Free Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Elisabeth Barrett Page B

glance at Jimmy. He was at the sink, his back turned to them. “Theo Grayson,” she whispered.
    Emma’s eyes widened. “How is he sidetracking you?” she whispered back.
    “He’s just … just …”
    “There,” Emma supplied. Avery nodded. A small, secretive smile crept onto Emma’s face, then disappeared just as quickly. “You could always tell him to get lost.”
    She could, but it was extremely unlikely that he’d actually heed her request. He seemed to have a mind of his own, as well as a powerful body to go with it. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” And she honestly didn’t.
    First of all, she was seriously trying to get her life back on track. Should she continue to do social work or not? And if she did, should she return to Back Bay? These were huge questions. A complicated love affair was the last thing she needed. Which brought her to the second issue—the issue that became more serious the more she thought about it: she couldn’t remember ever having such a powerful reaction to a man. This out-of-control, teetering-at-the-edge, roller-coaster ride of lust and desire frightened her more than she could say. There was a reason she hadn’t had a normal relationship before: it was impossible for her to go all-in with someone without thinking about how it was going to end and all the emotional turmoil that would go along with it. And she was afraid that if Theo found out how much he intrigued her, he’d use that emotion to deepen their connection. Any kind of entanglement right now would be stupid. She needed to get her head on track, keep her emotions in check and her body out of the game.
    With difficulty, Avery willed away thoughts of Theo, then stretched and stood. “I hate to eat and run, but rehearsal starts in an hour and my instrument is at Kate’s.”
    Emma smiled at her. “Thanks for coming over. James and I would be happy to set up a standing pre-rehearsal dinner date. Same time next week?”
    “That sounds wonderful. Thank you both.”
    Jimmy turned from the sink, dried his hands, and walked over to her. “Anytime, little sister,” he said, before engulfing her in a huge embrace. Every time he hugged her, she was reminded of his ursine nickname.
    Emma walked her to the door and gave her a little hug. “Good night, Avie,” she said. “Be safe driving back and have fun at rehearsal.”
    Avery couldn’t help but return her smile. Emma looked so much like their mom that it made her heart swell. “I’ll try.” She walked over to her car in the brisk evening air.
    “Oh, one more thing,” Emma called out to her from the farmhouse door. “The next author series lecture is coming up this Tuesday. Will you come?”
    “Absolutely. Wouldn’t miss it,” Avery yelled back before slamming the car door shut and driving back to town.

    On a hard wooden pew, Avery unpacked her violin from its case and pulled out her bow. After tightening it, she swept the sticky rosin brick up and down the horsehair to give it some resistance as she glanced around the church. A group of four chairs had been arranged in the nave, forming a semicircle just below the pulpit. Karen Wright was already seated in the rightmost seat tuning up her cello, and a tall man with dark brown hair and kind eyes stood behind her with his bass. She thought that must be Royce Hogan, Star Harbor’s mayor. Aunt Kate had told her that Royce’s election was hotly contested for one reason: Royce hadn’t been born in town. Some deemed it sacrilegious to have a non-native Star Harborian as an elected official, but he’d made some very good decisions in the fourteen months since the election.
    To Royce’s left, an upright piano was angled sideways so that Andy Neiman, the proprietor of the Rusty Nail, had an unobstructed view of all of the string players. The tall, broad man gave her a wave. She knew Andy only by sight and by reputation. Known for his no-nonsense attitude and for being calm under pressure—good