When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,10

around and doing nothing. “Do you have anything in mind?”

“I do,” she said, sitting up, her eyes shining with excitement. “Let’s run by the daycare tomorrow and ask Portia when the kids got sick and when Mike thinks they’ll be back.”

My spirits lifted. “That’s actually a good idea.”

There was a chance the daycare director wouldn’t tell us because of Mike’s ban, but she’d been friendly to me during Violet’s illness. I suspected she’d understand my need to make sure they were okay.

Neely Kate beamed. “I have a few of them from time to time.”

We discussed her plans for the wedding as we finished eating. She and Jed had decided to have it at their house, and they wanted to get married soon after my baby was born. She wanted cut flowers, and I promised I’d help her make the bouquets and boutonnieres. We chatted for a while about what she wanted them to look like, and she showed me a dress she’d found online for herself. At first glance, the dress surprised me. I’d figured she’d go for something simple since she was having the wedding in her backyard, but once I saw it, there was no doubt the dress had been made for her. It was a ball gown with sparkles and tulle, and an off-the-shoulder cut that reminded me of Cinderella. She saw Jed as her Prince Charming, and this was her chance to be a princess for a day. The whole affair was to be completely different than her wedding to Ronnie, which had been an elaborate three-ring circus.

“It’s beautiful, Neely Kate,” I said with a soft smile. “You’ll be the most beautiful bride ever.”

“Do you think Jed will like it?” I was surprised to hear the worry in her voice.

I turned in my seat to face her. “You could walk down the aisle wearing a housedress from Walmart, and Jed would absolutely love it simply because you were wearin’ it.” I grabbed her hand. “Neely Kate, that man loves you with every breath of his being. You deserve a good man like Jed Carlisle, and he’s as lucky to have you as you are to have him.”

She must have heard the wistfulness in my voice, because she gave me a sad smile. She started to say something, then stopped herself. “I thank the good Lord for him every day. Every. Single. Day.”

When we finished eating, we went back inside to start putting the kitchen back together. Before long, we had over half of it put away, but Neely Kate had turned strangely silent, all the wind going out of her sails, and I could tell she had something on her mind that she wasn’t sharing.

Finally, I held up the can in my hand and turned to her. “If you don’t tell me what’s botherin’ you, I’m not responsible for what I do with this can of green beans.”

“What are you talkin’ about?” she asked, but she refused to look at me.

“I know you, Neely Kate Rivers. I know when something’s eatin’ at you, so just spit it out already.”

She made a face. “I don’t want to steal your thunder with the baby.”

I set the can on the counter. “What in Sam Hill are you talkin’ about?”

Her mouth twisted and tears filled her eyes.

I walked over and grabbed both of her arms. “Neely Kate, honey, I can’t think of a single thing that would steal my thunder over this baby.” My brow shot up. “Do you mean your weddin’? I couldn’t be more excited for you. Why can’t we have two happy things happenin’ at the same time?” I gave her a soft smile. “We need to embrace all the happiness life gives us. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“It’s not just the weddin’, Rose. There’s something else.”

Fear seized my heart. “Are you okay? Are you sick? Is it Jed?” Then I gasped in horror. “Has Kate contacted you?” Her half-sister Kate was a sociopath who’d killed multiple people and attempted to kill several others—including me. She’d also kidnapped Neely Kate last summer and brought her on an excursion—Kate’s word—that had illuminated Kate’s entanglement with the Hardshaw Group. She intended to ruin them too, or so she said, but we hadn’t heard from her since. The more time that passed without contact, the more I hoped she was gone for good. But I also knew that was too good to be true.

“No, Jed and I are both fine. And not a peep from Kate.” She pushed out a