The Renegade Returns (Mill Town Millionaires) (15 page)

Startled, she turned to him. He got to glimpse a few seconds of welcome, of excitement, before that beautiful face shut down, hiding her emotions behind a polite mask.

“Luke. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here, either,” he said. “I thought I’d find you in Black Hills, at the clinic.”

A slight frown wrinkled her careful expression. “Why would you expect to see me anywhere?”

Because I can’t imagine going through one more step of my life without you.
Hmm…maybe a bit much. He should start slower.

“Because I couldn’t imagine sharing my big news with anyone but you.”

She nodded slowly. “The big meeting was this week?”

“It was.” Luke had met with his racing sponsor. Avery’s sad eyes told him she expected him to expound on the incredible deal he’d accepted. But… “After all the wining and dining he’d done, I don’t think it went quite how he’d planned.”

Avery took a slow breath in, exhaling a white puff of air after a moment too long. “What do you mean?”

“I told him I’d love to represent their company…in two seasons. Not one.”

Avery might have the calm bearing of a sphinx, but he could tell he’d startled her. Still, she wasn’t jumping through his hoops very fast.

“What did he think about that?”

“Well, he was a little shocked.” To say the least. “But I had a few offers of my own up my sleeve.”

He slipped a little closer, his heart speeding up just from being near her. “I offered to shoot a comeback movie chronicling my journey back to racing, at my own expense, for them to use for promotional purposes. I’d already talked to Bobby Joe, who agreed to stay on for an additional year.”

Luke could read the shock in those beautiful blue eyes, but he wasn’t through yet. “All for a stake for each of them in my new racing venture.”

“You see—” Luke grinned, so at peace with his decision that it seemed unreal “—I’ve arranged to purchase that old racetrack outside of town. I’m creating a racing experience that allows people to experience driving a race car at a professional facility, along with professional and amateur training. Jeff is going to help me.”

She shook her head. “Luke, you can’t give up your dream—”

“That is, when I’m not racing myself.”

The mask dropped, giving him a glimpse of the sheer misery she felt, but she remained silent.

“I managed to convince them I was worth the wait. And that they should develop the whole me, not just the racing me. So I win, they win and the town wins.”

“Wow. That’s awesome,” she said. Her breath shook a little. He could tell she truly was excited for him, not just saying the words, even though her eyes quickly darkened again.

“I figure it will be something I love, that I can do from home in my off-season. And it’ll help bring more jobs and revenue to the town,” he said. “And it’s all because of you.”

Those beautiful blues widened. “Me?”

“Yep. You and that hour back on the old track. I never would have thought of doing this if you hadn’t planned something so special for me, Avery.” To his surprise, his throat tried to close.

“I just—I knew that would be special for you.”

Of course she had. Because she understood what he needed, even when he was being stubborn and stupid.

She glanced out over the skaters. “Your family will be thrilled that you’ll be around more often.”

Luke nodded, not quite trusting his voice. When he finally had his emotions under control, he said, “I hope you will be, too.”

A look of sheer panic bloomed on her face and she started to shake her head, but Luke was having none of that.

“As you already know, I can be persistent when I want something really bad. And right now, I’m after something that I want more than anything I’ve had in my life.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper. “What’s that?”

“You.”

She wasn’t giving an inch. “What if I can’t do this?”

“Then I’ll be the saddest, loneliest man Black Hills has ever known.”

Right there in front of God and country, he got down on his knee. Avery blushed, trying to pull him up, but he wasn’t budging until she said yes.

“Avery, I love you.” Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out something a little less traditional than an engagement ring. Instead, he’d had a custom key made, engraved with their names and the year. A key to something far more important than a car—no, this was a symbol for the commitment he had a hard time putting into words. But he had to try. “I’ve spent my entire life running, not realizing I was looking for a home. I found it—in you. Will you be there with me, every day, as I build a new life? Knowing I’m leaving the key to my heart with you, safe and sound?”

Seeing her excitement light her up was the greatest gift he’d ever been given. But her next words gave him pause.

“On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That you continue to drag me into all kinds of adventures. You know, someone told me once fun’s the only thing that makes life worth living.” She grinned big this time, letting the love he’d felt from her all along shine in her gaze. “After all, who better to show me how to have fun than Renegade Blackstone?”

Oh, yeah.
“It’s a deal.”

* * * * *

If you liked this novel, pick up these other sexy Southern reads from Dani Wade

HIS BY DESIGN
A BRIDE’S TANGLED VOWS
THE BLACKSTONE HEIR

All available now from Harlequin Desire!

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ISBN-13: 9781488001857

The Renegade Returns

Copyright © 2016 by Katherine Worsham

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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