Shaking my head, I reached for my purse on the passenger seat and plopped it on the console.

“Where are you headed?” he asked.

“Neely Kate’s, not that it’s any of your business,” I grumbled as I opened my purse, digging around for my wallet. Something tumbled out of my bag, but I kept right on searching. “We’re makin’ pies,” I added to bolster my alibi.

“You need to be careful today. The roads are—” His words cut off abruptly.

Gasping, I realized what fell out of my purse and looked down at the pregnancy test in my lap for confirmation. I hastily picked up the box and stuffed it back in my purse, but it was too late. Joe had already seen it.

“What was that?” he asked gruffly.

I looked up at him, feeling faint. “Joe…”

“Was that a pregnancy test?”

I opened the truck door, expecting him to protest. Instead, he took a step back as I got out.

“Was that a pregnancy test?” he repeated.

I nodded, tears burning my eyes.

He looked like he was going to be sick, but then a wave of hope washed over his face. “Is it mine?” His voice broke.

I took a step toward him as a car passed us on the highway, swerving into the other lane to avoid hitting us on the shoulder. “Joe.” I was breaking his heart all over again and it was killing me.

“Is it his?” His words sounded strangled.

I closed the distance between us so that we stood between my truck and his car. “I don’t even know if I am pregnant. That’s why I have the tests.”

“But it’s his?”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

He ran a hand through his hair and spun away from me. “Oh, God.”

I watched him, unsure of what to say. I wanted to apologize, but I hadn’t done anything that necessitated an apology. Still, it ripped my heart out to see him in so much pain.

He turned around to face me, close to breaking down. “I wanted to be the one to have babies with you.” He took a deep breath and blew it out. “When I was in Little Rock, missing you, sometimes I’d imagine what it would be like when we were finally together all the time. You and me married with kids of our own. It was what got me through the loneliness of being without you.” His face twisted in agony. “Especially the last two months.” He choked on a sob, then swallowed. “We’re not going to get back together, are we?”

I knew I had to tell him no, but I couldn’t make myself say it.

“So I’ve really lost you.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, fighting my tears.

He turned his back on me and walked to his car.

“Joe.”

But he ignored me as he opened his car door and started to climb inside. Before he shut it behind him, he stopped and turned back to face me. “I still love you, Rose. I’ll always love you. If you change your mind or you and him don’t work out, I still want you.” He took another breath. “And if you are having his baby, I want you to know I’d love it as my own if you decided to take me back. I swear.”

“I know,” I forced out past the lump in my throat. I had no doubt that he would, if for no other reason than because the baby would be mine.

He ducked inside his cruiser and pulled back onto the highway, heading into town.

I got back into my car and held the steering wheel for nearly a minute, taking deep breaths before I was ready to start driving. I was about to face Skeeter Malcolm. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by Joe.

I drove through town, passing the nursery to remind myself why I was going through this. What I saw made me slow down and pull my truck into the parking lot.

The grass beside the building was covered in evergreen trees.

How in the world had Violet paid for them? It was just one more distraction I had to set aside so I could concentrate on what needed to be done.

I reached the pool hall at twelve-ten, my stomach a mess and my nerves even worse. Especially after my encounter with Joe. Maybe Skeeter didn’t want me to attend the auction. Maybe he just wanted me to have another vision of him to see if his fate had changed.

And monkeys were gonna start flying out of my butt.

Bruce Wayne was waiting for me when I pulled into the parking lot. I studied him as he walked over to me. Something about him seemed different, though I couldn’t put my finger on it. After a moment the reason for the change struck me—he was more confident. His shoulders were less hunched, his head was held a little higher. When I met Bruce Wayne in the Fenton County Courthouse months ago, he had been a man who was afraid of life and everything in it. Now he seemed like a man who had something to live for.

“We can figure out a way to get you out of this,” he said.

“I’ve been trying to come up with one for days without any luck. I think it’s better to just get it over with. Besides, you’re not doing this without me. Not even if Skeeter allowed it.”

“This won’t be the end of it, Rose. You have to know that goin’ into this.”

I stared at the front door. He was right, only I wasn’t sure what to do about it. “Let’s do it. Then we can go eat some turkey.”

He nodded, a grim look on his face. Walking side by side, we entered the dimly lit hall and headed back to the office. I knocked on the door and Skeeter called out, “It’s open.”

He was at his desk, and the two men who’d been playing pool the last time we were here were sitting on the sofa against the wall.