He didn’t understand. “Your parents didn’t pay for your college?”

“My father didn’t want me to go to college, so no, he didn’t pay. And cutting hair was barely enough to live on after making the minimum payments.”

Something wasn’t adding up. Hank hoped Ivy wasn’t one of those women who shopped themselves into debt. An image of her Harley flashed in his head. “What about your stipend? I’d think the whiskey business brings in enough to keep you in good stead. Unless you’re not spending it wisely.”

Her frown turned angry, and he could tell he’d hit a nerve. “What little money I have, I’m very careful with. And if I got a stipend, maybe things would be different, but I don’t. The Kincaid stipend only goes to males.”

“Are you serious?” Clemens Kincaid was a low-life piece of garbage. How could he not provide for his daughter? Or the rest of his female pack members? Sharing the stipend was standard operating procedure. All packs did it. It created loyalty and stability.

She nodded. “My brothers are in high cotton. Me? Not so much.”

That still didn’t explain the Softail. “How did you afford that motorcycle?”

She snorted. “I inherited that from my grandfather. And if he hadn’t had an iron-clad will, I’m not sure I would have held on to it, either.”

“Your father is a horrible man.”

“You have no idea,” she muttered.

He kissed her, as much to soothe her as to soothe himself. Clemens Kincaid was enough to make anyone see red. Hank couldn’t imagine how Ivy had survived having him as a father. It only fueled his desire to spoil her. “Then you should give me an idea. When you feel ready. Because there’s no reason you need to bear all that yourself. But this moment is not about him. You’re about to be a Merrow. Time to live like it. Pick out a ring.”

“You’re sure?”

“Pick out a ring or I’ll buy the gaudiest one in the case.”

She grinned. “Okay. No pressure.”

He laughed and waved Willa back over.

Ivy immediately pointed to the smallest diamond in the case.

“Don’t even play that game,” he said. “Try the one next to it.”

“But that’s twice the size.”

“And still not big enough.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Think like a Merrow.”

She gave him a look he interpreted as a plea for patience.

He took the hint. “I need to step outside and make a call. Be right back.”

She nodded, her interest fully seated in the tray of rings Willa had just taken out. He left the shop, slipping his phone out as he went.

He called Birdie. “Any messages?”

“I heard you had a nice lunch.”

Honestly, how did the woman find this stuff out? She was probably just fishing. He wasn’t going to bite. “Not about me. For me.”

“Deputy Cruz got himself a date for the Zombie Prom.”

Hank pinched the bridge of his nose. “These are not the kind of messages I’m referring to.”

Birdie clucked her tongue. “There’s nothing else going on. No crime, no vagrancy, not even a speeder. What do you want me to say?”

“That there are no messages.” He took a breath and tried to think patient thoughts. “I have to go.”

“How’s the ring shopping coming?”

Hank pulled the phone away to stare at it. Maybe Birdie was part witch. “Goodbye.” He hung up and went back inside.

Three rings sat in a velvet tray between Ivy and Willa.

“Have you narrowed it down already?”

Ivy nodded.

Willa smiled. “The woman knows what she likes.”

“I can appreciate that.” He’d thought this might take hours. More proof Ivy was the right woman for him.

Ivy looked up, eyes soft and sparkly. “Which one do you like?”

The rings all looked alike to him. “Try them on.”

She obliged, and he watched her face and the light in her eyes. The middle ring made them sparkle the most. He glanced at the tags. It was the most expensive, but still well within his budget.

He kept his expression neutral. “Which one do you like the best?”

“They’re all pretty.” But her gaze stayed fixed on the second one.

“That doesn’t help me. I’m a guy. They might as well be the same ring to me.”

With a slight hesitation, she touched the first and least expensive. “This one is very nice.”

He looked at Willa. “The ring will have to be sized, won’t it?”

She nodded. “I can do that for you today.”

“All right. Hang on to those three and I’ll call you when I get back to the station, let you know which one we’re getting.”

Ivy stared at him, her sweet mouth bent in a half-grin. “You dirty dog.”

He smiled. “There has to be some surprise.” He grabbed her hand. “Thank you, Willa. I’ll be in touch.”

Ivy waved goodbye as he led her out of the shop. “She’s nice. Fae, right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“This town is pretty cool. People are nice, for the most part, and—”

A warning bell went off in his head. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, letting tourists flow around him. “Was someone here unkind to you?”

“No. Yesterday at the Shop & Save some woman wanted to know what I was doing getting out of your car.” She shrugged. “Small-town stuff. No biggie.”