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After Jack’s comments about lawyers, this accusation hit particularly hard. “That’s a ridiculous assumption. It’s also patently wrong.”

“You were on the wrong side of that retirement issue, darling. You took the shark’s side. If you’re not careful, you could end up just like Owen, turning your back on morality and taking on any high-profile case that will win you big bucks and a reputation as a top hired gun. I fear that if you keep going down the path you’re on, Raine, someday you may well find yourself defending someone like your father’s current client. A horrible, abusive bully that everyone knows is a cold-blooded killer.”

Raine was so angry she could barely push the words past the painful lump in her throat. “Not that it’s pertinent to this discussion, but that same constitution that gives you the right to worship the sun or moon or a damn oak tree, if you want, also declares every defendant innocent until proven guilty.”

“Are you saying that if you’d been asked, you would have defended that murderer?”

“No.” Despite her claim of a defendant’s right to innocence, the very idea of defending that
particular
defendant was unthinkable. “But—”

“Yet you were willing to take on Odessa Oil as a client.”

“Odessa didn’t kill anyone.”

“Not yet,” Lilith countered. “But without health-care—”

“I am not going to discuss this!” Raine’s shout caused a startled bird to fly out of the monkey puzzle tree into the night sky on a whirl of wings. Preferring to leave the scene making to her mother, she immediately lowered her voice. “You have no right telling me what to do with my life.”

“I’m your mother.”

“No.” Raine shook her head emphatically. Hot, furious moisture was welling up behind her lids but she refused to give in to tears. “You abandoned any maternal rights years ago, Lilith. When you abandoned your daughters.”

Even as she saw her mother flinch, Raine didn’t retract her harsh words. Or apologize.

Instead, she went back into the house on unreasonably shaky legs, managing, just barely, to keep from slamming the screen door behind her.

By the following morning, Raine felt horrendously guilty for her uncharacteristic outburst. The fact that she’d believed most of what she’d said was no excuse for having lashed out and hurt Lilith. Especially since the behavior that had caused so much pain was in the past.

Lilith opened her bedroom door at Raine’s first knock. Her quick response, and the shadows beneath her eyes revealed that Raine hadn’t been the only one who’d found sleep difficult after their argument.

Not that the fatigue diminished her beauty. Actually, Raine considered, it made her mother appear even more delicate, like spun glass. She’d obviously gotten Lilith out of bed, yet somehow her mother had avoided the crease marks that usually marred Raine’s cheeks upon awakening, and every silver hair was in place. She was wearing a blue silk nightgown and matching robe that matched her eyes and made Raine, in her dancing-sheep pajamas, feel like a street urchin.

A long-ago memory flooded back. That of a little girl, no more than seven years old, sneaking into her mother’s lingerie drawers, drawn by the brightly hued silk and satin and lace confections. Raine had loved the colors that reminded her of the shimmer of rainbows, loved the slick, but oh, so soft feel of them against her fingertips and cheeks as she’d lifted them to her face, breathing in the exotic scent of Shalimar that she’d always identified with her mother.

One time, when she sensed Lilith was about ready to take her daughters back to Coldwater Cove again, Raine had stolen a scarlet, lace-trimmed slip from the drawer and hidden it away in her suitcase. For months, as she’d lain alone in her bed in the room she shared with her sister at their grandmother’s house, she slept with that silk slip, feeling as if in some way, she was sleeping with her mother.

“Would you like to come in?” Lilith asked.

“No. I haven’t checked in with my office yet.” Raine felt a distant pain and realized that she was digging her fingernails into her palms. “I just wanted to apologize for what I said last night.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary.” Lilith gracefully waved the words of contrition away.

“Yes, it is.” Raine took a deep breath that was meant to calm. It didn’t. “You were right, Lilith. No matter how I feel about certain past aspects of our relationship, you’re still my mother. I had no right to speak so disrespectfully to you.”

“Well.” Lilith was silent for a moment, seeming to take that in as she studied her elder daughter’s grimly set face. “Thank you, darling. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

They stood there, a few inches apart on opposite sides of the door jamb. There was an aura of expectancy in the air, as if both knew that such a circumstance demanded a hug, but each was unable to make the first move. Then Lilith lifted a hand to brush some tousled hair off Raine’s face.

“As it happens, I promised your grandmother I’d take Shawna shopping for a graduation dress this morning. Ida wanted it to be a going-away gift. Perhaps we could go together. Maybe even have lunch afterwards. Sort of a girl’s day on the town.”

Raine fought against the flood of yearning that single, casual maternal touch seemed to trigger. She wanted to refuse Lilith’s invitation, but found the words difficult.

“If you’d rather not, I’ll understand,” Lilith said when Raine didn’t immediately respond.

Raine watched her mother fussing with the silk tie of the robe, twisting it in her hands and realized with surprise that Lilith was actually nervous. “It sounds like fun,” she said, falling back on politeness as she tried to analyze her feelings.

“Doesn’t it?” Lilith agreed.

As she left her mother’s bedroom, Raine assured herself that the moisture that had seemed to glisten in Lilith’s blue eyes had only been a trick of the morning light. Even stranger was the way she inexplicably felt like crying herself.

S
hort of traveling to Seattle, the Dancing Deer Dress Shoppe was the best—and only place—to buy women’s clothing in Coldwater Cove. The store had been established by sisters Doris and Dottie Anderson, nee Jensen, identical twins who’d been married to Coldwater Cove’s only other pair of twins, Harold and Halden Anderson, for nearly fifty years. For all those years the two women had lived next door to one another, worked side by side, worn their snowy hair exactly the same way, and even dressed alike, although Doris, who was elder by ten minutes, favored earth tones while Dottie, displaying an independent flair, usually chose scarlet.

“How wonderful that you’ve come home again,” Dottie greeted Raine as the others began searching through a display of pastel prom and graduation dresses.

“I imagine Ida’s on cloud nine,” Doris agreed. “You and your sister are just about all she talks about. One of Savannah’s recipes was featured in the
L.A. Times
, Raine just won a multimillion-dollar case,” she quoted Ida. “You both certainly did your grandmother proud, that’s for certain.”

“Not just your grandmother,” Dottie said before Raine could respond. “We’re all proud of you.”

“Thank you,” Raine murmured. In the city, she lived in a world of anonymity. Like
Beauty and the Beast’s
castle, her life was made easier by the performance of a host of invisible servants. Her garbage was taken away, her apartment cleaned, her mail and groceries delivered. But here in Coldwater Cove, everyone not only knew each other’s business, but their life histories, as well.

“We saw you on television,” Doris said. “You photograph very well, dear, doesn’t she, Sister?”

“You looked beautiful,” Dottie agreed. “But a bit subdued. I thought I’d read that it was always preferable to wear bright colors on television.”

“I didn’t dress for the television cameras,” Raine said mildly.

“Well, I suppose you have a point. Although it’s still possible to look feminine and professional at the same time. Have you ever watched
Melrose Place
? Or
Ally McBeal
?”

“Ally McBeal is a fictional lawyer.”

“Well, that may be,” Dottie allowed as she fluffed her cotton-candy hair. “But that girl certainly does know how to catch a male eye with those short skirts.”

“Perhaps Raine has more important things on her mind than attracting men,” Doris suggested dryly.

“Well, I can’t imagine what.” Dottie tilted her head like a curious bird. “After all, dear, you’re not getting any younger, and I know how dearly Ida is yearning for some great-grandchildren to bounce on her knee. Why she talks about it all the time, doesn’t she, Sister?”

“She’s mentioned it,” Doris confirmed. “Ida misses both you and Savannah, dear. Now, I realize that it isn’t really any of our business—”

“None at all,” Dottie broke in. “But of course that never stopped Doris from handing out advice.”

“Sister,” Doris complained, “it was my turn to speak.”

“I realize that, Sister,” Dottie said. “But I’m sure Raine didn’t come here today for a lecture.”

“I had no intention of lecturing her,” Doris said stiffly. “I was merely intending to point out how good it’s been for Ida, taking in those three poor misguided girls.”

“It’s given her a new lease on life, that’s for certain,” Dottie agreed. She leaned forward and placed a plump hand on Raine’s arm. “I have to admit that I did worry in the beginning that one of them might sneak into her bedroom in the middle of the night and kill her while she was sleeping.”

“If the girls were killers they wouldn’t be in a group home, Sister,” Doris snapped. “They’d be locked up somewhere.”

“You can’t always tell,” Dottie insisted. “Why, just last week, I was watching that Jerry Springer show and he was interviewing this handsome young man who, to look at him, you would have easily taken for a choirboy. In fact, he reminded me a little bit of Daniel O’Halloran, at least around the eyes. But of course, Daniel is older than he was….”

“I assume there’s a point to this?” Doris ground out.

“Of course. As I was saying, before I was interrupted,” she said, shooting a censorious look at her sister, “you never would have suspected that the young man on the show was anything but a model citizen. But it turned out he’s in prison for strangling women. Then, after they’re dead, he sautés their hearts in a Napa Valley chardonnay with a touch of olive oil and pesto, while wearing his victims’ clothing, if you can believe such a dreadful thing.”

“Sister!” Doris’s expression revealed her shock. “You’re forgetting your manners! Didn’t Mother teach us that some subjects are not meant to be discussed in public?” She shook her head in frustration as she turned back toward Raine. “Don’t pay any attention to Dottie, Raine, dear. Ever since she started watching those daytime television shows, her conversation has become absolutely scandalous.”

Dottie lifted both pink chins. “It’s important to know what’s going on in the world. Unlike some of us who are content to only pay attention to the goings-on here in Coldwater Cove.”

“I doubt that cross-dressing, cannibalistic serial killers are all that common even outside our small hamlet,” Doris argued. “In fact, I would imagine that you don’t hear about them all that often even in the big city. Do you, Raine?”

It was all Raine could do to keep her lips from giving into the smile that was tickling at the corners of her mouth. “Not as a rule.”

Doris turned back to her twin and folded her arms over the front of her olive green shirtwaist dress. “See? I told you those horrid shows are not reflective of real life. The outrageous stories are probably even made up.”

“Oh, I can’t believe they’d allow people to lie on television,” Dottie replied vaguely. “But I’m getting off track. My initial point was that at first many of us were concerned for Ida when she took those girls in. However, I, for one, have decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.”

“Still,” she amended as her intense blue eyes drifted toward the little family group across the room. “I’m afraid their shenanigans the other day didn’t exactly help their cause any.”

“That was unfortunate,” Raine agreed.

“Oh, well,” Dottie said with a flare of her unsinkable optimism, “at least the standoff brought you home, Raine. So, I’ve no doubt that your grandmother must think all that pesky trouble was worth it. Speaking of that standoff, what did you think of the sheriff?”

Since the Anderson sisters were the closest thing Coldwater Cove had to town criers, Raine decided not to share her initial impression that he was too sexy for comfort. “He seems like a fair man.”

“Oh, he is. But I wasn’t talking about that. I was referring to his looks. Didn’t you find him absolutely dashing?”

“I didn’t really notice.”

“Oh, darling, if that’s truly the case, then you have been working too hard. Every single woman in town has been chasing after that man since he was widowed. I suspect that quite a few of the married ones wouldn’t mind him putting his cowboy boots beside their beds, either. While just the other day I was in the market and I saw Marianne Wagner—you remember her, Raine, she’s Peter and Elizabeth Garrison’s youngest daughter—flirting with our sheriff over the broccoli.

“Of course I can understand how she’d be lonely, especially now that her husband had to take that timber job down in Oregon, but still, with three children to take care of, you’d think she’d be too busy to find time to pick up men in the market, not that he seemed all that interested.”

“Sister!” Doris spat out. “Really, that’s enough. Raine didn’t come here to gossip about the sheriff. She came here to shop. So, we should just let her get to it.” With that, she literally dragged her talkative sister away.

The others had already disappeared into the dressing rooms when Lilith approached with a silk dress awash with tropical flowers.

“Look, darling. Isn’t this lovely?”

“Gorgeous,” Raine agreed, easily picturing her mother in the vastly romantic dress.

“I’m so pleased you think so. Since I want to buy it for you.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“It is to me.” The earnest look in Lilith’s eyes brought back last night’s argument.

“It’s not suitable for the city,” Raine said in a weak attempt to resist her mother’s silent appeal.

“You’re not in the city now, darling.”

“True. But I can’t imagine needing a dress like that here in Coldwater Cove, either.”

“You never know.” Ignoring Raine’s frown, Lilith held it up against her body. “Perhaps you’ll be invited out to dinner.”

Raine tried to imagine wearing the ultraromantic dress to Oley’s for barbecue and couldn’t. “I didn’t come home to date.”

“Well, of course you didn’t, dear. But it’s such a lovely dress.”

“It’s beautiful,” Gwen, who’d suddenly appeared, cajoled. “Try it on, Raine, please?”

It wasn’t her style. Raine thought of all the neat little dress-for-success suits hanging in her closet. She’d never owned a dress like this in her life.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try it on,” Lilith said. “Unless, of course,” she added slyly, “you’re afraid.”

“Why on earth would I be afraid of a dress?”

“I have no idea.” Lilith shrugged. “Perhaps because you’re afraid that you’ll discover a sexy, tempestuous female lurking beneath that grim, serious legal facade you present to the world?”

It was more challenge than insult. Even knowing that her mother was pushing buttons, Raine couldn’t quite resist taking her up on it.

She snatched the dress from Lilith’s manicured hand. “It’s not my size. It’s too small.”

“I don’t think so.” Lilith skimmed an appraising look over Raine. “Give it a try, and if you need a larger size, I’ll go get one…. Meanwhile, I’m going to see how Shawna’s coming along.”

It wasn’t her style, Raine repeated to herself as she stripped off her slacks and sweater. Besides, her mother was wrong. There wasn’t a single tempestuous bone in her body. She was intelligent, reasonable, and cool headed. She preferred classic styles and colors—like a little basic-black dress worn with a single strand of very good pearls. The kind of dress that could go from the office out to dinner.

As she pulled the dress over her head, Raine overlooked the fact that it had been a very long time since any man had asked her out to dinner. Even longer since she’d accepted.

The dress slid over her like a silk waterfall. Raine refused to be enticed. Until she looked into the mirror and viewed the stranger who was looking straight back at her.

“Raine?” Lilith called out to her. “How does it fit?”

“I think it’s a little snug.” The bodice bared her shoulders and the silk hugged her curves like a lover’s caress on the way down her body to swirl around her calves. It felt cool and carefree and, dammit, sexy.

Raine reminded herself that she’d never
wanted
to be sexy. That was her mother’s role. While there were, admittedly days that she found her own life less than perfect, there was no way she’d want to trade places with Lilith. Not in a million years.

“Come out and let’s see.”

“That’s not necessary—”

“Oh, Raine, don’t be such a party pooper,” Lilith complained as she pulled open the curtain. “Oh, darling, it’s perfect.”

“For you, perhaps. But it’s not me.” Was it her imagination, or did the brightly hued hibiscus blossoms bring out red highlights in her hair she’d never noticed?

“Of course it is. If you hadn’t spent most of your life working overtime, pretending to be someone, and something you’re not, you’d realize that.”

“I’m not pretending.” Raine turned sideways and skimmed her palm over a silk-covered hip. It really was stunning. “Not really.”

“Then what would you call it?”

“Surviving.”

Their eyes met. Another of those thick, uncomfortable silences settled over them. Raine viewed the hurt in her mother’s expertly made-up eyes and felt a tinge of guilt for having put it there.

“Oh, Shawna, that’s gorgeous!” they heard Renee exclaim. “Lilith, Raine, come see how beautiful Shawna is! She looks just like a supermodel!”

The tense mood was broken. Grateful for the interruption, Raine escaped the dressing room. And her mother.

“Oh, that is truly lovely.” she breathed as she took in the seventeen-year-old standing in front of the three-way mirror just outside the dressing rooms. The white lace top, held up by slender satin ribbons, skimmed the waistband of a short tight skirt trimmed at the hem with more lace. The girl’s coltish legs looked a mile long.

“Do you really think so?” the teenager asked, holding her arms out to her sides.

“It’s perfect,” Lilith and Raine said together. Unaccustomed to agreeing about anything, they exchanged a brief, surprised look. “Absolutely perfect,” Lilith insisted.

Shawna grinned. “I love your dress, too,” she said to Raine.

“It’s not my dress,” Raine said.

“You’re not going to get it?” Renee and Shawna asked in unison. They both stared at her in disbelief. Gwen, Raine noticed, looked absolutely crestfallen.

“No. It’s just not my style, it’s too small, and—”

“Oh, look, girls,” Lilith trilled, overrunning Raine’s planned rejection of the dress that was proving too tempting for comfort. “It’s the sheriff.”