Accidentally Hers (Sterling Canyon #1) Read Free

opening your own physical therapy clinic in a big city like Denver?”
    “Maybe. But for better or worse, this is home.” Avery glanced at the dark silhouette of the San Juans, which was visible through the window. A warm smile spread across her face. “Besides, I could never leave you guys.”
    Emma and Kelsey had been her closest friends since middle school, and the bond forged by their differing yet complementary personalities had carried them through fad diets, Emma parents’ messy divorce, the births of Kelsey’s adorable niece and nephew, and more campfire escapades than she could count.
    No, she couldn’t imagine life without them. Nor would she want to leave her childhood home, which she and her twin brother, Andy, had bought from their parents a few years earlier. Thinking of him brought a smile to her face. Her playmate, confidant, best friend. The only man who loved her because of her grit, not in spite of it.
    “ Well, I ’m not ready to give up on Grey.” Kelsey nodded in confirmation of her own statement. “I can tell he’s a good guy. Once he settles into a groove, he’ll be more available.”
    “You know what my brother always says about reading a guy’s ‘just not that into you’ signs.” Andy had fostered Avery’s no-BS attitude toward the opposite sex thanks to several frank discussions during her high school and college years. Since then, she’d always walked away with her head held high the minute any guy’s interest waned. “Maybe you should consider his advice and back off.”
    “But then Grey’ll think I’m not interested.” Kelsey twirled her blond curls around her fingers, pouting. “My sister never played games, and she’s married with kids.”
    “Games?” Avery shook her head and looked at Emma for support. “Tell her the truth, Em. Tell her maybe the guy would respect her more if she weren’t so obvious.”
    Emma meekly shrugged without confirming or refuting Avery’s claim.
    Avery shooed her hand at Em and clucked. “Stop acting like such a politician.”
    “Stop being such a pragmatist,” Em shot back.
    “Avery, you just don’t get it.” Kelsey looked at Avery, her amber eyes brimming with pity. “You’ve never been a romantic.”
    Avery burst into laughter. Oh, Kels, you sweet, starry-eyed thing. “ Well, I can ’t argue with that, friend.”
    Romantic or not, Avery might’ve enjoyed a little flirtation with Grey—Greyson.
    Sadly, he’d remain off-limits unless Kelsey fell for some other guy before things progressed. Probably a fifty-fifty shot of that happening within a month. Not bad odds. Maybe she could overlook the ski-bum thing if she were willing to explore a more superficial relationship.
    “So, if I can hang on for several more weeks, I’ve got a chance. Come on, help me figure out how to entice him.” Kelsey beamed, apparently convinced her friends could dispense some kind of miracle.
    Avery shook her head with a little snort, then sighed. It amazed her that Kelsey could be so driven and savvy with her real estate business, yet so flighty in her personal life.
    In any case, clearly Grey wasn’t an option for Avery even though he made her insides tumble and tingle at first sight. In fact, all the better for her not to fall so quickly under some skier’s spell. Last time hadn’t worked out so well.
    And, unlike Kelsey, she had never wanted to fall hopelessly in love. Hopeless perfectly described what she’d seen too often: a woman sacrificing more of herself and her ambitions to accommodate a growing family’s needs than any man.
    Perhaps some couples balanced those competing goals better than others, but on the whole, traditional gender roles still persisted in Sterling Canyon. Maybe Avery would feel differently if she were more maternal or romantic. Maybe she’d even welcome the idea. But, “for better or worse,” she knew her limitations.
    She saw no reason to give so much up for a man when a man couldn’t always be trusted to