“For parole violation? And for beating me up? That’s not likely to lead to a life sentence.”
“But murder will.”
“What?” Annie’s body tensed. “What do you mean, murder?”
“I hired a private investigator. An old school chum of Chad’s. The fella can track anything. It seems Riggs killed a convenience store clerk in Tiny Creek, Kansas.”
“They’re sure it’s Riggs?”
“He’s on videotape.”
“Wow.” Annie leaned back against her front door. “Wow.”
“So he will go to prison for a long time.”
“He could escape.”
“Not likely. But if he did, I’d protect you. With my life if I had to.”
“I don’t want you in danger.”
“I’m not. The only danger to me is a broken heart, Doc.” He let go of her hands and pulled her into a hug. “God, I love you so damn much it hurts.”
The ice around Annie’s heart began to melt. She started to speak, but Dallas touched two fingers to her lips.
“There’s something I need to say. And to be honest, I’m afraid to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I want to be completely honest with you. I want you to trust me, and I want you to understand that I trust you.”
“Okay. That’s what you wanted to tell me?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Larry, he’s the PI, found something else.”
“Uh-huh?”
“I suppose you know Riggs didn’t have the resources to find you on his own.”
“I hadn’t thought about it. Although he did want money from me. But then, he always wanted money.”
“He had help finding you. The trail leads back to—”
“Oh God.” Annie took a deep breath. “Chelsea.”
“Yeah. And Jon Parker.” Dallas reached toward Annie’s face and twirled a stray curl around his fingers. “This is my fault, Annie. Not yours. I know you blame me.”
“What Chelsea does is not your fault, Dallas.”
“If I hadn’t married her in the first place—”
“Then we wouldn’t have met,” Annie said.
“What?”