The next weekend was Lindsey’s baby shower, and Celina’s mother had volunteered to keep Emma since the party was to take place during her nap. Celina gawked as Gabe parked along the street in front of Tyler and Sissy’s gorgeous home. “This is Sissy’s house?” Celina asked in wonder. “Yeah, Tyler is a doctor, remember? And Sissy is an interior designer, and she does well. She always loved this house.” “Oh, yeah. You said she helped decorate your house,” Celina recalled. Gabe jumped out of the truck and ran around to open Celina’s door. Holding out a hand for her, he said, “Just wait till you see the inside of her house.” Celina couldn’t take her eyes off the mansion. “I can’t imagine.” Gabe grabbed the gift out of the back seat, and they walked up one side of the half-circle drive in front of the house, passing parked cars that lined the paved way. Ian sat in the driver’s seat of one parked truck, his elbow hanging out the open window. Gabe stuck the present under one arm and pro

GABE. Rhonda whispered from the chair beside him, “I’ll take her home and put her to bed.” Her eyes were bloodshot, and her voice shook. Emma slept in his arms, curled against his chest. It was a quarter till nine, and the sun had set outside the hospital window. She hadn’t had a nap today, and the excitement along with any minor aches and pains she might have from the wreck had zonked the little girl out. Gabe watched Emma sleeping peacefully. “Just a few more minutes, please?” He wasn’t ready to let her go after the scare she’d given him today. Rhonda didn’t object. Celina was in ICU, and though visiting hours were over, neither of them wanted to leave. They’d asked about the gentleman driving the other vehicle earlier, and it seemed he was recovering well. He’d gone into a diabetic coma and was being monitored. A few minutes later, a doctor made his way into the waiting room. They were the only ones still in the ICU waiting room, and they both stood. Gabe held Emma tight in hi

One Year Later “Bring it home, Em!” Gabe yelled from the field. Celina stood, howling and clapping as Emma pumped her arms and legs as she careened toward home plate. Celina’s parents, as well as Gabe’s, were all in attendance at every game. Emma’s cheer team packed the stands each week. It was her first year playing softball, and Gabe was her team’s coach. Emma made her way back to the dugout to congratulations and high-fives from her team. With the extra practice she got most afternoons with Gabe, she was shaping up to be a star player at the young age of five. When the cheering of the crowd subsided, Celina took her seat again. The first trimester of pregnancy was exhausting, and her body reminded her often. Gabe caught her attention a few minutes later as he walked back toward the dugout and made a motion as if he were drinking from a cup. Celina rolled her eyes and lifted her thermos in the air. The thing was huge and excessive, but it kept Gabe happy. He was always fussing

Twelve Years LaterSaraSara slowed her steps as she neared Andrew Spiker’s office. The Spiker Law Firm was small but conveniently located adjacent to the Cherokee County Courthouse in downtown Carson. Andrew was an old high school friend, and it seemed he was doing well for himself.Sara jammed the pad of her thumb into the sharp edges of her front teeth. The small bite of pain distracted her from the gnawing worry she felt in her middle.She could’ve refused to come, but curiosity killed the cat. She was only human, and she couldn’t live the rest of her life without knowing why Mr. Garrison had asked her to come back here. Enough years had passed that any threat to her life had grown dormant but not died. The men she hid from had been securely locked up or scattered to the four winds for over a decade, and that should’ve been a comfort to her.The door was heavy, but she pushed her way into the office where a familiar face awaited her.Tracy Sawyer sucked in an excited breath and st

IanThe truck door slammed, locking Ian inside the silent cab. He missed his old truck. The door had creaked and protested with the scrape of metal on metal each time he’d taken out his frustrations on it. His new, luxury pickup was a joke.Ian shoved the gear into reverse and peeled out of the parking spot without hesitation.The stop sign not twenty feet from where he’d parked really took the heat out of his storm-and-run, but he used the pause to call his friend, Jake. The one he’d now refer to as the Keeper of Secrets.Jake’s voice pounded through the speakers of Ian’s truck after the first ring. Deputy Jake Sims was always on alert.“What’s up?”“Oh, nothing. I’ve just been informed that I’m the first line of defense for a ghost. Anything you wanna tell me about Liz Jennings, brother? Or should I say Sara Williams?”There was a pause on the line before Jake stammered, “Um, I…”“Save it,” Ian barked. “Meet me at the hardware store.”“Now?” Jake asked.“Now.”“Yes, sir.” Jake liked