If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

weekend.”
    Law lifted a brow. “Hope, my weekend is none of your business.”
    “Did you forget the last time she was here?”
    “Nope.” He gestured toward the living room. “I need to go change. I’ll be down in a few.”
    “Damn it, Law …”
    He tuned everything else out, told himself he’d figure out some way to calm her down, level things out while he changed. But his mind was straying … wandering back to Nia, and the sudden grief he’d seen in her eyes.
    Her cousin. She hadn’t said anything, but something had her thinking about her cousin again.
    “Whoa … sparkly …”
    Hope flushed as Roz shot her a look and waggled her eyebrows, then nudged Remy with her elbow. “You did good, man. Lena, this ring is gorgeous, emerald and diamonds. Classy, unique … lovely.”
    “You’d know jewelry,” Lena said dryly, making her way over to the private table with a bottle of champagne.
    “Well.” Roz chuckled, toying with the golden chain around her neck. “I do love my shiny stuff.”
    From behind, Carter hugged her. “We know that, baby.”
    Hope smiled up at the two of them as Carter rubbed his cheek against his wife’s, his darker blond hair mingling with Roz’s pale, almost platinum blond. He kissed her gently and then eased back, grinning at his cousin. “So. You’re getting married. I would have had a hard time believing it a few months ago, you know. But ever since Hope showed up … well, I guess things change. Congratulations.”
    “Thanks.”
    “I called Ezra,” Lena said. “He’s coming out, too. An impromptu party …” She grinned wryly and added, “Although I won’t be in attendance much. We’re packed out there.”
    “We’ll do a for-real thing in a few weeks, maybe,” Law said. “Casual, though. Maybe at my place.”
    Hope glanced down, hoping he wouldn’t see the worry in her eyes. His place … so he could invite Nia? Immediately, though, she wanted to kick herself. If he cared for the lady, she needed to get over this, right? Besides, it wasn’t like it would last that long. Nia was here for …
    Abruptly, Hope scowled. Just why
was
Nia here?
    She couldn’t stay in the cabin, Nia realized.
    She’d planned to just get some more research done—her contacts had e-mailed her a veritable mountain of data and there was so much to comb through, plus she’d thought about trying to narrow things to
this
area.
    But she couldn’t stay in the house.
    Couldn’t.
    In the end, she left, thinking maybe she’d ramble around the Inn, but halfway down the path, she froze, watching as a big, old white truck came rumbling down the drive.
    It wasn’t the truck that froze her in place. It was the woman waiting out in front of the Inn. Sitting patiently at her side was the dog. Both were gazing at the truck and that told Nia who was probably inside it, especially as the dog’s tail started to wag.
    Ezra.
    Nibbling on her lip, she watched as he parked. He climbed out and saw her, gave her a half-wave, but he was focused on his wife. As they disappeared into the house, an idea started to burn in the back of her mind.
    Lena was here.
    Probably working.
    Now Ezra was here. Would he be here for a while?
    Hmmm.
    Glancing down at her clothes, she decided it would do for a quick drink. After all, Roz had told her she could grab food in the Inn, either at the bar or take-out from the restaurant, eat in there and run a tab … whatever.
    She shouldn’t be thinking along these lines.
    Not at all.
    But she kept thinking to herself that she needed to do something.
    And now she just might have a shot. Ezra was eating there at the Inn. As was Law, Hope, and her fiancé—Remy, Nia thought was his name. All of them, tucked into what looked like a private dining room. She recognized Law’s voice, although she hadn’t seen him.
    And the idea that had just been a mere whisper was now a roar.
    Ezra and Lena were both here. Lena—
    Seeing the woman who looked so much like Joely pulled Nia’s thoughts back to her focus, back to her purpose for being here.
    Nia hadn’t been completely sitting on her hands. Or on Law’s lap … under him. She’d talked to people, done some investigating on her own—all public records stuff.
    And now she was thinking of the screams. The screaming … out in the woods.
    Lena had reported hearing a woman screaming.
    Without bothering to get a drink, Nia slipped out of the Inn and hurried back to her cabin. It was daylight—for a little