The Renegade Returns

Why had he said that? Whatever he thought usually slid out of his mouth without any semblance of a stop sign in between, that’s why. Most people found it funny. But her utter mortification was not what he’d wanted.

“I’m sorry, Avery. I should never have said that.” His mama had taught him to own up to his mistakes. People might think he was all ego—and he let them keep believing it—but he’d never dishonor a woman or ignore her distress. “Seriously, I may not always play the gentleman, but I would never intentionally embarrass a friend.”

Her recovery was quick. She straightened on the stool and crept forward with her heels until she’d crossed half the little room. He couldn’t help but notice she still kept some distance between them. The return of the professional mask took a little longer, though. “Friends, huh?”

He grinned, hoping to put her at ease. “I’d like to think so.”

She nodded, as if that settled things. But it took her a few moments to say, “So I wanted a little walk on the wild side.” She shrugged those delicately built shoulders, keeping her eyes trained on his chart. “What high school senior doesn’t?”

His libido urged him to ask if she’d gotten it, but for once he kept his trap shut. He sifted through his memories for any gossip he’d heard about her, but came up empty. All Jacob had supplied last night were the directions to the therapy center. No bad behavior. No scandalous liaisons.

Was there no gossip to be had? Last night she’d been at dinner with Doctor Morris and his wife, who were seventy if they were a day. She’d had no date accompanying her, even though Mark had joined her to walk out. No wedding ring on her long, slender fingers. Her last name hadn’t changed. Maybe there hadn’t been any wild times...

Maybe he should change that?

Oh. Hell. No. The last thing he needed was a casual hookup with the least casual woman he knew. He tried to erase the seductive thought as she spoke again.

“We’ll start each session with a warm-up, then build strength with resistance exercises—first using just your body weight, then moving up,” she was saying, using her pen to check off her points. Her precision marks were a little too perfect, holding her interest a little too much. “Your therapist in North Carolina gave me your records. You’ve come an incredibly long way, but today I’d like to see what’s happening for myself...”

Luke didn’t want to think about any of it—so he distracted himself with the fall of soft yellow scrubs that skimmed her curves. If she knew what he was thinking right now, she’d probably give him an exaggerated frown and tell him that activity wasn’t on his approved list.

Maybe he’d have to prove her wrong.

“Okay, Luke?”

“Yep,” he automatically answered.

“You weren’t listening, were you?”

“Nope.”

The look on her face implied he’d been naughty, but it was her big sigh, the one that lifted her nicely rounded breasts, that drew his attention. Not the sigh, just the— Boy, he was in so much trouble.

“I guess I’ll explain as we go along,” she said, ignoring his distraction. She rose to her feet and turned to open the door. “Let’s see what you’re capable of...”

That didn’t sound good, and his previous experience with physical therapy told Luke it wouldn’t be. She started him on a slow walk around the room, moving alongside him. Her soothing voice washed over him, almost relaxing despite the awkward coordination of his uncooperative legs and the cane.

Except he knew what was coming.

The upper body work wasn’t an issue. Moving and challenging those muscles actually felt good. His hips and legs—not so much. Avery put him through some resistance training, range-of-motion work and stretching. An hour later, drenched in sweat, he had to wonder if a sadistic grin lurked behind her ardent expression. Her encouraging words said she wanted to help, but was she secretly satisfied by his pain?

After all, he’d humiliated her in high school. That he’d done it for her own good didn’t seem like adequate justification now that he was an adult. But maybe he could make it up to her somehow?

Or would spending time with Avery outside of his therapy be the equivalent of playing with fire?

Two

Avery ignored the shake of her hands as she removed electrode pads from Luke’s legs and lower back. Thank goodness she didn’t have to do anything complicated. Otherwise she’d surely have made an idiot of herself. The sight of his body in nothing but athletic shorts was a test to her professionalism.

She cleared her throat, trying to ease the constriction. “I’ll let you get dressed and then meet you up front.”

Except thoughts of Luke and clothes only reminded her of their earlier conversation, and her immature offer to help him dress. Ah, there are those stomach-twisting nerves again. She hurried out the door with only a small bump against the frame.

Luke was so much like she remembered—only ten times more dangerous. Obviously, he’d figured out that these joking innuendos were the way to get beneath her guard. She needed a way to counteract them.

Her current method wasn’t working very well.

Teasing from any man under sixty flustered her, but her reactions to Luke were too strong—a tempest compared to a sprinkle of rain when it came to other men. The fact that she found him amazingly attractive only made her nerves worse. Her interest had nothing to do with him being a local celebrity and everything to do with him being, well, Luke.

His charm and ready smile had drawn her from the moment she’d met him. Whenever they’d seen each other as teenagers at country club dinners or various gatherings, Avery would follow him around, subtly watching him. Unlike his brother Jacob, who had surrounded himself with a businesslike wall, Luke knew how to make himself comfortable in any social situation.

A skill Avery had never developed.

Oh, she could chat with people in town, people she’d known all her life. Her genuine interest in and sympathy for her patients made interacting with them easy. And she had a few girlfriends, like Christina, whom she could turn to when she really needed to talk.

But drop her into a bunch of strangers and Avery simply froze. She reverted back to her high school speech class, with all those eyes staring at her, waiting for her to say something brilliant—and all she could do was squeak.

“So how often do I need to be here?”

As Luke approached, Avery looked up from the chart she wasn’t really reading. Even with the cane, she could have sworn a sexy male model had invaded her territory. Her breath caught in her throat once more, before she released it on a sigh.

Who was she kidding? She’d tried to ride that train once, and Luke had made it plain she wasn’t his type. If he never brought that night up again, it would be too soon. Besides, Luke wouldn’t be sticking around for long. He’d made that perfectly plain during their discussion.

Why risk more humiliation by reading into his teasing more than he could possibly mean? She knew from countless hours of observation that, for Luke, flirting was a way of life.

She forced herself to erase any mooning, wistful tendencies from her voice. She kept it short and, okay, maybe a little stiff. “Let’s get you set up for Wednesday, shall we? I won’t have an exact plan until I’ve looked over my notes from today.”

Avery’s receptionist was flirtier than usual, giving Luke a run for his money. Cindy had all the outgoing personality that had passed Avery by. She chatted and giggled with Luke as she scheduled his next appointment. Normally Avery appreciated that Cindy made their patients smile, but today their laughter left her feeling like an outsider—though she’d never admit that to anyone.

“And what’s this?”

Avery barely quelled the instinctive grab for what she didn’t want him to see. She narrowed her eyes at Cindy. They’d been looking at the brochure earlier and Avery was pretty sure she’d asked Cindy to put it away. Yet there it was, sitting on the checkout counter, as pretty as you please.

“Cindy...” Avery warned. That innocent expression didn’t fool Avery.

She tried a glare, but Cindy just laughed it off. “Rock climbing and rappelling—not far from here,” the receptionist said. “Can you believe it? Avery’s been on a search for ‘adventure’ lately.” The air quotes didn’t help Avery feel better.

“Really?”

Luke’s drawl should not send shivers down her spine. And his slow perusal over her body should not make her mouth water. As if satisfied with what he saw, he broke out a wicked grin. “Lucky for you, adventure just walked through your door.”

“I’m doing just fine on my own, thankyouverymuch,” Avery said, embarrassed by the childish huff that ended her words.

Luke’s glance across the counter at Cindy was answered with a sad shake of the woman’s head. As Avery flushed from head to toe, she vowed to murder her receptionist—as soon as she got Luke out the door.

Those amber eyes swung back to study her. “You sure about that?” he asked.

The intensity of his gaze caught her, held her. His expression was still amused, but gone from his eyes was the teasing, smiling Luke. In the amber depths she saw darkness simmering beneath the surface.

“I keep telling you,” Cindy said, “what you need is a nice man who will give you lots of fun without having to resort to stunts like this.” She waved the recovered brochure in the air.

With a single lift of his brow, Luke added, “What are the men in this town thinking?”

“They sure don’t know what they’re missing,” Cindy teased.

Had Avery’s blush reached lobster levels yet? “I don’t need sex to have fun.” Oh dear, had she really just said that out loud?

“Nobody said you did, sugar,” Luke said. His teeth bit into his full lower lip, but that didn’t stop his grin. “But why don’t you tell me exactly what kind of adventure you’re looking for? I might be able to help.”

The ring of the door chime saved her from answering. “Gotta go,” she mumbled as she moved, only to stumble over her own feet.

Luke was quick to catch her arm, helping her upright again. “Why don’t we talk about it over dinner?” he asked, too soft for anyone else to hear.

Or maybe not. Cindy’s happy dance in the background had Avery’s face burning once more.

“Nope,” she said. “I’m good.”

Again his husky voice played along her nerves. “I’m sure you are, but with me it would be better.”

Oh, Lordy. Avery almost choked. She wanted nothing more than to get out of here. Forget whoever had come through the door.

Twisting out of Luke’s grasp, she chose the other direction and the safety of the therapy room. She threw an “I’m sure you have better things to do,” over her shoulder as she escaped, praying she didn’t damage her dignity by falling flat on her face.

Heaven help her, Luke Blackstone was gonna be a handful.

* * *

“Has she made you cry like a girl yet?”

Luke quelled his sudden urge to smack his twin. After all, they weren’t twelve anymore. “No. There’s been no crying.” Though his control had been shaky sometimes, he’d held it together. Jacob was teasing, but thankfully he didn’t know how close to home his statement hit.

As the oldest brother, Aiden obviously thought he had a say, too. “I thought for sure she’d pulverize you after what you said at the country club.”

Of course, someone had to bring that up. “I’m too cute for her not to forgive me.”

Aiden smirked, then made a quick retreat behind his desk before Luke’s swing could connect. So his restraint hadn’t lasted long. He’d always been a big kid.

Unlike Aiden, who looked perfectly at home behind the heavy desk in the study at Blackstone Manor—though the studious furniture and shelves full of books were slightly deceiving. Aiden had been born too big for his britches. Luke’s earliest memories were of Aiden being punished in this very room by their grandfather for some teenage rebellion or another. The adult Aiden refused to back down, either. It was there in the artistic tumble of his dark hair and lack of a tie.

His brothers shared a grin that awoke suspicions in Luke’s mind. “Spill it.”

“Just be careful, that’s all,” Aiden said.

Luke looked from one to the other, settling on the familiar face of his twin. “What’s he mean? What could little ol’ Avery do to me?”

“Oh, it’s not Avery you need to watch out for,” Jacob said. “It’s the town.”

Huh?

Jacob went on. “Avery is notorious in Black Hills. This entire town has tried to marry her off ever since her mother died. They’re relentless.”

“Why?”

Aiden smirked. “You’ve been away from a small town for too long if you have to ask. She’s young, pretty and single. Every matron in the county sees her as a princess in need of someone to take care of her.”

They both eyed Luke, who quickly held up his hands in surrender. “The last thing I need is a princess.” He moved over to one of the long windows, hiding his reaction from the others, because deep inside he couldn’t deny his attraction. He could ignore it as long as he wanted, but it was there all the same.

“Just be careful,” Jacob said. “They’ll marry you off before a first date.”

“Not. Me.”

His twin just laughed, making him look more like Luke despite his close-cropped hair. “Yeah, right. The princess and the local celebrity—they’d eat that up.”

Definitely time to change the subject. “Didn’t we meet here to talk about something more important than local gossip? Like this spying job you have for me?”

Aiden choked, so Jacob answered, “Well, I wouldn’t call it that.”

“Why not? Don’t think I can pull off the James Bond bit?” He mimed straightening a suit jacket and tie, just for kicks.

“I don’t think he went in for corporate sabotage. A little too tame for him.”

Luke shrugged. “Hey, I’ve got to start somewhere.”

Jacob threw up his hands and dropped into one of the chairs, obviously knowing when he’d been verbally outmaneuvered. But Aiden didn’t give up. “I’m hoping, if you come in with the stated purpose of inspecting the mill to bring you up to snuff as a full partner, then maybe you’ll see something Jacob and I have missed.”

The brothers, along with their new head of security, Zachary Gatlin, had been secretly investigating a saboteur who seemed intent on ruining Blackstone Mills. The brothers had eliminated several suspects, but still had no clue who the actual culprit was. Or if they were even still out there. Whoever it was intent on destroying Black Mills would end up destroying the whole town in the process, since they were the biggest supplier of both jobs and housing in the area—heck, the whole county. Without the mill, Black Hills would cease to exist.

It had been a grueling year for his brothers, dealing with all of that on top of Luke’s car accident. “Anything new?” Luke asked.

“Nothing I can prove, yet,” Jacob said, his amber eyes darkening.

“That sounds promising.”

His twin nodded. “Zach has one of his men following the trail, but it looks like we also have some embezzling going on.”

“That’s bold,” Luke said. “The orders, company equipment, our cotton supply and the Manor itself...now money. Is there anything this guy isn’t afraid to put his hands on?”

“Not that we can tell,” Aiden said with a slow shake of his head. He pressed his palms against the desktop. “As soon as we cut off one avenue, he finds another. All too easily.”

Luke paced across the room despite some lingering muscle pain from his therapy session. His rising anxiety made the walls close in, leaving him eager to move, to escape. An all-too-familiar feeling. “That’s disheartening.”

“Well,” Aiden said, “I hope I can cheer you up with my news.”

“Yeah?” the twins said in chorus.

“The legalities of Grandfather’s will are all finished. The mill is now mine,” Aiden said.

“Wow. That was quicker than you thought,” Luke said. “Congratulations.”

“It was quicker than I thought,” Aiden conceded. “But I’m glad, because now I can move on to plan B.”

A short glance at Jake didn’t provide any clues as to what that might be. He looked as expectant as Luke felt. Aiden pulled a thick envelope out of his inner jacket pocket.

“I’ve had my personal lawyer pull up this paperwork,” he said. “I’m changing the ownership of the mill to all three of us, instead of just me.”

Luke simply stared, not fully comprehending.

Jacob spoke for both of them. “But Aiden, this is your inheritance.”

“It shouldn’t be. It should be ours. Not just mine. Not a weapon to turn us against each other, as Grandfather intended.” He took a solid breath. “A family investment. We’re all putting our lives into the mill, the town. We’re sharing the responsibility. We should share the benefits.”

“Whoa. Wait a minute.”

Jacob’s smile faded as he looked over at Luke, but Luke couldn’t give in just to make his twin happy.

“I’m not staying here,” he reminded them. “The only thing I plan on investing my life in is my racing career—the minute I’m cleared to get behind the wheel. I’m here only because I have to be.”

Luke could almost feel Jacob’s emotions fall along with his expression. Aiden remained more stoic as he said, “You never know what might happen in the future, Luke.”

“Is this why you insisted I come home?” Luke asked, panic rising in his chest. “Did you think you could force me home, force me to find something of value here, and then I’d never want to leave? Like you two have?”

He didn’t even realize his voice had risen until he stopped talking. The three of them stared at each other in silence. Embarrassment swept over Luke like a heated blanket. Where had that come from? “Look, I’m sorry. I know y’all would never do that to me.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Aiden agreed quietly. “I would never trick you into coming here. After all, I know very well how that feels.”

Their grandfather had faked his own death, bringing Aiden home to care for their sick mother, but it was only a trick to force Aiden and Christina into marrying. Even though the man really was dead now, Aiden faced what James Blackstone had done to him every day. Luckily, he’d been given a happy ending.

Luke didn’t want one. Not here.

Aiden wasn’t finished. “I’d never force you to sign this paperwork,” he said, giving the envelope a little shake. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t wish you would. Regardless of what your immediate future holds, you’re still a part of this family. I hope one day you can willingly put your name on the mill, and reap the benefits along with the rest of your family.”

All the work would be done by Aiden and Jacob. They should have the rewards—they would have the rewards. And Luke would have his freedom. He loved his brothers, loved the new family they’d built. But how could he stay here and still feed his love for the road?

Unbidden, an image of Avery’s face as she flushed with embarrassment came to him. He shook the enticing image away. He had never let anything in Black Hills hold him back. He certainly wasn’t going to start now.

He and Avery would have a little fun, something to liven up his time here, but he could still walk away on his own terms. When he was good and ready.

Three

All work and no play made Avery a dull girl—and apparently made Luke a frisky boy. Just the look on his face as he settled into one of the treatment rooms warned her he would be trouble.

Avery experienced a lot of feelings during her therapy sessions with clients: pride, sympathy, joy...but never this mixture of irritation and interest. How did he get under her skin with such little effort? A few words and she was tripping over her own feet.

His very presence seemed to inject her with pheromones that clouded her mind and drew her thoughts where they shouldn’t go in a professional setting. Especially when her work required her to have her hands all over him.

Then there was the return of the awkwardness. She’d stopped dating because of it. Better to avoid it than to wonder if she had a medical condition—one that caused shaking, clumsiness and unintelligent muttering—all with a single look from any eligible, attractive man. The sight of a handsome man shot her adrenaline up, and if he spoke to her, she immediately became all thumbs. Her considerable intelligence didn’t help at all. And her fellow citizens’ determination to marry her off meant she’d had a wealth of humiliating experiences.

Dropping things, stumbling into door frames, bumping into all manner of furniture, and—her favorite—jerking her fork so that food ended up in all kinds of crazy places. One time, she’d actually flicked pasta onto her date’s eyebrow. She couldn’t remember that incident without cringing. So Mark escorted her to many functions, which gave her a reprieve from the matchmaking mamas.

The only time it didn’t happen was when she put on her scrubs and became her professional self—comfortable in her knowledge and authority.

Until Luke. And he knew it, too.

Luke—with his sexy stare and flirty ways—jump-started the phenomenon quicker than any guy ever had. Which was why she approached him for this second session with her professional facade firmly in place. And it would stay that way. “I’ve worked up a comprehensive plan for you,” she said, “now that I’ve had a chance to evaluate you firsthand—”

“Firsthand evaluation?” he asked, bending to catch her gaze. “How did I miss that? Can I have a do-over?” His wiggling brows didn’t help her nerves. She gripped his chart hard before it could get loose.

“Behave,” she said in her sternest voice.

“Oh, honey, I don’t know how,” he said with a wicked grin that sent shivers racing over her.

How could he derail her so easily, so completely? She dared not speak for a moment, afraid she’d get out no more than a croak as her throat tried to close. That would be humiliating.

Finally, she cleared the constriction. “Look, in this clinic, I’m the boss. This is my career.” She adopted a stern look, despite the amusement on his face. “Here, I’m not your friend, family, or—” She almost said girlfriend. Where the heck had that come from? “So stop playing and get busy.”

He didn’t respond right away, which surprised her. Luke always seemed quick on the draw. But she could feel him watching her. Probably preparing for battle.

Lord, have mercy. His teasing made her want to combust from the inside out. Her cheeks burned in a flash fire she couldn’t control. She hadn’t felt like this since, well, since Luke had jokingly teased her in high school. Good or bad, she wasn’t sure. The mixture of irritation and utter fascination with someone who could dive right into the good parts of life while she was left hugging the walls in fear confused her.

“You know what I mean,” she finally said, swallowing her emotions down. “We can be friends elsewhere—”

“We can?”

“—but here, business only.” Maybe the less she spoke the better. He seemed intent on twisting her words for his own amusement.

“So out there you’re fair game?” he asked with a quirk of his brow. Smart-ass.

“Down to work. Now,” she said, holding out the folder, open to the plan she’d worked up for him.

“Can I just say one thing before the friendship blackout starts?” he asked.

Knowing anything she said would just encourage him, she simply watched him without responding.

“Look, I wasn’t kidding about dinner,” he said, bending a little to look her in the eyes.

Startled, she met his gaze without hesitation, getting a spark of deep connection before turning away. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, hoping to shoo the subject away like an unwelcome bug.

“Look, you said you wanted to have some fun, an adventure—”

“Actually, Cindy said that.”

“And I can help.”

She remembered his whispered words from the other day. There was no doubt in her mind that any adventure would be incredible with Luke along for the ride. “What are you talking about?”