The Lost Girls of Johnson's Bayou. Jana DeLeon

He’d called her beautiful.

       That almost scared her more than knowing someone was watching her.

       PAUL WALKED AMONG THE booths of the festival, stopping occasionally to chat with townspeople about their wares and then making notes on his phone to go over with Ginny later on. Whoever was watching Ginny was probably someone local—someone she’d known her entire life, which was why they weren’t on her radar. Someone who knew the truth about the past had sensed a change in Ginny or perhaps misread an action and now feared her memory was returning.

       And that could be very dangerous for Ginny, especially if something nefarious had gone down at the LeBlanc School all those years ago. Paul believed something was wrong with the entire situation, the school, the girls with no families to speak of, the fire—all of it reeked to high heaven. Someone was already watching her, had already risked getting caught in her apartment. They’d taken that risk for a good reason.

       With any luck, he’d figure it out before Ginny’s watcher escalated to something worse than reading her journal.

       He had to make sure that no one suspected his involvement in researching Ginny’s past. In small towns, people would notice everything, especially a stranger dating a local. He had to make sure people believed he was interested in Ginny in the dating sort of way, despite being as averse to relationships as Ginny claimed to be.

       He’d meant it when he told her she was beautiful. She was, in fact, one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen outside of television or magazines. Even without the benefit of camera filters and Photoshop, her skin was flawless, her hair so silky it made him want to touch it. And the eyes. Her eyes were more than just brilliant pools of blue. They conveyed emotion without words.

      Get a grip!

       The words echoed through his mind. The last thing in the world he should be doing right now is running down a laundry list of Ginny Bergeron’s most attractive qualities. He needed to get as much information as he could from her, figure out what the threat to her was and eliminate it, then get out of Johnson’s Bayou and back on with his life.

       He looked over at Ginny’s booth, which had been crowded the entire day. Two women who’d been deliberating over the selection for almost a half hour finally made their choices and left Ginny’s table with satisfied looks on their faces. It was the first time that day her booth had been empty, so he walked over to check in. Ginny looked up from her cash box as he approached and gave him a tentative smile.

       “Busy today,” he said. There were more bare gaps on the table than jewelry.

       “Definitely. I’m glad I made extra pieces earlier this week, or I’d run out before the festival is over.”

       “How long does it last?”

       “One more day.”

       “Good. I can get a rundown on the locals from you tonight, and hopefully some of them will still be around tomorrow so I can get a feel for the ones that interest me.”

       Ginny looked taken aback. “You think someone who lives here has been spying on me?”

       “If it was a stranger, you would have already noticed him.”

       “Yes, of course. I’m sorry. I must sound stupid, but all of this is so outside of my normal realm.”

       “Don’t worry. It’s not outside of mine. I can explain to you how I work tonight.”

       “What about tonight?” Madelaine’s voice sounded behind Paul.

       He turned and gave her a smile as she stepped up to Ginny’s table. “I was just trying to convince Ginny to let me buy her dinner tonight.”

       Madelaine beamed at Paul. “That’s so nice. Isn’t that nice, Ginny?” She poked Ginny, who looked remarkably guilty for a woman who hadn’t done anything wrong.