After taking a hefty swig, Reed set his beer bottle on the bar. He would have liked nothing better than for Ella to have spent the night in his arms, but that wasn’t possible. She had a reputation to uphold, and for now, their affair had to remain a secret. He was willing to accept her terms. Hell, he’d accept her on any terms, take her any way he could get her. Chuckling to himself, he shook his head. He’d gone and done something really stupid. He had let himself get emotionally involved with Webb Porter’s daughter. Why her, of all the women in the world? She wasn’t the most beautiful, didn’t have a built-like-a-brick-shithouse body, and wasn’t even the sexiest. But there was something about her that gave him a hard-on just thinking about her. She had the blackest, silkiest hair, the kindest brown eyes, the softest, sweetest lips, and a luscious, tempting body. And when he touched her, he set her on fire. He could tell by the way she looked at him that she was crazy about him. And God help him if he wasn’t just as crazy about her.

The bartender scowled at a group of particularly rowdy customers at the far end of the bar. “Hey, there, you guys keep it down for a minute, will you? I’m trying to listen to this news bulletin.” He turned up the sound on the wall-mounted television.

Reed glanced at the screen just as a picture of Webb Porter appeared. He lifted his beer and moved down the bar, getting closer to the TV.

“Tonight at approximately nine o’clock, Senator Webb Porter was critically wounded. At this time details are sketchy, but Spring Creek Police Chief Frank Nelson, informed us that there was a single gunshot wound to the chest and that the shooter stood outside the senator’s den window and shot him from no more than ten feet away. The senator was rushed to Bryant County Hospital, where at this time the family and close friends are holding a prayer vigil.”

Reed laid a five-dollar bill on the bar beside his half-finished beer and headed for the door. His first instinct was to rush to the hospital, to see how Ella was doing. Had she gone home and found her father? Had the police already been there when she arrived? She had to be half out of her mind with worry. Ella loved her daddy better than anything.

As he walked outside, the warm evening air clung to him, heavy with moisture and heat. Sweat broke out on his face immediately. He wiped his forehead with his hand and headed toward his truck. He unlocked the door, opened it, then hopped up and slid behind the wheel. Sitting inside the truck, with the door open and his crossed arms resting on the steering wheel, he gave his jumbled thoughts time to separate and settle into something vaguely resembling logic. Should he rush to the hospital to comfort Ella? Would she even want him there? Or should he drive over to his mother’s place and see if she’d heard the news. He wasn’t sure just what his mother’s relationship with Webb Porter had been, whether he was Regina’s father or not, but he knew his mother had cared about the man. Maybe she still did.

After slamming the door, he stuck the key in the switch and started the engine. Still considering his options, he pulled out of the parking lot. Go see your mother first, he told himself. That would give him more time to make the right decision. He could always just call the hospital and ask to speak to Ella.

Within five minutes, he pulled the truck to a stop in his mother’s driveway. The lights were on in the house, so that meant she was still up. He got out and headed straight for the porch. When he knocked on the closed front door, Regina answered.

“Reed, come on in,” his sister said. “Have you heard the news about Senator Porter?”

“Yeah, that’s the reason I dropped by. I wanted to find out if y’all had heard.”

“Mama and I were listening to the ten o’clock news.” Regina grasped Reed’s shirtfront and whispered, “She’s awfully upset. I haven’t seen her this torn apart since…I think she loves Webb Porter. She’s gone to the bathroom to wash her face. She’s been crying.”

“What do you know about Mama and the senator?” Reed asked.

“Nothing really. But I saw them kissing, only yesterday. Tell me the truth, Reed, is Webb Porter my father?”

Damn! He’d never understood why his mother hadn’t just told Regina who her father was, why she’d protected the guy who’d gotten her pregnant and never claimed his child. For years, he’d wondered if Webb Porter was Regina’s father, and he’d even considered the possibility that Jeff Henry Carlisle might be. And when his mother had married Junior Blalock, he’d even thought that maybe Junior was Regina’s father.

“I honestly don’t know,” Reed said. “I think there’s a possibility that Webb is your father, but I’ve got no proof, and Mama’s never breathed a word to me.”

“I know you were just a little kid when I was born, but don’t you remember if there was a man she was seeing?”

“Haven’t we had this conversation before? The only men Mama was around on a regular basis in the months before you were born were Jeff Henry Carlisle and Webb Porter. And that was because she worked for the Carlisles then, just as she does now.”

Regina nodded, a look of resignation on her face. “I’ll go tell Mama you’re here.”

But Judy entered the living room at that precise moment, her eyes swollen and red-rimmed. “Reed?”

“Yes, Mama.”

“Have you heard about Webb?”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“Who would do such a terrible thing?”

“A man in politics is bound to have enemies,” Reed said. Then he had a sobering thought. Hell, he was one of those enemies. Yeah, you are, buddy boy, and sooner or later, if they don’t find their shooter, the police are going to come knocking on your door. But this time there would be no weapon with his fingerprints on it, no weapon with which he could be connected. Besides, he had an alibi. Scratch the alibi. No way would Ella Porter publicly admit that she’d been screwing him in the park when somebody shot her father. But other than no alibi, there was nothing to link him to this crime. What about motive? The police would believe he had a motive, wouldn’t they?

And if Mark’s theory was correct—that Junior’s real killer was trying to get him sent back to prison—then it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that he could get framed for Webb’s shooting.

“The police will question you,” Judy said. “I know you didn’t shoot Webb, but I hope you have an alibi.”

“Don’t worry about me. I was with a friend.”

“Good.” Judy took a tissue from the pocket of her slacks and blew her nose. “I wish I could go to the hospital and find out how Webb is doing, but—”

“Why can’t you go?” Reed asked. “You’ve been a family friend for years, haven’t you? I’ll bet there are dozens of people there, people who don’t know the Porters half as well as you do.”

“I couldn’t go,” Judy replied. “What would people think?”

“I’m going over there,” Reed said. “You could go with me.”

“What?” Judy’s eyes widened. “Why would you go to the hospital to check on Webb? You hate the man. Besides, you know you wouldn’t be welcome there.”

“I’m going because despite how I feel about Webb Porter, he’s Ella’s father.”

“I don’t understand,” Judy said, a puzzled look in her eyes.

“Ella Porter was the friend I was with tonight.”

Regina gasped. “You and Eleanor Porter? I don’t believe it. When did this happen?”

“Recently,” Reed admitted. “Very recently.”

“You can’t mean that you and Ella are…are…You’re seeing her socially?” Judy asked.

Reed laughed. “Let’s just say that we’re involved, and leave it at that.”

“Don’t go to the hospital tonight,” Judy said. “No matter what’s going on between you and Ella, those people aren’t going to want you there with them. They’ll tell you to leave.”

“I don’t care what they tell me to do. I just want to make sure Ella’s okay and that she knows…well, that she knows I don’t want her father to die.”

“You actually care about her, don’t you?” Judy stared at him.

“I wouldn’t go that far…. Okay. Yeah, I care about her, just like you used to care about Webb.”

Gasping loudly, Judy glanced at Regina. “Perhaps we should all go to the hospital. Just drop by to let the family know that we care.”

“You go with Reed,” Regina said. “I’m not going.”

“Come on, Mama.” Reed grabbed her wrist. “Nobody is going to question your being there, and if anybody gets huffy about me being with you, we’ll tell them I’m there only because I drove you to the hospital.”

Nodding agreement, Judy slipped her hand into his. Reed didn’t know if Webb was Regina’s father. But he knew one thing—his mother still loved the man.

The surgery waiting area on the second floor at Bryant County Hospital was filled to capacity. And there had been a steady stream of concerned friends in and out for the past hour. Ella stood just outside the door, taking a breather in the hallway, which was itself fairly crowded. She could keep an eye on her mother from this vantage point and still give herself room to maneuver. She had begun to feel smothered. And every time someone new spoke to her and mentioned what a fine man her father was, she broke into fresh tears. People were already talking about him as if he were dead.

She wouldn’t let these people count him out. Her father was a fighter. He was going to fight and win this battle. He had to. She couldn’t imagine her life without him.

As always, she found herself astonished by her mother’s strength and composure. Carolyn sat in her wheelchair in the middle of the room, holding court, the composed, weepy wife of Senator Webb Porter. Ella never doubted her mother’s love for her father, and she realized that not knowing if her husband would live or die had to be excruciating for Carolyn. How did she do it? Ella wondered. How could her mother remain so calm when she herself was practically a basket case?

Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her waist and pull her backward against another body. Glancing over her shoulder and seeing a face she dearly loved, Ella smiled.

“He’s going to live, darling girl,” Cybil said. “I don’t know a stronger, tougher man than Webb Porter.”

Ella laid her hands over her aunt’s where they met at the front of her waist. “Why would anyone want to shoot Daddy?”

“Before he became a senator, your father was a lawyer, a DA, and a judge. A man in his line of business makes enemies.”

“It wasn’t Reed,” Ella said. She knew some people thought that Reed was the most likely suspect. Of course, she knew better.

“Nobody said it was Reed.” Cybil loosened her hold about Ella’s waist, then grabbed her hand and tugged. “Let’s go get some coffee.”

“No, I can’t leave. Mother might need me, or there could be word on Daddy.”

“Okay, I won’t press you to go to the coffee shop. But why don’t we take a walk, just up and down the corridor. We won’t get out of sight of the waiting room.”

Ella nodded. They walked. When they passed the elevators several minutes later, the doors swung open and there stood Reed Conway and his mother. Ella’s breath caught in her throat. Her gaze connected instantly with Reed’s. He cupped his mother’s elbow and led her out of the elevator.

“How is Webb?” Judy asked, looking directly at Cybil.

“He’s still in surgery,” Cybil said. “They’re giving him a fifty-fifty chance.”

Judy’s mouth rounded into an oval as she gasped silently. Tears glistened in her eyes. Cybil reached out and took Judy’s hand, then led her down the hall several feet away. Ella watched her aunt with her housekeeper, the two women huddled together, whispering. It didn’t seem at all odd that Aunt Cybil and Judy would comfort each other. Even though Uncle Jeff Henry was a bit of a snob and treated Judy like nothing more than a servant, Aunt Cybil had always considered her not only a valued employee, but also a friend.

Ella glanced back at Reed. He was close. No more than a few feet away. She wished she could rush into his arms and seek comfort. She desperately needed his strength right now. He just stood there, looking at her, not saying anything. Ella felt like screaming.

“My mother was concerned,” Reed finally said. “I’m here because I drove her to the hospital.”

Tears lodged in Ella’s throat and spilled over and out of her eyes. Suddenly she began trembling. Please, Reed, hold me. Even if for just a minute.

“Ah, babe, don’t. Your father is going to be all right.”

Reed instantly closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. She went without a thought of what anyone would think. Right this minute, she didn’t give a damn. Her father was in surgery and might be dying. She needed to be held and comforted by the man she loved. As Ella clung to Reed, she buried her face against his chest and wept as if her heart was breaking.

He held her tight, stroking her back tenderly and whispering, “He’ll be all right” over and over again.

“What the hell is this!” Jeff Henry demanded as he came storming down the hallway.

“Lower your voice,” Cybil told him as she hurried up the corridor.

“Eleanor Porter, get away from that man.” Jeff Henry headed toward Ella, his hand outstretched to grab her.

Cybil ran in front of him, effectively cutting off his attack. “Don’t make a scene. People can see us from the waiting room. You wouldn’t want to upset Carolyn, would you?”

“If she sees her daughter in that man’s arms, she’ll have a stroke,” Jeff Henry said. “Hasn’t Carolyn been through enough tonight? What the hell is he doing here, anyway?”

“My son drove me here to the hospital,” Judy said as she approached her employers. “I was concerned about Senator Porter.”

“Ella!” Jeff Henry ignored both his wife and his housekeeper, shoving past both women, who had tried to block his path.

Ella took a deep breath, eased out of Reed’s arms, and turned to face her uncle’s wrath. Reed stood at her side. She longed to hang on to to him for support. But she didn’t.

“What’s that man doing here? And how dare you allow him to touch you.” Jeff Henry’s round, full face was splotched, and his eyes were wild with rage. “For all we know he’s the one who shot Webb.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ella said. “Reed didn’t shoot Daddy.”

“You seem mighty friendly with this ex-convict, a man your own daddy prosecuted for murder.”

Jeff Henry glowered at Reed, as if he thought he could make the younger man back down. Ella could sense the tension in Reed’s big body, and she knew how much control he was exerting not to tell her uncle to go to hell. Didn’t Uncle Jeff Henry realize that Reed Conway was not the kind of man who would back down from a fight, that he couldn’t be bluffed or bullied?

“I think you should know that just today, Daddy and I had a long talk and he agreed that he’s going to speak to Frank Nelson about reopening the Blalock murder case,” Ella said.”

“You can’t be serious!” Jeff Henry clutched his chest. “Good Lord, girl, have you lost your mind? I can’t imagine what you could have said to Webb to make him even consider that he and the jury were wrong about Reed.”

“I told Daddy that I believed Reed was innocent.”

Jeff Henry glanced at Ella, then at Reed, and then back to Ella. “He’s hoodooed you. You know that, don’t you? Reed always did have a way with the ladies, but I figured you were too smart to fall for his line of bull.” Her uncle grasped her hands in his. “Don’t you see that he’s using you?”

“Uncle Jeff Henry, you’re wrong about Reed. He’s not—”

“Save your breath, Ella,” Reed said. “Nobody can convince this pompous ass of anything. He’s just like the rest of his kind, only too willing to condemn the housekeeper’s son.”

Before Jeff Henry had a chance to reply, the elevator doors swung open and out stepped Frank Nelson. He glanced around the hallway, from Judy to Cybil to Jeff Henry to Ella and finally to Reed. He scratched his head, clearly puzzled by the assembly.

“How’s Webb?” Frank asked.

“Fifty-fifty chance,” Jeff Henry said. “He’s still in surgery.”

Frank looked directly at Reed. “What are you doing here?”

“He brought me.” Judy moved toward the police chief.

“Was Reed with you tonight?” Frank directed his gaze at Judy.

“Why do you ask?” Judy glanced hurriedly at Reed and then back to Frank.

“Your boy needs an alibi,” Frank said.

“Why does Reed need an alibi?” Ella asked.

“We found the murder weapon,” Frank told her. “We got an anonymous call. Somebody said they saw a man throw a gun in the trash Dumpster over at Conway’s Garage.”

“Damn,” Reed cursed under his breath.

“What does that prove?” Cybil draped her arm around Judy’s shoulder.

“The gun belongs to Briley Joe.” Frank rubbed his chin. “I recognized it the minute I saw it. It’s either that old Sauer & Sohn .308 that Briley Joe’s daddy brought back from Germany or a gun just like it.”

“That still doesn’t prove anything,” Ella said.

“It proves Webb was shot with Reed’s cousin’s gun, which he could have easily gotten hold of,” Frank said. “And the whole town knows Reed’s got a motive, so if he doesn’t have an alibi—”

“He does,” Ella said.

“If he does, then I want to hear it.” Frank looked point-blank at Reed, who didn’t say a word.

Ella reached down and took Reed’s hand in hers. “Reed was with me. We were in Spring Creek Park. I met him a little before eight-thirty and I didn’t leave him until about nine-thirty.”

“What the devil were you doing alone in the park with—” When the realization hit the police chief, he stopped talking mid-sentence. “Are you willing to swear to that, Miss Ella?”

“Yes, Frank, I’m willing to swear on a bible in front of the whole world.”

Reed squeezed Ella’s hand. She had never been prouder of herself than she was at that very minute.