Harmony felt disconnected from her emotions as she spoke, but at least she’d managed to tamp the anger down. “No, he would have found me eventually. I have no doubt about that.”

Now it was Nolan who seemed afraid. “And what would you have done if he got to you this time? What are you going to do when he finds you next time?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

He sank down onto the bed beside her and ran his hands through his hair. “That’s not good enough, Harmony.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. I’ve never been in this situation before.”

“With a crazy ex stalking you?”

“Well, yeah, but also not wanting to leave. Earlier I would have just run away to somewhere new, but I don’t want to go.”

He regarded her for a moment, neither smiling nor frowning. His face gave nothing away. Finally, Nolan said, “I don’t want you to go, either.”

Chapter 32

Harmony

Harmony and Muffin walked with Nolan downstairs to the living room. The fear she’d felt just minutes earlier clung to her bedroom like an odious perfume, and she didn’t want to stay in there any longer than she had to.

True to his word, Nolan refused to leave, even after Harmony assured him she would be okay. A lie, but still she hated how her problems had taken on a life of their own, ensnaring all those around her who had dared to care. Unbelievably, she even felt kind of bad for Megan who had unwittingly put her in such danger. She’d be beside herself with guilt, no doubt.

Yes, normally Harmony would have wasted no time in calling someone up who’d done her wrong to give them a loud and colorful piece of her mind. But what was the point this time around? The only person she really needed to have it out with was Alan, and he’d find her sooner rather than later.

A shiver wracked through her again. She hadn’t asked for this, didn’t want it, and yet, it was the biggest constant in her life.

The fear, the running, the anger.

How badly she wanted to put all of them behind now that she had begun to rebuild her life. When faced with the very real possibility of losing everything she’d come to care about, she realized just how much she did care—and in a way, that terrified her, too.

Loving people meant giving them power over you. Alan was proof enough of that. Still, even if Virginia, Nolan, Jolene, Abigail, or Pastor Adam never intended to hurt her, they could easily do so by accident just as she could hurt them—just as she had by putting them all in danger now.

It wasn’t long until Virginia showed up. She reached the house just as the police were packing up to say goodbye after their short visit.

“We’ll keep you informed,” the nice officer said with a sympathetic nod.