The Candidate (Romantic Suspense) (The Candidate Series) (29 page)

 “Nope, I turned him down, because of his voting record.” Ben shrugged. “Not to mention his finance sources.”

“You’re right. He doesn’t deserve you. Then again, according to the latest poll, he may not have needed you after all. Seems that all the Democrats are having a cakewalk this time around.”

“With the GOP’s presidential frontrunner in prison, and so many of their backers indicted, I guess it was inevitable.” Ben smiled. 

“Abby, how’s Lavinia doing these days?” Roberta’s clippers stopped for a moment, so that she could look back and assess her handiwork.

“Just fine, I guess. We so rarely see her. She’s so used to the city now, it’s almost impossible to convince her to spend any time out here with us.”

“I sent flowers to the house, after Preston’s death. I got back the sweetest note from her.”

“She truly appreciated them. She didn’t get many,” Abby explained. After his indictment, she found out pretty quickly who her real friends are.”

“Well, you know what they say. If you want a true friend in Washington, get a dog.” Ben speared the ground with a hoe.

 “Frankly, I think Preston got off easy,” Abby murmured. “His fatal heart attack couldn’t have been timed more perfectly: just a few days after his indictment.”

“Abby’s got her own conspiracy theory,” Ben explained. “She thinks he made a pact with Smith to kill him before he went to trial, and now Smith is off on some tropical island with his blood money. Frankly, I can believe it.”

Roberta shuddered. “I hope she’s right. I’d much rather have that killer a million miles from here.” She patted Abby’s hand. “I’m also happy you don’t have to testify.”

Abby nodded. “Me too. I guess we were lucky that the files on the digital dossier provided enough evidence to convict the traitors.”

“That, and all the video feeds of Talbot plotting and scheming in his limo with some shadowy figure,” Ben added. “It was sent in from some anonymous source. My guess is that both are the same man: Mr. Smith.”

 “I’m too smart to take that bet,” Roberta laughed. “Tell me, Abby, does anyone even suspect you aren’t really Maddy?”

Abby shook her head. “No. And that’s fine by me. Maddy may have had many things wrong, but she had one thing right: you don’t need to live in the spotlight to be happy.”

Ben laughed. “Oh yeah? Then what do you need?”

“That’s easy. All you need is a man who proves his love for you, every day.”

Ben scooped his wife into his arms and held her tight.

That may have been enough for him, but not for her. She cupped her palm behind his neck and drew his mouth to hers. Her lips grazed his, for one tantalizing minute, before the kiss deepened into the bliss he ached for whenever she was within view. 

Eventually he drew back, but his eyes didn’t want to leave her. Instead, they took in everything he loved about his wife. Her open laugh. Her broad, welcoming smile. Her steady, adoring gaze from those deep blue eyes.

Even with her hair still dyed Maddy’s dark auburn, whenever he looked at her, Maddy’s ghost never stared back at him. 

He now realized she has all the traits he had sought but had found missing in her emotionally bereft sister. 

Appreciation. Respect. Trust.

Love.

And when in love, as she once was with Andy, as she was now with Ben, Abby was capable of doing any.

Even saving the world.

Even saving Ben. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I owe a lot to the following people, whose love and support gives me the courage to write, every day:

Karin Tabke, who first fell in love with this book, and pushed me (quite adamantly; what are friends for?) to make it a priority; Andy Brown, who is a go-to guru for anything technical and metaphysical. Andy, thanks making the virtual a reality; Austin Brown and Anna Brown, who are my emotional touchstones, in so many ways; my agent, Holly Root, for her unwavering support; Andree Belle, Darien and Don Coleman, Linda May and Ben Brown, and Mario Martinez and Patricia Steadman, who are always there to encourage, nurture and feed me. 

And always last but never least, Martin Brown: you complete me.

Dear readers: If you liked
The Candidate
, I’d be honored to get a review from you! We authors live by them, and they are always appreciated.

Thank you,
–Josie Brown

HOW TO REACH JOSIE

www.JosieBrown.com

www.AuthorProvocateur.com

www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA

www.facebook.com/JosieBrownAuthor

Find a typo?

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NOVELS IN THE

HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN SERIES

The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook
(Book 1) 

Every desperate housewife wants an alias. Donna Stone has one . . . and it happens to be government-sanctioned. But Donna earned it the hard way. her husband was killed the day she delivered their third child. To avenge her husband's murder, Donna leads a secret life: as an assassin. But espionage makes for strange bedfellows, and brings new meaning to that old adage, "Honey, I'm home..."  

The Housewife Assassin’s 
Guide to Gracious Killing 
(Book 2)

A nuclear arms summit, hosted by a politically connected billionaire industrialist, provides the perfect opportunity for a rogue operative to assassinate the newly elected Russian president, on American soil. Donna Stone’s mission: seek and exterminate the shooter before all hell – and World War III – breaks out. Also on Donna’s to-do list: file for divorce. Throw in a couple of killer playdates and a few naughty neighbors, and you’ve got a whole lot of fun. 

The Housewife Assassin’s 
Killer Christmas Tips
(Book 3)

’Tis the season for murder, mayhem and mistletoe! There will be no peace on Earth if Donna and Jack don’t find a shipping container filled with heat-seeking missiles. Forget Santa! Terror is coming to town… 

The Housewife Assassin’s 
Relationship Survival Guide
(Book 4)

In the fourth full-length novel #4 of Josie Brown's Housewife Assassin series, contract assassin Donna Stone's idea of a perfect relationship? A man she can trust in any situation. Yes, breaking up is hard to do. Then again, so is breaking out of a Mexican prison, and stopping a massacre by an international terrorist cell. So, how do you mend a broken heart? Donna finds out -- the hard way. And FYI: falling in love with a married man isn't heart smart. Then again, neither is dating a terrorist. But when an old love gets in the way of Donna's chance for true love, she doesn't cry. She gets even.  

The Housewife Assassin’s 
Vacation to Die For
(Book 5)

A nude sunbathing serial killer, rabid (literally) eco-terrorists, mafia hit men...

Talk about a fantasy (nightmare?) island!

Breck Industry's former getaway, Misfit Quay, as redeveloped into  three resorts. 

There's something for everyone:

Like Kamp KidStuff, where families frolic among dolphins, cartoon characters, and (due to a major booking glitch) warring Cosa Nostra families having separate reunions; 

And Eden Key, a nude singles sanctuary where tiki-hut treehouses provide the perfect setting for rum-fueled romances and casual hook-ups—not to mention the occasional swinger slashing…

Finally, there's Hunters Paradise, an exclusive club which caters to big game hunters seeking a most unusual quarry:

humans who are political prisoners of countries doing business with the Quorum. 

And you call this a vacation?