“Why?” Deidre looked puzzled. “You’re smart. You have a wicked sense of humor.”

“Not the best dater, I guess.”

“Why?”

A weight settled in Leah’s chest, just as it always did when anyone mentioned her love life. Most times, she could crack a joke or change the subject, but Deidre had a keen eye for details not so easily brushed aside. “I had a bad marriage. A while ago.”

Deidre’s expression sobered. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. It’s over and done.”

“How long ago?”

This was the part when Leah would sound odd. “Four years.”

“Must have been really bad.”

Leah shrugged.

Deidre rolled her neck from side to side, and for a moment the veil hooding her bright gaze dropped. “I’ve told you a little about my divorce. Like I said, it isn’t pretty. Worse than I’ve really let on to most people.” She released a sigh. “I keep wondering when I’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Leah had constructed an impregnable wall around herself that kept her safe but alone. “I’m sure you’ll see better days soon.”

Deidre leaned against her car and stretched her hamstrings. “How long did it take you to recover from it?”

“It’s a work in progress. But I’m getting closer.”

A frown furrowed Deidre’s brow. “Sounds like it was really rough.” She let the words dangle, a fish hook in choppy water.

Leah tugged on her gloves, hating the sudden chill racing up her spine. “He tried to kill me.”

Deidre’s face paled, and she leaned in a fraction. “What? God, Leah, I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” Talk of her marriage created the sensation of standing on the edge of a cliff. She didn’t want to fall into the past.

“Where is he?”

“He vanished after the attack but crashed his car in South Carolina a few weeks later. He’s dead.”

Deidre’s eyes widened. “Shit.”

Leah’s smile held no joy. “Karma’s a bitch. I don’t dwell.”

That wasn’t true. The past had a tight hold on her. She still kept the journal she’d started when Philip had stalked her. The journal had been a necessary evil in those days. In fact, it had been her entries that had got her the restraining order. No reason to keep it any longer, but she did.

“My ex-to-be is having trouble with the divorce,” Deidre said. She pointed to a long, deep groove keyed into the side of her car.

Leah frowned, remembering the flat tires she’d dealt with during the months after she and Philip separated. “You okay?”

“Nothing I can’t handle, but I’ll be glad when we sign the papers in a couple of days.”

“Stay strong.” The platitude buzzed false in her ears.

The coach blew a whistle and the group huddled close. She explained the course, called out projected times for each one of them, and wished them all a good run. Leah knew the course, which would help her with her pace. She wasn’t the fastest runner and had been dropped a few times. Deidre would run with Leah for the first half mile, but as soon as her muscles warmed up she would break away.

As the group got under way, beginning to move at a slow pace down the dirt pathway, she focused on her form and breathing. Running made it difficult to worry about anything else. When she ran, Philip receded to the back of her mind.

As they rounded a wooded corner, the color red flashed in her side vision. She turned toward the woods and saw a man standing amid the trees, staring at the group. The runners got lots of stares from the few early morning walkers. A few drivers even honked when they passed a road. The flash of red wasn’t out of the ordinary.

But something about this man held her attention. His hoodie covered his face, making it impossible to get a good look at him. He was tall, muscled, and he dug his hands into his pockets like Philip did when he stalked her.

Philip. Philip was dead.

She’d held his blackened wedding and signet rings in her hands.

She missed a step and had to take a couple of quick strides to keep from falling.

“You okay?” Deidre asked, glancing back.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” She looked back toward the woods; the man with the red hoodie was gone.

“You sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Leah smiled, pushing aside the panic that always rose when she allowed herself to think about Philip. “I’m fine. Aren’t you supposed to be keeping up with the fast group?”

“I can hang back.” Deidre’s sharp gaze saw far too much.

It took extra effort to fool her. “Go. I’m good. I won’t be far behind.”

Deidre hesitated. “I’ll wait for you at the cars.”

Even as she wished she would stay, Leah said, “See you soon.”

Deidre tossed her a thumbs-up and kicked her run into a higher gear. Leah would like to have been able to keep pace, but she couldn’t. Another memento of Philip. He’d stabbed her chest and punctured her lung, which had collapsed. It was back functioning, but she didn’t have the aerobic capacity she’d once had.

Her pace slow but steady, Leah kept running, and for the next half hour pushed straining muscles and burning lungs. Though she couldn’t keep pace with the main group, she would continue to progress if she remained patient.

When she arrived back at the car, Deidre and David were talking. He was laughing and she smiling. Breathless, Leah paused, pushed her hand into a side stitch, and then slowly walked toward the couple.

David smiled at Leah. “Looks like you’re running faster.”

“That’s the plan. Though I’m not holding out hope that I’ll get any sports scholarships or make any Olympic teams.”

Deidre smiled. “Use it or lose it. You’re doing fine.”

David chuckled. “Amen.”

Leah dug the key from her pocket. “Well, it would be nice not to be dead last in my age group when I race this spring. Maybe second to last.”

David grinned, and she saw his eyes warm with an appreciation that hinted of sexual desire. She should have been flattered. He was a nice guy, and liked to flirt, but old alarm bells rang.

“You two have a nice day,” Leah said. “I’ve got patients to see today.”

“We’re going to run a few more miles,” Deidre said, “and then call it a day.”

“Great.”

“Want to get coffee this week?” Deidre asked.

“Call me. I’ve got evenings and days this week, but I’m flexible.”

“Great.”

“See you.”

She tossed a glance at David that she hoped looked relaxed and not a deer caught in the headlights and hurried to her car. She glanced in the backseat and, sure it was empty, slid behind the wheel. Locking the doors, she turned the ignition and waited as the heater warmed and began to blow out hot air. As she put the car into reverse, she looked behind her, spotting again a flash of red. The man she’d seen earlier. He wasn’t looking at her, but, instead, leaned against a tree and stared back down the jogging path. Her heart kicked into high gear and her hands tightened on the steering wheel. It’s just a guy, Leah. Let it go.

Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into her town house driveway. Hesitating, she scanned the bushes around the front door. They were taller than she liked. Tall enough to hide a man standing in wait.

Leah shut off the engine and, key in hand, hurried to unlock the door. She quickly opened and closed it behind her, flipping the dead bolt immediately. She twisted the lock open and then closed it again. She tugged on the door handle to confirm it was really locked.

Leaning against the front door, her heart raced as had did four years before. She turned, flipped the dead bolt open. Flipped it closed again. She did it three times before she was satisfied it was locked.

She drew in a breath and hurried to her purse, where she kept her journal. Filled with fresh pages, it would hold so many notes. How long would it take her to fill this one? A month? Six months? She turned to the third page in the book and wrote down the date and time she’d noticed her keys missing, as well as the time she’d spotted the man in the park.