Page 12

March

“ M artin Hobbs is still missing.” Caro gingerly perched on the opposite end of the sofa from Can Opener. She’d gotten in the habit of dropping by Ashley’s cabin a few evenings per week to exchange notes about the case. She didn’t have to. She could’ve used her standing in the FBI to swat Ashley like an insect. Instead, she’d managed to bring her officially on board the case as a federal consultant. It was a paying gig, too. Ashley was trying not to let it give her a big head.

“Three weeks is a long time to take off from work,” she mused. “What are his associates saying about it at the law office?” Now that she had the funds to spare, she’d invested in a new coffee dispenser. She pulled a pair of porcelain mugs from the cabinet and pressed the start button to brew the first cup.

“Not much. They’re acting as puzzled about it as we are.” Caro shook a warning finger at Can Opener. “Don’t even think about it, you overstuffed, fur-faced—” Her words ended with a muffled shriek as Can Opener launched himself in her direction.

Ashley chuckled and hurried their way to pull the tomcat’s paws off of Caro’s shoulders. “Can Opener,” she admonished. “Manners!”

“I don’t know why you keep him around.” Caro scrubbed furiously at the silky strands of fur his exuberant greeting had left on her tailored black slacks. “In addition to dripping fur everywhere, he purrs as loud as a Mack truck.”

“It’s because you’re in his inner circle.”

“Lucky me!”

Ashley leaned over to press her forehead to Can Opener’s forehead. “Be good. Not everyone enjoys being mauled by you as much as I do.”

If anything, Can Opener purred louder as he fondly head butted her. He flicked his tail back and forth in excitement, thoroughly enjoying the ruckus he’d caused.

“You know what?” Caro hopped to her feet, still brushing fur from her slacks. “How about I make the coffee while you deal with this obnoxious creature?”

“Good idea.” Ashley gave up trying to settle Can Opener down. She plopped down on the sofa, tumbling him into her lap so she could cuddle some more.

“He’s never going to learn if you spoil him like that!” Caro gave a long-suffering sigh as she rattled around in the kitchenette.

“Learn what?” Ashley teased.

Caro ignored the question. “One of the partners at Martin’s law firm said Martin filed for an extended leave of absence. It doesn’t sound like he gave them a return date.”

Ashley summed up her ex-fiancé’s status by ticking the details off on her fingers. “He’s out of the office indefinitely. His cell phone keeps going to voicemail. He dismantled and removed all of his milking equipment from Chester Farm.”

“While leaving his herd to fend for itself,” Caro interjected sourly.

It was puzzling for sure. “We know his cattle are in good hands with Farmer Monty. That’s something,” Ashley noted, not sure why she was still looking for any redeeming qualities in her ex.

“Still doesn’t make it right,” Caro grumbled. “He’s not paying for feed or boarding fees, and don’t even get me started on the vet bills. He’s taking advantage of Farmer Monty.”

Ashley didn’t question Caro’s information, since she had a finger in every pie at Chester Farm. If she said Martin wasn’t forking over a cent for the care of his herd, then he wasn’t. She moved on to the next topic. “According to my contacts at the Dallas PD, all three alleged suicide cases have been reopened and are being investigated for foul play. We’re awaiting new autopsy and toxicology reports.”

“I think we both know what those results are going to reveal.” Caro returned to the living room with two steaming cups of brew. “I’m going to set your coffee on the end table until that flea bag in your lap goes to sleep.” She glared at Can Opener as she set Ashley’s mug on a cup holder.

“Thanks.” Ashley was still in her milk and dust-spattered work clothes, so she wasn’t bothered by all the fur Can Opener was shedding on her. It would wash off.

“There’s been another development.” Caro backed into the rocker beside the sofa. “Martin’s law firm finally turned over that big pharma file we subpoenaed.”

“And?” Ashley blinked eagerly at her.

“According to one of our top forensic guys, the signatures are forgeries.”

“Are you serious?” Ashley’s brain raced over the implications.

“Not what we were expecting, were we?” Caro’s voice was dry.

Not even close. “What about the paperwork for their pending patent on that rapid cooling chemical?”

Caro shook her head. “That’s where things get even more interesting. There’s a patent pending on a rapid cooling process, but it wasn’t filed by Martin’s pharmaceutical client, who — from all current evidence —may not have any involvement in the case after all.”

It was a significant finding. Ashley somberly met her gaze. “What are you suggesting? Stolen intellectual property?”

“The jury’s still out on that.” There was an inexplicable sigh in Caro’s voice. “It’s a good thing you’re sitting down, my friend, because what I have to tell you about the patent isn’t going to be easy.”

“Who said we’re friends?” Ashley was secretly delighted that Caro considered her to be a friend after the bumpy start to their relationship. They’d truly come a long way since the day they’d held each other at gunpoint.

“Clint did.” Caro rolled her eyes. “He says it’s a requirement that you and I play nice since he and Johnny are so close.”

“That sounds like Clint.” Ashley leaned over to give Can Opener a smooch on the head to hide her grin. She was all business when she met Caro’s gaze again. “About that pending patent…?”

The FBI agent shook her head, making her pearl pendant earrings swing. “I really don’t know the best way to break it to you, so I’m just going to say it. Your mother filed for the patent.”

Ashley grew deathly still. “My mother,” she repeated. “How is that even possible?”

Caro dragged in a heavy breath and let it out. “She filed for the patent right before she…” She stopped and left the sentence dangling.

“I don’t understand!” Questions bubbled to Ashley’s lips. “How is it still pending now that she’s gone?”

“There was a co-signer.” Caro’s voice was grave.

“My dad?” For the life of her, Ashley couldn’t come up with another name.

Caro shook her head. “Some company called XAX. The Feds are digging into the details as we speak. I wish I could tell you more right now, but that’s all I have until our team can work their data mining magic on this latest finding.”

“I might be able to shed more light on it.” Ashley reached blindly for her phone.

“What are you doing?” Caro sounded cautious.

“Calling my dad.” All it took was the tap of a speed dial button to ring his number.

“Ashley,” Caro protested, “you can’t just?—”

“Dad?” Ashley was astonished by how quickly he accepted her call.

“Well, well, well!” His voice rang sarcastically across the line. “If it isn’t my long-lost eldest daughter!”

Your only daughter by blood, Ashley corrected inside her head, but she hadn’t called to argue. “Listen, I know it’s been a while since my last visit.”

“After skipping out on our wedding photo shoot, you mean?” His voice gathered energy, threatening to mow her down.

“Dad, please! I’ve been in the hospital, okay?”

“Again?” His shout quickly decelerated to a more moderate volume. “When? What happened?”

It was a couple of weeks ago, but it didn’t suit her current purpose to set his mind at ease too quickly. “I collapsed, and they rushed me to the ER in an ambulance. The doc found some shrapnel in my arm. It had gotten infected.” She was fine now. Better than she’d felt since before the shooting.

“Ashley,” her dad groaned, sounding so horrified on her behalf that it made her feel guilty.

“I’m better,” she conceded softly. “Not gonna lie, though. It was kind of a big deal. I was in the ICU for a few days. It was a real wake-up call.”

“Oh, honey!” Her father couldn’t have sounded more chastised.

“I’m okay now. Really. But I’d like to see you again.” She paused a few seconds before adding, “if that’s okay.”

“Of course, it’s okay, baby!” Jeff Perkins’ voice cracked with emotion. “Do you want me to drive there this weekend?”

Hook. Line. Sinker. Ashley shook her fist in the air in a sign of victory. “Actually, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I come…home.” She employed a soft, hesitant voice.

“Sure, sure.” He sounded harried. “I’ll tell Darla we need to clear out your old room. It’s gotten a little piled up since Blaire moved in after college.” His voice thickened with apology.

“Oh, that’s alright,” Ashley cut in hastily. “I’m happy to grab a hotel room. It’ll only be for one night.”

“That’ll work.” He sounded relieved. “Darla and Blaire are on a cruise right now, celebrating Blaire’s graduation. I’d hate to pilfer through their stuff without their permission.”

Pilfer through your own home? It sounded like his new wife and stepdaughter had taken over his home like conquering marauders.

“Would this evening be too soon for me to pop in on you?” Having Darla and Blair out of town would be perfect for what she was planning.

“Not at all.” His voice was eager. “We can haunt your favorite Italian restaurant, then?—”

“No, thank you!” She shuddered. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not have to muscle our way through the Friday night crowd in Dallas.”

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Tell you what. I’ll put in a to-go order and drop by there early. How does chicken parmesan, Italian salad, and bread sticks sound to you?”

“Like Heaven,” she sighed. “I can’t wait.”

“How soon can you be here?” Excitement grew in his voice.

“Couple of hours, depending on Friday rush hour.” Making a dinner date with him had proven easier than expected. “How about we aim for six o’clock?”

“It’s a date, sugar.”

The fatherly affection in his voice made her teary-eyed. It had been a long time since he’d been this sweet to her. “Can’t wait. I love you, Dad!”

He muttered that he loved her back, and she disconnected the call.

Caro clapped her hands, looking impressed. “I’m not the only one with a future in Hollywood if private investigating doesn’t work out for you.”

Ashley stuffed her cell phone in her back pocket and dabbed at her eyes. “It wasn’t all an act.”

Caro snorted. “I’m just going to take your word for it.”

“We have a love-hate relationship at the moment,” Ashley confided. “We were fine until he married my stepmom out of the blue.” It was one of the lowest points of her adult life. “I had my head buried in my work, so maybe I missed the cues. All I can tell you is, he was a grieving widower one minute and remarried the next minute.” She dusted her hands with finality.

Can Opener head butted her hands, coaxing her to get back to petting him.

“You’re such an attention hog.” She kissed him on his head again.

Caro watched the exchange with distaste. “So, what’s your plan?”

“As luck would have it,” Ashley spread her hands, “my stepmother and stepsister are on a cruise. Dad is ordering takeout. We’ll eat dinner at home, and I’ll segue the conversation to mementos that will undoubtedly send us on a trip to the attic.”

Caro’s eyes sparkled with approval. “A treasure hunt, eh?”

Ashley nodded. “If my mother had any files about the patent she applied for, you can rest assured my packrat of a father has them tucked away in some dusty chest.”

Thirty minutes later

“I’m going with you!” Johnny’s jaw tightened with determination as she rolled her overnight suitcase across the cozy living room.

“And jeopardize my investigation?” As well as leave the dairy farm with two fewer employees for the evening instead of one. “We can’t afford that. Put your PI hat back on and admit it already.”

“It’s not safe for you to be alone right now,” he insisted with a stubborn glint in his eyes.

It was true. “I’ll be back before you know it,” she soothed.

“Not true.” He stepped directly into her path, forcing her to halt. “I’ll be miserable every minute you’re away.”

“I’m only going to Dallas,” she reminded him with a chuckle.

“Without your favorite dairy farmer.” He hooked an arm around her middle, tugging her against him.

“Did I call you that?” She gave him a mischievous look. “I don’t remember calling you that.”

“In so many words.” He swooped in to claim her lips.

The angst of what lay ahead eased beneath the wonder of being in his arms. “Johnny,” she sighed, sliding her hands up his well-corded arms and locking them around his neck. “If this is your way of making sure I’m going to miss you, it’s working.”

“Good.” He gently bumped noses with her, nuzzling the edge of her mouth. “I love you, Ash.” His voice grew thick with emotion. “I know I’ve never said it before. I should have, but…”

Her heartbeat spiked to crazy levels. She’d known it for a while, but it was nice to finally hear the words. Really nice. She touched her lips to his to assure him she understood. They’d been taking things slow, both of them.

“I love you, too,” she whispered. Love wasn’t a word either of them tossed around lightly.

He claimed her lips again. Hungrily. Tenderly. Like a man who couldn’t get enough of her.

Happiness crashed through her as she kissed him back.

“Can’t believe you’re gonna just get in the car and drive off after telling me that,” he grumbled against her lips.

“I’m coming back, Johnny.” Just thinking about it made her giddy with anticipation. It was wonderful to have someone to come home to. Someone who mattered to her the same way she mattered to him.

“Not soon enough.” He gave her one final hard kiss before letting her go. “Let me know when you get there safely. Please?”

“I will,” she promised.

He carried her suitcase to the car and tossed it in the backseat for her. Then he held open her door and leaned in for another lingering kiss. “I’ll be praying for a safe trip there and back.”

“I’m going to be okay.” Having him fuss and worry over her was seriously one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.

He waved as she drove away and kept waving until she couldn’t see him anymore through her rearview mirror. Then her eyes grew damp as the missing him part began.

She swallowed her emotions and forced her mind back to the case. To pass the time, she plugged in her phone and played her case notes aloud. It made the drive go a lot quicker.

Her dad was waiting in the doorway of his brick patio home when she pulled into the driveway. At the sight of her, he jogged down the sidewalk to pull the car door open for her. He was several inches taller than her, and his auburn hair had long since become threaded with white. Otherwise, he was the same rangy electrician that she remembered.

She stepped from the car straight into his wiry embrace. “Hi, Dad!”

“Hey, baby girl!” He held her like she was made of glass. “Means the world to me that you drove all the way here to see me tonight.”

“You’re worth it.” Her eyes grew damp. It was so good to see him again.

An answering sheen of dampness covered his eyes as he held her at arm’s length. “You look just like your mother,” he choked. For a moment, the familiar pain was back in his eyes. Then it was gone. He beckoned her up the sidewalk. “Come on inside. I’ve got dinner set out already.”

Though the outside of the house looked like the same old red brick, the inside had undergone a metamorphosis. “Wow!” Mixed feelings churned in Ashley as she absorbed the pale lavender walls of the living room and the sage-colored linen sofa. So many throw pillows were piled on it that there wasn’t much room left for sitting.

Jeff Perkins looked mildly uncomfortable. “It’s all Darla’s doing.”

I bet. Ashley didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t comment on the changes. Her heart ached at the memory of the simpler beige tones and comfy leather furniture that had graced the home she’d grown up in when her mother was still alive. Sadly, Darla had blown into their lives with her starchy British accent and snooty college professor attitude and turned everything upside down.

Ashley gave the air an appreciative sniff, trying to stay focused on the positive. She was glad there were a few things that hadn’t changed since her last visit. Her favorite Italian restaurant, for instance. She snatched up one of the breadsticks as she made her way into the kitchen, sighing her way through her first bite.

“Whoa!” Her father shook his head as he pulled out a chair for her. “I haven’t blessed the food yet.”

“Go ahead.” She waved her breadstick at him as he took a seat next to her. “Don’t forget to mention the bite I already took.”

He snorted and reached for her hand.

She continued clutching the breadstick while he said grace and stuck the end of it back in her mouth the second he said amen.

“You’re a nut.” He watched her in amusement.

“It feels like forever since my last breadstick.”

“You should come home more often then.” He passed her the bowl of salad.

“You’re right.” She stopped short of promising to do so, not sure how much of her stepmother’s and stepsister’s snide attitudes she could handle.

They traded small talk about the electrical lines he was running to a new subdivision on the south side of the city. Then he quizzed her about her new job.

“A farm hand, eh?” He looked like he didn’t know what to think about her latest venture.

She was all too happy to reassure him. “I know it sounds crazy, Dad, but it’s been a nice change of pace.”

He still looked doubtful. “What’s your favorite part?”

She didn’t have to think twice about it. “Bottle feeding the calves. They’re absolutely precious.” She launched into a lively description of Brie, Short Stack, and the other two calves. “We have another baby on the way that’ll arrive any day now.”

Her father’s expression relaxed. “You look happy, hon.”

“I’m getting there. Just taking it one day at a time.”

He reached for her hand. “You’ve been through a lot. I just wish…” He lapsed into silence without finishing whatever he’d started to say.

It felt like the perfect opening to launch into her real reason for paying him a visit this evening. “Can I ask you something, Dad?”

“Anything.”

“I know this may just be my emotions talking…” She glanced down at her plate.

“Talk to me, hon,” he pleaded.

She raised her head to meet his gaze again. “Did you keep any of Mom’s stuff?”

“Of course!” His eyebrows rose incredulously. “I kept everything.”

She glanced around them at the newly redecorated home. “I figured that was the case, but everything looks so different from what it used to.”

“Most of it’s in the attic.” He let go of her hand, looking a bit shamefaced. “It’s not a big house, so I had to do some rearranging.”

“It’s okay, Dad.” Her goal wasn’t to pull off old scabs and make him bleed all over again. “I just…” She smiled vaguely up at the ceiling. “Mind if I take a trip down memory lane? Just for a few minutes?”

“Not at all.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “Most of your mother’s things are in those old green Army chests from my military days. Help yourself to anything you like,” he offered magnanimously. “I know that’s what she would’ve wanted.”

Nostalgia flooded her. She stood and turned impulsively to him. “You’re the best!”

He snorted to cover his own emotions. “Oh, please! You don’t want to know how many times I crawled up there and wept like a baby over her sweaters and scarves.” He glanced away, swallowing hard. “Feel free to ignore the tear stains on everything you find up there.”

“Dad,” she whispered, thoroughly shaken. He’d never shown her this side of him before.

“You’ll keep this between us?” He hugged her again before leading her to the garage.

“You know I will.” The attic door was one of those pull-down ones.

He opened it and extended the ladder for her. The dark attic opening gaped above them.

Jeff Perkins patted the side of the ladder. “The pull string to the lightbulb is immediately on your left when you reach the top.”

“I remember.” She smiled her thanks and started climbing. At the top, she turned on the light. While she gazed around the attic, she heard the door to the house open and close as her father left her alone with her memories.

The holiday storage bins and spare suitcases were directly in front of her. The Army green trunks her dad had mentioned were on the far side of the attic, weighed down with holiday wreaths and half-folded moving blankets.

Go figure. She doubted it was an accident that her stepmother had all but buried the last remaining items that had once belonged to her predecessor.

Ashley waded through the minefield of boxes, bins, and castoff pieces of furniture to reach the trunks. To her relief, they weren’t locked. She squatted down beside the first one to set aside the wreaths and blankets covering it. Popping open the lid, she rocked back on her heels, awash with emotion.

“Oh,” she whimpered, immediately recognizing the hand-crocheted lacy doilies that had once graced the nightstands in her parents’ bedroom. They still smelled like her mother’s favorite rose-scented lotion. How was that possible?

It was all she could do to hold in a sob as she reached for them and clutched them to her chest. Oh, Mom! Why did you have to leave us so soon?

As usual, God wasn’t in the business of answering every why that was blubbered in His direction. She might never understand it this side of Glory, but someday she would.

I hope.

Sniffling back tears, she reverently laid aside the doilies and continued her quest through her mother’s belongings. It didn’t take long to find what she was looking for.

A hodgepodge of textbooks and spiral-bound notebooks lined the bottom of the trunk. It soon became obvious that they had been heavily pilfered through. Some of the textbooks had been left open, and the pages had become bent from the clothing tossed on top of them. The spiral notebooks were in even worse shape. Some of the pages had been ripped clean out of them.

She skimmed through a few of them but found nothing that pertained to a pending patent. The same was true about the contents of the other two trunks. She didn’t find a single shred of evidence that was useful. It was starting to look like her entire trip to Dallas had been a bust. Well, maybe not entirely. It had been good to visit with her dad again. Her plan had only been a shot in the dark to begin with. Though she was no closer to finding the answers she sought, she wasn’t any further, either.

As she returned the books to the bottom of the trunk, her knuckles bumped against the bottom of it, making a hollow sound.

Frowning, she removed the stack of books and leaned over the trunk to knock on the bottom of it again. The same hollow sound met her ears.

Heart pounding, she felt along the bottom of the trunk until her fingers came in contact with a leather loop. She pulled upward, and the bottom of the trunk rose. Beneath it was a narrow compartment, only a few inches tall. In the center of it lay an accordion file folder. It was tied shut with a piece of stretchy twine.

This must be it.

Though she hadn’t yet opened the folder, someone had clearly gone to a lot of trouble to conceal it. And from the looks of things, she was the first person who’d uncovered it.

Every instinct in her told her it wouldn’t be wise to linger in the attic for much longer. Glancing around her, she spied her mother’s old leather briefcase. Perfect!

She hastily shoved the accordion folder into one of the side pockets and zipped it shut. Then she filled the rest of the briefcase with mementos — a pair of brown leather gloves, a trio of scarves from Italy, a faded baby quilt, and the precious pair of hand-crocheted doilies. They were going on the nightstands in her rental cabin the second she returned to Heart Lake. She would treasure them forever.

She carefully returned the false floor to the bottom of the trunk and tossed her mother’s textbooks and spiral notebooks on top of them, trying to make them look the same way she found them. Then she closed the lid and piled the wreaths and moving blankets back on top of it.

Looping the strap of the briefcase over her shoulder, she made her way down the ladder, switching off the light and raising the trapdoor back into place. She stood there in silence beneath the attic door.

Bye, Mom.

A sense of closure swept over her. This was exactly what she’d needed, and not just because of the case.

Her father was straightening up the kitchen when she walked back inside.

“Would you like to see what I found?” She fully anticipated he would turn her down, and he did.

“Nah, it’s okay, babe. I’m glad you found a few things you want to keep.”

She held up one of the doilies. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I take these with me?”

He looked pained, but he shook his head. “They’re all yours, hon.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She moved across the room to kiss his cheek. “For everything.” A yawn came out of nowhere, making both of them chuckle.

“Go,” he urged gently. “Get some sleep. We can meet for breakfast in the morning.” A twinkle entered his eyes as he suggested a mom-and-pop pancake house down the street.

“You’re on!” She gave him another peck on the cheek. “What time?”

“The earlier, the better. You know how fast they fill up.”

“Then let’s be first in line.” She preferred to get on the road early.

“You betcha!” He gave her a fist bump like the old days. Then she headed for her car.

It didn’t take long to secure a hotel room and get settled in for the night. As soon as she showered and changed into sweatpants, she pulled out the accordion folder her mother had gone to so much trouble to hide.

Twisting the stretchy twine open, she took out a stack of papers and fanned them out in front of her. What she found made her heart pound. Her mother had typed up a detailed journal that documented her research on the various ways to genetically modify milk. It didn’t sound like she was a proponent of the idea, though. She cited over a dozen dangers of altering the natural process of extracting and bottling raw milk. Her reasons included the reduction of nutrients, as well as the risk of introducing foreign agents like bacteria.

Her research abruptly came to an end. It was followed by a new set of journal entries that had been typed in haste and were riddled with misspellings. And fear. And outright paranoia.

If her mother’s suspicions were accurate, someone had broken into her lab and stolen parts of her research. Her biggest concern was that they’d stolen the prototype she’d designed for genetically modifying raw milk —more specifically, how to attach a foreign body to the natural molecules, essentially turning them into pack mules.

Ashley’s lips parted as she read. Though she wasn’t a geneticist like her mother had been, she could understand the rudiments of the process. Her mother ended the report by stating that a rogue group of anti-government people might be planning to use her research to build a bio-weapon.

Voices sounded in the hallway outside her hotel room, making her shift restlessly on the mattress. She glanced toward the door, feeling jumpy. Then she swung her feet over the side of the bed and carried the desk chair to the door to prop it beneath the handle. She felt a little safer, but it didn’t slow the racing of her heart. It was as if the paranoia in her mother’s writing had jumped off the page and settled inside her.

I need to get out of here.

Ashley wasn’t sure where the thought came from, but there was a sense of urgency in her that she’d rarely experienced before. She returned to the bed to jam her feet inside her sneakers. Next, she tossed everything back inside her suitcase, including the briefcase she’d taken from the trunk in her father’s attic.

She moved the chair and slowly opened the door, popped her head into the hallway and peeked both ways before she started walking. Since she was scheduled to be auto-checked out the next morning, she tossed her keycard in the drop box at the front desk and hurried to her car. Her shoulder blades itched like someone was watching her as she loaded her suitcase into the backseat. It was probably just her imagination, but she was more anxious than ever to get on the road.

I’m sorry, Dad. She felt awful about ditching the breakfast date she’d made with him tomorrow. At the halfway point in her drive, she topped off her gas tank and sent a text message to him.

The baby calf I told you about is coming tonight. I’m heading back to the farm. Promise you’ll give me a raincheck on breakfast!

She dialed Johnny next.

He sounded worried when he picked up. “Hey, babe! What’s up?”

“I’m on my way back.” She quickly filled him in on everything that had happened.

“Man, Ash,” he sighed. “Really wish you’d let me come with you.”

“I’m fine.” She was being vigilant, glancing regularly into her sideview and rearview mirrors. “I’m not being followed.”

“I’ll stay on the phone with you, just to be safe.” He was silent for a moment. “Just so you know, there’s been another outbreak of salmonella in one of the adjacent counties.”

Again? The outbreaks had been escalating in frequency for days. “Do you think all this contaminated milk might have something to do with…with what I just found out?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. We’ll share the folder with Caro when you get back and let the Feds do their thing with it.” He abruptly changed the subject. “There’s something else I’d like to run past you.” His voice deepened, telling her it involved something personal.

“You’ve got a captive audience, so shoot,” she ordered

“I want you to be my girl, Ash.”

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Are you sure?” He’d been through a lot. They both had. They didn’t need to rush this.

“Very sure.” He sounded serious. “I’ve been praying about it a lot lately. About you. About us.”

“Me, too.” That said, she didn’t want to make any more relationship mistakes. “That’s why I’ve kept the brakes on things, until we could be sure.”

“I’m sure.”

The sincerity in his voice nestled in her heart, warming her from the inside out. “I want this, too, Johnny.”

“Then it’s settled.” He sounded matter-of-fact. “You and I are officially dating.”

It was a big step, one that left her feeling a little lightheaded. She was glad she’d reached the empty final stretch of highway leading to Heart Lake. The wide-open countryside and star-spangled sky above her filled her with peace. Never before had she experienced so much joy over the simplicity of returning home.

“Almost there,” she announced excitedly. “I can see the last stop sign ahead.”

“I’m ready.” Johnny gave a husky laugh.

“Me, too.” She feathered her brakes as she approached the intersection.

A rumble of a truck motor alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone on the road. Beneath the light of the moon, she could just barely make out the outline of a long cattle trailer. Despite the fact that it was a four-way stop, he appeared to be picking up speed.

“Hmm.”

“What’s going on?” Johnny asked.

“There’s a cattle transport barreling my way from the right. He’s not slowing down.”

“His brakes might be out.” Johnny sounded worried.

“Could be. I’ll give him the road, just in case.” As a precaution, she shifted into reverse and backed up a few feet.

The truck laid on its horn as it drew nearer, blasting through the stop sign without slowing its speed even a hair. It abruptly veered in her direction.

“Johnny!” Ashley’s cry of alarm filled the car right before the bumper of the truck smashed into her right taillight. She was pulled far enough back from the intersection that it wasn’t a full t-bone collision. However, the impact was powerful enough to send her car into a spin.

“Ash! Are you okay?” Johnny’s frantic voice filled her ears.

“I’ve been hit!” The car spun around and around before skidding into the ditch. Then it flipped to its side.

For a split second, she teetered between consciousness and unconsciousness. Then everything went black.