"That tickles!" Her little voice surprised me. Big blue eyes looked up at me with an innocence in them that I knew I'd do anything to protect.
"What tickles?" I lifted an eyebrow and reached over to tickle the side of her neck. "This?" Her giggles filled up the air as I reached for her.
"No, Daddy! No!" She swatted at me and rolled off the bed, hitting the floor.
"Hey. You okay?" I moved quickly, ready to scoop her up.
She smiled up at me from the floor. "Yes!" Bounding up, she tickled my neck and ran off toward the living room, her blond curls flying behind her.
"You tricker!" I yelled playfully from the bedroom and got up. I ran my fingers through my hair and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. It was hard to believe Jannie had been gone for five years. Seemed like yesterday she was giving me shit about finding a good woman in my life. Too bad she never found a good man.
"What are you thinking about?" Lyndsay tilted her head to the side as she sat up at the breakfast bar, her little chin propped up in her hands. "You look worried."
"Nope. Just trying to wake up. I went to sleep with a princess next to me and woke up to a frog." I pinched the tip of her nose softly. "What happened?"
"A frog! Not me, Daddy." She pulled back, shaking her head.
"No. You're right. You're much too pretty for that." I walked to the fridge. "What does my girl want for breakfast this morning?"
"Pancakes, and eggs and maybe some bacon. Oh! And some sausage. And that ham we like so much, daddy. The really salty one."
I laughed and glanced over at her. "Cinnamon rolls it is."
She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm going to watch cartoons. Are we going to Mimi's again today?"
"Yeah, baby. You know it's baseball season right now. I have to be there when they tell me to."
"I hate baseball season." She walked toward the living room with her shoulders rolled in. I needed to find a damn day off to spend with her. The cute little thing had no clue that I was her uncle instead of her father. She didn't need to know. That was the decision mom, dad and I made the day we buried my sister. It was better this way, and I was old enough and wealthy enough to take Lyndsay.
"Not that I could do it without you," I mumbled to the empty air around me. My mom and dad had been more than helpful, and between the three of us, Lyndsay was growing up to be a bright, happy, healthy little girl.
"Dad!" she yelled from the living room.
"Yeah?" I pressed the button on the stove and walked to the edge of the kitchen.
"When are you going to bring home someone that can do my hair right?"
I put my hand on my hip and gave her a funny look. "Are you saying I'm not a good beauty shop lady or something?"
She giggle-snorted, the sound of it warming my soul. "Dad. We need a girl around here."
"Well, we have one." I pointed to her. "You!"
"Ugh. Never mind." She turned back to the TV and pulled her legs up to her chest before wrapping her tiny arms around them.
It was a conversation that came up day after day between us, and where I wanted to tell her how hard it was to bring a woman around, it was pointless. She was a little girl, and to her... she needed a mommy, and I needed a wife.
Terra swept across my mind again, but I dismissed the idea of falling in love and living the life of my dreams.
It was a fairy tale, a romance novel, a sitcom for someone else to enjoy.
It had little to nothing to do with me.
***
"Danny. There you are." Martin glanced up from the table he and Lance sat at as I walked up.
"Sorry, I'm late. Lyndsay wasn't in a giving mood this morning." I pulled out my chair and sat down next to my boss and his son, my best friend.
"She doing okay?" Concern moved across Lance's face.
"Yeah, buddy." I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "Man. It's good to see you. How's New York treating you?"
"Great." He smiled and glanced over toward his dad. "The old man here is still trying to get me back over here in Washington, but he's going to have to do something more than offering a baseball team."
I chuckled. There was no way in hell Lance would take the baseball team. He hadn't played sports a day in his life that wasn't forced by his old man. His sister, my Terra on the other hand...
"I've been trying for years, Danny, but you know how this pansy ass boy is." Martin winked and picked up his menu. "Naw. I'm proud of him and he knows it. He's been working day and night for his damn medical degree and he's the best Surgeon St. Mark's has ever seen."
"Hey, while we're taking turns kissing each other's asses..." I laughed as they both gave me a look. It was nice to feel like I was part of the family. I'd been haunting their doorstep since Lance and I were in third grade.
"I've actually put in for a transfer." Lance leaned back and gave me a cocky smile. "I want to move into medical research. I have some ideas."
"On what?" I paused as the waitress came over. Her dark red hair reminded me of Terra, but her model thin body shut down my bedroom thoughts almost immediately.
"Hi, guys. What can I get for you?" She kept her eyes on me as a smile played at the side of her mouth.
"Martin. Lance. You guys go ahead." I turned my attention back to my menu, ignoring her. When it was my turn, I ordered breakfast instead of lunch, getting all the things Lyndsay had mentioned earlier that morning. She had me hungry for them since leaving the house. Knowing my mother, Lyndsay would have her making everything she wanted to eat and then some. My mom loved the kitchen.
"So, tell me how things are going." Lance turned his attention to me. "Your shoulder doing okay?"
I rolled my right shoulder and rubbed it. "Yeah. It's much better. I just tweaked something, but I'll be good by the time I get to pitch."
"Well, if you're not, just say something, Danny. I don't want them to put you out there and we accidentally ruin your shoulder." Martin gave me a stern look.
"No, Sir. I'll not let that happen." I reached for my water. Everyone was so damn worried about my joints giving out, but I was good. There were better things to worry about. "So, I heard on the news the other day that you've changed your will to leave the team to Terra. That just bullshit stories the media are having fun with, or-"
"It's all true." Martin leaned back and glanced at Lance. "This guy doesn't want them, and if we're all being honest, Terra is the best pick. She's done an incredible job down in Oakland. It's crazy to think they let a woman take over as GM, but they did."
"And she's rocking it." Lance glanced at me. That familiar feeling deep inside of me woke up. I yearned to see her again, to reach out and touch her soft skin, to hear her say my name. "Oh, Lord. There he goes again, Dad."
"What?" I came to and glanced at Lance and back at Martin. "There he goes what?"
Martin laughed. "Lance was telling me this morning back at the house that you still have a crush on my princess." He tilted his head to the side as his expression tightened.
I felt like I was eighteen again, having to ask Martin if I could take his fifteen-year-old daughter to prom with me. It hadn't gone well back then, and it looked like it wouldn't be much different now.
"I'm thirty years old, guys. That was twelve years ago. Terra is like family to me now." I shrugged and moved back, grateful as fuck that the food had arrived.
"Whatever, Danny. I know you better than that." Lance pulled his napkin into his lap and smiled at me. "She's not got a ring on her finger."
"Shame." I shrugged and picked up my fork. "She should. She's a good woman."
"The best." Her father agreed and took a drink of his coffee. "Have you heard anything about the HGH issues that the Braves are having? There's a big scandal over in Atlanta right now. I think we need to request that the league test more often."
I picked up a piece of bacon, rolled it up and shoved it in my mouth. I was grateful to talk about anything other than Terra. I was a horrible liar and would have buckled in front of
them if they kept poking me about her. I wasn't over her. Fuck, I'd never be. She was the one that got away, the one I dreamt about every night and still had some sad inkling of hope over. She was mine in some other place, some other time. The past.
"I think that's a great idea." Lance nodded before taking a big bite of toast. "The last thing you want is the publicity that comes with the league finding out that you have someone on the team beefing up on steroids."
"So maybe you start doing team tests yourself, Martin." I suggested. "Might be smart to get ahead of the game rather than ask the league to start getting after it. You end up in the same place you started then, with them finding out and you losing players."
"And getting shitty media coverage," Lance offered.
I smiled. "What's your deal with the media? Something happen or is this just one of your well-hidden fears?"
He shook his head. "Neither. I just think they're full of shit."
"Agreed." Martin glanced up. "I like it. I'll talk with Joe and Alan about it and get their thoughts."
"Damn, Dad. You still have Joe coaching? What's he, like, two hundred now?"
"He's my age, you ass." Martin smirked. "So is Alan. I like having my head coach and GM as good friends from my past. It lets me sleep at night knowing my assets are being protected."
I chuckled and took another bite of my sausage as my thoughts moved back to Terra. "Have you talked to Terra about taking over the team, Martin?"
"No." He shook his head and smiled. "Nothing to worry about just yet, Danny. I'm going to outlive you all."
"Truth." Lance glanced my way and lifted his hand for a high-five. I denied him for fun.
We'd been saying his father would be running circles around us when we were old men, and so far, we were right.
To be continued…
Enjoying Stealing First so far? Feel free to pick up your copy today HERE . Thanks for checking it out.
The Worth Series
A Look Behind the Curtain
Sneak Peek
I thought getting back to the forest would give me a chance to calm down.
Research is my passion.
And after my time in the city, I need the wilderness to settle my nerves.
But Park Ranger Caleb Hunt has something else in mind.
Settling my nerves is definitely not on his to-do list.
Tall, handsome and cocky as hell. He's everything I've ever wanted.
In my world.
In my bed.
But something in his past is holding him back.
One second he's hot as the surface of the sun.
The next, he's cold as the ice on a mountaintop.
I want to tame his heart, but he's wild as the wilderness he ranges.
But I'm willing to take a chance.
I just hope like hell he's worth the risk.
Prologue
His clenched fist hit the surface of his desk with a thump. Wesley Masterson glanced at the document in front of him, his face screwing up in a scowl. The Last Will and Testament of his now departed brother and his stupid bitch of a wife stared back at him.
The document should have provided him with the final piece he needed to get his fortune back, but instead, it made sure that he'd never legally have access to the land that should have been his.
All that opportunity wasted on his worthless nephew. Brice would never take advantage of the riches buried within his inheritance, even if he knew of their presence. In fact, the fool had openly stated that he would rather donate the land rather than exploit it.
What kind of a moron just gave his assets away, seeking nothing in return? Masterson's fury at the thought of all that money going to waste was enough to leave him ill.
His pulse accelerated until his heart banged away hard and fast, moving pain through his chest. Taking deep breaths, Masterson wiped the sweat off his red face and tried to get his temper under control.
The doctor had warned him to take it easy, to try and keep his blood pressure down. But situations like this made taking that advice no easy feat. Breathe in. Breathe out . After several minutes his fists unclenched, and he was able to think more clearly.
The decision of the court was just another roadblock he would have to overcome. But hurdle it he would. He'd spent too much time cultivating contacts in local government to let them go to waste now. As long as he kept the operations under wraps, he should be able to get what he wanted out of the land without anyone being the wiser.
And even if his crimes were exposed, his contacts should keep him out of jail. So what if they gave him a fine? The money he'd pull out of those hills would be enough to cover any slap on the wrist and then some.
Sure, no crime was without risk, but the perils of walking away this time were greater than any legal threats. If he didn't do this, he'd be broke. Shit, he was already broke, in the hole, in fact, by several hundred thousand dollars. And his creditors were no longer content to bide their time.
A broken limb or two were in his near future if he failed to pay off the men he owed. And that was only the beginning. Thankfully, he'd been able to maintain his prosperous image while his ship was rapidly sinking. Even his son hadn't caught on to the fact that they were hanging on to the upper class by their fingertips.
And those creditors would not hesitate to step on his hands to drop him off the cliff.
Decision made, Wesley Masterson picked up the phone and dialed.
"Stevens here." The voice that answered was irritatingly rough, like sand that made its way into a shoe and rubbed until it chafed.
"I've got a job for you. Interested?"
"I'm always interested in making money. What's the job?"
"I need a team of mining experts. Ones that can be bought and stay bought, or ones that have enough dirt on them that we could bury them if they talked."
There was a slight pause while the big man considered the request. "Mining experts, huh? That could take a little time, but shouldn't be impossible."
Experts weren't the only thing they'd need if they were to pull off a heist of this magnitude. "And we'll also need the security team, so let them know they'll be receiving new orders soon."
"Understood." There was a pause, and then, "A question, if I may?" After a gruff agreement from Masterson, he continued. "I'm assuming the mining operation you're establishing is not sanctioned?"
"Correct."
"I'd never presumed to doubt you, but there are obvious risks involved, the first of which will be covering things up."
Masterson grinned. Stevens missed very little. That's why his services were so expensive. "Leave that to me. The area we're hitting is unincorporated and uninhabited. It's far enough out that we shouldn't attract any attention."
"And if we do attract attention?"
"I won't let anything stand in my way on this. Got it?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
The predatory smile in his voice reminded Masterson of precisely why he employed Stevens. He was ruthless. Wesley felt comfortable leaving things in the large man's capable, and if necessary, deadly hands.
Tossing down the phone, he picked up the copy of his brother's will, his scowl returning. In a sudden burst of anger, he crumpled the document in his hand then tossed it into the marble ashtray on his desk. Taking out an expensive cigar, he clipped the end and then lit it, pulling long drags into his throat and expelling them, coaxing the cigar to light. When the end flared bright orange, he held the tip to the ball of paper and watched as it ignited.
With the flames chasing shadows across his grinning face, Wesley Masterson got down to work.
Chapter 1
An annoyed Caleb Hunt heard the car as it crept up the overgrown driveway. It wasn't often that someone disturbed his solitude, but such visits rarely failed to displease him. He peered out his cabin's window and watched as an overloaded Subaru came to a stop beside his pickup.
This must be the professor , he thought, wondering why his buddy Mas
terson had waited so long to warn him about the scientist's arrival. Probably because he knew how pissed the news of an uninvited guest would make me. Brice was no fool, even if he sometimes played one for the ladies.
All of Caleb's annoyance disappeared when of a pair of shapely legs, followed by a very feminine body, emerged from the car.
For a moment he was awestruck, staring at the well-proportioned woman in his driveway. He'd been working in the forest for long enough that she was definitely a sight for sore eyes.
Must've gotten lost . It was probably too early to expect Brice's professor anyway. Maybe the woman was a camper who'd made a wrong turn. Best to set her straight and get her out of here. The natural area was not yet open to the public.
A half smile appeared. Unless she wanted to stick around for the night. I'm sure I could find something for her to wrap those legs around.
Caleb stepped out onto the cabin's porch and let the screen door slam shut behind him. He strode down the few steps to the driveway and approached her. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said in an official tone, "You must have gotten turned around. There's no camping here."
The woman stared up at him, her dark eyes shining in the sunlight. Her frame was petite and curved in the best places, but he couldn't help noticing the tension that seemed to vibrate through her. A dozen ways of relieving her tension flitted through his head.
"Ma'am, you're going to have to turn around and return to the main road. The closest town is Alsea. Head south for 12 miles or so--"
"I know where Alsea is."
"Oh," he murmured, for a moment at a loss for what to say. He tried on a smile. "Well, then...I take it you don't need directions...?"
The woman shook her head, and Caleb's voice stalled.
She held out a delicate hand to him. "I think there must be some mistake. I'm Dr. Danielle French, and I was led to believe that you would be expecting me."
Mister Big Stuff_A Single Mom Friends to Lovers Novel Page 102