LITMIR.BIZ

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      Gray swore hotly. The very sight of the man resurrected a lifetime of bone-deep hatred. Gray set his jaw hard against a long string of vulgarities lined up on the tip of his tongue.

      The annoyingly pleasant sound of Lauren Whitmore’s laughter floated across the breeze. Buck smiled and leaned down to drop a kiss on her waiting cheek.

      Something inside Gray broke lose and threatened to explode. Rage like he had not allowed himself to feel in a very long time washed over him.

      Whether Lauren Whitmore knew it or not, the stakes had just been upped.

      LAUREN MANAGED a polite but strained smile for Buck. The man was incorrigible. No matter how often she said no he still asked again. Would he never get the message? She just wasn’t interested in resuming their relationship. She would never allow herself to fall in love again, and a loveless marriage held no appeal whatsoever. Besides, her plate was full with taking care of Sarah and work. Frank had faxed her two more designs for which he wanted immediate changes. Rosemary could do many things for Lauren, but architectural design wasn’t among her talents. She was way behind schedule.

      “It’s just a fund-raiser, sugar,” Buck persisted with a charming smile. “You remember last month when the Conroy place burned?”

      “Of course I remember. Elly, their youngest, is in Sarah’s kindergarten class.” How could she forget such a horrible event? Though no one had been injured, the family had lost everything.

      “Then how can you say no to such a good cause?”

      Lauren sighed. How could she say no? But how did she get the point across to the man that he was barking up the wrong tree? She had nothing to offer him.

      “Okay, Buck. I’ll go to the dance with you.” She relented, faced with the alternative of having him suggest a cozy dinner for two or, worse, a night out at the movies. He wasn’t going to let it go with her usual brush-off.

      “Well, gosh, Lauren.” He pushed his wide-brimmed hat a little farther up his forehead and set one hand on his hip. “Don’t make it sound so bad.”

      “Personally, I can’t think of anything worse.”

      Lauren whirled at the sound of Gray Longwalker’s smoky voice. She found herself face-to-face with his tall, muscular frame. His cool gray eyes fixed on hers and her heart stumbled. A slow heat simmered inside her when his gaze slid slowly down her body. Nerves, she decided. The man made her seriously nervous. His full lips tightened into a grim line as if he disapproved of what he’d found.

      “Mr. Longwalker,” she managed despite the sudden dryness in her throat.

      The wind shifted his long raven-black hair over those impossibly broad shoulders. When his gaze met hers again, Lauren saw the faintest flicker of something akin to desire, but it vanished so quickly that she thought she must have imagined it. She had to have imagined it.

      “Well, well,” Buck piped up, an edge in his voice.

      “I’d heard you were back in town, Longwalker.”

      Gray shifted his intimidating attention from Lauren to Buck. Barely checked anger sent a warning. Buck reacted instantly. Only the slightest change in his posture, but Lauren noticed.

      “And no welcome-home party?” Gray returned haughtily.

      Lauren stepped back from the anger generated by both men. Whatever the story with these two, it wasn’t good. Maybe if she just walked away neither would notice.

      “Why, heck, Longwalker, me and the boys heard you were dead.”

      An evil gleam sprang to life in Buck’s eyes taking Lauren by surprise. She had never seen this slightly sinister side of him. He had always come off as the good-old boy type to her—easygoing and happy-go-lucky. But his complete dislike, if not total hatred, for Gray Longwalker was more than obvious.

      Gray cocked one dark brow. His stance remained relaxed and confident despite Buck’s fierce glare. His mouth curled into a contemptuous half smile. “Wishful thinking, eh?”

      Buck laughed, but the sound held no trace of amusement. “Yeah, maybe so.”

      Lauren retreated another step. The tension was too thick for comfort. She didn’t need to hear this, and she certainly didn’t want a confrontation with Gray Longwalker. It had taken her forty-eight hours to recover from his last visit.

      Dr. Prescott had chastised her repeatedly for not taking care of herself above all else. Take your medication, Lauren. Don’t let the stress get to you, he had said.

      Easy for him to say, Lauren mused. He didn’t have Gray Longwalker to worry about. Or Buck Buckmaster for that matter. She knew if Gray gave her a hard time, Buck would react with his usual “this one’s mine” mentality.

      “I’ll pick you up at seven, Lauren.”

      Startled, Lauren jerked to attention. She had lost the thread of conversation in her attempt to escape. “Sure, Buck, that’ll be fine.”

      His usual pleasant smile slid back into place and he acknowledged her acceptance with a tip of his hat.

      Gray continued his lethal stare long after Buck had turned and walked away. Lauren didn’t think she had ever seen that much hatred in a man’s eyes, not even in Buck’s just moments ago.

      Seeing her chance, she swung around and started in the other direction. This was one encounter she had every intention of avoiding.

      “In case no one’s told you, that man is a snake.”

      His words brought her up short. “Excuse me?”

      Gray closed the distance between them in two long strides. When he stopped, he was too close. Lauren looked up into his steely gray eyes. Way too close.

      “Buckmaster is a low-life bloodsucker who would sell his own mother if the price was right.”

      “Buck’s mother died two years ago, Mr. Longwalker,” Lauren said curtly, though she had no idea why she felt compelled to stick up for Buck. He was certainly capable of taking up for himself. “Not to mention that his father died just three months ago.”

      “I guess we’re even then,” he said without remorse.

      Lauren shook her head in disbelief. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Appalled, she wondered how anyone could be so callous.

      “You wouldn’t understand,” he assured her.

      “I’m sure I wouldn’t. If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Longwalker, I have things to do.”

      His hand was on her arm before she took her next step. Gray swung her back around to face him, his hold restraining but not overly forceful.

      “Let go of me,” Lauren insisted, scanning the sidewalk in both directions. The last thing she wanted to do was give the gossipmongers anything to talk about. She could imagine the curious faces pressed against the glass in the shops on either side of the street.

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