Page 1 of Devlin

CHAPTER ONE

"YOU ARE ONE COLD,ruthless, heartless, horrible person," Hannah Reid declared, her practiced speech going out of her head as soon as Devlin Blackthorne made the mistake of giving her a charming smile and saying hello as if nothing had happened.

"Nice to see you,too, Hannah," Devlin said, his brown-eyed gaze filling with wariness. "How long has it been? Three, four years?"

"Five."

"No wonder you look so much older. I think you had just graduated from college last time I saw you. How come you haven't come back before this?"

"That is not important. Don't try to distract me. I want to know what's going on. Why did you fire my father?"

"It wasn't my decision; my dad terminated Frank."

"Terminated?" she echoed. "My father has worked for Blackthorne Boatworks for thirty years. It's his boat designs that have made this company famous. He is its heart and its soul." She'd never felt so much anger. Ever since she'd heard about her father's abrupt firing, her fury had grown to an explosive level. It had pushed her toget on a plane and fly from Texas to Maine, and the travel time had done nothing to lessen her anger.

"I agree. Frank has been the heart and soul of this company," Devlin said, appearing to choose his words carefully.

"Yes, he has. Which is why this makes no sense. He devoted his life to your family business. He ruined his marriage, he shattered my family, all because of his dedicationto the job he loved and to your family. And you just let him go? You throw him away like an old newspaper? How could you do that?"

"You're not listening, Hannah. It was my father's doing."

"Your father doesn't run the company; you do."

"My father runs every company within Blackthorne Enterprises," he snapped, his brown eyes darkening. "He has the ultimate say."

"So,talk to him. Tell him he's wrong."

"Tell him he's wrong? No one tells Graham Blackthorne he's wrong, least of all one of his sons."

"Then I'll tell him. Where is he?"

Devlin smiled. "I think you would actually do that."

"You're damned right I would. I'm not afraid of your father."

"Look, Hannah, I've already told my father to hire Frank back. He says it's betweenFrank and him. He also told me that Frank knows what he has to do if he wants his job back."

"What the hell does that mean? He works endless hours. What more could he possibly do for you?"

"Honestly, I think whatever is between them is personal, because neither one will tell me what their argument was about. I've asked both of them several times." He paused. "Have you asked Frank?Did he give you a reason?"

She frowned, wishing she could give Devlin a different answer. "He said that your family didn't value him, respect him, or trust his word. He wasn't just angry; he was hurt. Actually, he was devastated. I've never heard him sound so bleak. It scared me. I jumped on a plane as soon as I could."

Devlin's brows knit together in puzzlement. "I don't know whathe's talking about. I've expressed my gratitude and respect for his work many times. He has to be referring to my father."

"Regardless, my dad needs his job back."

"That will happen with a little time."

"How much time? My father isn't rich. He's not a Blackthorne. You have to talk to your father again, make him see reason."

"Does Frank know you're here?" he asked curiously.

"He knows I'm in King Harbor. I got in last night."

"But he doesn't know you're here at the office talking to me."

"I might not have mentioned it," she admitted.

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