When she was younger, she’d also played in the street, jumping Double Dutch and playing various other games that had been passed down through generations. All of her friends had been black girls, while the girls now jumping rope were black, white, and Mexican-American. At one time Hillsboro had had an all-black population. But that had changed along with everything else. A car manufacturing plant had set up production in Hillsboro two years before, bringing newcomers to the region while adding longtime residents for their workforce. Hillsboro was now representative of the many ethnic and racial groups in most towns and cities in America.
Tyler opened the passenger-side door for Dana, his hands going around her waist as he lifted her effortlessly onto the leather seat. Winking at her, he closed the door, rounded the black BMW X5, and took his seat behind the wheel. He turned the key in the ignition and cool air flowed from the vents, washing over her moist face.
Leaning over, Tyler pulled Dana’s seat belt over her chest, his fingers grazing her breasts. He heard the soft exhalation of air escape her parted lips at the same time he swallowed back a groan.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled under his breath.
Dana nodded, turning her head and staring out the window. She did not look at Tyler again until he turned down a narrow, paved, unlit road, coming to a stop in front of a three-car garage behind a magnificent Greek-Revival structure.
The two-story plantation-style structure rose from the earth like a two-tiered wedding cake on a forest-green tablecloth. Though most of the land in and around Hillsboro was brown and dry from the continuing drought, Tyler’s property was like an oasis in the desert. The magnificent house had been built on a section of land realtors and developers considered prime property. Tyler’s house was only two miles west of where she’d lived with her parents.
Most of the Delta’s topography was flat and monotonous, with the exception of prime locations. These sites were usually higher in elevation, offering panoramas overlooking the Mississippi River, and there had been times when Dana could detect the distinctive scent of the muddy river before a change in the weather. It had become her barometer.
Strategically placed floodlights illuminated the path leading up to the house, and sensor lights brightened and dimmed whenever an object entered or left the range of sensitive beams.
“Don’t move,” Tyler said in a quiet voice. “I’ll help you down.”
Dana sat motionless, trying to still the runaway pounding of her heart. Sitting in Tyler’s truck two miles from where she’d spent the first ten years of her life, while staring at a structure that closely resembled the house that had become home to several generations of her family caused a momentary rush of uneasiness.
You’re home
, a silent voice whispered in her head.And for the first time since she stepped off the plane at the Greenville Municipal Airport, she felt as if she had truly come home.
But, she wondered, could she live permanently in Hillsboro when she’d made a life for herself in Carrollton? She’d set up an apartment that had become her sanctuary, and had a promising career as an investigative reporter for a small but celebrated publication.
The only object linking her with her past was her grandmother’s house and its contents. And it wouldn’t be until after Eugene Payton disclosed the contents of Georgia’s will that she would know what she would be able to do or not do with the property.
The passenger-side door opened, and Tyler reached in and unsnapped her seat belt, this time taking care not to touch her chest. Seconds later she found herself in his arms, his fingers tightening around her waist as he held her effortlessly, her feet dangling several inches off the ground. Her arms circled his neck as she attempted to maintain her balance. This time her chest touched his, her breasts pressed against the
Tyler opened the passenger-side door for Dana, his hands going around her waist as he lifted her effortlessly onto the leather seat. Winking at her, he closed the door, rounded the black BMW X5, and took his seat behind the wheel. He turned the key in the ignition and cool air flowed from the vents, washing over her moist face.
Leaning over, Tyler pulled Dana’s seat belt over her chest, his fingers grazing her breasts. He heard the soft exhalation of air escape her parted lips at the same time he swallowed back a groan.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled under his breath.
Dana nodded, turning her head and staring out the window. She did not look at Tyler again until he turned down a narrow, paved, unlit road, coming to a stop in front of a three-car garage behind a magnificent Greek-Revival structure.
The two-story plantation-style structure rose from the earth like a two-tiered wedding cake on a forest-green tablecloth. Though most of the land in and around Hillsboro was brown and dry from the continuing drought, Tyler’s property was like an oasis in the desert. The magnificent house had been built on a section of land realtors and developers considered prime property. Tyler’s house was only two miles west of where she’d lived with her parents.
Most of the Delta’s topography was flat and monotonous, with the exception of prime locations. These sites were usually higher in elevation, offering panoramas overlooking the Mississippi River, and there had been times when Dana could detect the distinctive scent of the muddy river before a change in the weather. It had become her barometer.
Strategically placed floodlights illuminated the path leading up to the house, and sensor lights brightened and dimmed whenever an object entered or left the range of sensitive beams.
“Don’t move,” Tyler said in a quiet voice. “I’ll help you down.”
Dana sat motionless, trying to still the runaway pounding of her heart. Sitting in Tyler’s truck two miles from where she’d spent the first ten years of her life, while staring at a structure that closely resembled the house that had become home to several generations of her family caused a momentary rush of uneasiness.
You’re home
, a silent voice whispered in her head.And for the first time since she stepped off the plane at the Greenville Municipal Airport, she felt as if she had truly come home.
But, she wondered, could she live permanently in Hillsboro when she’d made a life for herself in Carrollton? She’d set up an apartment that had become her sanctuary, and had a promising career as an investigative reporter for a small but celebrated publication.
The only object linking her with her past was her grandmother’s house and its contents. And it wouldn’t be until after Eugene Payton disclosed the contents of Georgia’s will that she would know what she would be able to do or not do with the property.
The passenger-side door opened, and Tyler reached in and unsnapped her seat belt, this time taking care not to touch her chest. Seconds later she found herself in his arms, his fingers tightening around her waist as he held her effortlessly, her feet dangling several inches off the ground. Her arms circled his neck as she attempted to maintain her balance. This time her chest touched his, her breasts pressed against the
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