The Return of the Rebel. Jennifer Faye

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      If he wasn’t up to something, why was he acting so strange? And did this have anything to do with his newfound wealth? The questions buzzed through her mind.

      He was no longer Jax Monroe, Hope Spring’s rebel. The truth was she never believed that he was a bad boy, more likely misunderstood and living up to people’s low expectations of him. Back in the day he’d been so sexy with his long hair and holey jeans. Every girl in town had her eye on him—including her.

      Cleo couldn’t wait to tell her mother about this amazing transformation. Suddenly her excitement dipped. The gaping hole in her heart throbbed. Sometimes when she got excited, she’d forget that her mother was no longer speaking to her.

      “Was there something else?”

      Cleo glanced up at him, unable to recall their discussion. “What?”

      “You were about to show me to my room.” Jax’s penetrating gaze met hers, making her turn away before she said or did something stupid.

      “Follow me.” She started toward the players’ area.

      “Is there a back way to my room?”

      She nodded and turned around, guiding him down a long nondescript maintenance hallway. Jax may be tall, handsome and mysterious, but she had to remember that he was her client—a stranger to her now.

      She didn’t even know if she should trust him, but a little voice in the back of her mind said that he was still the same good guy down deep where it counted. He was also the guy her family didn’t approve of—at least not for her. It niggled her that he was good enough for her older brother to pal around with, but when it came to her, she’d been forbidden to hang out with him—not that it had stopped her.

      The silence between them stretched on. She didn’t do well with awkward moments. “We’re having a vintage car show in our convention center, if you’d like to look around—”

      “Maybe later.”

      So much for conversation. She didn’t recall Jax being this quiet when he was a kid. In fact, there were times he hadn’t known when to shut up. She couldn’t believe she was missing that smart-mouthed kid—the same kid who would go out of his way to put a smile on her face. What in the world had changed him so drastically?

      She stopped and pushed open a heavy steel door. The glare of the Nevada sun nearly blinded her. She blinked and her eyes soon adjusted. As she moved along the secluded footpath, the sound of laughter, the cacophony of voices and the splash of water filled the air.

      Jax grabbed her arm, giving her pause. “I thought we were taking the back way to my room.”

      An army of goose bumps raced over her skin. She pulled away from his touch and ignored the fluttery feeling in her chest.

      She lifted her chin to face him. “We are. Your bungalow is in a secluded area just beyond the pool. Don’t worry, there’s a path over here on the side that we can use.”

      As they passed the pool she found herself glancing over at the crowd of young people on summer break, enjoying themselves. Her family were ranchers—and ranchers didn’t take holidays. Or so her parents told her every time she asked them if they could go on a trip like her friends did.

      It was always expected that when she wasn’t in class, she would be at home helping out. It’s what her brothers did. No one ever seemed to understand she was different. Was it so wrong to want to hang out with her friends? Or take vacations?

      It was always presumed she’d become a rancher’s wife—just like her mother and grandmother. After all, she was a Sinclair and ranching was in their blood. Except somehow the love of ranching had skipped over her.

      “This sure is different from Hope Springs,” Jax said, as though he, too, were thinking about the old days.

      “Is that good or bad?”

      “Neither. Just an observation.”

      The desert air was dry and hot as it rushed past them. Even though the private walkway was ensconced with palms trees, large rocks and various types of greenery, she gazed longingly at the glimpses of the enormous pool that had a wall of granite with a beautiful waterfall on one side. A dip in the cool water was so tempting. But employees were forbidden to indulge. She wondered if that rule could be suspended if someone like Jax invited her for a swim. After all, her priority was to keep her clients happy.

      “What has you smiling?”

      She was smiling? She hadn’t realized that her thoughts had transferred to her face. She’d have to be careful in the future. The last thing she needed was Jax getting any ideas about her meandering thoughts.

      “I was just imagining how nice it’d be to take a dip in the pool.”

      “It is hot out.”

      “It’s always hot in Vegas.”

      “So how is it that the only Sinclair girl ended up in Las Vegas? I’d have thought you’d be back in Hope Springs with a cowboy by your side and a baby in each arm.”

      Cleo stopped short on the narrow path. He almost ran into her. “Not you, too. You sound like my parents.”

      “Calm down. I can see I struck a chord. I just thought that with your close-knit family that you’d never want to leave.”

      “Well, you’re wrong. Besides, you did the exact same thing. I don’t see you rushing back.” She eyed him accusingly.

      “That’s different—”

      “How?”

      “You know I couldn’t stay there.” His posture grew rigid. “After my mother died, my father only got meaner. I wouldn’t wish that life on anyone.”

      The pieces of the past started to drop into place. “That’s why you were always out and about. You were trying to avoid your father.”

      Jax nodded. “It was easier than having to deal with him.”

      “But why did you have to play into the negativity by being at the center of all of the trouble in Hope Springs? How was anyone supposed to give you the benefit of the doubt when you never gave them a chance to trust you?”

      His blue eyes stared straight at her. “Why didn’t you write me off like the rest of them?”

      “Because I saw there was more to you than you were willing to let on.” She wasn’t going to say that she’d had a bad case of puppy love. Thankfully they arrived at his bungalow, putting an end to this awkward conversation. “This is where you’ll be staying.”

      She swiped her master key card and pushed open the door. When she stepped back to let him pass, he shook his head and waved at her to go ahead. “Ladies first.”

      She smiled. “Thank you.”

      So the bad boy had transformed into a gentleman. She definitely approved of this change. But that didn’t mean she’d let her guard down around him. In her experience, people only showed you the side of them СКАЧАТЬ