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“If you could’ve gone to someone else I think you already would’ve done it.” It had never made a lot of sense to him that she’d ask one of her ex-husband’s friends to join her. Sure, she knew he liked the idea of isolation, in theory, but she’d been taking a risk.

She waved a dismissive hand. “It’s true, I don’t trust a lot of people with this knowledge. Not yet. Donnie wanted to get rid of her himself but I don’t want blood on this spell. I want it done right. Neat and clean, that’s the way to go.”

“Keep Donnie away from Gabi.”

She pointed an accusing finger at him, “Don’t fuck this up, Silas. If you do, I’ll know.”

He didn’t follow her out, didn’t watch her go. He stood in the waiting room and listened as she started her vehicle and drove away.

Don’t fuck this up, Silas.

Too late.

* * *

Even though she’d overslept, Gabi didn’t have to rush. Sunday and Thursday were her normal days off. If someone needed an emergency haircut she’d make an exception, but Thursday was her day to do laundry, clean the house, and spoil Mia as much as possible. She usually read during Mia’s nap time, and sometimes they had lunch with Marnie or Cindy. If the weather was nice they’d take a walk.

Today the idea of laundry and housework wasn’t at all attractive, so after eating a big breakfast, feeding the dog and the child, and doing the bare minimum of laundry, she fetched Mia’s stroller from the front closet and headed out for a walk. The weather was perfect, with sunshine and just a touch of a chill in the air. It was too nice to stay inside. She’d finish her laundry later.

She might even walk off enough calories to reward herself with one of Ivy’s cupcakes. Maybe a bear claw.

As she walked by the police station Travis Benedict, Police Chief, exited the plain building that was his workplace. The police station was small, consisting, she’d heard, of an office and two cells. She’d not seen it for herself and didn’t plan to.

Travis was probably headed to Eve’s for an early lunch. He said hello to her, she returned the greeting, and then he fell into step beside her.

“I’m going to ask Eve to marry me,” he said out of the blue.

Travis wasn’t exactly a friend, though she knew him well enough. It was a small town, and he was Cindy’s brother-in-law. He had his neat hair cut once a month, like clockwork. He was one of those Springers who respected her distance, who didn’t seem to mind that she wasn’t a chatty hairstylist. Unlike the ladies at The Egg. “Well, good luck.”

Travis waved one hand in the air in a gesture that spoke of frustration. “I’m not sure that she’ll say yes, so I don’t know if I should propose privately or make a big deal out of it and ask her in front of a crowd. Should there be flowers? Balloons? She doesn’t like champagne, and I’m not sure where I’d get a decent bottle anyway, but…” He looked down at her. “Any advice?”

Blake’s proposal had been public and lavish. There had been champagne, flowers, the applause and genuine smiles of the other diners around them. She’d been swept away, but in the end his extravagant gestures had meant nothing.

“I don’t know Eve all that well, so I can’t offer much in the way of advice. Just… make it from the heart. You know what she likes, what she’d want.”

Travis nodded. “Private it is. I’m just afraid, you know, that will make it easier for her to say no.”

“She won’t appreciate it if you play games with her,” Gabi added.

Travis sighed. “Thanks. I know you’re right.” When they reached Eve’s he nodded once in her direction then slipped inside.

Gabi kept going. It wasn’t yet time to stop at Ivy’s. She’d save baked goods for after she’d burned off some calories. Odds are if she ate something carb-heavy now she’d head straight home and take a nap. So she walked past the bakery, past the hardware store and the parking lot beside it, toward the end of the street and the path through the woods. For a moment she considered taking that path, walking through the woods and enjoying a bit of nature, but she wasn’t sure Mia’s stroller could handle the rough terrain. She didn’t want to get caught in those woods with a baby, a dog, and an inoperable stroller.

She stopped at the end of the street and peered into the forest. Spring was coming fast. Once leafless trees had started to bud. There was a promise of spring in the hint of green here and there, along with the occasional sturdy wildflower. But it was really dark in there, thanks to a thick growth of very old trees. Beyond the edge it was shadowy and mysterious.

Judge seemed to go on alert. The bloodhound stiffened. A low growl she hadn’t heard from the dog before now sounded in his throat, and he moved to protectively place himself between Mia and the woods. Maybe he’d seen or heard a squirrel and was protecting his charges from a vicious hairy-tailed rodent attack.

Without warning Gabi suffered her own moment of unease. The back of her neck tickled. She felt as if she were being watched. Even Mia seemed to be antsy all of a sudden, kicking her legs and whining.

Naturally, Mia liked to stay on the move when they were out and about. Sitting still was not her style. Gabi wheeled the stroller around and returned to the sidewalk. She’d planned to walk a while longer before giving in to her compulsion for sweets, but who was she kidding? Any time was the right time for a cupcake. She’d walk it off later. Maybe.

Chapter 8

Blake Pierce stood behind a wide-trunked tree and watched as Gabi turned around. He was at least twenty yards away from the road where she’d stopped, he didn’t think she could see him peeking around the tree, but he was careful not to move while she faced his direction. It would’ve been too easy if she’d entered the woods alone, if she’d walked right to him. He’d never been a fan of easy. He didn’t want this to be over quickly. He wanted her to suffer.

Until yesterday he hadn’t been sure the photograph his private investigator had found online was really his wife. Ex-wife, Gabi would insist, but once something belonged to him he didn’t let it go easily. Someone had taken a picture of a birthday gathering in a park in Eufaula, Alabama, of all places. In the background, a woman and baby had been exiting a small brick building. Zooming in and enhancing the image revealed the name of the clinic. Gabi’s hair was different and the baby was older, but facial recognition had tagged the match. It had been right. From there it had been easy enough to trace her to this small town.

Last night he’d peeked through the window of the only restaurant in town and seen her sitting in one of the booths, having dinner with a man. He’d been tempted to rush in then and there, to drag her out, to make her remember that she was his and always would be. Divorce didn’t change that. Gabi and the child they’d created belonged to him.