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know you didn’t hurt Sage.”
    “Or any of those girls,” he said, his voice coming out strained past the knot of frustration clogging his throat. “Even though I have no alibi for Sage, they never could connect me to the other murders. I thought you’d know I couldn’t hurt people that way. You knew me better than anyone.”
    Folding her arms, she took another step away. “I struggled with believing it for a long time, but the evidence proved Sage scratched you, and no one your lawyer called to the stand admitted it happened earlier in the evening like you claimed, not until this past trial. An entire jury believed you were guilty and your claim of an argument was a lie.” She blinked a few times and her face reddened. “I was out of my mind with grief and shock, and then I was too busy with Mom to think about anything.”
    “If Julie hadn’t told the truth this time, I’d still be rotting there.” He flexed his fingers a few times, trying to see things from Rose’s viewpoint. “Jimmy Durant would have lied to the end of time to keep me locked up.”
    Rose looked down at the ground. “Let’s not talk about Jimmy.”
    She sounded defensive. Jimmy always had wanted Rose, and been jealous that Max had her. “Do you have something going with him?”
    His voice must have been sharper than he planned on it being, because Rose met his eyes, hers hard and angry.
    “My, my.” She shook her head. “Back in town one day and already marking territory? My relationship with Jimmy’s not your concern or your business.”
    It sounded like she was dating the other man. Was that why Jimmy was so belligerent about Max being around her? Max’s heart spasmed with jealousy that he tried to fight down. “Coming here was a mistake. I’m going home.”
    He carefully stepped around her, fighting the urge to wrap her in his arms and kiss her breathless. He could make her forget Jimmy...make her remember the love they once had.
    But she didn’t want that.
    He crossed the small room and headed for the door.
    ***
    “W ait!” Rose ran after Max’s retreating back, reaching a hand out for his shoulder to stop him. It was hard to understand her conflicting emotions. Inside was still that young girl waiting for Max to make sense of all this turmoil and ease her fears away in his strong arms. At the same time, she didn’t like him acting as if he owned her. It wasn’t his business who she’d dated—or slept with.
    Max jerked his shoulder from her outstretched fingers. “Just let me leave. I don’t want to start a fight.”
    “I don’t either,” she said to his back. “I know Jimmy came after you yesterday. Calvin told me. If Jimmy lied about your fight with Sage, there’s nothing we can do about that now.”
    “ If he lied?” Max’s voice was low and the edge of danger crept into it again.
    Damn. She kept sticking her foot in her mouth, and Max wasn’t the laid back boy she used to love. He was easily offended now and ready to lash out at anything. Then again, if she spent seven and a half years imprisoned for something she didn’t do, she’d be edgy too.
    “I didn’t mean it that way.”
    Max shook his head, brushing his shaggy hair across his shoulders with the motion. “I won’t bother you again.”
    As his hand touched the doorknob, someone pounded loudly on the other side of the door.
    “This is the police,” Calvin’s voice said in a booming tone. “Open up.”
    “Great,” Max muttered. “Just what I need.”
    Rose stepped to his side, twining her hand in his without thinking about it. It seemed the most natural reaction in the world.
    He looked at their clasped hands before meeting her eyes. The hardness in him hadn’t softened. “What do you think you’re doing?”
    “I’m opening the door in a second, but first, you need to calm down. Go sit on the couch and let me deal with Cal. We’re having a friendly chat and no one here is fighting.”
    Although he hesitated, looking as though he