Honeysuckle Summer (The Sweet Magnolias #7)(87)

Carter wished he felt as if those efforts would be enough. The days would be covered, but nights were something else. Travis had promised to be in the house most nights after he got off the air at the radio station. Walter would hang around as often as possible, too. And Carter planned to be on the street out front.

But he knew better than most that someone determined to wreak havoc could often find a way to do it, despite all the well-intentioned efforts in the world.



Raylene started shaking when Helen told her that the parole board had granted Paul’s release. It was mid-September, and his release date was scheduled for the end of the month.

“I’m so sorry,” Helen said, her frustration plain. She’d never liked losing, especially when it was something this important. “We did everything possible to convince them to hold him longer. I even asked for another delay, but his lawyer fought me. Carter testified that Paul still represented a threat to you, but Paul was good. I’ll give him that. He made a compelling case that he’d learned his lesson and reformed. He said all the right words. And sitting up there in his Armani suit, he looked every inch the perfect gentleman. He managed to get a few respected character witnesses to testify on his behalf, too, and that went a long way to convincing the parole panel to let him go.”

“Yeah, he’s very good at getting the world to see what he wants them to see,” Raylene said. “And the good-old-boys’ network is still alive and thriving. I imagine his daddy was able to find plenty of cronies willing to step up for his golden boy.”

“I tried my best to provoke him into showing his true colors, but he was cool, calm and collected,” Helen said. “Heck, even I would have had a hard time turning him down after hearing all he did to help his fellow inmates. It was quite a performance. I would have been ready to nominate him for sainthood myself, if I didn’t know what a violent bully is hidden beneath that smooth facade.”

Raylene gave her a resigned look. “Thanks for trying. I’m ready for him.”

Helen immediately looked alarmed. “Meaning what?”

“Don’t worry about me, that’s all.”

“Raylene, you didn’t get your hands on a gun the way you were talking about, did you?”

“Stop,” Raylene said. “Don’t ask questions, especially when you don’t really want to know the answers.”

It had been surprisingly easy to get the gun that was now locked away in a metal box on the top shelf in her closet. There were plenty of unscrupulous dealers on the Internet who didn’t care about the law. Even if that gun was never loaded or out of the box, she felt better knowing she had it. It evened the playing field between her and Paul, at least a little. He’d never expect her to fight back, any more than he’d expected her to turn him in, in the first place.

“Does Carter know about this?” Helen asked, looking distraught as she drew her own conclusions from Raylene’s evasiveness.

“Of course not,” she said. “If he knew anything, he’d have to arrest me, more than likely. I don’t want him to be in that position. You, either, so leave it alone, Helen. I have to handle this my way.”

“Raylene, do you even know how to fire a gun?”

Raylene forced the most innocent expression she could manage. “Who said anything about a gun? Certainly not me.”

Helen regarded her with frustration. “This is nuts. And what about the kids? What if they find it, Tommy especially? Have you even considered the danger you’re putting them in?”

“Which is exactly why I’ve told Sarah they need to move over and stay with Travis the second Paul’s released. I begged her to move up the wedding, too, but she’s determined not to do that until her father can be here.”

“Carter’s counting on Travis staying here,” Helen protested.

“Well, he won’t be,” Raylene said stubbornly. “He needs to look out for Sarah, Tommy and Libby. I want them all where they’ll be safe. I’m not his problem.”

“But you are his friend,” Helen said, then waved off her own argument. “Okay, forget Travis. I suppose we can get Ronnie, Cal and Erik to alternate nights staying here. It goes without saying that Carter will be nearby.”

Raylene was horrified by the idea of putting her friends in harm’s way. “Absolutely not. This is my responsibility.”

“Not in this town,” Helen said. “And not when you’re a Sweet Magnolia. Your problem is our problem, and that’s just the way it is. Deal with it. Heck, if it comes down to it, I spent my share of hours on a shooting range. I’ll take a turn staying here.”

Now it was Raylene’s turn to be horrified. “Helen, do I need to remind you that you have a daughter? You are not risking your life for me. Period. I suppose I can’t stop a bunch of stubborn, macho men from feeling the need to protect me, but I draw the line at you sitting here holding a weapon.”

“But I’m highly motivated,” Helen protested. “Men like Paul Hammond need to be taken down. The court system did a lousy job in his case, and I hate when that happens.”

“But you know better than most that you don’t get to go all vigilante because of it,” Raylene argued. “No, you are not taking one minute of guard duty over here. This is my fight. I don’t want to involve anyone else.”