Every Move She Makes Read Free

she spoke to him. Even a blind person could sense how utterly besotted Jeff Henry was with his sister-in-law. When she’d been sixteen, Ella had realized that her uncle was in love with her mother, and she had thought his affection for her mother a tragic thing for him—and for Aunt Cybil.
    “I’m referring to the fact that Reed Conway was released from prison today,” Jeff Henry said.
    All the color drained from Carolyn’s face. Ella started to rise and go to her mother, but before she did, her father, who sat in the brocade armchair beside Carolyn’s wheelchair, reached over and clasped his wife’s hand.
    “Are you all right, my dear?” Webb asked.
    “Yes, I’m quite all right.” Carolyn brought Webb’s hand to her mouth, kissed him tenderly, and held his hand to her side. “I already knew about Reed’s parole, but I’d almost forgotten that he was being released today. I’m sure Judy is very happy to have her son home with her after all these years.”
    “Of course she’s ecstatic about his release,” Jeff Henry said. “But I am not the least bit pleased that a convicted murderer is going to be living in our peaceful little town. I think they should have thrown away the key when they locked that good-for-nothing boy up. That’s what’s wrong with this country. Murderers being set free. Crime rates rising. If I were running things I’d—”
    “Stuff it, will you?” Cybil Carlisle’s voice held a sharp edge as she chastised her husband. “We all know your views on what you’d do if you were God. You’d put us all back into the mid-nineteenth century. You’d restore slavery, wife beating and—”
    “Cybil, must you be so unkind?” Carolyn’s silvery-gray eyes glared at her sister.
    “I’ve never laid a hand on you,” Jeff Henry said, his face suffusing with color. “And Lord knows I’ve had reason to.”
    “This is neither the time nor the place for the two of you to air your differences.” Webb’s voice rose slightly, his tone cautioning his in-laws.
    “Of course, you’re quite right,” Jeff Henry agreed. “Please forgive us.” His gaze settled on Carolyn.
    “I, for one, am eager to see the bad boy return.” Grinning, Cybil ran her hand through her short, dark hair. “If I recall correctly, Reed Conway was a damn good-looking hunk. And sexy as hell. And no doubt after fifteen years in the pen, he’s horny as hell and aching to get laid.”
    “Cybil!” Carolyn’s normally soft voice screeched with disapproval. “Must you be so vulgar? Especially in front of Ella.”
    “Good God, Ella is thirty years old,” Cybil said. “If she doesn’t know about the birds and the bees by now, it’s high time she was learning.”
    “You had too much wine with dinner.” Jeff Henry rose from the sofa, offered his hand to his wife, and gave her a stern look. “We should go home. I think we’ve worn out our welcome tonight.”
    Cybil laughed—a loose, silly laugh that indicated she had indeed become inebriated. She looked up at her husband, then lifted her hand to his. He gently assisted her to her feet, and after more apologies, he guided Cybil out of the living room and into the foyer.
    “Perhaps you should help Jeff Henry,” Carolyn said to her husband.
    Webb nodded. “Sorry that the evening ended on such a sour note, Dan. I’m sure you realize that Cybil isn’t always so unpleasant. She’s a wonderful woman, but she simply can’t handle alcohol.”
    Talk about trying to put a pretty face on something , Ella thought. Her father was indeed the consummate politician, capable of putting a positive spin on any occurrence. Why he even bothered trying to defend Aunt Cybil she didn’t know. After all, it wasn’t as if Dan hadn’t been born and raised in Spring Creek. He’d heard all the whispered little rumors about Cybil Walker Carlisle’s penchant for men and liquor. As much as she loved her aunt, Ella hadn’t turned a blind eye to the woman’s weaknesses. More than