Max pointed to the counter. “Stella’s alive and well and trying to talk Mel out of his latest paranoid fantasy.”
It was a mistake. Max realized it the moment he said it. Rachel stood right beside her boss. Those big green eyes were even bigger than usual as she stared at the two of them. For a moment, she looked like a kid who’d found the last cupcake on the planet. Then she obviously realized they were looking back because she suddenly looked intently interested in wiping down the counter.
Max turned to his brother, and sure enough, Rye’s face had gone slack. “No,” Max said. He set his jaw stubbornly. “I saw her first.”
Rye didn’t bother to look back at his brother. He just stared at the beauty with strawberry blonde hair. “But I saw her best, Max. You got a date with her, yet?”
“No, I’m working my way up to it,” Max explained, trying to salvage the situation. “There’s something up with her. She’s very nervous.”
Rye’s smile was brimming with self-assurance as he stood up and straightened his jacket. “You make a lot of women nervous, Max. Watch how it’s done, Big Brother.”
“Damn it, Rye.” But his twin was already making his way to the counter. Max stood up and followed. He was going to beat the crap out of the town sheriff if he scared Rachel off.
“Hello there, sweetheart.” Rye poured on the charm.
Stella snorted and muttered something under her breath before walking off to check the kitchen.
Max watched as Rachel really looked at his brother for the first time. He noticed her mouth tighten as she took in his uniform. It was another clue. He’d wondered if she was running from something. She had that look. He needed to make her comfortable, and then she would tell him what was wrong. He’d fix it, and they could have raucous sex to celebrate her freedom from whatever was bugging her. That was his plan. Now his brother was fucking up his perfectly fine plan.
“What can I get for you, Officer?” Rachel pulled out her ever-present notepad and a little pen. She was very professional.
Rye was not. “Oh, I think I can come up with a few things you could get me. How about your phone number? That way I can call you, and we can plan out our date.”
Max was satisfied when Rachel looked completely unmoved by his brother’s charm. “I don’t have a phone.”
Rye’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean you don’t have a phone? Everybody’s got a phone, darlin’. Most people have at least two.”
“I don’t have one,” she said dully. Max didn’t like the look in her eyes. It was like all the life in them had fled at the sight of Rye’s badge. “Is that a crime, Officer?”
“It’s Sheriff.” Now Rye’s voice held a little uncertainty. Max knew it had been a long time since a girl turned down Sheriff Ryan Harper. Max watched as the doubt in Rye’s face dissolved, and he gave her his high-wattage grin. “My name is Ryan Harper, but everyone calls me Rye. I see you’ve met my brother.”
She nodded at Max, but it was a polite thing. It held none of the shy curiosity from before. He was going to bash his brother’s skull in.
“Is there anything you wanted from the kitchen, Sheriff Harper?” Rachel asked. “I have other customers waiting.”
Rye scratched his head, and Max saw the moment he decided to retreat. “No, darlin’. I just wanted to say hello. It was nice to meet you.” His eyes flashed to her name tag. “Rachel. If you have any trouble, you give me a call, okay?”
Max followed Rye back to the table, where he sat down. His brother looked thoughtful as he munched on the burger he’d stolen. Max ate the fries as he waited for Rye’s brain to work through the problem.
“That girl’s in trouble, bro,” Rye finally said.
“No shit, Sherlock.” Max was damn glad there weren’t many crimes to solve in Bliss.
“Damn.” Rye sighed. “I hate it when I have to arrest someone that fine.”
Max tried to pin his brother with his most intimidating stare. “You are not arresting her, you understand me? If she’s done something, then I’ll take care of it. How bad could it possibly be? She can’t weigh more than 110 pounds. I don’t see her committing a bunch of violent crimes at her size.”
“Yeah.” Rye stared at Rachel as she took orders from a table of tourists. “She’s really pretty, but she could use a couple of decent meals.”
“You should have seen her two weeks ago.”
She’d been sickly thin. At first, Max wondered if she was one of those girls who eschewed food in order to look as skinny as possible. Her first break had set that out of his mind. Waitresses at Stella’s ate for free one meal per shift. Rachel had inhaled a chicken salad sandwich and a bowl of vegetable soup. She’d practically cried when Stella set a piece of chocolate pie in front of her. He’d wanted to scoop her up, take her back to the house, and make sure she never missed another meal again.
“She’s running then?” Rye asked.
“I think so.” Max could use his brother’s help on that part. Rye had resources that Max didn’t. If Rachel was on the run from something, it would be good to know what might come after her.
Rye nodded. “I’ll see what I can turn up. You really like this girl?”
“I do,” Max said quietly. It was odd to think about seeing a woman without Rye. Rachel was special, though. He had to see where it was going.
Rye was quiet for a long time. His blue eyes were sad as he turned back to his brother. “I’ll back off, then. I just want you to be happy, man.”
Rye was quiet as he finished off the burger. Max put down the fries. He took another drink and contemplated his situation. His twin was sometimes more like the other half of himself than a brother. He wondered if he could ever be happy as half a man.
Chapter Two
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief as Jen finished ringing up Max Harper. He tipped his hat toward her, and then he and his brother walked out the door. Jen immediately turned and joined her at the counter. Stella was hot on Jen’s heels.
“That man is crazy about you.” Stella slapped her well-manicured hand on the counter.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s just a customer.” Rachel felt the slightest bit cornered.
“Just a customer?” Jen asked. “He’s practically become a tenant. He’s eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner here every day for two weeks.”
“He didn’t do that before?”
“Not at all. He changed his habits the day I hired you.” Stella had a knowing smile on her face. “You could do worse, you know. Max and I have a love-hate relationship, you see.”
“She loves to hate him,” Jen supplied with a grin. She was all of twenty-two, with bright eyes and a positive outlook on everything. She was an artist, a painter trying to get her work in some of the local galleries.
“Now,” Stella began, patting her helmet of bright blonde hair, “you know that’s just because our sexual chemistry is hard to resist. If I were ten years younger, I would tame that man. He would be a little puppy coming to my hand after I got through with him.”
Jen snorted. “Max Harper was never a puppy.”
Rachel watched the two women. They seemed to have the scoop on everyone and everything that went on in Bliss. “He seems really sweet to me.”
“He is sweet,” Jen replied. “He just has a real crusty exterior. He’s one of those men who yells a lot, but that’s because he’s trying to cover up for the fact that he’s just a big softy underneath it.”
Stella nodded sagely. “It’s true. When I called him the bear of the county, I probably should have added ‘teddy’ to the ‘bear’ part. Max complains when things aren’t perfect. He’s a picky man. But when the chips are down, you can count on him. Even when he was feuding with Hank Farley over his storage units encroaching on Max’s land, Max was the first one to help out when he had a stroke and couldn’t afford his hospital bills. Rye might be the charmer, but Max is the sweet one.”
Jen poured herself a cup of coffee and took a long drin
k. Rachel saw her pretend not to notice when Stefan Talbot walked in. Rachel could tell Jen had a crush on the handsome painter. She always asked to switch with Rachel when he sat in her section.
“Rye isn’t exactly sour. He spent a weekend worth of his free time fixing my car because I couldn’t afford the shop.” Jen sighed. “I’ll tell you, Rach, if I thought I could handle it, I would give those brothers a try myself.”
“So, they just openly share women?” Rachel asked, a little surprised. It was kind of taboo in her mind. It was totally sexy and hot, but she would think people would look down on it.
Stella waved off the statement. “We don’t judge people here in Bliss, hon. Too many of us came here to get away from prying eyes, if you know what I mean. We tend to accept people the way they are. We’re kind of a community of free spirits. Tolerance is our catchphrase. How else would we get along with all those nudists?”
“You know you love them,” Jen teased.
“I do. I just wish they would shave more often than they do. I swear some of those men are responsible for the numerous sightings of Bigfoot we get around here.”
Rachel laughed and got back to work. The whole rest of her shift she was assaulted with numerous facts about the Harper twins. Now she knew way more about the hot brothers than she probably wanted to. They were infamous in southern Colorado for being wild in their youth. All of that had changed when their mother died of a sudden heart attack and their father walked away, unable to deal with it. They ended up raising their younger sister. Rye had taken a job, and Max set about saving his family’s stables. Twelve years later, Brooke Harper was about to graduate from college, and the men were thriving professionally. It wasn’t as great on the personal front.
At least something is working for them, Rachel thought as she prepared to leave the diner. She grabbed her purse and waved goodbye to Stella and Jen. She walked out to her car and felt weary at the thought of the long hours ahead. She was tired of running. She was tired of being afraid every minute of the day. She wanted something for herself, even if it was temporary.
Twenty minutes later, Rachel pulled her car into a small clearing surrounded by a cluster of trees. She put the battered Jeep in park and got out. She was happy to see the little pond was completely empty. She made one careful sweep of the area and then got the soap and shampoo out of the back. Living out of her car had its disadvantages. It had been weeks since she’d been able to afford a motel room for the night, so she had to make do. One of the lovely things about Bliss was the numerous little ponds and lakes that dotted the county. This particular pond was her favorite. It was tiny, isolated, and crystal clear. The sun warmed the water, but in the middle, it was still chilly.
Rachel quickly got out of her jeans and T-shirt as she thought about the events of the day. Meeting Ryan Harper had thrown her for a loop. Max was one thing. He trained horses. A sheriff was a completely different animal. Rachel walked into the cool water with absolutely no thought to her nudity. This place was a little piece of paradise. There was something about Bliss that made her lose her inhibitions. It felt right to be naked in the sunlight here. She sighed and went under the water. When her hair was wet and she’d gotten used to the temperature, she surfaced. She let herself float, looking into the clear blue sky. It was never that clear back in Dallas. There was always too much smog. Rachel had never considered herself anything but a city girl. Being in Bliss was changing her mind.
Bliss was a wonderful place. She’d been in a lot of cities and towns over the last year, but none of them made her want to stay the way Bliss did. She loved the mountains. She loved the quirky streets with their art galleries and boutiques and even an old-fashioned trading post. The little town got a lot of tourist attention for being an art mecca. Artists from all over southern Colorado showed their work in Bliss’s galleries. There was even a real, true repertory theater. Rachel didn’t have the money to go see a show, but she wished she did. She felt like this was a place where she could fit in. She even loved the weird citizens. Mel was a hoot when he wasn’t worried about aliens taking over the government. Nell and Henry were friendly even as they fought with Stella. They were trying to get her carnivorous boss to give them vegan choices on the menu. Jen was very sweet and loved to paint. Yes, she liked the locals just fine.
The sudden thought of Max and Rye was almost too much to handle. It had been a long time since she had wanted a real, live man, much less two. There was a time when that had been her biggest fantasy, two gorgeous men pleasuring her. Then Tommy had happened, and her biggest fantasy had become surviving the day with all her body parts still attached. Rachel shook her head. She wasn’t going to think about him. This was her time, and if she wanted to fantasize about her sweet cowboy, she would. She would think about Max. Rye was far too dangerous. She wouldn’t get near another cop.
But Max was a different story.
A small noise pulled Rachel out of her thoughts and sent her scrambling. She forced her feet to the bottom of the pond and covered herself to her neck in the water. Her eyes darted around, looking for the threat. Adrenaline started pumping through her body. Had Tommy found her?
“I’m sorry.” Max Harper sat astride the back of a big black horse. Both the man and the animal were powerful creatures. There was an enormous dog at the horse’s side. If she didn’t know better, she would almost think the dog was a pony. “I was just taking Maverick and Quigley out for some exercise.” He was watching her with wide eyes, and she could see his breath hitch in his chest.
She took a long breath to try to slow her thudding heart. She should still be afraid. She was still alone with a man she’d only known for a brief time. So why was she so sure she was okay with Max? Play it safe. Ask him to leave. Put on your clothes and move on. You’re a terrible judge of men.
But she wasn’t. She’d realized there was something wrong with Tommy the minute she met him. She’d done everything right. She’d refused to see him again. Every instinct she had told her Max was different. Max was special. Tommy Lane had taken just about everything from her. Was she going to let him take this, too?
Desire started to course through her veins like a drug. He was right there, and he looked perfect. She had wanted something for herself, and, like a genie granting wishes, he’d shown up. Rachel smoothed back her hair. It was time to make a decision. She might not be in Bliss for long, but she was going to enjoy herself for once. It had been years since she felt a man’s body beside hers. She wanted that with Max.
“Do you want me to leave?”
Pulling together every bit of bravado she had, she walked out of the pond, revealing her body to him. “No, Max. I don’t want you to leave. I just want you.”
* * * *
Max tried to think of one good reason he shouldn’t get down off the horse and take Rachel in his arms.
Unfortunately, he thought of about a dozen, the chief one being it was far too soon to make love to her. In her mind, it would just be sex. He had no doubt about that. She would be using him for comfort, pleasure, whatever she was lacking. He would be making love to the woman he was pretty sure he was falling in love with. There was an imbalance in the scenario. If he got off the horse and buried himself in her, he would be at a distinct disadvantage for the rest of their relationship.
Yet, even as he told himself all the reasons to be patient, he was dismounting. His dick wasn’t willing to listen. He was rock hard, and the sight of her gorgeous body emerging from the pond like Venus was making his heart thud in his chest. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
What is it about this woman? She was lovely, but then he knew that he’d been with women that other men would think were more attractive than Rachel. So why did she call to him?
Quigley nosed his leg, and Max looked down. The old mutt had a stick in his mouth. In his mind, it was playtime. Max wasn’t on top of Maverick, so this was supposed to be Quigley time.
“Is he part horse?” Rachel’s eyes sparkled as she wat
ched the big dog.
Max patted the dog’s head. “You might think so. We think he’s part Great Dane and part Saint Bernard. He’s all pussy, though. I swear I’ve never seen a more docile dog. Q, go rest, buddy,” Max pointed to where he’d left his horse. The dog whined and drooled around his stick. Max prayed he wasn’t drooling as much as Quigley, but he didn’t hold out much hope.
There was an amused grin on her plump lips as he approached. “Why do they say you’re difficult, Max?”
“Because I’m a bastard,” he answered honestly. He was a picky, contrary, argumentative bastard, and he didn’t really apologize for it.
She laughed. The sound was magical to his ears. “You apparently love dogs and horses. I haven’t seen anything that tells me you’re a jerk. You’ve been nothing but sweet around me.”
He shrugged, his eyes devouring the sight of her breasts. They were round and soft. They bounced when she walked. The nipples were hard little raspberries. “I’ve been very careful around you. I don’t want to scare you away. I promise, Rachel, I’ll always be careful with you.”
She frowned, her pouty mouth turning down. “Max, I want you. I want to have sex with you. But I’m not a long-term girl. You have to understand that.”
But she was, and Max knew it. She was the type of girl you fell in love with and married. He put her age at roughly thirty. She should have fallen for some professional and had a few precious babies by now. It was the way things went for women like Rachel. Something had happened to throw her life off the rails. He needed to get it back on track because he intended to be the man she fell for.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you get dressed, and I’ll take you out to dinner?” Max suggested against his penis’s wishes. He needed to woo her before he took her. He wanted to romance her and give her the courtship she deserved. He needed her to trust him. “We can talk and get to know each other.”
Oak, Sophie - Three to Ride [Nights in Bliss, Colorado 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3