The squeals of excitement made my heart burst even more, and I reached up and gave Mason another kiss.

“When?” Neely Kate asked, bouncing with excitement. “When’s the big day?”

“This spring,” I said. “Out at the farm with everyone. It’ll be a party.”

“It will be a celebration,” Maeve said, sounding subdued. “A celebration of overcoming the insurmountable.”

Mason grabbed my hand and squeezed tight. “As always, my wise mother is right.”

“You two go enjoy your night,” Maeve said, making a shooing motion. “Muffy is fine, and Neely Kate and I are making bread, although she’s taken to wearing it as well. We’ll have a loaf waiting for you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Mom,” Mason said. “We just couldn’t wait to share the good news with the two of you.”

“Congratulations!” Neely Kate shouted as Mason hung up and put the phone into his pocket.

He looked down at me with the type of hunger that food wouldn’t satisfy. “I know we’ve barely had our champagne, but let’s box up the cake, pay the bill, and go home.”

My skin flushed. “Yes.”

He flagged the waitress down and asked for the check while I spun the band around on my finger. Some of the frosting was still on the band, making my skin sticky.

“While you pay, I’m going to go to the restroom.”

“Okay. I’m going to ask Randy if he’ll follow us home. Just to be on the safe side.”

“Oh, good idea.”

Both of us stood, and Mason took me into his arms and gave me a soft kiss. “Thank you for agreeing to be my wife.”

“I can’t wait to become Rose Deveraux.”

A huge grin spread across his face, and I kissed him again, grabbed my purse, and headed down the hall. As I passed the entrance to the bar, I saw someone I thought I recognized in my peripheral vision, but when I backtracked a few steps to look in the bar area, whoever it was had already left. I shook off the sensation that something wasn’t right and headed to the bathroom. The one-person restroom was empty, so I used the toilet and then washed my hands, rubbing on the back of my band to get the rest of the frosting off. I didn’t dare take it off, worried it would fall down the drain.

After I dried it off, I lifted my hand, examining the design of the ring. It was much more detailed than I’d realized. The larger center diamond was probably about one third of a carat, with two smaller diamonds on either side. But carved into the metal were tiny swirling roses. It was so beautiful and thoughtful. The fact that he’d had it made for me made me love it and him even more. But now that the joy and excitement of the moment had dissipated a little, a cloud of guilt hung over my head.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. All I could see was the face of a liar. I couldn’t help thinking that I wasn’t the woman he thought he was marrying. He considered me sweet and fairly innocent, untouched by the criminal world. But even without Skeeter, it had left its mark. My stint as the Lady in Black had changed me more than I’d ever anticipated.

As I stared at the frightened woman in the mirror, I struggled with what to do. Part of me insisted it wouldn’t be fair to marry him without telling him my secret. I couldn’t bear for him to be blindsided by the truth if it ever came from someone else. He deserved to hear it from me. And besides, he would get his old job back, whether here in Fenton County or somewhere else. He needed to know.

I’d tell him. But not tonight. Tonight I was going to go home with the man who adored me, make love to him in our bed in the farmhouse—the most loving home I’d ever known—and bask in my happiness, however fleeting it might be.

I took a deep breath and assured myself this would all work out. I just had to believe it.

I picked up my purse off the counter and pulled out the burner phone. I nearly dropped it when I saw a text from an unknown number.

I will meet you tomorrow night. 10 pm. Name the place.

It was on.

This was good news. Despite my fear, I was hopeful. My vision indicated that Mason would die before the weekend. I hoped to God this meeting would save him.

Feeling better about the whole thing, I opened the door and headed into the hall, ready to go home with Mason. But as soon as I left the bathroom, I noticed the hallway was much darker than it had been before. A moment of confusion made me stumble, and it was exactly then that someone grabbed me from behind, pulled me against his chest, and put a rag over my face.

My adrenaline kicked in, and I fought like a banshee and screamed into the rag as he dragged me backward down the dark hall. I scratched at his arms, but he had on a black leather coat. He was taller than me, and he was pretty solid too. But I only had a few seconds to register that because a sweet, chemical smell filled my nose, and as my lungs begged for a breath, I sucked in a lung-full of something cold. My arms and legs began to go numb, and every one of my senses was fading. In a last-ditch effort to save myself, I reached back and sunk my nails into his cheek, digging deep.

He cursed under his breath, and that was the last thing I remembered before my legs collapsed and everything faded to black.

Chapter 22

I woke up with a massive headache and my face pressed to a leather seat. My hands were secured behind my back, a cloth was tied over my mouth, and I was in the backseat of a moving car. A heavy blanket covered my body.

Panic made me lightheaded, and I resisted the urge to scream. It would be better if my captor thought I was still passed out. I was lying on my stomach, and from the way I was positioned, my face was tilted in the direction of the backseat. Somewhere along the way, I’d lost my shoes.