Sweet Love of Texas

*** Based on Christian Morals--Christian Romance ***

Book 4 in the Three Cross Faith Series: Callie Williams is on a paid mission to destroy Three Cross Faith. She doesn't want to get the dirt on the group and damage their reputation, but if she doesn't deliver the goods, her boss, Jason, has threatened to kill her, probably before she dies of terminal brain cancer. But once she meets Eric Somerset and realizes the town is full of wonderful people, she's up against the clock in more than one way to set things straight.

Excerpt

Callie Oliver searched the other side of the bleachers at the Three Cross High School gymnasium. The basketball game was halfway over and she was certain some of the Three Cross Faith members would be in the crowd.

"Will Lucas…I mean Somerset has the ball," the announcer said.

Lucas, but changed to Somerset. Jerome's kid. Callie knew the background all too well.

As she sat down on the bottom bleacher, she grabbed the latest album of the Christian band from her purse, entitled 'Sweet Love of Texas.' The newest members of Three Cross Faith, Shannon and Greg Somerset, had been added to the CD that'd just come out that week. She studied the cover and scanned the crowd on the home team side. When she saw Shannon, she smiled. Sitting near Shannon were Greg, Mac and his wife, Jaimee, and even Greg's unmarried brother, Eric. All of them were members of the band.

"Will's up…and he scores!" the announcer said.

The group of Christian band members stood up and cheered, clapping with smiles all around. Unfortunately, those smiles wouldn't last after she did her exposé on the group. Her boss, Jason, wanted the facts on the band. She had a month to get everything she could, or else. Her life was on the line from various angles, including her boss' threats. Once she satisfied his assignment, she had to face her own problems, vowing to quit before those problems sidelined her for good.

She put the CD back into her purse and grabbed her pills, popping a few to make it through the night. Her headaches were getting more frequent, but she had to ignore the pain. There wasn't anything she could afford to do about it, anyway. Brain tumors were usually fatal and she was reminded of that with each new ache.

Will scored another basket, and even though he wasn't very tall, the junior varsity player had a bright future. Callie watched the game and studied the cheerleaders. One girl in particular looked a lot like Will. From Callie's research, he had a younger sister named Harmonie. Both children were adopted by Greg Somerset after their real father, the notorious criminal Jerome Lucas, gave up his parental rights.

Callie had grown up with Jerome near Atlantic City, New Jersey, so she knew what kind of person he was—downright evil. Jerome's mother was clueless about the things her own son had done. If Callie's research turned up nothing for Jason, her boss, she'd still have that ace in the hole about Shannon's ex-husband so she could escape Jason's threats. However, she'd have to be careful about how she worded everything. Will and Harmonie had paid enough in the past. She didn't want anyone to suffer or the band to be really hurt, so she was walking a fine line of satisfying her boss while trying to protect the innocent.

She decided to use her real name of Callie Williams from Ohio for this mission. She'd worked hard to lose her childhood New Jersey accent so she could fit in. If need be, she'd just say she moved to Ohio when she went to college. Her current stage name, Callie Oliver, was the name she used for her job as a disc jockey and radio reporter in Princeton, New Jersey. Callie Oliver was an evil person, but she had to do as she was told, or she'd be in big trouble.

With the nursing degrees she'd earned years ago, she could fit in anywhere. For this place, she had to remember the story she'd fabricated. Her aunt lived in Midland. Callie just wanted to take a trip south to Three Cross to meet the band before she returned to Midland to be her aunt's personal nurse. However, it was all a lie—the lie Jason made her tell.

Even though she wanted to run away, Callie needed to get closer to the group if she was to make contact. She stood up from her seat at the bottom of the bleachers and walked around the gym's perimeter to the other side. As she stood beside the bleachers, she eyed an empty spot in the crowded front, where she always sat. She couldn't climb the bleachers or she might fall from the headaches.

When the home team called a timeout, she scooted to the seat and sat down. The Three Cross Faith members were only two rows behind her, with one or two people in between. She could even hear their conversation. Since Shannon was the one directly behind her, she could hear her the best.

"Did you like the pie I sent over?" Shannon said. Callie couldn't turn to see who she was talking to.

"Yeah." It sounded like a woman's voice, probably Jaimee. "I'd like that recipe." Jaimee didn't have a southern accent at all, which would fit with Callie's research.

Shannon continued. "I'm teaching how to make that pie over at the art warehouse. Come on over and I'll show you."

"Mac would love that. I know the baby does."

Baby? Callie had to look back, acting as if she was searching for someone else. Neither woman looked pregnant. From the way Jaimee talked, it was her baby. She was pregnant?

That's one thing Callie had never done…gotten married and had any children. And now, with the current diagnosis, she never would. These women seemed to be so happy. How could that be possible? They were Christians. Christians weren't happy. That was why Callie had decided to become an atheist. She wanted to be happy in her life and not be judged. Besides, with her past, God didn't know her at all, so religion was probably a myth.