Read Online Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack (Siren Publishing Classic) by Siobhan Muir - Free Book Online Page A

of the valets working overtime to accommodate the arriving vehicles distracted Julianna from her thoughts. Evening warmth wafted through the open doors, carrying scents of hot desert sage and excitement. The dress code for the party may have been “dressy casual”, but the energy of the guests implied something far more significant. Tawny positioned herself just inside the door and Julianna stood beside her, too unfamiliar with the invitees to stand opposite. Tawny winked at her just before the first guests stepped in.
    Seething with excitement and anticipation, the crowd surged. The tide flowed past them, and Tawny transformed into the perfect hostess. She was gracious, friendly without being obsequious, solicitous without being smarmy, and Julianna did her best to emulate her. Most of the people passing treated Tawny with a measure of respect, but their response to Julianna was more reserved. Julianna didn’t mind. She hadn’t been home long enough to be familiar.
    There were a few people she did know. Most of them, like the Winthrops and the Cutters, had attended her father’s funeral a few days earlier. Howard and Michelle Cutter brought along their daughters, Tammy and Ashley, both of whom twittered and giggled like teenagers at prom. Both families sauntered past Tawny with regal disdain, taking her greeting for granted. Julianna wanted to smack them all on the backs of their heads, but instead she smiled coolly, dismissing them as she turned to Bob and Sally Millner. They owned the feed store and were the first guests who seemed genuinely happy to be there. She didn’t know most of the others, though she recognized a few more faces from the funeral.
    She certainly recognized Brenda Solaris. The blonde woman made an entrance like visiting royalty, complete with someone to announce her to everyone in the house and an unobtrusive bodyguard. She wore a silver gown that looked more appropriate for the Oscars than a Nevada dinner party, with one shoulder bare and a short train behind her silvery heels. A glittering Tiffany headband and bracelets reflected the house lights, and the scent of a perfume, a light, fruity scent reminding Julianna of sun-ripened apricots, flavored the air preceding her.
    Despite her added height from the heels, both Tawny and Julianna stood taller than the ad executive. Tawny greeted her warmly with deference, but Brenda’s eyes swept past her like she was nothing and fixed on Julianna with immediate dislike and rivalry. Julianna’s first response was reciprocal, particularly after the way Brenda treated Tawny in her own home. The disrespectful action made Julianna straighten to her full five-feet-nine-inches and stare the woman down.
    “Sorry, you must’ve missed Ms. Lightfoot’s greeting,” Julianna stated pleasantly as she gestured at Jeff’s sister. “Welcome to the Lightfoot House, Miss Solaris. We’re so glad you could come.” She said it loud enough for everyone in the foyer to hear, and Brenda was forced to stop and acknowledge Julianna’s companion.
    Fury blazed in her pale blue eyes, but Brenda pulled out a warm smile and turned it on Tawny. “Oh, I’m sorry. Thank you. I’m very pleased to be here tonight.”
    “You’re very welcome, Ms. Solaris,” Tawny replied sweetly, nothing in her face, voice, or bearing revealing any sarcasm. “Please, enjoy the party. Refreshments are in the gardens out back.”
    “Thank you,” Brenda replied just as sweetly, and swept past them regally, her head up and her stride commanding. Julianna inwardly bared her teeth at her rival’s retreating back. Why were some of these people so damn rude to the hostess? She hated “big-fish-little-pond” syndrome. Smoothing her expression, she turned her attention to the next guest.
    Before her gaze could focus, her nose caught the scents of wild mountain penstemon and ponderosa vanilla. An odd sense of familiarity enveloped her when she saw the short, slight form of Sebrina entering the