Tears of the Renegade Read online

  The rain had filled the broad, shallow creek, and the muddy water tumbled over the rocks and around the meandering curves as the creek snaked its way south to empty eventually into the Gulf. She could see the cabin now, a small structure dwarfed by three massive oaks behind it, capping the crest of a small rise. Even from where she was, it was evident that the porch that ran the length of the cabin was completely new, and as she drew closer she could see that the roof was also new, shingles replacing the rusted tin that had been there before.

  She didn’t know what kind of car he drove, but it didn’t matter anyway, since there was no sign of any vehicle. Her heart sank. She slowed her own car to a stop in front of the cabin, staring at the curtainless windows in despair. Where could she find him?

  She was just about to put the car in reverse when the door opened and he stepped onto the porch. Even from that distance she could see the icy glare of his eyes, and she knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. She drew a deep breath to brace herself, then cut the ignition off and got out of the car.

  Walking up the steps was like running a gauntlet; he leaned against the door frame and watched her in nerveracking silence, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked huge, she noticed; perhaps it was his clothes. He wore only a pair of faded jeans and a black T-shirt, and scuffed brown boots on his feet. The short sleeves of the T-shirt revealed his brawny forearms, sprinkled with dark hair and corded with veins that pulsed with his hot, life-giving blood. From the way the thin cotton clung to his torso, she knew that the image she’d had of his nude body had been remarkably accurate, and her mouth went dry. He was lean and hard and muscular, and his chest looked like a wall.

  His glacial eyes swept her from her neat spectator pumps to her head, where her dark hair had been swept into a simple chignon. “Slumming?” he drawled sarcastically.

  She controlled the quiver that wanted to weaken her legs, and ignored his opening salvo. “I want to make a deal with you,” she said firmly.

  Amusement, and a savage satisfaction, glinted in his eyes. He stepped away from the door and waved her inside with an exaggerated bow. “Come inside, lady, and let’s hear what you have to offer.”

  Chapter Four

  Their steps echoed hollowly as she entered the cabin and he followed, closing the door behind them. The smell of newly cut wood struck her nostrils, and fine particles of sawdust floated through the air. Through an open door she could see a couple of sawhorses with a length of wood lying across them, and she realized that she had interrupted his work. She wanted to apologize, but the words refused to leave her thickened throat. To give herself time to recover, she looked around the empty cabin; despite the improvements, it still had an atmosphere of being old and still felt incredibly solid anyway. The new windows, large and airtight, let the light in but kept the damp chill out. An enormous fireplace, laid with logs but unlit, gave the promise of cozy fires. The open door to the right of the fireplace indicated the only other room, and except for it, she could see all of the cabin from where she stood. Beneath her feet, the floor was pine, treated and polished, then left alone to glow with its natural golden color. In spite of her nervousness she was charmed by the old cabin, as if she could feel at peace here.

  He stepped past her and leaned down to strike a match and touch it to the old newspaper in the fireplace. It flamed with tongues of blue, which quickly caught the kindling, and soon the fire was licking at the big logs. “I don’t feel the cold much while I’m working,” he said by way of explanation. “But since you’ve interrupted me…”

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured, feeling incredibly awkward.

  There was nowhere to sit, but he looked perfectly comfortable as he wedged one strong shoulder against the mantel and gave her a sardonic look. “Okay, lady, you wanted to talk turkey. Talk.”

  He wasn’t going to give an inch. She didn’t waste time pleading with him to be reasonable; she lifted her chin and plunged in. “Have you filed charges yet?”

  “I haven’t had time today,” he responded lazily. “I’ve been working here.”

  “I…I want to make you an offer, if you’ll agree not to file charges.”

  His ice-blue eyes sharpened and raked down her slim, tense body. “Are you offering yourself?”

  The thought jolted her, and she wondered what would happen if she said yes. Would he take her now, on the bare floor? But she said, “No, of course not,” in a low voice that disguised her reaction.

  “Pity.” Nonchalantly, he surveyed her again. “That was the one offer you could have made that might interest me. It might have been fun to see if you get mussed up when you’re having sex. I doubt it, though. You’re probably starched all the way through.”

  Susan curled her fingers into her palms, and only then did she notice how cold her hands were. “I’m offering you the lease on the ridges.”

  He straightened, his hard mouth curving in amusement. “Let me remind you that that was my original offer. But I’ve thought about it since then, and I’ve changed my mind. And didn’t you tell me yesterday that you couldn’t be blackmailed into selling me the lease?”

  She stepped closer, to get nearer the fire as much as to read his eyes better. “I’m not offering to sell you the lease—I’ll give you the lease, as restitution for the amount owed to you by Preston and Imogene.”

  He laughed, throwing back his dark head on the rich sound. “Do you have any idea how much money you’re talking about?”

  Preston had asked her the same thing, and her answer was still the same. “More than what they owe you. I realize that. I’m asking you to accept the lease as restitution.”

  He stopped laughing, and his eyes narrowed on her. “Why should you pay their debts? Why should I let them off scot-free?”

  “They’re my family,” was all she could offer by way of explanation.

  “Family, hell! They’re pit vipers, sugar, and I should know better than anyone else. I don’t want you to pay; I want them to pay.”

  “Like you said last night, you want them to squirm.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You’re turning down an oil lease worth a fortune just for your petty sense of revenge?” she cried.

  Anger darkened his face. “Easy there, lady,” he said softly. “You’re pushing me.”

  Susan swept an agitated hand across her brow. “You need pushing! How can you be so stubborn?” He wasn’t going to agree, and desperation clawed through her stomach. “Why won’t you take the lease as payment?”

  He grinned, but it wasn’t from amusement; his grin was one of grinding rage and grim anticipation. “Because if I accept the lease under those conditions, then I no longer have a case against them, as you well know. Did Preston talk you into this? Well, it won’t work. I’ll pay you for the lease, and I’ll pay you well, but I won’t let Preston hide behind your skirt. It’s no deal.”

  Tears stung her eyes as he turned away from her to kick the burning logs into better position. She clutched at his arm, feeling his warm flesh, the steeliness of the muscles underneath. “Please!” she begged.

  He swung around, looming over her, the red flames of the fire reflected in his pale eyes and making them glow like a devil’s. “Damn you!” he spat from between his clenched teeth. “Don’t you dare beg for them!”

  Wildly she reached out with her other hand and grasped the fabric of his T-shirt, trying to shake him, but unable to budge him. She had to make him understand! How could he destroy his own family, his own blood? The thought was so horrible that she couldn’t stand it. She had to do something, anything, to convince him how wrong and futile revenge was. “Don’t do this, please!” she cried frantically. “I am begging you—”

  “Stop it!” he ordered, his deeper, darker voice completely overriding hers. He jerked her hands off him and held her, his long fingers wrapped around her upper arms. Anger made his fingers bite into her soft flesh, and she gasped, twisting in an effort to free herself. Immediately his grip relaxed, and she jerk