I’LL BE WATCHING YOU Page 10

  Victorian lamp posts, glimmering with electric lights, added a park-like atmosphere to the private garden. Her parents’ home had been built in the early 1900s by her father’s grandparents after the original family house burned to the ground. But it had been her grandmother, the first Eleanor Porter, who had been the gardener in the family and had planned and executed the design of the backyard garden in the late thirties, shortly after her marriage.

  Ella sighed. This was a night for romance; for lovers to stroll arm-in-arm, to sit together in the swing in the gazebo and share kisses. A night to strip off their clothes and skinny-dip in the pool; to lie beneath the stars and make love until the moon faded and a new day was born.

  Ella sighed. She was such a romantic fool. There was no Prince Charming waiting to sweep her off her feet. There was no gallant, old-fashioned Southern gentleman longing to pay court to her. The only man in her life was Dan Gilmore. A nice, ordinary guy. A guy who bored her to tears.

  The air was heavy with the scent of flowers. She breathed deeply, savoring the smells. Ella stepped inside the gazebo, then reached out and gave the white wicker swing a gentle push. She watched it move back and forth for several minutes before she sat down and closed her eyes. This was her favorite place in the whole world. Happy memories had been created here. Sitting in the swing for hours and talking with her father, the two of them discussing a variety of issues. Sometimes disagreeing, but more often than not being in total agreement. And there were memories from her childhood, cuddled in the swing beside Aunt Cybil on springtime afternoons while her aunt read fairy tales to her. Spending time all alone in this very spot, relaxing, resting, escaping from the real world that existed outside the fenced walls of the Porter estate.

  Daydreaming, fantasizing, pretending. Within the sanctuary of the gazebo, she could, for a few fleeting moments, be anyone she wanted to be, go anywhere she wanted to go, do anything she wanted to do. She could be thin and beautiful. She could be wild and free. A dream lover would come to her and share her life, giving her everything she needed from a man. Passion and excitement, love beyond all reason – an only-you, forever-after kind of love.

  A noise caught her attention. Her eyelids flew open. She glanced all around the gazebo and saw nothing. Squirrels? Birds? The wind in the treetops? She listened, but heard only the night-time stillness. The faint, melodious drone of summer insects; the humid breeze whispering through the greenery; the trickle of water in the fountain.

  Ella undid the top three pearl buttons on her dress and spread the garment apart so that the breeze could reach her warm skin. She closed her eyes and caressed her neck with her fingertips. Her flesh was hot and damp to the touch. She allowed her fingers to journey downward to the V between her breasts, then she dipped her index finger into the crevice. And all the while, she thought of a man’s hands on her body, of a man’s fingers exploring. Big hands, strong hands. Muscular arms. Holding her, claiming her.

  She heard the noise again. Footsteps? Was it possible that her father had returned from Birmingham early? No, he would have telephoned if his plans for a weekend golf trip with his campaign manager had changed. Perhaps Viola had come outside for a breath of fresh air. No, it was unlikely that Viola would have left Carolyn alone at this time of night. And the housekeeper didn’t live in. So, whoever or whatever was out there was an intruder.

  Ella’s heartbeat accelerated. A rush of adrenalin pumped through her body. There really wasn’t anything to fear. The crime rate in Spring Creek was reassuringly low. And the sound she heard might be coming from a dog or a cat that had made its way through one of the openings in the ten-foot-high shrubbery that lined the far side of the garden. Scanning the area a second time, Ella hoped to see an animal padding about on four feet. Her gaze stopped at the red maple tree a good fifteen feet away from the gazebo. A dark form stood near the tree. A human form. Ella stifled a scream, locking it in her throat. The figure moved. Tall, wide-shouldered, long-legged. A man. A large man.

  Ella ordered her legs to move. Stand. Run. The order was ignored. She sat frozen to the spot, her gaze riveted to the menacing hulk coming slowly but steadily her way. Finally her body cooperated and she rose to her feet. Moisture coated the palms of her hands. A shiver of apprehension rippled down her spine.

  He emerged from the dark corner into the light cast by a lamp post several feet away. Instinctively Ella lifted her hand to her mouth as she gasped aloud. Recognition came, then a wave of relief, quickly followed by a new and even greater surge of fear.

  Reed Conway!

  He halted halfway between the maple tree and the gazebo, his stance proud and utterly masculine. She couldn’t see his eyes there in the shadows, but she sensed his heated glare. An aura of pure masculine power and danger emanated from him and quickly trapped Ella with its virile potency.

  Run. Scream. Issue him a warning. Her mind rattled off a series of choices. For pity’s sake, do something!

  But all she seemed capable of doing was waiting, frozen like a statue in the center of the gazebo. Reed walked with a sauntering strut, easy and sure. Confident. As if he were a man who feared nothing. She should ask him what he was doing here on private property. She should order him to leave immediately.

  She did neither.

  He continued his leisurely march toward her, becoming larger and more threatening with each step he took. Then suddenly he stopped just short of the gazebo entrance and looked directly at her. Their gazes locked instantly. Every muscle in her body tensed. Every nerve rioted. A hundred crazed butterflies fluttered wildly in her belly. She and Reed stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Even in the dimly lit garden she could make out the crystal coolness of his incredibly blue eyes.

  She couldn’t bear one more minute of the sizzling awareness that radiated between them, so she ended the all-consuming deadlocked gaze that connected them. The moment she glanced away, he entered the gazebo. Instinctively she moved away from him until the backs of her legs encountered the swing.

  Although the night was warm, damp with Southern moisture, she felt the heat of his big body – a heat that intensified as he drew closer. She sucked in a deep, aroused breath. He loomed over her, a good five or six inches taller than her five-foot-nine height. And even though she was not a small woman, the breadth of his shoulders and chest dwarfed her. Everything feminine within her reacted to his raw masculinity. Her mind tried to caution her, tried to override her body’s undeniable attraction to this primitive male. But in all her thirty years, Ella had never experienced such fierce longing. It was irrational, ridiculous and unsuitable. Reed Conway was the last man on earth who should ignite such extreme emotions within her.

  ‘All alone tonight, Miss Ella?’ he asked, his voice smoky-dark and deep.

  A discernible shudder quivered through her from head to toe. The corners of Reed’s wide mouth lifted slightly. Damn the man, he knew that he both frightened and intrigued her, and that knowledge gave him a power over her that she did not want him to possess. When she took a long, steadying breath, his gaze left her face to watch the undulation of her chest as her breasts rose and fell. A hot flush of embarrassment crept up her neck and onto her face. She thanked the Lord that it was night-time and the lighting in the garden was soft and dim.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked. ‘You’re trespassing on private property and that’s against the law.’

  His grin widened. He took the final step that brought their bodies into alignment, only a hairbreadth separating them.

  ‘I came to see you.’

  Lord, help me! She shut her eyes for just a moment, long enough to block out that hungry look in his eyes. You imagined that look, she told herself. Reed didn’t come here to seduce you. And even if he did, you’re too smart to let that happen. This man is a convicted murderer. He’s dangerous. Like a wild animal that’s been let out of a cage. Tell him to go away. Tell him to leave you alone.

  ‘I don’t want you here, Mr Conway.’ Her voice sou
nded shaky, even to her own ears. ‘Leave now and I won’t—’

  ‘Tell your daddy.’ Reed chuckled, a oddly mirthless sound. ‘There’s something you should know, Miss Ella – I’m not afraid of your daddy.’

  ‘Then you’re a fool. If my father knew you were here, alone with me, harassing me this way, he’d—’

  Reed grabbed her by the shoulders. She cried out, uncertain what he would do next. His fingers dug into her soft flesh beneath the thin barrier of cotton. She winced with a twinge of pain, and the moment she did, he loosened his hold. Her eyes lifted to meet his stare, and for one endless moment, she thought her heart stopped beating.

  ‘I hear you got another letter,’ he said. ‘And some phone calls, too.’

  ‘Yes.’ She could barely get the word past the lump in her throat. Her heart had lodged there.

  ‘And you went straight to your daddy, didn’t you?’

  Reed slid one hand across her shoulder, then quickly grabbed her by the nape of her neck. She swallowed hard.

  ‘Yes. I’d told you that if you sent me another letter, you would leave me no choice but to tell my father.’

  He drew her closer, forcing her to face him, their noses almost touching. ‘And I told you that I didn’t write any letters to you. But you didn’t believe me, did you?’

  ‘I wanted to believe you.’

  ‘You told Webb and he put Frank Nelson on me.’

  ‘Let me go.’ Fear began to override the desire she felt. ‘Release me now or I’ll scream.’

  ‘Do you think I came here to hurt you?’

  He pivoted his head just enough to align his cheek to hers, then rubbed his stubble-rough skin against her smooth flesh. Ella went weak at the knees. He nuzzled her neck with his nose, then brought his lips up to her ear. When she quivered, she knew he could feel the trembling. Would he recognize it as a sign of fear or arousal? For the life of her, she wasn’t sure which it was.

  ‘You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?’ he whispered. ‘You should be afraid. I’m dangerous to you, Miss Ella. I could ruin your life.’

  The feminine core of her body reacted in a purely physical way to the nearness of an overpowering male, a male whose body was pressing against hers. Clenching and unclenching, her intimate folds flooded with sexual moisture. A tingling sensation radiated upward and outward.

  ‘If you hurt me, my father—’

  He pressed his index finger over her mouth. She gasped. He explored her upper lip, then circled to pay equal homage to her lower lip. His touch was gentle and seductive. With sudden, amazing clarity, Ella realized that Reed Conway wasn’t going to attack her, that he had no intention of physically harming her. He was playing a game with her. A frightening sexual game.

  ‘If you didn’t write the letters or make the phone calls, then you have nothing to worry about,’ she said breathlessly. ‘You can’t get in trouble for something you didn’t do.’

  He lifted his head and looked her squarely in the eye. ‘Are you really that naive? Lady, I just spent fifteen years in Donaldson for a murder I didn’t commit. So don’t tell me that I can’t get in trouble for something I didn’t do.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ The moment the words came out of her mouth, she wished them back. Now he’d think she believed him, believed that he was innocent. But she didn’t believe it. Or did she?

  He released his hold on the nape of her neck. His hand at her shoulder eased downward, along her arm to her hand. He entwined his fingers with hers and placed his thumb against her palm. She barely silenced the gasp that sprang to her lips when his thumb repeatedly circled the center of her palm in a maddeningly slow and titillating motion.

  ‘I’m sorry, too,’ he said. Then he moved away from her, took a long, hard look and walked away, back into the night from which he’d come.

  Ella stood alone in the gazebo for quite some time. Confused and unnerved. And aroused to the point of aching. She had to avoid any future confrontations with Reed Conway. No matter what, she had to make sure he didn’t come near her again.

  Carolyn sat by the window and watched Reed Conway walk away from Ella. If he hadn’t left when he did, she would have been forced to call the police. What was he doing here? What had he said to her daughter? And why hadn’t Ella run from him? Surely she hadn’t invited him here. To anyone seeing the two of them together, they appeared to be lovers meeting for a late-night tryst. But Carolyn knew better. Reed Conway was scum. Ella would never lower herself to become involved with a man like that.

  Some women were fascinated by that type, by the bad boys of the world. God knew the chest-beating, white trash type appealed to her sister. But Ella was a better person than Cybil. Carolyn had raised her daughter to be a lady. Surely Ella would never shame the family the way Cybil had. But better to be safe than sorry.

  Should she mention to Ella that she’d seen her with Reed? Should she call Webb and inform him? Of course, if she phoned Webb at his Birmingham hotel, God only knew who might answer. Some woman he’d picked up at the country club or some girl he had met in the hotel bar? If she knew her husband – and she did – he wasn’t spending the night alone. The first time she’d found out that Webb had been unfaithful, it had broken her heart, but over the years her heart had hardened. Webb couldn’t hurt her anymore.

  Carolyn decided to wait and see if Ella would mention Reed Conway’s late-night visit. If her daughter had nothing to hide, then surely she would tell her. As for informing Webb, there would be time enough for that later, if necessary.

  ‘Are you ready for bed now, Miss Carolyn?’ Viola asked.

  Carolyn glanced up at her devoted companion and smiled. ‘Yes, I’m quite tired.’

  Viola looked out the window and then at Carolyn. ‘I see your daughter is back from her date.’

  ‘Yes, she’s been back for a while.’

  ‘Do you think she’ll marry Mr Gilmore?’

  ‘If I have anything to say about it, she will. Dan’s a good catch. He’d make a suitable husband. I don’t understand why Ella isn’t more grateful to have him interested in her. It’s not as if my daughter could have any man she wanted. Dan appreciates all her good qualities. He married a beautiful young girl for love the first time. My guess is that this time he wants compatibility and companionship with a sensible, intelligent woman.’

  ‘You’d think with her receiving those awful letters and getting those phone calls, she’d be turning to Mr Gilmore for comfort and understanding.’

  ‘She has her father to protect her and comfort her,’ Carolyn said. ‘No other man could live up to Webb in Ella’s estimation.’

  Viola clasped Carolyn’s wheelchair, turned it around and pushed it toward the bed. As Viola reached out to assist her patient, Carolyn grabbed her hand. ‘Don’t forget that as far as Webb and Ella are concerned, I don’t know about the letters and phone calls. They haven’t told me because they want to spare me the worry. Aren’t I fortunate to have a husband and a child who care so much about my peace of mind?’

  9

  Ella slipped off her sunglasses and dropped them in the side pouch of her shoulder bag. She opened the car door, lifted her coffee mug from the holder and stepped out into the courthouse’s parking area. She had an assigned space right outside the north entrance to the old building that had housed the seat of Bryant County government for over a century. She remembered that during her childhood her family had petitioned to restore the structure, which had been erected in the late 1890s, instead of tearing it down and replacing it with something more modern. Wholeheartedly, Ella agreed with the vast majority of local citizens – the courthouse on the town square was what kept Spring Creek alive when so many small towns had died slow, painful deaths as big malls stole customers from downtown businesses.

  After walking up the side steps, she entered the long hallway that led to the elevator. Usually she took the stairs, but this morning she was running late and she’d awakened with a splitting headache. The headache had slowed her down – that and
the fact that she hadn’t slept well in several nights. Not since her confrontation with Reed Conway in her garden. She had tried to put the man and their unnerving meeting out of her mind, but the harder she tried not to think about Reed, the more she thought about him.

  Ella punched the elevator’s ‘Up’ button. When the doors swung open, she entered and was grateful that she had a few moments of privacy before facing the day. Jury selection in an attempted-murder trial would begin this morning. The case had been postponed once because the defendant had tried to commit suicide. All the components for a media-sensation trial were there: a wife accused of hiring a hit man to murder her husband; the wife a socially prominent woman; and the husband a renowned physician. The case had been moved to her court from another county.

  The elevator opened and Ella emerged. When she glanced down the corridor and saw her office door open, she made a beeline in that direction. Her heart beat a fraction faster as her mind cautioned her not to jump to conclusions. There were all sorts of reasons why her locked door might be wide open. It was possible that Kelly had arrived early this morning – possible, but not probable.

  The moment she reached the doorway and saw Roy Moses standing in the middle of her office, she sighed with relief. But that relief was short-lived, dying the moment she noticed the white envelope clutched in his hand.

  ‘Good morning, Miss Ella.’ Roy smiled warmly.

  ‘Is there a problem in here?’ she asked. ‘Did maintenance send you up here?’

  ‘No, ma’am. But Kelly told me yesterday to bring up a box of computer paper and a new cartridge for your printer first thing this morning.’ Roy’s gaze settled on the items he had placed on her desk.