Chapter One
Ella
I was currently trapped behind a stack of boxes in our new kitchen while James, my husband, worked in the dining room, where he was assembling our new table and chairs.
“Alright, I’m going to head into town and get us something for dinner. That way, you can keep unpacking,” James said as he entered the absolute war zone that was our kitchen. It was almost four p.m. and it would be dinnertime soon. I couldn’t believe I had been at this all day and barely made a dent. I had some canned soup somewhere, but who knew if I’d find it before six o’clock.
I sighed. “Thank you.”
I had thought that it would be a good idea to open nearly every single box and empty the contents onto the floor and counters so I could visually see what needed to beput away. Now, I had regrets about that method. James leaned over a pile of three boxes that I was wedged behind.
I grinned up at him as he puckered his lips for a smooch. Propping up on my knees in the kitchen, I kissed him. “I love you,” I told him.
He reached out and grasped the sides of my face, gazing into my eyes intently. “And I love pizza, so that’s what we’re having.”
I barked out in laughter and smacked his shoulder as he grinned at me. James was always joking; it was one of my favorite things about him. Our life was built around happiness and joy.
If we’d still lived in Boise, we could get pizza delivered, but we’d moved into our dream house in the farmlands of Willow Harbor three days ago, and now it was thirty minutes to town.
James called out a goodbye one more time before I heard the front door shut and his truck fire up. I put on some of my favorite worship music and went back to work, determined to get this kitchen in working order before my sweet husband got back with pizza.
I’d lost track of time when hunger pangs hit my stomach, but I was pleased that I’dfinallygotten the kitchen done! My grandmother’s cast-iron pans, my Crock-Pot, and every mismatching dish I’d collected were safely stored away. I’d even had time to wipe the cupboards and counters down.
There was a solid knock at the door, and my gaze flicked to the clock.
Six!Where was James?
I frowned. Living on a ten-acre farm out in the country, thirty minutes from any stores or big neighborhoods, meant we didn’t expect many drop-in visitors, and my husband wouldn’t knock on his own door. Maybe it was the neighbors wanting to introduce themselves. Or James forgot his key and it was him.
I smoothed my long brunette hair in the mirror as I made my way through our new home and then turned the corner. My steps skittered to a stop when I noticed the cop car in our front yard, parked right beside the willow tree where James had just installed a swing.
No.
My heart beat wildly against my rib cage, and I reached out to pull the door open with a shaky hand.
“Hello, officers?” It was a question, not a statement. It was a,Why in the world are you all the way out here on my farm in the middle of Idaho? A female and male police officer stood stiffly before me, their faces blank.
Everything’s fine.
My gaze scanned the back of the cop car as a wild thought that maybe James had been arrested and they were bringing him home ran through my head. He’d never broken a law in his life, but there was a first time for everything. But the back of the car was empty. Where was he? Thirty minutes into town, thirty minutes to get fresh pizza, and thirty minutes back. He should have been home a half hour ago. Unless he stopped by the hardware store or something…
“Ella Collins?” the female officer asked, breaking into my thoughts.
She knows my name? Why does she know my name?
‘God, help me.’
I gripped the edge of the doorframe as a wave of adrenaline spiked through my system. They only sent cops to your door, who asked for you by name, for a few reasons. A fewvery badreasons.
“We have some grave news. Can we come inside?” she asked.
I lost my purchase on the doorframe and sagged against it, black dots dancing at the edges of my vision.
“Just tell me,” I managed to say.
‘No. God, no. You wouldn’t do this to me. You wouldn’t. You would protect him.’
The woman shared a concerned look with her male partner and swallowed hard. “There was a robbery in town, and your husband, James Collins, was involved in a fatal shooting about an hour ago…”
