Max pointed to the counter. “Stella’s alive and well and trying to talk Mel out of his latest paranoid fantasy.”
It was a mistake. Max realized it the moment he said it. Rachel stood right beside her boss. Those big green eyes were even bigger than usual as she stared at the two of them. For a moment, she looked like a kid who’d found the last cupcake on the planet. Then she obviously realized they were looking back because she suddenly looked intently interested in wiping down the counter.
Max turned to his brother, and sure enough, Rye’s face had gone slack.
“No,” Max said. He set his jaw stubbornly. “I got dibs. I saw her first.”
Rye didn’t bother to look back at his brother. He stared at the beauty with strawberry blonde hair. “But I saw her best. You got a date with her yet?”
“No, I’m working my way up to it,” Max explained, trying to salvage the situation. “There’s something up with her. She’s very nervous.”
Rye’s smile was brimming with self-assurance as he stood up and straightened his jacket. “You make a lot of women nervous. Watch how it’s done, Big Brother.”
“Damn it, Rye.” But his twin was already making his way to the counter. Max stood up and followed. He was going to beat the crap out of the town sheriff if he scared Rachel off.
“Hello there, sweetheart.” Rye poured on the charm.
Stella snorted and muttered something under her breath before walking off to check the kitchen.
Max watched as Rachel really looked at his brother for the first time. He noticed her mouth tighten as she took in his uniform. It was another clue. He’d wondered if she was running from something. She had that look. He needed to make her comfortable, and then she would tell him what was wrong. He’d fix it, and they could have raucous sex to celebrate her freedom from whatever was bugging her. That was his plan.
Now his brother was fucking up his perfectly fine plan.
“What can I get for you, Officer?” Rachel pulled out her ever-present notepad and a pen. She was very professional.
Rye was not. “Oh, I think I can come up with a few things you could get me. How about your phone number? That way I can call you and we can plan out our date.”
Max was satisfied when Rachel looked completely unmoved by his brother’s charm. Her mouth formed a flat line. “I don’t have a phone.”
Rye’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean you don’t have a phone? Everybody’s got a phone, darlin’. Most people have at least two.”
“I don’t have one,” she said dully. Max didn’t like the look in her eyes. It was like all the life in them had fled at the sight of Rye’s badge. “Is that a crime, Officer?”
“It’s sheriff.” Now Rye’s voice held a tone of uncertainty. It had been a long time since a girl turned down Sheriff Ryan Harper. Max watched as the doubt in Rye’s face dissolved, and he gave her his high-wattage grin. “My name is Ryan Harper, but everyone calls me Rye. I see you’ve met my brother.”
She nodded at Max, but it was a polite thing. It held none of the shy curiosity from before. He was going to bash his brother’s skull in.
“Is there anything you wanted from the kitchen, Sheriff Harper?” Rachel asked. “I have other customers waiting.”
Rye scratched his head, and Max saw the moment he decided to retreat. “No, darlin’. I just wanted to say hello. It was nice to meet you.” His eyes flashed to her name tag. “Rachel. If you have any trouble, you give me a call, okay?”
Max followed Rye back to the table, where he sat down. His brother looked thoughtful as he munched on the burger he’d stolen. Max ate the fries as he waited for Rye’s brain to work through the problem.
“Has she been that cold to everyone?” Rye asked.
“She’s not cold at all.” Something had split in Max. For the two weeks his brother had been gone, he’d been able to focus on Rachel. He’d been able to see her as a puzzle to be solved. Why did this one woman, of all the women in the world, call to him? He’d been able to view her almost academically, if obsessively.
Rye was here and there was a decision to be made. One he’d never had to make before. He hurt thinking about that decision. All his life he’d thought he would end up with a family that consisted of his brother and their shared wife and a bunch of kids they called their own.
“How did she get to Bliss? Does she know someone here?” Rye asked.
Max knew where his brother was going. He would come to the inevitable conclusion. “She blew a tire and Mel helped her out. He brought her to Stella’s and Stella hired her. She’s living out at the Movie Motel for now.”
He’d overheard her telling Stella she’d gotten a room out there.
“That girl’s in trouble, bro,” Rye finally said, his voice grave.
“No shit, Sherlock.” Max was damn glad there weren’t many crimes to solve in Bliss. They all would have been in trouble.
“Damn.” Rye sighed. “I hope she’s not running from the law. I hate it when I have to arrest someone that fine.”
Max tried to pin his brother with his most intimidating stare. “You are not arresting her, you understand me? If she’s done something, then I’ll take care of it. How bad could it possibly be? She can’t weigh more than 110 pounds. I don’t see her committing a bunch of violent crimes at her size.”
“Yeah.” Rye stared at Rachel as she took orders from a table of tourists. “She’s pretty, but she could use a couple of decent meals.”
“You should have seen her two weeks ago.”
She’d been sickly thin, with faint circles under her eyes as though she hadn’t slept much. Waitresses at Stella’s ate for free one meal per shift. Rachel had inhaled a sandwich and a bowl of vegetable soup that first day. She’d practically cried when Stella set a piece of chocolate pie in front of her. He’d wanted to scoop her up, take her back to the house, and make sure she never missed another meal again.
“So this is the woman who showed up right before I left town?” Rye asked, his eyes steady on Max.
Guilt punched him in the gut. “Yes.”
“You didn’t mention how pretty she is. I believe you described her as mean. That woman doesn’t look mean. She looks sweet and sexy as hell. You didn’t find her attractive that first day?” Rye seemed determined to poke at the sore spot.
“I couldn’t take my eyes off her that day. It took everything I had to leave the diner because all I wanted was to sit and watch over her,” Max admitted. “I can’t explain it. I don’t understand it. I just know that it’s true.”
Rye’s eyes closed. “All right then. We made a deal to try this on our own. But you have to let me look into her background. Just a basic check.”
“Thank you.” Max could use his brother’s help on that part. Rye had resources that Max didn’t. If Rachel was on the run from something, it would be good to know what might come after her. She certainly wouldn’t be the first woman on the run to wind up in Bliss. They formed a good portion of the population.
Rye nodded. “You like this woman. You want her?”
“I do,” Max said quietly. It was odd to think about seeing a woman without Rye. Rachel was special, though. He had to see where it was going. “I want her like I haven’t any woman. Ever.”
Rye was quiet for a long time. His blue eyes were sad as he turned back to his brother. “I’ll back off, then. I want you to be happy, man.”
Rye finished off the burger in silence. Max put down the fries. He took another drink and contemplated his situation. His twin was sometimes more like the other half of himself than a brother. He wondered if he could ever be happy as half a man.
Chapter Three
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief as Jen finished ringing up Max Harper. He tipped his hat toward her, and then he and his brother walked out the door. Jen immediately turned and joined her at the counter. Stella was hot on Jen’s heels.
They were gone and she’d dodged a bullet. If she’d known Max had a twin who was a sheriff…
r />
Not all cops are bad. You’ve known some kind ones. How long are you going to let that asshole ruin your life? You can’t have one simple affair?
“That man is crazy about you.” Stella slapped her well-manicured hand on the counter. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s a customer. That’s all.” Rachel felt the slightest bit cornered.
“Just a customer?” Jen asked. “He’s practically become a tenant. He’s eaten breakfast, lunch, or dinner here every day for two weeks.”
“He didn’t do that before?”
“Not at all. He used to come in maybe once or twice a week. Max spends all his time on his mountain with those horses of his. He changed his habits the day I hired you.” Stella had a knowing smile on her face. “You could do worse. Max and I have a love-hate relationship, you see.”
“She loves to hate him,” Jen supplied with a grin. She was all of twenty-two, with bright eyes and a positive outlook on everything. She was an artist, a painter trying to get her work in some of the local galleries.
“Now,” Stella began, patting her bright blonde hair, “you know that’s because he’s got a serious problem with authority figures and I’m the obvious authority figure here in Bliss. Sometimes I think he’s crabby because he knows I remember when he was a puppy of a boy running with a snotty nose.”
Jen snorted. “I can’t believe he was ever a puppy.”
Rachel watched the two women. They seemed to have the scoop on everyone and everything that went on in Bliss. “He seems sweet to me.”
“He is sweet,” Jen replied. “He just has a real crusty exterior. He’s one of those men who yells a lot, but that’s because he’s trying to cover up for the fact that he’s a big softy underneath it.”
Stella nodded sagely. “It’s true. When I called him the bear of the county, I probably should have added ‘teddy’ to the ‘bear’ part. Max complains when things aren’t perfect. He’s a picky man. But when the chips are down, you can count on him. Even when he was feuding with Hank Farley over his storage units encroaching on Max’s land, Max was the first one to help out when he had a stroke and couldn’t afford his hospital bills. Rye might be the charmer, but Max is the sweet one.”
Jen poured herself a cup of coffee and took a long drink. Rachel saw her pretend not to notice when Stefan Talbot walked in. Rachel could tell Jen had a crush on the handsome painter. She always asked to switch with Rachel when he sat in her section.
“Rye isn’t exactly sour. He spent a weekend worth of his free time fixing my car because I couldn’t afford the shop.” Jen sighed. “I’ll tell you, Rach, if I thought I could handle it, I would give those brothers a try myself.”
“So, they openly share women?” A vision of herself between those two hot men flooded her brain. It was kind of taboo in her mind. It was totally sexy and hot, but shouldn’t it be private? A dirty secret that the men hid? The way Stella was talking everyone knew about it.
Stella waved off the statement. “We don’t judge people here in Bliss, hon. Too many of us came here to get away from prying eyes, if you know what I mean. We tend to accept people the way they are. We’re kind of a community of free spirits. Tolerance is our catchphrase. How else would we get along with all those nudists?”
“You know you love them,” Jen teased.
“I do. I also wish they would shave more often than they do. I swear some of those men are responsible for the numerous sightings of Bigfoot we get around here.”
Tolerance. It was a nice word. What if this was a place where no one would care if she had a crazy affair with two hot men? Not that she would since one of them was a cop, but what would it feel like to walk around freely holding the hands of her lovers?
Rachel laughed at the thought and got back to work.
The whole rest of her shift she was assaulted with numerous facts about the Harper twins. Now she knew way more about the hot brothers than she probably wanted to. They were infamous in southern Colorado for being wild in their youth. All of that had changed when their mother died of a sudden heart attack and their father walked away, unable to deal with it. They ended up raising their younger sister. Rye had taken a job, and Max set about saving his family’s stables. Twelve years later, Brooke Harper was a freshman in college, and the men were thriving professionally. It wasn’t as great on the personal front.
By the time she was ready to leave, her brain was full of Harper twin trivia and no small amount of fantasy. She grabbed her purse and waved good-bye to Stella and Jen.
The door closed behind her and she couldn’t help but look back. Inside the diner, Mel was laughing at something the owner of the Feed Store Church had said. Jen was bouncing around to some music she could hear in her head. There was such warmth in that diner. It had quickly become her favorite place.
And this was the time she hated. This was the time when she pretended she had somewhere to go and something to do, and that maybe someone was waiting for her. As far as Stella knew, she had a room at a motel on the outskirts of Bliss. She wasn’t about to explain she was homeless and on the run. That was an excellent way to lose her precious job.
Rachel walked out to her Jeep and felt weary at the thought of the long hours ahead. It was better when she could take a second shift, fill as many of the lonely hours of the day with work and the new people she met.
Deep breath. It was time to remind herself that she was alive and there was something to be thankful for. The Jeep worked and it wasn’t uncomfortable. The problem was Bliss was starting to get to her in a way none of the other places she’d briefly stayed had. Being around these people reminded her that she was tired of running. She was tired of being afraid every minute of the day. She wanted something for herself, even if it was temporary.
Twenty minutes later, Rachel pulled her Jeep into a small clearing surrounded by a cluster of trees. Tall pines rose into the air and slender trees with white trunks shook as the wind blew through. She put the battered Jeep in park and got out. This was her second favorite place. At the base of the mountain, she’d found a wonderland complete with fields of green and gold grass, a forest of emerald green, and this pond of clear water.
Her kingdom. When she was here, she didn’t feel empty.
No one was around, but then she’d never seen anyone in the area. She made one careful sweep around the pond and then got the soap and shampoo out of the back. Living out of her car had its disadvantages. It had been weeks since she’d been able to afford a motel room for the night, so she had to make do.
One of the lovely things about Bliss was the numerous ponds and lakes that dotted the county. The Rio Grande split the small town in half, but even in the summer it was frigid. This particular pond was cool, but perfectly swimmable. It was tiny, isolated, and crystal clear. The sun warmed the water, but in the middle, it was still chilly.
Rachel quickly got out of her jeans and T-shirt as the events of the day played through her head.
Meeting Ryan Harper had thrown her for a loop. Max was one thing. He trained horses. A sheriff was a completely different animal. Rachel sighed as she felt the sun on her skin and she walked into the cool water with absolutely no thought to her nudity. This place was a slice of paradise. There was something about Bliss that made her lose her inhibitions. It felt right to be naked in the sunlight here. She sighed and went under the water. When her hair was wet and she’d gotten used to the temperature, she surfaced. She let herself float, looking into the clear blue sky. It was never that clear back in Dallas. There was always too much smog. She’d never considered herself anything but a city girl. Being in Bliss was changing her mind.
Bliss was a wonderful place. She’d been in a lot of cities and towns over the last year, but none of them made her want to stay the way Bliss did. She loved the mountains. She loved the quirky streets with their art galleries and boutiques, and even an old-fashioned trading post. The town got a lot of tourist attention for being a
n art mecca. Artists from all over southern Colorado showed their work in Bliss’s galleries. There was even a real, true repertory theater. She didn’t have the money to go see a show, but she wished she did. She felt like this was a place where she could fit in. She even loved the weird citizens. Mel was a hoot when he wasn’t worried about aliens taking over the government. Nell and Henry were friendly even as they fought with Stella. They were trying to get her carnivorous boss to give them vegan choices on the menu. Jen was sweet and loved to paint. Yes, she liked the locals just fine.
And Max…Why did he have to have a brother? Did it matter? His brother was as hot as he was, and she was fooling herself and playing the prude by telling Stella she was shocked at the thought of those two men sharing. There was a time when that had been her biggest fantasy, two gorgeous men pleasuring her. She’d giggled with her friends over the books of Amber Rose and Libby Finn. She still missed her e-reader and all their hot romances and book boyfriends. She would sit at happy hour and discuss what it would be like to be the heroine and laugh and daydream.
Then Tommy had happened, and her biggest fantasy had become surviving the day with all her body parts still attached. Rachel shook her head. She wasn’t going to think about him. This was her time, and if she wanted to fantasize about her sweet cowboy, she would. She would think about Max. Rye was far too dangerous. She wouldn’t get near another cop.
But Max was a different story.
She closed her eyes and could see Max smiling at her. He was the bad boy in town, but he was good for her. He was polite and kind when she was around, and fierce when anyone threatened her.
A small noise pulled Rachel out of her thoughts and sent her scrambling. She forced her feet to the bottom of the pond and covered herself to her neck in the water. Her eyes darted around, looking for the threat. Adrenaline started pumping through her body. The question she always asked pounded against her brain.
Had Tommy found her? Was he here? How long did she have to run? Her breath sawed in and out of her chest as she looked around.