Love Her Madly

By Kimball Lee

Evie Elliot thought she had it all: She's a white-hot Calvin Klein icon, with "CK" tattooed on her perfect ass, star of the top rated talk/reality show 'Evie Every Day,' and of course, daughter of the most adored living ex-president. Life is good, until she's grabbed by a madman and rescued by the former Secret Service agent who protected her life and took her virginity at the age of 18 (both while in the White House). Now, it's been eight years since Evie fell head over heels for Callahan Kane, and eight years since she ran away from Washington. Thanks to a lunatic kidnapper, she's back in Callahan's hands once again. Fate has thrown them together once more, and this time, they'll have to decide: Does true love stand a chance, or is it just great sex and bad timing...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kimball Lee
• Release date: Sep 28, 2020

Kimball Lee

Hi, I'm Kimball Lee and I'd like to welcome you to the many worlds of my imagination! The topics of my novels and novella-series will vary but my style of writing remains the same. I don't write 700 page books padded with useless words that take three chapters to describe a doorknob! I do write funny, interesting, happy, sad, romantic, often titillating and always thought provoking works that pack a lot of good reading into just the right number of pages. I hope you enjoy my writing and know that it comes from the heart and I give every spare moment to creating characters you would want to have as friends and worlds you would want to visit or live in. Happy reading! Kimball Thank you for visiting my author page, please connect with me on my social media sites! [e-mail]

Book preview

Love Her Madly

By Kimball Lee

Copyright 2020

All Rights Reserved

Chapter One

Evie peered out the helicopter window as they prepared to land and realized her father was right. The sprawling estate below— concealed in a dense forest of moss-draped cypress trees and rampant foliage, the palatial house planted squarely in the center of the stone-walled property only visible from above—was indeed the perfect place to find shelter from a world where fame had become increasingly dangerous. That’s what she desperately needed— shelter. Shelter from the celebrity of her own life.

Honestly Daddy, this could be Isla Nublar. Are you hiding me at Jurassic Park? Evie asked, pushing her sunglasses down to gaze at the towering security gates as the helicopter landed. A wave of nausea gripped her for an instant and then passed, she was getting used to the after effects—nausea, dizziness, fainting, hallucinations—of having been shot up with a nearly fatal dose of Ketamine by the psycho who’d abducted her.

"What was that honey? Isla what? It’s not an island, this old plantation is all but forgotten, Green Meadows is lost in time, a historic gem hidden on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. I promise I won’t be far away and no one will find you here, I’ve been absolutely assured. When that criminal is locked away you’ll come home to Savannah and then we’ll travel the world together without a care, her father said, unbuckling his seatbelt to stand and stretch before he knelt beside Evie and pulled her against him, tucking the top of her head beneath his chin. Sweet child of mine, my dearest darling girl," he murmured, stroking her long silky hair.

Evie fought back a deluge of tears at the long-lost familiarity of his adoration and simple, love-filled gesture. She hated herself for the disgraceful number of years she’d allowed to flow past and separate her from her only living parent.

Evie, he asked, stepping out onto the neatly clipped lawn and offering a hand to steady her, by any chance do you remember Callahan Kane?

Her father’s question sent a jolt of adrenaline from her toes to the top of her head and suddenly it felt as if the world had tilted. Did she remember Callahan? Only every night and every morning and all the hours in between. She had tried every trick in the book to leave his memory in the past, but how could she ever forget HIM?

Umm, possibly. He was my new Secret Service agent the last year we were in the White House… right? Evie asked, trying to sound nonchalant, her hands fluttered up to twist her hair into a messy, pale-blonde ponytail, her heart was beating so wildly that it brought on a dreaded wave of dizziness.

Here now Edward, she’s in a fragile state. No need to burden our girl unnecessarily after her horrendous ordeal. Come on Sweet Pea, let me show you the house, it’s an incredible historic landmark. What am I saying? You probably came here as a child on school fieldtrips. The mansion was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. It was eventually confiscated by the Union Army and they say that several of Sherman’s officers stood on the rooftop and toasted the spectacle of Atlanta burning. Oh, forgive me, I was a history major, you know, and I tend to ramble on. The place is huge and perfectly secluded, so wander the halls, hike in the woods, dance on the lawn in your undies and no one will be the wiser. I promise you’re going to be in heaven. Beverly threw her head back and laughed, she was small and spritely with sparkling brown eyes and a swingy silver-grey A-line bob. She and Evie’s father were lovers, secretly at first, back when she’d served as Evie’s social secretary during the White House years. Now she and the former president lived together and occasionally joked that despite their being head over heels in love, they were still too young for marriage, although he was seventy-eight and she was sixty-something.

Her father turned away, mumbling, Yes, Secret Service when we were… when I was president… how long has it been? Well, you owe Kane your life, who could have guessed? I held something against him once… for the life of me I can’t remember what…. It’s all over, God willing, all in the past now. What did I say his first name was? He pressed two fingers against his lips as if he wished to stop the rambling sentences that became more and more tangled each day. Evie hadn’t known that, hadn’t been aware that his mind had fallen victim to something more sinister than aging and forgetfulness. MCI—Mild Cognitive Impairment, a precursor to Alzheimer’s—had invaded the Great President’s brain, it was stealing his memories, stealing an American icon from the nation, the world, and from his beloved, wayward daughter.

It seared Evie’s very soul to realize that in leaving Washington as abruptly as she had, running away from Callahan, cobbling together a life in New York and then in Los Angeles, she had lost the past eight years—possibly the last good years—of her father’s life. That was a bitter pill to swallow and she placed every bit of the blame squarely on Callahan Kane.

Daddy, she pleaded, clutching his hands in hers after they had moved onto the stone walkway beyond the persistent whir of the helicopter’s rotors, "please tell me this is not Callahan’s house… estate… mansion! I hear rumors about him in certain circles, about what he does for a living, and Beverly has made a remark here and there, it’s not that I’m ungrateful… I just can’t be indebted to him. Don’t tell me you paid him to save me from that lunatic in L.A. and now I’m basically his hostage? No, please no."

Indebted? Why, that’s ridiculous Sweet Pea, I know for certain that Agent Kane’s become richer than we are. He certainly doesn’t need my money, and besides, he refused to take it. He was more than willing to help and what matters is that you’re safe and he’s gone back to… where is he, Bev? Somewhere with a T in it. Perhaps, Turkey, Tunisia… maybe Tehran or Tibet? Am I imagining that? Ah, my lovely girls, I must remember to take more B vitamins, he chuckled as he looped his long arms around the shoulders of the two women he loved best, and the three of them stared out over the pristine, tree-dotted acres. Just look at the unparalleled beauty of this forgotten paradise, a dozen acres just a stone’s throw from downtown Atlanta, yet a world away. My, my, a storm’s coming, that’s plain to see, thunderheads are rolling in.

President Elliot, will you stay a while and have dinner? One of the pair of men who flanked Evie and her father asked as they climbed wide flagstone steps to the deep, white-columned front porch. I’ve had a table set in the library, your favorite room in the house.

No, no, not today. This house is certainly palatial although a bit new for my taste, Civil War era, if I’m not mistaken. Now, my home in Savannah is part of the National Trust, are you aware of the history? Built in seventeen sixty-something by an ancestor who later became a hero of the American Revolution and put his signature on the Declaration of Independence. Yes, yes, extraordinary circumstances…. Beverly and I take our meals on the terrace overlooking Forsyth Park…. Edward Talmadge Forbes Elliot stuttered, he seemed lost suddenly, disoriented, his hands digging deeply into the pockets of his impeccably cut blazer.

Of course, we have a bit of time Edward. Beverly squeezed his hand and smiled but her eyes held a touch of sadness as she gave him a peck on the lips. I’ll just get Evie settled and one of these gentlemen will treat you to a scrumptious plate of shrimp and grits and a cup of Chatham Artillery Punch.

Ah, my favorite lunch and my favorite drink… the good life is so simple after all, the Great President whispered and turned back to watch the storm clouds that existed only in his mind.

*

Goodness, that staircase is a workout isn’t it? I love how it goes up in one direction and then switches back the other way, so graceful and romantic. It’s rumored that Margaret Mitchel was inspired to write Gone with the Wind when she attended a cotillion in this very house, Beverly said after she’d led Evie through countless rooms on the first and second floors of the stately Greek Revival mansion. Evie, you should swim now that you’re feeling more yourself, it would help clear your head and you always were like a fish in water. The pool on the back terrace is heated, of course, I’m not sure about the one in the conservatory, but you should have a look at it at least, it’s very beautiful, way over in the south wing of the house. You’ve been cooped up with us for more than two weeks, swimming and vigorous walks on the grounds will be good for you. Alright, this will be your bedroom and it’s a perfect place to end our little tour since rest is what you need tonight.

So, you’ve been here before, Bev, when, why? I probably don’t even want to know. I’m dead tired, my head feels like it’s full of cobwebs and I’m not sure what day this is. I’ve been away from Los Angeles for two weeks, which means it’s no longer October, why can’t I grasp that? The last thing I remember I was getting dressed for a Halloween party and then it was like my face exploded and someone tossed me into a car’s trunk. Except for the tidbits you and Daddy have let slip, I don’t know who drugged me and left me with a black eye and a split lip. At least Callahan won’t be here, this wouldn’t be a great time for me to confront the man who changed the course of my life. Speaking of, what about my actual life, what about my talk show? I need to get back home, I’ll lose ratings, my audience will abandon me, Evie kicked off her shoes, climbed up into the tall, canopied bed with its mounds of pillows and inviting down comforter, and began to cry as if the world had come to an end.

Eve Alexandra Elliot, as long as I’ve known you the only thing that ever seemed to frighten you was giving your heart away. You were only ten years old when you and your father moved into the White House and within two days I realized you were the bravest, most precocious girl I’d ever met. There you were, a motherless child who’d spent most of her young life in the Georgia governor’s mansion and who was destined to spend her entire adult life in the public eye. You never ran away from anything until you believed your heart had been broken. Yes, I’ve been in this house before, in a way Callahan became a bit like the son I never had, and did you ever consider that he probably isn’t keen to see you either? In fact, I’ve stressed to him the importance of keeping things cordial between the two of you. The last thing you need is to rekindle a relationship that never should have happened in the first place. Beverly said, rifling through an armoire and handing Evie a soft white men’s undershirt and a whisper-soft cashmere robe.

I’ve had several conversations with Mia Bly, Beverly continued, "she had Bly Media announce that due to ‘family issues’ the Evie Every Day show is on hiatus. Here, hand me your dress, slip into this t-shirt and crawl under the covers, you can unpack your bags later. You won’t have a phone, but I can contact you through the two agents you saw outside, they won’t bother you, in fact you’ll barely know they’re here. I’ve shown you how to operate the door locks, the sound system, the intercom, and the panic button. Your meals and the housekeeping will be done without you even being aware of it. Consider the house your own, do whatever you please within these walls and on the property, the handful of agents employed here go above and beyond to insure privacy and confidentiality. You can swim naked in front of them and I assure you they won’t even look—they’ll probably have bothersome erections, but they will turn their heads away, Beverly said and she and Evie both burst into a laughing fit. Now, give me a hug and I’ll check on you in a few days.