He grinned. “I think we should leave them on. They give you a dangerous look.”

“You’ve seen me in cuffs before, Joe Simmons. Back when you planted a gun in my shed and ran off my dog. Take them off.”

He chuckled and knelt beside me.

“How’d you know we were here, anyway?”

“Mason. He’s on his way, but he knows that Abbie Lee has no love lost for you, and he was worried she’d take it out on Neely Kate. He figured I could get here first.”

“Abbie Lee?”

He grimaced. “Deputy Hoffstetter.” He finished removing the cuffs and helped me to my feet.

“This wasn’t my fault, Joe.”

“It never is.” He didn’t sound as amused this time.

An ambulance pulled into the parking lot with its lights flashing, but no sirens, thank goodness. Two men got out, looking around. Deputy Hoffstetter pointed toward us, her mouth pinched.

Neely Kate walked back and handed Joe his phone, her expression much more relaxed. “My doctor says as long as I feel okay, there’s no need to worry unless I start to cramp or bleed. He said it’s a good thing I’m not very far along.”

Joe didn’t look convinced. “The ambulance is already here. I’d feel better if you went to the hospital.”

She shook her head. “Dr. Miller said there wasn’t any need to go in.”

The two paramedics sauntered up to us. One was tall and skinny, and the other was shorter and stockier with a trimmed beard. The taller man had a spot of what looked to be chocolate on his chin.

“Hey, Neely Kate,” the shorter guy said, scanning the crowd. “Where’s your grandma?”

“It’s not her grandmother, you fool,” Joe said, irritated. “It’s Neely Kate herself who needs the ambulance.”

Neely Kate shook her head, pointing to his chin. “Really, Tiny? You stopped at the Burger Shack again?”

He swiped his chin with a thumb, looked at it and licked. “We heard your name and thought it was your granny, so we stopped off for sundaes first.” Tiny looked her up and down. “You look fine. What’s wrong with ya?”

“I am fine. It was a mistake.”

Joe’s eyes narrowed. “Let me get this straight. You received an emergency call, and you stopped for ice cream?”

The shorter medic shrugged. “Like we said, we heard Neely Kate’s name and assumed it was her grandma’s heartburn again.” He turned his attention to my friend. “If you don’t need us, we’re gonna get going.” He looked at his watch. “If we can make it to the Wild Chicken before two, we can still get some fried pickles.”

She gave him a blank stare for a second before she said, “Yeah. Go get your pickles.”

Joe shook his head as he watched them leave. “I’ll look into that, Neely Kate.”

She shrugged. “In all fairness, my granny cries wolf all the time. I’ve warned her that it’s gonna reach up and tweak her in the hiney.”

“There’s no excuse. You could have been gravely injured.”

“I wasn’t.” She shrugged again. “But thanks.”

“And speaking of bad behavior, there seems to be a lot of it going on today.”

I was sure Joe was going to start making all kinds of accusations against me, but to my surprise he kept his gaze on Neely Kate.

“I apologize for the deputy’s behavior,” Joe said, looking her in the eye. “A few witnesses have told her that they saw Ms. Stone open the truck door and pull you out. That she attacked you and you were merely trying to get away.” Joe scowled, shooting an angry glare at the deputy. “Add in the fact that both of you and several witnesses told her about your pregnancy, and she failed to see to your safety, and . . . well, let’s just say this matter will be addressed.”

Neely Kate didn’t seem to know how to handle a Joe who was looking out for her safety. She was too used to being angry with him.

Joe turned his attention to me. “The real question is, what did you say to set her off?”

“Me?” I shouted. “Why do you assume it’s me?”

“Isn’t it always? I have a group of older women who all corroborate that you came into the community center to talk to one Ms. Tabitha Stone, the suspect who allegedly attacked Neely Kate. Do you deny it?”

And here I thought he was actually being nice for a change. “I’m not saying another word until my attorney gets here.”

“You can’t use the man who’s gonna file charges against you as your personal defense attorney.”

“Who says I need one?” I lifted my eyebrows. “I thought you said the witnesses said we were completely innocent.”

“The witnesses said Neely Kate was completely innocent. You, Rose Gardner, rarely are.”

Neely Kate snorted.

I gave him an indignant look. “I’m waitin’ for Mason.”

Mason arrived five minutes later. As soon as he got out of the car, his gaze scanned the growing crowd until it landed on me.

Joe was talking to a group of older women, but he watched as Mason made a beeline toward me and Neely Kate. As soon as he reached me, Mason pulled me into a tight hug and looked over his shoulder at my friend. “Are you girls okay? Neely Kate?”

“I’m fine, Mason,” Neely Kate said. “Really. I’ve called the doctor, and he says not to worry as long as I don’t notice any problems. Thanks for sending Joe.”