The day after Emma’s incident—what did they call it this time? the computer lab incident?—Gavin told himself he had every right to be angry at Kat and it was none of her business what he did in regards to his daughter. She didn’t know Emma’s history. How could he explain that the three times he had taken Emma to therapy, his daughter would become so panicked afterward that it was like talking a person off of a mental ledge? Every time had been worse than the time before. After the third therapist, Gavin had vowed never to put Emma through that ever again.He told himself that as he got Emma to go to sleep the night after this incident. He told himself the same thing a day later, even though guilt had started to niggle at him. The day after that, he told himself he’d maybe been a little harsh, but he’d still been well within his rights to tell her to back off. He couldn’t think about the look on her face, or how he’d probably screwed up everything with her already, and as he did work a

Gavin realized the irony that was his life when he wanted the woman who was currently staying at his apartment and driving him crazy. Not because she was a bad houseguest. No, she was the ideal houseguest, he had to admit: clean, quiet, and she cooked. But it was seeing her walk around his apartment, seeing her toothbrush next to his on the bathroom counter, and smelling her scent everywhere that drove him insane. It was like having a wife again.And he really, really didn’t need to think of Kat as his wife.It didn’t take long for word to get around town about what had happened. Joy had stopped by Gavin’s to see Kat, and Adam had also dropped in, asking if they could help in any way. Soon it seemed like everyone in town wanted to help: Grace, Jaime, even Gavin’s parents, along with every person who had ever talked to Kat. Her coworkers from school stopped by in droves, bringing casseroles and other dishes, hugging Kat and offering her various condolences. And then, of course, there

“Dad, I can’t wake up Mom. Please come home.”Gavin had been at work when Emma had called him after finding Teagan unconscious on the bathroom floor. As he’d left work, he’d called 911 and prayed to every deity he could think of that his wife wasn’t already dead.“I’ll be there as fast as I can. Can you go to the front door and make sure to open it if the police get there before me?”He didn’t want to think about how calm his seven-year-old daughter was in the face of this trauma, or how he had to ask her to be there to let the paramedics in to help Teagan. He didn’t think about anything as he drove home. Anger roiled through him with such intensity that at a stoplight, he had to lay his forehead on the steering wheel to catch his breath.How could she do this? he couldn’t stop thinking. It was the mantra running through his mind when he arrived home to see an ambulance with its lights flashing out front and a fire truck not far behind. It was the thought that wouldn’t leave him wh

Gavin had been in a bad mood for days. The worst part of it was that he was well aware that it was his own fault, so he walked around with a metaphorical cloud over his head, constantly raining down on him. Despite his best efforts, Emma noticed and asked him what was wrong, but how could he tell his daughter what had happened with him and Kat? So he’d told her it was just the gloomy weather and left it at that, although his daughter was way too perceptive to take him at his word.The weekend before Halloween consisted of getting River’s Bend ready for its Halloween festivities. The vineyard hadn’t done much in the way of celebrating in the last few years, but with the good harvest this year, Adam had decided they should celebrate as much as possible. When Gavin entered the vineyard’s main building, the entire front room was decorated with pumpkins and gourds, bats and skeletons, and he had to wave away fake cobwebs to get to Adam’s office in the back.“He’s not in yet!” Kerry, the f

Gavin had never driven so fast in his entire life. He gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, praying and begging anyone listening to keep his daughter safe.Emma had to be safe. She was most likely hiding somewhere, and they just hadn’t found her yet. Rage at the school bubbled over, and he didn’t realize he’d accelerated until he almost ran himself off of the road. He forced himself to slow down, even as it felt like hours before he’d reach the school when it was only across town.After Gavin had left River’s Bend, Adam had assured him that he’d follow behind him as soon as he found Joy so she could help in the search. Gavin had hardly listened to his brother. Adam could bring the entire family if he wanted, but Gavin wasn’t about to wait around for them all, either.How had the school lost his daughter? Again? He wanted to throttle someone. He wanted to demand why everyone at that damn school couldn’t keep track of one little girl. If she had gotten hurt, or worse…He to