Grave Risk. Hannah Alexander

      “That’s the way it works best,” Cheyenne said.

      “Then we got engaged.”

      “And then what?” Karah Lee asked.

      “Life intruded. I discovered I wasn’t as patient with her as I had been when we were just friends.” He had become jealous and selfish, something that continued to shame him. “Jill was forced into the role of surrogate mother at far too young an age, and she had trouble balancing her time between me and her little sister.” And he’d been no help at all. Why had he been such a pig?

      “No doubt about it,” Karah Lee said, “Noelle was a handful growing up. She still gets reminded of that.”

      “I wasn’t mature enough to handle it amid the rigors of internship and early residency. I said some things to Jill that didn’t go over well. The engagement ended six months after it began.”

      “Ouch!” Karah Lee exclaimed.

      The front door opened, and Cheyenne rose. “That’s probably the hearse for Edith.”

      

      Jill watched Austin walk down the path to the circle drive in front of the bed and breakfast. He paused beside a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee as if he might get in and drive away. But, of course, she wouldn’t be so lucky. Not today. She half expected to look up into the sky and see it splitting apart and Jesus calling His own home to be with Him. And she, of course, would be left behind.

      That wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen, of course. She’d walked the aisle years ago, given her heart to Jesus. But the way her life had worked out—and especially the way it seemed to be working today—she could probably expect to discover a glitch in that plan, as well.

      Yes, she knew better, but OCD could make a person doubt her salvation as much as it made her doubt everything else in her life.

      Austin came toward her, his cowboy boots crunching loudly on the gravel.

      “You know,” Noelle said softly, “we could just leave right now. You don’t need this. Nobody needs this. Let’s just turn around and walk away, give him time to leave.”

      “Austin’s harmless, Noelle.” Jill stepped toward him. She was no longer attracted to the man, of course. A lifetime had passed since they went together in high school. Apparently God had decided to try her in a test in which her whole past was coming back to haunt her in one day. She might as well deal with it.

      “I don’t get it,” Noelle said, falling, obviously unwilling, into step beside her. “You blew off Rex Fairfield back at the spa, so why are you going out of your way to greet Austin Barlow?”

      “Because I’m not a little kid. I’m ashamed of my behavior with Rex, and I’ll have to apologize as soon as I see him again.” If she saw him. “I was preoccupied with Edith. Do you have any clue why Rex and Austin would both show up in this town on this day when I’m already losing my mind?”

      Noelle looked at her. “None. But I do know there is some kind of reason for it.”

      “Yeah, right, God has a plan.”

      “He always does. You just have to wait and see it from hindsight.”

      “I don’t like to wait for hindsight.” She’d lived in this town for a lot of years, as had Austin. When he was mayor, she was school nurse. After Austin’s wife died, when Ramsay was a child, there had even been talk about a resurrection of that long-ago romance between Austin and Jill.

      It hadn’t worked out.

      In fact, the way she’d heard it through the Hideaway grapevine, Austin had developed a schoolboy crush on Cheyenne when she came to town. He apparently hadn’t taken it well when Dane Gideon made the more lasting impression on her. That change in circumstances had nearly cost Cheyenne her life when Austin’s son decided to act on his father’s displeasure.

      High-school memories seemed so much more innocent than adult ones. So much more distant, they paled in comparison to the tragedies of more recent years—though there had been tragedies even in high school.

      She recalled the tragedy that had been the catalyst that ended her relationship with Austin. Another classmate, Chet Palmer, had died, and some fingers had been pointed toward Austin and his buddies.

      Now, she held her hands out to Austin as graciously as Edith would have done had she encountered him on the street.

      “Why, Austin Barlow, what are you doing back in town? Everything okay with Ramsay?”

      The gratified relief that etched his expression made her feel sorry for him.

      “Hello, Jill.” His hands grasped hers with a warmth she hadn’t expected. “Ramsay is still in rehabilitation. How are you doing?”

      She hesitated, staring up at him quizzically. How much did he know? How much could he know? News about the discovery of the murder of her father and grandparents eleven years ago had made the rounds last autumn and winter. He could have heard of them from just about anyone who was still speaking to him.

      Amazingly, she found strength in the touch of his hands and the concern in his voice. He sounded sincere.

      She wondered again about the odds of two former boyfriends converging on Hideaway the same day Edith died.

      Astronomical. Ridiculous. Was it possible she had made a break with reality?

      No. She had a neurosis, not a psychosis. She needed to trust Noelle’s faith that God was in control of this situation.

      She mentally shook herself and gazed up into Austin’s eyes. Familiarity and comfort seemed to lie beneath the surface of that questing gaze. How she needed comfort right now.

      “We’ve just had a horrible shock, Austin,” she said, surprised at herself for speaking about it. “Edith Potts just died. Noelle and I are on our way to tell Bertie.”

      Her shock seemed to transfer to him. His hands tightened on hers. His eyes widened. “What happened?”

      “Cheyenne thinks it was her heart,” she said, gently disengaging from his grip. Cheyenne was seldom wrong. But this time…

      He released her immediately. “Cheyenne?”

      She heard the sudden, lingering interest in that one spoken name. So, the rumors were true. Poor Austin must have fallen hard. “She tried everything to bring Edith back. Nothing worked.” Jill knew it was the truth. She felt badly about her behavior at the spa. “You knew she was the director of the clinic, didn’t you?”

      “I’ve heard a few things, but I haven’t kept up with everyone now that Mom is no longer in town. Is Cheyenne sure about the cause of death?”

      “I don’t know at this point.”

      “So she will investigate further to make sure?”

      Jill hesitated and frowned at him. “Austin, is there some reason you feel it should be—”

      “No, of course not. I’m sorry.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know you were good friends with Edith. Will you be okay?”

      She nodded, thanked him, turned toward the bed and breakfast with Noelle at her side.

      Amazing that she was able to behave so rationally—and politely—when her brain struggled to contain all the thoughts that tumbled through it—telling her she had killed Edith.

      Noelle had been right, this was the wrong time to try to cut the meds. I’ll start back on the full dosage tonight.

      She and Noelle found Bertie in the dining room, scrambling to keep the buffet table filled with enough black walnut waffles to satisfy the Saturday-afternoon brunch crowd.

      One glance, however, brought Bertie to her side, dish towel in hand.

      “Jill Cooper, you look like you could use a good, filling meal. Was