He did. Luke was generous, funny, and completely unmoored from reality. It looked like he had been single-handedly trying to keep those families afloat, even though they’d all been compensated and signed legal documents agreeing to the settlements.

“Will you make good on the checks?” Caroline asked. “I know we are under no legal obligation, but—”

“I’ll pay the checks.” It was the least he could do for Luke.

“And what about Otis?” she asked quietly.

Gray braced himself for another difficult conversation. Even thinking about Annabelle made him ill, but Caroline needed to know that Otis was innocent, and the only way to do that was to reveal everything he knew.

“Otis had nothing to do with what happened to Luke.” His mouth went dry and his stomach turned. “It was Annabelle.”

Caroline was stunned, and he relayed the details as quickly as possible, choking back revulsion as he talked. Caroline listened in horrified sympathy, waiting patiently until he finished.

“Oh, Gray, I’m so sorry. I’m glad about Otis, but . . .” Her voice hardened as she stood and began pacing the small room like a panther, fists clenched, jaw outthrust. “If I ever see that woman again, there won’t be a rock big enough for her to hide beneath. I’ll pick her up and bodily fling her into the Potomac. I’ll kick her back to Kansas. I’ll—”

“If you see Annabelle again, you will ignore her,” he instructed calmly. It was the only thing they could do. As much as he’d like to call down fire and brimstone on her head, she hadn’t done anything illegal. Some people might even side with Annabelle. Neither he nor Caroline ever would. To them, she was a snake who had slid into their world, gathered information, and used it to destroy their family.

The fight went out of Caroline. Her shoulders sagged, and she closed her eyes, but only for a moment. Then her spine straightened, her chin lifted, and she returned to sit beside him. “Tell me what I can do to help.”

He bit off an ironic laugh. “There’s nothing you can do. I was an idiot, and now I have to live with it.”

“No, you don’t,” Caroline said brightly. “You’re ready to start a family. That’s part of the reason you fell so quickly for that person from Kansas. Don’t let one bad experience dissuade you. I know plenty of eligible young ladies.”

Everything in him recoiled. Even thinking about starting a courtship at this point was anathema.

Caroline noticed, and sympathy tinged her gaze. “Forgive me. Perhaps it’s too early, but when you’re ready, I will find the perfect woman for you. If I must climb to the top of Mount Everest, I will find her and drag her to your front door.”