Playing for Keeps (Honky Tonk Angels Book 5)

by Ciana Stone

  Ciana Stone

  Playing for Keeps

  Book Five in the Honky Tonk Angels Series

  Copyright 2016, Ciana Stone

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, businesses, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 Ciana Stone

  Cover by Syneca Featherstone

  All rights reserved.

  Playing for Keeps

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Playing for Keeps

  Copyright © 2016 Ciana Stone

  Cover art by Syneca

  Edited by Holly Atkinson

  Electronic book publication September 2016

  Print book publication September 2016

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Syneca Featherstone

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Dedication:

  For my honeyman – you are still the one.

  And for Dino Hillas, the incredibly handsome man who honored me by allowing

  me to use his photograph on the cover of this book. Dino, your drop-dead-sexy

  good looks are matched by a heart as vast as the ocean. You grace my life

  with your presence and I am so grateful to you.

  Also, to a very special friend, Lisa. Thanks for being here for

  me soul-sister. My life is blessed by your friendship.

  Readers!

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  Chapter One

  Cade stood at the window, staring out. This was his last night in Atlantic City, the last time he’d stand and look over the place he’d called home for nearly twenty years. The last night he’d spend in the penthouse of the hotel and casino he’d worked to build into one of the finest in the city.

  He turned and let his gaze travel over the interior of the penthouse. He knew every inch of the place, could and had walked through it with his eyes closed. Yet, even with that level of familiarity, he’d never called it home. At least not in a way that was meaningful. It was simply where he lived and worked.

  Home? He hadn’t had a home since he’d left for college at age eighteen. Cade had not gone home for the summers like most students. He’d stayed on campus, taking extra classes and working with the student aid department to help pay his tuition.

  Home had become a dream, that golden fruit that life dangled as a temptation. Work hard, be honest, save your money, be smart, do what’s right and happiness will come to you. It’ll take you to that place and that person that you will call home and you’ll be happy.

  Yeah, that was the dream. The one that had not come true.

  Not that he could complain. He’d done okay for an average guy from Austin, Texas who grew up in a working class home. Today, his parents’ house was paid for and their retirement secure. Cade had seen to that.

  Hell, his own retirement was secured as of now. Today, he’d sold the hotel and casino he’d put his blood, sweat and tears in to. He could invest his money and never work another day in his life if he wanted.

  The problem was, Cade wasn’t sure what he wanted. He just knew he’d grown bored of the casino business, which meant it was time to get out.

  His cell phone rang and he picked it up from the polished surface of the bar. “Hi Mom,” he answered.

  “So it’s done?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “What now, honey?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “Well…”

  Cade smiled. “I know that tone. What do you want?”

  “Nothing. At least not for myself. But I was talking with my sister, Stella, this morning, and her girls could really use some help, Cade.”

  “Stella’s girls?” Cade searched his memory and all he could come up with was a fuzzy recollection of two young girls, ten or so years old, one blonde and one brunette.

  “Yes, you remember I told you. Your Uncle Billy gave them each a third interest in the bar.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” He remembered. The bar that had to be rebuilt because it had been hit by a tornado.

  “Well, you know, since that big oil strike, Cotton Creek is splitting at the seams with new people and the bar is packed to bursting every night. The girls, Cody and Hannah, are running themselves ragged. You know Hannah still helps Stella at the bakery three half-days a week and Cody is running the ranch. Well, Billy helps, but mostly it’s up to her. They’re—”

  “What kind of help do they need, Mama?” Cade hated to interrupt but knew that once his mother got started on what everyone was doing, the conversation could stretch on.

  “They need someone to run that bar for them. Manage it and hire them some help so they can get some rest, bless their hearts.”

  “And you think I’m the man for the job?”

  “Well, it’s not like you have anything else to do, son. And they are family and you know what I always say about family.”

  “Yes ma’am. Family helps family.”

  “That we do.”

  Cade considered it. He hadn’t been to Cotton Creek since he was about seventeen. He remembered his Aunt Stella as being a beautiful blonde woman with a smile that could light the world, and a laugh that could lift the lowest spirit. Her husband Billy was a stocky man, strong as an ox and the most affable person Cade had ever met, always with a ready smile.

  What the hell. “Okay, Mom. Tell Aunt Stella to call me and I’ll talk to her about it.”

  “You’re a good man, Cade.”

  “A product of my upbringing.”

  His mother laughed and he turned the conversation to what she and his dad had been doing the last few days. As he listened, he walked back over to the window. His eyes focused on his reflection and Cade stood there, watching himself.

  He’d gotten his height from his father and his slim build from his mother. Eyes that were what had been called a disconcertingly light blue sat beneath dark brows. His hair, once nearly midnight black, was now nearly all silver.

  Cade knew he was an attractive man, but looks had obviously not been enough to bring him the kind of happiness his parents or his Aunt Stella and Uncle Billy enjoyed. Women had passed in and out of his life with as much regularity as the tourists that frequented his hotel.

  His gaze traveled to meet the eyes of the reflection. What he saw was a lonely man, one who was in his mid-forties and had never known love or the comfort of his own home. A real home.


  It hit him in that moment. That was what he wanted. More than money or fame or a new career. He wanted someone to love and someone to love him. Cade wanted a home.

  His face arranged into a frown. Finding what he wanted was going to be the biggest challenge of his life, and doing a favor for family in Cotton Creek sure didn’t seem the way to get started.

  But he’d promised his mother and like she’d taught him, a man was only as good as his word.

  Which meant he’d be heading for Cotton Creek.

  Two weeks later…

  Cody nudged Hannah as they stopped on the sidewalk to wait for traffic to clear before crossing the street. “So what’s the latest with you and Coop?”

  Hannah grinned. “Girl, he is so hot.”

  Cody laughed, grabbed Hannah’s hand and they made a dash across the road. It reminded Cody of being a kid—of her and Hannah hanging out after school at their mom’s bakery and running across the street, heading for the library or the ice cream store.

  Today they were running to the Blue Belle Diner to meet someone about a position at the bar they wanted to fill—namely, a manager’s position. As much as neither Cody nor Hannah wanted to admit it, they had moved beyond being able to keep the place going all on their own with just a handful of wait staff.

  Even with Callie working more evenings and the two other new people they’d hired, they were short-staffed. With Hannah helping out at the bakery and Cody having the ranch to run, both girls were running on fumes. Cody supposed they would have kept on going that way had their dad not shown up a little more than a week ago and put his foot down.

  He said he’d listened to them during their “come to Jesus” moment with him and their mom when they’d said it was time for Billy and Stella to start treating them like adults and let them run their own lives.

  Now, he’d said, it was time for them to listen to him. It wasn’t any kind of life if all you did was work. So, if they wanted real lives, they needed to hire some help for the bar and start living like normal folks, which meant having time off on some evenings and weekends.

  Cody looked at Hannah as they stepped onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street. “He’s right, isn’t he? Dad, I mean.”

  “You know he is.” Hannah gave Cody’s hand a squeeze before she released it. “The bar is doing great—better than great. With all the new people in town, we’re doing ten times the business we once did. But it’s also driving us into the dirt. I don’t want to do nothing but work and I don’t think you do either.”

  “You just want time to spend with Cooper,” Cody teased.

  “You bet’cha,” Hannah said and grinned. “And have time to read a book, take a walk, go to the lake and a thousand other things. Don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I do. I just don’t know about hiring a manager.”

  “Well, this guy isn’t just some stranger. He’s family.”

  “Yeah, I know. But it’s not like we grew up with him. I mean, we saw Mama’s family on the holidays when we went to Austin to see Gram and Gramps, but it’s not like we really know Cade.”

  “We know he’s our cousin, that he just sold a hotel in Atlantic City and made a bundle on it and hasn’t decided what he wants to do next. So he has experience and Mama says we have to at least give him a shot.”

  “Mama says?” Cody cocked one eyebrow. “So we’re back to taking orders from Mom again?”

  “No, from Daddy, who still is a partner and honestly Cody, I agree with them this time. Who better to hire than family?”

  Cody shrugged. “You may be right.” Cody opened the door of the diner for Hannah. “Okay, fine. Do you even know what the man looks like?”

  “No, but I imagine he’s the good-lookin’ fella sitting over there with Daddy.” Hannah pointed.

  The man seated with Billy stood as they approached the table. Billy looked over his shoulder at Cody and Hannah. “There’s my babies. Girls, this is your cousin, Cade. I’m guessing you don’t remember him since the last time we saw him you were round eight or ten years old. Cade, this here is Hannah and Cody.”

  “Hannah,” Hannah said and smiled. “And I wish I could say I remember you, but honestly, I don’t.”

  “That’s okay, it’s been quite a while. Nice to see you again, Hannah.” He turned his attention to Cody. “And you, too, Cody.”

  “Thanks, right back at’cha.” Cody rounded the table to take the free chair on the opposite side, leaving the closest seat for Hannah.

  Once they were all seated and had coffee, Cody opened the conversation. “So, you had a good trip?” She took a drink from her coffee cup.

  “I did.”

  “Mama says you just sold a place in Atlantic City.”

  “I did.”

  “A casino?” Hannah asked.

  “Yep.”

  “That’s stepping in pretty high cotton,” Cody commented and motioned for the waitress. “Honky Tonk is nothing compared to that.” She looked up and lifted her cup. “Hey Amy. I’m mainlining caffeine today.”

  The waitress refilled the cup and Cody smiled up at her. “Thanks, hon.”

  “You bet. Y’all ready to order?”

  “Sure.” Cody looked around the table. “Y’all ready?”

  “Just toast for me,” Hannah said.

  “I’ll have my usual,” Cody followed.

  “And I’ll have her usual,” Billy added.

  Cade looked around the table. “How much trouble am I in if I order her usual?”

  Everyone laughed and the waitress answered. “Depends on how much you can hold. Her usual is two eggs over medium, home fries, steak and biscuits.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Okay, I’ll put this order right in.”

  “Thanks, Amy,” Cody said.

  “My pleasure.”

  “Okay.” Cody’s attention went back to Cade. “So, Atlantic City to Cotton Creek. You sure you want to plant your feet here, Cuz?”

  “Not really, but since I don’t know what I want to do next, and Aunt Stella says you need help, it seems like a good solution for all of us. At least temporarily.”

  Cody looked at Hannah and Hannah gave a slight shake of her head.

  “Okay, it’s that temporary part that’s the problem,” Cody said.

  “I get it,” Cade said. “You don’t want to go through the transition only to have to do it again a couple months down the road.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Then how ‘bout we sign a contract, renewable every six months. If either side wants out, we part company on good terms, but if we want to renew then we keep on going. And if we decide to part ways, I’ll stay until you can find a replacement and get him or her trained.”

  Cody looked at Hannah and Hannah nodded. “We can live with that,” Cody said. “So what about salary?”

  “I’m willing to negotiate.”

  “You’ll get treated fair,” Billy spoke up.

  “Never doubted it,” Cade replied.

  “Good,” Cody said. “Then we’ll sit down and hammer out the details and get it in writing in the next day or so. You want to wait until the ink is dry to start getting familiar with the way things run?”

  “Nope. If you can’t trust family, who can you trust?”

  “Amen to that, Cuz.” Cody lifted her coffee cup in a toast. “Here’s to a beneficial, and hopefully enjoyable venture.”

  Hannah, Billy, and Cade all lifted their cups. Cody looked around the table and caught Hannah’s eye. They grinned at one another. Cody knew exactly what Hannah was thinking. Maybe now she could actually have a social life, and she knew just the man she wanted to be social with.

  Cody wasn’t opposed to a social life. She just wished there was a man she found interesting enough to socialize with. But until that man showed up, she’d just have to make do with being able to get a full night’s sleep and maybe have time to run or watch a movie, or spend a long hot afternoon at the lake.

  It was, after all, the
simple things that meant so much. Mentally, she snorted. Whoever made up that saying obviously wasn’t single, because what would mean so much to her right now was a long, hard ride.

  And not on a horse.

  Chapter Two

  Roxie Ellis looked over at Dini Merrill, who had turned her head to the side, watching the passing scenery. Roxie knew that despite the brave front and bright smile, Dini was hurting. She’d never have left Vegas if she hadn’t found her boyfriend in bed with another woman.

  Some people were born with hearts pre-hardened. Dini wasn’t one of those people. She’d worked her ass off, picking up extra work at multiple casinos to support herself and help put her boyfriend Mickey through college.

  Turned out, he was more interested in the anatomy of a red-haired teaching assistant than his classes.

  When Dini showed up at Roxie’s door, red-eyed and barely able to speak, Roxie knew it was time to leave Vegas in their dust. It’d been time for her for a while, but Dini was all the family she had and Roxie hadn’t been able to leave her behind. So she’d pushed her luck and stayed for Dini.

  Not that they were related by blood. But some friendships were deeper than blood relations and this was one of them. Still, Roxie had known right then that the time had come. So two weeks later, they’d sold everything they owned, gassed up Roxie’s 1957 T-Bird and hit the road for Mexico.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Roxie said.

  Dini turned her head to look at Roxie. “Are you sure about Mexico?”

  “You’re not?”

  Dini shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess. I mean it might be fun for a week or so but…”

  “But?” Roxie asked when the silence stretched on.

  “I don’t know, Rox. I mean it sounded like a good idea when… Well you know, when I found out Mickey was cheating on me. But now… Now I don’t know. I mean, isn’t it just running from our problems? What are we going to solve by going to Mexico?”