The Outcast

Luanne picked up her coat off the floor and hurriedly slipped into it. "I'm outta here. Just forget you ever knew me. Okay?" Glancing at the whiskey bottle, Luanne hesitated, then opened the door. "The drinks are on me." She rushed outside, slamming the door behind her.

Reece leaned over, bracing his hands on each side of Elizabeth where she sat on the bed. "You think you're cute, don't you?"

"I think I did what any sensible woman would have done under the circumstances." Tilting her head just a fraction, Elizabeth smiled at Reece. "I eliminated my competition."

"I had plans with Luanne. Plans that included getting rip-roaring drunk with her and-"

Elizabeth covered his lips with the tip of her index finger. "You didn't have any plans with that woman. You turned her down when she offered. She showed up here all on her own, just the way I did."

"How do you know?" Glaring at Elizabeth, Reece lowered his head until they were face-to-face, their breaths mingling. "You didn't read my mind!"

"No, I read hers. Minds like Luanne's are easy to read, but not very interesting."

"Damn you, Lizzie! I don't want you here with me. What do I have to do to make you understand?" He was too close to her. He needed to back off, to get away from her big blue eyes, her soft pink lips, her flowery scent, her womanly heat.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" Elizabeth slipped her arms up and around Reece’s neck. "I would never hurt you. All I want to do is help you.''

"I don't want your help." He prized her arms from around his neck and shoved her away from him.

Elizabeth fell back across the bed. She lay there staring up at Reece. "You don't want to need me, do you? You're afraid to want me, to need me, to care about me."

She wasn't reading his mind or picking up anything with her sixth sense, only with her feminine intuition. Reece was afraid of her, of the way she made him feel. And she had to admit the truth to herself-she was every bit as afraid of the way he made her feel. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd acted so irrationally, even when her actions were prompted by her psychic revelations. She had never felt so connected to another human being, never felt so essential to another's very existence. She had opened her home and her heart to a stranger, a man accused of murdering his own father, and she had followed that man halfway across the state of Georgia, determined to save him, not only from a wrongful conviction but from the pain and anger slowly destroying him.

"Don't send me away, Reece. Don't shut me out of your life."

Reece didn't want to think about what she'd said, about the truth of her words. Dammit, she was right. He was afraid of her, of the way she made him feel. That was the whole problem-Elizabeth Mallory made him feel more than anger and hatred, and Reece didn't want to feel anything else. He'd built his life on those two emotions. The thought of ever caring about another person scared the hell out of him.

For both their sakes, he had to get rid of Elizabeth. He had to make her see reason. Maybe the only way to do that was to show her what kind of man she was dealing with, what kind of man Reece Landry really was-a white trash bastard who didn't give a damn about anybody but himself.

"All right, honey, if you want to stay, stay." Grabbing her around the waist, Reece jerked her up off the bed, bringing her body tightly against his. "I had planned to enjoy Luanne's company all night, but you'll do just as well. After all, a woman's a woman."

Elizabeth stared at Reece, her blue eyes focused intently on his face as she tried to make sense of what he'd said. "Why would you say something so utterly ridiculous?"

Reece rubbed himself against her, his arousal hard against her softness. The feel of her, the scent of her, the warmth of her body created a heady seduction, prompting Reece's reaction to her nearness. He cupped her buttocks in his big hands, lifting her up and into the need pulsing between his legs.

Elizabeth squirmed, trying to free herself, but her movements ignited a strong reaction in Reece. Fondling her hip with one hand, he grasped the back of her neck, pulling her mouth to his, kissing her with bruising force. Moaning, Elizabeth opened her mouth for his invasion as she clung to his shoulders.

Reece devoured her lips. He pillaged her mouth with his tongue, all the while exploring her body with one hand as the other held her captive.

When he ended the kiss, Elizabeth laid her head on his chest, her arms draped around his neck. "Would... would it have felt like this with Luanne?"

Hell, no! Kissing had never made him feel the way he did right now. Women liked to be kissed, so Reece had learned the art of kissing quite young, but kissing had never meant more than part of the pleasant, necessary foreplay to entice a woman into bed. But after kissing Elizabeth, he was a minute away from exploding. If he hadn't ended the kiss, he would have taken her right where they stood. Hard and fast and hot.

"Like I said, a woman's a woman. Kissing is kissing." Reece grinned. "If you liked the feel of my tongue in your mouth, you'll love the way I'm going to feel inside you."

Elizabeth clutched Reece's shoulders. "I...I won't be used. If you think I'm willing to be just another woman in a long line of women, then you'd better think again."

"Nobody's forcing you to stay, Lizzie." Reece slid his hands into position under her breasts, lifting them. "All I'm saying is that I'm horny as hell. I need a woman, and if you stay, you're going to be that woman."

Elizabeth swallowed hard, wondering if Reece could possibly mean what he was saying. Swaying slightly, she closed her eyes, trying to focus, to concentrate on Reece's thoughts. Her mind ran into a solid wall of resistance.

"What's it going to be, honey?" Reece asked. "Are you going or staying?"

What was he trying to do? Scare her off? Make her dislike him? Despite the fact that she couldn't read his thoughts, Elizabeth felt certain that Reece would never do anything to harm her, and most certainly would never force her to have sex with him.

Pulling away, she turned her back to him and clasped her hands together. She couldn't allow Reece to run her off. She had to find the courage within herself to overcome whatever obstacles he put in her way.

"Go on home, Lizzie." Reece wanted to take the few steps that separated them and pull her back into his arms. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and find comfort in her embrace. He wanted to lay her down on the bed and make slow, sweet love to her all night. He wanted to wake in the morning and see her smiling at him, hear her saying his name.

Elizabeth turned to face him. "I won't allow your fear to keep me from helping you."

"Dammit, woman!" Anger. He knew and understood that emotion only too well. If he allowed the anger to consume him, to control his actions, he could drive her away. He couldn't let any other feelings influence him. Not now. Not when Elizabeth's life could depend on what happened between them tonight.

Without saying another word, Reece walked toward her. Elizabeth saw the anger and determination in his eyes, and for one split second she sensed something else in Reece- sorrow-and she held on to that fleeting emotion when he lifted her into his arms and tossed her down on the bed. She had no time to adjust her body or focus her mind before Reece came down on top of her, his big, hard body pressing her into the mattress. He gave his hands free rein to explore her body. He squeezed her breasts. He delved his hand between her tightly clenched legs, rubbing the side of his hand against her intimately. When she tried to roll away from him, he straddled her body, placing a knee on each side of her hips.

Elizabeth looked up at his hard face, into those lone-wolf amber eyes, and knew there was no way she could control this man, that she was completely at his mercy. "Don't do this, Reece. Stop trying to make me hate you."

Reece slipped his fingers beneath the edge of her thermal top, shoving it up over her stomach to the swell of her breasts. She grabbed his hands, momentarily stopping him, but he manacled her wrists in his grasp and lifted her hands over her head, flattening them on the pillow.

"I don't want you to hate me, honey. I want you to love me and love me and love me. All night long.''

"No, Reece. Stop it. Now!"

He nuzzled her tummy with his nose, nudging the edge of her thermal top higher and higher until her round, full breasts were exposed. Elizabeth sucked in her breath, a surge of uncertainty and sensual longing combining within her.

She hated the way Reece was acting, but despite his deplorable behavior, her body ached with wanting, with the need for his touch.

"Great boobs, Lizzie. Just the way I like them. Big and firm." Leaning over her, he flicked one of her nipples with his tongue.

Groaning, she twisted and turned, struggling against his hold. "Don't, Reece. Please. Not like this."

Ignoring her pleas, he suckled her breast. She cried out from the pleasure of his touch and the pain in her heart. He released her trapped hands, ran his fingertips down her throat, over her breasts and into the waistband of her thermal bottoms. He eased the bottoms down enough to expose her navel and hips.

Reece forced himself to look at Elizabeth, to endure the hurt he knew he would see on her face. She stared at him, tears trapped in the corners of her eyes. The sight of those tears weakened him, but he forged ahead, sure he was right in what he was doing-saving Elizabeth from Reece Landry.

"You see how it is with me, Lizzie. I'm a sorry bastard who doesn't give a damn how you feel. I take what I want, and to hell with the consequences." He unzipped his jeans, lowered himself atop her and gave her a hard, forceful kiss. "I'm mean, honey. Mean enough to kill. I'm no good through and through."

Elizabeth tried to speak, tried to tell him that she didn't believe him, that somewhere buried beneath all that pain and anger and bitterness was a good man. A man who had been unloved and abused all his life, a man in desperate need of someone to care. But she couldn't form the words, couldn't get the sound past the knot of tears lodged in her throat. All she could do was cry.

Reece watched the tears well up in her eyes and spill over, streaming down her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell in quick, jerky undulations. Her mouth opened to release her gasping sobs.

He couldn't bear the sight of her tears. He knew she wasn't crying for herself, but for him. After the way he had treated her, she still cared. Damn her! He hadn't frightened her; he had hurt her. He hadn't run her off; he'd made her cry.

She lifted her hands up to him, touching the side of his face with her fingertips. Her touch burned him, like a cleansing fire cauterizing a wound. The pain surged through him. He fought the healing effects of her pure, loving concern. He couldn't care about this woman. He wouldn't!

Reece jumped off the bed, zipped up his jeans and reached for the bottle of whiskey on the nightstand. Opening the liquor, he tilted the bottle, placed it to his lips and took a choking swallow. He coughed several times.

"You're a fool to stay with me. Why the hell don't you leave while you still can?" He took another gulp of the whiskey, wincing from the impact as it seared a path down his throat.

Wiping away the tears she could not control, Elizabeth pulled up her thermal bottoms and jerked down the top, then got out of the bed. How could she ever make him understand that she couldn't leave him even if she wanted to? No one else could save him. Aunt Margaret knew and so did she. Even if someone else could prove his innocence and set him free, no one else could free him from the anger and hatred that had ruled his life. Only she could do that.

She laid her hand on his back. Every muscle in his body tensed.

Not turning around, Reece lashed out at her. "I could have raped you, Lizzie. Why the hell are you still here? Aren't you afraid to be in the same room with me?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him. His body remained rigid. "Don't you think I knew what you were trying to do?"

He covered her hands with his own where she held him tightly at the waist. "I was trying to get me some, honey, but you weren't cooperating." Prizing her hands from his body, he pulled away from her.

Elizabeth sighed. "You were trying to scare me away, trying to prove to me what a rotten, no-good skunk you are."

Reece turned around slowly. "You think you're so damned smart, don't you?"

"I'm not leaving, so you might as well cut the rest of this macho-idiot act!"

"You have got to be the most stubborn, bullheaded woman I've ever known!" Reece unzipped his jeans, pulled them off and tossed them on the floor.

Elizabeth stared at his naked body.

"If you want to stay, then stay." Reece lay down on the bed. "I've had a long, strenuous day and things are bound to be worse tomorrow. I'm going to get some sleep." He punched one of his pillows several times, bunched it into a wad and stuck it under his head. "You can do whatever the hell you want to do."

Reece turned out the nightstand lamp, pulled the covers up over himself and closed his eyes. Elizabeth stood in the middle of the motel room, her gaze riveted to Reece Landry. Why, of all the men on earth, had the good Lord in heaven sent her a man like this? A man who could shield his heart and his mind from her. A man who fought her efforts to help him every inch of the way. A man so scarred by his past that he was afraid to trust another human being.

Elizabeth turned back the covers and crawled into bed beside Reece, then pulled the covers up to her neck. Lying there quietly and unmoving, all she could think about was the way Reece looked naked. Big, tall, muscular. His arms, legs and chest covered with dark brown hair. He possessed an aura of strength and ruggedness, from his thick, overly long brown hair to his wide chest, to his impressive manhood.

Elizabeth shuddered at the thought of the way Reece had touched her, the memory of his lips at her breasts, his hands fondling her to the point of arousal. As the minutes passed, Elizabeth relaxed, her mind centered on the big, naked man lying beside her. She drifted off into sleep, succumbing to dreams of Reece Landry. His smile. His amber eyes. His naked, aroused body covering her.

Reece lay awake for hours, feigning sleep but unable to rest knowing that Elizabeth lay next to him. She'd fallen asleep quite some time ago. The sleep of the innocent. A clear conscience and a pure heart.

He'd done some damn fool things in his life, but his actions with Elizabeth tonight had to top the list. Had he actually been stupid enough to think she'd fall for his rapist act? He had spent four days alone with her in her cabin and had allowed her to get to know him, the real Reece Landry, the man he barely knew himself.

She hadn't bought the story of his rendezvous with Luanne and she hadn't believed him capable of brutalizing her. He had to face the facts. Elizabeth Mallory, for whatever misguided reasons, was determined to stand by his side, to march head-on into disaster, to go the limit to help him prove his innocence. What had he ever done to deserve the loyalty and trust of a woman like Elizabeth?

Did he dare believe what she believed? That they were predestined to meet? That she and she alone could save him?

Whether he believed or didn't wasn't the point. The point was that Elizabeth was in his life and in it to stay. Now, the question was, what the hell was he going to do with her?

Elizabeth snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder, cuddling her body into his. Swallowing, Reece opened his eyes and looked at her. She was asleep, and practically in his arms. Strange thing was that as many women as he'd bedded over the years, he'd never slept the whole night with one. Not ever.

A narrow ridge of illumination filtered through the window where the flowery drapes didn't quite meet, a combination of moonlight and fluorescent motel sign. Rising up on one elbow, Reece gazed down at Elizabeth. For a split second his heart stopped. She was so incredibly lovely, and he wanted her desperately.

Her dark hair looked like black silk in the shadowy room. Reece lifted a strand and brought it to his lips, then dropped it, watching it fall back to her shoulder. Her eyelashes were long and thick, her cheekbones high and only slightly rounded. And her lips-those full, luscious lips. The memory of how those lips had felt when he'd kissed her was enough to arouse him.

When she nestled more snugly against him, Reece slipped his arm under her, lifting her even closer to his side. Still asleep, she laid her arm across his chest, her fingers curling around his hair. He sucked in a deep breath.

He touched her cheek with his fingertip, tracing the lines of her face, slowly, lovingly. She moaned in her sleep, pressing her body into his. He leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the lips, then drew her securely into his arms.

Whatever tomorrow brought, Reece knew one thing for certain. He wasn't going to let anything or anyone hurt this woman. Not ever. And that included him.

Chapter 7

The jarring ring of the telephone woke Reece instantly. Instinctively reaching toward the nightstand, he grabbed the phone. Suddenly he realized that there was a woman in the bed with him, a woman lying there beside him, her head resting on his arm. Elizabeth! She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Answer the phone," she said.

Glancing from her sleep-fresh face to the phone in his hand, Reece growled at the caller. "Yeah?"

"It's Flossie, sugar."

"Flossie?" Reece sat upright in the bed.

"Look, you've got to hightail it out of there as fast as you can. Luanne just called me and said she remembered where she'd seen you-that Mr. Jones in number nineteen was that Landry fellow who killed old man Stanton."

"Dammit!" Reece jumped out of bed. "Can you trust her to keep her mouth shut?"

"Not hardly," Flossie said. "Not where there's money involved. Guess you didn't know that your half brother has put up a fifty-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to your capture."

"Hell!" Reece held his hand over the bottom half of the phone and turned to Elizabeth. "Get our stuff together. Quick. We're leaving."

"Look, sugar, I tried to persuade Luanne that she was wrong, but she said she planned on calling the sheriff just in case she was right. They're liable to show up here any minute now. I'll do whatever I can to stall them, but-"

"Thanks, Flossie. I owe you one," Reece said.

"You don't owe me nothing, sugar. I just wish you hadn't come back to Newell. They're all out to get you, and the Stantons won't rest until you're back behind bars."

"I won't let that happen."

"You got some place you can go?'' Flossie asked.

"B.K.'s old hunting lodge."

"I wouldn't go there. The sheriff might not check it out, but you don't need to take any chances. Kenny's liable to remember you've been to the lodge. You need some place the law would never look."

"What about your old place on Lilac Road?" Reece asked.

"That place has been condemned for nearly a year," Flossie told him. "Besides, the sheriff is bound to check out any place you've ever been connected with."

Reece hadn't thought beyond his plan to hide out at B.K.'s cabin, but he realized that Flossie was right. Any place the law could connect him to would be suspect.

"I've got it! The Burtons' summer house up at the lake in Spruce Pine."

"Perfect," Flossie agreed. "Get going, boy, and good luck. If there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know."

"I've got a friend with me." Reece watched Elizabeth stuff their belongings into their bags. "If she ever needs anything, Flossie, I'd appreciate your looking out for her."

"Sure thing, sugar. What's her name?"

"Elizabeth." Reece hung up the phone, grabbed his jeans and shirt as Elizabeth threw them across the bed, and dressed hurriedly. By the time he was fully clothed, she was pulling on her boots.

Reece grabbed her by the shoulders. "Do you still feel the way you did last night? Are you still determined to stay with me and help me prove who killed my father?"

"You know I am."

"Okay, then, listen carefully. I'm going to take your Jeep and drive out to Spruce Pine. An acquaintance of mine took me to her parents' summer house up there once. No one ever uses the place in the winter." At least, he hoped no one would be using it while he and Elizabeth were there. Tracy Burton Stanton occasionally used her parents' summer cottage during the off-season as a hideaway to take her lovers. She'd taken him there once.

"I'll follow right behind you," Elizabeth said.

"The place is pretty isolated, so we should be safe there, at least for a few days." Reece knew Tracy would never tell a soul that her brother-in-law knew where her parents' summer house was located. After all, she'd have to explain why she'd taken him there. "Don't follow me right away. Just in case. Do you understand?"

Elizabeth nodded her head.

"After I leave, you drive around to the office and tell Flossie who you are. She'll give you directions to the Burtons' summer place. She's been up there a few times herself, entertaining old man Burton and his friends."

"Can you trust this Flossie?" Elizabeth wondered what sort of woman the former madam was, and why Reece was acting out of character by letting the woman know his whereabouts.

"A man would be a fool to trust Flossie with his money or his heart, but he can trust her not to turn him in to the law." Reece cradled Elizabeth's chin in the curve of his thumb and index finger. "We'll need some supplies. Stop at a store on the way and get whatever you think we'll need to last a few days. Once we're safely hidden away, we'll plan our strategy."

"I'll follow your instructions." Elizabeth threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely. "I'll meet you as soon as I can."

Reece pulled out of her embrace. "I've got to go, Lizzie." He threw his bag over his shoulder, opened the door and walked outside.

"Please be careful." She stood in the doorway, watching him get into the Jeep and drive away.

Elizabeth closed the motel door behind her, walked out to Sam's vintage T-Bird and put her bag in the trunk. She glanced toward the office, near the main entrance to the motel. Four sheriff's vehicles screeched into the driveway. A man she assumed was the sheriff emerged from the first car and went inside the office. Elizabeth got into her car and drove around toward the office, parking and waiting until the sheriff came out and walked around to the car directly behind him. Elizabeth was too far away to hear what was being said, but she knew they were discussing Reece. She sensed the high tension, the raised level of adrenaline in the officers forming the search party.

She kept hearing the words murderer, Landry, own father, dead, or alive tumbling around in her mind, and knew the officers were intent on capturing Reece at any cost.

The sheriff led the pack as they pulled up outside room nineteen, several men emerging from their vehicles, their guns pulled, as the sheriff lifted his bullhorn and called for Reece Landry to surrender.

Elizabeth's mouth felt dry, her hands damp. Her stomach twisted into knots. Hatred. The sheriff's deputies hated Reece Landry. They hated him not only because he had escaped but because they thought of him as a bad seed, a man capable of murdering his own father.

Clasping the key to number nineteen in her moist hand, Elizabeth marched into the office. The woman behind the desk glanced up at her.

"You checking out, sugar?" the six-foot redhead asked.

"Are you Flossie?" Elizabeth stared at the woman whose striking burgundy red hair had been draped into a French twist.

Flossie eyed Elizabeth, raising her black-lined, thinly tweezed eyebrows. "Yeah, sugar, I'm Flossie."

"Then, yes, I'm checking out." Elizabeth laid the key on the counter and waited for a response from Flossie.

Flossie picked up the key, then dropped it into the waste-basket under the counter. "What's your name?"

"Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth, huh? Well, has our friend left yet?"

"Only a few minutes ago." Elizabeth looked at Flossie, wondering if she dared trust her.

"Are you in a hurry or you got time for a cup of coffee?" Flossie nodded toward the coffee machine sitting at the end of the counter. "Might be a good idea for us to talk, and you could wait around and see what happens when Sheriff Bates finds out his man has slipped through his fingers."

"Luanne saw me last night," Elizabeth said.

"Well, we'll just skip the coffee, but I don't think you have to worry about Luanne telling the sheriff much about you. I don't know what you said or did to her last night, but you convinced her you were a witch. She won't tell anybody but me because she's afraid they'll think she's crazy." Flossie's wide red lips spread into a big grin.

"Thanks for everything, Flossie."

"You'd best be leaving, sugar."

Elizabeth reached out across the counter, taking Flossie's age-spotted, ring-adorned hand into hers. The two women exchanged knowing glances.

I've got to help this girl get away. She's important to Reece, and that's a first. Maybe she'll stand by him and he'll get himself out of this mess. Sensing Flossie's thoughts, Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief.

"You know he's on his way to the Burtons' summer house by the lake. I need directions so I can go to him after I pick up some supplies."

Flossie looked past Elizabeth, out the glass front of the office. "They're busting in room nineteen right now."

Turning her head, Elizabeth watched as the deputies broke down the door and stormed inside.

"Tell me how to get to Spruce Pine, to the summer house."

"Take Highway 40 until you get to Midget Creek. There's a four-way stop. Take a left and keep going until you see a sign that says Oden's Bait and Tackle Shop. About a mile past Oden's is a turnoff on the right. Take it and stay on that gravel road until it forks in two different directions. Take another right. It'll turn into a dirt road before you reach the cottage. The house is pretty well hidden in a grove of trees."

"I'll find it. Thanks."

Flossie came out from behind the counter, sizing up Elizabeth. "I hope you love that boy, sugar. I hope to God you love him, 'cause if ever a man needed to be loved, Reece Landry does."

Did she love him? Elizabeth asked herself. Did she? She cared about him, longed to be with him, was willing to suffer going out into the world to help him, was taking a chance on being arrested for aiding and abetting a criminal.

"I care about him. I care a great deal." Elizabeth rushed outside into the cold morning air. Glancing toward room nineteen, she saw the sheriff and other officers standing around in a circle, discussing Reece Landry's second escape.

She slipped into the T-Bird, started the engine and drove out onto the highway. Within five minutes she turned onto Highway 40 and began looking for a minimart of some kind, one that had a pay telephone. About two miles up the road she pulled off at Joe's Market, asked the attendant at the full-service pump to fill the T-Bird and went inside to shop for supplies. Only a few customers wandered around, most of them people who'd stopped for gas. Elizabeth filled a hand basket with sandwich fixings, canned soups, milk and cereal and coffee, along with assorted items she thought they could use. She placed the basket on the checkout counter, then retrieved a six-pack of beer and a six-pack of cola from the wall cooler.

The middle-aged woman at the checkout counter smiled as she added up Elizabeth's purchases. "You new in town or just passing through?"

"Just passing through right now, on my way to meet a friend." When Elizabeth heard the bell hanging above the door tinkle, she turned to see a highway patrolman entering.

"Hey, there, Pete," the checker said. "Are you here for your regular?"

"Just coffee right now, Carolyn." The patrolman poured himself a cup from one of the two pots behind the counter, handed the checker the correct change and took a sip of the hot liquid. "I haven't got time for lunch. They've called an all-points bulletin for us to be on the lookout for Reece Landry. The night clerk over at the Sweet Rest thinks a customer who came in yesterday evening was this Landry guy."

"You mean he's here in Newell?" Carolyn rolled her big brown eyes heavenward. "Didn't know the man personally, but I can't imagine anybody in his shoes being fool enough to come back here, knowing he'd be recognized."

"Well, whoever this Mr. Jones was that spent the night in room nineteen, he got away this morning, and so did the woman who spent the night with him."

Carolyn grinned at Pete while she continued checking Elizabeth's groceries. "Yeah, well, I heard that Landry had a way with the ladies. Good-looking guy...uh...from what I could tell from his pictures in the paper. I remember something coming out during the trial that Kenny Stanton's wife said Landry was after her hot and heavy."

"Kenny Stanton's wife is a real looker. Can't blame Landry for giving it a try." Pete laughed, tipped his hat to Carolyn and Elizabeth, then walked toward the door, his disposable coffee cup in his hand.

"Do y'all know who the woman was with Landry?" Carolyn called out just as Pete opened the door.

"Got no idea, and the only description is sketchy. A brunette." "Probably some hooker, if he was at the Sweet Rest."

"Yeah, more than likely."

Elizabeth watched the patrolman get into his car and drive away. Turning to the checker, she forced a smile. "Is this Landry man in trouble with the law?" "Child, Reece Landry's been in trouble with the law all his life." Carolyn began sacking Elizabeth's groceries. "But he's an escaped convict now. He was convicted of murdering his own father, but he escaped on his way up to Arrendale less than a week ago."

"Why would he come back here?" Elizabeth picked up amusement in the woman's mind and heard words like framed and innocent and inheritance in her thoughts.

"I'd say he's a fool." Carolyn handed Elizabeth two sacks, then picked up the third. "I'll help you to your car with this one."

"Thanks."

Carolyn followed Elizabeth toward the door. "Reece Landry claimed he was innocent, and a few folks around here believed him. He wasn't old B.K. Stanton's legitimate son, if you know what I mean."

Elizabeth opened the door. "Weren't there any other suspects?"

"Plenty, but the sheriff didn't follow through on anything once they arrested the man the Stanton family wanted out of the way." Carolyn followed Elizabeth to the T-Bird and handed her the third sack after Elizabeth placed the others on the back floorboard. "If you come through this way again, stop by."

"I'll do that." Elizabeth slid behind the wheel of Sam's antique T-Bird, turned and waved at Carolyn.

Her round cheeks rosy from the winter wind, Carolyn waved back as she curved her lips into a friendly smile. Elizabeth had the oddest sensation that Carolyn knew she was somehow connected to Reece Landry, and like Flossie, Carolyn hoped that Elizabeth truly cared about Reece.

Elizabeth drove the car to the edge of the parking area where a pay telephone was located. Glancing back toward the market, she saw that Carolyn had returned inside. Elizabeth rummaged in her purse for a quarter.

Dialing the operator, she gave Sam's phone number and asked that the charges be reversed. Within seconds Sam came on the line.

"Are you in Newell?" he asked.

"I'm at a minimarket outside town at a pay phone," Elizabeth told him.

"Where's Landry?"

"We're in separate cars. He's taken the Jeep on out to a summer house in Spruce Pine. He thinks it's a safe place to hide out while we're searching for the real murderer."

"Are you all right, Elizabeth?"

She smiled, knowing full well that Sam wanted to ask about his precious '65 Thunderbird. "I'm fine and so is your car. It could get muddy when I drive out to the cottage. The place is located on a dirt road."

"Give it up, kiddo, and go home. I promise I'll do everything I can to help Landry."

"I want you to come to Newell, today, and meet us at the cottage. We have to form some sort of strategy. Reece is confused and not thinking straight or he never would have come back here. A woman at the motel recognized him and called the sheriff this morning."

"What motel?" Sam asked.

"The motel where Reece and I stayed last night."

"My God, Elizabeth, tell me you're not sleeping with that man!"

"I'm not sleeping with Reece." She grinned, remembering waking this morning in Reece's arms. "Well, I did sleep with him last night, but-"

"I'll kill him!"

"Calm down, Sam. We just shared the same bed. I'm still as pure as the driven snow."

"This is no joking matter. Landry may not have killed his father, but he's no saint. As a matter of fact, he's a real bad boy and has the reputation to prove it."

Elizabeth sighed. Sam should know better than to try to convince her to do anything she didn't want to do. "I'm not leaving him."

"What's going on, Elizabeth? Really?"

"I think I may be falling in love with Reece."

Sam groaned. "Do you think he loves you?"

"No," Elizabeth admitted. "Reece doesn't know what love is, but he will. He needs me, Sam. Even Aunt Margaret says I'm his only hope, that no one else can save him from himself."

"Why do you need Aunt Margaret to read Landry's mind, to see into his future? Isn't your crystal ball working?"

"Now who's trying to be funny?" Elizabeth asked. "I can't see into Reece's future. I haven't picked up any images about what's going to happen to him. And I told you I can't get inside his head, except every once in a while. When he lets me."

"Well, I'll be damned. A mind you can't read and a future you can't predict. You really are taking him on faith, aren't you?"

"I care so much about Reece, about what happens to him. He's lived a very hard life. He deserves some happiness."

"Look, kiddo, you've got yourself involved in this man's problems and you're sexually attracted to him. But don't just assume you're falling in love with him." Sam cleared his throat. "Sexual attraction isn't love, and neither is caring about someone. You could easily be mistaking your desire to set things right in Landry's life with love."

"I know." Elizabeth realized far better than Sam did that she was totally confused where her feelings for Reece Landry were concerned. "That's why I said that I think I'm failing in love with him. I've never been in love before, and I'm not sure."

"Take things slow and easy."

"Sam, please fly out of Atlanta as soon as you can. We really need your help. I'll give you the directions to the cottage."

"Even if Landry is innocent, we may not be able to prove it," Sam told her. "Have you ever considered that possibility? Are you willing to stay on the run for the rest of your life?"

"Reece is innocent, and together the three of us are going to prove it."

"Have you told Landry that you're involving me in this, that I'm coming to Newell?"

"No, not yet. Why?"

"Because he may not like the idea of me trying to help him," Sam said. "I don't think Landry trusts me any more than I trust him."

"Well, that's plain stupid. You trust me and Reece trusts me, and I trust both of you, so it stands to reason that the two of you should trust each other."

"Yeah, sure. Now give me the directions to that summer house."

Elizabeth gave him the details and wished him a safe trip.

"Kiddo, you be careful."

"I will, Sam. I promise."

She replaced the telephone slowly, her hand lingering on the cool plastic. She'd loved Sam all her life. He was her brother, her uncle, her father figure and her friend. She wanted Sam to like Reece, to trust him. And she wanted Reece to feel the same way about Sam.

Reece paced back and forth on the front porch of the Burtons' summer house, the February sun warming him as surely as the winter wind chilled him. Where the hell is she? he wondered. She'd had more than enough time to pick up a few supplies and get to the cottage. What if the sheriff had picked her up? What if she'd been in an accident? What if she'd changed her mind and decided not to join him?

If she had any sense at all, she was on her way back to Sequana Falls and as far away from him as she could get. In the cold light of day she might have realized what a mistake she'd made following a fugitive, a man balanced between life and death.

A hard knot formed in his gut. He slammed his fists down on the pristine white wooden banister surrounding the porch. Dammit, he didn't want to care whether she was on her way to him or on her way back to Sequana Falls. He didn't want it to matter, but it did. There was something addictive about Elizabeth Mallory, about the way she looked at him, the way she put her strong arms around him, the way she said his name. In less than a week she'd gotten under his skin. She'd made him want her near. No other woman had ever done that.

Reece glanced up at the blue-gray sky, heavy white clouds floating past, the sun noonday high. In the distance he heard a car. His heartbeat accelerated. Maybe it was Elizabeth; maybe it was the sheriff. He went inside the cottage, positioning himself beside one of the huge front windows, and waited for the car's approach. Peering around the side of the window, he saw the black '65 Thunderbird round the curve in the dirt road.

Elizabeth! She'd come to him. She hadn't deserted him. A spiral of sweet, unadulterated joy sprang up inside him and spread through his body and mind, and even invaded his heart.

Swinging open the front door, he rushed out onto the porch, but stopped himself from running into the yard to meet her. His heartbeat roared in his ears. Excitement raced along his nerve endings.

He wasn't alone.

Elizabeth flung open the car door, stepped outside and waved at Reece. Dear Lord, he was so handsome, so big and virile and utterly beautiful standing there on the gingerbread-trimmed porch, Sam's old jeans clinging to his lean, muscled hips and legs. She wanted to run to him, throw her arms around him and tell him how glad she was to be with him.

Did she love Reece Landry, a man she'd met less than a week ago, yet a man she'd known in her heart for months? Her feelings for Reece were complicated, her empathy for him, her desire to help him and the sexual attraction she felt all mixed together. She knew one thing for certain-she had never felt about another man the way she felt about Reece, and the intensity of those feelings frightened her.

Reece headed straight for her. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd come to your senses and gone back to Sequana Falls."

For one brief instant Elizabeth felt Reece's fear-he'd been afraid that she had left him. Swallowing down the overwhelming emotions choking her, Elizabeth smiled, secure in her knowledge that, despite how much Reece protested, he truly wanted her at his side.

"It took a while to get the supplies. The checker was talkative. And a highway patrolman came in the store and they started discussing you and your second escape."

Reaching inside the car, Elizabeth picked up a grocery sack and handed it to Reece. "Can you carry two?" she asked.

Nodding, he accepted the second sack. Elizabeth took the third and they walked toward the cottage. She glanced around, taking in the two-story white frame house with dark green shutters and roof. A wraparound porch, graced with carved banisters, circled the house.

"Why did you decide to come here instead of your father's hunting lodge?" Elizabeth asked, wondering who owned this lovely summer cottage.

"Flossie pointed out that the sheriff might have the hunting lodge under surveillance, since Kenny would alert them that I knew how to locate the lodge."

"You spent time with your father at his hunting lodge?"

"Yeah. Once. B.K. liked roughing it, liked hunting. He took Kenny and me up to his lodge to do some hunting last year." Reece led Elizabeth up the porch and inside the house.

Just as she had suspected, the interior had been perfectly decorated by someone with good taste and money. Pastel, spring colors dominated the living room. Fragile lace curtains had been pulled back to expose the row of French windows facing the front porch. Sturdy white wicker furniture held thick cushions and pillows covered in blue, rose and cream floral prints. A brass screen stood in front of the fireplace, which had been painted a pale cream and was adorned with a simple wooden mantel. A cheerful fire burned brightly in the fireplace.

Elizabeth followed Reece into the kitchen, an open area adjacent to the living room. The stainless steel appliances were modern and matched the sink and countertops. White hexagonal tiles covered the floor and glass-fronted white cabinets lined the walls. "I didn't realize that you ever socialized with your father and his family."

Reece helped Elizabeth unsack the supplies and place them in the empty cupboards, storing the beer and colas in the double-wide refrigerator.

"I didn't socialize with the family. Not really. I was never invited to their house, but B.K. saw to it that I attended some of the same social functions." Reece retrieved one of the beer bottles, snapping the lid with a decorative metallic opener attached to the side of the refrigerator. "The hunting trip wasn't socializing. It was a contest B.K. contrived to see which one of his sons was as rough and tough and mean as he was."

Elizabeth watched Reece put the beer bottle to his lips and pour the liquid into his mouth. "Are you saying that your father deliberately encouraged a rivalry between you and his other son?"

After downing a third of the beer, Reece set the bottle on the counter and wiped his mouth. "I'm saying that B. K. Stanton's legitimate son was a disappointment to him. Kenny lived the good life. Never had to get his hands dirty. He's a spoiled, weak mama's boy."

"Everything you're not."

"Everything that B.K. and Alice Stanton's wealth and social positions made him, and yet, he wasn't what B.K. wanted." Looking toward the front of the cottage, Reece gazed out the windows. "Are your bags in the trunk of your car?"

Elizabeth nodded. When Reece walked past her, she reached out, laying her hand on his chest. "Your father discovered that you were more of a man than his other son, is that it? He found that you possessed the qualities he admired, the qualities he couldn't find in Kenny."

Reece glanced down at her hand. "Yeah. I'm the exact opposite of my big brother. And our father finally saw how he could use those differences to his advantage. He thought that if he threw me up in Kenny's face often enough, Kenny would eventually grow a backbone and become the son B.K. wanted." Reece walked away from Elizabeth and out onto the porch.

A stinging warmth of pain spread through her when she realized how deeply Reece had been affected by his father's manipulation. She met him at the door when he returned with her bags.

"There is one bedroom downstairs and two upstairs. They're all pretty much the same. I'll put your bag in here." Opening the door to the downstairs bedroom, Reece walked in, tossed the bag on the old iron bed and turned quickly, his body colliding with Elizabeth's. He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her.

"Looks like we won't need to share a bed tonight," she said. The memory of waking in the early-morning hours to find herself snuggled into Reece's arms warmed Elizabeth with the hope of what lay ahead for them.

"Not unless you ask me real nice," he said.

"Oh?"

Reece laughed. "I'll have to hunt up some more firewood, since our only source of heat is the fireplace. There used to be some electrical heaters the Burtons kept for cool autumn nights, but since they use this place mostly in the summer, I don't think they keep the heaters around anymore. If you get cold in the night, you can always come get in bed with me."

"I'll keep that in mind." She smiled, trying to imitate his jesting. But talking about sharing a bed with Reece reminded her just how much she had liked awakening in his arms this morning. Reece was a virile man, and if they shared a bed again, he would probably expect them to have sex. Was she ready for such an important step in their relationship? More importantly, was Reece ready?

"Did you have any problems finding this place?" Reece asked.

"No problems. Flossie's instructions were perfect."

"The sheriff didn't try to stop you or question you, did he?"

"I left before they gave up searching the motel for you."

Reece turned toward the fireplace, warming his hands. He'd thought twice about building a fire in the fireplace, since a helicopter might spot the smoke, but he'd been listening to news on the radio and there had been no mention of a search outside Newell. Roadblocks had been set up and a manhunt begun, but the law figured Reece Landry was either on his way out of town and they'd catch him at a roadblock or that he was hiding out in one of his old haunts and a door-to-door search might reveal his whereabouts. The police had no reason to come snooping around Spruce Pine, no reason to connect him with Tracy Burton Stanton's parents or their summer house.

"Lizzie, you shouldn't be here with me. You shouldn't be involved in this."

"I thought we'd already settled that argument once and for all," Elizabeth said. "I'm staying and that's all there is to it."

"I'm no good, Elizabeth." Reece kept his back to her, his focus on the fire in front of him. "If you stay with me, I could get you killed, or at the very least, break your heart."

Elizabeth refused to acknowledge the possibility that Reece was right. Together they would prove Reece's innocence and come through this nightmare. And she would save Reece, save him from himself. If he broke her heart in the process, she would survive.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "I'm starving. I haven't had a bite to eat since I stopped for a hamburger on the way to Newell yesterday."

Reece slapped his hands against his hips, then rubbed them up and down his thighs. He turned to face her. "Yeah, sure. I'm hungry."

"Let's fix lunch. I can open a can of tomato soup and make some grilled cheese sandwiches."

"I'll do the soup," Reece said. "You fix the sandwiches."

Elizabeth spread out the bread, cheese and margarine on the stainless steel counter. "Whose place is this, anyway?"

"It belongs to Albert and Edna Burton." Reece placed the can of soup under the can opener.

"How do you know these people?"

"What difference does it make?"

"Just curious, I guess." Elizabeth spread margarine on the bread. "I have a feeling you're hiding something from me."

Reece jerked a metal pot from a bottom cupboard. "I know the Burtons' daughter."

"Is she one of your old girlfriends?"

"No." Reece poured the soup into the pot, then filled the empty can with water and added it to the mixture.

"Why are you being so secretive?" Elizabeth laid the sliced cheese on the bread.

Reece set the soup pot on the stove, adjusted the heat and turned to face Elizabeth. "Albert and Edna Burton's daughter married Kenny Stanton."

"This house belongs to your sister-in-law's parents?"

"Yeah."

"How did you know about this place? Did Flossie tell you about it?" Elizabeth remembered what Carolyn, the checkout clerk at the minimart, had said about Tracy Stanton accusing Reece of coming on to her hot and heavy. Had Reece had an affair with his brother's wife? Had they shared a secret rendezvous at her parents' summer house?

"Like I told you, Flossie had entertained Albert Burton and some of his friends out here when Mrs. Burton was otherwise occupied."

Reece handed Elizabeth a frying pan he'd pulled out of the cupboard where the cooking utensils were stored.

"What about you? Obviously you know your way around this kitchen. You've been here before, haven't you? You've been here with Tracy Stanton."

"I checked the kitchen out while I was waiting for you. As a matter of fact, I gave the whole house a once-over." Reece placed his hands on Elizabeth's shoulders. She laid the sandwiches in the skillet and placed the skillet on the stove.

"What kind of relationship do you have with your brother's wife?"

"I don't have a relationship with Tracy."

"Then why did she make the statement at your trial that you were after her, and I quote, 'hot and heavy'?"

"Because she was still angry with me for turning her down." Reece released Elizabeth's shoulders. "Tracy was after me hot and heavy. She invited me up here to her parents' summer house one weekend over a year ago."

"You met her here?"

"Yeah. I was curious. I knew what she wanted, and I have to admit that the idea of cuckolding Kenny tempted me."

"What happened?"

"We kissed." Reece closed his eyes, remembering how close he'd come to carrying his brother's wife to bed. "We both got pretty steamed up, but then I put a stop to things. Tracy Burton Stanton might have money and education and generations of blue-blooded breeding, but I realized that she wasn't any different from the girls who used to work for Flossie." Reece laughed, the sound a mirthless grunt. "The only difference was she gave it away for free."

"You didn't make love to Tracy Stanton?"

"I don't make love to women," Reece said. "I have sex with them. But I didn't have sex with Tracy."

"I'm glad," Elizabeth said. "I'm very glad."

"Yeah? Well, funny thing is, Lizzie, so am I."

Thirty minutes later Elizabeth and Reece sat at the small kitchen table, an oak antique flanked by four Windsor chairs, and sipped on second cups of coffee and nibbled on oatmeal raisin cookies.

"One of the reasons it took me a while to get here is that I stopped at a pay phone and called Sam." Elizabeth glanced at Reece. He stared at her, his amber eyes void of any emotion.

"Even when you're on the run with another man, you still have to check in with Dundee?" Reece set down his cup with a resounding thud, warm coffee spilling out onto the tabletop. "What sort of hold does that guy have over you?"

Elizabeth stared at Reece in disbelief. He was jealous. Reece was jealous of Sam. She suppressed her laughter. "Sam's family. He's been like a big brother to me most of my life." She reached across the table, placing her hand atop Reece's fist. "Sam was a DEA agent for years, then something happened that made him want out, and he formed his own private security agency in Atlanta. He knows a lot about investigating people and protecting them."

"Sounds like good old Sam is the answer to our prayers." Huffing, Reece jerked his hand away from Elizabeth.

"Sam's coming to Newell. Today."

"What the hell for?"

"He's already set things in motion to investigate B. K. Stanton's death and discover other suspects. He'll have his first real report for us this afternoon."

Tightening his jaw and clenching his teeth, Reece breathed deeply. "It may have slipped your notice, but we don't have a telephone out here."

"Sam isn't going to phone me. He's coming out here to the cottage."

Reece jumped up, knocking his chair backward in the process. "You told Dundee where we were? You gave him directions to this place?"

"Yes, I did. And I don't see why you're so upset."

Reece glared down at her. "You don't see why I'm..." Reece's amber eyes glowed with yellow fire. "You betrayed me, Lizzie. Surely you aren't stupid enough to think that Dundee wants to help me. All he wants is to get you away from me, to keep you safe. He's probably already called the sheriff."

Elizabeth scooted back her chair and stood. "I would never betray you, Reece. Never. Sam won't call the sheriff, and he will help you."

"Because he loves you!"

"Yes, because he loves me, and he knows my instincts are seldom wrong."

"I hope you're right about Dundee, because if you're wrong..." Reece walked out of the kitchen, through the back door and into the small clearing behind the house.

If he had any sense at all, he'd take Elizabeth's Jeep and get the hell out of Newell. He'd leave her behind, her and her big brother Dundee. Did he dare stay and trust a man he didn't even know, a man whose primary interest in him was the woman they had in common? And could he really trust Elizabeth? Just because every time he looked at her, he wanted to take her didn't mean he could trust her.

What the hell was he going to do? Would he be a fool to stay and put his life and his freedom in Elizabeth Mallory's hands? Or would he be a bigger fool to run away from his one chance to prove himself innocent and from the one woman who'd ever really cared about him?

Chapter 8

Elizabeth sat alone inside the Burtons' summer house. Reece had been outside for the past couple of hours. First he'd parked Sam's '65 T-Bird at the back of the house, beside the Jeep, then he'd taken off into the woods, saying only that he was going to take a walk down by the lake.

For the twentieth time she checked her watch, wondering when Sam would arrive and how long Reece was going to stay outside sulking. She wasn't accustomed to being alone; MacDatho was nearly always at her side. She wished she could have brought him with her, but where a lone woman might go practically unnoticed, no one would forget a huge black wolf-dog.

The back door creaked. Elizabeth tensed. Turning her head just a fraction, she saw Reece enter the kitchen.

"It's getting colder out there," he said. "I thought I'd make some fresh coffee, but it looks like you've already done that." He glanced at the freshly filled coffeepot.

"It's going to snow before dark." Elizabeth turned back around, focusing her attention on the fire.

"Does that mean Dundee will be snowed in here with us?" Reece picked up a clean coffee mug from the dish drain, grabbed a dish towel off the wall rack and lifted the coffeepot.

"There will be a light snow, just an inch or two. Sam should be here soon."

"Maybe he couldn't get a flight out of Atlanta." Reece poured the mug full of coffee, returned the pot to the coffeemaker and walked into the living room, sitting in a chair to the left of the wicker sofa where Elizabeth sat.

"Sam flies his own plane. A small twin-engine Cessna. He probably rented a car at the airport and is on his way here now."

"Quite a man, our Mr. Dundee." Reece leaned over, resting his hands between his spread knees, the warm mug secure in his grasp. "Former DEA agent, owns his own business, flies his own plane. I can hardly wait to meet this guy"

"He's anxious to meet you, too." Tilting her chin up, Elizabeth glared at Reece. "You see, you're the first man I've ever run away with, and Sam doesn't trust you any more than you trust him."

"Sounds like he's very protective when it comes to screening the men in your life." Reece sipped his coffee. "Does he warn off all men you show an interest in or just the ones who are escaped convicts?"

"There haven't been any men in my life for Sam to screen." Elizabeth bowed her head, looking down at her lap where she'd laid her clasped hands. "You're the first."

Reece strangled on his coffee. The mug in his unsteady hand hit the wooden floor. "Damn!"

Elizabeth jumped up, rushed to the kitchen for a towel and returned to mop up the spilled coffee. Reece knelt beside her, picking up the broken pieces of the ceramic mug. He threw the shards into the fireplace. Elizabeth wiped the floor clean.

She rested on her knees in front of him. He laid his hand on her shoulder. She froze at his touch.

"Clarify things for me, will you, Lizzie?" Taking her hands in his, Reece lifted her to her feet, took the soaked towel from her and threw it across the room toward the kitchen area. "My mind has gone into overdrive here and I'm thinking some pretty crazy thoughts. I don't think you said what I thought you said. Or at least, I don't think I understood you right."

"What didn't you understand? That Sam has always considered himself my protector? That Sam doesn't trust you? That there have never been any men in my life for Sam to screen?" Elizabeth's hands trembled.

Reece pulled her to him, holding her hands between their bodies. "How old are you, Elizabeth?"

"Twenty-six."

Reece sighed. "Well, you've had boyfriends, dated, had a few experiences over the years. Right?"

"I dated some in college."

Reece grinned. "Good. Then I did misunderstand when you said I was the first.''

Elizabeth looked into his eyes, those lone-wolf amber eyes. They were so warm, so intensely inviting. "I dated several silly boys who were scared off once they found out I could read their minds. Sam worried about me when I went away to school, but he didn't worry about me getting in trouble with boys. He knew how difficult it would be for me to control all the energy I'd receive from other people. He doubted any boy could sweet-talk me into something I didn't want to do, since I would be able to perceive his motive."

"Okay, so you dated silly boys in college who couldn't deal with your hocus-pocus routine. What about after college? There had to have been men who didn't give a damn that you were psychic.''

"Does it bother you, Reece? That I'm psychic? That usually I can predict the future, that sometimes I'm aware of events occurring miles away, that often I can read people's minds?"

Dropping her hands, Reece grabbed her face and pulled her to him. "I'm on the run with a virgin, aren't I, Elizabeth? There really hasn't been another man in your life, has there?"

"You're the first, Reece."

Looking at her face, flushed and glowing with emotion, gazing into those pure, honest blue eyes was almost more than Reece could bear. "Of all the men on earth, baby, why me?"

"You came to me, Reece, in my mind. I felt your pain and anger and hatred. I sensed your loneliness. I could see you locked in a tiny cage. You invaded my life." Tears filled her eyes. "You became the stranger in my heart."

"Elizabeth?"

"It was meant for me to save you. I'm the only one who can. Aunt Margaret knows it. I know it." Tears spilled from her eyes, streaking her cheeks. "You know it, too, Reece. In your heart."

"Can you read my mind? Can you see into my future?"

"I can't see your future, Reece. I've tried. Something is blocking my vision. Aunt Margaret says it's because our futures are entwined and I have never allowed myself to look into my own future. I've been too afraid." She slipped her arms around his waist. "And I can't read your mind. I told you that you shield your thoughts and your emotions from me most of the time. Every once in a while I pick up on a few things."

"Do you know what I'm thinking right now, Lizzie? What I'm feeling?" His lips took hers in a wild yet tender kiss, his mouth covering hers, tasting, licking, savoring the sweetness of her innocence.

He cradled her head in one hand and ran his other hand down her back, pushing her forward, holding her against his arousal. Elizabeth clung to him, her arms lifting, her hands caressing the corded muscles in his back. When he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, she moaned, bunching the material of his shirt into her fist.

Reece ended the kiss quickly, his body still throbbing with need. He heard a car. Gulping for air as she pulled away from him, Elizabeth glanced toward the windows. The afternoon sun hung low in the cloudy sky. A gray Buick Regal stopped in the driveway in front of the cottage. Sam Dundee, all six feet four inches of him, emerged.

"It's Sam." Elizabeth wiped the loose strands of her hair away from her face, took a deep breath and rushed to the front door.

Reece followed her, halting directly behind her when she opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. So that is Sam Dundee, Reece thought. About an inch taller than me, fifteen pounds heavier and a good five or six years older. And by the looks of his suit, overcoat, shoes and gold watch, a hell of a lot richer.

When Elizabeth started to go to Sam, Reece grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her in place on the porch in front of him. She stopped immediately, relaxing in his grasp.

Reece stared at Sam when the other man reached the bottom of the porch steps. Their gazes locked. Steel blue-gray eyes met cold gold-amber. Reece recognized the look in Dundee's eyes, the expression on his face. One strong warrior always recognized another.

"Come on inside, Sam," Elizabeth said. "It's freezing out here.'' She pulled away from Reece's hold; he let her go.

Sam walked up the steps, reached out and took Elizabeth into his arms. The blood ran cold in Reece's veins. He didn't like seeing Elizabeth in another man's arms, especially a man like Dundee. It took every ounce of his willpower not to jerk her away.

"Thanks for coming." Elizabeth hugged Sam, thankful, as she had always been, that he was a part of her life.

"You knew I would." With his arm around Elizabeth, Sam turned to Reece. "You must be Landry."

"Yeah. And you must be the guy that Lizzie thinks can walk on water."

Sam grinned, squeezed Elizabeth's shoulder and held out a hand to Reece. Reece accepted the greeting, a quick, hard handshake, each man putting the other on notice. Elizabeth Mallory is important to me.

"Lizzie, huh?" Sam laughed. "Never thought of you as Lizzie."

Elizabeth laughed. "Come on, you two, let's go warm ourselves in front of the fire."

Reece waited for Elizabeth and Sam to enter the cottage, then followed them. After laying Sam's overcoat on the back of the wicker sofa, Elizabeth motioned for him to sit.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" she asked him.

Sam sat down, then glanced over at Reece. "Let's talk business, Landry."

"Now, Sam." Elizabeth sat beside her big-brother protector.

"I don't like Elizabeth being here. Every minute she's with you, she's in danger," Sam said. "I'll do everything I can to help you prove your innocence, but your best bet is to surrender to the sheriff and let me find some evidence that will warrant your lawyer getting you an appeal."

Reece crossed the room to stand in front of the fireplace. "Have you already called the sheriff? Told him where he can find me?"

"I don't work that way, Landry. For whatever reason, Elizabeth has taken on your problems. She's determined to help you, and I'm determined to help her and protect her."

"The last thing we need is for you two to argue," Elizabeth said.

"I think Landry needs to know where I stand." Sam unbuttoned his charcoal gray pin-striped coat, exposing the pristine whiteness of his shirt, his tie a crimson stain against the purity. "If Elizabeth believes you're innocent, then I'm willing to do whatever it takes to find the real murderer. I think you should turn yourself in, but I haven't betrayed you and I won't. I don't like Elizabeth's involvement with you because I think you can get her in big trouble. I don't want her to stay with you. I want her to leave here with me this afternoon."

"I'm not leaving." Elizabeth placed her hand on Sam's where he'd rested it on the back of the sofa. "Tell us what you've found out, and then we'll all work together to figure out where we go from here." She glanced up at Reece. "Sit down."

Reece took the chair to the left of the sofa, the one closest to Elizabeth. Leaning back, he folded his arms across his chest. "Let's hear it. What has the great man found out?"

Elizabeth scowled at Reece. "Go ahead, Sam. Don't pay any attention to Reece. I haven't had a chance to work on his manners yet."

"How much have you told Elizabeth?" Sam asked Reece.

"About what?" Reece widened his eyes, a mocking grin on his face.

“About your past. About your life."

"She knows I'm a worthless bastard who's been convicted of murdering his father," Reece said.

"I know the whole story." Elizabeth felt torn between her need to comfort Reece and her need to make Sam understand her feelings.

Sam glanced at Elizabeth, then at Reece. "All right. Then it's safe to say it won't come as a surprise to hear that Reece Landry has a few enemies in Newell, enemies with money and power who are very pleased that he was convicted of B. K. Stanton's murder."

"That's all you've found out?" Reece chuckled.

"You've also got a few friends, including your sister. She's the one person who might be able to help us." Standing, Sam shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "Just from my preliminary inquiries I think there's a good possibility that you were framed, and I think your brother and his mother could be our prime suspects. After all, they, and your sister, Christina, stood to lose a lot of money if you weren't convicted of murder."

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.

"My old man made a new will shortly before he was killed," Reece said. "But he didn't bother telling anyone, including me. The only person who knew, other than B.K. himself, was the family lawyer, Willard Moran." Reece tossed his head back, blew out his breath and looked up at the ceiling. "I think that's the reason B.K. asked me to come by his house that night. The night he was shot."

"He named you in his will?" Elizabeth wanted to put her arms around Reece, to comfort him, to share the pain he felt.

"B. K. Stanton left Reece one-third of everything he possessed." Sam paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. "After thirty-two years he was finally acknowledging Reece as his son."

Reece sat up straight, looked across the room and out the windows, his gaze not really focused. "Damn generous of him, wasn't it?" Reece laughed. "The really funny thing is that I think he did it because he knew how furious it would make Kenny and Alice."

"Look, bottom line here is that Stanton's whole family had reason to kill him," Sam said. "He and Kenny never got along. B.K. completely controlled his son's life. He even handpicked Tracy Burton for Kenny's wife.

"The man had been betraying Alice with other women most of their married life. It was no secret that she despised her husband." Sam glanced over at Elizabeth, never slowing as he paced back and forth. "And the whole town knows that Christina Stanton never forgave her father for paying off her fiance to dump her about ten years ago because B.K. didn't think the man was good enough for his daughter." Sam stopped pacing, then looked down at Reece. "And your stepfather had motive to kill Stanton. From what I've learned, Harry Gunn had threatened to kill his wife's former lover on more than one occasion."

"Good old Harry." Reece shook his head. He didn't know who he'd hated the most over the years-B. K. Stanton or Harry Gunn.

"So, it looks like we've got ourselves a full cast of suspects," Sam said. "I've set up an appointment with Gary Elkins in the morning. He's eager for us to work together. Your lawyer believes you're innocent."

"Does he?" Reece asked, glancing up at Sam. "Since Christina's money paid for his services, I was never quite certain where his loyalties lay."

"You don't trust anybody, do you, Landry?"

Reece stood, facing Sam. Two big, tall men sizing up each other. "Something tells me you're not the trusting sort, either, Dundee. You sure as hell don't trust me with Elizabeth, do you?"

Elizabeth jumped up off the sofa, standing in front of Reece and Sam, her body separating the two men, the three of them creating a human triangle. "We're going to have to trust one another. It's the only way we can prove Reece's innocence."

Sam turned, taking Elizabeth by the arm. "He's right about my not trusting him with you, kiddo. You shouldn't be in the middle of this mess. I want you to come with me, today. We'll both stay in Newell, if that's what you want, and I'll do whatever it takes to find Stanton's killer."

"Why don't you two talk this over," Reece said. "I need some fresh air." He grabbed his coat off the rack by the door and went outside.

Elizabeth turned to Sam. "Why did you have to ask me to leave again? I'd already told you that I'm staying with Reece." Never before had she been forced to choose between Sam and another man. Never before had she had reason to go against Sam's wishes.

Sam took Elizabeth by the shoulders, pulling her into his arms, stroking her hair the way a parent would comfort a child. "I'm worried sick about you, kiddo. I'm scared something really bad might happen."

Elizabeth hugged Sam, feeling, as she always had, safe and secure in his arms. "I understand how you feel, but I want you to understand how I feel. I really do think I'm falling in love with Reece. I know it's crazy for me to love him, but-"

"Elizabeth, Elizabeth." Sighing, Sam took her by the shoulders again.

"He needs me, Sam. There's just so much pain inside him. Anger, pain and fear." Reaching up, Elizabeth cradled Sam's cheek in her palm. "Remember the agony you were in six years ago when you came off your last assignment for the DEA? That's the shape Reece is in now, but for different reasons."

Elizabeth felt Sam flinch, saw the memories glaze his eyes. "It wasn't your fault, Sam. You didn't have a choice. You did what you had to do. But I have a choice. I'm not leaving Reece."

Sam swallowed, squeezed Elizabeth's shoulders and forced a smile. "He doesn't deserve you, kiddo."

Elizabeth flung her arms around Sam, hugging him fiercely. "I love you, you know that, don't you?"

"And I love you, too, little girl."

Reece stood on the front porch, the afternoon sun dimmed by the clouds, small, damp snowflakes beginning to fall. He had meant to stay out here, to give Elizabeth time alone with Sam Dundee, but the more he'd thought about the possibility she might leave him, the more determined he'd become to ask her to stay. He'd opened the door just a fraction and had seen Elizabeth in Sam's arms. He'd heard her tell him she loved him.

A knot of intense agony sprang to life in Reece's gut. Why the hell should he have trusted this woman any more than he'd ever trusted another?

She'd leave with Dundee. She loved Dundee. He didn't care, dammit! It didn't matter! He had lived his whole life without Elizabeth Mallory. He'd be just fine without her. He didn't need her. Reece gripped the top rail of the porch banister, his knuckles turning white from the strength of his hold.

The front door swung open. Sam Dundee came outside alone. Reece waited for the second set of footsteps, then, when he didn't hear any, decided Elizabeth was probably getting her bags.

Sam walked over and stood by Reece. "It's snowing."

"Y'all better leave soon, otherwise, you and Lizzie could get snowed in here with me."

"Elizabeth says there won't be more than an inch of snow." Sam bent over, clasping the banister with both hands.

"You believe in her psychic abilities?" Reece asked.

"Yeah, I believe," Sam said. "I've known Elizabeth since she was six years old and my brother married her mother. They moved to Sequana Falls, into Elizabeth's grandparents' home, so that she could be near her great-aunt, who also has psychic talents."

"Aunt Margaret?"

"Margaret has been Elizabeth's guide, her teacher and her protector."

"I thought being her protector was your job!"

"Margaret's and mine." Sam turned to Reece.

Reece faced Sam. "If you've got something to say to me, then say it."

"Elizabeth has risked more than you know to follow you, to stay with you, to help you."

"So, when she leaves with you, she won't be risking herself anymore, will she?"

Sam grinned. "She's not leaving with me."

"What?"

"You chose the wrong time to walk in on us," Sam said. "And you misunderstood what you saw and heard. I noticed you standing in the door. Elizabeth didn't. Odd that she can't read you clearly."

Reece held his breath, wanting to believe and yet afraid to believe what Sam was saying. "She's not leaving with you?"

"Elizabeth and I are family." Sam grasped Reece's shoulder in his big hand. "Elizabeth and I are not lovers. We aren't in love."

Reece nodded his head, acknowledging what Sam had said. "She shouldn't stay with me."

"She won't leave you."

"You couldn't persuade her to go with you?"

"No. She's staying with you because she believes she's the only one who can save you," Sam said. "She'll risk being caught with you and charged with aiding and abetting a criminal, she'll risk the possibility of being killed if she gets caught in the cross fire if the law finds you, and she risks her sanity by going into town and facing people whose thoughts and emotions she can't control."

"What do you mean, people's thoughts and emotions she can't control?" Reece stared at Sam, noting the concern in his expression.

"Elizabeth reads minds, she picks up on the energy that comes from people's thoughts and from their emotions. Often she can predict their futures or see into their pasts just by touching them. Sometimes she can control these energies. Other times she can't. When she can't control them, can't shield herself, then she's bombarded with too much input."

"That's the reason she lives secluded in the mountains, isn't it?" Reece asked. "So she won't be exposed to too much psychic energy coming from other people.''

"She almost had a nervous breakdown when she went away to college. We learned then that she didn't dare risk living in a city or even a large town."

"Will she be all right out here? Away from town?"

"She probably would be if she stayed, since she only occasionally picks up anything telepathically at distances, the way she did with you. But she doesn't intend to stay out here," Sam said. "She's meeting me in town tomorrow at Gary Elkins's office."

"Why?"

"She knows it's possible that if she can meet everyone involved with B. K. Stanton, she plight be able to read them and discover which one of them is the murderer."

"No, I can't let her do that," Reece said. "I won't let her put herself at risk for me."

Elizabeth opened the front door and stepped outside. "You two finished with your man-to-man talk?"

"Just about." Sam released the banister, stood up straight and smiled at Elizabeth.

"It's too cold out here for y'all to stay much longer. For goodness' sakes, it's snowing." Elizabeth walked over and stood between Sam and Reece.

"I'll see you in town in the morning." Sam gave Elizabeth a quick peck on the cheek, then walked down the steps and out to his rental car. "You take good care of my T-Bird."

"We could swap," Elizabeth suggested.

"No need to do that, kiddo. You keep the Thunderbird." Sam opened his car door, glanced up at Elizabeth and then over at Reece. "She's worth a king's ransom, Landry. Remember that."

Sam got in the Regal, started the engine and drove away without a backward glance. Elizabeth slipped her arm around Reece's waist. He pulled her close. She laid her head against him.

"You should have gone with him, Lizzie."

"I couldn't leave you."

A sharp, breathtaking pain hit Reece straight in the gut. He couldn't let this happen-he couldn't let Elizabeth care for him, and he didn't dare feel anything more than sexual attraction for her. He wasn't a man accustomed to women like Elizabeth-honest, caring and loyal, with a purity of soul that frightened him.

"You're putting yourself in danger by staying with me." Reece pulled away from Elizabeth, turning to look down into her crystal-clear blue eyes. Eyes that spoke so eloquently without words. Eyes that told him how much she cared, how deeply she longed to share his misery and lighten his burden.

"You don't really want me to leave, do you?"

"Besides the fact that you could get injured accidentally if the law finds me, you're sure to be in big trouble unless we can convince them that I kidnapped you." Reece walked the length of the porch, leaned back against the wall and gazed out at the forest, trees and brush blanketed with a light dusting of newly fallen snow.

Elizabeth stood near the steps, looking across the porch to where Reece rested his back against the house. Why was it so difficult for him to accept the fact that she wanted to stay with him, to help him, to comfort him? Surely the good Lord wouldn't have sent Reece to her if he hadn't meant the two of them to be together.

Reece kept his gaze focused on the scenery. "Sam told me what you're risking, emotionally and mentally, by leaving Sequana Falls, by exposing yourself to so many other people's thoughts and feelings."

"Sam told you?"

"He thought I had a right to know."

"He shouldn't have told you."

Reece turned around slowly, admitting to himself that he had to face Elizabeth and yet not wanting to look into those all-too-knowing blue eyes of hers. Why now, God, why now? he asked himself. Why send someone so special into my life when my whole world has crumbled around me? Why offer me something that I can never have, something I'm not worthy of, something I didn't dream could ever be mine?

"You're going to wind up getting hurt, one way or another, because of me." When he saw her take a tentative step forward, he held up a hand to warn her off. "I can't give you what you want. I'm no good for you, Lizzie. What do I have to say or do to get through to you?"

"I thought we'd settled this argument." She wanted desperately to run to him, throw her arms around him. She couldn't; he wouldn't accept her. Not now.

"When you go into Newell and meet with Gary Elkins, you're going to be exposed to hundreds of people, maybe thousands. How can you deal with that kind of attack on your mind?"

"It's not as bad as Sam led you to believe." Elizabeth knew she was trying to convince herself as much as Reece. "When I went away to college I was only in my teens and I hadn't been able to train my mind to shield itself."

"Can you shield your mind now?"

"To some extent," Elizabeth said. "Every living thing gives off energy. I read the psychic energy people emit. Sometimes that energy is so strong I can't block it."

"Can you read everybody? Do you pick up on everybody's psychic energy?''

"Almost everyone. Some people shield their minds and their emotions without realizing they're doing it. But no one can shield themselves all the time."

"You can't read me all the time, can you?"

"No, I can't. You won't admit your true feelings even to yourself. You won't allow anyone to get close to you. You've closed your mind and your heart to others because you're afraid."

Reece walked toward her, his gaze locked with hers, his amber eyes hypnotizing her the way an animal often does his prey as he moves in for the kill. Elizabeth stood perfectly still-waiting-her heart racing wildly, her breathing shallow and quick. He reached out, circling the back of her neck with his big hand, drawing her forward until her lips were at his throat. She tilted her head, staring up at him, excitement and uncertainty shining in her eyes.

"Why is it that you can read other people so clearly, that you can see into other people's futures, but not mine?"

Tears formed in Elizabeth's eyes. Her bottom lip trembled as she forced herself not to cry. "I told you that I can't read your future because our futures are entwined, and I have always refused to look into my own future. You see, Reece, I have my own fears."

He brought her face closer to his, their lips almost touching. "You can get inside my head, Lizzie. You've done it before. I heard you calling my name when I was at the mo­tel and you were trying to find me. I told you where I was and how to get there, didn't I? And I realize now that all those months I stayed in jail, before and during the trial, I kept getting these odd feelings that someone was trying to talk to me, to comfort me, to let me know I wasn't alone. I thought I'd been caged for so long I was going crazy."

Tears escaped from Elizabeth's eyes, falling like life-giving raindrops. Reece kissed her eyes, kissed her tears, tasting her heart's blood. Dear God in heaven, forgive me, he thought, but I can't be strong any longer. I can't walk away from this precious gift. I'm only human.

"What am I thinking, Elizabeth?"

Sweet, tingling warmth spread through her, quickly turning to hot excitement. Desire poured from Reece's, mind, desire so intense she felt it in every cell of her body. She shivered from the power of his thoughts.

"You... you want to make love to me." Elizabeth trembled, her body softening, her legs weakening. She swayed into Reece. He covered her mouth with his, taking her with tender fury. Wanting as he had never wanted in his life. Hungry for love. Desperate to claim this woman as his own.

Reece lifted her into his arms, his lips caressing her throat. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Elizabeth gave herself up to the moment, to the destiny neither of them could deny.

Chapter 9

Carrying her into the cottage, Reece held her close, secure in his arms, as he marched straight through the living room. He kicked open the partially closed bedroom door. Elizabeth tightened her hold around his neck, a sudden sense of fear mingling with the anticipation she felt.

Reece was going to make love to her. Now!

He lowered her slowly onto the old iron bed, laying her on top of the crocheted lace bedspread. With her arms still around his neck, she beckoned him downward. He spread his legs, placing his knees on each side of her hips, towering above her, gazing down into her flushed face.

Elizabeth had never known true desire before, had never wanted a man with desperate, mindless passion. Removing his coat, Reece threw it on the floor. Her feelings frightened her, making her wonder if she was prepared to give herself to Reece, to not only abandon her body, but to place her heart and soul into his safekeeping. By his own admission, he was not a man who knew much about love. Would he use her and then discard her after she'd served her purpose?

Elizabeth looked into his eyes, focusing, trying to connect with his mind. She perceived a need and a longing so incredibly intense that her own mind reeled from the power. Whatever else Reece felt was overshadowed by his masculine need to possess, to take, to dominate.

Elizabeth's hand trembled when she reached up to touch his face. "I'm afraid, Reece. I'm so afraid."

No! his mind screamed. Don't be afraid of me. Don't deny me. Not now. I'll die if you don't let me love you.

Shuddering from head to toe, Elizabeth blinked back tears. Dear God, she'd heard his thoughts!

"I'm not going to deny you anything," she told him. "Not now or ever. I want you to make love to me. I want to become yours. But... I haven't... this is my first..."

Circling her wrists, Reece lifted her hands from around his neck and lowered them to the pillow resting above her head. She trembled, her body arching up against his.

"I want to take you right now. Hard and fast." Reece rubbed his arousal into her aching femininity. "I hurt with wanting you, Elizabeth."

Desire, fear, love and uncertainty swirled around inside her. She nodded her head in understanding, giving him permission to do with her as he would.

Tightening his hold around her wrists, he lowered his head to her breasts, nuzzling her through her sweater. When her nipples beaded, he bit them through the heavy cotton material.

"I could do anything I wanted to do to you and you couldn't stop me." Reece stared down at her, his face void of emotion. "I'm bigger than you. Stronger than you. And folks around here will tell you that I can be a mean son of a bitch. You have every reason to be afraid of me."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, only a gasping breath.

He released her hands. "But I don't want you to be afraid of me. I want you to believe me when I tell you that I'd never hurt you. I'd never do anything you didn't want me to do."

She did believe him. She knew in her heart of hearts that Reece Landry would never harm her, that despite all the pain and bitterness inside him, he wanted and needed the love only she could give him.

"I trust you," she said.

He groaned, covering her body with his, burying his face in her neck. "Ah, Lizzie, I want to wait, to take my time, to make it good for you, but I don't know if I can. I'm close to losing it right now."

"It's all right, Reece. We have all night, don't we? The first time won't be the best for me, anyway, will it? So let me do the giving this time and you do the taking. Then next time, you give to me. You can-"

He covered her lips with a hot, hungry kiss, his body moving urgently against hers. She felt his hands at her breasts, kneading her through her sweater, then lifting the garment with great haste. Trying to help him, she rose up enough to accommodate the removal of her sweater. His mouth descended, taking one nipple, sucking, savoring, tormenting, while he pinched at the other nipple with his fingertips. Elizabeth moaned into his mouth, writhing as a savage warmth unfolded deep within her.

While Reece fought with the zipper on her jeans, Elizabeth unbuttoned his shirt, spreading it away from his body. She ran her hands over his chest, loving the feel of his springy chest hair, his tight male nipples, his hard muscles, his hot flesh.

Reece brought her zipper down, then tugged on her jeans until he pulled them over her hips and down her legs. He tossed them on the floor. He removed her panties with such haste that he ripped the thin cotton lace.

All the while he removed her clothes, he kept kissing her, tasting her mouth, running his tongue over her naked body, suckling her breasts, delving into her navel. Elizabeth explored Reece from neck to waist, glorying in the joy she found in his very masculine body, covering him with hot, excited little kisses.

Reece unbuckled his belt, unzipped his jeans and jerked them off, throwing them atop Elizabeth's on the floor. She slipped her hands beneath his shirt, scoring his back with her fingernails, delving beneath the waistband of his briefs to cup his buttocks. Reece groaned, his swollen manhood pulsating against the triangle of dark curls guarding her femininity. He jerked his briefs off and kicked them onto the floor.

"I can't wait, baby. I can't wait!" Reece clenched his teeth, grabbed her hips and lifted her up, seeking and finding the heaven between her thighs.

Elizabeth clung to his shoulders, her body arching to accept his invasion, welcoming him. Reece plunged into her, hesitating when he felt her tightness; then when she clasped his buttocks and pushed him into her, he completed his possession, taking her completely. She cried out, the sound an indrawn gasp. Reece stopped, waiting for her to accept him. Nothing had ever felt this good. Nothing!

Elizabeth was his now. She belonged to him. No other man had ever known the ecstasy of her sweet body.

"I hurt you, didn't I?" Despite the winter chill that filled the house, sweat beaded across Reece's forehead and on his upper lip.

Elizabeth rose enough to kiss his chest, his neck and then his chin. "I'm fine. You're the one who's hurting. Please let me take away that hurt, Reece."

On the brink of orgasm, Reece needed no further inducement. Her words prompted him to action, his big body tense as he thrust deeper and deeper into her satiny, gripping heat. Within seconds he cried out, spilling himself into her, shuddering with release.

Elizabeth ached with need, with wanting something she had never known with a man, wanting Reece to be the first and the only one to give her pleasure. When he fell to her side, holding her against him, Elizabeth stroked him, petting his chest, his hips and his thighs.

"Thank you, Lizzie."

She snuggled against him, unable to speak, unable to do anything more than cling to Reece.

Evening shadows fell across the room. Only the dreary gray gloom of cloud-obscured light came through the windows. She could see his body, naked except for his shirt, big and hairy and muscled, his flesh a natural light olive hue. His partially erect manhood lay nestled in a bed of brown hair. She had an irresistible urge to touch him, to circle him and discover the feel of his masculinity. When she reached for him, Reece grabbed her hand, bringing it down on his stomach, trapping it beneath his own.

They lay side by side, their heads resting on the pillows. Glancing over at him, she smiled. "Reece?"

"Are you all right, Elizabeth?"

She saw the concern in his eyes, the fear. "Yes, I'm all right. It's just that I want more. I want to touch your body, to taste you. I'm aching inside, Reece."

Reece lifted himself up on one elbow. "Keep talking like that, Lizzie, and I'll be ready in a couple of minutes."

She ran her hand down his chest, stopping just a fraction above his manhood. "My breasts are so tight and heavy."

Reece looked at her large, firm breasts, noting how rigidly her nipples stood out, as if begging for his mouth. He flicked one nipple with his tongue. Elizabeth squirmed, moaning and reaching out, circling Reece.

Reece clasped her hand, covering it with his own, showing her how he liked to be touched, what movements gave him the most pleasure.

"My whole body throbs," Elizabeth said. "I have this tingling sensation down here." With her unoccupied hand she covered herself, indicating the area. "I took away your pain, Reece, now I want you to take away mine."

Reece removed his shirt, tossing it atop their other clothes on the floor, then reached up and tugged down the spread and blankets. Elizabeth lifted up as Reece pulled the covers down enough so that they could slip underneath. He slid his arm behind her back, dragging her up against him.

"Warm?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Comfortable?"

"I would be if I weren't hurting so much."

"Do you want me to take you again, right now?"

"Yes."

Reece laughed. "The first time was for me. The second time is going to be for both of us.''

Elizabeth kissed his chest. Reece shoved her slightly away from him, turning her over on her side.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He rubbed her shoulders, lifting her long hair aside to kiss her neck. "I'm making love to you, Lizzie. Slow, sweet, passionate love."

"Oh."

"Just relax, baby, and let me take you where you want to go."

He kissed and licked and caressed every inch of her back side, from her neck to the heels of her feet. Elizabeth squirmed and moaned and begged Reece to stop tormenting her, but he continued with his magic foreplay, teaching her what an incredibly sensuous woman she was. Her body, though tense with need and anticipation, became pliant in his hands, warm, quivering putty to be molded to his specifications. By the time he turned her around to face him, she was crying with her need, pleading with him to take her, to ease the agony that had built inside her.

Reece spread her legs, positioning himself between them, but he did not take her. Instead, while she clung to his shoulders, biting her nails into his muscles, he lowered his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth. She arched up off the bed, her femininity open and waiting for his possession. With every stroke of his tongue, every touch of his fingertips, Reece brought Elizabeth closer and closer to the brink.

"Please, Reece. Please..."

"You're almost ready.''

"I am ready!"

His fingers sought and found her moisture, hot and dripping with desire. "You are ready, baby. So very, very ready."

When he entered her with one swift, firm plunge, she took him into her, accepting him fully, clinging to his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his hips. She met him thrust for thrust, giving and taking in equal measure, reveling in the feel of him buried deep within her, savoring the fullness of him that made her complete.

"Ah, Lizzie... so good, baby. You're so good."

"Love me, Reece. Love me!"

He took her hard and fast then, with a frenzy she equaled with her acceptance, her raging hunger to find fulfillment. Their bodies moved in unison, to the undulating rhythm of mating. The tightness within her released, exploding shards of breathtaking pleasure through her whole body, the throbbing spasms of her climax continuing on and on until satiation claimed her. Reece followed her over the precipice, falling headlong into an earth-shattering climax, his body jerking as he jetted his release into her receptive body. He groaned with pleasure, falling on top of Elizabeth, whose own body still pulsed with the aftershocks of such a fierce loving.

He rested heavily atop her, his big body damp with sweat, even though the covers lay at their feet. Elizabeth clung to him, her own body damp from their lovemaking. She felt as if she were still a part of him, still connected. She could not bear to let him go.

Reece eased off her, cradling her in his arms, never wanting to release her, wanting to keep her at his side forever. Reaching down, he pulled the covers up and over them. He kissed Elizabeth on the forehead.

"I don't think I could bear to lose you, Lizzie. Not now." He hadn't even realized he'd spoken aloud until he heard the sound of his own voice.

Draping her arm across his stomach beneath the covers, she cuddled closer to his side. "I'm yours. Now and forever. Don't you know that, Reece?" Don't you know that I love you?

She felt his body go rigid, and knew only too well that he wasn't ready for her confession of love.

"It's all right," she told him. "I won't leave you."

They lay there together, in each other's arms, as evening turned to night. Elizabeth slept, warm, safe and content, protected in the embrace of the man she loved. Reece lay awake for a long time, thinking about his life and wondering if there was any chance that he could change. Was it possible for a hard-hearted, cold bastard like him to ever learn to love, really love, the way Elizabeth deserved to be loved?

Finally Reece allowed sleep to claim him, but even in his dreams he could not escape the fact that Elizabeth Mallory cared for him. And more than anything, yes, perhaps even more than revenge against the Stantons, he wanted to be able to return her feelings.

Elizabeth awoke to the sound of the winter wind whipping around the edge of the cottage, creating a keening whine. Opening her eyes to the morning sunlight filling the room, she glanced at the empty side of the bed and wondered where Reece was. The silence in the house chilled her far more than the frigid temperature in the room. Holding the covers around her to protect her from the cold, Elizabeth crawled over to the edge of the bed, leaned down and picked up her jeans and shirt from the floor, leaving her panties. She slid the garments under the covers and dressed as quickly as possible, then sat on the side of the bed to put on her shoes.

She glanced into the kitchen when she emerged from the bedroom. Coffee brewed in the coffee machine; two clean cups waited on the counter. When she entered the living room Elizabeth felt the warmth from the roaring fire and also a distinct chill coming from across the room. She saw that the front door stood wide open, freezing air pouring into the cottage.

Approaching the door, she noticed Reece standing on the porch, his back to her. She walked across the room and out the door, stopping just inches away from Reece.

"It's a beautiful morning,'' he said, not turning around. "But it's damned cold. Are you wearing your coat?"

Elizabeth eased up behind him, slipping her arms inside his coat and around his waist, hugging him to her. "You can keep me warm."

In an instant he whirled her around and into his arms, opening his coat to pull her up against him. She smiled at him, loving the look she saw in his eyes, those lone-wolf amber eyes that told her how glad he was to have her near.

"What time is it?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

"Probably around seven-thirty." He rubbed her back with up-and-down strokes, warming her with his touch.

"How long have you been up?" She kissed his neck.

"Not long. About twenty minutes." He nuzzled the side of her face with his nose. "I've made coffee." Reece turned her around so that they stood with her back to his chest, facing the front of the cabin. "You were right about the snow. There's less than two inches."

Elizabeth glanced at the white-glazed scenery, a light dusting of snow producing a fairyland effect on the bare trees and brush, tipping the evergreens with a thin layer of ice. The wind howled, blowing snow in every direction, creating the illusion that it was still falling from the sky. Like tiny, delicate diamonds, translucent in the sunlight, the snow danced in the wind.

"It is a beautiful morning." Turning in his arms, Elizabeth looked at Reece, absorbing the pure pleasure of being so near to him. "The most beautiful morning of my life."

He took her face in his hands, gazing into her eyes, his look pleading with her for understanding. Then he kissed her, soft, delicate, gentle kisses.

"Morning always comes, doesn't it?" She smiled at him. "I understand. No matter how magical the night might have been, today we're back to reality."

"I'm sorry, Lizzie. I wish-"

She covered his lips with her fingertips. "It's all right, Reece. I know what lies ahead of us, what we'll have to face. I suppose I just wanted a few more minutes of pretending everything is the way I want it to be."

"Come on back inside." He ushered her across the porch and into the cabin, closing the door behind them. "You're freezing, babe." He brought her cold hands up to his lips, cupping them and then blowing his warm breath over them.

"How about breakfast? Toast and some scrambled eggs?" She pulled away from him.

He caught her around the waist, pulling her up against him. "What time are you supposed to meet Sam at Gary Elkins's office this morning?"

"Ten o'clock."

Releasing Elizabeth, Reece shrugged off his coat and tossed it onto a nearby chair. "Toast, eggs and coffee sound good." Reece sat on the sofa.

"Fine. I'll go fix breakfast." She started toward the kitchen.

"Breakfast can wait." Reece glanced over his shoulder at Elizabeth, who turned and looked back at him.

"I suppose it could, but if we're both hungry, why should we wait?"

"I'd say that depends on what we're hungry for, wouldn't you?"

Elizabeth swallowed hard, wondering if she could dissolve the knot in her throat. She took several tentative steps across the room, halting directly behind the sofa.

"What are you hungry for?" she asked.

Before she knew what was happening, Reece reached out, grabbed her and pulled her over the back of the sofa and into his arms. She squealed. He sprawled out the full length of the long wicker couch, resting her body atop his.

"I'm hungry for you, Elizabeth. I didn't get enough of you during the night.''

She straddled his lean hips, pushing one of her knees into the padded sofa back and balancing the other on the edge of a seat cushion.

"I'd rather devour you first and save the eggs and toast until we've worked up a real appetite for food." Elizabeth unsnapped his jeans and released his zipper, finding him naked beneath his pants.

Reece undid her jeans and tugged them down her hips. She lifted her body up enough from him to jerk the jeans past her knees and down to her ankles. Just as she started to kick them onto the floor, Reece tumbled them both onto the heavy, braided rug in front of the fireplace.

"Reece!" Her jeans fell off her feet.

He eased his own jeans down over his hips, anchoring them at midthigh, then he pulled Elizabeth on top of him, positioning her just where he wanted her. She adjusted her knees on each side of his hips, lowering herself onto his arousal. He surged up and into her as she took him into her body.

He urged her breasts toward his mouth, taking one nipple between his teeth, nibbling, then stroking it with his tongue before suckling greedily. He allowed her to set the pace, to create the rhythm. Elizabeth took charge, building the tension higher and higher not only in herself but in Reece, allowing the primeval woman within her to dominate, to take her own pleasure as surely as she gave it to her mate.

There before the blazing fire, Elizabeth took Reece, glorying in her own feminine power and accepting the fact that he possessed equal dominion over her. When their bodies burned with a fire hotter than the one that warmed the cottage, they shattered into simultaneous releases so intense that the aftershocks rocked them again and again.

Elizabeth lay on top of Reece's sweat-damp body, exhausted from appeasing a hunger far greater than any she'd ever known. After endless moments Reece helped her to her feet and led her to the bathroom, where they shared a long shower, making love again before dressing and returning to the kitchen for breakfast.

Elizabeth waited for Sam outside the renovated nineteenth-century antebellum cottage on Main Street where Gary Elkins's office was located. She felt a bit under-dressed in her jeans, sweater and winter coat, but she'd packed light when she'd left Sequana Falls, thinking of nothing except following Reece.

At precisely ten, just as the town clock struck the hour, Sam Dundee stepped out of his rental car. Elegant in his dark suit and overcoat, Sam approached Elizabeth, giving her a quick hug.

An attractive young receptionist greeted them when they entered the office, which had been decorated by someone with excellent taste and a flair for making an office practical and at the same time pleasantly appealing. "May I help you?" The receptionist smiled at Sam and Elizabeth, her warm brown eyes revealing her genuine friendliness.

"We have an appointment with Mr. Elkins. I'm Sam Dundee." Sam assisted Elizabeth in removing her coat, then took off his overcoat and hung both items on a wooden rack near the entrance.

"Yes, sir. Mr. Elkins is expecting you." Getting up from her tidy desk, the young woman led Sam and Elizabeth toward a heavy wooden door to the right of the reception room. She knocked, then entered, announcing Mr. Elkins's ten-o'clock appointment.

Gary Elkins rose from a button-tufted hunter green leather chair, rounded his enormous antique oak desk and held out his hand to Sam.

"Won't you come in, Mr. Dundee? I'm eager to find out how you can help me prove Reece Landry innocent of B. K. Stanton's murder. You said that you were contacted by a psychic who claims she had a vision about Reece, that she believes in his innocence."

Elizabeth watched Gary Elkins as he shook hands with Sam and motioned for the two of them to sit, his gaze scanning Elizabeth quickly before he offered his hand to her.

"And is this lovely young lady the psychic you told me about?" Elkins asked.

Gary Elkins's white-blond hair was thin, his blue eyes pale and his complexion ruddy. Standing beside Sam, he looked like a kid, but then few men were as big as Sam Dundee.

"This is my niece, Elizabeth," Sam said. "She's quite involved in this situation."

"I see." Gary Elkins released Elizabeth's hand, motioned for them to be seated in the two Queen Anne wingbacks that flanked his desk, then returned to his chair.

Elizabeth felt immediate warmth, honesty and good-heartedness coming from Gary Elkins. She sensed that not only were the man's credentials as a lawyer irreproachable, he was also a decent human being. She knew that she and Sam wouldn't be putting their trust in someone who might betray Reece.

Sam glanced over at Elizabeth. Smiling, she nodded, reassuring Sam that they could confide in Gary Elkins. Sam returned the smile and the nod, then faced Reece's lawyer.

"Not only do Elizabeth and I believe that Reece Landry is innocent, but we think he was framed for his father's murder," Sam said.

Gary Elkins's eyes widened. "I see. Well, I agree with you, but I'm afraid that there's no evidence to substantiate that fact."

"I intend to uncover that evidence, Mr. Elkins." Sam leaned back in the chair, crossing his legs as he relaxed.

"Is your niece the psychic who had a vision about Reece?" Elkins glanced at Elizabeth.

"I am psychic, Mr. Elkins, but...I...I know Reece, personally," Elizabeth said. "And I know he didn't kill his father."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Elkins frowned. "I thought I'd met all of Reece's friends during the trial."

"Look, Elkins," Sam said, "what I'm about to tell you will remain confidential. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"When Landry escaped after the wreck nearly a week ago, he broke into Elizabeth's cabin in Sequana Falls-"

"He didn't break in," Elizabeth said. "The door wasn't locked."

Sam gave Elizabeth a hard stare, then turned his attention back to Reece's lawyer. "Landry was in pretty bad shape. Elizabeth nursed him back to health and the two of them became friends. He told her the facts about Stanton's murder and the trial. Elizabeth believed him, and so do I."

"Why didn't you go to the sheriff?" Elkins asked. "Why did you come to me?"

"Because Reece doesn't trust the sheriff's department, and I believe he's right in his distrust. But he wasn't sure about you, and I decided to find out for myself whether or not you were truly on Reece's side." Elizabeth scooted to the edge of her seat, clasping her knees with her open palms.

"Do you know where Reece is now?" Elkins looked directly at Elizabeth. "If you do, then I urge you to contact him and tell him to turn himself in. If the local authorities find him, they'll kill him."

Icy chills pelted Elizabeth's body. "They'll-"

"Landry isn't going to turn himself in," Sam said. "I've talked to him, tried to convince him to give us a chance to dig up some new evidence, to wait for his appeal to go through."

"Look, I don't know who you people are or why you've chosen to believe Reece, but he needs all the help he can get. So do I." Elkins slammed one hand down atop his desk.

"Dammit, the Stantons possess a great deal of power in Newell and the local sheriff knows the family wants Reece apprehended dead or alive."

The outer door swung open and a tall, slender brunette entered. "Not all the Stantons want Reece dead."

"Christina!" Elkins jumped up, rounded his desk and rushed over to the woman who'd just entered his office.

"Is this the man who has information about Reece?" Christina Stanton asked. "Is she the psychic?"

Gary Elkins slipped his arm around Christina's shoulders, closed the office door behind her and led her into the room. Sam stood, offering the woman his seat. She shook her head and turned her attention to Elizabeth.

"Chris, these people say they want to help Reece. They know where he's hiding," Elkins said.

Elizabeth held out her hand. "I'm Elizabeth Mallory."

Christina stared at Elizabeth's hand for a few seconds before accepting it in greeting. The moment Elizabeth touched Reece's half sister, she felt the woman's anguish and frustration.

"You really do want to help your brother, don't you, Ms. Stanton?" Elizabeth asked.

Looking directly at Elizabeth, Christina pulled her hand away. Her eyes glazed with tears. She nodded her head. "Yes, I do. I know my mother and brother are convinced that Reece killed Daddy, but I don't think Reece is capable of murder."

"Neither do I," Elizabeth said.

Christina glanced from Elizabeth to Sam to Gary Elkins.

"Reece broke into Ms. Mallory's cabin when he escaped after the wreck," Elkins said. "They became acquainted and she and her uncle, Mr. Dundee, want to help Reece."

"Do you know where Reece is?" Christina asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you where he is." Elizabeth sensed Christina's fear. "But I can tell you that he's all right."

"Chris, honey, please sit down." Elkins led her to the empty chair Sam had just vacated. "When I spoke to Mr. Dundee yesterday, he told me that he owns a private security agency in Atlanta and he has a great deal of experience in preventing crimes. He's a former DEA agent." Elkins glanced up at Sam. "I've got all that straight, haven't I, Mr. Dundee?"

"You've got it right." Sam sat on the edge of Gary Elkins's desk. "Ms. Stanton, what we need is another suspect, someone else who would have had motive and opportunity to kill your father."

"Oh, Mr. Dundee, my father had a lot of enemies. Personally, I think Reece's stepfather, Harry Gunn, killed Daddy. The man hated Daddy."

"Ms. Stanton, do you believe in psychic abilities?" Sam asked.

"What?"

"Elizabeth is a psychic," Sam said. "She can read the psychic energy from people."

"Are you saying she can read minds?" Gary Elkins asked.

"Sometimes." Sam stood, towering over Christina Stanton. "If Elizabeth could meet your family and others who knew your father, then she might be able to pick up on something that could help us. She might be able to clue us in on a suspect."

"This is crazy!" Gary Elkins walked between Sam and Christina, boldly glaring up at Sam. "We want to help Reece, but if you think we're going to be fooled by some charlatan act-"

"You and Christina are in love." Elizabeth stared directly at the couple. "Neither of you have had the courage to admit your feelings to the other."

Gary's mouth fell open; Christina gasped, tears springing to her eyes.

"Gary is afraid you don't find him attractive," Elizabeth said. "And, Christina, you're afraid to trust another man after what happened with your fiance."

"I don't believe this!" Elkins said.

Standing, Elizabeth walked over to Christina. Gently pushing Gary Elkins out of the way, she took Christina's hand. "The two of you will marry someday, and you'll be happy."

"Now, see here!" Elkins said.

Christina held fast to Elizabeth's hand. "No, Gary. I believe her." Christina looked up at Elizabeth. "What can I do to help you help Reece?"

Gary Elkins slumped down beside Sam on the edge of his desk.

"I want to meet your family," Elizabeth said. "Introduce me to them as a psychic who has had a vision about your father's murder and tell them that I'm convinced Reece is innocent. They mustn't know that I've met Reece, that we're personally acquainted."

"When do you want to meet my family?"

"As soon as possible."

"This evening," Christina said. "You can have dinner with us."

"Why don't you and I leave Sam and Gary to discuss what they can do, and in the meantime, you and I can become better acquainted." Elizabeth squeezed Christina's hands, then helped her stand.

Christina glanced at Gary Elkins, a weak smile trembling on her lips. "Gary, I think you and I need to have a nice, long talk very soon."

Elkins's ruddy complexion flushed a blotched pink and red. "Yes, Chris, we do."

Christina turned to Elizabeth. "Do you have your car with you, Ms. Mallory? I'm afraid I had Mother's chauffeur drop me by here.''

"Call me Elizabeth. May I call you Chris?"

"Yes, please do."

Elizabeth waved goodbye to Sam, and ushered Chris out the door.

Three hours later Elizabeth sat across the table from Chris at Calahan's, a downtown restaurant located in a restored building. Their table was on the second floor, in the non­smoking section by the windows looking down on Main Street.

In the time since they had left Gary Elkins's office Chris had given Elizabeth a tour of Newell, including a ride down Lilac Road where Reece had grown up. Elizabeth had felt an instant rapport with Christina Stanton, and had no doubts that the woman was sincere in her desire to help her brother.

Elizabeth watched Chris play with the piece of apple pie on her plate. "Are you sure it's a good idea for me to go home with you after lunch?"

"I'm sure," Chris said. "Mother had some sort of charity do at the country club, so she'll be out until around four. Kenny's at work, trying to keep things going at Stanton Industries, and finding out he can't fill Daddy's shoes."

"You want to run Stanton Industries, don't you, Chris?"

Chris turned her head sharply, staring at Elizabeth with round eyes. "How did you... I forgot, you're psychic. You really did read my mind, didn't you? You knew exactly what I was thinking."

Elizabeth wiped the corners of her mouth with the white linen napkin, then laid it on the table beside her empty des­sert dish. "Your father must have been a very old-fashioned man, one who didn't believe his daughter should be left in charge of his business."

"Daddy didn't have any problem with me working at Stanton Industries, giving me an honorary position to pacify me." Chris scissored through her piece of pie with the prongs of her fork. "But he wasn't too thrilled when I started coming up with ideas, making suggestions, actually taking my job seriously."

"I'd bet you have a degree in business. Right?"

"Can't you just read my mind?" Chris smiled.

Elizabeth picked up her coffee cup. "I only pick up on strong emotions, usually, and I try very hard not to tune in to every thought of the person I'm with."

Chris laughed. "Yes, I have an M.B.A."

"And Kenny?"

"Kenny didn't go for his M.B.A. after getting his B.S. because Daddy thought it best for him to learn to run the business by running the business."

"What happened?"

"Reece happened."

Elizabeth sipped her coffee. "Reece worked at Stanton Industries, and he and Kenny didn't get along."

"That's the understatement of the year. Reece and Kenny hated each other. Kenny was so jealous of Reece he couldn't see straight."

"Why? Because he knew Reece was your father's illegitimate son?"

"Oh, it went a lot deeper than that." Chris shoved her pie plate away from her, dropping her fork on the table, the edge hitting the plate with a clink. "Daddy was a manipulator. He deliberately pitted Reece against Kenny. He saw that Reece was smart and quick to learn, that he was hungry for acceptance and success. He used that against Reece, and against Kenny."

Elizabeth had wondered how much his inheritance would mean to Reece, how deeply his need for revenge against the Stantons ran. Once the real murderer had been found, would Reece stay on in Newell, accept his share of Stanton Industries and seek his place as a member of society? If he did, was there any hope for her to have a future with Reece? She couldn't live in Newell. She could never become a part of the world he would live in as part of the Stanton family.

"Do you think Reece would like to be in charge of Stanton Industries?"

"I'm not sure," Christina said. "I know he feels cheated by my father's unwillingness to recognize him as his son. I think Reece wanted Daddy's acceptance more than he's willing to admit."

"I understand that your father changed his will shortly before his death," Elizabeth said. "Who knew that your father left Reece one-third of his estate?"

"As far as Gary could find out, no one other than Willard Moran, our family's lawyer, knew about the new will."

"How long before his death did your father have his lawyer draw up a new will?''

"Three days."

"Reece thinks that your father asked him to your house the night he was killed because he planned to tell him about the new will."

Sighing, Christina rubbed her forehead. "Uncle Willard suggested to the sheriff that Daddy had told Reece before. . .that Reece actually killed Daddy for the money. The district attorney tried to use Uncle Willard's testimony at the trial."

"When can I meet Uncle Willard?" Elizabeth asked.

"He will be dining with us tonight. He's been very supportive ever since Daddy died. I'm not sure Mother would have survived half as well without him."

"So, I'll not only meet your mother and brother, but Uncle Willard, as well."

"And don't forget Tracy!"

How could she forget Tracy? After all, she and Reece were hiding out in the woman's parents' summer house. "You don't like your sister-in-law, do you?"

"You didn't have to read my mind to figure that out, did you?" Chris laughed.

"How did Tracy get along with your father?"

"Tracy got along better with Daddy than she does with Kenny. Daddy handpicked Tracy, you know. Old family. Old money. But Daddy didn't realize the good breeding that was supposed to come along with old families and old money was sadly lacking in our dear Tracy."

Elizabeth reached across the table, touching Chris's hand where she clutched her napkin. "Do you think a member of your family could have killed your father?"

Chris breathed deeply, letting out her breath on a long sigh. "As much as I despise Tracy, she had no motive. Kenny feared Daddy and sometimes hated him, but be also worshiped him. And Mother...well, Mother and Daddy lived separate lives. She knew he had his women, and she chose to look the other way. I suppose she hated him for it, but I doubt she would have killed him, not after all these years."

"And we know that Reece didn't kill him," Elizabeth said.

"I'm not sure how much good it will do for you to meet the family this evening."

"If I can pick up on anything, something I learn might help Reece."

"Let's go, then, and we'll see what we can find in my closet that might fit you. Mother would die if you came down to dinner wearing jeans."

Elizabeth grinned. "Thanks, Chris. I'm afraid I left Sequana Falls in such a hurry I didn't consider I'd need anything to wear other than jeans."

Chris stood, placing the straps of her bag over her shoulder. "Lunch is on me."

"I'll leave the tip."

When Elizabeth opened the driver's side door of Sam's '65 T-Bird, she saw a note lying on her seat.

"What's that?" Chris asked as she got inside the car.

Elizabeth picked up the note and opened it. A key fell out. Holding the key in her hand, she read the note silently to herself. Sam had left her the name of his motel, the room number, a key and a message to meet him after her dinner with the Stantons.

"It's from Sam."

Elizabeth started the engine and drove down Main Street. The bright sun had melted most of the snow, leaving a grimy slush along the roadside. Following Christina's instructions, Elizabeth maneuvered the car out of town and toward the highway. Glancing in her rearview mirror, Elizabeth noticed an older model Chevrolet, the paint faded, rust splotching the surface and the vinyl top ragged. The car had been behind them since they had pulled out of the parking lot at Calahan's.

Elizabeth turned left onto the highway; the Chevy followed. She couldn't make out the driver's identity, but she could tell that he was the sole occupant.

"Chris, do you know someone who drives an old, ragged blue Chevrolet?"

"Why?" Chris started to turn around.

"Don't look right now, but I think somebody's following us."

"Who would be following us?"

"I have no idea." Elizabeth speeded up just a little. The car behind her speeded up enough to keep them in sight. "Turn toward me and act as if you're talking, then catch a quick glimpse of the car behind us.''

Chris followed Elizabeth's instructions. Gasping, she jerked around quickly. "It's Harry Gunn!"

"Reece's stepfather?"

"The man is scum. No, he's worse than scum. He makes my skin crawl."

"Why would he be following us?"

"I have no idea... unless-"

"Unless what?" Elizabeth asked.

"Unless he's been following me to see if I'd lead him to Reece. He knows that I hired Gary to defend Reece, that I offered to put up bail for him before the judge denied bail. Harry Gunn knows that I'm one of the few people in Newell who believes Reece is innocent."

"So Mr. Gunn thinks if he follows you, you'll lead him to Reece, and he wants Reece handed over to the sheriff. Right?"

"Harry Gunn would like to see Reece dead." Chris pulled her shoulder bag across her stomach, holding it close to her beige wool coat. "I think Reece's stepfather killed Daddy and framed Reece. He hated Daddy even more than he hated Reece."

"I want to talk to Mr. Gunn," Elizabeth said.

"No! You mustn't. He's dangerous!" Chris clutched Elizabeth by the arm.

Elizabeth pulled the car off the road into a service station located in the middle of a minimall. Killing the engine, she opened her door. The old Chevy pulled in on the opposite side of the service station.

"Stay here," Elizabeth said. "If I can get close enough to him, I should be able to sense something. If he killed your father, maybe I can pick that up."

"Elizabeth!" Flinging open the door, Chris jumped out, following Elizabeth as she marched toward Harry Gunn's old car.

The man was slumped down in the seat, the bill of a ball cap covering his eyes. Elizabeth knocked on the window. Harry Gunn shoved the ball cap up and looked out the window at Elizabeth. Her stomach flip-flopped. The man, probably no more than his mid-fifties, appeared much older. His gray hair had thinned to baldness in the front, his complexion was sallow and a week's growth of scraggly beard covered his face.

Harry Gunn rolled down his window. "Yeah? Something I can do for you?"

Overwhelmed by the smell of liquor and stale body odor, Elizabeth stepped back, bumping into Christina.

"I don't know where Reece is," Chris said. "Stop following me or I'll call the police."

When Harry Gunn laughed, he showed a mouthful of yellowed, chipped teeth. "Go ahead and call 'em. I'll tell them you're hiding that bastard half brother of yours."

Elizabeth sensed the hatred. She felt the evil, the cruel, malevolent energy surrounding Harry Gunn. Seldom, if ever, had she felt such wickedness. She could not probe past the wickedness into Harry's thoughts.

"Reece Landry is an innocent man," Elizabeth said. "He has friends who will not allow him to pay for a crime he didn't commit."

"Who are you, sister? You don't look like any of the Stantons' highfalutin friends or any of Reece's good-time gals."

"She's my friend, and... and a psychic who had a vision about Daddy's murder. She's come to Newell to help us find the real murderer," Christina said. "She believes in Reece's innocence."

"Well, then, she's as big a fool as you are." Gunn grinned, tobacco spittle dripping from the side of his mouth. "Reece is no good. He never was. I tried my best to beat some sense into him, but all he ever gave me was trouble. He killed B.K., all right. The whole town knows it. And I'm just sorry they didn't give him the death sentence."

Harry rolled up his window, started the old Chevy's engine and backed out of the service station.

Chris grabbed Elizabeth by the arm. "Can you imagine being raised by a man like that? Reece's life must have been a living hell."

Elizabeth covered Chris's hand, patting her gently. "I believe that man is capable of anything, even murder!"

Chapter 10

Elizabeth felt uncomfortable wearing Christina Stanton's designer dress, and even more uncomfortable surrounded by the emotions of a family who despised Reece Landry. A sense of panic began growing inside Elizabeth during the formal dinner when Christina introduced her as a new friend and a psychic who had predicted she would marry Gary Elkins. Tracy and Kenny had seemed amused, Alice Stanton disgusted at the thought and Willard Moran unconcerned.

Dinner conversation had been light, inconsequential and unrevealing as far as Elizabeth was concerned. Everyone seemed curious about exactly who she was and why Christina had invited her into their home.

After-dinner coffee was served in the elegant, austere living room, where Alice Stanton sat on the gold brocade Sheraton sofa and stared at Elizabeth.

"Where do you live, Ms. Mallory?" Alice asked, her faded blue eyes shaded by half-closed lids. "Would I possibly be acquainted with any of your people?"

"Elizabeth is-" Christina said.

"I'm from a small town in the northern part of the state." Elizabeth didn't have to be psychic to sense Mrs. Stanton's snobbery or her discomfort at having an undesirable stranger in her home. "And I'm quite sure you wouldn't know anyone in my family."

"How long have you been practicing this psychic stuff?" Tracy Burton Stanton, long and lean, with huge brown eyes and a halo of strawberry blond curls, smiled at Elizabeth, who wondered how someone with such a sharp, hawk nose could turn it up with such expert ease.

Christina gasped, then glared at her sister-in-law, silently chastising her for being rude to a guest.

"I've been psychic all my life, Ms. Stanton, but my abilities became very apparent when I was about six years old." Elizabeth held the delicate china cup and saucer in her hand, wishing she had declined the offer of coffee.

"How did you and Chris meet?" Kenny sipped his coffee with the same precise movements his mother used, an almost feminine flair to his actions.

"In Gary's office," Christina said, glancing at Elizabeth for approval.'' She... Elizabeth had a vision recently. A vision about Daddy's murder."

"What?" The cup in Alice Stanton's trembling hand quivered.

Murmurs rose around the room. Kenny set his cup on a nearby table. Tracy sat up straight, her eyes widening, her face turning pale. Seated beside Alice on the sofa, Willard Moran placed his arm around her shoulders.

Overwhelmed by the whirlwind of emotions Christina's revelation had stirred up, Elizabeth gripped the arm of her Queen Anne chair and very slowly set her cup on the marble-topped mahogany coffee table. She tried desperately to sort through the myriad feelings coming from the people in the room, but the strength of their emotions collided, creating chaos in Elizabeth's mind.

Standing beside Elizabeth's chair, Christina glanced down, then leaned over and whispered, "Are you all right?"

"I can't separate their emotions. Their energies are mingled together." Elizabeth breathed deeply, willing herself under control. The bombardment began to ebb as she shielded herself.

"What sort of vision did you have about Daddy's death?" Kenny, short and squarely built like his mother, stood behind the sofa, stroking the fine brocade cloth with the tips of his perfectly manicured fingernails.

"I won't have this sacrilege in my house." Alice Stanton, her sagging, hound-dog cheeks flushing profusely, straightened her spine and shrugged off Willard Moran's comforting arm. "This psychic business is evil and I'll have none of it."

"Calm down, Alice." Tracy laughed, obviously amused at her mother-in-law's discomfort. "You're overreacting a bit, don't you think? After all, we know what happened to B.K. What could this woman-" Tracy glanced over at Elizabeth, a smug smile on her face "-possibly tell us that we don't already know?"

"Tracy's right, my dear." Grasping Alice's hand, Willard patted her tenderly. "We all know that Reece Landry killed poor B.K."

"I don't want that man's name mentioned." Jerking her hand out of Willard's, Alice entwined her fingers in a prayerlike gesture. "He's caused this family more than enough grief. And now he's running around free, possibly still in Newell."

"Don't fret so, Mother. The authorities will apprehend him, and he'll spend the rest of his life rotting in Arrendale." Kenny clutched the back of the sofa, his fingers biting into the cushion.

"Reece Landry didn't kill B. K. Stanton." Elizabeth saw, heard and felt an immediate reaction. Disbelief and fear dominated the room. Elizabeth tried to zero in on the fear. She felt it strongly, emanating from the area around the sofa where Alice Stanton sat beside Willard Moran, and Kenny stood behind them.

"Of course he did," Willard said. "Alice and I walked in on him only moments after he'd shot B.K. We discovered him kneeling over B.K.'s body. His hands were covered with blood."

Very slowly, as if she were in a trance, Elizabeth stood, her eyes slightly glazed as she stared across the room at the fireplace. "B. K. Stanton was shot twice while he was standing behind his desk in his study. I can't see the murderer, but I can see Reece Landry rushing into the room, after the shots were fired. I can see him being struck over the head and falling to his knees."

"Those are the lies he told in court!" Kenny shouted. "The man's a conniving, money-hungry bastard! He hated Daddy. He hates this whole family."

Elizabeth felt Kenny's hatred-intense, all-consuming, bitter, resentful. She also felt his fear. A little boy's fear that his father didn't love him, didn't approve of him, that another brother might prove to be the father's favorite.

"Not all of us hate Reece," Christina said. "And not all of us believe he killed Daddy."

"Is that what this is all about, Chris?" Tracy asked. "You're so determined to prove Reece innocent that you've hired some phony psychic to say that she's had a vision about who really killed B.K.? Don't you think it's odd that she can't see who the murderer is?"

"Each time I have the vision, I see more and more," Elizabeth lied, and prayed her deceit didn't show on her face.

"What do you mean, you see more and more?" Willard Moran stood, his sharp blue eyes narrowing as he glared at Elizabeth.

"I believe it is only a matter of time before the real killer's identity is revealed to me." Elizabeth sensed more fear, greater fear-a mother's fear. She glanced down at Alice Stanton. The woman was afraid Kenny had killed his father!

"That's nonsense, and no court of law would take anything you have to say under consideration." Bespectacled, ruddy-faced Willard Moran smoothed his thick white mustache with his thumb and index finger. "Reece Landry was tried and convicted and that's all there is to it. The man will be apprehended and punished."

Elizabeth focused on the Stanton family's lawyer. Finding him in complete control of his very logical mind, she prodded harder. Sensing only a determination to protect Alice Stanton, Elizabeth probed his emotions. Moran's emotions were so totally centered on his devotion to Alice that all other feelings were subdued and thus shielded from Elizabeth's search.

"You shouldn't be doing this." Alice frowned, shaking her head sadly as she stared at her daughter. "Reece Landry...killed B.K. and we all know it. You betrayed this family by hiring Gary Elkins to defend that man, and now you're so desperate to free your father's murderer that you've hired some woman to pretend she's had a vision that can prove Reece innocent."

"I haven't hired Elizabeth," Christina said. "She does possess psychic abilities and she does know that Reece is innocent."

"I will not listen to another word," Alice said, tears forming in her eyes. "I do not wish to be rude, young woman, but I want you to leave." She glanced at Elizabeth briefly, then focused on her clasped hands resting in her lap. "Immediately!"

"I'm sorry that my presence has upset you, Mrs. Stanton." Elizabeth nodded to Christina. "I'll say goodbye now."

Chris escorted Elizabeth out into the foyer, halting at the front door. "I'm sorry. I guess I was hoping-"

"Don't apologize." Elizabeth squeezed Chris's hand. "I didn't sense anyone's guilt, but I was able to shift through all the emotions whirling around tonight and conclude several things."

"Like what?" Chris asked. "Anything that can help Reece?"

"I'm not sure, but perhaps." Elizabeth wondered just how honest she should be with Chris. "Your mother is afraid Kenny killed your father."

"Oh, God! I have to admit that I've had the same doubts myself, but I still believe Harry Gunn killed Daddy. That man is an animal."

"What about Mr. Moran?"

"Uncle Willard?"

"He loves your mother. He's quite devoted to her." Elizabeth opened the front door. "He'd do anything for her. Anything."

"But why would Uncle Willard lull Daddy? He had no motive."

"Well, someone killed your father, and we know it wasn't Reece. That leaves your brother, sister-in-law, mother and Willard Moran."

"And Harry Gunn."

"Yes, Harry Gunn."

Elizabeth glanced down at the mauve silk dress she'd borrowed. "I'll have Sam return the dress to Gary Elkins's office tomorrow."

"Don't worry about the dress." Chris followed Elizabeth outside onto the front portico. "When you see Reece... tell him... well, tell him that..."

"He doesn't accept love easily, does he?" Elizabeth smiled at Reece's sister. "I think he knows you love him. It's just that he's known so little love in his life that he doesn't trust the emotion. Not in himself, and most definitely not in anyone else."

"You know Reece so well to have met him only a week ago."

Ah, but I've known him for months. "We won't give up on him, will we?" Elizabeth hugged Chris, then walked down the brick steps and toward her car.

"Your coat," Chris called out. "Did you leave it upstairs?"

"I put it in the car with my jeans and sweater before dinner." Elizabeth waved goodbye, then hurried quickly to her car, the winter wind chilling her.

Just as she grasped the door handle on the T-Bird, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Whirling around, she came face-to-face with Tracy Stanton.

"Ms. Stanton! You startled me."

"If Chris hired you, then I'll pay you double for telling me the truth."

"Chris didn't hire me." Sensing Tracy's bitterness and anger, Elizabeth braced herself against the side of Sam's antique car. "I am a psychic, and I honestly do believe that Reece Landry is innocent."

"Damn that man!"

"Why do you dislike your brother-in-law so much, Ms. Stanton?"

Tracy's shrill laughter scraped across Elizabeth's nerves. "I don't dislike Reece. As a matter of fact..."

Tension coiled inside Elizabeth like a deadly snake waiting to strike. A green snake filled with jealousy. Tracy Stanton cared about Reece. She loved him, in her own selfish way.

"You love Reece."

"You said his name as if you know him." Tracy scanned Elizabeth's face. "Is that what this is all about? You're one of Reece's women?"

"I can assure you, Ms. Stanton, that I'm not one of Reece Landry's women." Liar! Liar! Her conscience screamed at her. You've lain in his arms. You've kissed his hard mouth. You've known the pleasure of his possession.

"Then let me warn you, Elizabeth Mallory. Reece Landry is deadly to the female sex. He's the kind of man we all dream about."

When Elizabeth stared at Tracy, showing her confusion, Tracy laughed. "He's all man, if you know what I mean. I used to lie up there-" Tracy nodded toward the second floor of the Stanton mansion "-on my silk sheets and dream about what it would be like to have Reece Landry make love to me."

"Ms. Stanton, I really don't think-"

Tracy manacled Elizabeth's wrist, her sharp fingernails biting into Elizabeth's flesh. "I wish I'd known that B.K. was leaving Reece a big piece of the golden pie. I wouldn't have ended our affair so quickly. I would have chosen him instead of Kenny. Stanton Industries is what Reece has always wanted, you know."

"Either you're lying to me or to yourself," Elizabeth said, jerking free of Tracy's hold. "You never had an affair with Reece Landry. He wouldn't have sex with you. He wouldn't betray his brother."

Her brown eyes wild, Tracy glared at Elizabeth. "You really are psychic, aren't you?"

"And you're very good at lying, aren't you, Tracy? You lied to the police and you lied in court, didn't you?"

"You can't prove a thing." Tracy backed away from Elizabeth, her walk unsteady. "Uncle Willard told us that nothing you say is evidence. Isn't that what he said?"

"I feel very sorry for you, Tracy Stanton." Elizabeth opened the door and got inside her car. As she drove away, she didn't look back at either Tracy or the Stanton mansion.

Elizabeth turned her car into the parking area of the Plantation Inn, an expensive motel on the outskirts of Newell. She parked the T-Bird near the entrance. With trembling hands she opened the car door and stepped outside, her legs unsteady. The confrontation with Tracy Stanton had topped off the evening to perfection, weakening her considerably. There would be no way she could keep her condition from Sam; he would detect the symptoms immediately, having seen them in the past.

She knew he would be furious, but that couldn't be helped. She had to give Sam her impressions of the people she had met tonight, several of the most likely suspects in B. K. Stanton's murder. Although she hadn't picked up on specific guilt from anyone, the only person she had completely ruled out was Christina.

A sense of relief washed through her when she realized that Sam's room was on the ground floor. Fumbling in her purse for the key, Elizabeth heard voices coming from inside and wondered if Sam wasn't alone. Listening carefully, she realized that the voices were coming from a television newscast.

Inserting the key, she turned the lock and opened the door. The room lay in semidarkness, the only light coming from the television screen and the bathroom. She scanned the room quickly. Sam was nowhere to be seen.

"Sam," she called out, closing the door behind her.

The bathroom door opened; Reece Landry stood in the doorway.

Already weak from her ordeal with the Stantons, Elizabeth swayed, clutching at thin air as she felt her knees give way.

"Lizzie!" Reece rushed across the room, grabbing Elizabeth just as she crumbled onto the floor. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to the bed.

She stared up into his worried face, reaching for him, barely able to lift her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you." Reece laid her gently on the bed, sitting beside her, holding her hand. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." She tried to sit up, but her head began to spin. This was all her fault. She had overreacted to the venom inside the Stanton home, the riot of emotions ranging from hatred to desperation. She had tried to shield herself, but in her zealousness to discover any possible leads, she had allowed herself to become too immersed in her psychic readings.

"You're not fine. Something happened. I want to know." Reece ran his hands up and down her arms, grasping her shoulders and anchoring her to the bed.

"Where's Sam?"

"He's not here." A twinge of anger shot through Reece. Why did she need Sam? What could Dundee do for her that he couldn't? "What's wrong, Lizzie? Tell me. I want to help you."

Elizabeth smiled at Reece, recalling the numerous times she had pleaded with him to allow her to help him. Now the situation was reversed, if only temporarily. Lifting her hand, she stroked his cheek.

"I'm exhausted... from trying to read their thoughts, from trying to pick up on anything that could-"

Reece covered her lips with his fingertip. "You never should have gone home with Christina. My gut instincts told me it was dangerous. Damn, Lizzie, this is my fault. Sam tried to tell me what could happen to you."

"I'm all right, Reece. I was just trying too hard. I didn't protect myself."

"You shouldn't be in the middle of this mess. You should be home in Sequana Falls all safe and sound."

"And I will be home all safe and sound, once we find out who really killed B.K." Elizabeth tried to sit up; Reece shoved her back down on the bed.

"I don't want you to do anything except lie there and rest. Sam should be back in a few hours." Reece kissed her on the forehead, then stood. "I have to go see somebody before I go back to Spruce Pine. I want you to stay here with Sam tonight. You'll be safe."

An old Western movie came to life on the television. Blurs of vivid color danced across the screen. The beat of Hollywood-style Indian war drums echoed through the room.

"Where is Sam?"

"He's following up a lead I gave him." Elizabeth widened her eyes, questioning Reece. "I had told Sam that Tracy was Kenny's alibi and vice versa, but my bet was Tracy wasn't with Kenny when B.K. was shot. I figure she was with some guy."

"She spends more time with her lovers than with her husband, doesn't she?"

"I didn't sleep with Tracy. I told you that. I was tempted, mainly because she belonged to Kenny, and then when it came right down to it, Kenny was the reason I didn't."

"You hurt her deeply when you rejected her." Elizabeth sat up on the edge of the bed, removed her coat and tossed it on a nearby chair. "She thinks she's in love with you."

"Did you two have a nice little chat tonight?" Reece surveyed Elizabeth from the top of her head to the tips of her mauve pumps. "Where did you get those clothes?"

"Yes, Tracy and I had a nice little chat. And these clothes belong to Christina. The shoes are a little loose, but a close fit." Elizabeth kicked off the high heels. "So Sam is trying to find the guy you think Tracy was with when B.K. was shot?"

"He's already found him. He's meeting him tonight and going to try to persuade him to admit the truth."

"Sam has been very busy." Elizabeth rubbed her temples, willing the tension to subside, breathing deeply as she relaxed.

"Sam came out to the cottage this afternoon to tell me what he'd found out. He knew I'd be going nuts waiting around out there. He understood why I needed to come into Newell with him, why I needed to see you after you met Chris's family."

"I can't believe Sam let you take such a risk!"

"Sam understood, dammit! He advised me against coming, but he knows I've got to be involved in solving my own problems, that I can't sit out there in Spruce Pine while you and he take all the risks."

Standing, Elizabeth walked slowly toward the bathroom. Reece hurried to her side when she leaned against the doorpost. "Where the hell are you going?"

"I need to wash my face and get something to drink."

"Come on and sit down." Reece led her back to the bed. "I'll get you a washcloth and a glass of water."

"How does Sam think he'll be able to persuade Tracy's lover to admit she was with him the night B.K. was murdered?" Elizabeth asked, sitting down on the bed.

"By paying him to tell the truth, the same way I'm sure Tracy paid him to lie," Reece called out from the bathroom. "Sam said he'd cover the expense and I could pay him back out of my inheritance."

"By all means, you and Sam be sure to keep tabs on who owes what. You wouldn't want to be indebted to each other," Elizabeth mumbled.

"What?" Reece came out of the bathroom carrying a damp washcloth and a glass of water.

"Nothing. I was just talking to myself."

Reece set the glass on the nightstand and handed Elizabeth the washcloth. "Will you be all right here by yourself until Sam gets back?"

"Where are you going?" Elizabeth ran the washcloth over her face, savoring the feel of the cool moistness on her skin.

"B.K.'s secretary, Claire Roberts, lied under oath during the trial. When Gary questioned her about a fight Kenny and B.K. had the day B.K. died, she claimed Kenny and his father hadn't argued, that the two got along beautifully."

"Hadn't anyone else heard their argument?"

"Yeah. Me."

"So it was your word against this Claire Roberts's. Why would she have lied?"

"All I can figure is that Kenny threatened her somehow, probably threatened to fire her. I know Claire liked me.

She's a good, decent woman. If I can talk to her, I might be able to persuade her to tell the truth."

"You can't mean you're going to see her tonight!"

"She'd never admit the truth to Sam, but she just might be honest with me. It's worth a try." Taking the washcloth from Elizabeth, Reece handed her the glass of water.

Clutching the glass, Elizabeth stared at Reece. "What makes you think she won't call the sheriff the minute she sees you?"

Reaching out, Reece tilted the glass up to Elizabeth's lips. She drank several sips, then set the glass down on the nightstand. "Besides, you shouldn't be out running around all over Newell. Have you forgotten that the authorities are in the middle of a manhunt for you?"

Reece flipped off the television. "If I stay in Newell, sooner or later I'll get caught. I've got to do everything I can before that happens to find some sort of evidence to clear myself, or at least to throw suspicion on someone else."

"Let Sam do the investigating. He's an expert. And he's not an escaped convict the police can shoot on sight."

"Sam and I can do twice as much working together."

Elizabeth slid off the bed, standing in her bare feet. "Then the three of us should be able to get three times as much done, shouldn't we?"

"Stay out of this, Lizzie. You've done more than enough for me already. Look at yourself. You're wiped out. You need to rest, to steer clear of people."

Elizabeth slipped Christina Stanton's mauve pumps back on and reached for her coat. "I'll drive you to Claire Roberts's house. You can lie down in the back seat. Maybe no one will stop us."

"You're staying here."

"I'm going with you."

"Dammit, what do I have to say or do to convince you that I don't want you in danger because of me? Not only is the law apt to take potshots at me, I've got dear old Harry scouring Newell trying to find me. Sam told me that folks are laying odds that Harry finds me before the sheriff does.''

Elizabeth walked over to Reece, placed her hand in his and looked him in the eye. "I'm all right. I can't stay here, waiting and wondering. Please understand. I want to help you."

Reece brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. "What did you think of the Stantons?"

"They're all afraid of you," Elizabeth said. "Chris wants us to prove your innocence. She considers you her brother. Kenny hates you, and Tracy wants you. Alice Stanton is afraid Kenny killed his father, and Willard Moran would do anything for Alice."

"The Stantons in a nutshell." Clutching her hand, Reece brought it to his chest, holding it against his heart. "All my life I wanted to be a part of that family. I wanted everything that Bradley Kenneth Stanton had, and if we can prove my innocence, everything I ever wanted can be mine. A big house. An expensive car. Stanton Industries."

"Your revenge would be complete if you could claim your inheritance, wouldn't it?" Elizabeth knew only too well that if Reece claimed what was his and stayed in Newell, they would have no future together. She could never exist in an artificial world of power and prestige. Even if she could control her psychic abilities, she would never fit into the Stantons' wealthy life-style. And she'd found out tonight that she still didn't possess the power to completely shield herself, that other people's thoughts and emotions could harm her, even eventually destroy her.

"The sweetest revenge against Kenny and Alice, but especially old B.K. himself, would be to walk into the Stanton Industries boardroom and tell them that I'm taking over. With Chris behind me, I could do it."

"Chris would back you. She would think the family owed it to you." Elizabeth felt a sense of uneasiness, remembering how much Chris wanted the CEO job herself. What would Reece do if he realized that the job Kenny now possessed and he longed for himself was destined to belong to their sister?

"I need to talk to Claire, to see if she can help. If I can't prove my innocence, I can never claim my inheritance."

"Then let's go see Claire Roberts," Elizabeth said.

"Please stay here."

"I'll drive," she said. "You lie down in the back seat. Just give me the directions."

Within fifteen minutes Elizabeth parked Sam's '65 Thunderbird in Claire Roberts's driveway in front of her neat, redbrick house. They hadn't met another car along the tree-lined street.

"There's a light on in the front of the house and a station wagon parked under the carport." Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder at Reece, who sat up in the seat.

"You stay out here." Reece shoved up the seat on the passenger side and opened the door. "I'm not sure what kind of reception I'll get, but if I could persuade Claire to tell the truth about Kenny's fight with B.K., the sheriff might think about reopening the case."

"I'll be all right." Elizabeth tried to smile. "You do what you have to do."

"If you see anything suspicious or if the police drive by, then just back out of the driveway and ride around for a while. I don't want you-"

"Getting in trouble because of you." Elizabeth shook her head. "This conversation is getting ridiculous."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

Reece couldn't shake his guilt. Elizabeth Mallory had no business smack-dab in the middle of his problems. If the police caught her with him or found any proof that she was involved in keeping his whereabouts a secret, she was sure to be brought up on charges.

But what was a man to do with a woman like Elizabeth? He'd never known anyone like her. She was determined to help him. She had convinced herself that she was destined to save him, and the funny thing was, she'd half convinced him.

Of course, once they found out who killed B.K. and everything had been set right, she'd go back to Sequana Falls. And he would claim his inheritance.

Reece rang the doorbell. The porch light came on. Claire Roberts, short and matronly plump, eased open the door. Her expressive brown eyes widened. She clutched the storm door handle.

"I need to talk to you, Claire. Please." Reece saw the fear in her eyes and hated that she was afraid of him.

"What are you doing here, Reece? The sheriff's department, the police... everyone's looking for you." Lowering her eyes, staring down at the floor, Claire bit into her bottom lip. "You have to go. I can't talk to you."

Reece clasped the outside door handle. "I don't know why you lied in court about Kenny and B.K.'s argument, but I need you to tell the truth. I know you don't want to see me spend the rest of my life in prison for a crime I didn't commit."

"Oh, Reece, I'm so sorry. I... I..." Tears welled up in Claire's eyes.

"Did Kenny threaten you?" He shouldn't be feeling sorry for Claire, considering that her testimony at the trial proved him to be a liar, but he knew she was a good person.

Claire unlocked the storm door, opening it slowly. "I had no idea that my testimony would hurt your case. Kenny said that he wanted to protect his family, his mother in particular, from any more sordid news coverage. He said.. .he was under no obligation to keep me on as his secretary when he took over the reins at Stanton Industries."

"He threatened to fire you?" Reece glanced around, wondering how long he could stand on Claire's porch without one of her neighbors noticing.

"I have two daughters in college. I've raised them all on my own since my divorce when they were small. I have to have a job."

"Claire, could we talk inside?" Reece asked.

"What? Oh, yes, Reece, come in. I'm sorry that I lied, but I did what I felt I had to do.''

Claire opened the door and allowed Reece inside her house. He closed the door behind him.

"Your older daughter is attending college on a Stanton scholarship, isn't she?" Reece wondered how many Stanton employees' sons and daughters had been awarded a full-tuition scholarship paid for by Stanton Industries. He'd been B. K. Stanton's son, but he'd put himself through school.

"Kenny could have taken away Shelly's scholarship and could have seen to it that Lauren didn't get one. He made himself very clear when he told me that he didn't want anyone to know about the argument he'd had with his father.''

"Claire, I understand the predicament you were in, and I can't really blame you, but... I need your help.'' Reece stood in the living room, only a couple of feet away from the front door. He didn't want to push his way into Claire's home. He didn't want to frighten her.

"I know you didn't kill Mr. Stanton," Claire said. "In the years I worked with you at Stanton Industries, I had a chance to see what sort of man you are. You aren't a murderer. But then, neither is Kenny."

"I'm not asking you to accuse Kenny of murder," Reece said. "All I'm asking is that you tell the truth."

"Kenny warned me only this morning about keeping quiet." Claire clasped her hands together. "He's out of his mind with worry since you escaped."

"Kenny won't be calling the shots at Stanton Industries if I'm proven innocent of B.K.'s murder. Christina and I will have the majority shares. We'll make sure your job is protected and your daughter's scholarship."

"Hearing you put things like that makes me so ashamed." Claire wiped the tears from her face with her hand. "I knew I should have told the truth. I wanted to go to your lawyer and tell him what I'd done after the trial, but I was so afraid."

Reece took Claire by the shoulders. She stared at him, wringing her hands, her chin quivering. "Will you go to the sheriff tomorrow and tell him the truth?"

"I...I..."

They both heard the car pull into the driveway. Reece released his hold on Claire's shoulders. "Are you expecting someone?"

"No, I..." Claire eased back the sheer curtains over the picture window and peered outside. "Oh, my goodness, it's Kenny. He just got out of his car, and he's talking to some woman."

Every nerve in Reece's body tensed. Some woman. Hell, the woman had to be Elizabeth.

"What's he doing here?" Claire trembled, her hand clutching the sheer curtains.

"He's checking up on you. Making sure you keep your mouth shut."

"Who's the woman with Kenny?"

"She's not with Kenny. She's with me. She drove me over here to see you tonight."

"Oh, dear. How will she ever explain being at my house?"

Standing directly behind Claire, Reece glanced out the window. Elizabeth stood beside Sam's T-Bird. He heard her voice, loud and strong and clear.

"Well, hello, Mr. Stanton. What are you doing here?"

"Ms. Mallory, our visiting psychic." Kenny surveyed Elizabeth from head to toe. "I'm here on business, to pick up some papers from my secretary. What are you doing here? I wasn't aware that you were acquainted with Claire Roberts."

"I'm not acquainted with Mrs. Roberts." Elizabeth glanced toward the house, hoping Reece was aware of Kenny's arrival. "I had another vision. One that involved the woman who lives here."

"What sort of vision?" Kenny asked.

"A vision of a terrible argument between you and your father. Mrs. Roberts witnessed the argument. I came here to question her about my vision, and find out what she knows."

Even in the darkness, Elizabeth saw Kenny's face collapse, but she couldn't help admiring his control. He didn't move a muscle.

In her peripheral vision Elizabeth noticed the front door of Mrs. Roberts's house open. Surely Reece wouldn't be foolish enough to walk outside at this precise moment.

"Mr. Stanton, is that you?" Claire Roberts stood on her porch, staring out at the two people in her driveway.

"Yes, Claire, it's me." Turning around, Kenny faced Claire. "I've stopped by to pick up those papers I need for tomorrow morning's meeting, but it seems I'm not your only visitor."

"Who's that with you?"

"Elizabeth Mallory, some young woman who claims to be a psychic and says she's had visions about B.K.'s death. Christina brought her to the house for dinner tonight."

"Why did you bring her here with you?"

"I didn't," Kenny said. "She was here when I arrived."

"I see. Well, I'm afraid those papers you want aren't ready yet. Perhaps if you can come back in an hour."

Kenny walked up the sidewalk, stopping at the bottom of the front steps. "I'll just come inside and wait for you to finish up with that report if you don't mind, Claire. There's no need for me to drive all the way back home, is there?"

"I'd like to speak to you tonight, Mrs. Roberts." Elizabeth rushed over, stepping in front of Kenny. Reece had to be inside the house, and undoubtedly Claire Roberts had no intention of telling Kenny. Did that mean Reece had persuaded B.K.'s secretary to tell the police the truth, to admit that she had lied under oath?

"Couldn't this wait until tomorrow, Ms. Mallory?" Kenny glared at Elizabeth, his round, full face slightly flushed.

"It's all right," Claire said. "Why don't you both come on in."

Once inside the house, Elizabeth glanced around the living room, wondering if Reece had exited through a back door or if he was hiding in another room. She could tell that Claire Roberts was nervous simply by the hesitant way she walked, the way she kept wringing her hands, the way she repeatedly glanced toward the darkened hallway.

Reece was at the end of that hallway, impatiently waiting. Elizabeth sensed his unease. She tried to reassure him by sending him a telepathic message, hoping he would open his mind to hers. She could almost hear him saying, "Be careful, Lizzie. Be careful."

"I really won't take up too much of your time," Elizabeth said. "like Mr. Stanton told you, I'm a psychic, and I've had several visions concerning B. K. Stanton's death. I am convinced that Reece Landry is an innocent man."

"I agree," Claire said. "I've never, not for one moment, thought Reece capable of murder."

"Who are we to say?" Kenny balled his meaty hands into tight fists. "After all, Reece was convicted of Daddy's murder. He was the only real suspect. The only one with a motive. Everyone knew he hated Daddy, that he hated our family."

Ignoring Kenny, Elizabeth turned all her attention on Claire. "You were present when B. K. Stanton and Kenny had a terrible argument the day Mr. Stanton was killed, weren't you?"

"How did you-" Claire gasped.

"This is utter nonsense!" Kenny's baritone voice sounded overly shrill in the stillness of Claire Roberts's living room. "Don't say another word, Claire."

Elizabeth glanced at Kenny. "By threatening Mrs. Roberts, you make it appear that you have something to hide."

"Why the hell did you have to show up?" Kenny's hound dog cheeks, so similar to his mother's, sagged. His thin lips drooped at the corners. "Everything is as it should be. Reece Landry is a worthless bastard. He hated Daddy."

"But he didn't kill him." Elizabeth's voice was a mere whisper, but the conviction of her words filled the room.

"Yes, he did!" Glaring at Elizabeth, Kenny walked toward her slowly. "Landry killed Daddy. He killed him!"

"You may hate your brother, Mr. Stanton, but you know he wouldn't have been the only suspect if your family hadn't bribed and threatened witnesses to keep quiet. Somehow you persuaded Mrs. Roberts to lie about an argument you had with your father." Elizabeth sensed the fear and anger building to a boiling point within Kenny Stanton. "You... you threatened to kill your father that day, didn't you?" Elizabeth was as shocked by the realization as Kenny was by her pronouncement. The memory had been crystal clear in Kenny's mind.

"He might have threatened to kill his father," Claire said, "but he didn't any more kill Mr. Stanton than Reece did."

"No, you mustn't!" Kenny's eyes glazed over, his vision unfocused as he stared off into space. "We've always been good to you, Claire. Why would you betray us?"

"I'm not betraying anyone anymore." Claire slumped down on the sofa. "I lied in that courtroom because I was afraid, but I can't keep quiet any longer if I can help Reece by telling the truth."

"What are you saying?" Kenny staggered about as if he were drunk.

"I'm going to the sheriff in the morning and tell him what I did."

"You can't!" Kenny turned quickly, his eyes fixed on Elizabeth. "This is all your fault. You and your damned visions. No one is going to do anything to help Reece. I won't allow it. Do you hear me? I won't allow it!"

"Did you kill your father?" Elizabeth backed away from Kenny, slowly but surely easing toward the front door.

"Did I... Is that what this is all about?" Kenny opened his clenched fists, then reclosed them. "Is that what your crazy visions showed you? That I killed Daddy?"

"Mr. Stanton.. .Kenny..." Easing herself up off the sofa, Claire held out her hand. "No one is accusing you of anything."

"She is!" Kenny pointed at Elizabeth. "You're no psychic. You haven't had any visions. You're in this with Reece, aren't you? You're just another stupid woman who fell for his tough-guy image, aren't you?"

Sensing Kenny's deep frustration, Elizabeth backed up against the door, uncertain how close he was to losing control. "You're talking about your wife, aren't you? Reece Landry didn't have an affair with Tracy, despite what you may think or what she might have said. Don't let your jealousy blind you to the truth about your brother."

"That man is not my brother." Kenny reached out for Elizabeth, grabbing her by the shoulders, jerking her forward. "You're as big a fool as every other woman I know when it comes to Reece Landry, but you've made a big mistake trying to help a convicted murderer." Grabbing Elizabeth around the waist with one fleshy hand, Kenny circled her neck with his other hand, pressing his fingers against her windpipe.

"If the police don't catch Landry, then Harry Gunn will," Kenny said. "And that old man's crazy enough to kill anyone who gets in his way. You know how crazy he is? He's been taking turns following Chris and then Tracy all around Newell. Ever since he heard Reece was back in town, he figured Chris or Tracy would lead him to Reece."

"Kenny, please let Ms. Mallory go." Claire took a tentative step forward. "She may want to help Reece, but that doesn't mean she wants to harm you."

Kenny tightened his hold on Elizabeth, his fingers biting into her neck. She tried not to panic, but she felt Kenny's desperation, all his pain focused on her because she was Reece Landry's woman.

"Kenny, please..." Elizabeth said. She knew what was going to happen, and wished she could prevent the inevitable. Reece would never allow Kenny to harm her. At this precise moment she sensed Reece preparing himself to attack. And when he did-

"I was Daddy's only son," Kenny said. "Everything was mine. Daddy, Stanton Industries and Tracy. Then Reece came along."

"I know how difficult it must have been for you, but surely you realize that your father played you and Reece against each other for his own perverse reasons. You mustn't blame Reece-"

Kenny roared with laughter, the laughter of a man on the edge of a breakdown. "Don't blame Reece for sleeping with my wife, for taking my father away from me, for stealing part of my inheritance." Kenny shoved Elizabeth up against the wall. "When I found out about Tracy and Reece, I should have killed her. I should have killed them both."

Kenny's fingers closed around Elizabeth's throat, choking her. She grabbed at his shoulders, shoving him, at the same time kicking his leg. If only Reece would stay put, she could handle this situation. Kenny didn't have a weapon, and she felt certain she was strong enough to fight him off.

Just as she raised her leg, aiming directly for Kenny's groin, he released her. Reece jerked Kenny away from Elizabeth, tossing him to the floor as easily as he would have thrown a pillow. Kenny glared up at his brother, pure hatred in his eyes. Elizabeth slumped against the wall, coughing several times, then gulping in air.

"You slimy little son of a bitch!" Reece stared at Kenny, at his father's firstborn, at the soft, pampered, weak and spoiled heir to the throne.

Lying flat on his back on the floor, Kenny looked toward Elizabeth. "I was right, wasn't I? You're just one more of Reece Landry's conquests." Then Kenny grinned as he stared up at Reece. "What's the matter, Landry? You don't want me to touch your woman? That's not fair, is it, since you've done a lot more than touch my wife?"

Reece, his legs spread apart, clenched his hands open and closed as he stood over his brother, wanting more than anything to beat the hell out of Bradley Kenneth Stanton, Jr. "You're too blinded by hate to see the truth. God, I feel sorry for you. To think I envied you all my life."

Elizabeth grabbed Reece by the sleeve of his jacket. "Don't do what you're thinking. He's not worth it."

"You'd better listen to your lady friend," Kenny said, shoving himself up into a sitting position. "Unless you intend to kill me and Claire both. After all, she'd be a witness to my murder."

Elizabeth tugged on Reece's sleeve. He glanced at her quickly, exchanging a brief message of understanding, then looked back down at Kenny. "Claire is going to tell the sheriff the truth about your fight with B.K.," Reece said. "And the man Tracy was with when B.K. was killed is going to blow your alibi, so, big brother, you'd better be prepared to do some explaining."

"You think you're so damned smart, don't you?" Kenny's mouth widened into a self-satisfied smirk. "Well, I didn't kill Daddy. And Claire isn't going to tell the sheriff anything, and neither is that muscle-bound twenty-year-old Tracy was screwing the night you murdered Daddy."

Elizabeth saw Claire pick up from the end table a heavy brass flower vase filled with an arrangement of silk roses. Elizabeth glanced at Reece, and knew he was aware of Claire's movements.

"The Stantons own this town," Kenny said. "We make the rules. Nobody goes against a Stanton and wins. You should know that, Landry."

Claire Roberts walked up behind Kenny, who sat on the floor smiling at Reece and Elizabeth, a cocky glint in his eyes. Lifting the large brass vase, Claire brought it down on top of Kenny's head. He fell sideways, unconscious. The brass vase thumped silently onto the floor; the peach silk roses scattered across the sea of blue carpet.

Claire knelt beside Kenny, feeling for a pulse. "He's fine. I just knocked him out."

"You most certainly did," Elizabeth said, slightly stunned by the other woman's actions.

"Reece, you have to get away as fast as you can," Claire said. "I'll have to call the police before Kenny comes to, but I'll wait as long as I can to give you a head start."

"Claire?" Reece stared at B. K. Stanton's secretary.

"I'll tell the police everything. The truth about Kenny's quarrel with his father, the fact that he threatened to kill B.K. And... and I'll tell them that you were here tonight. I'm through with lying. For Kenny or for you."

"That's fair enough," Reece said. "Thank you, Claire."

"Go on. Get out of here." Bracing her hand on a recliner at her side, Claire lifted herself up from the floor.

Slipping his arm around Elizabeth, Reece led her out the front door and to Sam's T-Bird.

"Get in the back and lie down," Elizabeth told him. "I'll drive us to Spruce Pine as quickly as possible."

Reece opened the car door. "We need to talk to Sam before we go back to the cottage. He should know what happened here, that Kenny's going to tell the police you're helping me. And I need to find out if Sam was able to persuade Tracy's lover to admit the truth."

"It's too dangerous to go to Sam's motel. Once Kenny comes to-"

"We're going to the motel," Reece said. "And Sam's going to get you out of Newell as fast as he can." "No! I won't go. I won't leave you." "Dammit, Lizzie. This time you'll do what I tell you to do."

Chapter 11

"Dammit, what a mess." Sam Dundee paced back and forth at the foot of the bed in his motel room. "You should turn yourself in, Reece. Tonight."

"I don't know," Reece said. "My gut instincts tell me that now isn't the time, that we aren't any closer to finding the real killer."

"Look, you've got Claire Roberts willing to admit that she lied under oath because Kenny Stanton threatened her, and I persuaded Neil Colburn to tell the police that Tracy Stanton paid him to keep quiet about being with her when your father was murdered. That shoots holes in Kenny's alibi."

"We have no proof that Kenny killed B.K.," Reece said. "If I turn myself in, they'll pack me off to Arrendale, and appeal or no appeal, my chances of ever being set free are slim if we can't prove who really shot B.K."

"The real murderer is going to reveal himself or herself." Elizabeth's gaze softened when she looked at Reece. If only he would allow her to comfort him. No matter how close he let her get, he kept a barrier between them-a barrier of fear and distrust.

"Is that a psychic prediction or just a wild guess?" Reece knew he wasn't being fair to Elizabeth, but, dammit all, he'd had just about enough. He didn't know how much longer he could withstand the temptation to lower his guard completely, to let Elizabeth inside his head and inside his heart. He'd be a fool to keep her with him; she'd be an even bigger fool to stay.

"Neither prediction nor guess." Elizabeth swallowed the tears trapped in her throat. Even knowing where Reece's anger and bitterness came from, she couldn't keep herself from being hurt by his words. "Whoever killed B.K. knows you're innocent, and he or she will soon know that I'm helping you and I've claimed to have a psychic vision of the murder. I don't think they'll wait too long before they make their move."

"She's right," Sam said. "If the real murderer finds you and Elizabeth, he'll do whatever it takes to silence both of you."

"Don't you think I know that." Reece narrowed his eyes, giving Sam a hard look. "I want you to get Elizabeth out of Newell as fast as you can. Tonight, if possible."

"I would agree with you, except for one small problem you've overlooked," Sam said. "The sheriff will be looking for Elizabeth as soon as Kenny Stanton tells them that she's aiding and abetting you. There's no way I can get her out of Newell once that happens."

"What the hell are we going to do?" Reece hated the thought of Elizabeth being in trouble with the law because of him.

"Turn yourself in tonight." Sam nodded toward the telephone. "Call Gary Elkins and tell him to meet you at the sheriff's office. I'll go with you and Elizabeth, and we'll see if we can hoodoo them into believing that Elizabeth isn't involved, that Kenny Stanton is lying."

"I'm not ready to give up my freedom." Reece couldn't bring himself to put his life in anyone else's hands. Not Gary Elkins's or Sam Dundee's. Not even Elizabeth's.

"Wherever you go, whatever you do, I'm going with you." Elizabeth walked over to Reece, clasping his arm in her strong grip.

Reece jerked away from her. "Don't be a fool, Lizzie. You've done everything you can do for me. I don't want you following me around like some lovesick puppy. Just because I'm the first man you ever-"

"Shut the hell up!" Sam bellowed, punching Reece in the chest with his index finger.

Elizabeth placed her hand on Sam's shoulder. "It's all right, Sam. Reece's bark is a lot worse than his bite. He's tried this tactic before and it didn't work. Obviously he doesn't learn from his mistakes."

"Obviously," Sam said.

"How you've been able to put up with her all these years, Dundee, I'll never know." Grinning sheepishly, Reece shook his head. "You can't tell her anything. She knows too damn much. She can look through a guy like he's made of glass. And no matter what you say to her or do to her, she just keeps on caring."

"That's called love and loyalty." Sam placed his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders. "A couple of qualities that were obviously missing in your life, Landry."

"Yeah, so it would seem."

"If you don't intend to turn yourself in tonight, then I suggest that you and Elizabeth go back to Spruce Pine for the time being," Sam said. "If you don't get out of Newell pretty quick, you'll be trapped here."

"You want Elizabeth to go with me?" Reece asked. "I thought you, of all people, would see how dangerous her being with me is."

"I've known since the day she called and told me she was hiding you in her cabin that she was in danger because of you. But she didn't listen to my warnings then. And now it's too late to take her away from you."

"Keep her here. Take her to the police. Make them believe that Kenny's lying, that her only involvement with me is through her visions."

"That won't work," Elizabeth said. "Claire Roberts will tell the sheriff the truth. Besides, Sam is right. I won't leave you. He believes me when I say that somehow, some way, I'm the only person who can save you."

"How?" Reece asked. "By having the real killer come after you?"

"Perhaps. I'm not sure."

"Time's a-wasting," Sam said. "You two go back to Spruce Pine. In the morning Gary Elkins and I will meet y'all at the Burtons' cottage. Be prepared to turn yourself in to the sheriff, Landry, or be a hundred miles away from here."

"I don't like ultimatums."

"And I don't like Elizabeth's life being in danger."

"All right," Reece agreed. "You get in touch with Gary. Give him all the information we've uncovered, and meet us at the cottage first thing in the morning. That will give me all night to sort through things, to decide what to do."

"If you leave, don't take Elizabeth with you."

"She'll be waiting for you at the cottage, whether I'm there or not."

"Hold on just one minute," Elizabeth said. "Nobody's making any decisions for me."

Reece grabbed Elizabeth's arm. "If I run, Lizzie, I'll be running for the rest of my life, and you won't be going with me."

Elizabeth wanted to protest, to tell Reece that she didn't care where he went, she was going with him. But she realized that Reece was right. If he didn't trust her enough to accept her help, to believe that Sam and Gary Elkins and Chris Stanton were all on his side, then there was no hope for Reece and her. She couldn't force Reece to trust her or to love her. There was no way she could reach his mind or his heart if he continued denying her entrance.

Elizabeth turned to Sam, pulling free of Reece's hold on her arm. "I'll be waiting for you in the morning. We'll go to the sheriff and tell him everything. The complete truth. And then I'll face the consequences of my actions."

Sam hugged Elizabeth. "Ah, kiddo, why did you have to grow up?"

"He'll do the right thing," Elizabeth whispered to Sam. "I have to believe that he'll decide he can trust us."

"If you're going with me, let's go." Reece swung open the motel-room door.

Elizabeth followed him outside. A slow, steady drizzle fell from the sky. Raindrops pelted her face as she stood gazing out into the dark night.

"Please, dear Lord, please take care of Reece," Elizabeth prayed silently. "Set him free. Give him the peace he's never known."

When Reece prodded her to move, she turned to him, staring into his hard, lone-wolf eyes. He had shut her out. Not one sign of emotion showed on his face.

Elizabeth stepped out of the shower, dried herself off quickly and slipped into clean panties, jeans and a sweater. After towel-drying her long hair, she combed it away from her face. A weariness she had seldom experienced encompassed her, a bone-tired weariness, a heartsick weariness.

In less than a week her whole world had turned upside down, thanks to Reece Landry, thanks to her own obsession with saving him-saving him not only from a wrongful conviction but from a life that had almost destroyed him.

No matter how hard she tried to get through to him, he would allow her only so close and no closer. He had made love to her with a passion she'd never known existed, but he had given only a portion of himself to her, holding in reserve his heart, not trusting anyone enough to share his soul.

Elizabeth felt as if she had lost control of her life, of her thoughts, of her emotions. Reece Landry had become her whole world. She had become so wrapped up in helping him that she'd lost herself.

Elizabeth opened the door to the bedroom she had shared with Reece only last night. It might as well have been a million nights ago. He had been so cold and distant since their return to the cottage. She had no idea where he was. Outside, in the living room or in an upstairs bedroom. Of course, she understood that he, too, had some soul-searching to do. Would he be able to put his trust in others, to accept the advice of his lawyer?

Sitting down at the antique dressing table, Elizabeth ran a comb through her damp hair. She glanced into the mirror, seeing her own image, the wide blue eyes, the mane of dark wet hair, the sad expression she could not banish.

Laying down the comb, she closed her eyes, extinguishing her own image, closing out the world. She hadn't meditated in several days. At home in Sequana Falls, daily meditation was a part of her life, helping her center her energy and focus her abilities. Aunt Margaret had taught her that meditation was the only way she would ever learn to control the great talent with which she had been blessed, the only way her soul could derive true peace.

The day would come when she would be able to shield herself, to protect herself from the psychic energy of others. Aunt Margaret had explained how many years it had taken her to reach a point of self-protection, where she could, at will, block out the bombardment of the energy others emitted.

Elizabeth repeated the word angel, using it as her mantra, seeking sanctuary and inner peace in her prayerlike state of meditation.

"An-gel. An-gel. An-gel." As she chanted, her voice became a low whisper, her mind gradually clearing as utter calmness encompassed her.

Reece eased open the bedroom door, stopping dead still when he saw Elizabeth sitting at the dressing table, her eyes shut, her lips moving repeatedly as she whispered a single word. Angel.

What the hell was she doing, his loyal, loving little witch? Casting a spell? Going into a trance? Calling on the heavenly hosts to come to their aid?

The best he could make out, she was praying or something along those lines. He couldn't remember a time since he was a kid that he'd prayed, that he'd asked for someone else's help. He'd begged and pleaded for someone-anyone-to save his mother and him from Harry Gunn. He supposed, in a way, God had answered his prayers, but he had taken his own sweet time doing it. Blanche's death had freed her from Harry; Reece's physical strength had emancipated him from his stepfather's brutality.

Even knowing he was witnessing a private moment in Elizabeth's life, one he had no right to share, he could not turn and walk away. He couldn't stop staring at her, listening to her, absorbing some of the radiant peace she emanated, like a deep spring bubbling forth pure, clean water. A warmth spread through his body, accompanied by a calmness he had never known.

What was happening to him? he wondered. Was Elizabeth delving into his mind? Was she manipulating his emotions?

She looked so serene sitting there at perfect peace with herself and with the world around her. She was offering that same peace to him. Did he dare believe in its existence? And if he did believe, did he have the courage to accept her precious gift?

He wasn't sure how long he stood in the doorway, transfixed by Elizabeth's beauty, both physical and spiritual. Perhaps it was only minutes. Perhaps longer.

Complete quiet settled over the room. Elizabeth opened her eyes and turned slowly toward Reece. He saw that she started to lift her hand to him, but stopped abruptly.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

"Don't you know?"

"Yes, I know, but do you?"

"I don't think I'm ready to accept what you're offering me." Reece walked into the room, his gaze fixed on Elizabeth. "I want to trust you completely. I want to believe that my life can be... That I can put the past behind me. All the anger and pain and hatred. But I can't."

"You don't want to let go of the emotions that have dominated your life." Elizabeth turned all the way around on the velvet bench. "You're afraid of the unknown. Of trust and loyalty and love."

Reece sat on the edge of the bed. Raking his hand down his face, he wiped his mouth. "You want me to turn myself in, don't you? You want me to hand myself over to the sheriff and trust you and Sam and Gary and Chris to save me."

She smiled at Reece. Tears gathered in her eyes, obscuring her vision. "I know it's difficult for you to accept the fact that there are people who care about you, but-"

"I didn't ask anybody to care about me." Bent over, his hands clasped together between his spread knees, Reece stared at the floor. "I didn't ask you to help me and I didn't ask you to care about me."

Such anger! Elizabeth felt the resurgence of hostile emotions growing inside Reece. He was fighting an inner battle, yearning for something he didn't quite believe in, afraid to relinquish his hold on the old demons that had haunted his life since childhood-the familiarity of their ugly but constant presence the only thing he'd ever been able to count on.

"What if you allowed me to see into your future? If I could promise you that B.K.'s real murderer would be brought to justice and you would be cleared of all charges, would you trust me and the others who want to help you?"

Jerking his head up, Reece stared at her, his amber eyes gleaming with uncertainty. "I thought you said that you couldn't see my future, that our futures were entwined and you would never look into your own future."

"If it's the only way to help you, then I'm willing to try." Elizabeth stood.

Reece glared at her. "No. Don't do it, Lizzie. Don't break one of your sacred rules for me. I've taken enough from you as it is."

Elizabeth walked across the room, knelt in front of Reece and laid her head on his knee. "You're afraid of the future. Even if you're cleared of B.K.'s murder and claim your inheritance, you won't be free. You'll stay in Newell, you'll take over Stanton Industries, you'll avenge yourself against Kenny and Alice and even Chris. But nothing you do will ever change the past. B. K. Stanton is dead. You can't hurt him. Blanche is dead. You can't help her."

Reece stroked Elizabeth's head, threading his fingers through her damp, silky hair. "How the hell can you know me so well? You say that I shield myself from you and yet you seem to see inside my head."

Tears burned in her eyes. A warm, tingling flush of pain spread through her. "It doesn't take a psychic to figure you out." Turning her face just a fraction, she looked up at him. All it takes is a woman who cares about you, Elizabeth thought.

Reece's breath caught in his chest, creating an agonized constriction. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Radiant and warm. Tender and caring. He wanted her in a way he'd never thought it possible to want another human being. Not only did he want to possess her body, to make love to her until he was spent, he wanted to cherish all that she was-the goodness that made Elizabeth Mallory unique in a world of lesser women. He wanted to protect her from every harm, to ease her pain, to see her smile, to hear her laugh.

He wanted her to open her arms to him, to call his name, to bring him out of the darkness in which he existed into the warm, pure light of her life.

The truth hit him full force, like a lightning bolt out of the blue. A truth he knew only too well. A truth he had allowed himself to momentarily forget.

Reece placed his hands at Elizabeth's waist, helping her to her feet as he stood, then shoving her gently away from him. Why had he, for one minute, thought he was good enough for Elizabeth? What could he offer her? Nothing. Absolutely nothing she wanted or needed. Right now, as an escaped convict on the run, he offered her danger and uncertainty. If and when he was cleared of B.K.'s murder and could offer her the wealth and power his inheritance would afford him, he could offer her anything money could buy. But Elizabeth would not want material things; she would want his love.

They stared at each other, lone-wolf amber mating briefly with angelic blue innocence. Elizabeth knew he was going to leave her, that no matter how much his soul longed for all she offered him, his inner demons demanded a battle to the death.

He walked away, halting briefly to turn partially toward her as he neared the doorway. "I'll sleep in one of the upstairs bedrooms tonight."

"Yes. I understand."

"Whatever I decide... I want you to know how grateful I am for all your help. I probably owe you my life. I'll never forget-"

"It's all right, Reece. You don't have to thank me. I did only what I wanted to do-what I had to do." But I've failed, haven't I? Even if we can save you from prison, will I be able to save you from yourself?

Reece had no idea what time it was, how close to midnight, how close to dawn. All he knew was that he hadn't been able to sleep, that he had spent what seemed like endless hours fighting the demons in his soul. How did a man who had spent his life taking care of himself, never trusting or counting on anyone else, give in to the weakness of putting himself in someone else's care?

Was that his problem? Reece wondered. Did he see trust and caring as weaknesses? Why couldn't he consider them strengths? After all, it would take far more courage for him to willingly turn himself over to the sheriff and put his trust in others than it would to keep on running.

He slipped into his jeans, zipping them but leaving them unsnapped. The chill in the upstairs bedroom cautioned him against walking around bare chested. Lifting his shirt from the foot of the bed, he put it on and walked out into the hall. The cottage was pitch-black, including the stairway, except for the shimmering stream of moonlight flowing through the glass panes of the French door that separated the tiny foyer from the front porch.

Reece made his way down the stairs, his booted feet creating a soft, steady beat against the wooden steps. There was no point in his turning and tossing the rest of the night. What he needed was a shot of whiskey if he could find some in the house, and knowing Tracy's tastes, he figured the liquor cabinet in the living room was stocked.

The living room lay in darkness, the moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains, forming soft, wavy shadows across the floor. Low, golden-crowned orange flames danced atop disintegrating logs in the fireplace. A hushed stillness, the winter peace of nature, the blessed quiet of aloneness permeated the room like a giant sponge that had soaked up a wellspring of tranquillity.

He felt her presence before he saw her. The very idea of sensing Elizabeth without seeing her sent shock waves through Reece. Before he'd met her, he hadn't believed in much of anything, certainly not in anything he couldn't experience with his five senses. But since coming under her spell, he had learned to believe. He had learned to trust. He had learned to care. He didn't know exactly how she'd done it, but Elizabeth Mallory had begun to perform a miracle inside him. A half-formed miracle-incomplete, but the beginning was there.

He stood in the arched opening leading from the foyer to the living room. His heart beat steadily. He heard its thumping rhythm pounding in his ears.

And then he felt Elizabeth's loneliness, the deep sadness that filled her heart. Her quiet, gulping sobs blasted like trumpets when he heard them. She was crying for him. Crying because he could not cry, just as she had done before, the day they had stood on her back porch in Sequana Falls and he had shared a part of his past with her.

He crept into the room with silent steps, wanting to be nearer yet afraid to confront what he knew he would face once he'd touched her. She sat curled up in the white wicker rocker by one of the windows, a flowered afghan draped around her, her legs hugged up against her body, her chin resting on her knees.

She wore her thermal underwear, the ones with the tiny flowers printed on the cotton fabric. Her hair had dried and hung loosely around her shoulders, down her back, the tips almost touching her waist.

The moonlight spread over her, coating her like a sheer, radiant veil. She glowed, lighting the darkness the way stars illuminate the night sky.

Reece wanted to run, but his feet didn't move. If he stayed, he wouldn't be able to resist her. Even now, without touching her, he felt the power of her enticement, calling to him, offering him everything and mote, so much more than he'd ever thought possible.

"I'm going to turn myself in to the sheriff in the morning." He heard her gasp softly and swallow her tears.

"I won't desert you," she told him, her voice a tender whisper in the darkness. "I'll stay with you and help you. We'll get through this together."

She eased her legs down, touching her feet to the floor. Draping the afghan across her breasts, she stood. Reece hesitated for one brief second, then he held open his arms. Elizabeth stared at him, her breathing slow and heavy. She walked toward him, each step measured, giving herself time to accept the inevitable.

When she stood less than two feet in front of him, she looked at him, then closed her eyes. Once done, some things can never be undone, she told herself. Be sure you are prepared for this, be certain that, if need be, you can go on without him. Know in your heart that you are willing to raise his child alone-the child he will give you tonight if you make love with him.

The knowledge that she had glimpsed her future shook Elizabeth to the very core of her soul. Never had she allowed herself the freedom to see into her own future. But she had not allowed herself to do so this time. It had simply happened.

She shivered, every nerve ending in her body alive with the knowledge that she was destined to love Reece Landry, that he had been sent to her, in her dreams, in her visions, a gift from the gods.

Reece pulled her into his embrace. The afghan slipped off her shoulders, falling at her feet like a pastel flower bed. She trembled as she slid her arms up around his neck, relaxing her body against his. Accepting. Trusting. Yearning. Loving.

The very nearness of him, the hard, demanding strength of him, the heady, masculine aura surrounding him sucked Elizabeth into a vortex of desire, a whirlpool of passion that demanded she surrender herself.

Reece shuddered with a fierce need to possess the woman in his arms, to lay her down and cover her with his body. He inched his hand up her back, under the fall of silky dark hair, lifting the coffee brown strands, burying his face against her neck, gripping the back of her head with his open palm. She smelled of fresh sweetness, clean and pure.

Elizabeth clung to him, losing herself in the moment, in the feel of him, the hard, lean-muscled feel of a man. Her heart fluttered inside her, like a trapped bird fighting to escape. Her heart longed to escape, to soar, to join with his and become a part of him.

She felt the wild, racing beat of his heart as she laid her face against his chest. She heard the loud, strong pounding. Her whole body throbbed with a need so intense she wanted to scream, to cry out for release, to plead for the exhilarating torment to end.

Reece lifted her head, turning her to face him, lowering his mouth over hers, laying claim to her lips. Elizabeth greeted his kiss with hungry anticipation, relief shooting through her. The tension mounted higher and higher when he thrust his tongue inside, devouring her with his need.