LITMIR.BIZ

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both moved on. After graduation from Stanford, Luke built his West-Tech company and he struck it rich when he invented a revolutionary—and affordable for the masses—smartphone that left his competitors in the dust.

      Meanwhile, Scarlett had pursued a career in veterinary medicine. Which didn’t surprise him in the least. A real softie for animals, she always tried to help any creature that needed it, loving little kids and animals as much as he loved electronics and the challenges in the tech world. As she’d been building up her vet business, she had apparently gotten engaged but was now estranged from her fiancé, Tanner Dupree, some oil heir who’d left her stranded at the altar. In Luke’s eyes, no one would ever be good enough for Scarlett—definitely not himself. The oily scumbag who had deserted her didn’t deserve her, either. Walking out on her on her wedding day—the guy had to be selfish and rotten to the core.

      Sighing, Luke knew he was hardly one to throw stones since he’d left her, too. He still believed that was the right thing to do because, given his tainted family history, he would never be good enough for her. But honorable intentions aside, if he was being completely honest with himself, Scarlett was still by far the sexiest woman he had ever known. Even after all this time, he could get hot just thinking about her.

      He had been the first guy she’d ever been with, when they were still in their teens. He remembered holding her close, her slender body melting against his. While he was here, could he entice her back into his arms for a night down memory lane...? Groaning, he quickly squelched those illicit thoughts. When he had gone to California, he’d spent too many sleepless nights in college lying awake wanting her, fantasizing about her, fighting the urge to call her because he didn’t feel worthy of her because of his family background. He didn’t want to mess up Scarlett with his bad genes. He finally had put that behind him, and he didn’t want to stir all those feelings up again.

      It wouldn’t be fair...to either of them.

      With a shift of his shoulders, he forced his thoughts back to the present, determined to focus on the here and now.

      As Luke approached the McKittrick house, dogs of all sizes ran toward the car. He knew they had to be strays taken in by Scarlett, and he couldn’t keep from smiling while he felt a twist in his heart. He stepped out, speaking softly to the barking dogs that quieted down, the friendliest ones already wagging their tails and letting him scratch their heads.

      Scarlett walked out onto the porch and stopped at the top step. His heart thudded. For an instant he couldn’t speak or breathe and felt as if he was in a dream, except he knew she was real and only a few feet away. He had to curb the impulse to close the distance between them, sweep her into his arms and kiss her endlessly. She was absolutely breathtaking. When he looked into her wide, hazel eyes, he had the impact of a punch to his gut, and it was obvious she, too, drew a deep breath. As she inhaled, her blue blouse grew taut over her figure that had filled out into lush, gorgeous curves. He remembered a kid, a naive, fun young girl, but this was a woman who made his blood hot and fanned desire into flames.

      While his gaze locked with hers, he lost his breath again. The urge to crush her against him was overwhelming, and he knotted his fists and focused on staying where he was. His heart pounded as his gaze swept from her head to her toes. She was wearing a blue cotton short-sleeved shirt, tight jeans and boots, and her pixie hairdo complemented her high cheekbones and big hazel eyes. Eyes that were now filled with fury.

      He was dazed, stunned by the reaction she stirred in him. He had thought he was over her long ago. If he was, what was going on right now to his heart, his breathing and his lower extremities? And it was obvious from her irate expression that she also was having some kind of reaction.

      Except not the kind he particularly wanted.

      “You get off the McKittrick property, Luke Weston,” she snapped. “And you can just go straight to hell.”

      “Scarlett, I need your help,” he said, talking fast before she cut him off. “My dad is in an assisted-living facility and he’s let the ranch go. The animals are dying and need attention—”

      He knew when he mentioned the dying animals he had her. The anger left her expression, replaced by worry. She never could hide her emotions, and she was a sucker for any animal in trouble. The yard filled with dogs was proof of that.

      She clamped her lips together and stared at him.

      “I saw a few horses, and they look so severely malnourished that they can’t even hold up their heads.”

      She closed her eyes for an instant as if in pain. When she opened them, he knew he had gotten through to her. “I took an oath to help animals. I’ll get my instruments.”

      “You can ride with me, and I’ll bring you back when you’re through. Just save some of the horses or let’s put them out of their misery. I don’t know which ones to put down,” he said, only half meaning it because he was certain that would convince her to help.

      “You don’t put any down. I’ll take care of them.”

      “There’s no feed in the vicinity. I need to get some. I’ll take you with me to get supplies.”

      “This place is the same as it was when you lived here, and you know where to find feed and hay. Go load your pickup with whatever you need for your livestock tonight. While you do that, I’ll get my things and then I’ll join you,” she said.

      “Thanks, Scarlett. I appreciate it because I need a good vet. Those horses are in dire shape. You’ll see.”

      Nodding, she turned away. He drove to the barn and hurried inside. One glance at the loft and memories bombarded him. The most persistent memory was of making love with Scarlett, but he had to stop torturing himself because they had no future. He wasn’t the man for Scarlett. He had done well in business, but that wasn’t all there was to life. Always, he came back to thinking about his parents. His dad did well enough in business for years even after the alcohol began to cloud his judgment.

      Damn, Scarlett looked good. As angry as she had looked when she first saw him, he didn’t think he would have any choice except to remain cool and impersonal if he wanted her help. But that was easier said than done. He better do that for his own good. He went through hell leaving her before. Now they were adults and the stakes were higher. He didn’t want to get involved and have to go through another goodbye and that’s all he could hope for with her.

      When they reached his family ranch, was he really going to be able to keep his hands off her?

      * * *

      Scarlett went inside to speak to her mother, who was bathing little Carl. For an instant worries fled as she smiled at her precious, adopted baby boy. Her heart squeezed when Carl smiled at her and held out his little arms. “I can’t take him, Mom. Luke Weston is here. He’s in town and said his dad let the ranch go and the animals are sick, maybe dying now. He came to ask for help. Mom, I have to help those animals.”

      Her mother frowned and shook her head. “I know you’re not going to ignore the livestock, so do what you have to and then come home. You don’t need to get involved with Luke Weston again. He broke your heart, Scarlett. Don’t let him come back and hurt you again.”

      “I won’t. He lives in a different world now and he’ll go right back to it,” she said, thinking about the big, strapping man standing in her yard, instead of the young boy she remembered from their high school days. He was wickedly handsome, and her heart had pounded to such an extent that there was no way to ignore what she felt.

      As Scarlett talked to her mother, she cut up apples from a bowl her mom kept on the counter. She bagged the apples and smiled at Carl.

      Kissing her little boy’s chubby cheek, she dodged when he grabbed for her hair. She and her mother both laughed, but she saw the worry in her mother’s eyes as she left.

      Scarlett fought the urge to tell Luke she couldn’t go, but when she thought about the horses that might be hurt or hungry, she knew she had to help. She didn’t want Luke putting any animal down unless it was hopelessly

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