Luke approached, a nurse in tow. "This is Tracy. She'll take you back to see the doctor."

"Oh my goodness," the nurse blurted. Cain glanced up.

"I heard you were back in town." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and giggled. "My older sister went to school with you. Patti Jones? Do you remember her? Our parents own the bakery in town?" Maggie was totally forgotten. "I think your band is awesome, especially that British guy." She paused, eyes wide. "Oh my G.o.d, I have your CD in my car. It would be so cool if you could sign it for me. Maybe get a picture with you too?"

Cain stood. "Sure. But let's look after my friend first." His voice was firm, though he winked and smiled. "And I promise I'll let you take as many pictures as you want."

"Oh." Her flush deepened. "Sorry, of course." She laughed-a weird, strangled sound-and motioned to Maggie. "Follow me, hon. Dr. Karkoff will be back in a minute."

Maggie stood and grabbed hold of Michael's hand. She looked up at him, and Cain felt something shift inside as their eyes met. His muscles tightened and his mouth went dry.

She looked so d.a.m.n vulnerable that it tore at him. This woman he barely knew had managed to tie him up in all sorts of ways he couldn't explain. He took a step forward, but stopped when her eyes darkened, a shadow of confusion reflected in their depths.

"Thanks for giving me a lift." Her hand went to her temple, and the guilt inside him tripled as she rubbed the tender spot. "I'm sure everything is fine." She looked at her son. "Right?"

"Yep." Michael grinned at him. "Thanks, Cain."

They turned to follow the nurse.

"I'll be waiting to drive you home...it's the least I can do." He spoke in a rush, nervous as all h.e.l.l and not liking the feeling one bit. What was it about this woman that turned him into a blubbering moron?

She paused, turned her head to the side. "You don't have to. I might be here a while."

"I'll wait as long as it takes."

She disappeared with the nurse, and Cain finally relaxed. Luke stared at him, his face screwed up into a frown.

"Something wrong?"

Luke shrugged. "Not my place to say anything really. I mean, Maggie barely knows I exist, but h.e.l.l, she's not the kind of girl to play with, and you..."

Cain's tempered flared. Who the h.e.l.l did this guy think he was? He cleared his throat. "And I...what?" Gone was the charm from moments earlier. He was p.i.s.sed and had no qualms about letting Luke Jansen know it.

The paramedic glared at him, puffed up his chest, and stepped up to the plate. "It's no secret you played the field big-time back in the day, and from what I've heard, you're still that guy."

Cain's eyes narrowed dangerously as a muscle worked its way along his jaw. Here we go. Everyone a.s.sumed he lived the stereotype.

"But she's not like that. Maggie's special."

"First off, Jansen..." Cain clenched his hands together and felt the interest of those gathered in the waiting room, but he didn't care. He was used to attention-which didn't mean he liked it-and the paramedic was not. Luke's face was now mottled red, his cheeks ruddy patches of skin. "Don't make a.s.sumptions about my life and how I live it. You don't know me. You caught the pigskin I threw at you in high school. That's the extent of our relationship, and it ended over ten years ago."

Luke held his hands up as if to say okay, back off, and his mouth widened into a smile, though his eyes remained frosty. "Hey, I'm not saying anything that's not already out there. Come on, until recently you were known more for the women you've dated than your music."

Cain figured one shot and he could take the son of a b.i.t.c.h down.

"s.h.i.t, you dated that English chick, the one related to the queen, and you married Natasha Simmons."

Cain's jaw clenched painfully. He was dying to smash his fist into Jansen's nose, but what could he say? There was some truth there. He was no f.u.c.king choirboy, that's for sure, but he sure as h.e.l.l owed nothing to Jansen.

"Jesus, Luke. You seem to know more about my life than my f.u.c.king publicist."

Luke's mouth tightened. "I'm not judging. Christ, you're living most guys' fantasy. I'm just saying that Maggie O'Rourke isn't one of those women, and I'd hate to see her hurt by some slick rocker who's come home for a few days, looking for a distraction."

Luke's mobile crackled to life as his partner's voice slid between them. There was a call, and the paramedic needed to go. "No offense, but it's not like you're going to stick around Crystal Lake. I'm just looking out for her."

He left without another word.

Cain's jaw ached as he ground his teeth in anger. His fist tightened with the need to inflict pain or pulverize something. Anything. He glanced at the back of Jansen's head. That would do just fine, except his a.s.s would land in jail and his mother would kick it but good.

His cell phone vibrated and he grabbed it from his pocket. A quick glance told him there were a lot of missed calls, a couple from his buddy Mac and the rest from his manager. There were also more emails than he cared to count. Publicity. Marketing. Managers.

He sighed and stared at the information displayed on the screen. They were probably freaking out because he'd left right after the Glasgow show without telling anyone where he was going.

He scrolled down and clenched his mouth, pausing as a familiar name stared back at him. Taunting him. Filling him with anger. Blake Hartley, the drummer in BlackRock. He'd emailed over a dozen times.

Cain looked away. Let the b.a.s.t.a.r.d stew. What the h.e.l.l did he expect? An apology?

Tracy the nurse ran from the examination area, a copy of his CD in hand. He signed it as promised and posed for a few pictures with some of the other staff, several of them people he knew.

One question was asked over and over: "How long are you staying in Crystal Lake?"

Cain fingered his cell. It continued to vibrate every few minutes. Just listening to the device was tiring and made him edgy.

He thought of Jake and Mac. Of Raine and his mother. And of Maggie and her son. What did he have waiting in LA, except an empty house and a full bar? Before the phone vibrated again, he powered it down and shoved it into his pocket. Tension lay in wait, fingering out along his shoulders.

He needed a break. The last six months had been the most difficult of his life, both professionally and personally. He was, in effect, done for now-tapped out. The slow pace of Crystal Lake was exactly what he needed.

He glanced toward the exam room just as Maggie and Michael appeared. Her arm was around her son's shoulders, and she bent low, a smile on her mouth as her son said something. Something pa.s.sed between the two of them. Something solid. And real.

He wanted that. He wanted her to look at him with the same easy grace that she gave her son. The thought was sobering and surprising, considering he barely knew her.

Michael pointed to him, and she straightened, her smile fading as their eyes met. A wary look crept into them and she stilled, like that deer caught in the headlights again. The woman was cloaked in invisible walls, and for whatever reason, he wanted to smash through them.

His decision was made before he stepped forward. How long was he going to stay in Crystal Lake?

His gaze locked onto Maggie and a slow smile curved his mouth. Cain thought that at the very least, he was going to stay a good long while.

Chapter 5.

Maggie stared across the room at Cain and felt a jolt of something rush through her as their eyes met. It left her hot and fl.u.s.tered, and she hoped like h.e.l.l she wasn't blushing like a complete idiot, but by the feel of her cheeks, she was probably three shades past pink. Not very attractive, with her red hair.

The man was compelling; there was no denying the charisma that rolled off every inch of him, like water across silk. It wasn't just his strong, masculine jaw; sensual mouth; or dark eyes. It wasn't even the thick coffee-colored hair that framed his Hollywood-handsome face or his tall muscular frame.

It was the sum of all those things, and yet it was so much more. He had that extra bit of magic that placed him above the crowd, and it was that extra bit that made her nervous.

She'd heard all about him while in the emergency exam room. The nurse a.s.sisting Dr. Karkoff had been more than happy to fill her in. Apparently Cain, his buddy Mackenzie, and Jake and Jesse Edwards had been quite the h.e.l.l-raisers back in the day. According to Nurse Tracy, everyone knew he'd eventually make it in music. He was way too hot not to.

Of course, Maggie could have pointed out the fact that it usually took a lot more than hotness to sustain a career in music, but she had to admit her curiosity was piqued. Tracy explained how Cain and one of the band members, a guy named Blake, were like Lennon and McCartney, or Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. That they'd written loads of songs for other artists, but now their own band was finally making it. Maggie had never heard of BlackRock, though Tracy had happily informed her they were the next big thing, in spite of what had happened in Barcelona.

Maggie would have asked for more information, but the doctor had frostily asked for quiet so he could finish his examination. He'd narrowed his eyes at the nurse. "BlackRock, is it? Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me." He'd nodded as he probed Maggie's neck gently. "Now, Hank Williams, he was a legend taken before his time."

Nurse Tracy had looked annoyed with the doctor, and as soon as she could, she'd fled, eager for a chance to talk to Cain and get her picture taken with him.

"I told you so, Mom," Michael had said with the greatest of pleasure. He'd held up his hands, with only his pinky and forefinger showing-like the points on a devil's head-stuck out his tongue, and shouted, "Rock star."

Uh, not quite, but she wasn't about to burst her son's bubble. He'd taken a weird kind of interest in the man, which made Maggie frown, because one thing was certain. Cain Black was someone she wanted to steer clear of.

Except that he was walking toward her, his eyes intense and focused. He moved like a predator, with the easy grace of a cat, and instantly her back was up.

"So, everything check out?" Was he asking out of concern or guilt?

"She has a confession," Michael answered.

Cain's mouth quirked in a quick smile. "You mean concussion?"

Michael nodded. "Yep, that's what I meant. The doctor said she can't go to sleep for too long, and if she pukes or her head still hurts in the morning, she needs to come back and see him."

"It's not as bad as it sounds." Maggie gripped her son's hands. "Thanks for bringing me to the hospital, Mr. Black."

"Come on, Maggie...it's Cain." He stepped closer, and though she didn't move, everything inside Maggie screamed retreat. He was too big, too male...and she was very much aware of the fact. "Mr. Black is cold, makes it sound like we're not friends."

"We're not friends. I barely know you."

Cain smiled down at her, and in that moment she caught the full, devastating effect of his charm. It curled inside her belly and flushed her skin there with a heat she'd never felt before.

"Well, I'm thinking I'd like to be your friend..." He paused, his voice low, caressing the air between them. "Maggie."

He said her name as if they were sharing a secret. As if she was the only one in the room with him, when in fact they were the object of over a dozen pairs of eyes and whispers shared behind hands.

Was he flirting with her? His gaze lingered just a little too long and then dropped to her mouth.

He's flirting with me.

This was all kinds of wrong. She changed the subject quick as she could, fl.u.s.tered and hoping it didn't show. She didn't do flirting. Especially not with a man like Cain Black.

"I need to see about my bill." Maggie winced as pain shot through her head, and she licked her dry lips. "You don't have to wait. Michael and I will call a cab."

"The bill's been looked after. It's the least I could do, considering this whole mess was my fault."

Instantly her hackles were up. "I can look after my own affairs. I don't need your charity." She was annoyed, and though a part of her was secretly relieved, she sure as heck didn't want to owe him. She would not owe anyone anymore.

"I'll pay you back."

"If you're ready"-he ignored her comment and nodded toward the exit-"I'll take you home."

A heavy feeling pressed on her chest, everything tightened, and Maggie exhaled a ragged breath. She was being pushed into a corner and didn't like it at all. It seemed as if the ghosts of her past were circling hard. "I...Michael and I will get home on our own. Really, you've done enough."

Cain glanced at Michael. "What do you think, buddy? A ride in some smelly old cab or a quick trip in my truck?"

"Mom, if we call a cab, we'll have to wait forever, and I'm really hungry."

Okay, that was cheap. Using a child. She glared at Cain before turning to her son.

"Michael-"

"Please, Mom? Why pay for a cab when we can get a free ride? You always say we need to be smart about money 'cause we don't have a lot, right?"

"Michael," she tried again, hating that her cheeks burned as Cain studied her in silence. She was embarra.s.sed, fl.u.s.tered, and tired. And her head throbbed like a son of a...

"Listen, I get that you think you're somehow putting me out, or you want your independence, or-"

"Maybe I just don't like you."

Surprise flickered across his face. His chocolate-colored eyes narrowed, but the easy smile that lay upon his lips never wavered. "Okay, I suppose that could be a valid argument, but you need to let me take you home. Trust me, I'm not pulling a Tarzan on you. It's more of a self-preservation thing."

"Really." She sounded petulant but didn't care.

"My mother may look harmless, but she'd kick my a.s.s all over Crystal Lake and back if I left you here."

"Come on, Mom." Michael tugged on her arm. "I don't see what the big deal is."

Traitor.

"Please?" Her son smiled, his dimples p.r.o.nounced as he looked up at her.

Two against one wasn't fair. Maggie bit her lip and glanced around the emergency room. The covert glances and quick whispers had more than doubled. Nurse Tracy pointed toward her and said something to the woman at her side. Both of them stared at her as if she had two heads.

Crystal Lake was a small town, and she knew by nightfall most everyone would know she'd been to the hospital with Cain Black.

She wanted to be home, locked inside the safe confines of her house away from all the prying eyes and speculation. Like a balloon that had been punctured, her resolve faded. It slipped away and left her weak. "All right," she mumbled.

"Sweet!" Michael led her toward the exit. Cain was a few paces behind. She knew this because all the women huddled in adoring little groups were focused behind her, their shy smiles and quick little waves nauseatingly coy. Ugh. The man sang and played guitar. He wasn't curing cancer or saving lives. He was not a G.o.d.

Even if he looked like one.

She followed Michael outside and waited for Cain to grab his truck. It was now early evening and the promised humidity had moved in, coating everything with a fine mist of warm, damp air. It settled in Maggie's lungs and slithered across her skin. She looked up at the sky where dark clouds had gathered, blocking the sun and leaving a dull gray instead of the bright blue of a few hours ago.

They were definitely rain clouds.

She quickened her steps, even though she still felt a little fuzzy, and would have slid into the backseat, except there was a large guitar case in the way. Michael climbed in on the other side, and she carefully slid into the front. It wasn't as if she had a choice.