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.“What lovely red hair she has.” But Priscilla didn’t sound like she thought it was lovely.More like a smoking gun that confirmed her suspicions about Lucy.“She gets that from her momma’s— Darlin’, are you all right?” Cal brushed past Priscilla to get to Lucy, making the woman jump out of the way to avoid any contact with Poppy.Lucy cleared her throat and put on a smile that hurt almost as much as the knot twisting her gut.“I’m fine.Just a little warm.” She stood up.“I’ll be right back.” She dodged Cal and didn’t look at Priscilla as she passed the bitch.She had to get a hold of herself before she broke down in front of Priscilla and really gave that viper a story to publish.She tried to close the door to the downstairs bathroom, but Cal caught it and stopped her.“Are you feeling all right, darlin’? You’re as pale as porcelain.”“I’m fine.” She jerked on the handle of the door, fine pricks of sweat popping out all over her body as her mouth filled with saliva.“I’ll just be a minute.”Cal dropped his hand, but the look on his face told her that he didn’t believe her for a second.Lucy got the door closed and locked seconds before she heaved into the toilet.She reached over and turned on the tap to help disguise the noise.When she got herself under control, she flushed the toilet and rinsed her mouth out.One look in the mirror and she knew there was no way Cal was going to let this go.He’d know for sure something was wrong.Her skin had gone white beneath the heavy makeup, and her hair had slipped out of some of its pins.She did her best to fix it, but without a brush and some hairspray her efforts did little to hide the fact that she wasn’t well.What was she going to do? There wasn’t any kind of spin Charity could put on this that would make it palatable.Lucy could imagine the title of the magazine article—Local Businessman Buys a Wife.Once the story broke, it would be all over for them.Cal would be humiliated.Ruined.A laughingstock.Did Cal really not believe that Poppy was his? He could pay for a thousand paternity tests, and they’d all come out the same.Poppy was as much Cal’s as she was Lucy’s.Why hadn’t he told her about his doubts? Had he already had the test done? Or was he only thinking about having it done? The one thing that hadn’t changed in the last week or so was Cal’s feelings toward Poppy.He’d been just as affectionate, just as smitten as ever, if not more so.Was he planning on telling her about the test? Or was he planning on having it done secretly and only mention it if the results came back that he wasn’t the father?Cal took matters into his own hands and unlocked the door with the spare key.He slipped into the bathroom and found Lucy sitting on the toilet lid, her head in her hands.He dropped to his knees in front of her, pried her fingers away, and tilted her chin up so he could get a good look at her.“Darlin’, what’s wrong? What happened?” She blinked up at him, her big blue eyes filled with tears, and it felt like someone had skewered him right through the chest with a hot poker.“Darlin’…” he breathed, hardly able to get the words out.“What is it?”“She knows.”“Who knows?”“Priscilla Barnes.” A tear slipped through her lower lashes and slid down her cheek, and that hot poker twisted inside him.“She knows about our marriage.Our bargain.Do you really want to get a paternity test? Because you can get one.You can get a thousand of them if you want to.Poppy’s yours.” More tears streaked down her face.He swiped at them as fast as they fell.“I swear to God she’s yours, Cal.”How in the hell had Priscilla Barnes found out about their bargain? He hadn’t told anyone, and he knew Lucy hadn’t either.“Oh, darlin’.Is that all?” He tried to make light of it, but he knew as much as Lucy likely did that he was going to take a hard knock when that article hit the newsstands.He could kiss that deal with Gleason and Hadley Investments goodbye.All of his plans, his careful work…gone.He held her face and put his forehead to hers.“I know she’s mine.I don’t need any test to tell me that.And even if she weren’t, I wouldn’t care.I’m so in love with that little girl you’d have a hell of a time separating me from her.”“But what about that deal you’ve been working on? Marrying me was supposed to improve your reputation, not make it worse.All I’ve done since we got back together is make things worse for you.I can’t even have sex right,” she sobbed.“Darlin’, we have the rightest sex that’s ever been attempted, let alone accomplished.”“You know what I mean.I can’t do the things you want.I can’t be the way I was before.I’m broken, and now I’m breaking you.”“The only way you could break me was if you left me.”“We never should’ve gotten married.”He sat back on his heels, the fury he carried around every day rising up inside him.He would destroy Priscilla Barnes for making Lucy feel this way, for making her cry.“Stay here.Don’t move.I’ll be right back.”He left the bathroom and went down the hall to his office.Punching in the number for Phil Davies, the publisher of Dallas Women Today magazine, Cal tipped some whiskey into a tumbler and managed to get two swallows down before Phil picked up.“Phil, Cal Sellers here.” He charged ahead without waiting for the man to respond to his greeting.“Priscilla Barnes is in my living room.She seems to be operating under the misconception that she’s writing for a grocery-store tabloid.”“Sir?”“Now I can handle the first part of my problem myself.I’m counting on you to handle the second.”“Yes, sir.”“I knew you were the right man for the job.Give your wife my best.Good night.”“Good night, sir.”Cal punched the End button on his cell phone and drained his glass.He didn’t throw his weight around often, preferring to let his employees handle their jobs, but every now and then it paid to remind his employees who signed their paychecks.Sellers Investments’ ownership of Dallas Women Today magazine wasn’t well known.He doubted Priscilla Barnes had any idea she’d walked into her employer’s house and insulted his wife in the most egregious way possible.He set the tumbler on his desk and strode back out into the living room, where Priscilla stood a fair distance from her assistant.It took them a moment to realize he’d entered the room.“I hope your wife is feeling all right,” she all but sneered.“Those sudden bouts of illness can be difficult.”Cal took her by the elbow.“We’ve kept you too long.I’m sure you have a lot to do, so don’t let us take up any more of your time.” Behind him he could hear the photographer and the assistant quickly grabbing their things.“But—” Priscilla began.“Thank you again for coming,” Charity added, going along with what Cal wanted.She’d worked for him too long not to know when he’d had enough.“We look forward to reading your article.” She handed Priscilla her coat and opened the front door.Priscilla appeared to be so startled by Cal rushing her out the door that she didn’t get another word out until she was standing in the driveway and Cal was closing the door on her and her crew.“Thank you, Mr.Sellers.And thank your wife—”Cal slammed the door on the woman, then rounded on Charity.“I told you that Lucy was not to be alone with that bitch [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]