Honeysuckle Summer (The Sweet Magnolias #7)(98)

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.”