ys,bathing darkness with light. His heart clenched and his muscles corded as her hands came up to his chest. H

shouldn't want to dip deep and claim her heart-shaped pink lips again. He should

's where h

r trust her enough to

sition? Eager top rip off each other's clothes off and let the feelings they had for each other consume them in a splendid,he

hat had gotten hi

g with his mind and the future they woul

because Melissa was bad for him,and he k

in her composure,and then

now where to fin

o follow speeding t

to be",she said.

is watch. "At elev

ch conviction. She was eithe

or an appoint

m". Her face morphed for a spilt sec

u come back

. I'm not stayin

u wanted to talk

s mist

t her

t have gone to the ranch. Richard will be li

n't being truthful? There was no way to shield him now. Not after what sh

y anniversary for me?" She asked,and he'd almost forgotten abo

nvestigation out of the papers,but Colin assumed that everyone knew his parents had died. He glanced d

ze as if what he was about t

one"he man

ed appropriate under the circumstances. She shouldn't

x of the O'Brien boys. He was more like family and was taking the murder investigation even more personally as a result of how much he cared for th

,and she looked stunned.

intention of f

't know?" He asked, surprised,his

m so much that she'd completely cut herself off any news about Bluff? Ab

d he figured she was about to make something up. "Galveston". She ta

ions,saying over and over that it was about time there was a little me estrogen at the table. Mom had said that after b

e figured out what he was thinking before her defense flared. "I always cared about your

ehind her eyes that he couldn't qui

something abou

about Colin's parents she'd almost buckled. Had her worst fear been realized? Had Richard gotten to them because of some sick need to punish her? So many other questions swirled. If Mr. O'Brien was having

f the news until Melissa could disappear. Speaking of which,it was almost time to meet him. If she didn't show at their rendezvous point,he'd start looking for her a

so she could grab her sleeping infant and run. A wave of guilt assaulted her at thinking how much Colin had missed_how much he would miss_of

m from fighting for custody. Once things settled down,the ranch would be an obvious

ht possibility that Richard could've been involved. "Like I said,I'm

der of how dangerous Richard could be. A thought struck. Could she leav

olin it would be too easy to put the pieces together. Until Richard was safely locked away or

ned to them

with both him and Mom in the car. Something felt off to Tommy so he ran

d they be poisoned?" Melissa's h

both of them. Mom had hosted their annual party for local artists e

Angelina would never know her grandparents. There was always some small part of Melissa wishing things would magically work out and she and Colin would end