Dirty Stepbrother - A Firefighter Romance (The Maxwell Family)

by Alycia Taylor

  “Yeah, that’s my favorite thing about shopping. It’s a chance to exercise as well buy clothes. It’s a win-win, really. I’ve got to say, I’m exhausted now.”

  “I can’t believe I’m this tired from a day of shopping, but I have to agree with you.” I thought of my soft, king-sized bed and smiled. I loved that I could sprawl out on it. Every now and again I wondered what it would be like to share it with a man, but I quickly shoved that thought out of my mind. I was happy by myself. There was nobody to hog the blankets, for one.

  After the latte, we called the driver and made our way back to my place. I peered out of the window and saw a few homeless people begging for money, and one curled up in his sleeping bag trying to get some rest. It was a sorry sight, but not one that was very unusual these days. I was seeing more and more homeless people in the area. Victoria groaned beside me.

  “You know, everyone always feels sorry for the homeless, but that’s just because they’re too afraid to speak the truth. They’re homeless for a reason. They’re just lazy people who have done nothing with their lives and are too afraid to work hard. Now they stand there and expect us to give them money? I mean, we work hard to be where we are. It’s disgusting, honestly.”

  I looked out the window and saw an old man standing with his arms outstretched. I didn’t look at his face. If I did, I knew all I would see was desperation. I had learned the hard way that it was sometimes better just to look away. I sighed.

  “Yeah, you’re so right. We’re lucky.”

  “Working hard is not luck, Sloan. We deserve this,” she said with so much determination that I knew she believed every word of it. Clearly, Victoria had never known what it was like to be desperate.

  I thought about how many bags of clothes we’d piled into the back of the car and nodded. “Yeah, we do.”

  Chapter Three

  Brady

  When I got to the ranch again that morning, I saw that Harold was waiting for me. He’d been there on Monday, and I hadn’t expected to see him until the following week.

  “Hey, Harold. Good to see you. I didn’t know you’d be here today.”

  “Impossible to slack off with me as your boss, isn’t it?” he said and laughed. “Luckily, I know you wouldn’t slack off. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I called that friend of yours today. Trace, or whatever his name is.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, it’s Trace. Why, what’s going on?”

  “Weird name. Well, I needed some extra work done on the ranch today since one of the other workers called to say they weren’t coming. I remembered him saying the other day how he could use some extra money, so I invited him over.”

  “Oh yeah? And he actually agreed?”

  “You say that like it’s a big thing,” Harold said.

  “Oh, you know Trace. He’s more into partying than working. If he could make money from going out and partying, he’d be the richest man alive.”

  “And if partying made you money, then you’d be the poorest.”

  I chuckled. “You got that right. But yeah, I know he needs the extra cash, so he’s probably really glad that you called.”

  “He seemed delighted at the getting some work. Anyway, he’ll be here soon. I just wanted to let you know. I wish I could hang around, but I have a few things to do today. Make sure he works hard, okay?”

  “No problem! That I can definitely do.”

  I chuckled to myself as I walked off. I could’ve easily done the work without Trace, but I wasn’t complaining. It was nice to have the extra hand although I wasn’t sure how much help he would be. Trace was great when it came to rodeo, but not so good with any other work. If it was my ranch, I would never have let Trace in, but Harold had enough money to not really care. And if Harold wanted to spend his money to make my life a little easier that day, I wasn’t going to complain.

  I heard Harold’s car drive off and I made my way to the barn to get to work. About an hour and a half into work, I heard Trace pull into the driveway. He always drove his car like he wanted everyone to know he was coming. The car screeched to a halt, and I shook my head. I wiped my hands on my jeans and went out to greet him. For a while, I had thought he might not show up, after all, so it was a surprise to see him.

  “Trace, you’re late!” I said.

  He grinned. “What are you talking about? This is way too early.”

  “Maybe for you, but I’ve already been here for an hour and a half, and up even before that. You are very late. What are you wearing? You’re going to get filthy; you know that?” I said as I indicated at his nice jeans and his crisp white shirt. He’d obviously not given a lot of thought to his day.

  He shot a smile at me. “I was kinda hoping you could do the work and I could sit and talk to you. Keep you company and all that. Come on, what do you think? I’m great company to have around, and I can spend the day motivating you.”

  I burst out laughing. “You really thought that? You clearly don’t know me well at all. And that puppy dog face might work well with the girls, but it won’t work on me. No way. If I’m going to work hard, then so are you. Anyway, you’re in luck, because there are some other clothes inside that you can put on.”

  He sighed and took off his sunglasses. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were trembling ever so slightly as he placed his sunglasses on his head.

  “Trace, are you still drunk?” I said and leaned in to smell him. I crinkled my nose at the sweet smell that was emanating out of his pours. “Gross. You are. You’re either still drunk or incredibly hung over. Didn’t you know you were coming to work today?”

  “I did know that I had work today. Harold called me early in the evening. And I had every intention in the world of staying home. I promise you, I had even planned to get a pizza and watch a movie.”

  “Okay, so then what happened? Because you sure as hell didn’t get red eyes from eating pizza and watching movies.”

  He sighed. “But then Travis called and asked if I wanted to go out with him. I told him that I had to stay in, but then he promised me it would just be one beer.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “And you really believed him?”

  He shook his head. “No, I didn’t believe Travis, but I did believe that I had it in me to just go for one beer and go home. That was most definitely what I set out to do.”

  “That clearly didn’t happen,” I said as I threw him another shirt.

  He pulled off his nice shirt and hung it up, and then put on the one I gave him. That shirt had also been white once upon a time. It had just been washed, but it no longer looked like it used to. It was a ranch shirt, through and through.

  “Nah,” he said. “It didn’t work. And I was doing so well at first. I was honestly going to go home. I had the one drink with him and then told him that I better get going. Then these two girls walked in, and there was no way I could leave. I thought one more drink wouldn’t hurt. Travis bought us all a round of drinks, and then I felt bad, so I bought everyone a round after that. And by then I was just having too much fun to leave. You know, sometimes it’s just worth having fun and suffering the next day.”

  “Ha, good luck with that one. You’re going to suffer badly today. Tell me later if you still think it was worth it.”

  “Yeah, but I have the number of the most gorgeous girl in the world on my phone. So really, I don’t think I’m suffering at all. I told her I was coming to work on the ranch today and she said she thought it made me more handsome.”

  “Seriously? These women that you hang out with don’t exactly sound like they’re the smartest.”

  “That’s okay,” he said honestly. “I’m not after their brains. Now, when are you going to come out with me? How many times do I have to ask you? You should have some fun. You work too hard!”

  “You didn’t ask me last night.”

  “Would you have come?”

  “Not a chance,” I said and chuckled.

  “You see! I knew you wouldn’t. You never come, even when
you don’t have to work the next day. Come on; it’s a lot of fun. I know some great places, and I can introduce you to some gorgeous girls. And isn’t it about time you started sowing your seed?”

  “Sowing my seed? Did you seriously just say those words to me? I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear you say that. I’m more than happy with my life, thank you very much. And I’m not looking for anyone. Especially not a girl that spends all her time drinking at a club. I’d rather make money than spend it, anyway. I don’t even want to know how much money you must’ve blown last night.”

  He laughed. “What’s the point in making money if you’re not going to spend it? That doesn’t make any sense at all. You sure have a funny way of looking at life.”

  “Me? I think you’re the one with the funny outlook. Now, come on; let’s work. I need you to help me with the baling of this hay.”

  “Don’t I even get a cup of coffee yet?” he pleaded.

  “Two hours of solid work, and then I’ll reward you with coffee.”

  “Man, you’re worse than Harold. Fine, show me what to do,” he said.

  I chuckled to myself for the next two hours while Trace complained about how much work I was giving him. He kept muttering under his breath and swearing at everything he had to do. I couldn’t help but laugh, and when the two hours were done, I took him inside to make some coffee. He stood by the fan while I put the kettle on.

  “You’re a tough boss,” he said.

  “And you’re a terrible worker! Although you’re going to thank me. I think you sweated out most of that alcohol.”

  “Actually, I think you might be right. I definitely feel better. Tired, but better. I cannot believe you do this every day. And you still make time for the rodeo. No wonder you don’t have a life.”

  “This is my life,” I said. “And this is what they call ‘working hard.’”

  He groaned. “I don’t think I could do this every day. I’ll stick to the rodeo work, thank you very much.”

  “You’re lucky you’re good at it.”

  He grinned. “And the ladies love it.”

  I shook my head and handed him a cup of coffee. “Here, drink up. You’re going to need the caffeine. We have another two hours to go before lunch time. And then another three hours after that until I let you go. It’s a long day, and we have a lot to do before the end of it.”

  “Seriously?” he said. “I thought we were almost done.”

  “Almost done? We’ve only just begun. And I’m honestly not making you work hard as a joke. I got to work earlier than you, and I’ll leave later than you. This is ranch life. When you have the best sleep of your life tonight, you can thank me.”

  “I think I prefer falling asleep after too much alcohol.”

  We spent the rest of the day joking around and working. Trace definitely worked harder than he did on most days, and I could see the exhaustion on his face. I probably worked less than I usually did simply because he was constantly stopping me to ask for a break. But since he wasn’t there every day, it was actually sort of nice having him around. It reminded me a little of when Grant used to work with me. Although Grant actually wanted to do the work. When the day was finally over, we made our way to the kitchen where Harold was waiting for us.

  “Ooh, we get beer?” Trace asked when he saw the beers on the table.

  “We do. Aren’t you sick of drinking?” I asked him.

  “Are you kidding? You said it yourself: I sweated all that other alcohol out. I deserve this.”

  “You’re right. You do. Thanks for helping me today,” I said to him. I looked at Harold, and I pulled a face.

  Harold chuckled. “Tough day out on the field, huh?”

  Trace nodded. “Yeah. And Brady was not easy on me.”

  “Good, that’s what I like to hear. Brady is better at this job than most people. I think he might even be better than me. Well, here we go, son. Here’s your pay,” he said and handed Trace an envelope filled with cash.

  Trace’s eyes brightened. “Okay, beer and money. Now we’re talking.”

  “Oh, by the way, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about, Brady. I got a very exciting phone call today.”

  I took a sip of beer. “Oh yeah? From who?” I couldn’t imagine what phone call would ever be classified as exciting.

  “You won’t believe this one. But I got a call from a big movie producer. Just like that, completely out of the blue. It took me by surprise.”

  “What? Why?” I asked.

  “Turns out they’re looking for a farm to use for their next production. The whole thing is going to take place on a ranch or something. They did a lot of research, and they decided that mine would be perfect for the storyline. I couldn’t believe it. Honestly, at first I thought it was a joke. But it’s the real deal. Can you imagine it? A movie set on my farm!”

  I didn’t at all share in his enthusiasm. I didn’t like the idea of cameras and actors running around my workplace. Harold must’ve seen my hesitation because he smiled at me reassuringly.

  “Don’t worry; it’s not happening until next month. But we will probably need your help with the whole thing. Actually, Trace, we might need your help too. This is going to be a big movie. So, expect a lot more of that,” he said and pointed at the envelope in Trace’s hand.

  “Okay! I think I’m starting to like ranch work now.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at Trace. He acted so much like a teenage boy sometimes. There was something quite endearing about him, and I could see why he had so many friends.

  “Well, it will be interesting, that’s for sure,” I said.

  “It was such a bizarre phone call to get. But I’m quite excited,” Harold said. “You know me. I was starting to get a little bored lately. This will be a fun thing to be a part of. So, I need the ranch in tip-top shape before they get here,” he said and then laughed. “Of course, it already is thanks to you, Brady.”

  I smiled. It was good to see Harold excited about something again for a change. But I still wasn’t sure how happy I was about a bunch of stuck-up idiots walking around the farm as if they owned it. I was looking forward to getting the ranch into shape before they came, but I wasn’t looking forward to them actually being here. I had nothing in common with people like that. I just wanted to put my head down and work, but it wasn’t going to be easy with them in the way. And what exactly would my job be while they were here, anyway? I just hoped I wouldn’t be turned into the errand boy. I had a bad feeling about this. This small little farming community in Wyoming was about to get a whole lot of exposure. And that did not bode well for the lifestyle that I knew and loved.

  Chapter Four

  Sloan

  I was excited when my agent called me and invited me to her office for a meeting. I hoped that she’d asked me there because she had a role for me. Although my last movie had been a huge hit, I hadn’t had any offers since then, and the last thing I wanted was to have to grovel for work again. I’d thought that having a blockbuster hit would guarantee more work, but it had already been six months without any, and I was starting to get nervous. Especially since I’d bought such an expensive apartment to live in. I needed the money to maintain the sort of living I was now getting accustomed to. I’d been told that the industry would be scary, with constant ups and downs, but I hadn’t quite realized the truth of that until now. I was doing well, but I hadn’t quite made it.

  I made my way to the agent’s office. Dorothy Bertham was twenty years my senior with a savvy attitude and an intense disposition. She wasn’t the friendliest woman I had ever met, but she was brilliant at what she did. And in this industry, friendly was not the most important attribute to have. I’d heard a lot of stories about her, and a lot of actors didn’t want to work with her because she said things as they were. But I’d always admired that about her, and so far, she’d only been nice to me. I knew that one day if she wasn’t nice to me, there would be a reason for it. And I’d rather know where I stood
at all times. It was better than someone sugar-coating things.

  “Sloan, great to see you,” Dorothy said the moment I walked. “What I’d give for those legs,” she said as she eyed me up and down. “Now, what can I get for you? Coffee?”

  “Coffee sounds great, thank you.”

  Dorothy picked up the phone to call her assistant. “Two coffees. Thank you.”

  Five minutes later and the assistant had two steaming cups of coffee on the desk, along with a variety of different creamers, including dairy-free options, sugar-free cookies, sugar and honey, all laid out on a tray.

  “Wow, this is great,” I said as I poured almond milk into my coffee and took a cookie.

  “Yeah, she’s a great assistant. You know, one day, you should get yourself one too.”

  “An assistant? What would I need one for, though?” I asked. I liked the idea of having someone working for me. I’d never been a boss before. But I wasn’t sure I had much need for an assistant.

  “Oh, you’ll see. Once you get super famous, you’ll have so little time to do everything yourself. It might actually help. For now, though, I’ll be the one helping you. And my lovely assistant will bring us the coffee. Now, enough about her; tell me about you. How are you doing? I hear you got a new apartment?”

  I grinned. News traveled fast when you were in my line of work. Sometimes it still took me by surprise. “Yeah, I did. It’s beautiful. It overlooks the whole city.”

  “Wonderful. I knew that movie would be good for you. Your fame has shot up since then. Now, I have a list of people that want to interview you. So we’ll set up a schedule for them. The more interviews, the better, as it keeps you on the forefront of everyone’s minds. I’ll send you the dates and details, and you can let me know what works for you and what doesn’t.”

  “That sounds great, thank you,” I said as relief washed over me. I’d done a lot of interviews when the movie came out, but they’d gotten less and less over the past few months. “Why are we doing more now? I thought they were over?” I asked out of curiosity.