see more than a hundred of them gathering in the grassy park near a pristine white gazebo that marked the exact middle of Cannon Falls.
At this point, everyone in town knew she was back and no doubt knew everything about her—that she was fixing the resort up and that she’d fired her aunt and uncle. Most everyone even knew that she and Cade were seeing one another and that she spent most of her nights at his place now.
So why was she so nervous?
A knock on her car window made her jump and her hand went to her heart.
“Sorry,” Cade replied with a smile just outside her window.
God, he was so good-looking. He’d changed into a black button-up short-sleeved shirt and black jeans. Part of her wished he had a black Stetson to put on, completing the look. She knew it was too much to ask for. Not that there wasn’t a hint of cowboy in him. He’d been raised in the country, but to her knowledge, he’d never ridden a horse or roped a cow.
Still, every time she caught sight of him in his full fire gear, she salivated enough that she had a difficult time getting any work done.
“Are you coming out of there?” he asked, and she realized she was still sitting in her car fantasizing about him.
She grabbed her purse and cell phone and climbed out of her car. Cade reached in and took her hand, helping her out.
“Everything okay?” he asked her, his eyes running over her face, her shoulders, her hair.
“Yes.” She tried to smile and hide the immense force of desire pulsating from her body.
Cade didn’t seem to notice and led her towards the growing crowd. She could feel eyes on her as they passed people. Still, Cade didn’t stop until they were near the front of the crowd.
A band had set up in the gazebo and was already playing soft music while everyone arrived.
Less than five minutes later, Eddie got up in front of everyone and held up his hands to get everyone’s attention.
“I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight to celebrate the life of Rachelle Braun. Only a handful of people knew that Rachelle and I go far back.” Eddie’s eyes landed on hers and then quickly moved away. Raven heard a few whispers behind her, but then Eddie continued talking, telling the mourners a few personal details about the woman he’d loved but had been too afraid to commit to. Raven glanced sideways at Cade and remembered him saying those three special words she had yet to respond to.
Since he’d spoken them to her, she’d avoided the talk about what it meant to them, what it meant to her, other than the short conversation they’d had.
What if something happened to either of them? Would she regret not telling him how she felt about him? Would he know? Did he know already?
As she listened to Eddie finish talking and welcome others to speak on Rachelle’s behalf, she thought about her own life. Her own procrastinations. How she had avoided returning to Cannon Falls for over ten years, trying to keep the hurt, the pain, and the guilt hidden from everyone else.
She’d put herself in that bubble and had convinced herself that what she had with Cade was just attraction. Just sex. But the truth was, he’d snuck in behind her carefully guarded walls. Somehow, he’d convinced her that life wouldn’t be as great without him in her life.
The fact was, she was in love and wasn’t sure what the hell came next.
Time to make the bitch pay. Twisted fates. Ropes tangled like webs.
You think this is fun? You think you can get away with saying whatever you want? Doing whatever you want?
Someone has to pay tonight. Someone needs to die. It might as well be you.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Foul water will quench fire ~ English proverb
Standing next to Raven in the middle of the town square, surrounded by everyone he knew, a sense of pride fell over him. Here he was with the woman he loved, in the town he fought every day to keep alive.
He couldn’t think of a better place to be. When the band kicked on and he remembered why everyone was gathered there, he realized it could have been for a better reason.
He hadn’t known Rachelle all that well. Each time he’d inspected the resort before Raven had returned, he’d dealt with Colin. Glancing around, he wondered if her aunt and uncle were present tonight.
As the sun