Cade

Cade let out a bitter laugh. "When I told the sheriff, he said Dobson was with him that afternoon. He accused me of lying and threatened to throw me in jail for killing her if I didn't get out of town. So I left."

Isabella couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was it possible Edward had actually murdered Cade's mother? And that the sheriff had covered it up?

"Cade … I can't believe--"

Cade jumped up, the chair scraping across the plank floor. "I didn't think you would."

She almost laughed. At least one old habit of his hadn't changed. He'd always interrupted her when he didn't like the way he thought her sentence might end. But she was no longer a girl, and she wouldn't put up with it now. She rose and met his gaze, her eyes steady. "Let me finish."

He glared at her. "Go ahead. Tell me how Dobson is a fine upstanding citizen and how it's not possible he could have killed her."

"I wasn't going to say that." She had thought it, though, for a moment or two. But Cade had never lied to her. Not once. And even though she hadn't seen him in years, she trusted him. Implicitly. "I was going to say that I can't believe the sheriff lied for him."

"You didn't know the sheriff was on Dobson's payroll?"

It was common knowledge that the sheriff and Edward were friends, but she'd had no idea there was more to their relationship. The question was, what was she going to do about it? "No," she said. "I didn't know."

"Funny that he died shortly after that, isn't it?" Cade added.

"Are you suggesting Edward had a hand in his death, too?"

"It was pretty convenient that his horse threw him while they were out hunting, wasn't it?"

"I … suppose it was …"

Cade tucked the chair under the table. "So now you know the truth. And whether you believe me or not, I'm not going to let you marry him."

Chapter 6

Cade stepped outside onto the porch and closed the door behind him. The moon had disappeared, the only light coming through the cabin window.

He should have told her the rest, that Dobson was using her to get to her money. He'd been tempted, but there was no way he could do that without hurting her. Hell, who wouldn't be hurt when they found out they were being taken advantage of?

Besides, the way her face paled when he told her about what Dobson had done to his mother, he wasn't sure she could handle any more.

He peered into the darkness. Where the hell were Trey and Zane? They wouldn't have left without telling him.

As if he'd conjured them up, they rounded the corner from behind the cabin. "You tell her?" Zane asked as he approached and climbed the steps to the porch.

Cade nodded. "She acts like she believes me, but I'm not really sure she does."

Turning to Zane, Trey spoke up. "Well, then, let's you and me go and find out."

"Wait a sec—" Too late. The door was closing behind Zane and Trey.

Cade knew he should follow them, but he couldn't bring himself to go inside and see the disbelief on her face. Voices floated through the door, but he couldn't make out the words.

Cade leaned against the porch railing, looking out as his mind filled with memories of Bella – Cade catching butterflies for her, Bella picking wildflowers, the two of them racing across the fields behind the ranch house. Days filled with sunshine and hope for the future.

He slammed his fist on the railing. Dobson had ruined everything.

Cade heard the door open, but he didn't turn around. Assuming it was either Trey or Zane, he asked the one question he did and didn't want to know the answer to. "Well, does she believe me?"

His heartbeat thumped when Bella answered. "Yes, she does."

He spun around as she came toward him and rested her hands on his arms.

She reached up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss on hi