JJ was at the police station, Audrey at the library, and Gabe was probably still asleep. He’d worked late last night when some drunken tourists rampaged through downtown after the bar closed.

Taking a seat on the deck, Kit gave the railing planters a satisfied smile. A while back, she’d switched out the faded spring pansies for bright red geraniums.

Next door, blooming petunias filled the hip-high planters she’d helped Audrey buy for Gabe’s deck. The flowers matched his gray-blue shutters.

At the other end of the semi-circle, Mako’s entire deck was awash with the autumn pansies she’d been growing to give away. Over the past month, she’d painted the inexpensive pots and macraméd the hangers. Everything was ready now.

The tiny pot at one end was Aric’s. Her son had carefully transplanted the purple pansy with his own two hands.

He made her so proud.

And flowers made her so happy—especially the old classics like geraniums, daisies, and petunias.

No matter where a person was, there was always room for flowers. Her gaze ran over the courtyard in assessment. Really, the patio around the grill called out for some flowerbeds or planters to liven up the space.

And down by the dock. Wouldn’t it be…

No, bad Kit.

This isn’t my home. Not forever. She needed to remember that, no matter how much she loved this peaceful courtyard facing the ever-changing lake. Let alone the view that went upward from lake to the sprawling town to the towering mountains.

In the chicken house, a hen made a buk-buk-buk-buk sound, announcing she’d laid an egg. On the lake, occasional quacks came from the ducks bobbing around the dock with their offspring paddling furiously to keep up.

Wasn’t it strangely wonderful how the toughest men she’d ever met had created such a sanctuary?

But, really, she was so happy to still be here.

On Monday, after receiving her second weekly paycheck, she’d started phoning around for possible places to live, and Frankie had heard her.

Minutes later, Gabe showed up, sat her down on Bull’s deck, and firmly said, since she was ready to be on her own, she’d be staying in Mako’s place. Because he couldn’t protect her adequately if she lived in town. Because Nabera was still on the loose.

If it’d just been her, maybe she’d have said no, but she wouldn’t risk Aric for pride. She’d agreed—and when Gabe had yelled out, “She said yes,” cheers had filled the courtyard. Everyone had been in on the plan and waiting for her answer.

They’d swarmed out of the houses and carried her stuff over to Mako’s and then celebrated with a meal downstairs. She’d come close to bursting into tears several times that night.

The only one who hadn’t been there was Hawk.