The Renegade Returns (Mill Town Millionaires) (2 page)

If Avery thought her all-business attitude would keep him at arm’s length, she’d get a surprise. He’d just tease his way through whatever crack he could find in her armor. The challenge brought a surge of energy. Besides, befriending her might keep her from taking any vengeance out on his bones.

An impressive workout room occupied an open central space in the main part of the building. Top-of-the-line equipment gleamed from careful upkeep. Avery gestured him through a side door and closed them inside. The treatment room had the same look of quality, including a padded table, small desk and comfortable chairs. “This place is really nice. You’ve done well for yourself, Avery,” he said.

The compliment garnered him his first genuine smile. No pretense. “Thank you. This building has been a blessing to me and to my patients.”

And it obviously meant a lot to her. “You named the clinic after your mother.”

“Yes.” Her smile dimmed a little, awakening an urge to give her a comforting hug just as he would Christina, who’d proven to be a true friend.

Avery continued. “We became exceptionally close during her illness. Besides, she provided the funding for a bigger, better clinic for the community in my inheritance. We’re very lucky to have it.”

Her pride in her accomplishment added a glow to her expression, awakening jealousy in Luke’s gut. He remembered being proud of what he did, but the memories were fading from sharp to hazy, obscured by the turmoil of recent months.

This woman used her healing talents every day in a community that needed her. How fulfilling must that be? “You have plenty of patients?”

She nodded, sending her thick ponytail swinging. “I like to think it’s because I do good work, and not just because I’m the only convenient choice.”

“I bet it is. You must be good with your hands, huh?”

To his surprise, that professional demeanor slipped and she fumbled the chart from her hands. It hit the ground with a clatter. “That’s really inappropriate, Luke,” she warned with a frown.

He hadn’t meant it to be, but now that he thought about it that way… He watched as a flush of pink swept up her neck and into her cheeks. Oh, she could be proper all she wanted, but now he knew—she might’ve grown up, but this chickadee was still as easily flustered as she’d been in high school.

Teasing her was gonna be entertaining. And her all-business attitude screamed for him to bring a little fun, a little laughter into her life. Since he could use some fun, too, he’d be doing them both a favor. Right?

“I’m pretty well known for saying whatever comes to mind,” he said with a grin. “And being handsome. And charming.” It wasn’t bragging, ’cause it was true.

“And obnoxiously self-absorbed?” The contrast between her words and sickly sweet tone made him laugh. A true laugh. Man, that felt good.

He conceded with a sexy grin. “Maybe. Occasionally.”

That professional mask slipped a fraction more before she smoothed her palms over already sleek hair, back to her ponytail.

He was getting somewhere now. Just a little more ribbing, and she might actually laugh like a real person instead of a robot.

She pulled out a rolling stool and sat, propping his folder on her lap. Guess it was down-to-business time, which wasn’t nearly as amusing. Luke had worked hard at recovery, but this was the first time fun had appeared anywhere in his current nightmare. He didn’t want to leave it behind.

“Goals?” she asked, focusing her attention on the papers.

That was easy enough. His one goal had been blazing in his brain since the accident. “To be back in my car. ASAP.”

Avery glanced up, those gorgeous eyes wide, drawing him in. “That’s pretty decisive.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Her tone left him defensive, when there was no need for it. Then again, Luke’s life had been spent on goals other people just didn’t get. “You asked. I answered.”

Her frown and longer-than-polite stare awakened an urge to squirm he hadn’t encountered since third grade.

“Most of my patients are more worried about walking unaided again,” she mused, as if talking to herself rather than him.

Alarm streaked along his nerves. He didn’t want her thinking too hard, digging too deep. So he grinned. “Oh, I have other goals.”

After a minute of silence, she made a speed-up gesture with the pen in her hand. “And…”

“Having a good time doesn’t sound nearly as professional, if you know what I mean.”

The pen hit the floor. Instant color stained her creamy cheeks. Wow. When was the last time he’d seen a blush like that? It must have been—A memory burst inside his brain.
High school.

* * *

“Do you need some help with that?”

The jolt that rushed through him had to be from surprise. After all, who would have expected Little Miss Perfect to offer to help him change clothes? A blush spread over her rounded cheeks to match the heat racing over his body.

He looked from the dry shorts in his hand back to Avery in the first bikini he’d ever seen her wear. Must have been bought special for this final summer bash for seniors at the lake before everyone flew off to the colleges of their choice. Everyone except him—his destination was North Carolina and any racing track they’d let him drive on. But even the prospect of finally leaving home hadn’t made him reckless enough to initiate the greenest girl in their group. No matter what her pale blue eyes were begging for. “Honey, helping me would involve a lot more than a change of clothes.”

“I know.” But that flush on her fair skin, bright enough to see in the dim light this far from the bonfire, told him she didn’t truly know what she was offering.

To his surprise, a shot of adrenaline flashed through his veins. The same kind that came with hundred-mile-an-hour speeds and the feel of the wheel beneath his palms. Not the sexy slide into arousal he usually got with girls. Even his alcohol-soaked brain knew this was a bad idea, despite his body’s approval. Better to stop this before it began, even if it meant being harsh…

“I think somebody with more experience would be a bigger help to me.”

* * *

Oh, no.
How could Luke have forgotten that long-ago summer night? Without thought, he said, “Holy—Avery, I can’t believe you came on to me that night.”

The little rolling stool shot backward, as far across the tiny exam room as she could go. The thump as she hit the opposite wall went unnoticed by her. She only stared, her flush deepening, spreading down her neck and chest to disappear under the yellow scrubs. “I—”

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

A
very 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.”