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by one, the stately mansions along Magnolia Avenue came into view as Johnny Mack eased the rental car down the street. Even if other things in this one-horse town had changed, been improved and modernized, nothing—absolutely nothing—had changed on Magnolia Avenue. Same fine homes, neatly manicured lawns and an invisible sign telling the rest of the world, “Private Property, Keep Out.”
    That was where he had made his mistake all those years ago. He had trespassed. And no one, especially Kent Graham, had ever forgiven him. Hell, nobody had cared what he did or who he screwed as long as he stayed on the other side of the river, with the likes of Sharon Hickman. But once he had set his sights a little higher, all hell had broken loose, and his flirtations with the Noble’s Crossing debutantes had nearly cost him his life.
    Fifteen years ago he had sworn he would never come back to this goddamn town. But that had been before he found out he might have left behind a child.

Chapter 4
    â€œT hey say his head was smashed in so bad his own mama wouldn’t have recognized his face.” Arlene Dothan lifted Jackie Cummings’s silver blond hair and twisted it into a neat French twist. “Lord knows Kent Graham wasn’t one of my favorite people, but it gives me shivers thinking about how he died.”
    â€œIf you ask me, the boy was somehow at the root of all Lane and Kent’s problems. People are saying that Kent and Will fought like cats and dogs. That’s what comes of adopting a child.” Jackie preened in the wall-wide mirror over the beauticians’ work stations. “No telling what sort of people that boy came from.”
    â€œI never could figure out why Lane and Kent rushed into adopting a child so soon after they married.” Arlene slipped in the hairpins to secure Jackie’s French twist. “I’ve heard folks say they thought Kent was probably sterile. What do you think, Jackie? You’re bound to have heard something, now that you’re living there on Magnolia Avenue and working as a nurse to poor little ole Mary Martha.”
    â€œI have no earthly idea whether Kent Graham was sterile or not,” Jackie said. “I do know Miss Edith doesn’t want to believe that boy isn’t her grandson. Seems she thought he was Kent’s child by one of his old girlfriends. But right now her main concern seems to be Mary Martha. You know that woman hasn’t said a sensible word since the day after Kent’s funeral. Of course, she’s been unstable for years, and we all know she doted on that brother of hers. No wonder she went off her rocker completely.”
    â€œI used to think what a lucky little boy Will Graham was to have been adopted by Lane and Kent, to be a member of those families,” Arlene said. “You know a lot of folks in Noble’s Crossing are of the opinion that Will could have been one of John Graham’s bastards, and he got his own son to adopt the boy to keep him in the family.”
    â€œI’ve never believed that tale,” Jackie said. “It’s true that John Graham couldn’t keep his pants zipped, and he probably left a few bastards spread out over the state; but he never bothered bringing any of them into the family.”
    Arlene picked up the bottle of salon hair spray. “You know, I’ve seen Will now and again over the years. He’s a handsome boy and quite a young gentleman.”
    â€œHe’s awfully close to Lane,” Jackie said. “She made him a good mother. Of course, that didn’t surprise anybody, did it? But Kent surprised us all, the way he turned out. He sure had us fooled, didn’t he?”
    â€œSome people blame Lane. They say when she left him four years ago, his drinking got worse. But I think they’re wrong to blame her. Those folks don’t know beans about what Lane might have put up with for those ten years she was married to