The Winner

  LuAnn ran a shaky hand through her hair and sat down next to her daughter, putting an arm around Lisa’s quaking form. She sensed the pain coursing through the small body. Could the truth hurt her daughter any worse than this? LuAnn clenched her fist and pushed it against her right eye as she tried to stop her nerves from pouring right out of her body.

  She turned to her daughter. “Lisa?” The little girl refused to look at her mother.

  “Lisa, please look at me.”

  Finally, Lisa looked at her mother, her small face a blend of anger and disappointment, a combination that was crushing to LuAnn.

  LuAnn spoke slowly. The words she was uttering would have been unthinkable an hour ago. But then Jackson had shown up and his appearance had changed a lot of things. “I promise that one day, very soon, I will tell you everything you want to know. In fact, more than you will ever want to know about me, about you, about everything. All right?”

  “But why—”

  LuAnn put her hand gently across her daughter’s mouth, silencing her. “But I’m telling you right now that when I do it will shock you, it will hurt you and you might never understand or appreciate why I did what I did. You may hate me for it, you may be sorry I’m your mother” — she paused, biting hard into her lip — “but however you feel, I want you to know that I did what I thought was best at the time. I did what I thought was best for you. I was very young and I really didn’t have anyone to help me make my decision.”

  She cupped Lisa’s chin with her hand and tilted her daughter’s face up to hers. Lisa’s eyes were now filled with tears. “I know I’m hurting you now. I don’t want you to go away, but I will die before I’d let anything happen to you. So would Uncle Charlie.”

  “Mom, you’re scaring me.”

  LuAnn gripped Lisa with both hands. “I love you, Lisa. More than I’ve ever loved anything in my whole life.”

  “I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Lisa touched her mother’s face. “Mom, will you be okay?”

  LuAnn managed a reassuring smile. “A cat always lands on its feet, sweetie. Mommy’ll be just fine.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  The next morning LuAnn rose early after a mostly sleepless night. Saying good-bye to her daughter had been the most wrenching thing she had ever done; however, she knew that task would seem easy compared to the day she would tell Lisa the truth about her life, about her mother’s life. LuAnn hoped she would have the opportunity to do that. And yet a huge wave of relief had swept over her when she had watched the lights of the Range Rover disappear down the road the night before.

  Now her biggest concern was devising a way to reapproach Riggs without making him even more suspicious. But she didn’t have much time. If she didn’t report back to Jackson with some information soon, then he would turn his attention fully on Riggs. She was not going to let that happen.

  She was thinking this through as she drew back her bedroom curtains and peered out onto the rear lawn. Her bedroom was on the third floor and provided an inspiring view of the surrounding countryside. A balcony opened off the bedroom through a pair of French doors. LuAnn wondered if that was how Jackson had gained access to the room last night. Normally she activated the burglar alarm right before she went to bed. She might start doing it earlier, although she had little hope that any security system would pose much of a challenge for the man. He seemed to be able to walk right up and then through walls.

  She brewed a pot of coffee in the small kitchenette next to her dressing room. Then she put on a silk robe and, holding a cup of steaming coffee in one hand, she stepped out onto the balcony. A table and two chairs were set up there; however, she chose to perch on the marble railing and look out over her property. The sun was on its way up and the rays of pink and gold formed a backdrop to a sea of equally colorful foliage. The view was almost enough to raise her sagging spirits. What she saw next almost caused her to fall off the balcony.

  Matthew Riggs was kneeling in the grass near the spot where she had wanted her studio to be built. From her vantage point LuAnn watched in growing amazement as Riggs unrolled a thick set of blueprints and eyed the lay of the land. LuAnn clambered up on top of the railing and, one hand clinging to the brick wall of the house for support, she stood on tip-toe for a better look. Now she could make out stakes planted in the ground at various points. While she watched, Riggs unraveled some twine and, tying one end to a stake, he started laying out what looked to be the footprint of a building.

  She tried calling to him, but her voice couldn’t carry far enough.

  LuAnn jumped down from the railing, raced through her bedroom, not even pausing to put on shoes. She took the stairs two at a time and unlocked the back door. Sprinting across the dewy grass in her bare feet, the silk robe clung to her form, showing a good deal of her long legs in the process.

  Breathing hard, she reached the spot where Riggs had been and looked around. Her breaths were visible in the early morning chill and she pulled the sheer robe tight around her.

  Where the hell had he gone? She hadn’t imagined it. The stakes were there, the string affixed to them. She stared at them as if they would eventually reveal the secret of the man’s whereabouts.

  “Morning.”

  LuAnn whirled around and stared at him as he emerged from the stand of trees, a large rock in his hand. He set it down ceremoniously in the middle of the staked-out area.

  “Your stone chimney,” he proclaimed, grinning.

  “What are you doing?” LuAnn asked in an amazed tone.

  “You always run around outside in that? You’re going to catch pneumonia.” He stared at her and then discreetly looked away as the emerging sun’s rays cleared the tops of the trees and made the thin robe virtually transparent; she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. “Not to mention what it’s doing to me,” he muttered to himself.

  “I don’t usually see someone on my property at the crack of dawn putting stakes into the ground.”

  “Just following orders.”

  “What?”

  “You wanted a studio, I’m building you a studio.”

  “You said there wasn’t enough time before winter set in. And you needed plans and permits.”

  “Well, you admired mine so much, I had the brilliant idea of using those diagrams for this one. That’ll save a lot of time. And I’ve got contacts at the inspector’s office so we can expedite the approval process.” He paused and looked at her as she stood there shivering. “Now don’t rush to thank me,” he said.

  She crossed her arms. “It’s not that, I—” She shuddered again as a brisk wind sailed down the tree line. Riggs took off his heavy coat and draped it around her shoulders.

  “You know you really shouldn’t be outside in your bare feet.”

  “You don’t have to do this, Matthew. I think I’ve intruded on your time and patience enough.”

  He shrugged and looked down at the ground, tapping one of the stakes lightly with his foot. “I don’t really mind, Catherine.” He coughed in an embarrassed fashion and looked up at the tree line. “There are a lot worse things than hanging out with a woman like you.” He shot her a quick glance and then looked away.

  LuAnn blushed, biting nervously at her bottom lip while Riggs shoved his hands in his pockets and stared off at nothing. The pair unconsciously emulated two teens nervously feeling each other out for that vital first date.

  She looked over at the staked-out area. “So, it’ll be just like yours?”

  Riggs nodded. “I had the time since you fired me on the fence job.”

  “I told you I’d pay you and I meant it.”

  “I’m sure you meant it, but I have a policy of not accepting payment for a job I didn’t do. I’m kind of funny that way. Don’t worry, I’ll charge you plenty for this one.”

  Riggs once again looked at the surrounding country. “It doesn’t get much prettier than this, I can tell you that. Once I build this thing, you probably won’t want to leave it.”

>   “That sounds very nice, but hardly realistic.”

  He glanced over at her. “I guess you travel a lot. A person in your position.”

  “It’s not that. But I do travel a lot.” She added wearily, “Too much.”

  Riggs looked around again. “It’s good to see the world. But it’s nice to come home too.”

  “You sound like you speak from experience.” She looked at him curiously.

  He grinned sheepishly. “Me? I haven’t really been anywhere.”

  “But you still like to come home. For some peace?” she said quietly, her big eyes locked on his.

  His grin disappeared and he looked at her with renewed respect. “Yes,” he finally said.

  “How about some breakfast?”

  “I already ate, but thanks.”

  “Coffee?” She was balancing on one bare foot and then the other as the cold ate at her skin.

  Riggs watched her movements and then said, “I’ll take you up on that one.” Riggs tugged off his work gloves and stuffed them in his pants pocket. He turned around and bent down. “Climb on.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Climb on.” He patted his back. “I know I’m not as bulky as your horse but just pretend.”

  LuAnn didn’t budge. “I don’t think so.”

  Riggs turned and looked at her. “Will you come on? I’m not kidding about the pneumonia. Besides, I do this with billionaires all the time, I’m telling you.”

  LuAnn laughed, pulled his coat on all the way, and hoisted herself up piggyback style, wrapping her arms around his neck. He locked his arms around her bare thighs. “Are you sure you’re up to it? It’s a pretty long way and I’m not exactly petite.”

  “I think I can manage, just don’t shoot me if I collapse.” They started off.

  Halfway there she jabbed him playfully in the sides with her knees.

  “What the hell was that for?”

  “I’m pretending, just like you said. So giddy-up.”

  “Don’t push it,” he groused back and then smiled.

  In the woods near the horse barn, Jackson repacked his sound wand and made his way through the woods to his car parked on a side road. He had watched in some amusement as Riggs carried LuAnn back to the house. He had also noted the rough footprint for the structure Riggs was apparently building for her. Considering how she was dressed, Jackson thought it likely that LuAnn and the handsome Riggs would probably be enjoying an intimate moment very shortly. That was good, since it would give her an opportunity to pump him for information. Using the sound wand, he had also recorded Riggs’s voice, an asset that might prove valuable later. He reached his car and drove off.

  Riggs sipped on a cup of coffee in the kitchen while LuAnn munched on a piece of buttered toast. She rose and fixed herself another cup of coffee and freshened his.

  Riggs couldn’t help but stare when her back was turned. She hadn’t changed her clothes and the clingy robe was making him think about things he probably shouldn’t be. He finally looked away, his face hot.

  “If I get another horse, I think I’ll name it after you,” LuAnn said.

  “Thanks bunches.” He looked around. “Everybody else still sleeping?”

  She put the coffeepot back down and took a moment to sponge up a bit of spillage on the counter. “Sally has the day off. Charlie and Lisa went on a little vacation.”

  “Without you?”

  She sat back down, her eyes roaming the room before she looked back at him and spoke casually. “I had some things to take care of. I might have to leave for Europe soon. If I do, I’ll meet up with them and then we’ll all go together. Italy is beautiful this time of year. Have you ever been?”

  “The only Rome I’ve been to is in New York.”

  “In your past life?” She looked at him over the top of her coffee cup.

  “There we go with that past life thing again. It’s really not all that exciting.”

  “So why not tell me about it then?”

  “So what’s the quid pro quo?”

  “Ah, I assume you learned that phrase from your attorney ex-wife.”

  “Assumptions are dangerous things. I like facts a lot better.”

  “So do I. So shower me with them.”

  “Why are you so interested in what I did before I came to Charlottesville?”

  Because I’m doing my best to keep you alive, and it sickens me every time I think how close you came to being dead because of me. LuAnn struggled to keep her tone at an even level despite that painful reality. “I’m just a naturally curious person.”

  “Well, so am I. And I have a hunch your secrets are a lot more interesting than mine.”

  She tried her best to look surprised. “I don’t have any secrets.”

  He put down his coffee cup. “I can’t believe you can actually say that with a straight face.”

  “I have a lot of money. Some people would like to take it away from me any way they can. That doesn’t exactly qualify for shocker status.”

  “So, you’ve concluded the guy in the Honda was a potential kidnapper.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Funny kidnapper.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about it. The guy looked like a college professor. He rented a place in the area and furnished it. When he attempted to ‘kidnap’ you he wasn’t even wearing a mask. And when I showed up on the scene, instead of hightailing it off, he tried to drive right through me even though he had no chance of catching you. And in my experience most kidnappers don’t work solo. Logistically, it’s difficult to go it alone.”

  “In your experience?”

  “See, I’m showering you with secrets.”

  “Maybe he was trying to frighten me before he actually made the kidnap attempt.”

  “Don’t think so. Why put you on your guard? Kidnappers kind of like the element of surprise.”

  “If he’s not a kidnapper, what then?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me. Charlie went into the cottage and so did you. What did you find?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it.”

  LuAnn stood up and glared at him. “I don’t appreciate being called a liar.”

  “Then stop lying.”

  Her lips trembled and she abruptly turned away from him.

  “Catherine, I’m trying to help you here. Okay, in my past life I did deal with the criminal class quite a bit. I’ve got some insights and some skills that might prove useful if you’d just tell me the truth.”

  He rose and put a hand on her shoulder. He turned her around to face him. “I know you’re scared. And I also know you’ve got stronger nerves and more spirit than just about anybody I’ve ever run across, so I’m assuming whatever you’re facing is pretty bad. And I want to help you. I will help you, if you’ll just let me.” He cupped her chin with his hand. “I’m playing straight with you, Catherine. I really am.”

  She winced slightly as he said her name again. Her fake name. She finally reached up and lightly caressed his fingers with her own. “I know you are, Matthew. I know.” She looked up at him and her lips parted slightly. Their eyes did not budge from each other as their fingers exchanged touches that were suddenly electrifying both their bodies. The spontaneity of the sensation absolutely immobilized them. But not for long.

  Riggs swallowed hard, dropped his hands to her bottom, and abruptly pulled LuAnn against him. The warmth and softness of her