My anger singed my ears. “Do you have a point, Chief Deputy Simmons? Because I’ve made it crystal clear that I had nothing to do with this.”

“What does Mason say about this?” He continued to study me, the bruise on his cheek a painful reminder that Mason was involved in all of this too.

“What do you care what he thinks?” I spat out.

He leaned closer, hatred in his eyes. “I don’t give a flying flip about Mason Deveraux, but I do give a flip that he’s putting your life in danger. Does he even try to stop you?”

I put my hands on my hips. “Unlike you, Mason sees me as a grown woman, perfectly capable of making my own decisions.”

“So he encourages you in your foolishness?”

I threw my hands up in the air. “What the hell are you talking about, Joe? I was minding my own business when the bank was robbed, just like I was minding my own business when Muffy found that poor man’s body. How in the world does that constitute Mason encouraging me to put myself in danger?”

His jaw locked. “Don’t you stand there and lie to me, Rose Anne Gardner. You’re the one who’s always busted my ass for keeping secrets and telling lies and you’re doing the exact same thing to me now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you talked to Toby Wheaton in the bar last night.”

The blood in my face rushed to my toes.

His eyebrows lifted and a grin tipped up his mouth, but he didn’t look all that amused. “That’s right. I actually saw you and Neely Kate talking to him. Did you do it because I’d questioned him earlier in the day? What were you asking him?”

My outrage exploded in my chest. “You were spying on me?”

“Call it what you like. Someone has to keep track of you, and Mason’s obviously not doing the job. He was sitting on his ass in the next room.”

“How dare you!” I shouted, not caring that we now had the undivided attention of the two other law enforcement officials. “I don’t need a keeper, Joe McAllister! I need a man who’s going to love me for who I am without belittling my every move. Who’s going to respect my decisions and judgment and not make me feel like an idiot because I’m not doing things his way.”

“You are putting your life in danger. I don’t know how to get that fact into your thick head!” His voice rose, echoing around us. I hoped to high heaven Mason hadn’t heard him at the farm, half a mile away.

“Do you have any other questions, Deputy? Because I’m done discussing my personal life with you.”

“Goddammit!” He grunted, then he took a deep breath. “Get in my car now.”

My eyes widened. “Why?”

“I’m taking you in for questioning.”

My chest tightened and I had to force my words. “For what?”

“Whatever I feel like, now get in the damn car.”

I took a step backward. “No.”

His eyes hardened and he glanced at the two men who were standing twenty feet down the road, now openly gaping at us. “Don’t make me pull out my handcuffs.”

“You can’t handcuff me for no reason. You told me that yourself when Momma died.”

His jaw clenched and he forced out through his clenched teeth, “Try me.”

I was close to panicking. I’d obviously pushed Joe over an edge I hadn’t noticed and I had no doubt he’d arrest me just to prove he could. But I was also enraged. He was clearly using his power to pursue his own personal vendetta. He had no grounds for arresting me. Even if he thought I was investigating the robbery. But most of all, I was terrified of Mason’s reaction if Joe actually brought me in to the station. He’d be on Joe’s turf and I’d be locked up and unable to help him.

Tears filled my eyes. “What do you want, Joe?” My voice broke as I fought to keep from crying.

My tears softened him. He took a step closer and reached an arm around my back, but I shrugged him off. “You do not get to threaten to arrest me and then put your arms around me.”

He lowered his arm but stayed close, tenderness on his face. “Rose, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I still love you. Would you be able to just stand back and watch someone you love do something you knew would get them into trouble?”

I didn’t answer, pressing my knuckles to my mouth.

“I’m not going to arrest you.” He slowly reached a hand to my arm and rubbed lightly when I didn’t pull away. “I’m only trying to get you to listen. You’re so stinking stubborn, sometimes words don’t get through to you.”

“I want to go home.”

“Okay, let me wrap things up and I’ll take you.”

I lifted my gaze to his, my back stiffening. “I walked here with Muffy and I’ll walk back.”

A hard look filled his eyes. “I’ll drive you.” His tone made it clear he wasn’t going to back down.

“Fine,” I grunted.

“But I can’t go yet. It’ll be five to ten more minutes.” He looked up at the cloud-darkened sky. “Are you cold? Do you want to sit in the car?” His voice softened and he sounded more like the Joe I had known over the summer. The one who would come see me for the weekend, sweeping me up in his arms and spending every possible moment with me before he had to leave again on Monday morning. We’d been our happiest then, and it made me sad to remember those days. It occurred to me there were so many versions of him. Which was the real one?