Hate Me Like You Care

* * * BECKS I was innocent. Or as innocent as a bystander on the wrong side of the law can be. But when the victim is the son of the Mayor and the Chief of Police in a small Kansas town—innocence becomes a technicality. I paid the price, and at twenty-five, I’ve remained in Ellbury as a promise to the brother who never abandoned me, but trouble stays close. When the law catches up, an unlikely benefactor offers me a deal: free labor in exchange for staying out from behind bars. The problem? My benefactor is a father figure to the victim of our crime. And he has a daughter who won’t stay out of my mind. RANDI I was eleven when Becks Jacoby was an accomplice in the attack on my brother’s best friend. Now he’s working on my family’s ranch, and he’s crass and grumpy and every country girl’s fantasy. It’s been nine years, I hate everything he did to my family. I hate everything he did to Lincoln. But the longer he’s around, the less I hate HIM. Hate Me Like You Care Copyright © 2023 Michele G. Miller & Mindy Hayes writing as Mindy Michele Published by Enchanted Ink Press All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the publisher. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner. ISBN: 9798394351891 (paperback) Cover by: © Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations Proofed by Jo Pettibone and Angie Craft Also by Mindy Michele IN BEST READING ORDER* Nothing Compares To You, a 90s novella Paper Planes Series Paper Planes and Other Things We Lost Subway Stops and the Places We Meet Chasing Cars and the Lessons We Learned The Backroads Duet Love in C Minor, Vol one Loss in A Major, Vol two Seaside Pointe Novels Blossoms & Steel Copper & Ink Satin & Grit Raven & Ice Standalone Novels The Archer and His Rosebud The Map of Nova and Dev The Backroads Novels, standalone spin-offs Hate Me Like You Care Remy’s story coming soon Rylee’s story coming soon *We like having our characters crossover. To prevent running into someone before you’ve read their story this is the optimal (but not required) reading order. Also by Michele G. Miller Last Call - NA Romantic Suspense From The Wreckage Series - YA to NA Romance From The Wreckage Out of Ruins All That Remains Standalone FTW spinoffs West: A male POV Novel Into the Fire - Dani’s story After The Fall - Austin’s story (17+) Until We Crash - Jess and Carter’s story (17+) The Prophecy of Tyalbrook - YA Fantasy Never Let You Fall Never Let You Go Never Without You Havenwood Falls Series - PNR/Fantasy 1- Awaken the Soul, Havenwood Falls High 2- Avenge the Heart, Havenwood Falls High Co-written with R.K. Ryals: Dark Seduction, Havenwood Falls Sin & Silk (17+) Also by Mindy Hayes The Faylinn Series - YA Fantasy Kaleidoscope Ember Luminary Glimmer Daybreak The Willowhaven Series - Adult Romance Me After You Me Without You Me To You Individual titles The Day That Saved Us - Coming of Age Romance Stain - Romantic Psychological Suspense If We Disappear Here - Psychological Thriller Table of Contents 1: Becks 2: Randi 3 : Becks 4 : Randi 5 : Becks 6 : Randi 7 : Becks 8 : Randi 9 : Becks 10 : Randi 11 : Becks 12 : Becks 13 : Becks 14 : Randi 15 : Becks 16 : Becks 17 : Randi 18 : Randi 19 : Becks 20 : Becks 21 : Randi 22 : Randi 23 : Becks 24 : Randi 25 : Becks 26: Becks 27 : Randi 28 : Randi 29 : Randi 30 : Becks 31 : Randi 32: Randi 33 : Randi 34: Becks 35 : Randi 36 : Randi 37: Becks 38: Becks 39: Randi 40: Randi 41: Becks 42: Randi 43: Becks 44: Becks 45: Randi 46: Becks 47: Becks 48: Becks 49: Randi 50: Randi 51: Becks 52: Randi 53: Randi 54: Becks 55: Randi 56: Becks Epilogue: Randi From the Authors Excerpt - Love in C Minor One Stay Connected Acknowledgments To the bad boys… and the ones who love them. * * * 1: Becks Few things fuel my high like a willing woman in bed or a gas pedal vibrating beneath my foot, accelerating an engine’s purr. Tonight, the second assumes center stage. Laughter rumbles through my chest, adrenaline feeding on the intoxicating combination of speed and anticipated victory. Eighty, eighty-five, ninety—the needle creeps up, my hands curling around the leather-wrapped steering wheel until my knuckles are white. On the periphery, Chip’s red hood gains the lead, but there’s no way that jackass will get the best of me. Not on my turf. There’s a fiery corner reserved for him in hell, and I’d sooner occupy his spot than listen to Chip ‘I’m the man’ Dallas rub a win in my face. Our headlights bounce off the deserted road near Ellbury’s town limit, farmland as far as the naked eye can see. He’s driving a tight race, but he’ll lose steam at the upcoming bend. Chip doesn’t know this town. I’ve traveled these roads so many times I could drive them with my eyes closed, but that’s a challenge for another day. Anticipating the curve as the needle passes one hundred, my muscles ease the wheel left, but instead of slowing to