King shook his head, making Lucky doubt the validity of Evie’s claim. “That woman has a thing for you about as much as I do. Willa is very perceptive; she sees past the pretense you put on in front of everyone, and it scares the hell out of her. She has a thing for one of The Last Riders, but it isn’t you.”

 Lucky stiffened, as if receiving an imaginary punch to the gut. If he didn’t know better, he would think it was jealousy. Fuck, he didn’t get jealous. There wasn’t a woman he wouldn’t share or hadn’t shared with the brothers, so why would he give a fuck if Evie was wrong about which brother Willa wanted?

 “Who?” he demanded, not realizing his voice had deepened into a growl.

 “Rider.” King gave a sardonic laugh. “That’s why she was so embarrassed when she heard your big mouth spouting stupid shit. Rider was behind her when she came outside.”

 Lucky felt a lessening of his tension. “She doesn’t like Rider. She’s never been around him,” he stated confidently.

 “Really? Hmm … I wonder whose ass is sitting in my restaurant every Wednesday afternoon when she’s scheduled to make her deliveries. It sure as fuck looks like Rider helping her carry all those pastry boxes inside.”

 “You’re shitting me.” Lucky started to brush off King’s words then remembered Rider had been disappearing from the factory every Wednesday afternoon.

 “Why would I do that when you said you don’t care about her and want her to find someone?” King threw his own words back in his face.

 “I do. Then why did Evie think Willa liked me?” His brow furrowed in thought. He had even been given the impression that Shade had believed the same thing.

 Looking over King’s shoulder, through the open doorway, he saw Shade eating a large slice of the cake Willa had made. Could that cold-hearted bastard have his own agenda? Like feeding his sweet tooth? Could Shade have been the one to give Evie the idea?

 “I don’t know. Evie’s not the best judge. She believes I’m helpless around the house.” King gave a laconic shrug.

 “You are.” Lucky remembered King’s failed attempts to do even minimal household chores. Hell, one day, Lucky had ridden past his house and seen him trying to mow the lawn. Lucky had pulled over to the curb and finished the job for him instead of leaving Evie to find an uneven lawn when she arrived home.

 “Am I? Or maybe I’m smart enough not to have to do that shit. I’d rather get someone else to work on a broken disposal, mow the lawn, or put together a bookshelf. I have the money to pay for it, but Evie insists I at least try. Pretending to be helpless keeps Evie off my back, and I don’t have to fix crap on my day off. I also have the advantage of seeing the men my wife used to fuck have to do my shit jobs.”

 “I’m going to tell her,” Lucky threatened, becoming madder by the second. It had been hot as fuck that day he had mowed the lawn. He didn’t know what was pissing him off more: King’s attitude or the thought that Willa did actually want Rider.

 “Go for it. She won’t believe you.”

 King’s smugness had Lucky wanting to punch him as he straightened from the banister.

 “I don’t know why you’re getting so angry. A few minutes ago, getting rid of Willa was more important than making sure she was having a good time. Rider wouldn’t hurt her. In fact, I think they would make a great pair. He’s obviously more sensitive to a woman’s needs.”

 “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about! Willa needs someone who will lead a quiet life with her. She’s very firm in her beliefs. She’s shy. Rider would—”

 “Rider’s very gentle with her,” King cut him off. “See for yourself. Come to lunch at the restaurant on Wednesday.”

 “Why would I do that? It’s no concern of mine if she becomes involved with Rider. I’m not her pastor anymore.”

 “Suit yourself. The only reason I told you was so you would quit making an ass of yourself around her, but I can see that’s going to be impossible for you.” King went inside, leaving him on the porch alone.

 Could he be wrong about Rider chasing after Willa? Lucky didn’t think so, but he recalled Rider’s face when he had stood in the doorway. When had Rider ever given a fuck about anyone besides himself? The brother forgot about women as soon as he found a new place to stick his dick. He loved breaking in new women …

 Lucky cut the thought short.

 Maybe he would stop by King’s restaurant on Wednesday. He would reassure himself that Willa was safe from Rider’s charm. After all, the man didn’t deserve a woman like Willa. She deserved a man like he had pretended to be—a decent, God-fearing man, a man like he used to be before he joined the military and left his hometown that was even smaller than Treepoint.

 It hadn’t taken long for the war to strip away his beliefs in the integrity of the human race and then turn him into a man who had discovered his own weaknesses and failings. She deserved more than a man with blood on his hands and a target on his back. No woman deserved to be made a widow and left alone brokenhearted or to have her children left behind to mourn his passing. He had been forced to deliver too many condolence visits to want his own family to experience that kind of grief. That was why he had long ago decided he would have no children he wouldn’t be around to protect. Even if he were to get married, it would be to a woman who lived off the logic that one man was as good as the next. After all, a slut wouldn’t grieve for him when the man who was waiting to end his life finally struck, when his luck finally ran out.

Chapter 2

 Lucky ignored King’s amused look when he entered the restaurant on Wednesday, seeing Rider already seated at one of the bar tables that faced the door. He walked to the table and slid into the seat across from him.

 “What are you doing here?” Rider asked.

 “Thought I would try out the lunch special that has you here every Wednesday,” Lucky stated, taking the menu from the bleach-blonde bargirl who gave him a flirtatious smile as she waited for his order. Lucky stared at her long legs before meeting her eyes with a blatantly sexual grin of his own.

 “Give me a burger, fries, and a beer,” he ordered.

 “That’s all?” Her teasing reply and the huge display of flesh overflowing her top drew his deepening interest.

 “For now.” Lucky gave her a wink, ignoring Rider’s apparent aggravation.

 When the waitress moved away, he glanced around the busy restaurant.

 “So what has you eating here? I thought the diner was your favorite place.”

 Rider shrugged. “Obviously, you already know Willa brings her desserts in today. If you don’t get them the day she brings them in, they’re gone by Friday. Why do you give a fuck where I eat?” He looked across the table at him quizzically.

 “I don’t,” Lucky stated matter-of-factly, gazing at the waitress’s cleavage when she bent over to place his beer down in front of him then left with a seductive swish of her hips.