3. He forgets to close the bread bag.

4. He mixes up the laundry.

5. He buys the wrong salad dressing brand.

I listed twenty-four items, and I examined my list. Was the fact Joe left his socks on the floor a real reason not to marry him? This was a list of petty excuses. If I was going to write this list, I had to be honest with myself and look at the real issues.

25. Joe’s parents hate me.

Their hatred was so palpable I didn’t see how we could ever survive as a couple unless Joe disowned his family. And as poisonous as they seemed to be, I would never ask him to do that.

26. I don’t think I want to be a politician’s wife.

I couldn’t say that I wouldn’t, but I needed time to think about it. He couldn’t just spring it on me and expect me to give up my entire life.

27. He wants me to give up my entire life.

That wasn’t true, or at least I didn’t have any proof of it. But I was smart enough to know that being married to a politician meant going to a ton of social functions, and I didn’t think I was cut out for that.

28. He hates when I help people who are in trouble.

That wasn’t entirely truthful either. He hated when I got mixed up in things that got me into trouble, but there was no doubt that if he had his way, I wouldn’t have hired Bruce Wayne to work for me. He truly didn’t understand my need to help people like me, even though, oddly enough, he loved me for it. Did I want to fight him on things like that all the time?

29. He hates me talking to Mason.

After tonight, I understood his reasoning. I hated for Joe to have anything to do with Hilary. But Joe and Hilary had known each other since they were kids, and for a lot of those years they’d been sleeping together. Mason and I had only been friends for a couple of months, and we had never been romantic. I sighed. The truth was, if Joe and I got married, Mason and I could no longer be friends, especially since I knew Mason liked me. That wouldn’t be fair to Mason or Joe. But if I loved Joe, why did the thought of giving up Mason hurt so much?

I wiped a tear off my cheek and wrote the next item.

30. He’s not over Hilary.

He swore he was, but a sick feeling of dread burrowed deep in my heart at the very thought of her. It felt like I was just waiting for my world to be jerked out from underneath me. Would I feel that way our entire marriage or would it eventually go away? Did I really want to live like that?

Exhausted, I set the list on the table and went into my bedroom to undress, wondering if I should put on something sexy to greet Joe with when he came home or something more practical to sleep in since I was so exhausted. I kicked off my shoes, and then stripped the gauzy part of the dress over my head, tossing it on the bed as I tried to make up my mind.

Muffy whimpered.

I looked down at her, the hair on my arms feeling prickly. “What is it, girl?”

A scratchy sound came from outside my window. What was that?

My head jerked up as my cell phone rang in the kitchen.

I crept down the hall to get my phone out of my purse, my heart pounding in my chest. Had I locked the side door after bringing Muffy in?

I was being silly and paranoid.

The microwave clock read 10:15. Snatching up my phone, I locked the kitchen door as I answered, “Hello.”

“Rose,” Mason said. “I wanted to check on you.”

I heard another noise outside my kitchen window. I was sure about it this time. “I think there’s someone creeping around outside my house.”

“Did you call the police?”

“I just heard it when you called.”

“You need to call the police. But stay on this line and call them on your home phone.”

Something felt really wrong. “Okay.”

I put my cell phone on the counter. My hands shook so badly I had a hard time pressing the buttons for 911. When they answered, I told them I thought there was a prowler outside my house.

“We’ll send someone over as soon as we can,” the female dispatcher answered in a bored voice. “But Ernie’s on a drunk and disorderly out by the Wagon Wheel.”

I hung up, panic rising from the pit of my belly as I picked up my cell phone again. “I don’t think they’re coming, Mason. She said Ernie’s on another call.”

“I’ll be there as soon as possible.” He sounded anxious.

My breath came in short bursts. This is what happened to Mason’s sister. The police didn’t believe her, and Joe came over too late. “You won’t get here in time.”

“Stop that right now!” he shouted. “You’re going to be fine.”

I nodded, trying to convince myself that Mason was right. “Yeah, it’s probably just my imagination.” But I knew it wasn’t. The paper I’d found that morning, now sitting on the kitchen table, caught my attention and my terror rose. “I forgot to tell you about the note. How could I have forgotten to tell you about the note?”

“What note?”

“I found it on my porch this morning under a rock. It said Stay Away in cut magazine letters.”

Mason’s voice sounded tight. “Rose, are all of your doors locked?”

“Maybe I should go over to Heidi Joy’s.”

“No! Stay inside.” He was out of breath. “What’s Muffy doing?”

“She’s whimpering.”

“Call 911 again.”

Tears flooded my eyes. “They won’t come, Mason.”

“I’m on my way.”