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J ohnny reached for Ashley’s hand and ran with her toward his house. Reaching inside his pocket, he pressed the remote button on his key fob to open the garage door. Neither of them spoke another word until they were buckled inside his Jeep.

“I’m a private investigator,” she admitted as he backed out of his garage.

“Figured it was something like that.” It still didn’t explain Caro’s insistence that Ashley might’ve been a dirty cop, but it was nice having at least one mystery solved.

“I didn’t just leave the force because I couldn’t pass my psych eval,” she continued. “I couldn’t bear sticking around while they butchered my partner’s history of selfless service. Police Detective John Bench was one of the kindest, most honest, and truly honorable men I’ve ever met.” The grief in her voice was unmistakable. “I would’ve rather died myself that night than live to see what they’ve put his family through.” She brushed at the wetness forming at the corners of her eyes. “They posthumously stripped him of his rank and awards. They took away his pension and life insurance. His widow got nothing,” she spat. “Nothing!”

Johnny wasn’t sure what any of this had to do with Farmer Monty’s hogs, but he figured she was working up to it. Instead of saying anything, he reached across the console for her hand.

It touched him deeply the way she didn’t hesitate to place her hand in his. It was icy from the cold outside. He closed his fingers around hers to warm them.

“I haven’t been able to sleep,” she continued in a rush. “I’ve barely been able to eat. The doctors keep telling me it’s because of the trauma, but I think it’s more than that. I witnessed something that night, Johnny. Something I wasn’t supposed to. Something I was supposed to write off as a figment of my tormented imagination in the middle of the horrors we endured.”

He tightened his fingers around hers. “I’m listening if you want to talk about it, Ash.” He sensed that she was finally ready.

“From the get-go, something felt off about the 9-1-1 call.” Her voice grew feverish. “It was the only time in my career I was sent on a so-called drug bust to a dairy farm.” Her voice grew thready. “We stepped into an ambush. Afterward, the only drugs anyone found were the ones on my partner’s remains. It was a setup, Johnny. I know it way down in the deepest parts of my soul. I just can’t prove it.”

Though he knew a thing or two about despair, he’d never heard that kind of despair coming from another person before.

She stared out the window in silence for so long that he squeezed her fingers again to reassure her. “What did you witness that night?”

“Martin was there,” she whispered. “In the days that followed, I assumed my brain had mixed things up…because of how close I came to dying.” She shook her head. “But Martin was no longer my happy place. He hadn’t been for a long time. Our relationship was undeniably on the rocks the night I almost left this world. I should’ve been seeing a bright white light. Not him.”

“You believe he was actually there that night?” Johnny didn’t like where this was heading.

“I do. I believe it with everything in me, but I didn’t know why until you mentioned his jaunt into dairy farming.”

“I’m afraid I’m not following you.” He wanted to, but the dots just weren’t connecting for him.

“My client found a file that revealed her late father was preparing to file a lawsuit against a big pharmaceutical company.” She painstakingly unpacked the details of her case for him. “In an experiment that he agreed to, they were injecting some chemical into the raw milk at his farm that was supposed to accelerate the rapid cooling process. But it didn’t. It introduced a new strain of genetically modified bacteria into the milk, completely ruining it for human consumption.”

That didn’t sound good to him. “What about hog consumption?”

She shook her head drearily. “My gut says the contaminated milk can’t possibly be good for any living creature. Unfortunately, Mr. Clark died before officially filing his case.” She pulled her hand away from his. “And now to find out that Martin is venturing into dairy farming hundreds of miles away from where he lives…it shook a few more details loose from my memories about that fateful night. If Martin was truly present at the so-called drug bust where my partner was executed in cold blood, then he’s somehow tied into this mess. He has to be!”

Johnny agreed, though he wasn’t convinced that a trip to Chester Farm was the next logical step. “You need to take this to the police, Ash.”

“I’m planning to,” she assured him. “Just as soon as I have proof.”

“Now, Ash,” he insisted. “Two men have already died.”

“Four men,” she corrected with a sigh.

They’d almost reached Chester Farm, but he laid on his brakes and yanked his Jeep to the shoulder. They rolled to a stop, and he engaged his emergency brake. “Give me one good reason why I should keep driving.” He had no interest in leading her into another ambush.

“For starters, we stand a chance of saving Farmer Monty’s life.” She gestured in agitation at the road. “Come on, Johnny! I don’t know how much time we have left before The Black Widow strikes again.”

He tipped his head back against the seat, stifling a groan. “I’m trying to keep up with you, Ash. I really am, but what in the world does a poisonous spider have to do with anything?”

“Sorry,” she muttered, sounding shamefaced. “That’s what I call her.”

“Who?” And then he knew. “Please don’t say Caro Madison.”

“Fine! I won’t say it.” She hunched herself closer to the door. “But she performed light housekeeping ,” she placed air quotes around the words, “for all three dairy farmers who allegedly offed themselves in Dallas. At first, I assumed she was up to her eyeballs in some sort of financial fraud scheme. You know how it goes with Black Widow crimes. The perp gets close enough to move the victim’s assets into their name. Then they eliminate the only witness.” She wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering. “But what if it’s more than that? What if all this stuff is related, and she and her associates are using her murderous crime spree to fund something even more insidious?”

“Like what?”

“Like a bioweapon, Johnny! One that has the potential to drop more bodies than any of us can imagine.”

That was a stretch for him to believe. He mentally sorted his way through everything he’d learned so far. “Once you drop enough bodies, you’re gonna bring the full firepower of the law down on your head, babe.”

“Not if you continue to make one crime spree look like a string of suicides and the other one look like a string of salmonella outbreaks.” Her voice grew desperate. She was grasping at straws, and she probably knew it.

“That’s an awful lot of dots to connect, babe.”

“It’s what highly trained police detectives do.” Her voice faded back into discouragement. “Unfortunately, this one couldn’t pass her psych evaluation, which neutralized the viability of my eyewitness report.”

“Which places your ex at the crime scene,” he drawled, hating that detail most of all.

“That’s why I need rock-solid proof.” She pointed at the road ahead of them. “Please, Johnny! This is the whole reason I came into town.”

Her admission made his heart sink. “I’ll take you there under two conditions only.” He leaned past her to open the glove compartment and draw out the Glock he rarely traveled anywhere without. He stuck it in the back waistband of his jeans. “Number one. We’ll take everything we find to the police. Today.” That part was non-negotiable with him. “Number two. You’re giving me a full two-month notice before you skedaddle out of town after this is over.”

Her lips parted. “I think you meant to say a two-week notice.”

“No, I did not.” He knew he was being unreasonable, but he didn’t care. The thought of her leaving Heart Lake without a forwarding address made his chest ache.

“Two months, huh?” She studied him in troubled silence, making him wonder like crazy what she was thinking.

“Yep. Those are my terms.”

“Since you’re holding the keys to the Jeep, you’re not leaving me with much choice.” She bit her lower lip.

“Do we have a deal, Ash?” He held his breath while he waited for her answer.

“We do.” Her voice was clipped with irritation. “Just drive.”

He pulled back on the road, feeling elated. The cock of a pistol made his head whip back in her direction.

She was cradling a weapon in her hands, one he hadn’t known she was carrying, fiddling with the safety. “I have a license to carry.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You wanted to.” Her voice was bitter. “I’m a woman with cobwebs in place of her memories of what happened that night. I won’t blame you if you’re feeling skeptical.”

He drove to the entrance of Chester Farm and found the security gate propped open. Though Farmer Monty typically left it open for big events, he couldn’t see any sign of a big event in swing as they drove to the barn that served as their main event center. It also housed the loft apartment that Caro now occupied.

He parked in the central parking lot outside the event center and gazed around them. “Any idea which barn he’s got Martin’s milking machines set up in?”

“Not a clue.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and stuffed her pistol in her coat pocket. Then she exited the vehicle. Stepping to his side, she muttered, “We’ll just have to wing it.”

“Roger dodger.” Winging it happened to be his specialty. “I’ve got your back, partner.” The agony that speared her gaze made him wish he could recall the words. “Sorry. Poor choice of words.”

“We’re good,” she said softly.

Locating her ex’s herd ended up being as easy as following the mooing sounds. They discovered a dairy parlor with the brand-spanking new milking machines Farmer Monty had described to him over pancakes.

A single ranch hand was hooking and unhooking cattle from the milking machines. He was a tall, slender man in faded jeans and a dusty denim jacket. A ball cap was pulled low over his eyes, shielding the upper half of his face.

Johnny gave him a friendly nod. “Have you seen Farmer Monty around?” It seemed like a good idea to make it sound like they had a legitimate reason for being here. One that didn’t make them look like outright trespassers.

The ranch hand nodded without speaking and pointed toward the farmhouse where Farmer Monty lived.

“Thanks, man. I’m Johnny Cuba, by the way.” Johnny stepped closer, and the guy took off running.

Johnny exchanged a startled look with Ashley. Then they wordlessly chased after the man.

The guy ran in a zigzagging motion, half stooped over like he was clutching something. He shot out a side door, and Johnny followed. Ashley was right on his heels.

He yanked open the door, gun in hand, and skidded to a halt. “You?” A sick feeling settled in his gut. He hadn’t wanted to believe this part of Ashley’s story, but the proof was staring him in the face.

Caro stood there with a pistol trained on him. Her deader-than-dead expression provided a striking contrast to her designer navy slacks and matching stiletto pumps. Her white silk blouse didn’t have so much as a wrinkle in it.

“Going somewhere?” Her voice was dangerously calm. As usual, her makeup was perfect. Her hair was pulled up in an equally tidy bun atop her head. Classy pearl teardrop earrings dangled from her earlobes.

Johnny heard a gun cock beside him.

“Drop it, Caro.” Ashley’s voice was equally calm. “The game is up.”

“Too bad.” Caro pointed the barrel of her gun upward, conceding defeat. A little too easily, in Johnny’s opinion. Then she ever-so-slowly lowered the gun to the floor. “Just when things were getting interesting.”

“On your knees!” Ashley stepped closer to kick her gun away.

Johnny whipped out his cell phone and dialed the sheriff’s direct line — one of the perks of his company working so closely with the police in such a small town.

Sheriff Luke Hawling picked up on the second ring. “What’s up, Johnny?”

“We’ve gotta situation, sheriff.” He gave him the highlights, and Luke assured him he was already hightailing it toward his police cruiser.

Johnny disconnected the line and tuned back in to what Ashley was saying. “Who was the guy that just ran past you?”

A hard smile settled on Caro’s red-painted lips. Though she was kneeling on the hay-strewn floor, she managed to exude a condescending air. “Nice try, city girl, but you’re never going to pin this on me.” She redirected her venom to Johnny. “She’s well aware that this shady operation belongs to her fiancé.” She angled her head at the nearest milking machine. “Pretending to break up with him was a nice touch. So was all the money she sent to her partner’s widow.”

“Who was that man?” Ashley repeated, as undeterred as a bulldog with a meaty bone clamped between her teeth. “Who are you working for?”

Caro gave her a bored look. “I work alone, darling. Unlike you, I would never rope a nice, unsuspecting cowboy into doing my dirty work.”

Johnny was surprised to see no chink in her emotional armor, considering that the sheriff was on his way. “Answer the question, Caro.”

She gave a mirthless chuckle. “Really, Johnny?”

“Really, Caro.” He scowled at her, trying to figure out what game she was playing.

“As if you didn’t already know who it was.” She glanced at the door behind her. “The one and only Martin Hobbs.”

Ashley’s gasp of revulsion tugged at Johnny’s heart. “Where is he now?”

Caro shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Under your watch, he gets free run of this place, doesn’t he?” Though Ashley was putting on a brave front, Johnny could tell she wasn’t handling the news about her ex very well.

Caro’s eyes widened a fraction. “Burden of proof, darling. Until I can prove you and your fiancé are up to your eyeballs in a deadly black widow scheme, he has as much of a right to be here as anyone...since he technically owns the herd.”

“You’re pointing the finger at me?” Ashley’s creamy complexion took on a ghastly pallor. “If you think anyone in their right mind is going to believe a lowly events planner just happens to be so well versed on financial fraud, you’re in for a big surprise.”

“One of us is, that’s for sure.” Caro gave a snort of disdain. “Color me shocked that all you want to jabber about is the money. It’s all you’ve ever cared about, isn’t it?” Her voice grew sneering. “How much have you two socked away so far? Millions? Billions?”

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Ashley sounded faint, but her voice quickly regained steam. “It strikes me that you know an awful lot about Martin Hobbs, too. Another thing that’s not making you look too good.”

Caro didn’t take the bait, choosing to maintain a tight-lipped silence.

“How could you be a part of something like this?” Ashley sounded mournful as she raised her weapon to gesture at the kneeling woman. “How could you betray someone as kindhearted and good as Farmer Monty?”

“I wouldn’t,” Caro snapped, sounding like she was close to losing her cool. “I’d just as soon break the legs of anyone who tried. So, you’d better take me out while you can, you little fraud. Otherwise, you might not be standing much longer.”

When Ashley didn’t respond, Caro swung her head back in Johnny’s direction. “What I don’t understand is your part in all of this, cowboy. There’s no way she bamboozled you into thinking she’s employee-of-the-month material. I bet she can’t tell the front end of a cow from the back end of one!”

“Caro, Caro, Caro,” Ashley mocked, coming alive once again. “I’m starting to think you picked the wrong career. You might’ve had a real future in Hollywood.” She raised and lowered her shoulders, wincing in pain from the movement. “Granted, it might not have paid as well as your Black Widow scheme.” Her words ended on a breathless note.

A siren screamed in the distance.

Instead of looking concerned, Caro looked amused. It was at that moment that Johnny came to the conclusion she was innocent. He didn’t doubt that something sinister was in play, but Caro wasn’t the villain she was looking for. As much as he hated to admit it, Ashley must be mistaken.

Before he could say anything, Caro’s gaze zeroed in alarm on Ashley. A thudding sound followed that made him pivot to see what had so thoroughly captured her attention. He discovered Ashley lying in a crumpled heap.

“Ash!” His frantic voice tore through the relative stillness of the room as he lunged in her direction.

In the same moment, Caro shot to her feet and beat him to the pistol Ashley was still clutching limply in her hand. She reared back a foot to kick it away.

“Stop,” he howled, fearing she’d break Ashley’s fingers. He shoved his gun back in its holster and fell to his knees to gather the woman he loved in his arms. He bent his head over her, checking the pulse in her wrist with his lips. “She’s not well.”

“I can’t believe you’re still defending her,” Caro stormed, reaching down to pluck away the pistol. “She’s probably only faking it, just like she did the night her partner died. I wouldn’t be surprised if her attorney fiancé staged the whole fiasco.”

“You’re wrong.” Rage kindled and spread through Johnny’s chest. “Both of you are.” He was more convinced than ever that his and Clint’s instincts had been correct. It was the two women in the room who’d gotten their wires crossed.

The door to the barn burst open, and Sheriff Luke Hawling entered with his gun drawn. “Special Agent Madison, are you unharmed?” he barked.

What in the world? Johnny sent him an incredulous look. “We need an ambulance. Now!”

Luke marched over to Caro and engaged in a quick exchange that Johnny couldn’t make hide nor hair of. Then the sheriff called for an ambulance.

Within seconds, a second siren wailed in their direction. Feeling betrayed, Johnny glowered at Caro and Luke until the paramedics arrived.

Ashley roused as he gingerly deposited her on the stretcher. “Did you catch him?” Her words were slurred.

“Not yet, but we will. I give you my word.” He briefly gripped her hands to emphasize his point. “Twenty-five-year-old female employed at Johnny’s Dairy,” he growled to the paramedics. “Recent bullet wound. Severe PTSD. Dehydrated and undernourished.”

Luke joined him behind the ambulance, but Johnny refused to make eye contact with him. He needed to know Ashley was going to be okay before dealing with whatever shenanigans the sheriff had been up to without telling him or the rest of his team at Lonestar Security.

“What I did was necessary,” Luke shared in undertones with him.

“We’re supposed to be on the same team.” Johnny shook his head at him. “But you lied to me. You lied to all of us.”

“I didn’t lie.” Luke sounded regretful. “I withheld information at the behest of the FBI. You would’ve done the same thing if you were in my shoes.”

“I’m riding with Ashley to the medical center.” Johnny sent a steely look in Caro’s direction. “Contrary to what you and your goon over there seem to think, Ashley Perkins is one of the good guys. Caro let the bad guy go.”

Luke ran a hand over the lower half of his face. “I promise you we’ll get to the bottom of this, my friend.”

Johnny couldn’t think of one blessed thing to say in return, so he leaped into the back of the ambulance without looking back.

The next couple of hours dragged on like weeks, months, and years. Ultimately, his assessment of Ashley’s condition proved to be right on the money. The ER doc ordered an IV to restore her fluids and nutrients. He also ordered a few images of her bullet wound. A sliver of shrapnel was discovered beneath an oozing, puckered stretch of skin. It had become infected. An antibiotic was injected into her I.V. to fight her fever.

Johnny parked himself on a silver stool beside her bed in the ICU and waited. And prayed. And waited and prayed some more.

It was much later in the evening before a very groggy version of Ashley cracked her eyelids open again.

Johnny felt like weeping from relief. There were no words. All he could do was reach for her hand and gently entwine their fingers.

“Hey, boss man.” Her words came out slurred from the anesthesia they’d administered for the procedure.

For once, he took no offense at the title. It was too good to see her eyes open again and hear her voice.

“Hey.” He rubbed her fingers, watching her face blur. It took him a moment to realize it was because he was close to breaking down. The last time he’d been at the bedside of a woman in the hospital, it hadn’t ended well. He’d buried his wife and unborn son a few days later.

“What happened?” Her voice grew stronger.

He rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes. “You collapsed. There was a piece of shrapnel in your arm. It caused an infection.”

Her eyes widened with comprehension. “No wonder I’ve been feeling so gross.”

“How are you feeling now?” He leaned closer, trying to convince himself that she was going to be okay.

“Sleepy,” she admitted with a hoarse chuckle. Her throat was probably sore from being intubated during surgery.

“Thirsty?” He angled his head toward the silver cart one of the ICU nurses had wheeled into the room. A silver pitcher dripping with condensation rested in the center of it beside an upturned empty glass.

“No. Just tired.” She smiled at him. “Are you okay? You look…” She caught her breath as he reached up to brush a tendril of hair away from her eyes.

“I’m okay if you’re okay,” he assured huskily.

A man cleared his throat from behind him.

Johnny glanced irritably over his shoulder and discovered the sheriff parting the curtains.

“May I?” He paused and waited.

“Come in, sheriff,” Ashley invited cheerfully.

Sheriff Luke Hawling was a tough-looking lawman with a heavily scarred face from a house fire. His dark gaze glinted with curiosity as he moved to Ashley’s bedside. “What a day, Miss Perkins! How are you holding up?”

“I’ll survive.” She offered him a weak smile. “Boy, do we have a lot to talk about!”

“I’ll say.” Caro’s voice carried quietly across the ICU bay.

Johnny’s shoulders stiffened. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with her yet, but it looked like he was going to have to, anyway. To his surprise, Clint stepped into the bay behind her.

“Pretty sure we’ve exceeded the limit on visitors,” Johnny grumbled.

Luke held up a hand. “I spoke to the front desk, and they agreed to make an exception. That is, assuming you feel up to answering a few questions, Miss Perkins.” He pulled out an electronic notepad and tapped on it.

“I feel like I was run over by a train,” she admitted with another hoarse chuckle, “but this is too important to put off. People are dying, sheriff. If my testimony will save even one life…” She paused and coughed.

Luke nodded gravely. “Okay, folks. Here’s where we stand. The FBI appointed Special Agent Madison to investigate your alleged involvement in a Black Widow scheme.” He pointed at Ashley’s limp figure.

Her eyes widened in astonishment. “Me?”

“‘Fraid so.” His finger moved to Caro. “An investigation that eventually led her to Heart Lake, due to Martin Hobbs’ involvement. Shortly afterward, you followed her here.”

Ashley’s expression went blank as she digested the information.

“Due to the nature of the case, Miss Perkins, your phone records were subpoenaed, and multiple recent calls were traced back to Mrs. Monica Poet. Naturally, it made you look all the more involved yourself.”

“She’s my client.” Ashley sent a hard-to-read look to Caro. “A woman who doesn’t believe for a second that her father committed suicide. According to my investigation, Caro Madison was employed as his housekeeper when he died. She was also employed as the housekeeper of two other elderly men who died under similar circumstances. Naturally,” she mimicked the sheriff’s tone of voice, “it made her look more involved.”

“I was working on the case undercover.” Caro didn’t sound the least bit concerned over having roused the suspicions of a newly minted private investigator. “Sunrise Solutions was my cover story.”

“I was hired by Mr. Clark’s daughter to investigate you.” Ashley half-covered her face with one hand. “It’s starting to sound like I might owe you an apology.”

The sheriff typed some more on his tablet. “More like an exchange of apologies, since both of you have been barking up the wrong tree.”

Ashley’s fingers parted to send Caro a sheepish look. “Saying I’m sorry doesn’t feel adequate.”

“Whatever.” Caro sniffed. “I vote for moving on. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

“Martin,” Ashley exclaimed suddenly, struggling to sit up straighter in bed. Her face went white from the effort. “He’s still out there somewhere.”

“Not for long,” Luke soothed. “I’ve got an APB out for him, roadblocks, the whole enchilada. It won’t be as easy for him to skedaddle in and out of Heart Lake anymore.”

She nodded, frowning. “Have you inspected the milking machines he installed at Chester Farm yet?”

“No.” The sheriff’s gaze sharpened. “Why?”

She quickly brought him up to speed on the mysterious rapid cooling chemical that seemed to be at the root of the matter. “I have a copy of the lawsuit the late Mr. Clark was preparing to file against the pharmaceutical firm in question. I’m not sure what Martin’s connection is to them. It’s possible he represents them. One way or the other, he’s involved.”

“I’ll say.” The sheriff made a call and ordered a raid of Martin’s milking machine setup. Within minutes, Farmer Monty had granted permission for law enforcement to search the premises, circumventing the need to acquire a warrant.

It didn’t take long for one of his deputies to report back with an update. All the milking machines had been removed. Every last nut, bolt, and cord. The holding tank, too.

“Check the hog pen,” Ashley suggested quickly. “Martin claimed the milk wasn’t enough to bottle and distribute and told Farmer Monty to dispose of it, but Farmer Monty is old school. He doesn’t believe in wasting anything. Not realizing it was contaminated, he’s been piping the milk to his porkers. That’s what Johnny and I were at the farm for earlier,” she sighed. “We were hoping to gather samples of the milk for testing. He only agreed to help me under one condition — we were to bring everything we found straight to the police.”

Before the evening was over, it was determined that the hogs in question were deathly ill. A team of veterinarians were called in to treat them.

The sheriff returned to the police department to deploy more resources in his search for Martin Hobbs.

Johnny was left alone with Ashley. Well, not quite.

Caro and Clint continued to linger.

Johnny gave his brother-in-law a dark look. “Still third and fourth-wheeling it over there, eh?” It was a hint for them to vamoose.

“Yep.” Instead of taking the hint, Clint slid an arm around Caro’s waist and moved closer to Ashley’s bed with her. “The sheriff and his posse are gonna get Martin, you hear?”

Though Ashley nodded, it was obvious she was still stressed about discovering he was a criminal. “Please assure me they’ve got a protective detail on Farmer Monty.”

“We do.” Johnny felt guilty about keeping that information from her, but it had been one of those need-to-know things at the time. “My higher-ups have already texted me that they’re adding drive-by patrols to the mix until Martin can be rounded up for questioning.”

The air slowly seeped out of her. “Please correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s starting to look like Martin is The Black Widow.”

Caro nodded. “Pretty diabolical, isn’t it?”

“We were engaged for five years,” Ashey murmured, looking sick. “Five years that overlapped the timeline of the deceased victims.”

Johnny shook his head in admonishment. “Don’t go there, Ash.” She’d tortured herself enough for one evening.

“I can’t help it,” she cried piteously. “He was setting me up as his fall girl, wasn’t he?”

Sadly, it looked that way.

“Along with my partner,” she added brokenly.

Caro frowned down at her in concern. “I’ll personally see to it that Police Detective John Bench’s rank and medals are restored.” Her lips tightened. “Your file will be cleared, too.”

It dawned on Johnny that this was likely the reason the Dallas Police Department had refused to allow Ashley to return to duty. She’d been under investigation the whole time.

“What about Tina and the baby?” Ashley still looked troubled. “John’s family?”

Caro nodded gravely. “His life insurance benefits and pension will be restored, and they’ll be paid retroactively.”

Tears of gratitude slid down Ashley’s cheeks. “Thank you.”

Caro drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry for everything that happened to you and your partner. You’re true American heroes, both of you.”

Ashley gave a choking sob that she tried to cover with a laugh. “I don’t feel very heroic.” She spread her hands. “I was completely duped by a certain attorney…and became a casualty of war when the going got tough.”

“Baloney!” Johnny hated seeing her blame herself like that. “You gave him the boot, which threw a sizable monkey wrench in his plans.”

“There’s that.” She gave him a watery smile.

Clint and Caro finally said their goodbyes and quietly slipped from the bay.

“Can you believe it?” More tears leaked down Ashley’s cheeks as she surveyed Johnny tiredly. “Caro and I were investigating each other for the same crime!”

“Quit blaming yourself,” he commanded quietly. “You followed the clues where they led.”

“Did I?” She looked uncertain. “I worry that I let my personal feelings blind me to the truth every step of the way.”

He leaned his forearms on the edge of her mattress, toying with her fingers. “You were willing to give that undeserving bozo your heart. It’s his tremendous loss that he proved unworthy of it.”

“I don’t want your pity, Johnny.”

His fingers tightened on hers. “If you think for one second that what I’m feeling right now is pity…” Throwing all caution to the wind, he closed the distance between them and brushed his mouth against hers.

She lightly punched his shoulder. “Really Johnny? A pity kiss?”

For an answer, he slanted his mouth over hers, deepening the kiss to prove just how wrong she was.

Like it was every time they were together, it simply felt right. Gone was his guilt about moving on as a widower. Loving her was exactly the next step he was meant to take.

Since she’d been through so much today, he kept the kiss short. “Does that answer your question?”

She reached up to touch his cheek. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to test the rebound waters.”

“I’m in no hurry, Ash.” He covered her hand with his, holding her fingers against his cheek. “Take all the time you need.”

The smile on her lips grew wobbly. “He never loved me, Johnny. I know that now. It takes the sting out of things, if that makes any sense.”

He drank in her shy, uncertain smile. “Does that mean I can kiss you again?”

For an answer, she curled her hand around the back of his neck and gently tugged his head back to hers.