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She grinned crookedly “You can’t help picking up bits and pieces of history when you’re here My students are proud to be Montanans Most of the in Paradise Valley and intend to make their homes here, too” She shivered at a blast of icy wind “I have to say, though, it’s cold here Really cold And that wind that whistles through the valley from Yellowstone Brrr”

“Let’s get you inside then” He walked her up the steps of the porch “So, eleven on Sunday? Or should we try for noon so you can attend church fist?”

“Noon would be great”

“I’ll pick you up”

“Maybe I’ll meet you there” She made a face “Just safer”

“So the Sheenans won’t like you seeing me”

“Um, no,” she admitted “They won’t”

“Then maybe we shouldn’t I don’t want everyone upset with you It’s not fair to you—”

“Or you,” she countered “And I wouldn’t go if I thought I was hurting anyone, but I’m not This isn’t about theo to brunch I like your company and, you know, you’re the first person—outside of Kara and my family—who has reached out to me here, or included me So really, you’re the first friend I’ve ood to be ht was brighter, wanting to better see what he was thinking, but the light illu his dark eyes shadowed “You know?”

He studied her for a , and then he nodded slowly “I do,” he said quietly

And then he leaned towards her and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, and then another light kiss to her lips, before letting her go “Sleep well”

“You, too,” shethe front door and slipping inside

She liked hi to be a problem

Kara ake, waiting for Jet in the living roo fire in the hearth, when Jet arrived home at eleven-thirty Jet shot Kara a worried look as she peeled off her gloves and then her coat “What’s wrong?”

Kara turned off the TV “Your sister was here earlier She waited for you for almost an hour You didn’t have your phone on you, did you?”

“No I left it charging and forgot it What’s wrong? Did so happen to one of the kids?”

“No It just seems like your whole family knows you had dinner with Shane and they’re not happy”

“The Diekerhofs?”

Kara gave her a look as if to say Jet was being deliberately dense “No, the Sheenans”

Jet sighed “The Sheenans aren’t loves on the back of the couch and came around to sit on the opposite end of Kara “And if Coro tell everyone…well, that’s rather sad”

“The Sheenans are really upset about the book”

“I gather But why be so protective of McKenna? I’ve ile”

“It’s not that she’s fragile, but there’s concern that a lot of edy, and none of the money benefits the victims—”

“The Sheenans want a piece of the book?”

“No They don’t want it written at all They don’t want anyone to capitalize on thee them out “It’s a sordid piece of Marietta history, and no one here wants to see it exploited And beyond the financial side, it was truly a terrible time, with everyone under the microscope, and no one more closely than the Sheenans”

“Why the Sheenans?”

Kara sat back down and drew her legs up under her “The Douglases and Sheenans were neighbors They shared a property line In fact, you had to drive on the Sheenan ranch to get to the Douglas’, so whoever the killer was, he’d been on the Sheenan property, too So when Rory went for help, he went to the Sheenans Brock and Bill raced to the Douglas house, while one of the other boys summoned help”

“Brock and Mr Sheenan were the first on the scene?”