything. They usually held a few points back in case they missed the question, but this time there was a team only one point behind, so it was too risky to not bet everything. The category was movies, which most of them felt pretty good about.

"Okay, everyone, here's your final question." Arthur, the trivia leader, paused for dramatic effect. "Who's the only actor to receive a best acting nomination for a performance in any of the Star Wars movies?"

This one seemed too easy. Everyone agreed that it had to be Harrison Ford. Everyone except Jaclyn. "That doesn't seem right to me. But I'm afraid I don't have a better option. I hope I'm wrong."

Melissa felt uneasy as Jaclyn handed in the slip with their answer. They waited eagerly as Arthur prepared to announce the correct answer.

"Most of you put Harrison Ford." He looked around the room. "That is not correct." There was a collective chorus of groans throughout the room. "The only actor to receive a best acting nomination for a performance in any of the Star Wars movies…was Alec Guinness. Only one team got it right. Congratulations!"

"There's always next week," Jaclyn said as Barbi set a glass of Chardonnay down in front of Melissa, who still had almost half a glass left.

"I didn't order another glass of wine," Melissa said, wondering if she'd meant to deliver it to a different table.

"I know. It's from that fellow at the end of the bar, the one waving. He said you'd be glad to see him." Melissa felt her stomach flip as she glanced over at the bar. As Barbi said, he was sitting right there, waving. It was Cooper. Melissa felt Jack tense up beside her. He and Wade exchanged glances and they both stood up at once.

"We'll be right back. Stay here," Jack said. Melissa noticed a muscle twitch in his jaw.

She watched with dismay as the two of them started walking toward Cooper. Everyone else at the table looked confused by what was going on.

* * *

Jack had to force his hands to unclench as he and Wade walked toward Cooper. He fought back the strong urge to pummel the guy. Jack wasn't a fighter, but he could understand what led people to go there. Cooper leaned back in his chair and smiled smarmily as they approached. He was smaller than Jack had imagined he'd be. He'd seen his picture, of course, as it was at the station, so he'd recognized the perfectly groomed dark brown hair and face. But he'd expected him to be broader, bigger. This guy was maybe five ten, if that, and on the lean side. But as they drew closer, he sat up taller and looked every bit the cocky lawyer that he was.

"Gentlemen, is there something I can help you with?"

"You shouldn't be here," Jack said simply.

"It's my understanding that you have a restraining order against you," Wade added.

"I've done nothing wrong. I'm keeping my distance from the lovely lady. I even bought her a drink just now to show that there are no hard feelings. Quite a gentlemanly thing, if I do say so myself."

Jack glowered at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Here as in the restaurant? I heard the food was good."

"No, on the ranch. Why are you here? We're completely sold out," Wade added.

"Yes, it was tough to get a room, but your lovely receptionist called me a few days ago when you had a cancellation. Excellent customer service, I might add."

"You're staying on the ranch?" Wade asked. His expression of disgust mirrored what Jack was feeling.

"Yes, in one of your nicest cabins. Your best one, I was told. The Copper Cottage."

Wade looked even more furious by this news. "How long are you staying?"

Cooper smiled. "I haven't quite decided. My visit is open-ended for the time being."

Wade opened his mouth to say something then changed his mind. Jack guessed he wanted to throw Cooper out but couldn't legally do so just because he didn’t want him there. It was frustrating.

"Listen, if you came for Melissa, she doesn't want you here," Jack said firmly. "She and I are married and I work for the local police department." He paused and then added, "I know all about you. I've seen the restraining order, which is fully in force here. She's moved on—you should, too."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm just enjoying a nice vacation in a beautiful area." Cooper polished off the last sip of his beer and threw some money down on his tab. "Well, it's been great chatting with you both, but I'm done for the evening. If you could excuse me?" He slid off his stool and both Wade and Jack stepped back to let him pass. Jack kept an eye on him to make sure he headed straight for the door and didn't go near Melissa. He didn't. He strode off confidently and was gone moments later.

"What do you make of that?" Wade asked.

"I don't like it one bit, especially that he's staying here."

"I know. Believe me, I'd love nothing better than to throw him out, but my hands are tied."

"Until he does something." Jack said what they were both thinking.

"Unfortunately, yes."

* * *

Melissa could sense the worry and fear from everyone at the table. They stayed quiet until Jaclyn spoke. "Jack and Wade won't let anything happen. He'll give up soon and head back to Boston, where he belongs. Then you can get on with your life." She seemed so sure of it. Melissa hoped fervently that she was right.

She wondered what Jack and Wade were saying to Cooper. The body language of all three men was so tense. When Cooper got up and started walking away from the bar, she held her breath until she was sure he wasn't coming her way.

When they returned to the table, Melissa tried to thank them both but Wade didn't let her get a word out before he was apologizing.

"I'm so sorry about that, Melissa. I didn't realize that he was staying at the ranch. We're completely booked solid so it never crossed my mind that it was a possibility."

"Jack asked me to check a few days ago and he wasn't staying here then." Bernie looked upset for her.

"He was smart enough to ask to go on a waiting list," Wade said. "And he probably said he'd take anything. The Copper Cottage is our biggest unit, and our most expensive."

"He's staying there? That's just wrong," Lily said. Melissa knew from hearing the others talk that it was a beautiful cottage, far too big for one person and too nice for him.

"He still has a restraining order, though, so he can't contact you or come too close to you. He won't be able to go into your store, if you're there," Wade assured her.

"Technically, that is true. But people break those orders all the time." Jack looked at her and she saw the concern and anger in his eyes, the worry for her, and was touched. "Not trying to scare you, just a reminder to be aware of your surroundings at all times. I don't think he's going to leave until he talks to you. That's my gut impression. He didn't even bat an eyelash when I told him we were married. He must have already heard the news somehow."

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready to call it a night," Jaclyn said as Barbi set down the bill for the table. She set the gift card on it that they'd won the previous week and before anyone could put money down, Wade grabbed the check and gave the gift card back to Jaclyn. "Save this for the next time you all come in. It's on the house tonight." He looked at Melissa. "It's the least I can do. I can't apologize enough for allowing him to stay here. We could have stopped it, if we'd known he was trying. It should have occurred to me that he might."

"This is not your fault, at all," Melissa assured him. They all thanked him and everyone left together. Melissa was quiet on the ride home. She was feeling shaken from seeing Cooper again. It had been so long and she'd really hoped that she'd never see him again. Seeing him next to Jack really highlighted their differences. Jack was so big and rock solid. She was almost a full foot shorter than Jack but he never seemed too tall to her, she just felt safe and protected when she was around him. Not to mention how attractive he was.

Cooper was a good-looking man too, she had to admit that. She'd been attracted to him too, at first. He dressed well and there was never a hair out of place. He had a confidence about him that at first had been appealing, before she realized it was more cockiness than anything else. And he was a bully. She didn't see that at first, but she gradually became aware of how he spoke to those under him, even people he perceived as inferior such as waiters and waitresses. Not at first, of course. His manners were impeccable when they first started dating and he enjoyed fine dining.

But once he felt more comfortable and more sure of her, he let his guard slip and his true self emerge, and Melissa hadn't liked what she'd seen—his impatience with people who were doing their job as best they could, managing things that were out of their control. It wasn't the waiter's fault if the food took too long or was over- or under-cooked. But Cooper punished them for it.

She wondered, not for the first time, how she had ever ended up staying with him as long as she did. At first, she'd been glad for his attention. Melissa was always on the shy side, happy to spend time alone with her books, and at times feeling awkward and unsure of herself in social situations, especially when it came to men. She often froze up instead of flirting, so men found her aloof, even snobby, and moved on to women who were friendlier and who seemed more interested.

Cooper must have seen her as a challenge of sorts. Or maybe he thought she'd be a pushover because she was so quiet. He mistakenly assumed that meant she was meek and that he'd be able to push her around. Though for a while, she did put up with it. Mostly because it took her by surprise and confused her. He'd blow hot and cold—sweet and considerate one moment, cold and distant the next and at first she thought she was at fault, that she must have done something wrong. And she still felt guilty, too, as if she'd let herself down by not getting out of the relationship sooner.

"Stop it," Jack said, almost as if he was reading her thoughts.

"What?"

"Whatever you're thinking. You look deep in thought over there. None of this is your fault, you know."

"How on earth did you know that?"

Jack sighed. "I've seen this before, remember? It's so common for women to blame themselves. Think they did something to bring this on or blame themselves for not getting out of the situation sooner. You did the best you could, and you did leave. That's more than many are ever able to."

"Thanks. I know that. I do. But it helps to be reminded."

Jack reached his right hand behind her and rested it on her shoulder, giving her a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"I promise, I won't let anything happen to you. This will all be over soon enough."

"I hope so. I really do."