Page 13 of One Sweet Match Up

Her heart dropped at the sight of a cream notecard. She moved back until she hit the couch behind her. “Oh, God. No.” Not another card.

Two months ago, she’d witnessed Rachel receiving a cream notecard out of an old hope chest with instructions from Adam’s distant cousin.

A distant cousin who was dead.

It’d been incredibly creepy, and she hadn’t wanted anything to do with it.

“Is everything okay?” Donovan came up beside her, carrying a carton of eggs. Concern filled his face.

“Yeah. I mean, no. I’m not sure.” She pointed to the safe. “Did you read the card in there?”

Donovan peered into the safe and pulled it out, setting the eggs down on the office desk. “Strange.”

“What?” Zoe stared at the notecard. “What did it say?”

“I don’t know.” He flipped the card over. “It wasn’t in there when I pulled out the spoons.”

Panic jetted through her. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I think I would have seen it.” He shrugged. “Maybe I didn’t.”

Nope. Wrong answer. She brushed past him because she was out of there. “Have a good night.” Zoe bolted for the door.

“Wait. Hold up.” Donovan was right behind her. “What has you so spooked?”

Zoe crossed her arms, trying to warm up the chills of terror exploding through her. “That notecard in your hand is from Mary Reed. As in Adam’s dead distant cousin. Apparently, she likes to play among the living. She left one for Rachel in an antique trunk at the Lakeside Inn.”

“Really? At Brandon’s Inn?”

“Yeah, and it came with explicit instructions.”

He cocked his head. “What did it say that’s got you so scared?”

“That Rachel would open a wedding shop,” Zoe shot back, voice rising.

“No. Not that.” He smirked, giving her a sexy lopsided grin that wasn’t helping matters. “I can see how my sister opening a shop would be frightening.”

“It’s not funny. You weren’t there.” Zoe threw him her death look. He could stop teasing her anytime. “I couldn’t care less what your sister does in this town. What’s got me spooked is that card in your hand is from a dead woman! I’m sure of it.”

“Okay.” Donovan waved the card in the air. “It appears we’ve reached an impasse.”

“No, we haven’t. I want to leave, and there’s no way you’re going to stop me. Good night.”

Donovan reached out and touched her arm. “I’m not going to let you attempt to walk home or down the street to your shop. It’s too dangerous.”

Zoe bit her lip, trying to ignore the tingles shooting up her arm from his touch. Where was this chivalrous guy the night he fired her? She sighed. “So, what do you propose we do?”

Donovan flipped the card in his hand. “Why don’t I open it? I’ll read it and then put it away. We’ll get it over with and get back to our baking.”

“And you’re not going to tell me what it says?”

“Nope, but if it scares me, I’ll bundle you up and carry you down the street to

your shop, because the last thing I want is to bunk down with Adam’s dead aunt.”

“Cousin,” she corrected, trying not to show that the image of being in Donovan’s arms as he shielded her from the cold was the sole reason her heart now raced—because it wasn’t.

“Do we have a deal?” he asked.

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