CHAPTER 2
Maxie
No one would ever call me daring or bold but if they saw me ride Bob, they might’ve changed their opinion. Bob liked to run fast and I liked to let him. I rode him bareback, leaning with him as he moved with my hands in his mane. He was an abnormally large and muscular black quarter horse. More than a few times I’d been offered a hefty sum of money for him but I’d never trade Bob for anything in the world. I wasn’t sure if it was sad or not but he was my best friend. He knew my moods and he was always ready to cheer me up with his silly personality. When we ran together, though, there was nothing silly about him. He was a beast on a mission.
Bob ran full out until my thighs ached and my stomach hurt from my core being engaged for so long. He didn’t stop until we were at the creek at the far north corner of the ranch. One of the best things about riding Bob like that was that my brain shut off while we ran. It was the only time my thoughts weren’t racing. The moment I jumped off him, the anxiety came back. While he drank from the creek, I stood next to him and stared out across the property.
I’d been excited about the ranch growing. I didn’t think I’d ever have children but I wanted my nieces and nephews, however many I ended up with, to have something to be proud of. Taking charge of the new ranch had been something I’d looked forward to. I wanted to start something on my own and prove I was stronger than everyone thought I was. I wanted to prove it to myself. Instead of that happening, though, I was going to be working for the three men who’d single-handedly convinced me I was meant to be alone.
I wanted to scream. My palms and lips were raw from fighting back the feelings that raged inside me but I knew I wouldn’t say anything. I never said anything. I knew what everyone called me. Perfect Maxie. Perfect Maxie didn’t scream at her brothers for screwing her over. Nope. She just smiled and did whatever they needed her to do.
I doubled over and screamed into my hands, the sound closer to a wild animal than a woman. It shocked Bob enough that he jumped and then, seeing I was fine, he neighed and nudged my butt with his head hard enough to send me tumbling into the creek. Warm water soaked through my clothes instantly and I came up spitting out dirty creek water.
“Bob!” I sliced my hand through the water, sending a wave of it at him. “That was mean!”
Sighing, I climbed out the creek and flopped down on the ground. Bob immediately settled next to me and I had to snatch my arm out of the way to avoid him crushing it. He flopped his head over on my stomach and curled his lips like he was smiling.
“You’re a jerk sometimes but I love you.” I stroked his big face and closed my eyes, trying to let the peace I felt while riding Bob fill me. Instead of peace, though, I felt the same tension as always. There was so much to do and hiding with Bob wasn’t going to get any of it done. I couldn’t force myself to get up, though. Not yet. The idea of potentially facing Arlo, Rhett, and Shep again kept me right where I was.
I could only hide from my responsibilities for so long, though. I lay there for as long as I dared with thoughts of the party clean up and everything else I needed to do racing through my tired mind. When Bob stood, I took it as my cue and climbed to my feet. Instead of riding him back to the ranch, I chose to drag it all out by walking.
When we returned I led him into the barn and took some time to cool him down and hydrate him before letting him into one of the smaller paddocks to roam while I cleaned up after the party. Almost all of the vehicles were gone and the ranch had fallen into a peaceful silence again. The place was littered with trash, but I’d expected it. I rolled one of the trash cans over and started picking up.
The drinks table still held a few bottles of beer and something about the return of the guys had me reaching for one of them. I wasn’t a drinker and I didn’t like the taste but the beer went down easy when I pictured them standing in front of me. It wasn’t fair that they were even better looking than I’d remembered and imagined. It wasn’t fair that they were back, giving me looks which still made my body heat.
I collected the trash with anger, the bottles and cups rattling harder and harder as they went into the can until one of the bottles smashed and I forced myself to calm down. I didn’t want Patrick, the garbage man, to cut himself because I couldn’t keep my emotions in check. Leaning against Mills’ truck, I took a few deep breaths and finished my beer. That quickly I was tipsy. It would’ve been embarrassing if anyone had been around to see it. I was blissfully alone, though, just the way I liked it.
The quiet voice at the back of my mind called me a liar but I was an expert at ignoring that part of myself. I pushed off the truck and went back to cleaning up. That was better than standing around, feeling sorry for myself.
I was bent over, picking up a handful of confetti someone had thrown, when Rhett’s voice came from behind me and nearly sent me tumbling over. I jerked upright, clutching my chest, and frowned.
“You scared me!”
His smile was slow as he stood too close. Deep blue eyes with long, black lashes crinkled in the corners.
“Where’d you run off to?”
“That’s none of your business.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I regretted them instantly and stepped back, waiting for his anger and coldness to strike.
Rhett didn’t react the way I expected him to, though. His grin widened and he stepped even closer.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t be curious, Maxine. And I am. So very curious.”
I stared up at him, my brain struggling to make sense of the man in front of me. The beer had loosened my tongue enough that it moved without much thought.
“Don’t be. And don’t call me that. My name is Maxie.”
He ran his eyes from the top of my head to the tips of my feet and back again. Leaning in even closer, he rested his hand on my waist as he whispered, “I can’t help being curious about you, sweetheart. Never could. And you used to like when we called you Maxine. What changed?”
I heard footsteps approaching over the sound of my blood rushing to my head and whipped away from his touch. I’d put a solid ten feet between us when I realized it was Arlo and Shep approaching. My brain sent out a warning to the rest of my body. Being alone with the three of them was a bad idea.
“No one else is going to help you clean up?” Arlo shot a scowl back towards the house. “Not a lot has changed around here, huh?”
I ignored him and went back to picking up, hoping and praying they wouldn’t continue speaking to me. The beer had gone to my head and I was feeling things way too close to the surface.
Shep moved with me and I watched in shock as he started picking up trash. Then I noticed they all were. I stood there like an idiot, watching them until Arlo noticed me staring and walked up to me.
“What’s going through that head of yours?” His mouth lifted on one side in a vague smile. “I can’t say I expected the same sweet smile you used to give us but I expected something a little warmer.”
Shep joined him. “You’re going to be working under us, Maxine. We might as well go ahead and get used to each other.”
Rhett moved behind me and I felt his breath on the back of my neck. “It’s been a while but surely you haven’t forgotten how much you used to like us. We haven’t changed.”
I tried my hardest to control my emotions. “It’s just been a long day.”
Rhett grunted. “Little liar.”
I spun around to face him, my control slipping. “What is wrong with y’all? It’s been ten years and you show up, thinking I’m going to be over the moon excited to see you? Do you not remember the last time you were here? Clearly, you don’t. If you did, you’d know why I don’t want anything to do with you and you’d leave me alone.”
Instead of pulling away, Rhett got closer. “We’re getting right into it, are we?”
“Apparently, we have to. The last time I saw the three of you, it was after I spent the night taking care of your drunk butts and—”
Shep interrupted me. “It was the morning after you came to our camp and we kissed the hell out of you.”
I blushed hard. “Yes. That. And then you told me you didn’t remember much from the night before but it was a giant mistake and you left. You never visited with Mills again. So, excuse me if I don’t seem eager to work under you, or spend time with you, or even look at you.”
Arlo grabbed my hand and turned me to face him. “You were eighteen. We had no business touching you.”
“But you did.” My voice shook and shame came down on me hard. I took a deep breath and started backing away. “Sorry. I… Just forget it. I have to go.”
I turned and took off at a sprint across the ranch, my flight response as healthy and present as ever. I ran straight to my small cabin at the back of the ranch and locked myself in. I wasn’t sure of the last time I’d let my emotions get the best of me but I couldn’t believe they’d been around for all of five minutes and my resolve had crumbled that fast. I was in so much trouble.