Carnal Innocence

tossed Will toward the door. “Do it.”
    Half asleep and limp with pleasure, Caroline snuggled up to Tucker. She roused herself to trail a lazy line of kisses up his chest to his chin.
    “I always thought propriety was overrated.”
    “Stick with me, darlin’.” He curved a hand over her hip. “You’ll forget there ever was such a thing.”
    “I think I already have.” Her lips curved against his shoulder before she rested her cheek there. “Can we sleep like this?”
    “Like babies,” he promised, idly rubbing her back. He didn’t pay much attention to the roar of the car down the lane, or the slamming of doors, the pounding of feet up the stairs. If Dwayne was drunk, or Josie was peeved at whomever she’d been sleeping with, it could wait until morning.
    But Caroline stirred and started to speak even as Dwayne began to shout Tucker’s name.
    “Shitfire. He does pick his times.” He kissed Caroline’s shoulder as he rolled over and grabbed up his pants. “Just wait right here and I’ll go quiet him down.”
    Tucker listened to his brother banging on doors and swore. He swung the door open and stepped out into the hall. “Jesus H. Christ, Dwayne, you’re going to wake up the whole house.”
    “Already has,” Cousin Lulu said from her doorway. She was wearing a Redskins football jersey and a headful of purple curlers. “I was having a right good dream about Mel Gibson and Frank Sinatra, too.”
    “Go back to sleep, Cousin Lulu. I’ll handle him.”
    Wild-eyed, Dwayne burst out of Tucker’s room. “Doesn’t anybody sleep in their own bed anymore? Get your gun, boy. We’ve got trouble.”
    “The only trouble here is the beer you’ve been slopping down in McGreedy’s.” Della grabbed his arm and tried to haul him to his own room. “What you need’s a face full of ice to cool you off.”
    Dwayne shook her off and rushed to Tucker. “I don’t know how much time we have. They’re going to lynch Toby March.”
    “What the hell are you talking about?”
    “I’m talking about the Bonny boys and a bunch of their asshole friends going after Toby right this holy minute with a rope.”
    “Oh, Christ.” Tucker saw Caroline come to thedoorway, clutching her robe at her throat. “Wait for me,” he said.
    “I’m going with you.” Della was halfway down the hall in her red-feathered peignoir before Tucker stopped her.
    “You’re staying right here. I don’t have time to argue with you. Call Burke. Tell him fireworks are starting ahead of schedule.”
    Della stood as they clattered down the steps. She bristled until the feathers rustled.
    “There are only two of them,” Caroline said from behind her. “If Burke doesn’t get there with help, it’ll be only Tucker and Dwayne.”
    Cousin Lulu examined her nails. “I can still shoot Lincoln’s face off a one-cent piece at five yards.”
    Della turned back, nodded. “Get some pants on.”
    Toby rolled over in bed when their old mutt Custer began to bark. “Damn dog,” he muttered.
    “’S your turn,” Winnie said sleepily.
    “How do you figure?”
    “I’m the one who got up every night to nurse two babies.” She opened her eyes and smiled at him in the moonlight. “Just like I’m going to get up with this next one in about six more months.”
    Toby skimmed a hand over her still-flat tummy. “Guess it’s only fair I deal with the dog.”
    “Get me a glass of that orange soda pop while you’re up.” She patted his bare butt before he pulled on his undershorts. “A pregnant woman’s got cravings.”
    “You sure did have them a couple hours ago.”
    That earned him a giggle and another slap. Toby stumbled, yawning, out of the room.
    He saw the reflection of the fire in the front room window, that glitter of gold and red on the glass that made his heart sink and his blood boil.
    He bit back an oath, hoping to get rid of the obscenity on the lawn before any of his family could be hurt by it. He was a man of deep faith and did his bestto love his fellow man. But in his heart was a cold hate for whoever had lit the cross on his land.
    He pushed open his door, stepped out on his porch. And found a gun poked into his naked belly.
    “It’s Judgment Day, nigger.” Billy T.’s lips spread in a grin. “We just come by to send you to hell.” Enjoying the power, he jabbed with the rifle barrel. “Toby March, you’ve been tried and convicted for the rape and murder of Darleen Talbot, Edda Lou Hatinger, Francie Logan, and