The Fighter's Stubborn Lover (The Burton Brothers Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sweat and leather hung in the air, and loud rock music bounced off the walls. Van Halen she thought. She glanced at Mason and hollered, “Is it always this loud?”
    He grinned and nodded. “When they’re not sparring, you bet.” He glanced around and strode toward what looked like a ring. Avery glanced around. She could see a few guys in sweats, working out with weights. One guy stood in front of a punching bag and another was doing pushups. But she didn’t see Dustin. She let out a breath. Maybe he had already wised up and had listened to her. She hung onto the thought. She’d be more than happy if this trip turned out to be wasted time.
    Glancing at Mason, she saw him frown. He waved to a couple of the guys and headed to an older man with gray hair who had a towel around his neck. The older man couldn’t be one of the fighters, but was he Terry Anders, or the other guy Mason had mentioned earlier?
    “Hey, Tavvy. Where’s Dustin? I thought he’d be here.”
    Tavvy stepped forward. He had kindly brown eyes, Avery thought, and a wiry body. He looked far too nice to be a trainer. He faced her and extended his hand. “Who’s this you’ve brought to brighten up the gym with?”
    Avery shook the older man’s hand. “Avery Caldwell. I’m Dustin’s sister.”
    Tavvy swapped a look with Mason, his eyebrows raised. Mason gave a slight shrug, and Avery wondered what those short-hand gestures meant between the two men. They obviously knew each other very well.
    For a moment, she wondered if it was good for Dustin to have guys like these around. Edward’s death had hit Dustin hard, leaving him touchy and moody at times. After their parents had died, Edward had become the dad in the family—up until his death, too.
    Dustin had never wanted to talk about it, but she knew Dustin took it hard. There were times she thought Dustin was trying to make himself into Edward. That that was why he’d taken up MMA fighting. She had to make him see he was meant for more than that—that he had other talents he could use.
    Tavvy gave her a broad smile, shook her hand and nodded to the side. “Mason, could I speak with you for a brief moment? Ma’am, good to meet you.”
    Turning to Avery, Mason waved at the gym. “Go on and take a look around. I’ll be back in a moment.”
    *****
    Mason followed Tavvy a short distance away and asked, “Okay, so where’s our golden boy?”
    “Ain’t here. That gal he’s been spending his free time with saw you and his sister in the diner. She called up here to talk to Dustin and mentioned seeing you with someone. She described Dustin’s sister to a tee and he took off like the hounds of hell were on his heels. I’ve never seen a man strip off his sparring gear so fast!”
    “Damn. All she wants to do is talk to him—and he bolts like some kind of total wimp!” He glanced at Avery and back to Tavvy. “She’s here to try and convince him to come home because MMA fighting is dangerous.”
    Tavvy gave a snort and rolled his eyes. “As if living ain’t? I tried to talk to Dustin, get him to stay. All he’d do was curse and say some rather colorful words about what a meddling piece of work his sister was. I was expecting the Wicked Witch of the West to come pounding in here, ready to take scalps if she didn’t get what she wanted.”
    “Any idea where he went?” Mason asked, turning back to watch Avery. She had walked to the edge of the gym and kept her arms folded, staying clear of the fighters. Her forehead wrinkled and he could see sweat sheen her nose and cheeks. She needed to take her coat off, but was glad she didn’t.
    Once the guys here saw her figure and all that beautiful hair, they’d be falling over themselves to do a lot more than just say hi to her. “What am I supposed to tell his sister? That her brother’s vanished? She’s really going to think we’re taking care of Dustin then.”
    “Well, now. That I don’t rightly know. You could send her packing for the