Still Waters...

by Crysal V. Rhodes

  Still Waters…

  Crystal V. Rhodes

  Genesis Press, Inc.

  Indigo Love Stories

  An imprint of Genesis Press, Inc.

  Publishing Company

  Genesis Press, Inc.

  P.O. Box 101

  Columbus, MS 39703

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, not known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of the publisher, Genesis Press, Inc. For information write Genesis Press, Inc., P.O. Box 101, Columbus, MS 39703.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author and all incidents are pure invention.

  Copyright© 2010 Crystal V. Rhodes

  ISBN-13: 978-1-58571-666-1

  ISBN-10: 1-58571-666-9

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  First Edition

  Visit us at www.genesis-press.com or call at 1-888-Indigo-1-4-0

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to each of my good friends who helped make this happen, and to my beloved Aunt Flora, who was the Alpha and Omega in our family.

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank all of you who have read my books and have offered the words of encouragement that have helped me move forward. You don’t know how much your support is appreciated.

  New to my list of acknowledgements is my friend Shirley who was a big help with this one. Of course, I want to say thank you to Joni for her continuous support and assistance. It has been unwavering, as has that of my friend, Eunice.

  Also, thank you Sidney Rickman, for your editing advice.

  CHAPTER 1

  “What do you mean, Ray is coming here?” Bev Cameron gripped the telephone tightly, uncertain that she had heard her daughter correctly. Everyone in their family knew the strict criteria that had to be followed in order to bring a stranger to her hometown, and Ray Wilson, the man who had been shamelessly flirting with her for years, did not fit the criteria. “There must be some mistake. Who told you this?”

  “Thad.”

  Bev knew that there was no doubt about the validity of the information. Her daughter’s husband was movie star Thad Stewart and he adored his wife, singing superstar Darnell Cameron. She was the love of his life, his confidante, and his best friend. Thad’s word was his bond.

  “We were talking and he was excited about playing golf on the new course,” Darnell explained. “Then he said that he couldn’t wait for Ray to get there. When he thought about what he said he clammed up, but it was too late by then. It’s my guess that Ray’s coming with Dana.”

  Bev was shocked. “My sister?”

  “Who else could it be? Aunt Dana said that she was coming home, and the two of them are friends.”

  “That’s true, and it does make sense.” Bev could tell by Darnell’s tone that she was also finding it difficult to believe the scenario.

  “What should we do?” the younger woman asked. “Tell the Council to have them stopped at the gate?”

  “I’m not sure.” Bev considered the alternatives. “I’m just wondering why she’s bringing him here, and how she expects to get him into town.”

  “There’s only one way that she can get him in,” Darnell affirmed, “and that’s with a lie.”

  Bev knew that she was right. “Why would she do this?” Her heart sank at the idea of the deception her younger sister might be capable of.

  “Maybe it’s some move to stop Aunt Tessa’s family from taking over.” Even through the telephone Darnell could feel her mother’s pain. The two sisters had been estranged for quite a while and Dana’s return home might have provided an opportunity for their reconciliation, except for this new development. Darnell could hardly comprehend what her aunt must feel about their family to do something like this.

  “You might be right,” Bev’s voice was hollow. “She’s probably plotting some legal maneuver that could wreak havoc in the family.” She gave a shuddering sigh.

  “So what’s the plan, Mama?” Darnell’s voice was filled with sadness.

  Bev tried to think. “We’ll keep this to ourselves for now. If they get past the gate, let’s see what Dana is up to.”

  Darnell was receptive. “That sounds reasonable. Meanwhile, I’m going to see if I can pump some more information out of Thad. Kiss my little gem for me.”

  The women disconnected and Bev sat reflecting on their conversation. What was Dana up to, and what part did Ray Wilson play in her sister’s scheme? She was familiar with her younger sister’s escapades, but why had she paired up with that middle-aged playboy and dared to breach the security of their family haven?

  A loud yawn interrupted Bev’s musing. She looked down into the face of the bundle nestled in her arms, six-month-old Nia Cameron-Stewart. Her granddaughter was awake.

  “Hey there, little one.” Bev gently caressed the baby’s soft cheek and was rewarded with a toothless grin. The dimples inherited from her father winked at her happily. Bev melted. Her granddaughter had to be the most beautiful baby in the world.

  “Let’s get you something to eat.” She rose and headed toward the kitchen with Nia. “Then we’re going to wait for your Aunt Dana and your godfather Ray to arrive. When they do, there’s going to be some fireworks lighting up this town, and it’s not even close to being Independence Day.”

  * * *

  “What in the hell do you mean that you told your mother that we’re engaged?”

  Ray Wilson was as mad as hell. He glared at Dana Mansfield, the woman sitting in the driver’s seat, and he wanted to wring her neck. When the cocoa-colored beauty responded to him with a nonchalant shrug, that only fueled his anger.

  “Damn it, Dana! Thad and Darnell know that we’re not engaged,” he spewed, referring to his client and best friend, Thad Stewart, and his wife, Darnell. The relationship between Dana and Darnell was close. Not only were they related by blood, but Dana was the singing star’s attorney. “Don’t you think that they’re going to tell your mother that you’re telling a lie?”

  Dana looked unconcerned. “I haven’t spoken to Darnell about anything but business in a long time. She doesn’t know about my personal life.”

  “Well, Thad knows about mine, and he knows that you’re not my fiancée.”

  “I thought about that. All we have to say is that we chose to keep it a secret.”

  Ray bristled. “We? What we? It’s you who’s telling the lie! Why should I keep it going?” An even better question was why was he even here, speeding along this isolated road headed toward some town in the middle of nowhere? He and Dana were good friends, but this was a bit much. He didn’t know that she had ulterior motives when she invited him to spend his vacation with her in her hometown.

  The two of them had met years ago before their clients, Thad and Darnell, were married. The superstars had been locked in a legal battle with each other, and when the haggling was over a love match had been the result for the actor and singer and a friendship had been formed between their attorneys. Later, Ray had introduced Dana to his golf buddy and fellow attorney, Mitch Clayton. To his surprise, Dana and Mitch became engaged a month later. According to them it was love at first sight. Yet despite a three-year engagement, the relationship hadn’t ended in marriage. Mitch had died unexpectedly nine months prior. Ray had helped Dana through the ordeal of his passing. He had done so without ever crossing the line be
tween friendship and lover, and he was proud of the fact. That made the lie that Dana had told her mother even more despicable as far as he was concerned.

  “I didn’t want to come with you in the first place,” he spat.

  “I know that.” Dana ran her hand over her slicked-back hair. “And it was hard for me to imagine you spending a week in the boondocks.”

  “You got that right.”

  He was a city boy, born and raised in Detroit. Most of his adult life had been spent in L.A., enjoying a Hollywood lifestyle that would be the envy of a lot of people. Backwater towns were not his thing. But he had felt sorry for Dana, who had confided in him that she was apprehensive about her return to the family fold after years of having been estranged from them. She hadn’t gone into detail about what had caused the rift and he had never pried. Ray had finally agreed to come as a friend offering moral support. Dana had also informed him that Thad would be there with Darnell and the baby, so that was a plus. Of course there was the possibility that there was someone else who might also be visiting Dana’s mother who he might want to see, but that was another story. As for now—

  “How do you plan on pulling this little fiancé farce off?” Ray asked contemptuously.

  Dana shot a glance at his stern profile and then returned her eyes to the road. She flexed her fingers on the steering wheel of the luxury automobile that had been waiting at the airport. She gave a long, drawn-out sigh, but instead of answering his question she asked him one.

  “How long do you think it’s been since we turned off the main highway?”

  “I couldn’t care less!” Ray’s eyes were ablaze with indignation. “I don’t like being used, Dana, so stop the car and let me out! I’m going to hitchhike back to the city.”

  “That’s a long way back.” Dana gave a sardonic chuckle. “And would you believe that since we left that highway every acre of land that we’ve been driving on belongs to my family?” That stopped Ray’s oncoming tirade.

  “What?” He looked at her, dumbfounded. “I don’t believe you!”

  He looked out the window at the rolling countryside. They had passed so many trees that for a while he had thought that they were in a national forest. He had seen lakes, waterfalls, grassy plains, herds of cattle, and grazing horses. He was hardly able to comprehend the value of what he had seen.

  He returned his attention to Dana. “This land has to be worth a fortune!”

  She was matter-of-fact. “Of course it is.”

  “I’ve never heard of any African-Americans in this country who own this much land,” Ray marveled. “Are you telling another lie?” Was this really possible?

  “No, I’m not,” Dana huffed.

  Ray still wasn’t sure that she was telling the truth. “We’ve known each other for years. Why didn’t you tell me that your family was wealthy?”

  “You never asked.”

  “Thanks for the brilliant answer.” Ray returned his attention to the passing scenery. “How did they get so much land?”

  “That’s a long story.” Dana’s mouth twisted into a crooked smile. Raising a manicured finger, she pointed beyond the steering wheel. “We’re almost there.”

  Ray peered ahead but could see nothing in the distance but a small aircraft flying above them in the cloudless sky. Except for a few cars that passed them some time ago and a sign indicating an exit to a town about an hour back, the plane was the first indication of civilization that Ray had seen for a while. To his surprise, it started to descend.

  “Is there an airport around here?” They were in the middle of nowhere. Dana had told him that the population of her hometown was roughly three hundred people when everybody was there. Why would someplace that small have an airport?

  “No,” Dana answered, “but there is a landing strip outside of the wall.”

  Ray frowned. “What wall?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Abruptly, Dana turned off the paved two-lane road on which they had been driving onto another road and headed in the direction of the spot where the plane had disappeared. In the distance Ray could see the outline of a wall.

  “Does that answer your question?” Dana asked dryly. “And it looks like another family member has arrived.” The plane that they had been tracking was landing.

  Ray wondered how she would know that it contained a member of her family. Just how small was this town? It was hard to believe that a woman like Dana Mansfield would have grown up in such a place. At thirty-nine, she was the embodiment of the modern career woman. Intelligent and sophisticated, she was always impeccably dressed and she never had a hair out of place. Even now after their long flight from the West Coast to the South, her meticulously applied makeup still appeared fresh. Over the years, Ray had begun to notice that, despite her show of independence, Dana was needy, yet he never would have guessed that small-town living had been any part of her background. He wondered how that had helped form her character, but right now he didn’t have time to dwell on that. He had to figure a way out of the mess that Dana was trying to drag him into.

  “I’m not going along with your lie,” he said again.

  She gave an impatient sigh. “I’m sorry that I had to trick you, Ray, but there’s a lot to all of this. I just want you to see some things and then listen to my reasoning before you make a final decision. As a matter of fact, I was forced to say that you were my fiancé. It was the only way that I could get you into town.”

  Ray scoffed. “That’s a good one.”

  Undaunted, Dana continued. “I swear that I’ll tell you everything after we get settled. I’m just asking you—no, I’m begging you—to go along with me on this. Just trust me.”

  Ray snorted this time. “You’ve got to be kidding! Trust you? You’re getting ready to tell the lie of the century, and I don’t even know why!”

  “You will soon,” Dana assured him. “Right now we’re here.” She slowed the car down to a crawl.

  Ray looked beyond the windshield to find that they were only yards from the mysterious wall. To the left of the stone structure was the landing strip on which the plane had landed. On one side of the paved strip, lined up like tin soldiers, were other small aircraft. They were a colorful contrast to the surrounding landscape, which was noticeably devoid of vegetation.

  Ray’s curiosity was heightened. “What happened to all the trees?”

  “The area had to be cleared a long time ago so that the landing strip could be built.”

  Ray nodded. “That makes sense, but where is the town?”

  Dana nodded toward the wall. “Behind there.”

  Ray’s look of confusion deepened. The massive structure was built of colorful stones and stood at least ten feet tall. It seemed to stretch endlessly and looked more like a fortress than a decorative structure.

  “It looks like the Great Wall of China. How far does this thing go?”

  “It surrounds the entire town.”

  “Why?”

  “It was originally built for protection.” Dana brought the car to a stop. “Welcome to home sweet home.”

  Her answer had begged for a follow-up question on Ray’s part, but they had stopped in front of an intricately carved gate with ironwork that had drawn his attention. It was reminiscent of the style he had seen gracing many of the homes in New Orleans. As tall as the wall, it rose in graceful splendor, demanding that it be admired.

  “My great-grandfather made that gate,” Dana said as she searched through her overstuffed purse. “He was an artisan and worked with iron.”

  Ray noted the touch of pride in her voice. She had a right to be. It was a work of art.

  “Your family must be very important in this town, owning all of that land and—” Ray stopped short as it dawned on him that there was something strange about the gate. It was closed. How in the world could the gate leading to an entire town be closed? He was about to ask Dana about that when she shrieked in triumph.

  “There it is!”

  Withdrawi
ng a plastic card from her purse, she opened a metal box standing outside of the wall and punched numbers into its keypad. The gate slowly opened. Putting the card back into her purse, she started the car.

  Ray felt a wave of anxiety as his eyes drifted to the words written in script on a plaque attached to the wall. The words announced to all the name of the town that they were entering—Stillwaters.

  CHAPTER 2

  “She’s got nerve, I’ll say that for her!” Bev fumed as she watched her mother bustle around the bedroom, getting it ready for Dana. “You mean to tell me that she told you a week ago that she’s bringing a fiancé to town and you didn’t even tell me?”

  “Don’t start.” Ginny Little’s voice was stern as she gave the decorative pillow that she had placed on the king-size bed an extra pound with her fist. Rising to her impressive six-foot height, she turned to her eldest daughter, who stood two inches shorter, and gave her a look that had made Bev wither as a child. It still did.

  “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to hear all of the fuss.” Ginny was blunt. “I’m sick and tired of this petty jealousy between you and your sister…”

  “Jealousy?” Bev tried to look insulted.

  “Yes, that’s what it’s always been.” Ginny gave a frustrated sigh. “You’ve been sniping at each other for years, and it’s time that it stopped.”

  Bev’s jaws tightened at hearing the truth. Her mother was right. She and Dana were much too old for this feud between them to continue.

  “For years your daddy and I blamed ourselves. It never occurred to us that a fourteen-year age difference would put this much distance between you. You’re sisters, for goodness sake. You are all…”

  “That the other one has.” Bev finished the sentence that had become her parents’ mantra. “I know, Mama, I know.” And she did. It seemed that from the time her sister reached adulthood their relationship had grown worse. The reality was that the two of them had lived together as siblings for only four short years and really didn’t know each other well.