Winner Takes All

by Judy Kentrus

  “Thanks, but you are the only one who is going to see me in my birthday suit! I will no longer hang eleven—that is, ride my surfboard naked.”

  “I wouldn’t mind.” She grinned. “Before I forget, Lincoln sent you a few messages. He spoke to the four guys you went through therapy with, and they love the idea of establishing the Super A-Team Foundation for disabled kids. They’re eager to visit children’s hospitals to show life can still be rewarding for those who have lost their limbs or need to get around in wheelchairs. Belinda and Jasper are thrilled to be your junior spokespersons.”

  “That’s great. Sparks and Katz work in the Chicago office. Loaner and Lightning work for one of Adams Security’s biggest clients.”

  “When you have time, I’d love to hear how they got those crazy nicknames,” Cindi said.

  “You’ll meet them at our official engagement party, and you can ask them personally.”

  “There was another message that had me totally confused, about a bid you submitted on a piece of property. Whatever it is, the owner accepted your offer.”

  There goes my surprise. Preston sat up, pressed the release button on his prosthesis and drew off the protective sleeve. He reached for the towel and wiped off his stump, faking a groan.

  Cindi was off her chair in a flash, and she sat on the side of his lounge. Her fingers automatically massaged his shortened limb. “Are you hurt? You’re pushing yourself too hard.” She didn’t fight the strong arms that hooked around her shoulders and drew her to stretch out beside him. “Oh, you,” she laughed and lightly punched his solid chest.

  “You were too far away, and I need to hold you.” He picked up her left hand and kissed her knuckle, just above her engagement ring. “Have you thought about where we will live after we are married?”

  Her finger traced the dolphin tattoo on his arm, just below his shoulder. “I hadn’t given it much thought, but I really want to stay in Laurel Heights.”

  “That’s fine, because I am purchasing Mr. Rogers’s farm.”

  Cindi’s eyes widened in recognition and she sat up. “That’s just down the road from Samantha’s property. There are rows and rows of fruit trees and a stone farmhouse. Mr. Rogers’s orchards produce the best peaches and apples.” She threw herself into his arms and squeezed his chest. “I love it!”

  “He’s been holding out to see if they find natural gas on his property, but it didn’t happen. Now he’s eager to sell. The house is sound, but needs quite a bit of work on the inside. I’d like to put an addition on the rear with extra bedrooms, baths and an office. The barn needs quite a bit of work, and the old summer kitchen would make a great guest house for when my parents or yours come to visit.”

  “I’ll love living on a farm, and we’ll have lots of fruit. Wait until you taste my peach cobbler!” Cindi lowered herself to him and kissed him lightly. “Hmm, salty, but delicious,” she murmured, and sampled his lips a second time, taking the kiss much deeper. Her hand wandered down the front of his board shorts, and she wasn’t surprised he was already hard.

  A low moan escaped him, and he raised his hips to meet her grazing fingers. Her magic hands knew just where to touch him. “I’d love to take you up on your invitation, but if I don’t go in and take a shower, we’ll be late. My father is a stickler for being on time.”

  Cindi gave him one final loving stroke and reluctantly removed her hand. “What time are we supposed to go sightseeing?” she asked with a disappointed sigh.

  “We’re meeting my parents at the marine science center at eleven. My father is eager to give you a personal tour. We’ll have lunch and then visit the Yaquina Head Light. Jennie is meeting us at Mo’s Restaurant for dinner. They have the best clam chowder.”

  “Speaking of your sister, Lincoln shared a great e-mail with us. As the new director of the community center, she outlined a plan to add special facilities to accommodate children and adults with physical disabilities. In addition, she is developing programs for disabled children to interact with other children. There will be a special lift chair for the disabled so they can enjoy the in-door pool. Jennie is an amazing woman, and I look forward to her moving to Laurel Heights. We’ve got to find her a man.”

  “Don’t even go there. She has sworn off a permanent relationship with a man and plans to be single the rest of her life.”

  Cindi wrapped a leg and arm around her future husband and snuggled against his warm chest. “You had the same idea, but I convinced you otherwise with my love. Jennie hasn’t found the right guy, and she just became my new project. ‘Do a good deed, for a friend in need!’”

  A hearty chuckle rumbled in Preston’s chest, and he burst out laughing. God, he loved this woman. His hand reached for the bottom of her of her camisole and drew it over her head to bare her beautiful breasts. They were going to be late, very late.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Winner Takes All. This book was not on my schedule to be written until next year, but Cindi Pearl, from Arrest of the Heart, kept bugging me to get her story out ASAP. So I stopped writing my current WIP. I wanted this to be a fun romance, considering Cindi’s happy, do-a-good-deed-for-a-friend-in-need character, but the more I researched the world of wounded warriors, I felt it should be more about Preston Reynolds, my forensic accountant.

  Wounded men and women are a special group of people who have made sacrifices in their lives so that we can enjoy our freedom. They blend in with our everyday lives but live with the horrors of mental and physical pain. I interviewed numerous physical therapists, and they related the difficulties family members have accepting what has been done to their loved one. No matter what country you live in, heroes live among us. The next time you see them, take the time to acknowledge their sacrifice. You might want to say, “Thank you for your service.” Go to www.woundedwarriorproject.org to find out more about these unsung heroes.

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  Another group of unsung heroes are Super Kids. They are a group of physically and mentally challenged children who participate in local soap box races throughout the year. Winners from each race advance to the world famous Derby Downs track in Akron, Ohio, for the world championship race. To find out more about these wonderful kids, go to nationalsuperkids.org.

  CONTACT INFORMATION

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  Meet the other colorful, fun characters in Winner Takes All—

  ELUSIVE OBSESSION, Book 1. Scott Landis is bored at his surprise birthday party and is looking for an excuse to leave, but changes his mind when the catering staff rolls in a cardboard birthday cake. Julie Keaton is a widow trying to support her two children and brings in extra money working for her sister’s party catering business. Find out what happens when the cake is delivered to the wrong birthday party. Fun romance with a hint of suspense.

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  MAID TO ORDER, Book 2. Russell Long returns from vacation to find an ad in a newspaper on his desk. “Wanted: Wife, little or no experience. Willing to pay $20,000.” The intended joke backfires, and Russell Long is drawn into the scandalous life of Alexis Snow, a former world-class fashion model once framed for smuggling jewelry. Now someone from her past is out to destroy her life, once and for all. Fun romantic suspense.

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  ARREST OF THE HEART, Book 3, Lincoln Adams closed the door on the painful memories of his past eighteen years ago. When a friend from another lifetime calls in his marker, Linc is duty-bound to fulfill his promise. Forced to save a dying town, he uncovers secrets that will change his life forever.

  Sgt. Jessie Taylor has worked hard to gain the respect of her fellow police officers and the people of the town she has sworn to protect. When Lincoln Adams returns to Laurel
Heights, he becomes a threat to everything she has achieved and loves.

  COMING IN 2016

  Samantha Kingsley’s book

  TEA IN TIME

  Chapter 1

  Walk away, just walk away, Samantha Kingsley told herself for the hundredth time as she parked her Harley in one of the white-lined parking spaces of the newly remodeled Adams Security building. More than two dozen spaces were occupied despite it being four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. When Lincoln Adams, her former boss had called about a highly critical situation, she couldn’t say no. Sam didn’t need a crystal ball to know what he wanted to discuss.

  Right now, her life couldn’t have been better. Within the next few months, she’d realize her dream and open Tea in Time, her small bakery and Victorian-themed tea shop in the quaint town of Laurel Heights. She’d been supplying her cookies and pastries to Sallie Mae, the owner of the Spoonful Café, for the past seven months, and the customers were eager to purchase her sinfully delicious baked goods.

  Four tall glass doors dominated the entrance that opened into a spacious, modern lobby. Three Adams Security guards manned a horseshoe-shaped reception area twenty-four/seven. A scattering of light passed through a checker-patterned wall of glass blocks that proudly displayed the black-and-silver Adams Security shield.

  “Hi, Sam. Bring us any of your great cookies?” one of the guards asked.

  “Sorry, Eric, this is an unexpected visit with the big boss. Stop by the Spoonful and I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee and a cherry-cheese Danish.”

  “You’re on. You’ll have to take the stairs. All the elevators are locked down because they are updating the security status.”

  “No problem.” Sam pushed open a metal door and walked upstairs to the third-floor administrative level. A small panel to the right of the entry door displayed a keypad. She punched in her code and stepped into a space the length of the century-old brick building. All of the windows had been replaced, and decorative skylights had been added to the slanted roof line. She paused to admire the abounding mountains that resembled a Thomas Cole painting of fall in all its red-gold glory. She’d lived and worked in many places during her ten years as an undercover operative with Adams Security, but nothing gave her more pleasure than viewing tree-strewn mountains she now considered home.

  She continued down the wide-open corridor to the last office suite in the building. Visitors had to stop at the desk of Cindi Pearl, Lincoln’s very efficient admin, before they got to see the head man. Sam already knew Cindi wouldn’t be manning her desk. She and Preston, her fiancé, were away for the weekend, discussing wedding plans with her parents.

  Lincoln’s door was open, and she could see two men deep in conversation on their cell phones. She recognized Nate Haines, the FBI agent. He’d lost weight since she’d seen him almost seven months ago. His shadowy black beard was gone, and he’d trimmed his dark brown hair. Tan chinos and a tailored shirt with fine navy lines was his dress for a Sunday afternoon. Once again her brain shouted, You know what this is about. Walk away.

  Lincoln Adams smiled when she walked into his spacious office. He, too, had chosen to dress casually, in slim-fitting jeans and a black sweater. The rear wall of smoked glass windows offered a perfect view of the newly remodeled train depot across the road. Two black-and-silver office chairs sat in front of the gray marble–topped desk. One corner displayed a picture of his wife Jessie and daughter Edie on Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn. A smaller frame held a black and white sonogram of his future son or daughter.

  “Hi, boss,” Sam greeted her friend. She kissed him on the cheek before making herself comfortable on the wide cushioned seat. “I can’t get over the number of cars in the parking lot, especially on a Sunday.”

  He sat in his high-back leather chair and twisted the wedding ring on his finger. He’d been dreading this meeting with Sam, but it couldn’t be put off any longer. Lives were at stake. “I thought establishing the office in Laurel Heights would be slow going, but we’ve got more business than I ever expected, not that I’m complaining. With me flying into Manhattan twice a week, I haven’t been able to stop by to view the progress on the tea shop.”

  “I met Jessie and Edie coming out of the post office on Friday. She’s quite large. Are you sure there is only one baby?” Sam winked. “The renovations have taken a lot longer than I anticipated because of all the changes I wanted. The custom-designed glass atrium took the most time, but they will be adding it to the side of the building in another month, weather permitting. Working for Sallie Mae and taking care of the farm animals have kept me busy.”

  Nate finished his call and took a seat next to Samantha. He’d have to be comatose not to appreciate the beautiful woman with the champagne-blond hair. Her long, lithe body had been poured into black leather pants and a form-fitting biker’s jacket. When she smiled, her sapphire-blue eyes glistened like gemstones. But getting involved with a woman was the last thing he needed. Most of the time he felt like shit. His leg and hip were still bothering him. At times he felt like he was a hundred rather than thirty-seven years old. He folded his hands atop his cane. “Sorry, I had to take that phone call.”

  “I’ve known you two a long time, and you’ve got trouble written all over your handsome faces.” She brought her long braid over her shoulder and feathered the brushy tip. “What is it?” Walk away! Walk away!

  Linc rolled a narrow flash drive between his fingers and retrieved a manila folder from the side of his desk. The word “Confidential” had been stamped across the top. “Sam, you know I’d never ask you to do something if I didn’t feel we were out of options. Nate, why don’t you start?”

  “I went back to work a month ago, and I’ve been assigned to a damn desk for a few more months. You were involved in my previous investigation into the trucking company smuggling illegal booze and untaxed cigarettes. The case is still open, and I’m determined to get these sons of bitches. The wife of the first independent trucker killed reached out to me two weeks ago and asked if I’d made any progress into the investigation of her husband’s death. I owe her for coming in initially so we could set up a task force. She claimed her husband took expert care of his truck, and there was no way his brakes had failed. He’d also suspected he’d been conned into transporting stolen cigarettes.” Nate’s voice took on a somber note. “Two more independent truckers have been killed. The accidents took place in two different states, so they appear to be un related.”

  Linc reflected on the precarious situations Samantha had worked in as an undercover operative. None were like this assignment. She would be risking her life, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to Sam. He wanted to warn her off, but the decision whether to take on the case would have to be hers. “Nate has come up with an idea.”

  Her suspicion had been correct, but she remained silent. She crossed her knees and knitted her fingers together. Walk away, now!

  “His proposal is that you go undercover as an independent driver,” Linc continued. “They would never suspect a sassy, sexy woman. A confidential informant working in the company reported Andrew Sayers has moved up in the organization. I personally want that bastard for shooting Jessie when she was a cop in New York.”

  “Right now the company is experiencing top-level turnover,” Nate added. “The founder of the company passed away a few months ago and his two sons, a daughter and a nephew inherited the company. They’re also in trouble with their insurance company.”

  “Adams Security and Investigations has been retained to look into insurance fraud, your specialty. Nate and I wouldn’t ask this of you if we thought you couldn’t handle yourself. This is a life-threatening situation—yours —so give it serious thought before you take on this assignment.”

  Sam didn’t have to be reminded that Nate and Treig Taylor, Lincoln’s brother-in-law, a former agent for the Alcoholic Beverage Control, had barely escaped with their lives. She feathered one of her dangling gold duck earrings with her finger an
d closed off the part of her brain that advised she walk away. The fee she intended to charge would pay for the equipment in her bakery kitchen and the ornate tables and chairs for the interior of the tea room. “When would I have to start?”

  “As soon as possible,” Nate said. “The company is currently looking for drivers.”

  “I have a personal vendetta against Andrew Sayers. I’ll need the background info on the owners, accident reports, the info your task force has gathered, any suspects.”

  Linc passed her the small drive, the folder and a specially programmed burn phone. “Everything you’ll need is right here.” Lincoln winked, knowing she would understand. “Your handle is the password. I will let the insurance company know our agent will be working undercover.”

  “I’ll need a couple days to get things in order. The construction foreman can oversee the construction on the tea shop. I should be able to live at home, but Cindi and Preston can take care of the animals while I’m on the road. I’ll use my own tractor.” She gave Linc a confident smile. “Tell the insurance company my fee for doing this assignment is triple Adams Security’s fees plus all expenses.”

  Samantha pushed up from the chair and gave Linc and Nate a military salute. “I’ll be in touch.”

  An hour later, she added a log to the fire in the original walk-in brick hearth before settling in one of the two wing chairs that afforded the perfect spot to absorb the warmth from the dancing flames. The previous owners had attached the former summer kitchen to the rear of the house, creating an inviting, intimate parlor. She’d loved the rental property so much, she’d bargained with Henry Long for the two-hundred-year-old original stone farm house, barn and outbuildings, along with the two-acre pond that Cupcake and Muffin, her pet ducks, used every day.