Intimate Illusions [The Callens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

On the other hand, she had cared enough to do something for him. That was more than any other woman he’d known had ever done. He’d be the first to admit that he’d picked Devonne out of all the women because she was the most beautiful. To have someone like her at his side made him look good. After the kiss, something changed, only he couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

He needed to fix the stage and didn’t have time to sort it all out. Though there were a lot of people running around, Max was easy to spot. He was the one viciously banging away at one of the legs supporting the stage.

“Hey!”

His brother didn’t stop. That wasn’t a good sign. Ian was the first one to admit when he’d messed up or shirked his responsibility, but this time, he was innocent. He grabbed Max’s non-hammer-wielding arm and spun him around.

His brother lowered his arm. “Why don’t you go back and play with your model? I’m almost done.”

He got in his face. “What is your problem? You jealous because I’m having a good time?”

Confusion clouded his brother’s face. “No. Devonne seems like a nice girl. She’s twenty-three for God’s sake. She’s leaving in a week. Nothing can come of this relationship, so leave her alone.”

A week was a long time. “Devonne is great and nice and wonderful, but I’m not stopping.” He grabbed his brother’s bicep. “She’s the first woman who actually gets me.”
Too bad she’ll walk out of my life all too soon.
“She kissed me, remember?” So what if that was a lie or mostly a lie. He might have initiated the kiss, but she’d sure as hell had kissed him back.

“Just be careful. You’ve left a trail of women behind before.”

That was because they all saw only my façade
. “I’d never hurt her.”

Max turned back to the stage and finished hammering in the nail. “You probably already have.”

He hoped to hell that wasn’t true. “What do you want me to do?” He wasn’t even sure if he was asking about repairing the stage or about how to handle his growing need for Devonne.

Max drove in the nail. “I’m done here.” He faced him. “Be careful.” He placed the hammer back in the tool chest and walked off.

Christ
. He didn’t need Max pissed off at him. Max always seemed to catch him the moment he stepped out of line and never saw him caring for the cattle or fixing a fence or repairing a broken door. He needed something in his life to change. Too bad he didn’t know what that something was.

Devonne thought it wise to keep her distance from both men for a while. The twins had issues that needed to be resolved. Ian’s self-image was piss-poor. He didn’t seem to have any idea how amazing he was with people. He was charming, insightful, and caring. His need for fancy cars and yes, fancy women, probably lowered his worth in Max’s eyes, but Ian deeply cared what his brother thought of him. Too bad neither man saw what a great guy Ian was deep inside.

Max, on the other hand, was stability personified. She’d seen the protective side of Max when he stopped the cameraman from getting in her face. He also seemed to take the management of the ranch perhaps too seriously. Having to keep an eye on his brother further seemed to be taking its toll. While she didn’t know Max well, just from the short time she’d seen him, he acted far older than twenty-eight. She agreed that someone had to take care of the running of the ranch, but he needed to loosen up. If only she could put both of them together into one human being, he’d be the perfect man.

That would be boring
.

Each of the men posed a different challenge, and she liked that. Being with Ian was fun and easy. Soon, she’d find out about being with Max. Oh, how she loved challenges.

The men believed she’d be gone in a week. While she had to go back and check on the store, she planned to return to Wyoming. Settling down in this pristine land might be the ideal place for her. Right now, the jury was still out on where she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

She only saw glimpses of Ian and Max as she made her rounds around the ranch. The other models here were younger, and most hadn’t done an outdoor show like this one before. She felt it her role to reassure them. They needed to know what to do in case wind ruffled a short dress or blew hair across one’s eyes. Some might need a bit of guidance as to how this show would be different from what they were accustomed to.

Around two, she took a break and went in search of the men. Neither of their trucks was in the drive anymore.
Darn
. Hopefully, they’d come back for dinner. If not, she’d have to get someone to drive her to their ranch.

At dinner, she found herself alone once more, so she sat with Mrs. Callen.

“I hope my sons are taking good care of you.”

The woman was such a doll. “So far, yes. They have a lovely home.”

“Had I known one of you was going to stay there, I would have gone over and cleaned.”

She laughed. “Max is a neat freak. The place is great.”

Mrs. Callen’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m glad to hear that. If they give you any trouble, you let me know. They can be a handful.”

Devonne couldn’t imagine having seven children, especially when the first four were boys, all within five years of each other. She’d always wanted a slew of kids, but maybe not that many.

“Mom.”

Devonne turned around. Max stood behind her.

Mrs. Callen beamed. “There you are. Is everything okay?”

“I’m here to take Devonne back home.”

“We need her here first thing tomorrow morning at eight sharp. She’ll be the first one to be fitted. Then she’ll be free for the rest of the day.” His mom winked.

“She’ll be here.” He looked down at her. “You ready?”

“Sure.” She swung her legs over the bench and stood. She was in low-heeled boots and had to look up at Max.

She needed to use long strides to catch up with him as he headed to his truck. She threaded an arm through his. “Have I done something to make you mad?”

He stopped in his tracks. “No.” He shrugged. “Well, you did kiss Ian.”

She clasped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was illegal in Wyoming.”

A small smile stole across his face. “Okay, that’s not it.” He glanced to the ground. “He’s vulnerable.”

That made her laugh. “You need to give Ian more credit. He’s a man, just like you. Trust me when I say he can handle himself. His people skills are exceptional. In fact, I bet he’s broken more hearts than women have broken his.”

He leaned over and opened the car door for her. The small smile remained on his handsome face. “I think you might be right.”

Once they got home, Ian wasn’t around. She guessed he was either in town at the Raging Bull, or riding around on his horse trying to get his act together. There was a deep layer under his happy-go-lucky exterior.

It was only 7:25 p.m. She’d take a shower then find out more about these interesting twins. As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, the smell of bleach hit her. The counters had been polished to a shine and the glass shower door sparkled. Hmm. Someone had been cleaning. She guessed Max was the culprit. She had to smile. Other than when she’d been at a hotel, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had cleaned for her. That small act made her feel special.

She took her shower and washed her hair. Every time the wind had picked up, dust had coated her body, but having sand on her beat LA smog every time. She stayed under the hot water for longer than usual, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere. Usually shows were mounted in hours rather than days. This weeklong time frame was a luxury, and she was determined to make the most of her time there.

After she dried her hair and tossed on casual jeans, she padded out to the living room barefoot. Max sat on the sofa reading a magazine.

“Mind if I join you?”

He glanced up and nodded. She caught how his look lingered. That pleased her. On the coffee table in front of him sat a chess set. Her father taught her to play as a child. When she was on the road, he’d often come by with a portable set. Those days would always remain precious to her.

She sat in the chair opposite Max. “Care to play a game?” She nodded to the set.

He put the magazine down. “You play?”

She might have been put off by the surprise in his voice, but she knew she’d been acting a bit ditzy every time he came near. “I’m a bit rusty.”

His smile came out full this time, and her stomach somersaulted. He rubbed his hands together. “Bring it on. Can I interest you in a glass of wine?”

She usually didn’t drink, but as long as Max offered, she’d take him up on it. “Okay, but I’m a lightweight. One is my max.”

“Red or white?”

“I’m up for a bold red.”

From the way his brow rose, that seemed to please him. The poor man had so much to learn about women. He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with two glasses.

“Here ya go.”

He turned the board around so that she got the white pieces. She appreciated that he was giving her the slight advantage by going first. It had been years since she’d played, and she needed to concentrate. Devonne put away her flighty persona and went into competitive mode. “Are you the type of man to get upset if you lose?” She worked hard to keep a straight face.

He slapped a hand to his chest. “You wound me. I can take defeat with the best of them.”

She doubted that, but she’d be testing his resolve soon enough. She could hear her father’s words whispered in her ear about her opening moves. He always told her to control the four squares in the center of the board. She moved her pawn to
d5,
and Max countered to
e5
. So the man knew how to play the game. That would make for a more interesting challenge. The first few moves were rather standard, with her moving her rook diagonally across the board.

Once they began moving their kings and knights, the real strategy kicked in. Max was a very deliberate player as she expected him to be. His hand hovered above the piece for a long time before moving it. She could have requested he move a bit faster, but she enjoyed watching his gaze take in the entire board as if they were playing for some important prize.

After an intense hour, she saw her chance. “Checkmate!” A laugh escaped. Maybe that wasn’t nice, but this victory was sweet.

“Damn. I knew I should have moved my knights before my bishops.”

“You’re right.” Gloating wasn’t her normal style, but she loved that she could match wits with him.

He leaned back in his seat and polished off his glass. “I underestimated you.”

“Most people do.”

He dragged a hand down his chin. “You seem so relaxed around Ian as if you love to be carefree and like to party.”

“In reality, I’m not a big party person.” She lifted her glass. “I’m a one-limit girl, remember? I also don’t use drugs. Those two facts make me different from most.”

He leaned forward. “What other hidden talents do you possess?”

His interest stirred something in her. “If I told you, they wouldn’t be hidden, now would they?”

His big grin took her by surprise. The front door burst open, and a windblown Ian traipsed in. “Hey!” He let his gaze travel the length of her. “You win?”

She opened her mouth, but Max answered for her. “She whooped my ass.” Max faced her. “I’ll demand a rematch as soon as I do a bit of research on what I did wrong.”

“You’re on.” She leaned back in the seat and took in Ian. There was a glow in his eyes. “You go riding?”

“Yup. It’s my favorite pastime. There’s nothing like pushing my steed to the fullest.” He winked. “Actually, I was checking the perimeter for any fence damage.”

She caught Max’s raised brows. Doing ranch chores when he wasn’t asked might not be the norm for Ian. While it wasn’t even nine, she thought these two might like some privacy. “I think I’m going to call it a night. I’ve got some reading I’d like to do.”

That wasn’t a lie. Hotels were lonely places, and she often found solace in reading. Her Kindle had become her best friend in the last few years.

* * * *

Devonne awoke refreshed the next morning. Today, she’d be doing her fittings. Standing for hours while a seamstress pinned clothes on her wasn’t her idea of fun, but it was something she was used to. Making sure that clothes hugged her body was a necessary evil to all runway models.

Fortunately, she didn’t need to put on any makeup for the next week, which would give her skin time to rejuvenate. Ian told her he had some errands to do regarding some cattle, but that he’d be by later to pick her up. He gave her his cell number when she was ready to come back.

Max drove her over. On this trip, she noticed a change in him. He was a bit more relaxed around her, which pleased her to no end. Maybe it was because Ian wasn’t getting into trouble or else he had enjoyed their chess match more than he had anticipated.

When he stopped in front of his parents’ house, she opened the door herself. “I appreciate the ride. Ian said he’d pick me up.”

His jaw lowered for a moment then shut as if he’d been about to say something. “Tonight then.”