Sully saw her shiver. “Are you afraid? Don’t be afraid. This is not anything to act on until we’re ready.”

“Afraid? Of you? No, Sully. I just don’t know what to do with what I feel.”

“Then don’t do anything. When the time is right, there won’t be any confusion. That I can promise.” He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s all good, love. It’s going to be all right.”

“I feel like a forty-something idiot. This should not be so hard,” she muttered.

He chuckled, and when he did, she started to push away, then felt his heartbeat. Without moving, she put her other hand on her own. Their heartbeats were in rhythm.

“What’s wrong?” Sully said.

She reached for his hand and put it over his own heart, and then put his other hand on hers.

“Feel that?” she asked.

“Feel what… Oh, wow! We’re in sync.” Then he laughed. “I love this.”

“I know,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing. I adore the roses, and I adore you, too, Sully Raines.”

“Is this where I sweep you off your feet and take you to bed, or is this where we go eat pie?”

Melissa burst into laughter, and once the joy bubbled up, more kept coming, and she laughed until there were tears in her eyes.

Sully grinned and then put his arm around her and led her to the kitchen.

“I think it’s pie.”

“Just because you went to see a psychic doesn’t mean you’re turning into one.”

He stopped in the middle of the kitchen floor. “Are you saying it’s not pie?”

“Not pie. Cake!”

“You and your sass,” Sully said, and kissed the laugh right off her face.

Chapter 9

Barb Holland and her family arrived at the funeral home ahead of the scheduled visitation. She had given specific orders that the casket would be opened only for the family to view and closed for the public, and she wanted to make sure that order was being carried out.

Their so-called friends had shown her what they thought of Niles, and the last thing she was going to do was put him on display. He was to be cremated after the service, and she was taking his ashes with her back to Dallas.

And per Barb’s request, she and her family arrived at the funeral home in full array of their wealth and status, knowing the people who had betrayed Barb’s friendship would be taken aback.

Her daddy, Jake Austin, was standing tall in a black western-style suit and gray alligator boots. And his turquoise bolo tie was starkly beautiful against his snow-white dress shirt. Aunt Belle’s hair was as silver-white as her brother Jake’s, but hers was coiled and coiffed and tastefully sprayed into an immovable helmet. She was in a black Vera Wang sheath, red Jimmy Choo heels, and dripping diamonds from her ears, around her neck, and on her fingers.

Brother Bobby was sporting clothing similar to his daddy, but instead of a turquoise setting in his bolo tie, his was black obsidian mounted in Navajo silver. His wife, Wynona, was also in black, wearing silver Jimmy Choos and a single diamond on her finger the size of a quarter. The dangle earrings were diamonds, as was the choker around her neck.