about running a chain like Axleâs.â âYou donât have to. Thatâs why I hired William Thompson to run the business for you.â She drew herself up straighter, to stress she wasnât going to let Uncle Tyler talk her into anything she knew she shouldnât do. âI want to be able to comprehend whatâs going on. Werenât you the one who said know what youâre getting into before you take the plunge?â He laughed. âYeah, but that was the time you dove into the lake from the bluff. You could have hurt yourself if it hadnât been deep enough or there had been rocks under the water.â âThe same principle applies.â She hooked her arm through his and headed for Axleâs office. At the door, Uncle Tyler stopped and angled toward her. âLook, I can buy the restaurant chain from you. It would be a good investment for me.â âNo, it wouldnât,â Melora said without thought. He frowned. âYou forget Iâve looked at the books and know whatâs going on. I didnât turn it over to William without watching out for your interests.â But if something illegal was going on, she didnât want her uncle tied up in it. She forced a smile to her lips. âYou know nothing has to be settled right away. We have plenty of time to figure out what to do with the business. Maybe after the holidays.â As he smiled the sparkle in his dark eyes showcased the appeal her uncle could exert effortlessly. His dignified look combined with his tall stature commanded peopleâs attention when he entered a room. Much like Daniel did. Like at todayâs committee meeting. Even though Hank hadnât gone along with what Daniel had requested concerning the Alamo celebration, sheâd seen the respect in the older manâs expression when dealing with Daniel. âWhy are we in here,â Uncle Tyler waved his arm toward the office, âwhen I can smell Juanitaâs delicious roast?â âBefore you came, I was in here thinking about what to do with Axleâs personal belongings now that heâs officially dead.â Bushy white eyebrows slashed downward. âWhat?â Melora laid her hand on his arm. âI know how much you liked Axle, but Iâve got to move on.â âAre you getting rid of all this?â âProbably not right away but after the holidays. I donât want to disrupt Kaitlynâs Christmas. This past week has been tough enough on her.â âAnd not you?â She didnât want to lie to her uncle, but neither could she tell him the whole truth. âWhen Axle didnât come home, I felt something was wrong. After a year, I came to accept that he was goneâprobably dead. His body being found actually brought some closure for me.â Suddenly, she had a thought that slammed into her like the intruder who had tackled her to the floor. What if she found Axleâs flash drive? What would she do with it? Whatever she did could have far-reaching consequences, and above all she could never put her family in danger. She would have to consider it carefully. Melora backed out of the office and closed its door as though if she didnât see Axleâs possessions she wouldnât be faced with the dilemma. âYouâre right. We can wait to talk about the business and Axleâs things. Dinner should be ready. I know how much you like Juanitaâs cooking.â âSometimes I canât believe you persuaded me to let you hire Juanita away from me.â She was thankful every day that heâd graciously giving his blessing for Juanita to come to work for her. The housekeeper had been the only person who knew what had reallygone on in the house with Axle. That she and Axle werenât the perfect couple they had presented to the world. That her marriage had been held together with threats. As they entered the kitchen area, Kaitlyn stood