We were in the middle of frosting the cake when there was a knock at the front door. Maeve excused herself to answer it, and I was surprised to hear Joe’s voice.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Mrs. Deveraux, but Rose told me that she and Neely Kate were hiding from the law here.”

My breath stuck in my throat. I hadn’t considered that Joe and Maeve had only met for the first time a few weeks ago. Since I knew the encounter had been painful for both of them, I had no idea what to expect.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Maeve laughed. “They’re both here, but I didn’t realize I was harboring fugitives. Come on in.”

Maeve entered the kitchen with an ornery grin, Joe trailing behind her.

“Did you arrest your girlfriend, Joe?” Neely Kate asked, pointing her cake spatula at him.

“Nobody’s getting arrested,” he grumbled, “but everything’s taken care of.”

“When’s she goin’ back to Little Rock where she belongs?” Neely Kate asked with a frown.

“You know very well that she’s not goin’ anywhere,” I said, trying to take the pressure off Joe.

Neely Kate put her hand on her hip. “Can’t you evict her from the county or something?”

A tiny grin lifted his mouth. “Don’t you think I would have done it already if I could?”

“Hmm,” she grunted.

Joe took a step toward the door. “Well, I just wanted to let you girls know that you’re safe to roam the streets of Fenton County . . . or as safe as you two are capable of being.”

“Thanks.” I gave him a soft smile.

“Joe,” Maeve piped up. “Would you like a piece of cake before you go?”

He shook his head, eyeing the cake on the stand. “Thanks, but I need to get back to work.”

“Well, how about one for the road?” she asked. “You can take it with you and eat it later.”

He grinned at her. “It’s hard to turn down a piece of homemade cake.”

“You wait right there,” Maeve said, pulling a small white plate from the cabinet. She cut a generous slice of the red velvet cake and put in on the plate, covering it with plastic wrap before handing it to him. “You enjoy that now.”

“Thank you.” He nodded, his eyes glistening.

I couldn’t help but wonder if I was missing something.

“I’m gonna get out of you girls’ hair,” he said, heading for the front door.

“Let me walk you out.” I cast a quick glance toward Maeve, hoping she wasn’t upset with me, but she and Neely Kate had already started to wash the dishes.

I went out the front door and stopped on the front step, Joe following behind me. He swung the squeaky front door back and forth before shutting it and turning to me.

“If this is about Neely Kate’s cousin or Hilary—”

“Does Hilary know about J.R.’s blackmail information?”

His eyebrows lifted. “What?” He shook his head. “No. I never told her. I swear.”

“I think she knows.”

“Why do you say that?”

I told him about our encounter, and he took a deep breath, rubbing his hand across his forehead. “She may not know anything.”

“But there’s a chance J.R. told her, right?” I asked.

“Yes.”

I already knew, but his acknowledgment stole my breath away. “Will she tell anyone else?”

His face paled. “I don’t know.”

“Do you think she’s going to use this to try to get you to marry her?”

“Maybe.”

I stepped off the porch and began to pace in the yard.

“I’ll talk to her and see what she knows.”

“What if she’s bluffing?” I stopped and looked up at him. “I don’t think I reacted to her statement, so at least I didn’t confirm anything. She knows your father wanted to split us up, and she knows how much you wanted to be with me. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out your father threatened you with something. Maybe she’s fishing for information.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He paused. “Does Neely Kate know?”

I wrapped my arms around my chest, the cold wind biting through my sweater. “No. The fewer people who know, the better. But Mason does.”

He nodded, then gave me a soft smile. “That explains why she’s still so mad at me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. It’s for the best. I’m glad you have her for a friend.”

“Me too.” We stared at each other for several seconds. “I’m going inside. I just wanted you to know.” I walked past him toward the front porch, but he reached out and grabbed my arm.

“Rose, don’t tell Mason.”

My mouth fell open. “What?”

“Don’t tell him that Hilary might know.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not keeping this from him.”

“Then just give me a few days, okay? Let me figure out what she knows.” He swallowed and leveled his gaze on mine. “No sense worrying him if it’s nothing.”

I squinted up at him. “Since when did you care about Mason?”

He hesitated. “He’s under a lot of stress at work right now. There’s some fallout from his boss over that Black Friday bust.”

I scrutinized him to see if I could catch him in a lie. “He hasn’t mentioned it to me.”