The Daughter

‘Give me a goodbye kiss,’ she said.

Webb wrapped his arms around her waist, then dropped his hands to cup her buttocks. She laughed. He covered her lips with his and, when she sighed, he thrust his tongue inside her mouth. Then he ended the heated kiss quickly, swatted her behind and nodded toward the door.

‘Walk me out,’ he suggested.

She laced her arm through his and went with him down the hall, through her kitchen and to the back door. He always parked in her garage, came in through the back door and exited the same way.

‘Any chance you’ll make it back up this way next week?’ Sierra asked as she ran her hand down the front of his shirt, pausing at his belt buckle.

‘I don’t know if I’ll still be in Alabama,’ he told her. ‘I’ll give you a call in a few days when I know my plans.’

‘You do that. And if I’m free, we’ll make some plans of our own.’

Webb nodded, then went into the garage, got in his Mercedes and waited for her to hit the door opener. He took his sunglasses from where he’d stuck them behind the sun visor and slipped them on. He gave himself a quick inspection glance in the inside rearview mirror and smiled at his reflection.

‘You should feel guilty, you horny old bastard,’ he said aloud. ‘What if Ella ever found out about your affairs? What would your daughter think of you then?’

Ella had been the joy of his life since the moment he and Carolyn had adopted her. She’d been two weeks old. He’d taken one look at her and immediately fallen in love. He had never loved anyone the way he loved his little girl. Ella idolized him and, by God, he wanted it to stay that way. He kept his affairs out of town, not only to protect his wife from ugly rumors, but to hide the truth about his less-than-perfect marriage from his daughter.

When the garage door lifted, Webb waved goodbye to Sierra, put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. Checking his watch, he groaned. He’d be cutting it close to get home in time to shower, shave and change clothes before Carolyn’s little family dinner party tonight. He’d have to think of some excuse for why he’d been delayed in Huntsville. It didn’t matter how feeble the excuse; Carolyn never questioned his explanations. He figured she suspected the truth but preferred to look the other way and pretend they actually had a good marriage. That was what Ella believed. That her parents adored each other. Perpetuating that lie was as much his fault as Carolyn’s. He should have ended their marriage years ago. But it was too late now. Divorce would ruin his political career, and it would break Ella’s heart. He didn’t dare risk doing either. Other than Ella, his career was all he had.

As usual, Carolyn Porter’s dinner party was a huge success. From Bessie’s delicious meal to Carolyn’s sparkling personality, every event in the Porter home seemed to come off without a hitch. Even Webb’s late arrival hadn’t seemed to disturb his wife in the least. It never ceased to amaze Ella how kind and considerate of each other her parents were. She envied them their abiding love. She hoped that one day she would share that kind of commitment with a man. Being a woman, she recognized the look of love in her mother’s eyes whenever her father came into a room. And she couldn’t imagine a man more attentive to his wife than her father.

When Dan reached between them on the Duncan Phyfe sofa and slipped her hand into his, Ella tensed, but as he gazed at her adoringly, she managed to smile at him. She’d been dating Dan Gilmore on and off for nearly a year now. Friends and acquaintances were making bets on just when the two would tie the knot. She liked Dan and enjoyed his company, but she simply couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life with him. Actually, she couldn’t imagine the two of them ever making love. Dan wanted her, and he’d made it perfectly clear that he was more than ready for a sexual relationship. She’d been putting him off for months now, but how much longer could she expect him to wait?

‘I didn’t want to ruin a perfectly lovely meal, so I didn’t bring up the subject while we were eating,’ Jeff Henry Carlisle said, ‘but it’s a subject that needs discussing.’

Ella glanced at her uncle, a small, dapper man with huge blue eyes and a round, cherubic face. His thinning brown hair and neatly groomed mustache were edged with gray. Although Aunt Cybil’s husband could on occasion be a pompous jackass, she loved him dearly and overlooked his many faults. He’d been like a second father to her all her life. Growing up, she’d spent as much time next door at Uncle Jeff Henry and Aunt Cybil’s as she had at home. She thought it tragic that they didn’t have any children, considering the way they both doted on her.

‘Whatever are you talking about, brother?’ Carolyn asked.

Jeff Henry cringed, but Carolyn didn’t seem to notice. Ella wondered how it was possible that her mother seemed totally unaware that her brother-in-law despised her using the affectionate term brother when she spoke to him. Even a blind person could sense how utterly besotted Jeff Henry was with his sister-in-law. When she’d been sixteen, Ella had realized that her uncle was in love with her mother, and she had thought his affection for her mother a tragic thing for him – and for Aunt Cybil.

‘I’m referring to the fact that Reed Conway was released from prison today,’ Jeff Henry said.

All the color drained from Carolyn’s face. Ella started to rise and go to her mother, but before she did, her father, who sat in the brocade armchair beside Carolyn’s wheelchair, reached over and clasped his wife’s hand.

‘Are you all right, my dear?’ Webb asked.

‘Yes, I’m quite all right.’ Carolyn brought Webb’s hand to her mouth, kissed him tenderly and held his hand to her side. ‘I already knew about Reed’s parole, but I’d almost forgotten that he was being released today. I’m sure Judy is very happy to have her son home with her after all these years.’

‘Of course she’s ecstatic about his release,’ Jeff Henry said. ‘But I am not the least bit pleased that a convicted murderer is going to be living in our peaceful little town. I think they should have thrown away the key when they locked that good-for-nothing boy up. That’s what’s wrong with this country. Murderers being set free. Crime rates rising. If I were running things I’d—’

‘Stuff it, will you?’ Cybil Carlisle’s voice held a sharp edge as she chastised her husband. ‘We all know your views on what you’d do if you were God. You’d put us all back into the mid-nineteenth century. You’d restore slavery, wife beating and—’

‘Cybil, must you be so unkind?’ Carolyn’s silvery-gray eyes glared at her sister.

‘I’ve never laid a hand on you,’ Jeff Henry said, his face suffusing with color. ‘And Lord knows I’ve had reason to.’

‘This is neither the time nor the place for the two of you to air your differences.’ Webb’s voice rose slightly, his tone cautioning his in-laws.

‘Of course, you’re quite right,’ Jeff Henry agreed. ‘Please forgive us.’ His gaze settled on Carolyn.

‘I, for one, am eager to see the bad boy return.’ Grinning, Cybil ran her hand through her short, dark hair. ‘If I recall correctly, Reed Conway was a damn good-looking hunk. And sexy as hell. And no doubt after fifteen years in the pen, he’s horny as hell and aching to get laid.’

‘Cybil!’ Carolyn’s normally soft voice screeched with disapproval. ‘Must you be so vulgar? Especially in front of Ella.’

‘Good God, Ella is thirty years old,’ Cybil said. ‘If she doesn’t know about the birds and the bees by now, it’s high time she was learning.’

‘You had too much wine with dinner.’ Jeff Henry rose from the sofa, offered his hand to his wife and gave her a stern look. ‘We should go home. I think we’ve worn out our welcome tonight.’

Cybil laughed – a loose, silly laugh that indicated she had indeed become inebriated. She looked up at her husband, then lifted her hand to his. He gently assisted her to her feet and, after more apologies, he guided Cybil out of the living room and into the foyer.

‘Perhaps you should help Jeff Henry,’ Carolyn said to her husband.

Webb nodded. ‘Sorry that the evening ended on such a sour note, Dan. I’m sure you realize that Cybil isn’t always so unpleasant. She’s a wonderful woman, but she simply can’t handle alcohol.’

Talk about trying to put a pretty face on something, Ella thought. Her father was indeed the consummate politician, capable of putting a positive spin on any occurrence. Why he even bothered trying to defend Aunt Cybil she didn’t know. After all, it wasn’t as if Dan hadn’t been born and raised in Spring Creek. He’d heard all the whispered little rumors about Cybil Walker Carlisle’s penchant for men and liquor. As much as she loved her aunt, Ella hadn’t turned a blind eye to the woman’s weaknesses. More than once, her mother had been horribly shamed by Cybil’s misadventures. If the two sisters didn’t resemble each other almost enough to be twins, no one would ever believe that the highly moral, genteel Carolyn was related to the wild, immoral Cybil.

‘Every family has their little differences of opinions,’ Dan said diplomatically.

‘Thanks for being so understanding,’ Webb said. ‘I’d better go see if Jeff Henry needs a hand.’ Webb excused himself to follow his in-laws.

Dan turned his attention to Carolyn as he stood. ‘Mrs Porter, dinner was lovely as always. Thank you for inviting me.’

‘You must come back more often,’ Carolyn said. ‘We’re quite fond of you, you know.’

‘And I’m quite fond of y’all,’ Dan replied.

Oh, Mother, please don’t speak for me. Don’t give Dan the impression that I care more for him than I do. I know you’d love to have him as a son-in-law, but you shouldn’t wish for me anything less than what you and Daddy have.

‘Walk me out, darling?’ Dan offered his hand to Ella.

‘Certainly.’ She ignored his hand as she rose to her feet without any assistance.

As they headed into the foyer, Ella heard her mother ringing for her nurse, Viola. When they reached the front door, which Webb had left wide open on his hasty departure, Dan pulled Ella into his arms. She went willingly, not knowing how to disengage herself without hurting his feelings. He was a sweet man and she was quite fond of him, but she didn’t love him.

When his lips sought hers, she gave herself over to the moment. Sweet and tender. If only she could love Dan, it would make her mother so happy. She responded to him, enjoying the warmth of his embrace and the genuine affection of his kiss. He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes.

‘Dinner and a movie Friday night?’ he asked.

‘Uh … yes. Sure. I’d love to see the new Meg Ryan movie.’

‘Sweet dreams,’ Dan said. ‘Dream of me.’

Ella smiled. When Dan was halfway down the sidewalk, he turned and waved. She kept on smiling. Then she closed the door and sighed. She was thirty years old and no raving beauty. There wasn’t a horde of eligible men beating a path to her door. So why wasn’t she thrilled to have a great guy like Dan courting her, a guy so obviously interested in a permanent relationship?

Because he didn’t create butterflies in her stomach. Because she wanted a kiss to be more than pleasant. Because the thought of making love with Dan didn’t excite her.