Diana Anderson - Entering Southern Country 01 - Famous in a Small Town Read Online Free

left the room. Cal picked the newspaper back up and flipped through the pages as he looked for the sports section.
     

5
     
     
    Callie walked with a slight pigeon toe over to the refrigerator, opened the door, and took out a bottle of water. She stepped over to the counter, leaned back against it, and twisted off the cap. She took a long swallow and smiled at Salvador through the plate glass window across the room. He was bare from the waist up. She watched his muscles across his back move as he trimmed the hedges. His long black hair was secured with an elastic band at the nape of his neck. A trickle of sweat trailed down his spine. He was her Latin sex god.
    She turned, set her bottle down, and glanced at the notepad beside the telephone. Her mouth gaped as she read it.
    “Maggie?” she called out. She glanced around the spacious kitchen and noticed the housekeeper had already begun to prepare lunch. Lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers were on the center island. She turned on her heel.
    “Maggie?” She walked past the breakfast nook and headed into the den. She didn’t see her. “I swear!”
    She gave up the search and hurried up the stairs to her bedroom. She flung open her closet doors and hurried inside. Several dresses on hangers slid across the bar until she found one suitable.
    Thirty-five minutes later, she exited her Mercedes. She was still a tad shook up from the drive across town, because she’d almost rear-ended another car at a stoplight while she applied her makeup. She hurried across the grassy lawn and caught herself before she could twist her ankle. Her four inch heels sunk into the soft turf. She raised herself up on tiptoe and scurried toward the group of journalist and photographers. She elbowed her way through the crowd.
    “Excuse me, please. Pardon me. Coming through,” she said as she tried to catch her breath. She stood on the outskirts and scanned the group of doctor’s and wives, and businessmen, and businesswomen until she spotted Ted. She sashayed over to his side.
    His pale blue eyes looked down at her. “Caldonia, what took you so long? We’ve been waiting over thirty minutes for you,” he said in a low voice.
    “I’m sorry, darling. I was feeling rather poorly this morning, and thought I was going to have to call you and tell you to go ahead without me. I apologize.”
    He scanned her face with concern. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
    She reached up and ran her fingers through his white hair and then kissed his lips. “I’m fine now. Just that time of the month.”
    Lying came easy for Callie. She had perfected it over the years, and it had proved profitable. Of course, she’d had a few set backs early on with her scheming. She had gotten pregnant at the age of sixteen. Her daddy had toted a shotgun over to the sperm donor’s place and hauled his and her asses down to the courthouse. But then, four months later, she was relieved when she’d miscarried. She had stayed married to the bum for close to twenty years. She’d had to find employment because the lazy bastard refused to work. She had cleaned the houses of a few of the wealthiest families in Laurel County. She had ended up pregnant again two years into their marriage. That had paid off well. She had come into some money, bought some land, and put a new trailer house on it, and had a source of income for twenty-some-odd years. She’d found that using her body was just as effective as lying.
    She tilted her head and smiled for the photographers.
     

6
     
     
    Angus Rayburn slammed the door closed to his wall safe. The second time he’d looked in there that morning.
    Like it’s going to reappear.
     He adjusted the large picture frame over it.
    A hell of a lot of good that’s going to do now.
    He stomped over to the mini bar, snatched up the crystal decanter, and poured a straight shot of Tennessee’s finest. He downed it, poured another, and walked over to the large window that overlooked the estate. He