Honeysuckle Summer (22 page)

Sarah was undaunted. “This week the mailbox, next week you’ll be sitting in the studio with me at the station or having breakfast at Wharton’s or going to Sullivan’s with Carter!”

“I think you’re being overly ambitious. I still haven’t left the yard, Sarah.”

“But you will. I can feel it. You’re going to put this whole episode behind you.”

Raylene studied her exuberant expression. “I wish I shared your faith.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be a sourpuss. This is huge. Let’s invite everyone over and celebrate.”

“You want to celebrate my walk to the mailbox? That’s pathetic.”

“No. It’s a triumph. I can hardly wait to see Carter’s face when he finds out.”

Raylene was shaking her head before the words were out of Sarah’s mouth. “No. No celebration and we’re not saying a word to Carter about this. I can’t get his hopes up.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “I have a feeling if you didn’t want to get his hopes up, maybe you shouldn’t have slept with him.”

Raylene just stared at her. “How on earth do you know about that?”

“Thin walls and an ex-husband with a big mouth,” Sarah said with a grin. “Walter could hardly wait to tell me.”

Raylene winced. “He heard us?” She hadn’t thought the walls in the house were that thin, or that she and Carter had been that loud. It was embarrassing.

“Not really, but he said you were positively glowing at breakfast yesterday morning. He guessed the rest.”

“I’m going to kill Walter,” Raylene said grimly.

“Don’t be mad. You know how much he adores you. He only told me because he was so happy for you and knew I would be, too. You’re getting your life back, Raylene! I think it’s fantastic. So will everyone else. Please, let us celebrate this with you.”

She shook her head. “No,” she said again, “it won’t be much of a life if Paul has his way,” Raylene said realistically, ignoring all the rest. What more was there to say about her night with Carter, anyway?

“Something tells me that danger is going to pass, too,” Sarah said confidently.

Raylene chuckled at her determined optimism. “You’re very cheery today. Is something going on with you?”

“Travis and I have set our wedding date,” she admitted. “Finally. I heard from my mom today, and my dad’s gotten an okay from his doctor to make the trip.”

Raylene hugged her. “That’s wonderful!” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “I’m so glad he’s better. I know how worried you’ve been and how much you’ve wanted him to be here.”

“As important as that is, it’s just as important that you be able to walk down the aisle as my bridesmaid. And now you can! Talk about perfect timing. When I married Walter, we had such a small ceremony, and none of my friends were there. This time I’m going to be surrounded by everyone I love.”

Raylene hated to put a damper on her excitement, but she had to. “Sweetie, walking to the mailbox is a far cry from being able to walk down the aisle of a church with you, much as I would love that. You absolutely cannot count on that.”

“Well, I’m going to,” Sarah insisted stubbornly. “And I don’t care how much pressure it puts on you, I’m telling you here and now that I’m counting on you to be there.”

“Oh, sweetie, please don’t do that,” Raylene begged.

“The wedding’s not until November, Thanksgiving weekend, in fact. I figured that would be appropriate because we all have so much to be thankful for this year.”

Despite the pressure, Raylene couldn’t help being honored that Sarah was so determined that she be a part of her wedding. It was one more reason for her not to allow Paul’s release from prison to cause another setback. She had to push through her fears and continue to make progress.

“Look, I’ve got to run,” Sarah said, still bubbling with excitement. “I’ll have more details on the wedding later, but I wanted you to be the first to know about it, besides Travis, of course. He’s over at the station right now grumbling that if he’d known I was going to insist on him wearing a tuxedo, he wouldn’t have pushed so hard to set the date the minute I heard from my mom. I left him with an entire folder of tuxedo styles I’d ripped out of magazines. I need to get back before he calls the whole thing off.”

“He’ll never do that,” Raylene said with certainty. “He’s crazy in love with you, and he’s been patient for a very long time.”

“Yeah, that’s what he says,” Sarah said happily. “Love you. Talk to you later.”

And then, like a tornado blowing through and leaving everything topsy-turvy, she was gone. And Raylene was left to think about all the ways her life was about to change…if only she were brave enough to step outside these four walls.

As September turned into October, Carter had to admit he was starting to freak a little that Paul Hammond hadn’t made his move. He’d been so sure it would be swift. Instead, maybe Hammond was relishing the torture Raylene must be feeling as the waiting dragged on.

The work on Raylene’s street had mostly been completed. Tom couldn’t justify having crews out there much longer, so the surveillance would be left to him and their friends, since hiring full-time protection was out of the question.

Worse, Carter knew that the longer Paul did nothing,
the greater the chance that they’d all be lulled into a false sense of complacency. That’s when things could go very, very wrong.

Tired of being in limbo and desperate to get things back to normal, he opted for taking a drive to Charleston. He had no idea where to start looking for the man. He doubted he’d be anywhere near the hospital where he’d lost his privileges to practice. The house he and Raylene had shared had been sold. A parole officer would probably know where to find him, but he might also try to talk Carter out of seeing him.

The only other option he could think of was checking with the man’s parents. From what he’d gathered, the scandal had caused the Hammonds huge embarrassment, but they’d defiantly maintained that Raylene was unstable, that she’d imagined everything that had happened. They hadn’t been able to explain away the baby she’d miscarried, so they simply didn’t mention it. In every conversation, according to Carter’s sources and newspaper reports, they proclaimed their son’s innocence and extolled him.

Carter found them at home in an imposing house in the historic district. When he told Grant Hammond who he was, the older man almost slammed the door on him until he said he was there on official police business. Good breeding and respect for the law had him hesitating then, but his expression was no more welcoming.

“I need to see your son,” Carter told him. “Is he here?”

“If you’re on official police business, wouldn’t you know that he’s not living here?” Hammond asked.

“I didn’t ask if he was living here,” Carter reminded him, thankful he’d left himself the loophole. “I asked if he was here now.”

“No,” his father said flatly. “And I have no idea where he might be, if that was going to be your next question.” He frowned at Carter. “And if you’re here on behalf of that sniveling ex-wife of his, you can tell her that she’d better stay far away from my son and keep her lies to herself. She’s no longer welcome in this town.”

Carter was impressed by the parental blindness to the son’s flaws. He knew he should let it go, but he couldn’t resist asking, “Do you think your son would have cut a deal and spent one minute behind bars if he’d been innocent?”

The older man’s bravado crumbled just a bit at the reasonable question. “Just tell her to stay away from us,” he repeated.

“Tell your son he needs to do the same. Remind him there’s a restraining order that will put him right back in prison if he violates it.”

Hammond seemed startled by that. “I’m sure he never wants to set eyes on her again,” he said, but he looked as though his confidence had been shaken.

Carter left then, not knowing if his warning would make things better…or worse.

I
n mid-October, three weeks after Paul’s release from prison, Raylene was slowly starting to feel more secure. The hang-ups had stopped after the first week. There had been absolutely no attempt to make contact, no overt or even subtle threats. Perhaps Paul had learned his lesson, after all, and would stay out of her life. Certainly if he ever expected to reclaim some semblance of a normal life for himself, that’s what he needed to do. Perhaps he’d realized that.

She’d been feeling so reassured, in fact, that she’d actually walked all the way around the block with Dr. McDaniels the day before without a single second of panic. Though she hardly dared to let herself believe it, she thought the worst of her panic disorder was finally behind her. She’d learned to calm herself at the first sign of panic, which meant the incidence of sweaty palms and hyperventilating lasted barely more than a few seconds before she was able to control them.

Each step she took outside filled her with a sense of triumph. Working in the garden had once again become solace for her bruised soul. More important, these small
victories filled her with hope that she could reclaim at least some semblance of a normal life.

None of that, however, made her foolhardy. She knew better than to wander anywhere on her own. Despite her most optimistic hopes, she knew her ex-husband was perfectly capable of lying low and then appearing when he was least expected. Carter, in fact, continued to take precautions, though of necessity the daytime crews on the street had moved on. Tom could no longer justify their presence now that the work had been completed. Carter, however, or one of their friends was almost always with her.

His sisters, however, had been told to steer clear unless they visited with him. Raylene missed Carrie and Mandy terribly, but she insisted that they needed to stay out of harm’s way.

Since Carter’s instructions to the girls had been quite clear, Raylene was surprised late one afternoon when Mandy came through the kitchen and into the backyard in search of her.

“I rang the doorbell, but then I guessed you’d be out here,” Mandy said. “I had Carter’s key, so I let myself in. Was that okay?”

Raylene regarded her with a mixture of delight and dismay. “Coming through the house was fine, but you know you shouldn’t be here, Mandy,” she said. “It’s not safe.”

“But I really missed you,” Mandy protested. “I haven’t seen you in, like, forever.”

“There’s a good reason for that,” Raylene reminded her. “I know your brother’s explained about my ex-husband.”

Mandy looked disappointed. “Please, can’t I stay?
Just for a little while? The garden really could use some work. If I clean out the dead annuals, I could plant some pansies or some chrysanthemums next time I come over.”

“That would be lovely,” Raylene agreed. Against her better judgment, she finally nodded. “Okay, you can stay, but just for an hour. I’ll call your brother and tell him you’re here. Maybe he can swing by.”

Mandy grimaced. “I was kind of hoping we could talk, just you and me.”

“I still need to let him know you’re here,” Raylene insisted, dialing his number and filling him in. “I’ve told her she can only stay for an hour.”

Carter was silent for so long, she didn’t know what to think. “Would you rather I send her home now?”

“No, I suppose it’s okay,” he said with unmistakable reluctance. “I’ll see if the sheriff can send a deputy over to drive by a few times. Even though we’re stretched thin. I know he’s been trying to keep somebody in the general area most of the day. I’d come myself, but I’m on a call on the west side of the county.”

“I really do think Paul got the message,” she reassured him. “It’s been ages since I had any of those hang-up calls.”

“I hope you’re right. Don’t take any chances, though.”

“It’s not as if I’m going to wander off,” she said wryly. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

Carter didn’t seem to be a hundred percent reassured, but he hung up with a promise to check in with her as often as he could.

“Is it okay?” Mandy asked when she’d hung up.

“He says you can stay for an hour,” Raylene told her. “Why don’t I go inside and fix us some sweet tea?”

“Sounds great,” Mandy said, already kneeling by the garden and yanking out weeds.

Raylene left her to it, then stepped into the kitchen and immediately halted in her tracks, heart hammering. Panic, which she’d almost convinced herself was a thing of the past, reached out and grabbed her by the throat.

“Hello, Raylene,” Paul said quietly.

There was an all-too-familiar fire in his eyes that had her frantically trying to locate the portable phone. Unfortunately, it was on the counter right beside him. Drawing on some last shred of inner strength, she forced herself to face him without blinking. She even managed to steady her nerves. She had to do everything she could to keep him here, in the house and away from Mandy.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, proud of herself for keeping her voice even.

“I thought I owed you a visit so we could catch up,” he said. “I know you had people watching the house, but they’ve been gone for a few days now.”

She regarded him with alarm. “How do you know that?”

He looked amused. “I don’t exactly drive around in a car with a big sign on it that says ex-prisoner, you know. I’m capable of riding through a town, even one the size of Serenity, without anyone recognizing me. As long as you don’t hang around or break any laws, no one gets suspicious. A few quick trips past the house spread out over a couple of weeks told me everything I needed to know.”

“You’ve been coming here despite the restraining order? Do you really want to go back to prison, Paul?”

He shrugged. “It hardly matters. My life is pretty much over, thanks to you.”

“No,” she argued. “You won an early release. You have a second chance. Go someplace new and start over.”

“My life was in Charleston.”

“Oh, please, that’s hardly the only city in the world. Qualified physicians are needed in all of them. Come on, think about it, Paul. You’re too smart to throw everything away like this.”

“Charleston is where I had status and prestige,” he insisted stubbornly. “At least I did until you deliberately set out to destroy my reputation.”

“
You’re
the one who destroyed your reputation,” she corrected. Surprisingly, her voice didn’t quaver. In fact, she felt unexpectedly calm now, despite the very real danger he represented. No matter what, she was going to stand her ground as she’d never dared to before. Somehow over the past two years she’d discovered an inner strength she hadn’t possessed during their marriage.

And, she thought with the ferocity of a mother, there was Mandy to protect. She couldn’t allow any harm to come to Carter’s sister.

“Paul, if you leave right now, before anyone else discovers you’re here, you can still have that second chance. I won’t say a word if you go and promise never to come back. You can even have your say before you go, if that will make you feel better. You do need to hurry, though, because despite your impression, there are people watching out for me. If they see a strange car outside, they’ll come in to check. If they find you here, it’s over. You’ll have blown your chance at a new life.”

“You don’t honestly think I parked out front, do
you? My car’s a couple of blocks away on the town square. I strolled over here like I belonged.” His apologetic look was insincere. “Sorry, but I’m not going anywhere. We have unfinished business.”

“Let’s go into the living room and talk about this,” she suggested, needing to get him out of the kitchen. She didn’t want him to catch a glimpse of Mandy through the window. If only she’d locked the door behind her on the way in. What if Mandy wondered what was taking her so long and decided to come inside looking for her? She had to get Paul into the other room.

“Here’s good,” he said.

“No,” she said flatly and shot past him, leaving him to follow.

In the living room, she stayed on her feet. Paul was right behind her, looking annoyed. “What are you trying to pull?”

He took an intimidating step toward her, barely banked fury in his eyes. Raylene sucked in a breath and stayed right where she was. If she backed up, it would be an admission of weakness, and she refused to be weak in the face of his anger ever again. Not that she wouldn’t have fled out the front door and into the street screaming her head off if she’d thought she could make it. Unfortunately she hadn’t had enough lead time to pull that off.

“Stay away from me,” she warned. “I mean it, Paul. I’ll fight you any way I have to.”

Amazingly, it was true. The fear she’d felt during their marriage had been as much about losing what he represented—status, security, love—as it had been about the physical abuse. Now she understood that all of that had been an illusion, anyway. As for the very real pain, she’d survived that, too.

Right now, she knew if she could keep him talking, she could figure out a plan. Though Carter had expressed the hope that the sheriff would find an available deputy to send by. Raylene knew she couldn’t count on anyone showing up to rescue her. Most important, it was up to her to protect Mandy at any cost.

Fortunately, thanks to too many years of practice, she knew his likely moves. When he reached for her with a gesture that might have been meant as a caress, but too often turned into a slap, she ducked agilely out of his path. She caught the faint hint of surprise in his eyes.

She thought about what was on the table behind her…a clay bowl that Tommy had made at a craft store for Sarah’s birthday, a lamp and a stack of magazines. She pictured their placement, tried to envision the bowl or lamp as a weapon. The bowl would be easiest to grab, and it was hefty enough to cause some damage.

Despite her earlier determination to stand her ground, she took a step back. This time the glint in Paul’s eyes was satisfaction. Obviously he thought he had her on the run, as he had so many times in the past.

“You need to leave,” she said again. “I’m not going to let you hurt me, Paul. I’ll fight you with every breath I have in me.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” he said, amused. “You certainly never did before. I have to admit that made it less satisfying for me.”

Even as he spoke the hateful words, her hand closed around the edge of the bowl. She imagined Tommy’s small handprint pressed into the clay, then painted bright blue, his favorite color.

Again, Paul tried to grab her, but her quick move to the side had him lurching forward and past her. She
landed a solid blow to the side of his head with the clay bowl, and he went down, sinking like a rag doll with the stuffing knocked out. Not waiting to see if he was going to get back on his feet, she ran screaming from the house.

Just as she emerged, a sheriff’s cruiser skidded around the corner, siren blaring, and Mandy came tearing around the side of the house and threw herself into Raylene’s arms.

“I heard him,” she said, sobbing against Raylene’s chest. “The window was open and I heard him. I called Carter.”

Raylene held her tightly. “You did exactly the right thing, sweetie. It’s okay. We’re both okay.”

When Deputy Callahan approached, Raylene pointed a shaky hand toward the house. She realized she was still holding Tommy’s clay bowl.

“I hit him. He fell. I don’t know if he’s okay or not,” she said, her words running together.

Callahan charged into the house, gun drawn, as another deputy arrived and urged Raylene and Mandy toward his cruiser, then followed Callahan inside.

She and Mandy huddled together in the backseat. Though she was still shaking, Mandy gave her a wavery smile. “No matter how mad Carter is, I’m glad I was here.”

“I’m glad you were, too, and that you had the presence of mind to call your brother.”

By the time the two deputies emerged with a dazed-looking Paul in handcuffs, Carter pulled to a stop in front of the house, his complexion pale. He barely spared a glance for Paul. Instead, his gaze was riveted on his sister and Raylene.

“You’re okay?” he asked in a voice that shook. “Both of you?”

Raylene nodded, suddenly unable to speak. Though she’d emerged from the cruiser at the first sight of Carter, the panic and shock caught up with her. She trembled violently. Mandy held her steady.

“I swear to God I lost ten years off my life when Mandy called,” he said, gathering them close. “I hope I never have to go through anything like that again.”

“Believe me, I hope so, too,” Raylene said fervently, then met his gaze. “Is it really over? For good this time?”

“We’ll do everything we can to make sure he’s in prison a lot longer this time.”

Raylene released a long pent-up sigh. Maybe between the certainty that Paul would be facing a longer prison term and the courage she’d found to face him down, she really could get on with her life now.

Carter had never been so terrified in his life as he had been when Mandy called, crying almost hysterically, to say she thought Paul Hammond was in the house with Raylene. He’d made the call to Dispatch, then taken off in that direction himself. He’d made the drive at a breakneck speed that even with his experience behind the wheel had seemed insane on the winding rural roads.

“What’s this?” he asked, removing the object Raylene was clutching in a death grip.

“Tommy made it,” she whispered. “It’s okay, isn’t it? Sarah will kill me if I broke it on Paul’s hard head.”

“I think Sarah would gladly make the sacrifice if it meant you were safe,” he said, smiling as he examined
the lopsided little bowl that only a mother could appreciate. “But it’s okay. Not a scratch on it.”

Leading Raylene and his sister inside, he asked, “Any idea how Paul got inside?”

“That might have been my fault,” Mandy said, looking miserable. “I tried the front door when I got here, then I used your key. I might not have locked the door behind me.” She lifted her gaze to Raylene. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think.”

Carter opened his mouth to yell at her, but Raylene’s touch on his hand kept him silent.

“Does it really matter how he got in?” she said gently. “The point is that he’s under arrest and gone now.”