sudden wave of nostalgia crashed through him as he thought about all that had transpired between them. Back in high school, Scarlett had said she was in love with him. And for a while during his junior year, he had allowed himself to get swept up in dating her and had returned her love fully. But then, in his senior year, reality had set in.
He had a rotten background, while Scarlett had a good, solid one. Her father died when she was young and her brother, Toby, stepped up and filled in as much as he could, while Scarlett’s mother quietly took over and ran the ranch with Toby’s help. Luke didn’t want to mess up Scarlett’s life. He was afraid of the bad blood in his family showing up in him.
As his high school graduation approached, Scarlett knew he was leaving for college, but she didn’t want him to go. And even though she made it clear she wanted them to have a future together, he never expected her to tell him she wanted them to marry right after he graduated. As far as he was concerned, she was too young and inexperienced to know what she wanted for the rest of her life. She could set him on fire with a kiss, but he still saw her as a kid at sixteen. She seemed far younger than his eighteen years.
He didn’t want to marry for years, if ever. His parents’ marriage had been unhappy all his life. At first, they fought. Later, they drank and fought. He didn’t think either one had been faithful to the other. He didn’t want to pass his genes on or marry someone like Scarlett and ruin her life. Only sixteen and hopelessly in love, she didn’t understand. Consequently, they didn’t part on good terms—something which he deeply regretted to this day.
They’d 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,
