A Second Chance at Crimson Ranch

He had a life, despite the fact that for several years after his sister died he’d tried to squander it away. He’d been convinced he didn’t deserve to live without Beth, couldn’t stand the pain of her loss. But that had changed, and if he was destined to be part of this world, he’d long ago decided to earn his place in it.

That was the only reason he was here with Olivia, he reminded himself.

She was nothing like his sister. Somehow he still saw in her the woman Beth could have become if their father’s abuse hadn’t broken her spirit. He felt the overwhelming pull of potential that never came to pass being back in Crimson. He knew he was no one’s hero, but Logan couldn’t resist trying to help Olivia.

The only way he could truly help was by resisting his own immense need for her.

He concentrated on the renovation plans once more. When Jordan had finished repainting the wall, Logan sent him to the hardware store and then began nailing sheets of drywall to studs in the main room. Most of the electrical work and plumbing already had been completed, which meant Logan would only have to deal with a few additional subcontractors.

There were a couple people he could call for help who would put him in touch with the guys he needed to finish the job. He’d try to keep the subs working on the project to a minimum, both to save costs and to maintain a low profile. Of course, there was more to this project than he could handle on his own or with the help of a preteen boy in the afternoons. But he wasn’t sure of the reception he’d receive from people in town. Many of the companies in Crimson were family-run operations. Thanks to the reputation he wasn’t sure he’d ever live down, almost everyone would remember him.

Just as well he didn’t dredge up the past. Despite his brother’s recommendation, he couldn’t imagine anyone else in Crimson would be too pleased to have him working on such a public project. This wasn’t about him.

He had Jordan help him move drywall until they both were covered with a chalky film. Once the kid had started talking, he hadn’t shut up, sharing stories about school, the town and his father as fast as he could breathe. Normally, Logan liked to work in silence, but today he was grateful to be distracted from his thoughts.

After sending Jordan home around supper time, he cleaned up his tools and installed a lock on the front door. He couldn’t imagine Olivia had many other enemies in town outside Jordan Dempsey, but why take chances?

He pulled his truck into Olivia’s driveway, his stomach turning over as he thought of how he’d spoken to her earlier. It wasn’t her fault that he hadn’t been with a woman in almost a year. That was the only explanation he could come up with for his reaction to her. So what if she smelled amazing, a combination of lavender and spice that made him dizzy with need? He longed to trail his fingers through her soft, mahogany hair. He could imagine kissing every inch of her pale, creamy skin until her whole body flushed like her cheeks did when she looked at him. This train of thought was getting him nowhere but damn uncomfortable.

He owed her an apology but needed a long, cold shower first.

Just as he climbed out of his truck, he noticed another car, a bright yellow bug, parked next to the garage. The door opened and a girl, or young woman he supposed, hopped out. She looked him up and down, her gaze unabashedly appraising.

“And who,” she said slowly, “might you be?”

Before he could answer, the back door of the house flew open. Olivia stepped onto the porch, her hair swept up in a messy ponytail, arms wrapped around her waist to ward off the chill. She wore an awful fuzzy pink cardigan that had clearly been around for more than a decade. She’d changed into black sweatpants and shoved her feet into enormous Sorel boots. To Logan, she’d never looked more appealing. That fact only served to convince him that he needed to get this renovation project finished as quickly as he could and get the hell out of Crimson and away from Olivia Wilder.

“Millie?” Olivia said, her voice a mixture of shock and disbelief.

The other woman raised a gloved hand. “Hey, sis.”

* * *

A few moments passed before Olivia reached out a hand to the porch’s wood railing to steady herself. She hadn’t seen her half sister since their father’s funeral three years ago. That had been the first time they’d actually met, although Olivia had known about Millie Spencer’s existence since she was a girl.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, swallowing against the dryness in her throat.

Millie reached in the backseat of her tiny car and pulled out a duffel bag. “I’m driving back to Virginia from California. Thought I might stay with you for a couple of days. Catch up and all that.” She turned to stare at Olivia, her whole body tense, as if she expected Olivia to refuse her.

Which would be the smart thing to do. Olivia and Millie didn’t have any kind of a relationship and why would they start now? But Olivia wouldn’t turn away her only sibling, despite her mixed feelings. Her gaze flicked to Logan, who stood silently watching the two of them. Olivia had been raised to keep her dirty laundry private. It was ingrained in her. She couldn’t bring herself to do anything different.

“Come into the house,” she told Millie. “We’ll figure things out.”

She noticed that Millie seemed to relax with the knowledge she wasn’t going to be turned away. She took a step forward then pointed one finger at Logan. “What about him?”

“I’m staying up there.” Logan indicated the apartment above the garage.

“Interesting,” Millie answered.

Manners forced Olivia to take the few steps down the porch and across the driveway. “Logan, this is Millicent Spencer. She’s...”

“Your sister?” Logan answered for her.

She couldn’t meet his gaze as she nodded. “My half sister. Millie, this is Logan Travers. He’s—”

“Hot?” Millie supplied with a sly grin. She turned to Logan. “Nice to meet you. I hope we get to know each other better during my stay. You can show me around town.”

He gave Millie a slight, almost indulgent, smile. Even that made Olivia’s stomach burn. “I’ll leave that to your sister.” Lifting his gaze to Olivia, his eyes grew serious. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

She studied a spot behind his shoulder. “No problem. Misunderstanding. Have a good night.” She turned toward the house, unable to stop the heat rising in her face. “Let’s go, Millie.”

As she started up the steps, Olivia looked over her shoulder. Millie still stood in the middle of the driveway, her eyes glancing between Olivia and Logan, who was unloading a toolbox from the back of his truck. Silently, Logan headed for the garage apartment. Olivia watched him open the door, then shut it behind him without looking at either of them again.

“Are you coming?” Olivia asked her sister.

Millie shifted her bag on her shoulder and followed Olivia. “If all the guys in Crimson look like that, I should have come for a visit a lot sooner.”

Olivia counted to ten in her head as she walked into the kitchen, moving to stand on the other side of the island from her sister.

Glancing around, Millie whistled under her breath. “Nice place. Can’t wait for the grand tour.”

“What’s going on with you, Millie?” Olivia asked, her head starting to pound from the events of the day.

“Where’s Craig?”

“Gone.”

“On a trip?”

“For good.” Olivia rubbed her fingertips against her temples, trying to relieve some of the pressure there. “He left me. Took off with his secretary and all my money.”

“I’m glad you got rid of him.” Millie nodded, seeming unsurprised. “He made a pass at me at Dad’s funeral.”

Olivia took a step back, feeling as if she’d been slapped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We’d just met. Officially, anyway. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself. I’m sure your mother wouldn’t have appreciated it.”

Her eyes drifting closed, Olivia thought about her mother’s reaction. Diana Jepson hadn’t even known Millie had attended the funeral. She liked to pretend her husband hadn’t been keeping a second family near Washington, DC, for the better part of their marriage. But Olivia had been obsessed with her father’s mistress and daughter ever since she first realized they existed. It was sick, but she couldn’t help herself.

When Millie had shown up at the visitation the night before the funeral service, Olivia had spotted her immediately. Craig had been uncharacteristically supportive, offering to keep Millie away from Diana. Now she knew why.

“So, is the new guy your rebound boy toy?” Millie gave a small shake of her tiny hips, then made a noise like a growl. “I didn’t know you had it in you to consider becoming a cougar.”

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