Leslie is looking me in my eyes, so I know he isn’t joking. He killed her. He killed his wife. The fact makes me nervous. I would be a fool to not be nervous. But I am not afraid of him when I should be. What will stop him from killing me if he has a mind to?

Momma fought me and forbade it, but here I am walking down the road in my best dress carrying a quilt and a picnic basket. Not even her disappointment can break the pull of Leslie Kelly. I look forward to seeing him again. I look forward to feeling his arms around me. “You are making a mistake, Leslie. Come to Oklahoma with me. We can start over together.” “Oklahoma is your dream, Beeman, not mine. I am going to Texas with Tuesday.” My feet stagger when I spot Leslie. He isn’t wearing...

I drag my sore body home after dark. The doorman holds the door for me. I walk across the tile floor past the security desk. They are usually smiling with a kind word ti offer. Not today. When Thompson sees me, he picks up the phone. He is calling my father. They are probably freaking out. When I step off the elevator into our swanky condo, my father and sisters are pacing. The cops are here. The moment I walk in the door, they are on me. “Where in the hell have you been all night? We were...