The Rebel's Return (Red River) Read Online Free PDF Page B

shift dress. Aiden turned back to her and smirked. “Well, I don’t want to interrupt such a high-powered meeting of the minds.”
    She let out a disgusted noise. “You have no idea, buddy, none. Besides, I’m getting ready to deliver an order to your friend’s wife’s successful floral shop. They are a power couple.”
    He didn’t blink. “Jake Manning? Part of a power couple. I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.”
    She tapped her foot. “It’s pretty arrogant of you to come back in here and act like you know everything about everyone. I think it’s amazing how your once screwed-up friend managed to turn his life around. But, then again, he actually stuck around instead of running away from his problems.”
    His jaw was ticking like clockwork as he listened to her. “She clearly gave him a second chance. And for the record, I’ve been in touch with Jake.”
    Interesting. “Claire clearly thought he was worthy of one.”
    “Everyone is worthy.”
    “But not everything is forgivable. Cheating is unforgivable in my book.”
    Something flashed across his blue eyes, anger maybe. For a second it seemed like something more. But what? And really, why did it matter to her? Aiden was part of her past. He would be here for a few weeks, and then he’d leave again. He swung open the door and walked out, looking as though nothing bothered him.
    Aiden McCann had been bad news from day one. She had never heeded the warnings about him ten years ago, and he’d destroyed her. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

Chapter Three
    Six thirty in the morning. That was what she called dedication. This was what really disciplined people did. Runners did this. In the rain, snow, sleet, they ran. Morning or at night, they ran, fearlessly. She needed to be a runner.
    The sun wasn’t even all the way up yet, and here she was, true to her word, ready to start her jogging program. She was going to do this. It would help her with stress relief, too. She could think about Aiden. She could think about her cousin, and burn off all that negative energy.
    She inserted an earbud in her right ear only, thinking it was safer if she could hear outside noise, as well. She opened up her app and selected Day One, Week One and took a deep breath. Her playlist queued up, and the narrator, in a super cheerful voice, told her to start walking for her warm-up. Great. She could do that.
    She started walking at an easy pace along the riverside trail. This was her favorite trail in Red River. Right now, it was practically deserted, a few figures walked in the distance. The sun was on the verge of rising, and the air had a slight chill in it, holding on to the summer air while giving way to a bit of autumn’s chill. She kept walking, ignoring the slight panic she felt when she glanced at her iPhone screen and saw she’d be jogging momentarily. Sure enough, the chipper voice filled her ear, and she had to start the dreadful jog.
    She paced herself, telling herself she could totally do this. See? Easy. Her new running shoes were comfy and padded and felt light as her feet pounded the pavement. Her light jacket kept her warm, and before she knew it, the jogging interval was over, and she was able to resume walking. Funny, in life she had always been able to start jogging, but she never ever made it to a full-on half-hour jog. She was going to do it.
    When the half hour was up, she took a deep breath and did some light stretching, feeling incredibly free, incredibly optimistic. It was a miracle, really, because having Aiden back in town, coupled with the upcoming nuptials of her cousin and ex-boyfriend drawing near, was enough to make her not feel optimistic about anything. Flashing lights in the distance caused her to pause, and she walked toward the parked police cruiser. She already knew who it was. Sure enough, her brother was leaning against the hood of the car, two coffees in a cardboard tray sitting on top.
    “Why are you