Tempting the Ringmaster (A Big Top Romance)

by Aleah Barley

  Instead, he put a hand on Trevor’s slim shoulder and handed their tickets to the man at the door.

  They weren’t the only people from Buck Falls who’d decided to stop by and see the show. Tiffany had left work early to change clothes. She was sitting on the sidelines in something skin tight and slippery, laughing with Marta Sanchez. His father was sitting a few rows back. The mayor was wearing a tailored black suit, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his jaw set in a stiff line.

  The bleachers were filled with school teachers, farmers, and men who spent all day working in the plant. Graham recognized them all. There wasn’t much to do in Buck Falls on a Friday night, and the crowd from Whispering Springs looked just as thick. There had to be five hundred people under the big top. At twenty-five dollars a head—fifteen for kids under the age of sixteen—the circus was pulling in at least ten grand.

  The circus was scheduled to stage at least half a dozen performances before they moved on. The resulting revenue would be… not small potatoes.

  He was impressed.

  Belle wasn’t just super sexy. She was also a savvy businesswoman.

  Graham found a seat with his nephew near the front of the tent. He settled Trevor in place—made the boy swear not to move an inch—and went off to buy popcorn and programs. By the time he got back, his seat was occupied by the same auburn haired girl who’d shown him the way to Belle’s cabin the night before. She was dressed like a princess, in a flowing purple gown, pink slippers, and a cone shaped hat with multicolored streamers coming off the end.

  “Ooh, snacks!” She snagged the popcorn and took a big bite. “Yum.”

  Graham frowned. “Are you supposed to be up here?”

  “No-duh.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m supposed to be helping Dorothy get the horses ready, only she’s been in kind of a funky mood since last night.” Her nose wrinkled up slightly. “I mean, she’s not usually a bucket of sunshine, but when I spilled the carrots, she got nasty. I mean, I picked them up. Most of them anyway.”

  “You can sit with us to watch the performances,” Trevor offered, ever the gentleman even if his dirty blonde hair was pushed back crookedly against the side of his head and his blue jeans had a hole in the knee. “It’ll be fun.”

  “Hmmph.” The girl sniffed. “I am Petra Jarvis. My mother is Dana—a classic contortionist—and my father is Mikhail the strongest man alive—or at least in the state—I do not watch performances. I perform.” She ate some more popcorn. “But, I’m not on until after the intermission. I can stay until then.”

  “I’m Trevor Tyler,” Trevor said, mimicking Petra’s attitude. “My mother is Kelly Tyler—she’s the school librarian—my father was in the Navy—he died. I don’t perform. I go to school.” He clapped his hands together, breaking character. “Are you really in the circus? Do you live here? Can you tell me all about it? I bet you know everything!”

  “Everything,” Petra agreed. “Want to see an elephant?”

  “Heck, yeah, I know all about elephants,” Trevor said proudly. “My uncle caught one last night.”

  Petra’s head tilted up to look Graham full on. Her mouth hung open in slack-jawed surprise. “You caught an elephant?”

  Graham grinned. “I had a little help.”

  Belle. He would have stayed to help her get the elephant back to the fairgrounds the night before, but she’d made it clear that she had everything under control. That didn’t mean he hadn’t watched her through his bedroom window as she traipsed across the countryside with a bag of carrots slung over her shoulder like the Pied Piper of Elephants.

  “You two are going to stay right here?” Graham didn’t need to wait for an answer. Hot popcorn, a pretty girl to talk with, and a circus to watch? His nephew was going to be locked in place at least until the intermission.

  He found a seat nearby and settled back as the lights went down. There was a moment’s pause, and then the circus’s large ringed performance area burst into life; noise and color were everywhere as horses, dogs, and human beings of every description raced around the circle. Music was being piped in through speakers tied to the tent’s support beams. His eyes darted around, trying—and failing—to take it all in.

  The lights went out again and dark red smoke swirled through the tent. A single spotlight flickered on. The circle was empty except for a single small figure standing in the center. It took him half a second to recognize Belle Black, dapperly dressed in a top hat and bright red tails.

  Graham shifted forward in his seat, eager to get a better look.

  Belle was part of the performance after all.

  Her head tilted up towards the crowds, her eyes were bright, and her lips twitched nervously. For one brief moment, he thought she would break and run. Then she took a deep breath, and the uncertainty vanished from her face.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” she called. “Welcome to Black Shadow Circus. I’m your ringmaster for the night, Belle Black, and let me tell you,” she leaned forward slightly, like she was confiding in the audience, “We have a special show in store for you tonight.”

  The crowd went wild—cheering and clapping—and they didn’t stop for a solid hour and a half as act after act spilled out onto the stage: acrobats, jugglers, strong men, and clowns.

  Graham’s body stiffened when he saw a small man in white face and a crooked crown—Keith Aldridge, the man who’d led his compatriots in attacking an outsider—but twenty minutes later he was laughing as hard as anyone else as the clown king raced around in circles trying to track down the members of his parliament.

  One storyline recurred in act after act, tying everything together. One of the men had lost his dog and was searching for it everywhere, the animal in question was the same little beast that had attached itself to Graham’s foot two nights earlier, its creamy fur gleamed in the lights as it darted around the stage, appearing and disappearing as the crowd searched for it among the jugglers and contortionists.

  The first act ended with the man giving up in despair, slumped in the middle of the circle with Belle patting his shoulder.

  “There, there,” the ringmaster declared. “Don’t worry. We’re coming back in twenty minutes. I’m sure we’ll find your dog then. Everyone will help.” She waved at the audience. “You’ll help. Won’t you?”

  The only answer came in the form of whoops and cheers. A moment later, the house lights came up and Graham made his way back to where he’d left his nephew.

  Trevor and Petra were engaged in a lively debate over the best act they’d seen. Trevor was pulling for the fire breather while Petra insisted that the trick riding was more difficult.

  “Anyone can breathe fire,” she announced with an air of authority. “It’s easy. Horses are big. They’re scary.”

  Graham offered to buy both kids ice cream, but Petra declined. She had to go get ready for her act. Trevor had no such scheduling problem. The kid led the way out of the tent, babbling excitedly about everything he’d just seen.

  “It was so cool! Can we come back again?”

  “I thought you saw everything?”

  “I did.” Trevor’s head bobbed up and down. “Except, some of the stuff I missed because I was talking to Petra. I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s been everywhere. She’s so cool.”

  Graham knew how his nephew felt. There was something about circus women; they were intoxicating. He just hoped that Trevor didn’t end up hurt. “You know she’s only here for a little while, right?”

  “Sure, only Petra says—” Trevor’s mouth slammed shut, like he’d just remembered something.

  “What did Petra say?” Graham asked carefully.

  “I can’t tell you, it’s a secret.”

  Graham frowned. He bent forward slightly, balancing on the balls of his feet, lowering himself until he was face to face with his nephew. “You know that you can tell me anything, right?”

  “Duh,” Trevor said. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal anyway. Petra says that usually
they’re in Florida by this time of year. They’re not even supposed to be here.”

  Interesting. Graham filed the information away carefully as they stepped up to the ice cream truck’s narrow window and bought two chocolate cones. He handed a cone to Trevor, and they found a place to sit in the grass and people watch.

  “You let the boy eat too much sugar.” James Tyler arrived in a cloud of cologne and carefully cultivated gravitas. He did not sit on the grass. “Has he even had dinner?”

  Trevor rolled his eyes. “I had popcorn.”

  “Popcorn is not a meal,” James said. “I hope these circus people haven’t been causing too much trouble. Tiffany was saying something about an elephant? I won’t have my town terrorized by some gray monster.”

  “You and Tiffany been talking a lot?” Graham asked.

  “We sat near each other to watch the show.” James straightened his collar. “She’s a lovely woman, I’ve been saying that for years.” The mayor’s cheeks flushed a deep red. “I’m going to buy her a drink, when this foolishness is over with.”

  Interesting, Graham bit back a grin. Tiffany and his father, who would have imagined? Maybe this was the year he should enter the town betting pool over James’s date for the Winter Social. “Everything’s under control. The elephant’s been taken care of—”

  “They never should have let a dangerous animal escape in the first place.”

  “She’s not actually our elephant,” Belle interrupted. Dressed in the same scarlet tuxedo she wore in the show, she should have been visible a mile off but somehow Graham had missed her approach. Her cheeks were flushed, and her white teeth dug into kissable lips.

  “I should go. I’m interrupting.” Her deep green eyes met Graham’s gaze, sparking a new flush of heat under his skin. “I just thought you might want to hear how Tiny was doing.”

  He didn’t want to hear about the damn elephant. He wanted to hear about Belle’s day. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, to press his mouth against hers until the thick red paint on her lips disappeared and he could taste her—naked and vulnerable—underneath. Instead, he gestured a hello with his ice cream cone.

  “Belle Black, I’d like you to meet Trevor and James Tyler.”

  “I’m James.” His father didn’t offer to shake hands. “I want to know how long you people plan to camp out here. This is a respectable community—”

  Belle’s face went pale underneath her heavy stage makeup. Her hands curled into fists, clearly upset by the older man’s words. “We’re a respectable circus. We put on a family friendly show. It’s fun for all ages.”

  “Uh huh.” James was clearly doubtful. “I don’t know what kind of life this is, young lady; moving around from town to town, never staying in one place. You’d be better off getting a real job and building something.”

  “I like the circus,” Trevor countered around gulps of ice cream. “I want to be a clown when I grow up.”

  There was a moment’s silence.

  Belle grinned down at the boy. “You must be Trevor.” Her gaze darted over to Graham. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Really?” Trevor frowned. “I haven’t heard anything about you. Should I have?”

  Yes. No. Hell.

  Graham cleared his throat. “Belle is a friend of mine.”

  He wanted her to be more than a friend. He wanted to take her hard against the nearest flat surface, but that didn’t necessarily mean that he wanted to talk about her with Trevor. His nephew was a little too young to understand about one night stands.

  Only, now she was going to be in town longer than one night. The circus wasn’t leaving town on Monday. They were staying for at least one week, maybe two.

  Graham had made the arrangements that morning, gritting his teeth as he made out a check to his aunt. She’ driven him a break on the rent, but it hadn’t been free.

  “Cool.” Trevor’s tongue darted out, licking a stray ice cream drop off the back of his hand. “Does that mean she’s going to be your date to the Winter Social?”

  “Of course not.” Graham forced his voice to remain calm. “I always take you and your mother to the Social, kiddo.”

  All the air vanished from his lungs when he saw the expression on Belle’s face. She looked like she’d been slapped. He’d done something wrong. His mind scrambled, going back over the past few minutes of conversation. What had he done wrong?

  “I—” Belle cleared her throat nervously. “I’ve got to go. It’s time for the second act.” She swung around, disappearing into the crowd in a tangle of tails.

  * * *

  Belle’s teeth dug into her bottom lip, the pain fueling her anger.

  Graham was a townie—a Gilly—their relationship could only ever be temporary. A fling. No matter what she’d dreamed about during the night before. Still, the way he’d dismissed her out of hand—like the very idea of taking her to his precious Winter Social was completely preposterous—had cut her to the core.

  She checked her reflection in her bathroom mirror, frowning when she saw the glow of anger shining through her pale stage makeup. She picked up a sponge and pounded it into her foundation.

  The door to her trailer creaked open. “Belle girl?”

  Great. Her nostrils flared as she coated the foundation across her cheeks, breathing in the familiar metallic scent. “What do you want, Aldridge?”

  “We’re five minutes over on intermission.” The clown king walked into her trailer without being invited. He stuck his hands on his hips. “People are wondering where you are.”

  Of course. It was just one more thing she’d done wrong in Keith’s eyes. “I’m putting myself together.”

  “You missed a spot.” The clown king’s grin was harsh, unyielding. “I saw you talking to that man again: the police chief.”

  “Graham Tyler.” Cool, collected, confident, and drop dead sexy, he was the perfect freaking man, complete with the respect of his community. When she’d heard that he was attending the show, her heart had skipped a beat. Then she’d met his father… and his nephew.

  “I never asked how your date went.” Aldridge leaned back against the edge of her table. His voice was even and warm, his stance was open. For a moment, she was a teenager again, debriefing with Keith after a night out. “I was too busy with the elephant—we were all too busy with the elephant—are you really going to give her away?”

  “I called four different elephant rescues this morning. I talked to a guy in Tennessee who said he didn’t have room, I’m waiting to hear back from the others.”

  “Uh huh.” Aldridge nodded. “Tell me about your date. Was he a nice guy? Polite? Do I have to beat him up?”

  “Again?” Belle sucked in a breath. “Or, don’t you remember why I went out with Graham in the first place?” She dropped her makeup sponge and turned to look the petite man straight on. “What happened to you? You never used to be like this—not with the townspeople—we’d roll into a place and you’d always be the first one with his toe in the local watering hole, flirting with anything in a skirt or pants.” How had he put it? “Men, women, or those who have yet to make up their mind.”

  “I grew up.” Keith shrugged. “That kind of life can be dangerous, Belle girl. You know that. I got tired of being beat up by angry boyfriends and fathers, angry girlfriends too.” He waggled his eyebrows. “People who didn’t want their darlin’ beaux going out with someone like me.”

  There was no arguing with that, not while James Tyler’s words still rung in her ears. “What about us? We used to be friends, remember? We worked together for years. You helped me build my act—”

  “Back when you did a real act.”

  “Ringmaster is a real act.”

  “The way your father did it, but you just stand there.”

  Belle’s hands curled into fists. Her fingernails digging into her palm as she struggled to concentrate. “We used to be friends, Keith.”

  “Aye,” he reached out to skim her shoulder with hi
s fingers.

  The longer they talked, the longer the intermission would drag on. People would get upset, frustrated, they’d start to walk out. It didn’t matter.

  Belle needed to have this conversation.

  “When my father died, the circus could have gone under. All that debt coming due at once? The taxes? I had to sell off half the assets to keep us going. I had to sell my place in Chicago.” She seethed. “I had a real life, did you know that? The tattoo shop I worked in. I was a co-owner. The mortgage was in my name. I sold everything so I could come back here… and I have worked so damn hard.”

  The last few months had been the hardest of her life; waking up with the dawn every morning and working late into the night, figuring out the piles of paper that her father had called ‘accounts,’ mediating the performers petty disputes, and making sure that everyone had hot food, a place to stay, and a paycheck every other week.

  All while performing at least five times a week.

  “I thought you guys would appreciate it, but ever since I got back everyone’s been against me… and you’ve been leading the charge, making snide comments, beating up Graham, punishing me for something—I don’t know what.” She glared at him. “You want to tell me what I did wrong?”

  “You left.”

  “I was eighteen. I was a kid. I wanted a real life. I wanted…” She’d wanted the opportunity to meet someone new, someone who wouldn’t just think of her as another piece of ‘traveling trash’ to be used and forgotten when the circus left town.

  Belle blinked in surprise. Was that what this was about? She knew that her father had been upset when she went to Chicago, but she hadn’t thought Keith cared. “I wanted to be normal. Isn’t that what everyone wants as a kid?”

  “Not me,” the little man said. “I ran away to the join circus. Hell, I ran away twice before I even turned eighteen. Both times, I got sent back to my father’s house for a beating. When I was eighteen, I packed my bag and started walking. I was never good at school—I’m smart enough, but numbers make my head hurt—so there was never any possibility of my going to college and the army has a height requirement. I figured, I’d walk until I found something worth living for, or I dropped dead. I found the circus.”