by Judy Kentrus
Edie hopped up onto the round base, ignored the fact that she was wearing a dress, and seated herself on a tan horse with a brassy rust and gold mane. “This is soooo neat!”
“Are you just going to stand there?” Linc fanned three tickets. He pretended ignorance and asked, “Don’t you like carousels?”
“I love them, but I have a dress on.”
“Excuses, excuses. Edie, your mom is a chicken.”
“Mom, you have to get on a horse!”
“Alright, but I’ll ride side saddle.”
To Linc’s delight, Jessie’s skirt revealed the lacy band of her black thigh stockings when she mounted a white horse with a silver and black mane. He had one other thing to do before the ride started. He hurried over to one of the vendors, made his purchase, and hopped on the carousel just before it started. “No ride would be complete without this.” He presented Jessie with a pink cloud of cotton candy.
She was utterly speechless, and wrapped her arm around the pole before taking the white paper cone from his hand. “I don’t know what to say? How did you know I love cotton candy?”
Linc chose the stationary black stallion right next to Jessie’s. “Who doesn’t? Aren’t you going to share?”
Jessie pulled off a piece of pink spun sugar and plopped it in her daughter’s waiting mouth, like a mother bird feeds her young. She plucked another piece of sweet confection and shoved it in her own mouth, all the while staring at Lincoln Adams grinning face. She could no longer question her feelings for this wonderful man. She loved him, totally, completely, but most importantly, she trusted him with her heart, her life, and her daughter.
The carousel started with a short jerk, but then moved with a smooth gait to the sweet sound of a calliope. She waited until her horse was even with his, before tearing off another piece of cotton candy, and motioning him toward her outstretched hand. “Open,” she shouted above the music.
Linc leaned into her hand and let her put the pink mound in his mouth. She caught him off guard and put a hand to the back of his neck to pull him closer. Her mouth met his in a sweet, sugar-coated kiss. When she released his lips, their mouths sparkled from pink sugar. The love she felt for him glowed in her eyes. “I love you,” she said, and quickly turned away to give Edie another piece of cotton candy.
Lincoln never heard the actual words, but read her lips. He hadn’t been imagining things. She really said, “I love you,” on a carousel in Central Park with a mouth full of cotton candy. It was unique, he’d give her that. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her deeply, hear her say the actual words. He made a silent vow to give her cotton candy every anniversary.
When the ride ended, Edie got down herself and jumped off the base of the carousel. Lincoln stared up at Jessie and put his hands to her hips to help her down. He pressed her body against the silver white stallion. “Did you just say you love me?”
Jessie put her hands to his cheeks. “Yes!” She laughed out loud and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes I did. I love you, Lincoln Adams.”
“Oh, God, Jessie, I love you so much,” he said, banding his arms around her. His heart was singing with happiness. Jessie loved him! He was complete. He was whole.
“Mommy, Uncle Lincoln! Let’s go! I’m starving!”
“Let’s take care of your daughter and my niece’s appetite. When we get home, I plan to appease a different kind of hunger, and it involves lots of fruit.”
“I’ll hold you to it, Mr. Purveyor of Amenities.”
They were almost back to the limo when Edie stopped and turned to her mother and uncle. “I have to say this now because I’ll probably fall asleep before we get home. Thank you, Uncle Lincoln for a very fun day. It is one of the best days I’ve ever had.”
Lincoln knelt on one knee next to Edie, but his eye was drawn to Jessie’s beautiful face. “Me, too, Short Stop, me too,” he repeated before facing Edie. “I was saving this for after dinner, but I’d like you to have it now.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small velvet box.
Edie lifted the hinged lid and her eyes widened at the black pearl pendant. “It’s so pretty. The stone matches the one in your ear.” She looked at her mother and was confused by the glittery tears in her eyes. “Don’t you like it?”
“It’s wonderful.” She gripped Lincoln’s hand and choked out emotion-packed words. “The necklace is very special. It belonged to Jenny Elizabeth, your birth mother. She loved you very much, and it would make her happy if you would wear it once in a while.”
“Does that mean she is up there with Buford and is watching over me?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“That means she is my guardian angel. I’ll wear it to church on Sundays. Do you think she’d mind if I wore it now?”
“She’d be thrilled.” Lincoln clasped the chain around his niece’s slender neck. Yes, this had turned out to be the happiest day in his life.
Rather than have a fancy dinner, Edie thought it would be great to get hot dogs and big pretzels from the street vendors before they got back to the airport. As predicted, she fell asleep on the back seat on their way home.
Jessie rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for a wonderful day. I don’t know who had a better time, Edie or me. I love that you gave her the pendant. You removed the weight of guilt off my shoulders and opened the door for us to talk about Jennie Elizabeth. Thank you.”
“No thanks are necessary, but I had the best time. I wanted Edie to have a special connection to Jennie.” Lincoln kissed her forehead, but kept a sharp eye on the dark, winding road for unexpected surprises. “You certainly picked the perfect spot to tell me you loved me.”
“It was the appropriate moment. I do love you, Lincoln, but most of all, I trust you.”
“Two punches in the gut in one day. Jessie you are killing me.”
She patted the front of his trousers. “Bring on the fruit salad,” she teased before a big yawn escaped and her eyes closed in slumber.
They were almost home when he remembered an item on her favorite things list. He needed to call Northrup Whipper in the morning. He pulled down the driveway and frowned when his headlights picked up a scattering of flowers strewn around the paved area in front of the garage. His hands gripped the wheel tighter as anger surged in his body.
When he shut the truck off, Jessie slowly lifted her head and yawned. “Sorry, your shoulder is very comfortable.” She noticed the dark scowl on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Look.” He dipped his head toward the front windshield where his headlights illuminated the blacktop.
“Ah!” Jessie gasped. “My flowers!” She got out of the truck, remembering not to slam the door, and picked up a white daffodil with a pink cone center and brushed it against her cheek. Tears were already running down her cheeks to blend with the lifeless petals. “Who would want to destroy all of my flowers?”
Linc wrapped her in his arms and pressed her head to his shoulder. “Whoever did this is a sick bastard. Don’t cry. I’ll contact the flower fairy and put in an order for another truck load.”
“You will not!” She shoved out of his arms. “I’m mad, damn mad!” Jess bent down and began to gather up the flowers. “I’m going put them in water! If you want to do something, get a few of the small pails from the shelf in the first garage and fill them with water.”
Linc opened the garage and flipped the light switch, but immediately stepped back. The flower killer had been in the garage and left a message. A rope had been wrapped around the neck of a man-sized stuffed dummy and hung the rafters. A note was pinned to its shirt. “Didn’t understand the first message? Mind your damn business or the next time this will be you, for real.” A chill ran down his spine when he looked at the cloth face of the dummy. Someone had drawn a black patch over one eye."
Chapter 23
Jess paced the kitchen and glowered at Lincoln. “You will sleep in Treig’s old room. Don’t even think about arguing with me!”
&nb
sp; “Lower your voice,” the judge ordered, reaching for cups from the cabinet. “It’s a good thing Edie didn’t wake up when you carried her up to bed.” Margaret had been playing bridge at the chief’s house when they got word of a situation at the judge’s home and they ended the game early.
“The officers canvassed the neighborhood and no one saw or heard anything. It’s just our luck, Mrs. Schmidt, the biggest nosy body, was playing bridge with your mother. You and I checked the apartment and there weren’t any more nasty messages. The note was left for me, and I won’t bring this threat into your house.” The words had barely left his mouth when he winced. Margaret had used the same excuse, and look at the trouble it had caused. Presently, said trouble was giving him a furious stare.
“Don’t play with me, Lincoln Adams. I’m a cop, remember? You don’t want to know what I thought when I saw the patch over the dummy’s eye. We’re getting close, so whoever’s behind this is getting nervous. I can protect what’s mine. And you’re mine!” Jess turned her wrath on her mother, who had just muttered, “It’s about time.” “He knows that I love him. Too bad you can’t throw him in jail with another trumped up charge. It worked the first time.”
Lincoln had heard enough and shoved out of the chair. “Judge, don’t you dare entertain thoughts of putting me in protective custody. If it comes down to it, I’ve got a very efficient security team at my fingertips. It’s what I do.”
Jessie jammed her hands on her hips and stepped closer. Their faces were inches apart. “What, and show everyone I can’t do my job!”
“That’s it!” His fury matched hers. He swooped a blustering Jessie over his shoulder and headed for the back door. “Judge, please excuse us. Jessie and I need to play another game of cards!”
“Have fun!” Margaret determined her daughter had met her match.
“Where the hell are you taking me?” Jessie demanded when the back door slammed shut.
“You need a bath then we’ll start on the fruit!”
“Oh, goodie,” she giggled and pinched his excellent ass.
“Ouch! You’ll pay for that!”
Lincoln carried her directly to his bedroom and dumped Jessie onto the bed. He yanked off her sneakers and tossed them carelessly across the room. “Prepare to be tamed and ravished, my love.” Lincoln reached for the button on her jeans and drew them down her legs, but paused before dropping them to the floor. The front of his own pants tightened at the sight of her long legs that were still encased in black thigh highs. “Tell me you don’t normally wear these sexy things under your jeans.”
“No,” she said, letting out an easy sigh, enjoying the way his fingers strolled up her legs to the band of lacy butterflies around her thigh. “After I got Edie to bed, I changed my clothes in a hurry, not giving a thought to my thigh highs.” Her skin tingled from his scintillating caress, and she whimpered when he teasingly peeled them down her legs.
He almost lost it when he noticed her silver toe ring. Those things were so damn sexy. Her black lace bikinis that barely skimmed her navel and slender hips were the next to go. He drew them easily down her legs and dangled the bikini from his finger. “Tell me you are wearing the little black bra to match these.”
“Sorry, no can do.” Jessie whipped off her sweatshirt and threw herself back on the bed cover like a snow angel. “Surprise!”
His love, posed gloriously naked on his bed, fired his need for her. Linc quickly pulled off his own shirt and stepped out of his jeans. “Surprise!”
Jessie’s eyes swept up and down his sleek naked body, before lifting her arms. “Come here, Pirate and ravish me.”
“I never did get my bath or fruit.” Jessie pillowed her head on his shoulder and ran a soothing hand over the firm muscles of his chest. He hadn’t bothered to turn on any lights, and their clinging bodies were blanketed in the moonlight sweeping the room.
“That can always be arranged.”
“Can I count on you to use these tactics to shut me up in the future?”
“Its number one on my list,” he chuckled, and gave her a love slap on her lovely butt. “Jessie, I was quite serious when I said I wouldn’t be moving into Treig’s room. That dummy was a personal message to me. Besides, if I did, we wouldn’t be able to do this.” Lincoln lifted her leg higher on his hip and he slipped inside her liquid heat, moving in a slow, easy rhythm, re-kindling the simmering fire burning in their bodies. He sipped at her lips, before capturing her mouth, preventing any and all potential protests.
“I was prepared to say I would give up making love if it meant keeping you safe,” Jessie started, when she finally got her breath back. Delicious aftershocks still quaked in her body.
“You’ll get the same argument from me. I respect and love you for what you do and who you are, but I can take care of myself. The alarm system is being installed, so we’ll have added security.”
“All right, for now,” she reluctantly agreed.
“Who knows where you keep the hide-a-key?”
“It’s not a well-kept secret. If someone needed something from my father, he told them where to find the key.” Jessie brought the sheet up to cover their naked bodies and wrapped an arm and a leg about him. “Since were all mushy and cozy, where did you go when you left Laurel Heights? Remember, honesty, one-o-one.”
“Mushy and cozy, I like that.” He tightened his arms about her. “I headed east on Interstate 80, without a destination. All I could think about was being free, and I’ll admit, a little afraid of the unknown. I was a few hours out when I came across Russell Long on the shoulder, trying to fix his motorcycle. I pulled over to see if I could help. We got to talking and he asked if I was looking for work. He had a two bedroom apartment and offered me a place to live until I found something on my own.”
“Just like that? He didn’t even know you.”
“He was more than grateful since I was able to fix his cycle and his cell phone was dead. I worked for Long Construction for almost a year. Russell’s father loaned me the money for school. Henry claimed, between the three of us, I had the most common sense and could keep Russell and Scott out of trouble. We were roomies for the four years we went to college.”
“Were you in the Army together?”
“Yes, but I volunteered for the Army Ranger training program. I served four years. Part of that time was recuperating from my head injury. Then I was discharged.”
“I was with Jenny when she found out from Buford that you were missing in action and presumed dead. Both of us died a little that day.” Jessie smiled up at Lincoln and felt his hot breath caress her cheek. “I’m so glad you aren’t dead. I love you, so much.”
“I love you too, Sergeant Taylor.” Lincoln turned on his side to face his love. Moonlight painted her free-flowing hair with strands of gold. “Now, I’ve a question for you. Were you the one who found the box of body armor and replaced it with the sticky note under the mattress?”
Jess kept her eyes lowered and outlined a heart on his chest with the tip of her finger. “After you left, I snuck over to the apartment to see if you had forgotten anything that I could save as a keepsake. I noticed the mattress was ajar and was actually embarrassed when I found that blasted box. I got angry and burned it!”
“It wasn’t mine.”
Jessie abruptly sat up. “Don’t tell me it belonged to my horny brother! He changed girls like his socks! This was a den of iniquity!”
She was on a roll and Linc knew of only one way to silence her. He pulled her down and clamped his mouth over hers. What followed were the unique sounds of nocturnal woodland creatures.
Tuesday morning, Lincoln got to the warehouses before either Sam Morlock or Jessie and parked next to the train depot. Four workmen were on the roof removing rotted wood shingles. Two others were tearing out what was left of the windows. When completed, six shops would occupy the rectangular shaped building.
He looked across the football-sized field at the abandoned warehouses. Many of the windows in t
he three-story brick buildings were broken or missing. In the late eighteen hundreds, one warehouse had been used to manufacture and store furniture. Grains used in the making of beer and alcohol were stored in the middle building. Cast-iron stoves had been made and sold in the third. The railroad had transported all of the items produced and stored by the manufacturers. Buford’s family had owned the railroad, buildings, and subsequent businesses.
Lincoln turned and smiled when Jessie pulled in and parked alongside his truck.“They’re really making progress,” she said, walking toward him. “How’s my guy this morning?”
“Fantastic.” Lincoln tapped the brim of her cap. “I had a very relaxing game of cards last night.”
“Relaxing, my ass. You wore me out.” Jess smiled and then sobered. “The chief dusted the note left on the dummy for fingerprints, but it was clean. He checked the hide-a-key box, the key, and the handle on the garage door. Nothing. He’s aware we are meeting Sam Morlock this morning. I’ll give him an update when we’re clear.” She looked across the road at the future home of Adams Security. “Are you sure you want to move into that dilapidated three-story brick building? The big arched window in the front is great, but the kids had a field day throwing rocks at all of the windows. The metal roof is rusted, and the parking area is just a lot of weeds and dirt. The rest of the area is barren farmland and woods.”
“Not to worry, love of my life. Russell and Scott inspected all the warehouses Saturday morning. Russell usually designs new buildings, but he is very enthused about this rehab project. He promised to get a rough outline of his plans to me and Sam Morlock in about a month. The ten acres surrounding the building are mine also. That’s where I plan to put in a heliport.”
They turned when Sam Morlock pulled into the lot and parked his motorcycle next to Jessie’s radio car. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, setting his black helmet on the seat. “I had to make a stop at the lumberyard to put in another order for supplies.” He shook hands with Lincoln and offered Jessie a forced smile. “Thanks for meeting us. With you on scene, whatever we find will be official.”
