Because if she was harboring a secret about someone who could have sent her a doll with a knife stuck in it, there was a very real possibility that person’s next prank might aim to do physical rather than psychological damage.

And if that happened, Grace could find herself in the sights of someone whose intentions had shifted from freaking her out to moving in for the kill.

15

GRACE LOCKED THE BATHROOM DOOR, sank onto the toilet seat, and dropped her head into her hands.

What was going on?

After five years, she should be past this verging-on-meltdown reaction.

In truth, she’d thought she was past it. That she’d put the incident behind her and moved on.

Yes, the experience had affected her life. The Beretta and her investment in security were proof of that. But both were prudent insurance in this day and age. Any smart woman would take similar precautions. Her setup wasn’t over the top, as Nate had suggested.

Are you certain about that?

At the prod from her subconscious, she massaged her temples.

Okay. So maybe she was more cautious than most, but the measures she’d taken gave her a modicum of comfort and a sense of safety.

Or they had, until someone broke off her lily buds, vandalized her car, and left a doll with a knife stuck in the chest at her back door.

A shiver snaked through as she fought down a wave of panic and forced the left side of her brain to engage.

Logically, current events couldn’t have anything to do with the traumatic episode that had ruined her sleep for two long years and left her edgy in dark places and tight spaces. Despite Nate’s obvious concern that an enemy from her past may have reappeared, he was wrong. Sharing her history wouldn’t help him figure out who was behind the recent incidents. She could keep it locked inside, as she had since that awful night in Albuquerque.

Except being thrust into the role of victim again had reawakened the angst and fears that had plagued her for years, and talking to someone about those could help. Unfortunately, her overprotective sisters were no better candidates for confidantes than they’d ever been. Their little sister might be all grown up, but they’d react the same as they always had whenever she was in trouble.

They’d freak. They’d hover. They’d worry.

Nate, however, was a different matter. Even if he couldn’t banish her reawakened anxieties, it would be comforting to have him confirm her conclusion that there couldn’t be a connection between what was happening now and what had happened then.

Plus, if she asked him to keep her secret confidential, he would. The man appeared to be integrity personified. She wouldn’t have to worry about him spilling it to her sisters.

So stop dithering, Grace. Just tell him.

Fine. She would.

As soon as she summoned up her courage.

Sixty seconds later, she stood, squared her shoulders, unlocked the door—and prayed she wasn’t making a mistake.