We'll Never Tell (Secrets of Ravenswood) by Jannine Gallant Page A

first?”
    “No one’s been inside
this morning but me. I was paying bills while I waited for Sam.”
    “The door wasn’t
locked.” Sam stared down at the mess at her feet.
    “No, I left it open for
you.”
    The pulse at her temple
throbbed as anger gripped her. “Anyone could have come in, and you wouldn’t
have heard them from your office upstairs.”
    “Probably not.” Fists
clenched, Juliette looked up and down the street. “Was it him ? Was this
another reminder?”
    Ethan glanced sharply
from one woman to the other. “You think the fire was set deliberately? Is that
what I just heard?”
    Sam bit her lip. Desire
to pour out the entire story clawed at her. She met Juliette’s gaze. Her
friend’s face was a sickly shade of white, her brown eyes huge.
    “What’ll he do to us if
we tell the police?” she whispered.
    “Juliette, are you in
some kind of trouble?” Ethan’s voice was soft, encouraging.
    Sam would burst if she
had to hold the words in another minute. “Can I?”
    Juliette gave an abrupt
nod.
    Relief flooded through
Sam, leaving her lightheaded. Dumping their story on Ethan’s broad shoulders
might not solve the problem, but it couldn’t hurt. Could it?
    “Let’s clean this up and
go inside.” She touched Ethan’s arm, her fingers tingling against the warm,
hair dusted skin. “Do you have a spare hour?”
    “Of course, but if you
suspect arson—”
    “The fire is the least
of our problems.” Juliette glanced between them. “You don’t need me to fill him
in on the details, and quite frankly, I may scream if I have to listen to the
whole, horrible tale. Go home, Sam, and call me later. I’m good with whatever
decision you come to.”
    “Darby—”
    “Darby trusts your
judgment as much as I do.”
    Sam chewed her lower
lip. “Fine.”
    Using a dust pan, Ethan
scooped the soggy, sooty remnants of the basket into a trash bag and left for a
garbage bin down the alley behind the studio. When he passed his pickup, he
slammed the door he’d left hanging open.
    Tearing her gaze away
from the solid set of his shoulders, Sam glanced at the watch strapped to her
wrist. Less than ten minutes had passed since she’d walked through the studio
door and discovered the blaze. It seemed an eternity. Slipping her arm around
Juliette’s waist, she gave her a squeeze. “You’re sure you don’t want me to
stay?”
    “Positive. He won’t do anything else today, will he?” Her voice quavered.
    “I think he made his
point.”
    “Maybe Ethan will have
something constructive to suggest.”
    “Let’s hope.” Sam’s gaze
strayed to Ethan’s loose-limbed stride as he returned, and she lowered her
voice. “Am I wrong to trust him?”
    “What does your heart
tell you?”
    Meeting a piercing blue
stare, her uncertainty disappeared. “To go for it.”

Chapter Six
     
    “That’s one hell of a
story.”
    Ethan stared at Sam
across the scarred surface of the small, oak table. Her face was pale beneath
her tan, and she clutched the mug of hot chocolate so tight her knuckles
gleamed whiter than bare bone.
    “You girls never told
anyone?”
    “We were twelve, Ethan.
We were too scared to go to the sheriff. Believe me, we agonized over the
decision.”
    “Your parents—”
    “Mine were in Greece at
the time. I remember thinking if they’d only taken me and Wyatt with them, I
wouldn’t have been in the woods that night. And neither would Juliette and
Darby.”
    He scooted his chair
around to her side and pried her hands off the mug. Holding cold fingers
between his warm palms, he squeezed gently. “What about your friends? They
didn’t say anything?”
    Her lips pressed
together, the skin drawing tight across her cheekbones. “We made a pact.”
    Anger churned in Ethan’s
gut. His hands gripped hers until she squeaked in protest.
    “Sorry.” He released her
and grabbed on to the edge of the table. “I want to punch something. Honest to
God. Imagining three little girls witnessing a