My mind spun around to Skeeter—where was he, and why was J.R. Simmons so determined to destroy him? J.R.’s motive for wanting Mason dead was a mystery too, though I understood why he’d arranged for him to lose his job.

I would do everything in my power to protect them both, even though I knew the price would be steep.

With any luck, J.R. Simmons would be the one to pay it.

Chapter 8

I ended up falling asleep in bed before Mason and Muffy came back inside, so it wasn’t until the next morning, over breakfast, that I filled Mason in on what Neely Kate had discovered. “She says she’d recognize the courier again if she saw him. Do you think Randy could get some mugshots for her to look at?”

“I’ll ask him. Now what’s going on with the safe?”

“She thought her cousin would be able to open it last night, but I haven’t heard from her. He might not have been available.”

“Let me know as soon as you hear,” he said. “And I think I’ll text Neely Kate to see if she has Nita’s phone number. I have a few follow-up questions. I was thinking I’d drive up to Little Rock to find out what happened before our meeting Friday night. I need to know how it got turned on its head. It must have taken quite a bit of finagling to get the meeting switched up like that, especially that quickly, so I’m hoping the speed of it led to sloppiness. Maybe there’s something there that will help implicate J.R.” He paused. “I’m also going to see if I can come up with anything about Glenn Stout. It’s probably a wild goose chase, but I’ll already be there.”

I stood and took my plate to the sink. “Sounds like a good idea.” I was worried about him being up there by himself. Little Rock was only two hours away, but two hours would seem pretty cotton-picking far if he found himself in mortal danger. Still, he had a shot at getting some helpful information, and we needed all the support we could get.

Mason grabbed his plate and followed me. “But I don’t want to leave you.”

“I’ll be fine, Mason.” I took his plate and turned on the water. “In fact, I’m meeting Neely Kate for lunch.”

He took the plate from my hands and put it in the sink, then turned off the water and spun me around to face him, my bottom against the counter. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Carter Hale himself said you should lie low. We have no idea why your bail was posted. You need to be careful until we find out.”

“You both need to stop worryin’. If the person who did it wished me ill, they would have been waiting for me when I got out. They’re gonna leave me alone.”

His frown told me he wasn’t so convinced. “What about J.R.? He could pull something else.”

I reached up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “Neely Kate and I will be in public. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

He pursed his lips but remained silent.

I gave him a soft smile. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

His mouth tipped into a wicked smile. “Your demonstration this morning was a good indication.”

“I felt bad about falling asleep before you came to bed last night. What were you and Muffy doin’ out in the barn?”

“Just looking around.”

“For hours?”

“I thought Dora might have hidden something out there.” He released a huge sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “It was more than I was getting accomplished on my computer.”

“No luck with Crane Industries?”

“No.”

Muffy jumped up on my legs, and I picked her up and rubbed behind her ears, surprised she was gas-free. “Your daddy’s headin’ to Little Rock and leavin’ us for the day. You gonna keep me company when I get back from lunch?”

Something flickered in Mason’s eyes.

“What?”

“You just called me her daddy.”

“Oh.” I blinked. “Do you not like that?”

“I love it.” He stroked Muffy’s head. “It makes us a real family.”

“We are a real family, aren’t we?” As though to show her agreement, Muffy reached up and licked his hand. “See? She loves you.”

Mason wrapped his arm around my back and held me close, Muffy pressed between us.

“Mason, if we don’t … if I go to prison—”

“Rose. Stop.”

I looked up at him. “Will you promise to take care of Muffy?”

“Of course. I love this little dog.” His intense eyes bored into mine. “But you’re not going to prison.”

“I know I’m not,” I said, mostly to appease him, “but it’s like life insurance. You know, just in case.” I set Muffy down, then reached up and pressed my palm to his cheek, soaking in the sight of him. “I want to have another vision of you.”

Worry wavered in his eyes. “Do you think that’s a good idea given how the last one turned out?”

“You’re going two hours away from me. I need to make sure you’re gonna be safe.”

“Okay.”

Keeping my hand on his cheek, I closed my eyes and thought about what he’d be doing tomorrow night. A restaurant appeared in my mind’s eye. The vision was from Mason’s perspective, and I was sitting across the table from my future self. The me in the vision was dressed fancy—my hair was up, and I had on a slinky wine-colored dress. Love and pure joy swelled through Mason, filling every part of me as I beamed at Vision Rose in the warm candlelit atmosphere. The vision quickly faded, and I said, “You’re going out to dinner with me tomorrow.”