Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Free Page A

kitchen, noisily washing the dishes to drown out their voices. She tried to laugh off her ability to scent when her mother was sad, or frightened, or amused, or lying. Who knew lying had a scent? She wanted to confide in her dad, tell him everything, but she didn’t want him to look at her with fear or loathing, so she’d kept silent.
    Please forgive me, Dad.
    The only response was the wind shifting direction, blowing the death scent away.
    Julianna had moved into the “mother-in-law” apartment over her parents’ detached garage to give them space to be together in his final days. It also gave her the freedom to come and go in whatever form she chose without them knowing her secret. Nursing her father had taken an emotional toll, and she had needed the small apartment as a retreat to regroup for another grueling day. She’d been too tired to even think about looking for a job.
    Now she’d have the time but lacked the motivation. And Callowwood wasn’t a booming metropolis by any stretch of the imagination.
    The town was exactly the way she’d remembered it, except a Super Walmart had sprung up in Leland between Callowwood and Wipple, and the cars were a little more up-to-date. The Wolf’s Den, the bar and pool hall, had grown, and she heard they’d put in a few big screen TVs to allow the patrons to scream at sports games. She’d considered it as a good job prospect to keep her close to home and her mom. Other than those few things, the town seemed to be caught in a time warp.
    Only Jeff Lightfoot’s absence changed the atmosphere of Callowwood. Though she’d sensed him in town, she hadn’t seen him at all in the month she’d been home. Initially, she’d felt relieved, and some of her tension had eased. Still, curiosity ate at her, and she wondered how he’d changed. Her heart fluttered with the thought of seeing him. He was the dream she’d forsaken, but surely he wasn’t as good as she remembered.
    The wind shifted again, and a new scent reached her sensitive nose. Was it streams swollen by spring runoff? Or the earthy scent of rain in the desert? It tasted like a combination of the two.
    She wanted to turn her head to chase the delicious smell, but the pastor finished his eulogy, and her mother stepped forward to drop a calla lily on the coffin’s lid. Julianna jerked back into the moment and followed her, resting one hand on the coffin as she bowed her head. Be well, Dad. Well, as well as you can be. I love you.
    She took her mother’s arm and moved aside so others could say their good-byes.
    “Well, that’s over now,” her mother sighed, resignation and relief filling her voice. “All that’s left is the respects party.”
    “You don’t want to talk to anyone here?”
    “No, let’s just go. There will be enough people wanting to talk to us at the party.”
    “Thank goodness it’s not at the house,” Julianna admitted as they nodded at a few folks on the way to her Camaro. “I don’t think I could stand to clean up after saying good-bye to Dad.”
    Beth laughed softly. “Me either.”
    “Are you going to be okay, Mom?”
    Beth’s silence lasted for several steps, and Julianna worried for her mother.
    “I think it will take me a while to get used to being alone in that house.”
    “Did you want me to move into the house with you?”
    “No, dear one, you don’t have to. I think I should get used to the silence. You’re right outside the door, literally, and you need your own space. You’re a grown woman and don’t need your mother hanging over you.”
    Julianna snorted. “Mom, you don’t hang over me. I don’t mind. Really.”
    Beth squeezed her arm. “Thanks, dear one. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.” They stopped at the car, the burgundy red 2010 Chevy Camaro she’d won from her philandering ex, and Julianna opened the passenger door. “Speaking of changing my mind, the town hall was booked for an emergency budgetary meeting this evening and we had to move