Down Home and Deadly

confused.”
    I laughed, amazed by how much lighter my heart was already. Whatever we decided together, God would work it out.
    He took my hand , and we walked along the lakeshore. He glanced over at me. “So what’s on your mind?”
    I frowned. “Bob wants to sell me the c lub.”
    “So how come you’re acting like he sold it out from under you?”
    I tugged him to a stop. “Well, for one thing, he’s not financing it, which was part of the promise. For another, I have to let him know tonight. And he threatened me. Sort of. He mentioned that he has other people interested in buying.”
    “So what do you think is going on?”
    “I think Lisa’s been arrested and has a gambling problem , and he needs money.”
    He turned me to face him. “And why does that make this decision difficult?”
    “I don’t know. I feel guilty I guess, like a vulture circling its prey.” Even though no one was in sight, I instinctively lowered my voice. “I am the one who turned in the cell phone that gave John the motive to arrest her.”
    He brushed my hair back with his free hand. “Did you do that to hurt Lisa? Or because it was the right thing to do?”
    “Because it was the right thing to do.”
    “So that has nothing to do with this. From the way I understand what you’re telling me, Bob is going to sell the club. With or without you. Right?”
    I nodded.
    “Let me ask you something. If Bob had made this offer before you knew about Lisa’s problem and before she got arrested, what would you have done?”
    “Jumped on it with both feet.”
    “Well, then, get on your jumping shoes, water girl. If it was a good deal then, it’s a good deal now .”
    “What about all the paperwork?”
    He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Lucky for you, you’re looking at the king of paperwork. Let’s go find a banker who wants to get rid of some money.”
    “At this hour on a Saturday?”
    He grinned. “I’m also the king of connections.”
    “Who knew I was marrying royalty?” I held up one finger. “Just a sec.” I palmed my phone, flipped it open, and punched in a phone number. “Hello, Bob? It’s Jenna. I’ve made my decision. Start the paperwork , and I’ll start the financing process.”
    When I hung up, I looked at Alex. “I can’t believe it’s really happening.” I grinned.
    He put his arms around me. “You’re not going to get so busy with your new business that you ’ll want to postpone our wedding, are you?”
    I smirked. “And give up my chance to be your queen? Never.”
    *****
    Monday morning Bob and I signed the initial paperwork.
    “We’ll keep this under our hat s until it’s all finished,” he said.
    I nodded. “As far as everyone is concerned, I’ll just start back to work for you full - time today.”
    “Doesn’t your sister need some notice?”
    I laughed. “She practically pushed me out the door. She knows where my heart is.”
    “That’s one reason I’m so glad you’re the one buying it,” Bob said softly.
    “Thanks. The bank says they’ll have the financing by Friday. I’ll take that day off to take care of everything. We’ll sign the paperwork in Alex’s office that afternoon.”
    “And you can celebrate Friday night as the new owner,” Bob finished.
    I laughed. “Yeah, probably by just coming here and soaking in the fact that it’s mine.”
    Later that afternoon, Bob paged me to the office.
    He looked up from his desk when I came in, his eyes wild. “Jenna,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Gail can run the club awhile. I need you to drive me somewhere.”
    I took in the fine sheen of sweat on his brow and his pale complexion.
    “Bob?” The words “ heart attack ” flashed across my mind like a neon sign. “Are you okay? Should I call an ambulance?”
    “Ambulance? What are you talking about? Can’t you drive me downtown without making a federal case of it?” He gave me an irritated glance. Okay. Something was seriously wrong. Bob could be exasperating at times, but I’d never seen him like this. I grabbed my keys and followed him out to the parking lot. As I slid behind the wheel, I glanced at him. He looked more normal, but his hand shook as he fastened his seat belt.
    I put the car in gear and headed out of the parking lot. “Look, Bob, if something’s wrong , it might help if you tell me about it.”
    “If something’s wrong? My only child is in jail and likely to go through a nasty murder trial. She’s taking the rap for someone else.” He