Being hired by the Shephard Ranch as one of their jockeys was a major deal. As in insanely big for me. I had pinched myself so much the first day there, meeting with Stellan Shephard, the owner, that I had bruises on my arms for a week. I’d have taken a role as an exercise rider if they’d offered it to me. Just to be working with one of the biggest names in horse racing. Getting to ride for them was so much more than I’d ever considered.

  Granted, my parents were against me riding for them. For the past month, I’d had to listen to them complain about me being associated with the Shephards. They were dangerous people. They had too much money. They controlled too many things. They could commit murder and get away with it. I had heard it all from both of them. I also ignored everything they said.

  My mother was sure if you didn’t grace the doors of the Methodist church, you were not going to get into heaven, which meant you must be a criminal. My father wasn’t as bad as her, but he was a close second with his judgmental beliefs. He thought anyone who went to a church, any denomination, was getting through those pearly gates. It was only those who didn’t go to the Lord’s house on Sunday that were bound for the pits of hell. Well, except Catholics. He was sure they were all going to hell too.

  Don’t even get me started on that. It gives me a headache.

  I dropped my gaze back to my phone lying in my lap. It was Friday night, and I had expected JB, the guy I’d met at the Shephard Ranch, to call me. We had gone out twice over the past few weeks, and with the way he smiled at me when I was at the ranch to ride one of the horses and how he always sought me out … well, I had hoped it was going somewhere. But it was eight, and my phone had yet to ring. I’d even skipped my workout earlier in case he called, I wanted to be ready. I was riding for the Shephards in the Belmont Derby Invitational, and I shouldn’t be skipping any workouts.

  Laying my head back on the sofa cushion, I stared at the ceiling of my house. What had I done wrong? Why hadn’t he called me? He was the first guy I’d ever dated who didn’t go to my dad’s church, and that was one of my secret things on the dream board. Secret as in when my mom came to visit and asked me about what the items on my board represented, I left out that bit.

  She was determined I was going to marry Haines Cadmen. For starters, I’d known Haines since I was three years old. Second, he bored me to tears. Getting through a conversation with him about teeth was worse than actually going to the dentist. And he was just that—a dentist.

  While Mom thought Haines was the cream of the crop when it came to men in this town, I was doing all I could to dodge him. I did not want to hear about any more molars or root canals. He also did this thing with his nose, like he twitched it or something when he was talking. I didn’t know. It was just beyond annoying.

  JB had no annoying traits, and he’d not once talked about teeth. Like me, he talked about horses. Thoroughbreds, to be specific. He was tall and handsome. When I said something, he seemed truly interested. I had his complete attention. He also drank beer and often cursed. It might be silly to someone else that I even liked that about him. But when you’d been raised as sheltered as I had been, then you craved something else. Anything beyond the walls of the church.

  I had struggled with social anxiety most of my life. My mother was outgoing and chatty with everyone. Me, on the other hand? I was more withdrawn. Not because I wanted to be, but the idea of putting myself out there terrified me. A lot of it was childhood damage. I’d been awkward and nerdy. An easy target for kids to pick on. Even though I had been homeschooled, they had still managed to make fun of me. The pretty girls at the park would snicker and point at me when Mom took me there to play. Probably because of the hideous glasses my mother made me wear and the long shorts that covered my knees. My mom’s love of floral prints was the bane of my existence. My tops were all rather hideous. Although I had been a kid who had no control over all this, it had been difficult for me.

  That girl was no longer, and although I didn’t look in the mirror every day, admiring myself, I knew I wasn’t terrible. Maybe a little plain, but not hard to look at. Reminding myself that I was an adult and no longer needed to hide behind a tree so no one saw me was something I had to do more often than I should.

  But again, the dream board. Self-confidence and loving my body were up there. I was going to learn to love me for who I was this year.

  And JB had been helping with that until he suddenly wasn’t. I believed it was called ghosting. Maybe that was unfair. He’d not been at work when I was there this week, and it could have just been his schedule, but he hadn’t called me either.

  I wished I’d stopped by the bakery and picked up my favorite cookies before coming home. At least then, I’d have something to eat while I sulked. Having lemon crinkle cookies might have just helped. But then again, I’d bought them too many times lately. If I wanted to keep my job, I didn’t need to gain weight. I had upped my runs by three extra miles every day this week because of the cookies I’d eaten.

  My phone dinged and lit up. Excitedly, I grabbed it, only to see Esther, my best friend’s, name. Not JB’s.

  CAPRI JEWEL where are you? The Tellys’ cookout has already started! Haines is here and asked me where you were!

  I rolled my eyes. Esther knew I did not like Haines, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t pushing him on me as much as my mother was. Jaiden Wilks had proposed to her six months ago. Since then, she had been determined to get me hitched too.

  I have a migraine. I overdid it at the gym.

  A lie, but there was no way I was going to the Tellys’ backyard barbecue. I had enough of hymns and Jesus on Sundays. When you grew up, being in church almost daily, it wore on you. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t even go on Sundays, but seeing as my parents would freak out if I didn’t and most likely have a prayer meeting for my soul, I went. Less drama.

  A migraine! Take some pain meds and come on!

  Nope. Not happening.

  I did. It’s not working. I’m lying in the dark.

  Another lie. I shifted my eyes over to my lamp and considered turning it off so I wouldn’t be lying about that. Just to cut back on all the lies. I wasn’t sure if God had a book up there, where he was tallying things up, or not.

  Okay. Fine. But if it gets better, then hurry and get over here.

  It will not get better. I was one hundred percent sure of that.

  I will.

  Lie. Yeah, I’d better turn off that lamp. The lies were mounting.

  Setting my phone down, I leaned over and switched off the lamp. There I was, in the dark. Shifting my gaze to the television, I considered turning it on, wondering what was on tonight. I’d been reading lately and not involved in any television shows. Sighing because that didn’t sound appealing either, I turned to look out the window and immediately froze. I could see a black figure in the distance. Blinking, I leaned forward and squinted to see if it was a neighbor who had come into my backyard, but it was gone.

  I stood up and walked over to the door to make sure it was locked, then went back to look one more time. Nothing.

  What could that have been?

  I normally never got scared, living alone. I mean, there had been the time I let Esther convince me to go see a horror movie with her and Jaiden two days before Halloween, and that had messed me up for a bit. Other than that, I felt safe. It was Madison, Georgia. Nothing ever happened here.

  Annoyed with myself, I went over to the television and turned it on. I’d watch something funny. It was highly unlikely I had seen anyone in my backyard. Sinking back onto the sofa, I clicked through the channels until I found a rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond. That should work.

  My eyes shifted back to the window again. It really had looked like there was someone out there. Convincing myself I had imagined it wasn’t easy. But why would someone be in my backyard, and where would they have gone so fast? I probably needed new contacts.

  A knock at my door caused me to freeze. My heart began to beat faster as I stared at the door. Who would be here?

  My mother would have used the doorbell, then yelled out, It’s me!

  There was no way it was Esther or Haines. They were at the cookout, which was a good twenty-minute drive away.

  I didn’t move as I looked at the door. Maybe I should call someone. But who? The cops? Tell them someone had knocked on my door? That would make me sound like a lunatic.

  I strained my ears to listen, but I heard nothing. I could normally hear footsteps on my tiny front porch. Why was it so quiet? Had there really been someone in my backyard? Were they seeing if I was alone first to … to … what? Rape and kill?

  I sucked in a breath and unlocked my phone screen. I could dial 911 and have my finger on Call, just in case.

  I had no weapon if they broke in. I could get a knife from the kitchen, but then what good would that be if they had a gun?

  Were all my windows locked? I started to get up and check but sat back down because if they heard my footsteps, they’d know I was here. Wait, they already saw me through the window.

  Why didn’t I have a gun? I lived alone!

  Because I was terrified of guns. That was why.

  It was the lies. I had told too many, and the Lord was teaching me a lesson.

  My breathing came in quick, short gasps as I sat there, waiting. The minutes ticked by, and the silence continued.

  A car drove down the street and honked. That was normal. Folks did that around here to say hello when they passed.

  If there were a scary stranger on my porch, someone would see them. Right? I was overreacting.

  It could have been a package delivery. UPS ran late sometimes. I wasn’t expecting anything, but then it could be the wrong address.

  Another car drove past. Nothing. No sound.

  I’d worked myself up over nothing.

  Sighing, I stood up and walked over to my door. Pulling the curtain back just enough to peek, I saw no one. Dropping my gaze, however, I found a pink box. A very familiar one. The exact same box that the bakery used.

  Unlocking my door, I opened it slowly and checked out the area. Nothing except the neighbor’s cat running across the street. I bent down and picked up the box and looked inside.

  One dozen lemon crinkle cookies. Who would have brought me these? Bess at the bakery? I mean, she liked me and all, but we weren’t that tight. I was just a good customer. Haines had no clue what kind of cookies I liked, and he was at the cookout.

  This was odd. Stepping back inside, I closed the door and locked it. I wished I’d answered the knock now.

  Could it have been JB? Maybe? But if so, why hadn’t he called? I hadn’t told him about these cookies though. I didn’t think. Had I rambled and mentioned them once?

  I set the cookies down beside the sofa and studied them. I wasn’t sure if I should eat them. There was one other option as to who could have left them, but I just had a hard time believing that was who had done it. Nine years was a long time, and why would he even remember something like that? And if he did, I couldn’t imagine he would bring me some. He barely acknowledged my existence.

  Lifting my gaze, I stared out the back window again.

  • Two •

  “You keep that up, and you might end up a heathen like me.”

  Capri

  Nine Years Ago

  Sitting on the park bench with half a dozen lemon crinkle cookies alone was just pathetic. But it was either stay here for the next two hours or go home and answer a million questions from my mom. Why was I home so early? Wasn’t I going to the movies with Esther? Which had been a lie to begin with. Well, half of it at least. I was supposed to go to the movies, but not with Esther.

  Nathan Mills had asked me out. He’d come to church last weekend with his aunt. When he found me outside afterward, we talked. He was charming and funny. Then, he asked for my number. I did not have my own cell phone, and I wasn’t sure he should call the house phone. So, I gave him Esther’s cell number. Being the awesome friend she was, she came over when he texted and set up a time for us to talk on the phone. He asked me out to a movie for tonight.

  When I mentioned him to my mother, she told me to steer clear of him. His aunt was trying her best to help, but he had been causing his parents problems. Curious as to what he was doing that was so bad, I asked. Mom said that they’d caught him smoking and drinking. They’d also found filthy songs on his phone. He was apparently going to turn into a criminal because of these things. At least according to my mother.

  I, however, wasn’t so harsh. He sounded like every other teenager I knew, except for me. Because I had no breathing room to do any of those things.

  Knowing she’d never let me date him, Esther helped me with the plan to tell my parents I was meeting her at the bakery and then taking her car to the movies.

  Nathan was going to meet me at the bakery at six.

  By the time seven rolled around, Bess had been closed for almost an hour and was locking up to leave. She handed me the bag with my favorite cookies in it and told me she hoped my ride showed up soon.

  Unable to sit outside and continue to look pathetic, I took my cookies and walked down to the park to find a fairly hidden bench in case my mother were to drive by. I’d kept expecting Esther to show up and explain. Maybe Nathan had called her to relay a message to me. But after an hour with no word, it was safe to say I had been stood up.

  It was all for nothing. The work I had put into planning to even be here. Not to mention the two hours I had spent rolling my hair and putting on a little makeup.

  Opening the bag, I took out a cookie and frowned at it. Normally, these were my go-to treat when I was happy or sad. But at the moment, they just reminded me of the hour I’d stood outside the bakery, waiting on Nathan, who never showed. I mean, it wasn’t like I knew him that well. Perhaps he had changed his mind about me and not known how to tell me.

  I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize I wasn’t alone until a body sat down next to me, which was startling and caused me to drop my cookie. However, when my gaze locked on Thatcher Shephard, my stomach got all fluttery. Which was bad. The first time I’d met him, I hadn’t known who he was, so the butterflies had been understandable. I was sure all females thought that when they looked at him.

  Now that I was aware who he was—because I’d done some asking around and digging of my own—I should be scared. Not giddy.

  “Damn,” he said, leaning back and stretching his legs out in front of him, then crossing his ankles. “Shame to waste a perfectly good cookie. Hope you got more.”

  I opened my mouth, then closed it. What did I say to him? I didn’t want to be rude, but, well, unlike Nathan, Thatcher was actually a bad person. A very sexy, rich, powerful, bad person. Who was sitting on a bench in the park, talking to me.

  Gathering myself, I licked my lips and tried to think of something that wasn’t stupid to say. Why I cared about what he thought of me, I didn’t know—scratch that. I knew. I was sheltered, not stupid or blind. He was ridiculously hot.

  “Uh, you startled me,” I blurted.

  He lifted his eyebrows just a touch as his eyes met mine. “You’re nervous,” he said. His dark gaze seemed to be studying my face. Then, a smirk touched his lips. “You know who I am, don’t you, little doll?”

  Little doll? Was that an insult, or was it … not?

  I nodded.

  He let out a deep chuckle that caused goose bumps to cover my arms.

  “Did you ask, or did someone tell you?”

  If I told him I’d investigated him myself because I could not get him out of my head, he might think I was a stalker. I was gonna have to lie. I had done a lot of that today.

  “I, uh, well, you’re well known, and I, uh … people saw you in the parking lot, and, uh—”

  “You asked around.” Although he wasn’t smiling, there was a small tug on the corner of his lips, like he wanted to.

  I might as well be honest. I nodded.

  He took the bag of cookies from me and opened it to peer inside. I sat there silently as he reached into the bag and pulled one out, then inspected it.

  Bess didn’t make them every day. In fact, the days she made them, she’d call me to let me know. I was one of the few people who chose them over her famous peanut butter cup cookies or chocolate chip with caramel drizzle. My mom loved her strawberry shortcake cookies best.

  “Lemon crinkle,” I said.

  His eyes shifted to me. “They any good?”

  I nodded. “They’re my favorite.”

  He took a bite, and I got a funny stir in my chest as I watched his neck muscles move while he chewed. He had a lot of muscles. I’d never thought about a guy’s neck being sexy, but this one fit that description. When it stopped moving, my eyes snapped back up to his face, and I realized he’d caught me ogling his neck. Great.

  He didn’t say anything, but took out another cookie and handed it to me. “You’d better eat this one before I finish off the bag.”

  I took it.

  “You get cookies and sit out here alone often?” he asked as he got himself another one.

  I shook my head. “No. I mean, I get cookies kinda often, but I just take them home. I had other plans tonight, but they fell through. I didn’t want to go home just yet.”

  When he took another bite, I looked over toward the street and started eating the one he had given me. I was afraid if I looked in his direction, I would start lusting over his neck again like a creeper.

  “Relax, Capri.”

  His voice made my breath catch, and I had to physically think about how to inhale oxygen properly. Turning my gaze back to him, I swallowed the cookie I had been chewing.

  “I’m relaxed,” I lied.