Page 4 of Moonlit Thorns

I know what he means, he doesn’t have to tell me. Visiting the place where my father was killed is bound to be painful, but not as painful as losing his legacy. “I can. It will be… difficult, but I’ll manage. I have to.”

Luke pulls away and looks at me, hands still on my shoulders. “You be careful up there. If anything feels… wrong, you leave. Immediately.”

After swallowing hard, I nod. “Trust me, I don’t want to be in that place any longer than I have to.”

He gives me a sharp nod, then turns to go to the back of the house. He’s already behind with everything that needs to be done at Oak Haven this morning.

With a sigh of resignation, I head out the front door. I catch sight of Galen at my left on the porch waiting for me, but I don’t stop, heading down the front steps.

“Good morning, Sheriff LeBlanc.”

His deep chuckle echoes behind me. “C’mon now, Anabelle, we know each other better than formal pleasantries.”

I continue toward my car, the May sun already high in the sky and beating down on my neck. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to talk right now.”

“What could be more important than catching up with me?”

As I reach my car, I whirl around to face him, meeting his gaze. “Almost anything else.”

Galen smiles at me, black hair slicked back and blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

He never could take a hint, and he’s impossible to insult. It’s almost as if he can’t fathom someone saying something negative about him.

He puts his hand on the top of my car, caging me against it, leaning into me. “I’ve decided we should be married.”

I cough, choking on my own saliva. “Excuse me? We’re not even dating, Galen.”

“We have in the past, and you haven’t dated anyone better. I haven’t dated anyone nearly as great as you. Why not just get back together?”

I don’t even have words for the nonsense he’s spewing. “I’m not marrying you.”

“C’mon, Anabelle. Just think of how good we could be together.” He raises his other hand and skims the back of his knuckles down my face, and I cringe and lean away from him until the back of my head hits my vehicle. “Our children would be knockouts. You could give up that job you got in Nashville and move in with me here. Then after we start our family, you could help at the school and on the parent committee. I’d coach our sons in football. It’d be a perfect life.”

“Sounds like you have it all figured out.”

“You agree then?” He arches a dark eyebrow.

“Absolutely not. I’m not staying in Magnolia Bend. I’ve told you that.”

The corners of his lips tip down. “That was before you had something to stick around for.” He pushes away from the car and puffs out his chest as though he’s a peacock showing off his colors.

I can’t do this anymore. The piece of paper in my purse feels as if it’s burning a hole against my hip. “I really can’t discuss this anymore, Galen. Suffice to say, we won’t be getting married, but I wish you luck on your search for a Mrs. LeBlanc.”

Without a backward glance, I climb into my car and roll down the windows as soon as the engine starts for relief from the suffocating heat.

“I’m not giving up on you, Anabelle Boudreaux,” Galen yells.

“I wish you would!” I call out, driving away.

Once I’m headed down the long drive from the main house, I roll the windows back up and turn the air conditioning to full blast. The last thing I want is to look as though I’ve been windsurfing when I arrive at Midnight Manor.

My stomach pitches with the thought of where I’m headed.

I’ve never been inside Midnight Manor before. Almost no one in Magnolia Bend has. I realize for the first time since I came up with my plan that there’s a good chance I’ll be denied access to the property. I’m likely to be turned away at the gates and never even get to see, let alone talk to, Asher Voss.

My hands tighten on the steering wheel when I drive over the small bridge that stands over the river winding between our two properties and acts like a natural barrier between them.

No way. One way or another, I am going to talk to Asher Voss today and ensure our family home will be passed down through many more Boudreaux generations.

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