And when it came to secrets, what about Carly? Definitely more there than met the eye, his or anyone else’s, but he supposed they should leave the next move to her.

And then…Cord and Shallie. After tonight, he could hardly miss what was going on. He couldn’t say he was surprised but pleased and…a little envious. He hoped their connection went somewhere, that it had a place to go.

No denying that Shallie was attractive. Beautiful, actually. Eli remembered her as shy and self-conscious, lacking confidence in her teens. She’d presented what he’d describe as a detached persona—one of those psychology terms he’d picked up from Investigator Eddie. But detached or not, he’d always liked her and had sympathized with her situation. What a terrible life, and having the popular, self-assured Reba as her best friend must’ve made her feel even less sure of herself. And he, Cord and J.P. hadn’t helped, obsessed with Reba as they’d all been. Then Reba had abandoned her, too.

Good to know where Reba had ended up—except for the sadness of her too-early death. And her husband, Carly’s stepfather, was an asshole as Carly had no compunction in calling him.

He turned into the station parking lot to catch up on bulletins and messages, chat with Amos Edwards, the deputy sheriff on duty, and get in touch with Eddie to confirm. Then he did a bit of preliminary research on the Fletcher case, but came up with nothing new. He was committed to this now, determined to find out what had happened. He couldn’t resist considering the possibilities. A new life lived under a new name? Kidnapping? Murder?

AFTER THAT KISS—the kiss she’d started—Shallie felt as if her life had changed. It was like one of those defining moments in the romance novels she sometimes read. As if this was what she’d been waiting for all these years. And the truth? It was, she admitted. Despite a whole, and in many ways gratifying, other life with a man she’d loved, Cord was still the one she longed for.

When Cord drove the rest of the way home, they talked, but their conversation was admittedly a little awkward.

She felt as if life had led her back to him. But she didn’t want to pressure Cord or make any demands. So their comments were limited to the evening’s events until they reached a stoplight on the edge of town and he reached over to stroke her leg. Gratified, excited, she leaned toward him and they kissed again. Their kiss was cut short by the changing light. But as soon as he’d parked at the house, he turned to her.

So much all at once, and yet every moment, every kiss, was memorable. There was nothing casual about any of them.