“She knows something, Mason.”

“I agree, but when I went to question her, she denied it all.”

“You went to her?”

He hesitated before turning back to face me. “Yes.”

I wanted to tell him that he should have told me, but I wasn’t so sure that was true. He had always kept county secrets from me—it was a part of the job—and I suspected this fell into the same category.

“Anything else I need to know?” I asked, standing next to the chair.

He studied me for a moment, his gaze softening. “Don’t give up on me, Rose.”

I wanted to ask how long my exile would last, but I didn’t have the courage. Maybe he was just trying to let me down easy. After hearing Violet’s news, I wasn’t sure I could handle more heartbreak.

I made my way to the door and grabbed the knob, but before I could leave, Mason stepped up behind me, his chest pressed to my back, and wrapped his hand over mine.

“Wait,” he said, his voice rough.

I pushed out a breath and closed my eyes, preparing myself for the worst. I considered forcing a vision to find a way out of this agonizing limbo, but I couldn’t make myself do it. I wasn’t ready to face the answer.

“I miss you so much it hurts,” he said, pulling my hand away from the door.

“I miss you, too,” I forced past the lump in my throat.

His hand slid slowly up my arm, then moved down to my waist, lightly skimming my abdomen as he lowered his face to the nape of my neck.

I froze, afraid to move and break the spell.

He slowly turned me around, his eyes full of pain, and it killed me to know I’d been the one to hurt him. That I had been the one to destroy us.

But despite how much I regretted this distance between us, I wasn’t sure I would have done anything differently if given the chance. My Lady in Black alter ego had not only saved our lives, it had also gotten J.R. arrested. How could I regret that?

Mason’s hand pressed against the small of my back, and I lifted my hand to his shoulder, waiting to see where this would go, not daring to hope that he’d changed his mind.

He lifted his hand to the back of my head, and his face lowered to mine. His mouth was soft and tender, and part of me wondered if it was a kiss goodbye.

“You asked me to not give up on you,” I whispered. “Are you giving up on me?”

He gave me another gentle kiss and then lifted his head. “No. I want this to work out, but I still need time. That’s not a line to placate you.”

I nodded, looking down. “I just want to be prepared.”

He was silent for several seconds, and then he lifted my chin and his eyes searched mine. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

My eyes widened. “Really?”

“We can talk things over.”

“Oh.” That sounded ominous.

“How to fix us.”

Hope blossomed in my chest. “Okay.”

“Can you do a late dinner? I’m pretty busy here.”

“Yeah,” I said, still looking into his eyes. “Do you want to come out to the farm?”

Indecision flickered in his eyes. “No. Let’s go out.” He glanced at his desk, then back to me. “How about we drive up to Magnolia and eat someplace there? Can you meet me here at the courthouse steps at 7:30?”

“Yeah.”

He leaned down and gave me another kiss, his thumb softly brushing my cheek. “I love you, Rose.”

“I love you, too.”

He dropped his hold on me, then reached around to open the door. Before I could slip through it, he leaned toward my ear and whispered, “Call Jed and tell him not to follow you when you’re with me. He can pick up tailing you when you get back.”

I glanced over my shoulder at him, taking in his grim expression.

“It’s all right,” he said. “Remember? I arranged it.”

I gave him a nod, then walked out, grateful that Kaylee was on the phone.

Mason had told me to call Jed, but that meant he still had his thumb in the underworld, which would only drive a wedge deeper between us. But I had no idea how to resolve it—or if it could be resolved.

Chapter 5

Clouds had rolled in while I was inside the courthouse, bringing a chilly wind. But I couldn’t have this conversation in my office with Neely Kate around, so I sat on a bench on the main square and pressed the speed dial button on my phone.

“Is everything okay?” Jed answered, sounding worried.

“You’re watching me right now, aren’t you?” I asked, sounding more accusatory than I’d meant to.

“Deveraux told you?”

“No, Carter did. And then Mason told me that he’d called Skeeter. Why is everyone still treating me like some fragile glass sculpture?”

“Deveraux asked Skeeter not to tell you, Rose. If you have a beef with anyone, it should be your boyfriend.”

I groaned. Jed was right, but I understood why Mason had done it. I would have refused Jed’s protection in an effort to prove that my days as the Lady were over. “Mason is taking me to dinner up in Magnolia tonight. I’m meeting him here at 7:30. He’s asked me to tell you that you don’t need to watch me while I’m with him.”

“Unfortunately for Deveraux,” Jed spat out, “I don’t take my orders from him.”

My mouth dropped open.

“Don’t look so shocked. He may have called Skeeter, but you had to know that Skeeter was already on it. He’s no fool. He knows you’re still a target.”

“You really don’t like Mason, do you?” I used the pause in our conversation to scan the square for him. It was like a real-life game of Where’s Waldo, except Jed’s outfit wasn’t nearly as obvious. I finally spotted him in the window of Merilee’s café, a coffee cup in his hand.

He lowered his cup when he realized he’d been spotted. “No, I don’t. Putting aside the fact that he and I are on different sides of the law, I don’t like how he’s treated you. He’s either with you, or he’s not. You deserve better than that.”

I looked away and nodded. While I understood why Mason needed time, I could see Jed’s point, too.

“So while Mr. High and Mighty thinks he can give me the night off, I don’t give a shit what he wants. I take my orders from one man.”