“Okay, I will. But Dylan, just so we’re clear, I should never have said what I did to you. There’s no future for us, and never can be. Your life is somewhere else, and mine is here with Grace. So let’s just leave it there. We had some fun, nothing more to it.”

“So you lied about loving me?”

He had grabbed her arm and nudged her away from the others, so no one could hear them talking.

“Yes,” she lied. “I was emotional, this stuff with Grace, and you helping me. Plus we’d just... done that.”

“‘That’ being made love?”

His words were cool and clipped, eyes narrowed as they glared down at her.

Piper nodded.

“I call bullshit. You’re not the kind of person who says she loves someone then changes her mind, Piper.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I know enough about you. I know you love unconditionally those that are close to you. I know you would never hurt anyone intentionally—”

“And yet you believed me capable of poisoning your mother.” It still hurt; even speaking the words left a pain in her chest.

“I was wrong. I went a bit crazy after my mother told me. I felt betrayed and confused. My brain usually works logically, but that day it didn’t.”

“Okay sure, whatever, but it still doesn’t change how I feel, so let’s just leave it there.”

“I don’t want to leave it there.”

Their eyes caught and held.

“If all the runners will please make their way to the start line with your coffee. Those that have drunk theirs, a table has been set up with spares on the way,” Mayor Gripper said.

Piper dragged her eyes from Dylan and walked away. He wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled her back to face him. The kiss was fast and hard, and had her stumbling back a step.

“We’re not done.”

Piper’s lips tingled as she watched Dylan walk away. Looking around them, she saw that her family and his had seen and none of them seemed overly concerned, except maybe Joe, who was frowning.

Bit, also known as Rosemary Yardly, who ran the supermarket, was tying the runners together at the wrist, along with Miss Sarah and some of Ryker’s other senior citizens.

“Now, I expect you two to win this year and show those men who’s best.”

“We’ll try, Bit,” Piper replied.

Soon they were all ready to go. Mayor Gripper did the countdown and then blew the horn, and they were moving. Slowly at first so no one spilled their coffee. The winner would be the first runner back with at least a quarter of a cup of coffee, which they then had to drink.

She felt a hand on her back, and then Dylan was passing her. Piper refused to acknowledge how good his touch felt.

“Good luck, ladies.”

“You too, brother.”