Winner Takes All

Stephanie studied the plate of cookies Rebecca was waving under her nose. She crossed her arms again. “It doesn’t matter. We won’t win. I don’t know why you’d... What? Push me in his direction. If you’ll recall, I tried that once. He patted me on the head and told me he liked me too much to try dating. Remember? And he could never kiss me.” She wrinkled her nose in the same way Daniel had when he’d said the word as if she’d asked him to kiss the south end of a north-bound donkey.

“People change, Steph. Maybe he has, too. He’s lost his job, moved halfway around the world. That’s got to cause some careful consideration of what’s important in life.” Jen turned to Rebecca. “He’s not dating anyone, is he? Not that it matters.”

“No, he’s not dating. And getting involved with a man like Daniel would be a terrible idea. He’s married to his job. But...” Rebecca shrugged.

When Rebecca didn’t add anything else, Jen dropped back into her usual spot and kicked one jean-clad leg over the arm of the chair. “It’s not like running into the guy you measure other guys against is a bad thing, is it? Maybe that’s all you need to get out of the friend rut and on to the road to love, happiness and Favorite Teacher. Well, that and a few million dollars.”

At the reminder of the nonexistent money needed to fuel this imaginary trip, Stephanie eased back against the couch again. They could tease her all they wanted. Nothing would come of it unless the numbers the machine had spit out were winners. She’d ask the math wizard in the group what the odds were, but she didn’t want to let them know how shaken she was at the idea of either a trip to Peru or seeing Daniel Lincoln again in his no doubt trailblazing glory.

If she needed a mentor in learning to make new paths instead of waiting for things to change, he would be a solid choice.

As far as either of them knew, she’d had a crush and now it was over. Right? She watched Rebecca, her best friend since first grade, finish her cookie with what seemed to be a touch of smugness.

Then Rebecca and Jen glanced at each other and the smugness bloomed and spread.

Faking a stop in the Andes Mountains couldn’t be that hard. She took a deep breath. Lying might not be the most honorable solution, but it would definitely be the easiest, and she wouldn’t feel the least guilty about cheating a couple of dart-moving cheaters.

“We’re going to hold you to your fabulous idea, Steph. One dart and you pack your bags, get on a plane. Unless you bring back photographic evidence of you, Daniel and his clinic in Alto, we’re going to know you chickened out, you big chickeny chicken.” Jen’s satisfaction was hard to face, but Stephanie did her best not to show her dismay.

Rebecca wagged a finger. “Great idea, Jen. Evidence.”

Stephanie snorted. “So what happens if I decide to take my millions and head for France and ignore the clucking sounds you make every time you see me from now until the end of time?”

“No cookies for you.” Rebecca moved the plate out of reach and Jen whistled.

“Harsh but effective.” Jen raised an eyebrow. “Not that you need consequences. You want to make a change. Here’s the push you need. After we win the lottery.”

“Okay, so you managed to fix the dart-throwing exhibition. If you can figure out a way to rig the lottery, I am going to be so impressed.”

Jen exchanged a glance with Rebecca, and as soon as Stephanie put the wineglass on the table, Jen shouted, “We won!” She and Rebecca jumped up and down like the excitement could no longer be contained. “Five million dollars split three ways. We won!”

“Pack your bags,” Rebecca sang as she hugged Stephanie. “It’s time to make a wish come true.”

Stephanie tipped her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “You’re talking about seeing Peru, right?”

“Sure.” Rebecca blinked slowly. “What else could I be talking about?”

“Fine, but you’re going with me,” Stephanie muttered. And added through gritted teeth, “My treat.” If she was going, she was certainly going to take a buffer with her.

“Can’t.” Rebecca held up her hand and ticked off the points. “No passport. No tranquilizers. No airplanes. No way.” Her fear of flying was well documented. They’d tried it the first summer after her parents moved to Florida.

It had gone badly. Very badly. Now they took road trips.

“And Jen’s out. She signed up to teach summer school.”

Before Stephanie could argue that Jen had no need to pick up the extra money, Rebecca added, “This is your thing. You don’t need us.”

Oh, yes, she did. It was fine to dream big on Rebecca’s sofa. Actually going to a foreign country all alone might be too big.

And the fact that she was sitting on the edge of panic over the trip instead of dancing in celebration over winning the lottery was something to think about. Later.

“Are you matchmaking?” Stephanie asked. “Because...”

“I love you. I love him. The two of you together, I don’t know about, but you’re in a rut. This ought to fix that.” Rebecca wrapped her arm around Stephanie’s shoulders. “And if I know my brother, his rut’s deeper than yours, even on a mountaintop. Of the three of us, you were always the best at getting him to do what we wanted.”

“But what do we want him to do?” There had to be an ironclad excuse to get out of this.

“Simple. I want him to be happy.” Rebecca shrugged. “And you, too. What if the best way to stop turning dates into friends is to make a friend...something more? I dare you to give this a shot. One trip. Easy.”

Stephanie was speechless as she considered Rebecca, who had walked away to pull a casserole out of the oven that was now living on borrowed time. Rebecca was her best friend. They would be friends until the end of time. But she might have been breathing in the oven fumes for too long.

Still, she could go, see Daniel and return with the message that he was happily saving the world one vaccination at a time. The trip also would prove that her feelings had been settled, once and for all. He was a friend. He’d stay a friend.

And having a purpose made the trip a little less intimidating.

But only a little.

Ready or not, she was headed for Peru.

CHAPTER TWO

“WHY ARE YOU updating now, you stupid piece of junk?” Daniel rubbed his forehead, watched his laptop count up slowly and tried to think happy thoughts. Before he’d settled in to start and finish the overdue fund-raising report, he’d checked his parents’ Facebook page. The cruise to Alaska was going well. But there were no other updates. Nothing from his sister. He would’ve called her to check in, but his recent uptick in homesickness wouldn’t be helped by hearing her voice.

Since he’d been about half a second away from hitting the medical recruiting sites he’d started checking now and then, just to see who was hiring close to home, he should thank his computer for saving him the angst.

While giving him a whole different bucket of angst, of course.

His life was in Peru. He missed home and his sister more than he’d ever admit, but he was a grown man. He’d deal. There was plenty to do here to keep his mind off what he was missing in Holly Heights.

Daniel scanned the small lobby restaurant and watched three guys in business suits working happily on laptops with better timing than his. At least he wasn’t trying to do this in a necktie and white coat. The doctor’s dress code had been replaced with comfortable jeans, his favorite Baylor T-shirt and a dusty ball cap that kept the sun out of his eyes.

Most of the time, he was the lone doctor in town. He had the freedom to dress the way he wanted and run the best clinics he could.

That had to be the unlikely silver lining to his flameout at Holly Heights Hospital. Refusing to discharge a patient whose insurance wasn’t up to par—against his sound judgment as a doctor—was one thing. Insulting the hospital administrator in front of the board was where he’d stepped over the line. And as a result the hospital’s summer job shadowing program for high school kids—the one his sister had drafted and he’d called in every single favor he could to get approved—had also been axed.

Letting Rebecca down had been a hard way to learn the lesson, but he’d never again make the mistake of believing his skills made him bulletproof. Even worse was imagining the disappointed kids who might have missed out on finding their calling.

In Peru he didn’t have to worry about offending any number crunchers in expensive suits. Well, except for the guy watching him over the top of his newspaper.

Daniel shoved the computer out of the way, yanked his breakfast plate closer and scooped up a heaping tower of fluffy scrambled eggs. At least this meal was on his schedule. That was one of the perks of this business-class hotel in Lima. Everything ran on time. Reliable electricity. Running water twenty-four hours a day. And hot water whenever he turned on the tap. City life definitely had its bonuses.

When the laptop finally whirred back on, he sighed and reopened the document he’d been staring at for long minutes before his computer had taken its life in its hands by shutting down and restarting without his permission.

He smiled at the woman who kept his coffee cup full. After she’d gone, he ate his toast and tried to come up with the next paragraph of his fund-raising report for HealthyAmericas.

The patterns on the ceiling hadn’t changed since the last time he’d stared up for inspiration. “I should have found someone else to work on this report.” Not that he’d really trust anyone else with something so important. He was the project leader. The success or failure of HealthyAmericas outreach in the Pasco region rested squarely on his shoulders.

“And success depends pretty heavily on money, so you shouldn’t have put this off, idiot.” He surveyed the room to see the other diners shooting glances at him out of the corners of their eyes and decided talking to himself was a habit better left to long hikes in the Andes Mountains. Apparently it made the city people nervous.

“The clinic in Alto continues to serve the population of the town and the surrounding region through vaccinations and basic...” Boring. Why would anyone care about these colorful, three-dimensional people when all he could give them was gray, flat statistics? “I could write a report about one patient, make it clear how donations help an individual. People love to hear feel-good stories. Especially about cute kids.”

The businessman seated across from him wrinkled his nose as though he wasn’t quite convinced, and the idea of starting all over again made Daniel want to escape. Head back to the mountains. Get his hands dirty and make a difference the best way he knew how.

But coughs needed medication, cuts needed stitches, and there were babies and mothers and little ladies with arthritic hands or worse all depending on this funding.

Why did good medicine always seem to come down to money?

When his email dinged, he seized his chance to do anything else and clicked to open the message from his sister.

“Won the lottery?” Daniel laughed out loud in relief. His sister would write a check, no problem. “And Jen and Steph, too.” His fist pump froze all activity in the restaurant while everyone waited to see what the crazy American would do next. He waved his arms broadly. “Good news!”

They all smiled awkwardly in return and kept on watching him surreptitiously.

He went back to the message and reread it. “A big investor coming here? Today? I don’t have time for that.” He tried to imagine what sort of businessperson would come all the way to Lima to check out his operation and decided it didn’t matter. He needed donations.

The plate of scrambled eggs and toast was demolished in a flurry of happy bites before he fired off a congratulatory email with the standard “make a donation now” request. Then he quickly drafted another message for Dr. Wright, a medical school colleague who’d founded HealthyAmericas, to let her know big donations were on the way and that his fund-raising letter would be delayed but he’d have it ready for the big donor event in two months.

“Or else,” Daniel muttered. He added his regrets that he couldn’t make it back to Texas in time for the event before he hit Send. She wanted him to be the face of the doctors serving in South America. He was pretty sure he didn’t want to show his face around there. Too many people would remember him leaving in disgrace. Austin was close to Holly Heights and it was a small, small world.

He clasped his hands behind his head, stretched in his chair and studied the ceiling again. “Definitely a case study. Maybe a few, with pictures to show the real-life benefits of having medical teams making regular stops. That’s the way to go.” He ignored the curious stares and tried to think of someone who could do a good job with the report in order to free up his time for more patients. “I should request an intern or something, somebody who’s good with a camera and a computer.”

Making a mental note to add that to his budget for the next year, he closed the laptop, shoved it in the beat-up bag he carried with him at all times and pulled out his wallet to leave nuevo soles as a tip. He smiled at the waitress again. “Gracias.”

Before he could head back to Alto, he had to check out of the hotel and make sure the truck with the medical supplies was scheduled to deliver next week. And now he needed to come back to the hotel to meet with this investor. Flights arrived early from the States, so he should still be able to make it to Alto. He’d leave a message at the desk with a time and hope whoever it was checked in soon.

Every day he had a long list of things to do, so he was glad to push off the report that was making him crazy. When he made it back to Lima in another two weeks, he’d do it. Definitely.

A husky laugh drew his attention to the lobby desk where Paulo was talking with a tall blonde dressed for African safari. She was khakied and cargoed from head to toe, although silky hair trailed down her back. Something about her was familiar, but that could be attributed to the homesickness that struck now and then. He was happy in Peru, but that didn’t mean he never dreamed of going back to the way things were, when he was such a skilled surgeon he could bend the rules as he liked. As always, he shoved aside the disappointment and stood as the blonde turned away from the desk.

“Stephanie?” He had to sit back down before his weak knees made him stumble.

Stephanie pulled out the chair opposite him, but before she sat down, she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed so tight he almost turned blue. The hug surprised him, but it shouldn’t have. She’d always greeted him the same way. The bigger shock was that he wasn’t quite ready to let her go when she braced both hands against his chest. She smelled like lavender dryer sheets and about a million things he’d learned not to take for granted, things that made him think of home.

And immediately he was reminded of how sweet she’d been when she’d asked him out to dinner. Since he’d just burned every bridge at the hospital, he hadn’t been as careful with her as he should have been. Protecting Rebecca, Stephanie and Jen had been his job ever since the first night he’d been stuck babysitting.

Seeing her here brought his homesickness back—with a crash. He’d missed her. She was home and family and laughing and not taking himself so seriously in one beautiful, sweet package. He realized he was still holding on to her hands and forced himself to let go.

“What are you doing here?” He frowned as she settled in the chair with a tired sigh.

“The frown’s more like it. For half a second I thought you were happy to see me.” She rolled her eyes at him and waved the waitress over.

“Yes, ma’am, what would you like to order? May I bring you a menu?”

Stephanie waved her hands. “No, no need for that much trouble. How about eggs and toast? Orange juice?”

The waitress wrote down her order. “Certainly. I’ll have that right out.”

Stephanie clapped her hands. “Wonderful.” Before the waitress could walk off, she added, “Before you go, those are great shoes. Are they comfortable?”

Daniel did his best to keep the annoyance at a low simmer while the two women discussed comfortable shoes and where to find them in Lima. By the time the waitress walked off he was amazed she and Stephanie hadn’t exchanged phone numbers.

“So you’re surprised to see me. Didn’t Rebecca let you know I was coming?” Stephanie’s gaze darted away. “I’m happy to see you, too, by the way.”

The discomfort on her face reminded him that even if he’d almost forgotten their last awkward conversation, maybe she hadn’t. He hated that. He didn’t want anything to change between them. That had been the whole point of turning her down. Stephanie had always looked up to him. He’d watched over her. That was the arrangement he was comfortable with.

“No, she didn’t mention it. Obviously. You nearly missed me. I was about to go pick up medical supplies.” And now he had no idea what to do. Time to prepare would have been nice. “Did you buy one of everything at Camping Corral?”

She frowned at her outfit, studied his for a long minute and then grimaced. “Okay, I overdid it. A little. But this is what happens without enough time to study a place.”

As she surveyed the lobby, she pointed at the skylight. “Clouds. That’s something I didn’t expect. I had this picture of sunshine and green mountains, not oceans and heavy cloud cover.”

“You can get that here, too. Wait an hour and everything changes.” He watched her lean back and thank the waitress with a friendly smile.

“How wonderful. Scrambled eggs are my favorite. They’re the perfect start for a beautiful day. I bet you hear that all the time, don’t you?” She picked up a fork and waited patiently for the waitress’s answer.

The woman stopped and thought for a minute. “No, ma’am, I don’t. But I like a good breakfast, so it’s nice to meet another fan.” She pointed at the skylight. “And it’s nice to meet someone else who isn’t bothered by a few clouds.”

Of course she wasn’t bothered by clouds. Stephanie was like sunshine—wherever she went it was only a matter of time until the clouds passed.

The waitress made sure to pour Stephanie a nice cup of coffee. She happily dug into her breakfast and he shook his head as the waitress brought her a fresh bowl of jelly, a stack of clean napkins and a paper from the front desk.

He’d had to lay down a healthy tip to get service with the same friendly attitude.

“I’m sure you’re in a hurry to get on with whatever brings you to Peru.” He was always in a hurry. He sipped his lukewarm coffee and wondered if he could get her to ask for a refill. “How long are you here?” And could you just hand me the checks and let me get back to my day?

The homesickness had no cure, but getting back to work would help the symptoms.

She fiddled with the edge of the folded napkins for a minute and the niggling thought that everything wasn’t going to go according to his plan settled in his brain.

“Your sister, Jen and I have this sort of agreement. Maybe it’s a dare. I’m not really sure.” She picked up a slice of toast and carefully, thoughtfully chewed it all while he did his best to ignore the impatience he could feel building with the tick of the clock. He rested his elbows on the table, propped his chin on his hands and pretended he was patient.

“I threw a dart. It landed on Alto. I have to go there or listen to them clucking at me for the rest of my life.” She shrugged. “You get that, right?”

He leaned back in his chair and wondered who in the world could figure out what was happening from a nonsensical statement like that.

Only one who’d spent countless Friday nights listening to his sister and her friends giggle over badly thrown darts. He’d also learned to carefully consider every sentence that came out of Stephanie’s mouth. She’d always been the one to give him the most trouble. Rebecca he could threaten into compliance by mentioning their parents. He was pretty sure nothing threatened Jen but she’d never tried cajoling him, either. All that had come from Stephanie. At sixteen she’d been good at getting cooperation, even from a cocky high school senior.

“Let me translate. You won the lottery. They dared you to throw a dart at the map and get on a plane. If you don’t do it, they’ll never let you forget it.” And just like when they were kids, he’d been dragged into their brilliant plan.

The urge to lecture her on the dangers of traveling alone to spots off the beaten path was strong.

“Sort of. You’ve got the basics anyway.” She spread grape jelly on her toast. “So, how soon can we leave for Alto? I need a picture of you, me and your clinic. Then I’ll be out of your hair and you’ll have some nice donations.”

She didn’t meet his gaze as she said it, so he was pretty sure that wasn’t the full story. “You want to come to Alto?” He shook his head. “Impossible.”

“There’s the reaction I was expecting,” she muttered and sipped her steaming hot coffee.

“Now the safari getup makes more sense, but—” he yanked off his ball cap and ruffled his hand through the hair that was long enough to drive him crazy, something he didn’t need with a woman bound to get him there in two seconds flat “—it’s a hard drive and once you get there the amenities are seriously lacking. The Andes can be dangerous, and if you fall or break something, it’s a long, painful ride back to Lima. It’s nothing like home. Better just leave the check. If you’re determined to see the sights, head to the tourist towns or even stay here for a few days. It’s a nice place. Lots of interesting history. The hot running water will be right up your alley.”

If he warned her about the traffic, protecting her valuables and being aware of her surroundings, Stephanie would mock him. He might deserve it. The dangers in Lima were much the same as in any big city and she’d been navigating Houston and Austin with two troublemakers at her side for years.

Stephanie pursed her lips and pushed away her empty plate. Instead of dragging in like a woman who’d spent most of the night on a plane, she seemed energetic. Full of life. She always had.

“Here’s the thing. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but I’ve flown halfway around the world to satisfy the doubters back home, have a little adventure and, yes, leave you a big check.” Stephanie shook her head. “The question you have to ask yourself is how bad you want it. Bad enough to play tour guide for a couple of days?”

“I moved to Peru to avoid donor requests like this, Stephanie. You know I have important work to do. The drive up to Alto takes a full day, but there are stops to make along the way because there are people who need doctors, don’t have them and have no way to get to them. So I go to them. I’m too busy for a sightseeing trip.” He banged his hand against his bag. “By the time I make it to Alto, unload the medical supplies, hike out to all the villages that need attention and come back to Lima, you’re looking at two weeks. Nobody has time to load you up and bring you back to wash your hair.”

She blinked as though he’d slapped her, and Daniel noticed the guy with the paper had pursed his lips and was shaking his head in disapproval. Daniel sighed. The nosy guy was right. She didn’t know how hard the travel was and treating her like some shallow nuisance was unfair. Besides, he didn’t like the way disappointing her made him feel.

“Sorry. That was a little more forceful than I’d intended.” He spread his hand out over the cursed laptop. “I have a few things on my mind.”

“No ‘Hi, how’ve you been?’ or even ‘What’s new?’ or ‘What brings you to the neighborhood?’ Just full-on skipping the small talk and telling me how busy you are.” She nodded. “At least you haven’t changed much.”

“Did you hope I would? Change?” The question about whether she thought time in the mountains would make him think differently of her and their...romantic potential hovered on the tip of his tongue, but he wouldn’t ask it. He was afraid of her answer. Friends were a lot more valuable and harder to come by than dates. Or at least he thought that was still true.