Cassidy Harte and the Comeback Kid. RaeAnne Thayne

I’m finished here.”

      “Fine. Here’s your tab. You can pay the cashier.” She yanked the ticket from the pocket of her apron and slapped it down on the table, then turned away without an ounce of warmth in her demeanor.

      Okay. So this little junket into town had established he wasn’t going to be welcomed back to Star Valley with open arms by anyone. He fingered the tab for a moment, tempted to climb into his Range Rover parked outside and just keep on driving.

      No. That’s what he had done a decade ago, and look where it had gotten him. He wouldn’t give up. Not yet.

      He could show Cassidy Harte—and everybody else in town, for that matter—that his stubborn streak would beat hers any day.

      With new determination he slid out of the booth, reached into his wallet and pulled out a hundred, just because he could. He left it neatly on top of the ticket then walked out the door, leaving the whispers and glares behind him.

      The morning air was clean and fresh after the oppressive atmosphere inside the diner. It was shaping up to be a beautiful summer day in the Rockies, clear and warm.

      He nodded to a man in uniform walking through the parking lot toward him, then did a double take.

      Hell.

      Cassie’s middle brother, Jess, was walking toward him, fury on his features. Great. Just what he needed to make the morning a complete success.