On some level Jaci knew that Elmer was keeping up a running conversation, but it was impossible to make out the words over the buzzing in her head. And thankfully the older man didn’t seem to expect a response as he coaxed her to drink the overly sweet coffee and eat one of the muffins she’d baked earlier that morning.

God, it seemed a lifetime ago.

Since then, a dead body had been found floating in a field. And a skull. The sheriff had dismissed her fears as if she was a whackadoodle. She’d endured a meeting with her mother. And her mysterious stalker had made a return, leaving one of his creepy lockets for her to find.

She didn’t know which was worse.

As she finished the muffin, however, the sugar kicked in and her shock began to ease. At least enough to be aware of the sound of the back door closing and Rylan moving to stand next to the sofa.

Tilting her head, she felt the familiar jolt of awareness.

The same awareness she’d felt when she’d returned home to see Rylan standing in her front yard. And again when she’d opened her eyes minutes ago to find him bending over her, his expression tight with concern.

Heck, she’d been aware of this man since she first understood the difference between boys and girls.

From a very young age, Rylan had been stunningly handsome. His features were finely chiseled, with a proud, aquiline nose and wide brow. His eyes had always been a fascinating shade of gold, but they were emphasized since his move to California, where his skin had been tanned to a rich bronze and his hair had been bleached to a light blond.

He also had the sort of body that made a woman itch to run her hands over every inch of his hard, perfectly sculpted muscles.

But it was his raw, male power that captured and held her attention. He had a potent energy that could fill a room and stir a woman’s deepest fantasy.

It was really no surprise she’d been plagued by a desperate puppy love for her gorgeous neighbor. Even when he’d made it painfully clear that he wasn’t, and never would be interested in her as more than a friend.

She was a young woman in a town where gorgeous men were few and far between. The only surprise would be if she hadn’t been obsessed with Rylan Cooper.

Now she grimly squashed her predictable response to his presence as she glanced toward the window. She could hear people moving around her porch, but she couldn’t see anyone.

“Where’s Mike?” she demanded.

Rylan’s gaze moved to the tray she’d set on the low coffee table, as if assessing whether or not he was satisfied with how much she’d managed to eat.

“He’s doling out duties to his deputies,” he at last said. “He’ll be in once he’s done.”

She frowned in confusion. “What duties?”

“Dusting for prints and taking pictures.”

“Pictures? Of what?”

“I asked Ed to photograph your driveway as well as the yard for any footprints,” Mike explained as he entered the living room, clearly having used the back door. “It’s a long shot, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Mike.” She managed a shaky smile as she watched her friend move across the room, taking a seat on the sofa next to her.

“Hey, Jaci.” He removed his hat, then reached to take her hand so he could give it a tight squeeze. “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you earlier.”

She wrinkled her nose. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“It does, but we’ll discuss it later,” he said. Mike was the sort of person who was always harder on himself than anyone else. He glanced toward the looming Rylan. “We’ll need some privacy.”

Rylan frowned, clearly not happy. “Why?”

Elmer moved to grab his son’s arm. “Come on, Ry.” Rylan dug in his heels. “No.”

Mike narrowed his gaze. “Is there a problem?”

“Yeah,” Rylan said, his jaw tight. “Jaci just suffered a severe shock. I’m not leaving her here alone.”

Mike scowled. “She’s not alone.”

With a firm tug, Elmer was urging his son out of the room. “We’ll be in the kitchen.”

Mike watched them leave before he turned his attention back to Jaci.

“Is there something I should know?”

She gave a slow shake of her head. Rylan had always been the sort of guy who stuck up for the underdog. He’d punched the local bully, Joey Burke, in the nose for picking on the younger boys. And risked his neck to save a baby duck that was trapped in an abandoned well.

Was he feeling some need to be her protector because she’d fainted?

Or was it a symptom of his guilt because he hadn’t believed her when she’d asked for his help all those years ago?

“I think the world’s gone insane,” she said.

“Me too,” Mike agreed. He sounded like his day had been almost as crappy as Jaci’s. Quite a feat. “Now tell me about the locket.”

Jaci gave an abbreviated version of her return home to find the necklace hanging on her doorknob.

She didn’t need to share her breathless reaction when she’d first caught sight of Rylan. Or her awkward haste to get rid of him, which explained why she hadn’t noticed the locket until she was just inches from the door.

Mike nodded, reaching beneath his jacket to pull out a small notebook and pencil that he’d no doubt bought at the local dollar store. In this area, cops had a limited budget. They had to trim costs whenever possible.

“Did you notice anyone when you were driving home?”

Assuming he meant after she’d turned onto the gravel road that ran in front of her house, she gave a shake of her head.

“No.” She stiffened as she recalled the SUV. “Oh.”

“What?”

“I thought I saw Blake, but I can’t imagine what he’d be doing out here.” She shrugged. “Besides, I spoke to Mother when I was in Baldwin and she mentioned he was flying back from St. Louis later tonight.”

A strange expression settled on his blunt features. “What about Christopher?”

“What about him?”

“Did you see him today?”

She stared at him in confusion. “I haven’t seen my half brother for almost two years, although I heard he’s back home,” she said.

Mike didn’t bother to write anything in his notebook. Instead he abruptly changed the direction of his questions.

“Is there anyone you can think of who would want to scare you?”

It was a question that had haunted her for years. “No.”

“Any enemies?” He held up a hand as her lips parted. “Even if you don’t think they would leave the locket?”

“No.”

“You’re sure?” he pressed. “You’re a beautiful woman with a growing business. That can make people jealous. Especially if they think your success has come at their expense.”

She forced herself to consider his words.

It was true that there had been a few local ladies who had their noses out of joint at the high demand for her pastries. And there had been at least two farmers who’d tried to pressure her into selling her grandfather’s land after his death.

But they certainly weren’t her enemies.

Well, not unless she counted her half sister, Payton. But she couldn’t make herself believe the younger woman would sneak around to try and terrify her. She far preferred being a bitch in public.

“I really can’t think of anyone,” Jaci insisted.

Mike tapped his pencil on the notebook. “There haven’t been any other threats?”

“What do you mean?”

“Strange phone calls? Letters? E-mails?”

She frowned with impatience. Why was he wasting time?

“Mike, we both know this isn’t about some neighbor who’s pissed off about me baking muffins or selling crafts in my garage. The locket has something to do with that body you found this morning.”

His lips flattened. “I don’t want to leap to conclusions.”

She flinched, disappointment slicing through her. How many times did she have to go through this?

First the fear. The knowledge some sicko was out there playing with her emotions. Then the pain at the realization that no one believed her.

“Right.”

She started to stand, only to be halted when Mike placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.

“Jaci, I’m trying to protect you,” he growled. “Something I can’t do if I don’t keep an open mind and investigate every potential threat.”

There was a sincerity etched on his face that made her heave a small sigh.

“I’m sorry.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. She felt chilled to the bone. “I just can’t believe this is starting again.”

His hand lightly glided over her shoulder and down her arm. “You know you can stay with me until we figure this out.”

It was tempting. Not only because she was a little itchy at the thought of remaining in such an isolated spot on her own. But because no lunatic would dare to try and get to her while she was in the protective custody of the sheriff.

Only the knowledge that she couldn’t hide in Mike’s house forever made her stiffen her backbone.

She had a life. And this was her home.

She wasn’t going to let the mysterious jerk steal either of them from her.

“Thanks, but I need to stay here,” she said.

He frowned. “Jaci.”

“I have Riff and Raff.” She overrode his protest. “I’ll make sure they stay in the house with me.”

Having dated Jaci, if only for a short time, Mike knew better than to argue.

“You have your grandfather’s shotgun?” he instead asked.

She nodded toward the narrow door across the room. “It’s in the coat closet.”

She didn’t like guns, but her grandfather had insisted she learn to shoot. If only to scare off stray animals.

“Keep it loaded,” Mike ordered, tucking away his notebook before he reached for his hat.

“I will,” she promised.

Mike stood, placing his hat on his head as he glanced toward the doorway leading to the back of the house.

“Do you want me to get rid of Cooper for you?”

She shook her head even as she wondered at the strange animosity between the two men.

Weird.

She would never understand the opposite sex.

“I can handle Rylan,” she said.

Her confidence didn’t come from any hope she could actually control her aggravating neighbor, but the knowledge he would soon walk out of her house. There was a good chance she wouldn’t see him again for months. Maybe years.

She pretended she didn’t notice the odd pang of disappointment.

Mike crossed the short distance to the front door. Jaci assumed that meant they were done collecting any evidence.

“You’re sure he’s not the one who left the locket?” he abruptly demanded.

“You mean Rylan?” she asked in surprise.

“Yeah.” The sheriff shrugged. “They stopped showing up when he left town and now he’s back.”

“They stopped when I left town,” she corrected, not believing for a second that Rylan had anything to do with the necklaces.

“Just keep your eyes open,” he warned.

Jaci made a sound of annoyance. Seriously, what was going on between the two men?

“I will.”

Mike was stepping out of the house when he paused to glance over his shoulder.

“One last question,” he said.

“What?”

“You didn’t happen to see Anne Dixon today, did you?”

It took Jaci a minute to place the name.

“My mother’s housekeeper?”

“Yes.”

She tried to think back. Most of the morning was a blur. She’d not only been rushed, but she had been distracted by the news of the dead body.

Still, she was fairly certain she hadn’t seen the woman who’d been a steadfast fixture in her mother’s house for years.

“No,” she said. “Why?”

“Just wondering.” His expression was unreadable. “Call me if you see or hear anything that bothers you. I’ll have Sid do drive-bys as often as he can.”

“Thanks, Mike.”

Waiting until he’d stepped off the porch and headed for his pickup, Jaci impulsively rose from the couch and moved to lock the door. It ticked her off that she no longer felt safe in her own home, but she wasn’t going to take foolish risks just to prove a point.

Until they found out who left the locket, she intended to take every precaution.

With a last glance out the window, she turned to walk into the kitchen. She found Rylan leaning against the counter, his phone in his hand as if he’d just finished a call.

A strange sensation swirled through the pit of her stomach. When they were young Rylan had occasionally stopped by to help her grandfather with changing the tire on a tractor, or repairing a fence. Just because that was the sort of boy he was. But she couldn’t remember him ever lingering in the house for more than a few minutes.

Now she felt as if he’d sucked all the oxygen out of the kitchen.

Like a black hole.

Regarding her with a piercing gaze, he jerked his chin toward the doorway behind her.

“Is O’Brien gone?”

“Yes.” She ignored the edge in his voice. Whatever beef he had with Mike was none of her business. She glanced around the small space. “Where’s Elmer?”

Rylan pointed toward a window overlooking the backyard. “He’s in the barn hosing off your two monsters. He claimed they knew him well enough not to take off a limb.”

A portion of the tension eased as a smile touched her lips. She adored her goofy dogs. Even when they were turning over her trash, or digging up her garden, or chasing the neighbor’s cows.

“They love your father,” she said. “He sneaks them table scraps when he comes to visit.”

“He misses Truman,” Rylan said, referring to their old golden retriever who’d died the year before.

Without thinking, Jaci stepped toward him. Almost as if she intended to wrap him in her arms to comfort him for the loss of his family pet.

Yeesh. She really was rattled.

Coming to a halt, she forced a smile to her lips. “I appreciate you carrying me into the house and sticking around until Mike could get here, but I—”

“Where’s your purse?” he rudely interrupted.

She frowned. “What?”

He straightened, shoving his phone in his front pocket.

“I’ve discovered that women always feel the need to carry around half their belongings whenever they leave the house.”

She grimaced. She really didn’t need him to point out he was an expert on women.

“You do realize you’re not making any sense?”

“We need to do some shopping,” he said, as if that clarified everything.

She started to give a shake of her head, only to abruptly remember that she’d gone shopping just before she’d returned home.

“Oh, I forgot my groceries.”

He held up a slender hand. “I got them off the porch while you were talking to O’Brien and put them away.” A boyish smile curled his lips. “Although it’s possible you might have to do a scavenger hunt to find them.”

She refused to be charmed. “Thanks. I need them to get started on my baking.”

“Nope.” He folded his arms over his chest. “The baking will have to wait. We have things to do.”

She made a sound of frustration. Couldn’t the man take a hint?

“What things?”

“We’ll start with buying an electronic surveillance system.”

“I . . .” Her words trailed away. Her instinct was to argue, but thankfully she wasn’t so stubborn she was willing to cut off her nose to spite her face. She’d just told herself that she was going to do everything possible to keep herself safe. And besides, she’d been planning on getting a security system since she’d started her small craft business. The only problem had been finding someone who was competent in setting it up for her. “Do you know how to install one?” she demanded.

His lips twitched. Had she said something funny?

“I can make this house as secure as the Pentagon,” he assured her.

“I don’t need anything that fancy, but it would be nice to know when a customer is waiting at the shop.”

“Trust me, I can do better than that,” he said dryly.

Hmm. A part of her wanted to say no. She’d spent a lot of time and emotional energy eleven years ago trying to convince this male she was being stalked by some pervert. Now she wanted to tell him that he could take his offer of help and shove it.

Then she gave a mental shrug. Her pride wasn’t worth being in danger. Besides, Rylan would soon be headed back to California. Why not take advantage of his expertise?

“I need to shower and change my clothes.”

“I’ll go get my dad’s truck and pick you up in half an hour,” he said, already moving toward the mudroom.