Chapter 1

"Watch it!" Raylene grabbed the dashboard, bracing for impact.

Jo jerked the steering wheel to the right, narrowly missing the rusty gray car that crossed the center of the road, heading right toward them. They had to have missed each other by mere inches. "Did you see that?" she gasped.

"The car almost hit us."

"I could've sworn Charlie Golden was behind the wheel," Raylene said.

"I thought Charlie drove a pickup truck. In fact, I'm almost sure of it." Jo cast a wary glance in the rearview mirror at the dust cloud the car stirred up as it tore down the dirt road. "Whoever it is needs to slow down."

They reached Divine Sanctuary Rehabilitation Center, the property Jo had purchased with her friend Carrie Ford. A slew of construction vehicles, heavy equipment, and metal storage bins dotted the driveway and yard.

"Country Restorations is going to town," Raylene said.

"I hope so. They're getting paid handsomely for this project."

"Handsomely" may have been a slight exaggeration, but the company was making a pretty penny. And the place needed a pretty penny. Maybe lots of pretty pennies. To be blunt, the farmhouse, barn and outbuildings desperately needed fixing up.

Time was money. The longer the project dragged on, the longer it would take for Carrie and Jo to see a return on their investment. Although it wasn't all about the money and ROI. It was a labor of love. More so on Carrie's end.

She loved animals. When they could no longer be helped and had reached the end of their lives, she turned them into "forever pets" for her customers. It was a business she'd inherited after the death of her husband, Abner. Husband number four, to be precise.

"When you said they were working on everything, you weren't kidding," Raylene said. "What all are they fixing?"

"The farmhouse, the barn, the buildings." Jo rattled off the list of repairs. "Fences. The list is mindboggling."

"Any regrets about taking this project on?"

"No. Carrie will do a wonderful job of rescuing and helping rehabilitate animals." Jo steered her SUV around a dump truck and eased in behind Carrie's van.

It took a minute to track her friend down. They finally found her standing in the silo with Barney Quaid, the owner and manager of the construction company.

Carrie caught Jo's eye. She gave a friendly wave and tottered over in her high heels. "Hey, Jo. I was just getting ready to call and check on you."

"Sorry we're late." Jo eyed her friend's outfit. Short skirt, tight blouse. Her curly blond hair heavily lacquered with hairspray. "Did I miss the party?" she joked. "I feel like I might be underdressed."

"This old outfit?" Carrie tugged on the edge of the leopard print pleated skirt. "A Smith County Herald's reporter left a few minutes ago. He's doing a feature story about the rehabilitation center. Publicity, especially free publicity, is always a plus."

"Didn't you already do an interview?" Jo asked. "I remember you mentioning it publishing in yesterday's paper."

"That was for the Tri-State Sentinel. I figure the more press coverage, the better."

"True. How did it go?"

"I charmed the reporter like nobody's business," Carrie bragged.

Barney casually sauntered over. "Hey, boss lady number two."

"Hello, Barney. It looks like you have all hands on deck."

"All hands. All feet. I was telling Carrie we would like to wrap everything up in early November."

"Ahead of schedule?" Jo clapped her hands. "That would be wonderful."

"Barney knows his biz." Carrie batted her eyes, placing a light hand on the man's arm. "As soon as it's done, we'll have to plan dinner and drinks to celebrate."

"Yes, ma'am. It sounds mighty nice." Barney cleared his throat. "I had better get back to work. Nice to see you again, Joanna."

The owner walked away, and Jo said the first thing that popped into her head. "I hope we didn't interrupt."

"Interrupt what?"

"Your coziness."

Carrie waved dismissively. "Nah. We were talking about what I could do with the silo. No biggie."

"We thought we saw Charlie on the way in. Actually, I think Charlie almost ran us off the road. He was driving a gray car."

"It was Charlie. He…we…had a few words and then he took off."

Charlie, the cemetery's caretaker, and Carrie were dating...again. It was their second time around, having dated years earlier. The details were a little vague but somewhere in between their romantic relationships, Carrie had married multiple times.

"You and Charlie are no longer a couple?" Jo asked.

"Nope. He finally admitted he wasn't happy about me buying this property, how it was a dump and a waste of time and money." Carrie squared her shoulders. "I told him it wasn't his concern. Not his time. Not his money."

"I'm sorry to hear things didn't work out between you two," Jo said sincerely.

"I should've learned my lesson the first time around." Carrie glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. "I think he's jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Of me being here with these cute construction guys. If you ask me, the workers are the real reason he was dead set against this project."

"Ah." Jo arched a brow. "Charlie doesn't strike me as the jealous type."

"Because you never dated him." Carrie changed the subject. "Which reminds me, how are the wedding plans going?"

"Great. The RSVPs are rolling in. We're going to have quite a crowd."

"I can't wait." Carrie beamed. "I love weddings. Not to mention yours and Nash's story is the stuff fairytales are made of."

It was true. Jo was in love with the man God had always meant for her. Nash Greyson was the entire package. Loving. Thoughtful. Patient. Compassionate. Honest. Handsome. So handsome that he took her breath away and gave her goosebumps. It was her first love all over again, but better. So much better.

"Joanna Greyson. It has a nice ring to it," Jo said. "I guess this means you'll be attending the reception without Charlie."

"I might bring someone else with me."

"Then I'll leave the RSVP for a party of two." Jo spun in a slow circle. "Did Barney have any ideas about what to do with this silo?"

"You know my motto—I would rather reuse than replace. I was thinking about turning it into a gazebo." Carrie went into great detail about removing the metal sides, adding posts, and turning it into an outdoor entertainment area.

"That's cool," Raylene said. "I think a gazebo is a great idea."

"Let me finish showing you around." Carrie led them to the barn where the construction crew was hard at work. Their next stop was a set of storage buildings.

Crisscrossing to the other side of the driveway, they skirted past several metal bins on their way to the house.

Raylene, who was trailing behind, lingered between two of the bins.

Jo, realizing she wasn't with them, stopped, waiting for her to catch up. "I thought we lost you."

"Sorry. When we were walking by, I could've sworn I heard noises."

"What sort of noises?" Carrie's brows furrowed.

"Clunking."

"What's in the bins?" Jo asked.

"Building materials for the rehabilitation center. Drywall, boards, stuff Barney wants to make sure doesn't grow legs and wander off."

"I bet theft is a huge problem at construction sites," Jo said. "Although you're living here now, so I'm sure it discourages thieves from trying to take off with the goods."

"You would think so," Carrie said. "It is kind of isolated. I don't have any close neighbors which might make this place a target."

"True." Despite Carrie being a city girl, Jo knew the reason she'd chosen this place was based on one very important factor—space. She needed room to rehabilitate and rescue.

"It's taking some getting used to," Carrie confessed. "I hear every bump, thump, creak and groan."

"Maybe you need a gun," Jo said.

"I already have one. Actually, I have several. I'm also planning on installing an alarm system but figured it would make more sense to wait until the repairs are done." Carrie winced. "Do you mind if we head inside? I need to swap out my shoes. These are killing my feet."

"I bet they are," Jo said. "Maybe it's time to trade in your fancy clothes for more appropriate farm attire."

Her friend's eyes widened in horror. "Trade in my designer duds? No way. You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl."

"Then maybe add some everyday work clothes to your wardrobe."

"I suppose." Carrie opened the back door, nudging a big black garbage bag out of the way. "Crud. I almost forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"Charlie dropped off the rest of the stuff I had at his house." She began dragging the bag out of the way. A red velvet cape with gold trim fell out.

"What's that?" Jo asked.

"Nothing." Carrie hastily snatched it off the floor.

"It looks like Wonder Woman's cape."

Carrie reluctantly held it up. "Charlie likes to play dress up. I would pretend to be Wonder Woman and…"

"Stop." Jo clamped her hands over her ears. "TMI."

"You asked." Carrie dropped the cape into the bag. "Do you think I made a mistake?"

"In wanting to take this project on?" Jo asked. "Animal rehabilitation is your passion. I believe this is what you were meant to do. I'm not sure you're farm girl material…at least not yet. Are you having second thoughts?"

"No. Yes. Maybe." Carrie slid the heels off and limped across the kitchen floor. "Can I get you a drink? I have a fridge full of bottled water."

"I'll take one," Raylene said.

"Me too." Jo reached for the water Carrie held out. "Thanks. Unfortunately, it's a little late to have second thoughts. We already signed the contract and made the first payment for repairs."

"I know. Backing out now would be impossible," Carrie said. "Charlie all but called me an idiot for investing in this place."

"Then I guess I'm an idiot too, since we're partners." Jo studied her friend's face. "You and Charlie must've really gotten into it."

"We did. I loved Charlie and had hoped it would work this time." Carrie flopped down in the kitchen chair. "I'm cursed when it comes to romantic relationships."

"You're not cursed."

"Don't bother sugarcoating it. Everyone knows I have a terrible track record." Carrie held up four fingers. "I've gone through four husbands. Four. This isn't even counting boyfriends."

"Maybe you should give it a break," Jo suggested. "You're going to be busy with this place. Relationships tend to complicate things."

"Maybe I should reconsider asking Barney to go to your wedding with me," Carrie said.

Jo, who had taken a drink of water, began coughing loudly. "Barney?" she croaked.

"Yeah. He's funny, not to mention easy on the eyes."

"There goes taking a break from men," Jo sighed.

Raylene eyed the kitchen window. "This place is…"

"Dated? Old? Rundown? Dilapidated?" Carrie rattled off. "To sum it up, it's a hot mess."

"At least you have electricity, running water and a roof over your head," Jo said. "And you walked away with a tidy chunk of change after selling your house in town."

"True." Carrie daintily sipped her water and set the bottle on the table. "Raylene's never been inside here. Would you like me to show you around?"

"Sure." Raylene offered her a smile. "I bet you have some awesome plans and this house will be beautiful when it's done."

Carrie perked up at the words of encouragement. "It's going to be better than my house in town."

She led them from room to room, sharing her ideas, and Jo could see the spark return to her eyes. Carrie would be okay. Perhaps she was overwhelmed, and understandably so. Her entire world was in chaos, uprooted, and now she and Charlie had split.

"Would you like to come over for dinner?" Jo asked.

"Tonight?"

"Yes. Tonight."

"I don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing. I'm sure Delta is whipping up some delicious dishes."

"What time?"

"Six. I'll take that as a yes." Jo removed her cell phone from her pocket and tapped out a quick text to Delta, letting her know there would be one more for dinner. "It's settled. Come on by at six."

"Thanks, Jo." Tears welled up in Carrie's eyes. "You are always so sweet and thoughtful."

"Jo is our Divine angel," Raylene quipped.

"She sure is."

Raylene's expression grew somber as she studied the front living room window. "This is odd."

"What's odd?" Jo asked.

"This windowsill." Raylene ran a light hand over the grooves in the wood. "I can't be certain, but these look like pry marks."