The Rebel's Return

by Gina Wilkins

  How many times had she played that scene in her head during her college years, before she’d finally decided it was time to put the past behind her and build a life for herself?

  But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget the way he’d looked when he’d walked out of that stone shelter.

  RACHEL HAD NO WAY of knowing, of course, that Lucas would go to the rock house Tuesday morning. Even as she climbed over the gate and trudged down the path, she found herself hoping he wouldn’t be there.

  At least she could have told herself that she’d made an effort to apologize.

  But whatever impulse had forced her there that morning must have affected Lucas, as well. He stepped into the doorway just as Rachel reached it.

  She couldn’t help studying his face, searching for the Lucas she’d known so long ago. Back then, he’d worn his toast-brown hair long and shaggy, as untamed as his reputation. It was cut somewhat more conservatively now, though still just shaggy enough to give a hint of the rebel he’d been. She saw no evidence of gray in the brown, which was rather unfair, since she’d found a few strands lately in her own dark hair.

  Time and frowns had carved lines around his eyes and mouth, which only made his lean, angular face even more fascinating than she’d remembered.

  He didn’t look particularly surprised by her appearance. Whether that was because he’d half expected her, or because he’d become so very good at masking his emotions, she didn’t know.

  Now that she was here, she hadn’t the faintest idea what to say to him.

  He had spoken first yesterday, when she’d been struck speechless by the sight of him. This time he was leaving it up to her. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway, looking prepared to stand there for hours if that’s what it took.

  Rachel laced her fingers tightly in front of her and cleared her throat. “There’s something I need to say to you.”

  He moved just a little. Bracing himself? She couldn’t tell from his expression.

  “What is it?” His tone wasn’t encouraging.

  “What I said yesterday—about being afraid of you—I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

  “And how do you think it sounded?”

  He wasn’t making this easy for her. She reminded herself that she didn’t have to do this. The way he was acting, it would serve him right if she turned and walked away without another word.

  But she sensed that she had hurt him yesterday and she couldn’t help thinking part of his behavior was due to that. Lucas had always had a wild creature’s instinct to draw more deeply into himself when he was wounded.

  It bothered her more than a little that she still knew him so well, even after trying so hard and for so long to put him out of her mind.

  Her annoyance with his behavior gave strength to her voice. She lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. “You knew I would come, didn’t you? You were waiting for me.”

  “How could I have known that? When I left you yesterday, you were cowering in fear of me.”

  “I was not cowering! You startled me, that’s all.”

  “Why did you really come here this morning, Rachel?”

  She pushed her hands into the pockets of her lined denim jacket. “I told you. I came to apologize for what I said.”

  “You don’t owe me an apology. What you said was the truth, wasn’t it?”

  It had been the truth, of course. Rachel wasn’t afraid that Lucas would harm her physically—but on an emotional level, he terrified her. It had taken her years to get over Lucas McBride. To finally feel that she had put her girlhood dreams behind her and learned to be content with the life she’d built for herself.

  She was no longer the naive young girl who had been so desperately in love with this man. But the fact that her pulse was racing now, her palms damp, her throat tight, warned her that she was still dangerously vulnerable where Lucas was concerned.

  He had almost destroyed the girl. She didn’t even want to think about what he could do to the woman.

  She took a step backward. “I have to go.”

  “You’re still afraid of me.” Lucas’s voice was as flat as his cold blue eyes.

  She refused to answer, though pride made her lift her chin a little higher. “I have to go,” she repeated.

  “Fine. Run away from me, Rachel Jennings. That’s what you did before—and it mattered then.”

  The sudden bitterness in his voice almost made her gasp. He blamed her for what had happened between them fifteen years ago? Could he possibly be that arrogant?

  “You were the one who left town without a word,” she reminded him angrily. “You were the one who broke my heart. Don’t even try to pretend I mattered to you. You fed me enough lies then, and I believed everything you said because I was in love with you. But I’m not as trusting now as I was then. And it’s far too late for apologies.”

  His eyes narrowed. For the first time that morning, she saw emotion in them. And she almost recoiled from the sheer power of it.

  “At least we agree on that,” he almost snarled. “It’s much too late for you to apologize.”

  This time she did gasp. For her to apologize?

  He really was the most incredibly arrogant man she’d ever known. “Of all the—”

  Lucas was in no mood, apparently, to prolong the quarrel. He simply walked past her and strode down the path toward the woods, disappearing into the trees without a backward glance.

  Arrogance, she decided furiously, didn’t begin to describe Lucas McBride.

  LIES. Rachel had accused him of telling her lies fifteen years ago.

  He’d poured his heart out to her, damn it. Bared his soul. Opened himself to her as he had to no one else, not even the little sister he’d cherished.

  And Rachel accused him of telling her nothing but lies.

  How could he have been so wrong about what they’d shared? Had he really been so naive that he’d believed her love for him was strong enough to survive a scandal?

  It hadn’t particularly surprised him when more than half the citizens of Honoria had believed him capable of murdering Roger Jennings. He’d become accustomed to their suspicions and dislike of him. Hell, he supposed he’d earned most of that with his quick temper and rebellious conduct.

  But with Rachel he’d been different. He’d felt no need to put on a front for her. She’d never seemed to look down at him because his father was a thoroughly dislikable man, or because his stepmother had been the town whore. Rachel hadn’t even blamed Lucas because his stepmother had hurt her family by running off with her father.

  Roger had blamed the entire McBride family for Nadine’s behavior.

  But Rachel had been the first person to look beyond the bravado Lucas had assumed for the disapproving townspeople, and to find the real person inside him. Or so he had believed. If she really thought that he’d ever lied to her, or that he’d had anything to do with her brother’s death, then she hadn’t known him at all.

  “You certainly look serious. What’s wrong?”

  Lucas hadn’t even heard his sister enter the house. He looked up from the untouched cup of rapidly cooling coffee on the table in front of him to find Emily standing in the kitchen doorway, peeling off the coat she’d worn to work.

  “Want a cup of coffee?” he asked, standing. “I just made a fresh pot.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks.”

  Lucas poured her a cup of the hot liquid and set it on the table across from his own. “How was your day?”

  “Fine. But you haven’t answered my question. Did something happen to upset you?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been dealing with some bad memories. Did you talk to Caleb and Bobbie?”

  “I talked to Aunt Bobbie. She said she and Uncle Caleb will come by to see you this evening. She was so thrilled to hear you’d come back, and really surprised that no one in town even knows you’re here yet.”

  “I imagine the word will get out soon enough. I hope
there’s no unpleasantness for you when it does.”

  Emily tossed her head. “Anyone who says anything ugly about you to me had better be prepared to deal with the consequences.”

  He regarded her with a faint, somewhat bemused smile. “I don’t remember you being quite so ferocious fifteen years ago.”

  “I wasn’t. I’ve only learned within the past year or so to stand up for myself and the people I care about. And you know what? It feels great.”

  He nodded. “Good for you.”

  “I even told Sam Jennings off a few weeks ago. He was so mad about failing to pin a theft charge on me that he said some really ugly things. He made some nasty cracks about you, and I finally had enough. I told him...”

  “Wait a minute. You said Sam Jennings tried to pin a theft charge on you?”

  She nodded. “One of his employees embezzled several thousand dollars from one of his business accounts, and he said I did it when the deposits were made at the bank where I work. He wanted Wade to arrest me on the spot, but Wade insisted on conducting an investigation first. I was completely cleared, of course, but it was as if Sam wanted me to be the guilty one. He really hates McBrides. When it comes to us, he isn’t even rational.”

  “I can talk to him while I’m here. I guarantee you he’ll never give you any more trouble after I’m finished with him.”

  “No. I told him off myself. And Wade threatened him with a slander suit if he kept spreading his vicious accusations around.”

  “How long have you known Wade?”

  “I met him in September—just before Sam accused me of being a thief.”

  Lucas lifted his left eyebrow. “September of this year?”

  “Yes. Three months ago.”

  “And when did you decide to get married?”

  “Just before Thanksgiving.”

  “Rather fast, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes,” she admitted. “But it just felt right, you know? I had the house for sale and I was ready to move out of Honoria. After Dad died, I was tired of taking care of other people. I wanted to do some traveling, see the world, be totally selfish.”

  “So you decided to marry a single father instead?”

  She laughed softly. “Sounds like the exact opposite of what I’d planned, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah. But you seem happy with your choice.”

  “I’m very happy. I was going away to find fulfillment, but then I realized that what I wanted was right here.”

  Lucas grimaced. “I’m glad you feel that way.”

  She reached across the table to cover his hand with hers. It still surprised him, at times, how affectionate she was with him.

  “Honoria doesn’t hold many happy memories for you, does it, Lucas? First your mother died and then your stepmother—my mother—humiliated the family by running off with another man. Dad was never particularly supportive of you. And then Roger Jennings died.... I don’t blame you for wanting to get as far away from this town as possible.”

  She hadn’t mentioned the worst thing that had happened to him here, because she had never known about his relationship with Rachel. And he had no intention of telling her about it now. “Not all the memories are bad ones. I have a lot of good memories of you.”

  She smiled at him. “That was a sweet thing to say.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m just a sweet guy.”

  She laughed. “Why, Lucas. I believe you just made a joke.”

  Her laugh hadn’t changed in all this time, Lucas thought. It could still make him smile, could still bring some warmth to that cold place inside him.

  The doorbell rang, causing Emily to jump to her feet. “That’s either Wade and Clay, or Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Caleb. I’ll let them in.”

  Lucas rinsed out the coffee cups while Emily went to answer the door. He knew he was going to have to spend some time being sociable during the next few hours. But what he really wanted to do was go off by himself somewhere and give some more thought to the words Rachel had thrown at him that morning.

  You were the one who broke my heart... I believed everything you said because I was in love with you.

  When, exactly, had she stopped believing him? And why?

  4

  WADE WAS OBVIOUSLY surprised when Lucas walked into his office Wednesday morning, but he greeted him cordially enough.

  “Hello, Lucas. How did you get past Mrs. Mosler? She never lets anyone in here without being announced.”

  Lucas shrugged. “I didn’t need to be announced.”

  A flustered-looking, fifty-something woman appeared in the doorway behind Lucas, glaring at him before turning to her boss. “I’m sorry, Chief. I was taking a telephone call and this man just walked right past me without even pausing.”

  “That’s all right, Mrs. Mosler. This is my future brother-in-law, Lucas McBride. He’s probably here on family business.”

  Lucas watched as the woman paled. “Lucas McBride?” she repeated almost involuntarily.

  Lucas nodded coolly. He was tempted to lean into her face, and say “Boo.” She would probably faint if he did. As far as he remembered, he had never met this woman, but she had obviously heard of him.

  “I’ll, um, leave you two to visit,” she said, hands fluttering. “Should I hold your calls, Chief?”

  “I’ll take the important ones.” Wade waited until she had closed the door behind her, then waved Lucas toward a chair. “Have a seat. Want some coffee?”

  “No, thanks.” Lucas took one of the three chairs grouped around Wade’s scarred and battered wooden desk—the same desk that had been there in Chief Packer’s time, Lucas suspected. There’d been a few superficial changes made in the Honoria police department building, but most of it was all too familiar.

  Lucas had once vowed never to enter the place again. He should have remembered the title to the old James Bond movie. Never Say Never Again.

  Wade leaned back in his chair, his elbows on the arm rests, his fingers steepled in front of him. “Is there something you want to discuss with me, or are you just visiting all your old haunts today?”

  “Very funny.”

  Wade chuckled. “I notice you didn’t have any trouble finding your way to my office without directions.”

  “I probably know this place as well as you do. Seemed like every time I turned around, Packer was hauling me in for something.”

  “According to your file, you were only officially arrested a couple of times. You seemed to have a knack for getting into fights.”

  “They were never my fault.”

  “You’d be surprised how often I’ve heard that.”

  Lucas glanced at a somewhat shabby little artificial Christmas tree sitting on a table in one corner of Wade’s office, someone’s attempt at creating a festive atmosphere in the all-business environment. He would bet the nervous Mrs. Mosler had been responsible for the decorations.

  “What can I do for you, Lucas?”

  So much for small talk, apparently. Lucas had never been very good at it, anyway. “Tell me about what happened to Emily in October. I heard she was attacked.”

  Wade’s eyebrows lifted. “She told you about that?”

  “No. But I heard about it. I want you to tell me the details.”

  Lucas watched as Wade’s eyes darkened and his expression clouded. “Emily walked into the house and was hit on the back of the head. She fell forward and hit a table. I found her unconscious a short while later.”

  “How badly was she hurt?”

  “She had a mild concussion. She was treated and released from the hospital the same night, so her injuries were relatively minor.” Wade rubbed a hand over his face. “My heart stopped when I found her lying on that floor. When I saw the blood, I...”

  He stopped and cleared his throat.

  Lucas found himself liking Wade Davenport a little more. Wade so obviously cared very deeply for Emily, and that, alone, was enough to earn him points in Lucas’s estimation.

  “I heard there was a r
ash of home break-ins around that time.”

  “Yeah. We had a few bored teenagers who decided it might be fun to start a burglary ring. The O’Brien kid, Kevin, was the ringleader. We caught them, and they confessed to most of the break-ins.”

  Catching an undertone in Wade’s voice, Lucas frowned. “Most of the break-ins?”

  “I could never get them to admit having anything to do with the one at Emily’s house. They talked about every other break-in that had been reported, but swore they didn’t go near Emily.”

  “Do you believe them?”

  “There would be good reason for them to deny it, of course. Emily’s was the only break-in that involved a physical attack. No one was home in any of the other incidents. It was just bad luck that Emily walked in on them.”

  “But...”

  Wade sighed. “But it doesn’t feel right. Never has. The break-in at Emily’s place looked like a standard burglary scene—a TV and VCR were stacked on the floor ready to be carried out, her jewelry box had been dumped and searched, drawers were emptied. But in the other incidents, the kids broke in, grabbed everything in sight and took off. Whoever was in Emily’s house took the time to conduct a pretty thorough search.”

  “As if he was looking for something in particular?”

  Wade nodded, his gaze on Lucas’s face. “It could have been seen that way.”

  “You said there were some things left piled on the floor. Was anything actually taken?”

  “Some cash. A couple of pairs of gold earrings and a gold necklace. And the gold bracelet Emily was wearing when she walked in.”

  “Someone attacked her and then took the bracelet off her arm?”

  “And left her lying unconscious on the floor.” Wade’s jaw was rigid. “If I’d had proof of who did that to her, I’d have knocked his teeth in, even if it meant losing my badge.”