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“You’re beginning to sound like Mrs. Applegate,” Zane said, striving to look bored.
“Either you cross that bridge, or you burn it.”
“At the risk of repeating myself, let me remind you that what I do with my life is my business.”
Carl stood abruptly and studied Zane intently. “Lesley doesn’t know, does she? Of course she doesn’t,” he said, answering his own question. “You married her without her knowing you fully intend to get yourself killed.”
“Keep Lesley out of this.” Zane was fast losing his patience. He stood and clenched his fists at his sides. “I know what I’m doing.”
“You’re sacrificing your life.”
“I’m avenging Dan and Dave. They were like family to me, and I will not let their murders go unanswered.”
The two men scowled at one another.
“Zane.” Lesley’s sweet voice drifted from the hallway. She came into the exercise room. Zane tore his gaze away from Carl to greet his wife. Her happiness bubbled over as she hurried into his arms. Zane briefly held her against him and closed his eyes. Her smile was potent enough to brighten the darkest corners of his heart.
“I hope I’m not interrupting you?” Lesley glanced apologetically to Carl.
“Are you going to tell her?” Carl demanded, ignoring her question. “She has a right to know.”
Clearly confused by the aggression in Carl’s voice, Lesley hesitated. “Tell me what?”
* * *
Candy carried a load of groceries into the house and set the two bulky sacks on the kitchen counter. She’d purposely chosen to shop at a store where she wasn’t as well-known. The last thing she needed was for some clerk to announce to everyone in Sleepy Valley that she’d bought a home pregnancy test.
Candy didn’t know what to think. Generally she was regular as clockwork, but this time she was late. Later than she’d ever been. Closing her eyes, she flattened her hand over her stomach. A knot formed in her throat at the prospect of being pregnant.
It would be just like Carl to think she’d done this on purpose, as if he weren’t a contributing factor. She hadn’t talked to him in twelve days. It was the longest stretch of time they’d been apart since…since that fateful afternoon. He was ignoring her, or pretending to, but Candy knew otherwise.
Apparently, Carl didn’t understand what living in a small town meant. Every time he asked about her, the news made its way back to her. From all she was hearing, he was doing a lot of asking.
Mostly, his inquiries had to do with her seeing Dr. Kitsap. If the man had any brains in his head, he’d realize Eric Kitsap was a kid fresh out of veterinarian school.
It was true they’d gone to dinner a couple of times, but it was nothing serious, nor was it likely to develop into anything more than friendship.
Candy emptied the groceries onto the counter, then neatly tucked them inside her cupboards. The pregnancy test glared at her with accusing eyes until she finally took it into the bathroom and set it on the back of the toilet. She’d confront that issue later, when she’d built up her nerve.
She could be carrying Carl’s baby.
There was no need to worry about that now, she told herself, putting on a brave front. If shewaspregnant, she’d deal with the matter the way she had with everything else in her life—straight on with no excuses.
In an effort to put some order to her troubled thoughts, Candy walked out front and reached for the green garden hose. Her rose bushes were beginning to look peaked. She often watered her flower beds when she needed to think matters through.
Because she was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn’t hear Carl until he spoke.
“Candy.”
She whirled around, shocked to find him standing on the sidewalk on the other side of her white picket fence. The first thing she noticed was how pale he looked, as though all the fight had gone out of him. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—agree to his terms, but she hadn’t the energy to fight him.
“Hello, Carl.”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by.”
If ever she heard a lie, it was now, but she didn’t call him on it. Antagonizing him now would serve no useful purpose.
“Can I come in?” he asked, his eyes dark and serious.
