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Sydney couldn’t bring herself to say a word to Adam before a deputy arrived to usher her back to street level and give her a ride home in the patrol car. She wouldn’t have known what to say anyway.

“I’m Deputy Blythe, ma’am. If you’ll just come with me.”

Sydney nodded and followed the woman out into the hall.

Adam was still talking to the sheriff. She glanced at him, keeping her head down in case she had to quickly look away.

If he saw her leave, she couldn’t tell. She followed the deputy up a flight of steps and to the street, where Sydney got into the patrol vehicle. The woman was nice enough. Blond and very pretty but muscular, too. She must have some kind of intensive gym sessions.

Such an absurd thing to think about but anything was better than what Sydney had been through tonight. She didn’t ever want to think about that again.

“Mr. Rockford gave me your address.”

Sydney put on her seat belt and nodded.

“Are you all right?”

“Fine,” Sydney replied. She wasn’t fine. She didn’t know what she was, but it definitely wasn’t fine. She just wanted to get home, make sure Mackie was okay, and go to bed.

The deputy drove without another word until they pulled into Sydney’s driveway. “Stay in the car. I’m going to do a perimeter check on both residences, make sure the scene is secure.”

Sydney just nodded again, wrapped her arms around herself while she waited.

The deputy got out of the vehicle and started her inspection.

Sydney didn’t even want to look at Adam’s house. Her insides felt as messed up as her head. What she’d seen … it couldn’t be real.

She leaned her head against the window and stared up at the sky. She just wanted to be in her house. Tomorrow she’d think about what had happened. Maybe.

Maybe she wouldn’t think about it. Maybe if she didn’t, it would all just go away and her life could go back to being normal. In whatever way that meant.

Although she was starting to think that normal didn’t exist. Not in the way she wanted it to. The normal she’d thought she was getting by moving here? That had yet to appear.

She took a deep, ragged breath. Should she move back to the city? She had friends there. A life. Just because she’d sold her cosmetics company and retired from modeling didn’t mean she couldn’t start over.

There were still some fashion houses interested in working with her. Some brands that would jump at the chance to have her endorse them. Maybe she could partner up with one of those meal prep companies and come up with a package for busy single women that was healthy and?—

The deputy knocked on the window, making Sydney jump. “This yours?” The deputy held up Sydney’s Valentino clutch.

She nodded. “Yes, that’s mine.”

The deputy opened the door. “Found it on the grass near Adam’s front porch.”

“I must have dropped it. Thank you.” She took the bag. “Can I go home now?”

“Looks safe. If you don’t mind, I’d like to come in with you and check your backyard.”

“Fine.” Anything to get this over with. Sydney got out of the car and marched up to her door. As soon as she put the key in the lock, she heard Mackie.

She pushed the door open. “Mackie? Mama’s home, baby. Where are you?”

He came running out of the bedroom, tail wagging, legs going as fast as he could. She grabbed him up and hugged him. Still holding him, she stepped away from the front door. “Go on, Deputy. Do whatever you need to do.”

Deputy Blythe gave her a nod and went inside.

Sydney stood there, holding Mackie, breathing in the lavender shampoo scent of his fur and doing her best to pretend that this evening really had been a dream.

After a few minutes, Deputy Blythe came back out. “All clear.”

“Thank you. Goodnight.” Sydney followed behind her, closed the door, and locked it. Should she get a security system? She’d never even considered it, but now?

Of course, if she moved back to the city, it wouldn’t matter what happened to this house. Still holding Mackie, she carried him into the kitchen. “My brave boy. Did you know what was going on next door?”

She looked at him. He seemed fine. Not traumatized in any way. Good. “You deserve a cookie all the same.”

She put him on the floor, then went to his treat jar, opened it, and pulled out one of the square biscuits Adam had made. She stared at it for a moment. No, she was not doing this. Not thinking about what a nice guy he was.

Because she no longer knew him. Not the truth about him. She tossed the biscuit down for Mackie and went to her bedroom. She undressed, hanging up her beautiful green dress and shelving her leopard heels. She took off her jewelry and put it away, too.

She changed into a long T-shirt nightgown, went into the bathroom, and took down her hair. Then she scrubbed off her makeup, brushed out her hair, and climbed into bed.

She wanted to wake up in the morning with the last couple of hours erased from her memory. There was no way to do that, but it didn’t stop her from hoping it would happen all the same.

Mackie jumped onto the bed and came to snuggle. She pulled him close and prayed that, if she couldn’t forget what had happened, then at least she wouldn’t dream about it.

Sleep came in fits and starts, her restlessness born out of the images her mind kept producing. Around 3a.m., she got up, had a mug of warm milk with some raw honey in it, then went back to bed.

When she woke up again, light glowed around the edges of the curtains in her bedroom. And Mackie was whining.

She glanced at the time. Nearly 10 a.m. No wonder Mackie had his legs crossed. He should have been let out three hours ago.

She exhaled, unwilling to get out of bed but having no choice. She got up, checked that the backyard was safe, then opened the door and let him go.

She closed it and went into the kitchen. As much as she wanted a cup of coffee, she wasn’t ready to be awake. Knowing that ship had sailed, she made a cup anyway and took it out onto the screen porch.

Realizing she still had nowhere to sit, she went to the deck steps, sitting on the bottom one to be as close to Mackie as possible.

That was what she told herself. In reality, she wasn’t sure if Adam could see over the fence into her yard if he was on his deck, and she didn’t want to be seen or spoken to or acknowledged.

Not by him. Not in a way that would require her to respond.

She dug her toes into the grass, taking a little comfort in that connection to the earth.

She didn’t want anything to do with him or anyone right now.

She didn’t even know if she was staying.

For all its noise and crowds and chaos, the city was a known quantity.

A place where even the most unusual people were never as unusual as those she’d encountered here.

The city, now, felt safe. Something she could no longer say about the town she’d decided to call home.

She sipped her coffee, the caffeine and the fresh air bringing a little clarity. If she didn’t feel safe, what was the point of being here?

Would she really want to find a husband here? No. Not when she’d never know if she could truly trust him or not.

Would she want to raise a family here? Another no.

Did she even want to live here herself? She glanced sideways at the fence that divided her property from Adam’s. No, she insisted. She did not.

Then why did the prospect of moving away break her heart?

She took a breath, lifting her face toward the sun, and told herself it was her own fault.

She’d built up this dream of being a traditional wife in a small town with an incredible husband and wonderful children and a community of friends that would come to be like family.

She’d researched this place and after visiting once for a bachelorette party, thought it was perfect. It was, too, on paper. Low crime rates, happy citizens, stellar schools, everything she wanted.

Too bad there hadn’t been a disclaimer about the … she shook her head. She didn’t even know what to call her neighbor and his ex. Creatures? Weirdos? Beings? And how many of them were there in town?

She squeezed her eyes shut. They weren’t real. They couldn’t be. Things like that just did not happen.

Maybe she’d had some kind of reaction to the meal at Guillermo’s. She wasn’t used to eating pasta. She sighed. What had happened last night couldn’t be explained away by too many carbs, but the thought reminded her she still had to deal with her car.

She’d call roadside assistance and let them help. What was the point of paying for the service if she didn’t use it?

With that solved, she went back to her thoughts about everything that had happened. She still wanted some kind of explanation. Something to give her some reassurance that she was sane. Something that would stop her from questioning everything she’d thought she wanted.

She set her cup aside and rested her head on her knees, willing herself not to have a breakdown of any kind. Maybe she should go for a run. That was always good for figuring things out.

But that would mean leaving the house and possibly seeing someone she didn’t want to see.

As she sat there, contemplating her next move, she heard soft, distant footsteps. Like someone on her front steps.

Probably a delivery. Maybe her new bench. Which she might as well send back if she wasn’t staying.

With a sigh, she picked up her cup and went to check. She glanced through the peephole before opening the door. No one was out there. Cautiously, she opened the door.

A brown paper bag sat on her welcome mat, the scent of freshly baked bread rising up from it.

She stared at the bag for a long moment.

Then she shut the door.