The Maverick's Midnight Proposal

Pie...or doughnuts...or...anything.

Anything?

Was she hitting on him?

As if she could somehow read the thoughts that circled in his mind, her cheeks flushed, the pink color adding a natural blush to her creamy skin.

Eva Rose Armstrong really was a beautiful woman and maybe, under different circumstances, he might consider what she was offering. Hell, there was no might about it. If he’d come to town for any reason other than to reconnect with the family he hadn’t seen in a dozen years, he would already have asked when her shift ended and made plans to meet her later.

But he was in town to reconnect with his family and he had no time—and even less inclination—for anything else. He’d proven adept enough at messing up his own life; he wasn’t going to mess with a pretty young thing who wasn’t smart enough to be wary of strangers.

But she’d been kind to him, so he carefully folded the check in half, then tucked it into the inside pocket of his jacket with his wallet. “See ya.”

“I hope so,” she replied, her lips curving into another sweet smile before he turned away and headed to the exit.

Because that sweet smile seemed to promise all kinds of things that he wasn’t sure she meant—and that he couldn’t accept even if she did.

Still, as he turned his truck toward Bella and Hudson’s house, it was Eva’s pretty eyes and warm smile that lingered in his mind.

* * *

Luke’s first impression of Bella and Hudson’s home was that it looked like a million dollars. Of course, his sister’s husband was a multimillionaire so it was entirely possible the house they’d purchased from Clive Bickler was worth that much—or more. It was certainly a lot bigger and grander than the home the seven Stockton siblings had shared with their parents, and the newlyweds lived there alone.

He unlocked the door with the spare key, then punched in the code that Bella had given him to disarm the alarm system. A man with Hudson Jones’s wealth would want to protect what was his, and Luke appreciated that the protection extended to his sister.

Curious about the house and whatever insights it might give to the couple who lived there, Luke decided to wander around. The home was constructed with high-end materials and included all the latest conveniences, but it wasn’t ostentatious. As he made his way from room to room, he couldn’t deny that it had a warm and homey feel, and he was pleased to know that his sister had been lucky enough to fall in love with a man who could provide her with all the love and luxuries she deserved.

When he stepped into the family room, his gaze was immediately drawn to the river-rock fireplace and the assortment of photos displayed on the mantel. He crossed the glossy hardwood floor for a closer look. The first picture that caught his eye was of his youngest brother, Jamie, standing next to a woman he thought he recognized as Fallon O’Reilly, with three adorable toddlers at their feet. The next frame contained a wedding photo, and the groom looked enough like Hudson that Luke guessed the man was his brother, but the bride looked vaguely familiar to him, too. Beside that picture was one of Danny, cheek-to-cheek with his high school sweetheart, Annie; beside it was a photo of Dana, all grown-up and proud at her high school graduation.

The smile that tugged at his own lips faded when his gaze shifted to the next photo—an older picture of all the Stockton siblings together with their parents, Rob and Lauren. A reflection of the happy family they’d once been. Before he ruined everything.

Suddenly Luke couldn’t bear the thought of facing his sisters and brothers again. He couldn’t face the condemnation he was certain he would see in their eyes when they learned the truth about the events of twelve years ago. It would be better for him—for everyone—if he went back to Cheyenne and forgot any ideas about a happy reunion that could never happen.

He retraced his steps to the door, eager to escape the house, the whole town and especially the memories and regrets that assailed him. He yanked his coat off the hanger and was reaching for the door when the sound of the bell stopped him in his tracks.

What was he supposed to do now?

He felt weird answering the door at a house he was only visiting, so he peeked out the window instead.

Almost eight years had passed since he’d last seen his second youngest brother, and his heart gave a hard kick against his ribs when he recognized him on the doorstep now.

He opened the door. “Danny.”

“I almost didn’t believe Bella when she called to tell me that you were in town,” his brother said.

“So you stopped by to see for yourself?”

“Nah, I stopped by because Bella was afraid you might have been spooked by her emotional outburst and decide to take off again before she got home.” He looked pointedly at the jacket in Luke’s hand. “Was she right?”

“I guess I can’t blame her for thinking I’d run...again,” he admitted, sliding his jacket back onto the hanger. “There are a lot of memories in this town.”

“More good than bad,” Danny said.

“The bad are more powerful,” he argued.

“Maybe more recent,” his brother acknowledged. “Because you’ve been away for so long.”

Danny stepped across the threshold and pulled him in for a man hug. “It’s good to see you, Luke.”

Luke slapped him on the back as he attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. “You, too, Danny.”

His brother cleared his own as he stepped away and moved down the hall toward the kitchen, obviously familiar with the layout of their sister’s house. “Bella also said that there were snacks and drinks in the fridge, and to make sure that you didn’t go hungry.”

“No worries there,” Luke said. “I grabbed a bite at Daisy’s before I came here.”

“Well, I could use some coffee,” Danny announced. “You want a cup?”

“Sure.” Luke warily eyed the programmable machine that could brew individual cups or full carafes. “If you can figure out how to use that thing.”

“It’s not as complicated as it looks. The harder task might be finding the coffee.”

But it turned out that Bella kept the coffee pods conveniently located in the cupboard directly above the coffee maker. When the coffee was brewed, they took their mugs to the table where Danny told his brother about his reunion with Annie and finally meeting Janie—his daughter.

“And the surprises keep coming,” Luke murmured.

“How do you think I felt?” Danny asked. “When I first discovered that Annie had a child, I assumed her husband—ex-husband now—was the father.”

“A reasonable assumption,” he agreed.

“When we left... I never even considered the possibility that Annie could be pregnant,” Danny admitted.

“You were eighteen,” Luke reminded him. “Most guys that age are only thinking about sex—not the potential repercussions of it.”

“And then I ran away, and I missed the first eleven years of my daughter’s life.”

Luke stared into his mug. “You didn’t run away,” he denied. “I ran away—and you and Bailey came with me.” And the fact that Danny had missed those eleven years with his daughter was one more thing Luke was responsible for. One more wrong he could never make right.

“But now you’re home,” Danny said, sounding genuinely pleased. As if he’d already forgiven Luke for everything he’d done.

But Danny didn’t know the half of it.

Chapter Three (#u77eabab8-e960-508d-aff2-140c49d477e7)

“This isn’t my home,” Luke said, regretting that it was true. “Not anymore.”

“Then why are you here?”

He lifted his cup to his lips as he considered his brother’s question. It was the same question he’d asked himself countless times since he’d tossed his duffel bag into his truck and turned it in the direction of Rust Creek Falls.