J.M. Jeffries - Love Takes All

The cards are dealt. Now let the game of passion begin…

Architect Hunter Russell’s grandmother just won a Reno casino in a high-stakes poker game! And she wants Hunter to help renovate it. It’s a crazy idea, and he is just about to tell her so—until he meets the stunning young woman who is his grandmother’s new business partner. Suddenly Hunter is tempted to say yes.

Lydia Montgomery has lived the life of a trophy wife. Now she’s a trophy widow, with a young daughter to support, longing for independence and purpose. The last thing she needs is another strong-willed man in her life. But Hunter’s surprisingly sensual touch, an intoxicating mix of desire and tenderness, is making her reconsider.

Can a man who has always been alone, and a woman who has never stood on her own, take the biggest gamble of all…together?

“Your parents were pretty controlling from what you’ve said. Miss E is just another form of control.”

That was a fair statement. “I thought we were just going to be friends. I had no idea we were going to be business partners, and I’ll be honest, this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” She splashed at the water with her feet, too aware of the warmth of his body next to her.

“Miss E is like that, helping you come to the right conclusion, which is right in line with hers.”

“You’re being kind of harsh about your grandmother.”

“I’ve known her longer than you have,” he said with a grin.

They fell into silence. A cool wind blew in down the side of the mountain, and Lydia shivered. He put an arm around her and she found herself leaning into his warmth. She wasn’t expecting him to kiss her, but his lips on hers were warm and inviting. She’d kissed so few men before that she had wondered what it would be like to kiss him, and now she knew.

She pushed him away and scrambled to her feet and fled to the hotel without a look backward.

J.M. JEFFRIES

is the collaboration between two women who are lifelong romance-aholics. Jacqueline Hamilton grew up believing that life should always have a happy ending. Being a military brat, she has lived in some of the most romantic places in the world. An almost lawyer, Jackie decided to chuck it all, live her dream and become a writer. Miriam Pace grew up believing in fairy tales. She found her prince charming and has been married to him for thirty-seven years. Now a granny, Miriam reads fairy tales to her grandchildren and is looking forward to baby Pace, who is due soon.

Love Takes All

J.M. Jeffries

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Dear Reader,

Life’s a gamble. You have to know when to play the hand dealt you or throw it in and start over. You need to know when to take action and when to stand back. On the turn of a card, you can win a casino or lose a fortune. Reno, Nevada, may lack the luster of Vegas, but at heart it’s still a rip-roaring frontier town.

Lydia Montgomery has spent her life bending to the will of others and now she has a chance to start over. As part owner in the Mariposa Hotel and Casino, she is hungrily looking toward her future. Hunter Russell is reluctant to take risks, but when his grandmother needs him, he puts aside everything and joins her in Reno.

Join Lydia and Hunter as they deal the cards and win at the game of love.

Much love,

Jackie and Miriam

J.M. Jeffries

Jeff and Erin, Miriam and Peter, you make beautiful grandbabies. Thank you for all the riches and love you bring to me. Mom.

To my wonderful family: Thank you for your love, support and patience. Love, Jackie.

To the next generation: Frederik, Kathryn and baby Pace (about to arrive in the world), may you each find your heart’s desire.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Prologue

Lydia Montgomery sat in the darkened gallery leaning slightly forward to peer through the clear glass at the poker table below. Lydia was just one of a few people left watching the private poker game.

She clutched the arm of her chair, trying to stay calm. Miss Eleanor Russell, looking cool and collected as always, sat at the poker table. Her back was ramrod straight. Her beautiful gray hair was in a lovely upswept style that gave her such elegant air Lydia was almost jealous. Lydia had been trained from an early age to be elegant. For her it was sometimes a challenge, but for Miss Eleanor it was effortless.

Lydia smoothed the cool silk fabric of her black pants and tugged at her Arctic white turtleneck. The room was cold, kept icy so the poker players stayed alert. Only one other person remained at the poker table, besides Miss E. and the dealer. Only one person stood between Lydia and her new life. She wanted to send the evil mojo toward him like nobody’s business, but since she had been raised to be a lady, she could only think about doing it.

The other player sat slumped over his cards, his face hidden behind large sunglasses. He kept his cards face down on the table while the dealer dealt another card.

“Are you watching him?” Jasper Biggins leaned over to whisper to Lydia. He was in his mid-sixties with iron gray hair and strong hands. His blue eyes held a twinkle. He told her he’d lived in Reno his whole life.

Miss E. had told Lydia he owned this beautiful casino with a twelve-story hotel rising overhead. Why Jasper wanted to be rid of the Casa de Mariposa was a mystery to Lydia, though Miss E. probably knew. Miss E. knew everything. And she wasn’t telling.

“What am I looking for?” She studied man, hoping she would see his tell. Behind him, at the opposite end of the gallery, a woman sat watching the game with the same level of concentrated interest as Lydia. She vaguely remembered being told the woman was Jasper’s daughter. She was a slender, brittle-looking woman with a hard face and angry eyes.

The pile of chips in front of the man at the poker table was considerably smaller than it had been at the beginning of the game, when the last seven players out of the original seventy-seven sat down to try their luck in winning the casino, the final prize of the game.

“Watch his hands.” Jasper pointed a bony finger, directing her gaze to the player below.

Lydia leaned forward and realized the man sitting across from Miss E. clutched his fingers tightly. A few minutes earlier they had been more relaxed.

“That’s his tell,” Jasper said. “I don’t think he even realizes what he’s doing.”

Most professional players thought their eyes and facial expressions gave them away, hence the oversized sunglasses to hide what he thought must be his tell. Jasper had been educating Lydia, giving her a running commentary on the game as it progressed. Lydia had a rudimentary knowledge of the game learned at Miss E.’s poker school when Lydia had first attended. But Jasper brought a deeper, more profound knowledge of the game and Lydia was happy to listen.

Miss Eleanor tapped the table, her long graceful fingers holding her cards almost daintily. She wore clear reading glasses, her own face impassive. If she had a tell, Lydia hadn’t spotted it yet. Miss E. looked completely unassuming and harmless, yet Lydia knew a tigress lurked beneath that tranquil, serene exterior.