Intimate Illusions [The Callens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

He was getting dressed when Ian came into his bedroom and closed the door.
Shit
. He didn’t need his brother’s grief. He plastered on a half smile. “What’s up?”

“Got some great cattle today.”

“You always do.” Had he come in here for more positive reinforcement or to ask about Devonne?

Ian dropped on the bed. “You fuck her?”

His fists clenched.
Stop it.
He should be used to Ian’s crudeness by now. “No, and I’d never
fuck
her.”

Ian held up his hands. “I forgot about your sensitivity. Did you and Devonne make love? Is that better?”

“I repeat, no.”

“You two were so into each other when I drove up. I saw Devonne’s head tilt back. Her eyes were closed for God’s sake. What were you doing out of sight?”

“If you can’t figure it out, I’m not going to draw a diagram.”

Ian slammed his back on the bed and laughed. “You like her. Hot damn.”

“Never said I didn’t.”

He propped himself up on his elbows. “So what are we going to do?”

Ian was like a kid at Christmas. “
We’re
going to do nothing. Devonne’s leaving soon. She’ll only disturb our lives if we get involved.”

“Your jaw’s so tight you could no more leave her alone than stop worrying.”

Since when had his brother become so perceptive? “What do you propose? And I don’t mean a short-term solution.”

Ian sat up and placed his feet on the floor. “She said she was quitting modeling and that she was considering moving to Wyoming. We need to convince her to stay in Intrigue.”

“How? She may know how to play chess, but what other skills does she have? I don’t see her as someone’s secretary or waiting tables.”

Ian smiled. “I bet Jackson would hire her at the Raging Bull. The place would be packed every night with her there. He told me that Jenny always drew a crowd.”

Their sister was cute. He paced in front of the bed. “Devonne has some talent, but without credentials, she might not be taken seriously.”

“We could always hire her.”

Max stopped in his tracks. “To do what?”

“Be our maid. Can you imagine having sexy Devonne make us breakfast each morning?”

He shook his head. His brother never did think things through. “Why not suggest we marry her?”

“Holy, shit. You think she’d go for it?”

“No.” How had they come from the same parents? “I say, we take it easy and let Devonne make the first move.”

Ian got off the bed. “You go with that, bro.” With that, he walked out.

* * * *

Devonne finished showering and felt much better after working up a sweat hiking. Too bad, her body wouldn’t stop vibrating from where Max had touched her. She couldn’t believe she’d tried to seduce Max in front of his house. She was a
close the bedroom door
type of girl. Being out in the open was changing her. There was something primal about this land that she liked.

It wasn’t only the land that drew her. It was the twins. Max just needed a bit of shaking up to get him to live a little, and Ian needed to settle down. He had such potential to be a good businessman. All he had to do was believe it himself, and the rest would take care of itself.

Wanting to feel a bit more feminine than in her long pants and sneakers, she put on a sundress and some sandals. The outfit was like wearing air. Because the material was opaque, she chanced going without a bra. No one would know but her.

The PowerBar she ate wasn’t enough food for her. Since it was close to six, she bet Mrs. Callen was rolling out a feast for the girls. She picked up her purse and went in search of a ride to the ranch.

Both Max and Ian were in the living room. “Can one of you drive me to the ranch for dinner?” They both jumped up at one time.

Max stepped forward. “How about we all go?”

“I’ll drive,” Ian said.

“Best if we took two cars.”

She understood that once dinner was over, Max would want to disappear and do whatever he did in his office. Ian shrugged.

Since Max had offered first, she chose to drive with him.

As soon as she closed the truck door, Ian came over to her window. “You don’t like me anymore, sugar?”

She laughed at his strong drawl. “I like you just fine.”

“I’ve got a better truck.”

She knew his truck and better clothes meant a lot to him. “I’m not so much into the exterior trappings, as I am into the man.”

“You’re telling me you like Max better?”

Where had he gotten that idea? “No, but he’s a safer driver.”

From the broad smile on his face, it was the answer he wanted to hear. “You got that right. See you at Mom’s.”

He swaggered away from the truck. Max jumped in the front seat and started the engine. “Let’s go get some food.”

The ranch was bustling with activity. Not only were the models there, but the number of crew members seemed to be swelling. The closer they got to the show, the busier things would get. These first few days were always great. Once she did her fittings, she was more or less free to do as she chose. After everyone got fitted, the seamstresses had their work cut out for them. The models had to try on their dresses then stand there while the designers and their helpers picked out shoes and accessories. The number of times the outfits changed boggled the mind.

Devonne absorbed the sights and sounds. She couldn’t believe this would be the last time she’d take part in something like this. Half of her was sad she’d be leaving this life behind, but the other half knew it was time to move on. The big question is where did she want to end up?

“Aren’t you eating?” Max’s brows were pinched tight.

Whoops
. She’d been standing there woolgathering. “I was waiting for you.”

He smiled. “Let’s chow.”

He and Ian loaded up on food and motioned the three of them sit by themselves. She didn’t mind, but she felt a bit sorry for the other girls who had to watch her be with two hunky men.

They were mostly done with their meal when three strapping cowboys approached with plates of food. While this tent was designated for the models, she bet none of the girls would complain if these men joined them.

“Got room for us?” the tallest of the three asked.

Ian scooted over. “Join us.”

He introduced her to the men. All three worked on this Callen ranch and, if she had to guess, were in their late twenties. Their skin was a bit worn from all the sun exposure, but otherwise, their bodies were fit.

“What brings you here?” Ian asked.

The tall one motioned to the man with the beard. “Rory’s been talking smack about his truck being faster than yours.”

Ian dropped his head back and laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

Rory shoveled a big pile of potatoes in his mouth. As soon as he swallowed he answered. “I’ve been working on my engine. Thought you might like to race.”

Ian slapped the table, acting like a big man. “You’re on. When?”

“How about as soon as we finish eating?”

Ian’s eyes lit up like this was something he lived for. He looked to the tall man. “You willing to be referee?”

He patted his top pocket. “Got my camera phone right here. I’ll take a picture to prove the winner.”

The men talked about the length of the course and the rules. As soon as they finished, all but Max left.

She turned to him. “What was that about?”

“Ian proving he’s good at something.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “He’s always been that way. He wasn’t the best in school, and I think that always bothered him. He has much better people skills than I do, but he doesn’t see himself as being good at anything. I wish he’d just accept the fact that he and I are partners. Together we make a good team.”

She didn’t know what to say. Max was right. The two men together could meet any challenge. She bet having an audience would give Ian a boost even if he lost the race. “Do you think he’d mind if we saw him race?”

Max’s eyes widened. “You want to see him act like a fool?”

“I don’t think it’s foolish. He’s competitive.” She could relate to that. “I want to watch.”

“Then let’s do it.”

Max backed his truck perpendicular to the fence that separated the road from the range. The finish line was right in front of them. “This is the closest we want to get.” He took a blanket from the bottom of the tool chest and unfolded it on the tailgate. “Hop on up here.”

“How long is the course?”

“Half mile.”

All Devonne could see was a lot of scrub. “That’s going to be one bumpy ride.”

“You got that right. I think they should be wearing neck collars, but men like Rory and Ian don’t see it that way.”

She laughed at the slight upturn on his lips. “Is it dangerous?”

Max didn’t say anything for a bit. “Could be. There are rocks and indents in the ground that could cause the trucks to flip.” She must have looked worried. He drew an arm around her. “Don’t worry. Ian is an expert driver. He’ll be careful.”

She wasn’t as confident. Good thing Ian didn’t know she and Max were there. If he did, he might push it too hard.

Max’s cell rang. “Yeah? Thanks.”

“That was Richard. The race is about to begin.”

A half mile wasn’t that far. One man, who she guessed was Richard, stood at the finish line. They’d draped orange tape on the ground to signify the end.

“I’ve been to the Saratoga horse races, but I think this is more exciting.” He cocked a brow. “Remember, I used to model in New York.” She hoped that would explain why and how she happened to go the exclusive event.

The sound of the engines reached them before the dust plume did. Rory’s truck veered off to the right as if he had to go around some obstacle. Ian took the lead until his truck hit something. Two wheels lifted into the air. Her breath caught, and she grabbed Max’s hand. She willed the car to land on all four wheels.

“Go, Ian!” she shouted. That was dumb. Only Max could hear the cheer.

Ian’s truck righted itself, and dust kicked up behind him. He caught up to Rory and edged past him. The two traveled side by side as they neared the finish line. For Ian’s sake, she hoped he’d win or else they crossed at the same time.

Rory’s tires must have hit a dirt patch because his back end spun out. He regained control but not before Ian won the race.

She held up her hands, leaned over and kissed Max. She’d meant it as a celebratory kiss, but the moment their lips touched, her body caught on fire. Embarrassed by her outburst, she leaned back. Max dragged her closer.

“You have the best lips.” His hooded eyes nearly did her in.

“Oh, yeah.” She nipped his bottom lip.

“Yeah.” He let her go and smiled. “We don’t want to dampen Ian’s victory by making out in front of him.”

Only then did she hear the loud roar of his truck as he plowed toward them.

Ian leaned out the window. “How did you like it?” His grin nearly reached his ears.

“You were great!”

“Want to do a victory lap with the winner?”

“I’ll jar my spine loose and not be able to walk down the runway.”

He tapped the outside of his door. “How about if I take it slow?”

From the eagerness in his eyes, she couldn’t say no. She looked over her shoulder at Max.

“Go on. He’ll be careful. I’ll see you back at our house.”

She liked how the two were so willing to share her attention and not act jealous. “Thanks. I’ll make sure he drives responsibly.”

Max leaned his head back and laughed. “You do that, and I’ll owe you one.”

She hopped off the tailgate. Since they’d parked on the outside of the fence, she had to climb over the three-foot-tall wooden railing. Ian was already out of the truck to help her over. Max stood at her back. Because she had long legs, she could get up on the top rail. Ian held on to her waist while she swung her legs over. Next time, she was going to only wear jeans and not a dress when she came to eat.

The ground was quite uneven, and in her sandals, walking was a bit difficult. Ian must have seen her dilemma and picked her up. “Whoa.”

“Just trying to help. We don’t need to get you dirty.” Still holding her, he opened the door and gently slid her into the seat. He must have kept the windows down when he raced because the inside was coated with dust.

She lifted up and swiped the seat the best she could. Ian went around to the driver’s side and got in. “Sorry about the dirt.” He took off his bandana and cleaned the seat but ended up making a bigger mess. “Dry cleaning is on me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll wash the dress.”

He put the truck in gear and drove back to the “race track.” “You ready to see the master at work?” He winked.

“Take it easy.”