Authors: Beverly Rae
“Yeah. I was”—he shifted on his feet—“jealous.”
She’d assumed as much, but decided to drag it out of him. “You were jealous? Of what?”
He brushed her hair back, his expression open, even vulnerable. “I was jealous of you going out with another guy.”
“I never said I had a date.”
He jerked back, intent on studying her as though he wasn’t sure what she’d said. “But you said you had to leave. You said you had a commitment that you wouldn’t break to be with me.”
“Uh-huh. So?”
“Are you telling me you didn’t have a date?”
She laughed, then shook her head. “No. I didn’t. You assumed that’s what I meant.”
“Then what gives? What commitment did you have that you couldn’t break?”
She pushed away, a blush flaring heat to her face. “Oh, my God. How could I forget?” Whirling around, she dashed through the kitchen to the closed door on the other side of the tiny room with Max on her heels.
“Cally, what’s wrong?”
She didn’t bother to answer, instead knocking on the door. “
Lena
?
Lena
, it’s okay. Carl’s gone. You can come out now.”
As the door opened, she spun on her heel and made a face at him. “I can’t believe I forgot they were in here.”
He slid his gaze between her and the door, a knowing expression filling his face. “So this is why I couldn’t come here. You were protecting someone. Shit, Cally, I wish you’d told me. I could’ve helped.”
“You did.”
A timid
Lena
and teary-eyed
Brittany
peeked into the kitchen then stopped as they spotted him.
“No, no. It’s okay.” Cally took
Lena
’s hand and urged her to come out. “This is Max. He won’t hurt you, and Carl is gone.”
Lena
moaned, letting go of her child and slumping forward. Max caught her seconds before she would’ve hit the floor.
Brittany
clung to Cally and they followed him as he carried
Lena
to the sofa in the living room. Gently, he laid
Lena
down then moved aside to let Cally sit next to her.
Lena
’s eyes fluttered opened and she gasped then sat up.
“Take it easy. You’re safe.” Cally smoothed back her hair. “I told you. I won’t let Carl hurt you again.”
“Neither will I.”
Cally shot Max a look of gratitude before reaching out to him. “In case I didn’t make myself clear, I’m glad you were around to help us.”
“Don’t mention it.” Max took a seat in the armchair next to them and rested his elbows on his knees. Surprising everyone,
Brittany
eased onto his lap and leaned her head against his chest.
Cally’s throat tightened. If ever a man deserved to be a father, Max was it. The way he gathered the child into his arms made her yearn to see him holding a child of their own. Stunned at her thought, she blinked and returned her attention to
Lena
.
“Is there anywhere you could go that Carl won’t find you? He doesn’t know for certain you’re here, but I’m afraid he might return.”
The poor woman’s bottom lip quivered. “We don’t have anyone. My parents died a long time ago, and besides, Carl controls what little money we have. I don’t have a penny to my name.”
She tried to sit up, but Cally eased her back down. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of you.”
“We’ll take care of you.”
The now-familiar rush of desire swept through her as she and
Lena
shifted to face Max. “You don’t have to do anything more.” Yet, she hoped, she prayed he would.
“Don’t worry about it.” Max hugged
Brittany
, resting a protective arm around the small girl. “If you ladies are willing, I’d like to take you home with me. All three of you.”
Her first instinct was to say yes, to jump into his arms and kiss him. But she’d been on her own a long time and wasn’t used to men helping her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll come. You’ll be my guests. And don’t worry. The other guys won’t mind.”
Lena
shot Cally a frightened look. “The other guys? Who are you talking about?”
“My friends. The ones Cally met the other night at Sadie’s. Oh, and there’s Michael and Sara, too.”
Lena
grew rigid. “You’re talking about the Matheson Ranch. I know that place. And you’re…you’re one of them?”
“One of them?” What did she mean? What was going on? Surely
Lena
didn’t believe the stories.
Max shrugged. “Don’t believe everything you hear. We run cattle and have a few quarter horses along with each of us doing our own thing.”
She had to admit it. After Carl’s appearance tonight, she was nervous about staying in her home. Until
Lena
could make a clean break and a new life without her abusive husband, she wouldn’t know what to expect.
“What do you say,
Lena
? It’s your call.” She glanced at Max. “But I know Max is a stand-up kind of guy, and if he vouches for the others, then that’s good enough for me.”
Max leaned forward, careful not to wake the sleeping girl in his arms. “I can promise you that you’ll be safe. Think about it. You’ll have six men to guard you and a room of your own to share with
Brittany
. Plus, Sara’s an awesome cook.”
Lena
remained silent, her gaze traveling to Max, then the broken door, and back to Cally. “All right. But just until we can figure out where else we can go.”
Max’s grin sparked one of her own as Cally nodded her consent. “It’s settled then.
Lena
, you stay put and rest while I throw some things into a suitcase. I know what to pack for you and Brittany.”
She stood, feeling much stronger and safer than she had in many years. Passing by the armchair, she squeezed Max’s shoulder and whispered a heartfelt thank-you.
* * * *
“You did what?” Michael Matheson, the alpha-male of the Night Runner pack, scowled at Max. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“Aw, cut him a break, will ya? He’s in love.” William rested a hand on Michael’s shoulder then kept walking past him to the window. Nick, Ranlon, and Jimmy attempted to get a peek at the two women and little girl huddled under the porch light, waiting for Max to return and usher them inside.
“Or at least head over heels in lust.”
Ranlon thumped the youngest member of the pack in the head. “Knock it off, Jimmy. One day you’re going to find your mate and end up doing stupid shit, too. Like bringing a kid into a house full of werewolves.”
“Have you told Cally what you are? What we are?” Michael studied the women. “I heard about Cally. But the other woman’s not Roxy, is she?”
Max had tried coming up with a good speech filled with convincing reasons on the drive to the ranch with the women following behind in Cally’s car.
Brittany
had insisted on riding with him, which both confused and unnerved him. Little girls weren’t like women, and he had no clue how to handle them. But his shortcomings didn’t seem to bother the eight-year-old.
“No, she’s not. Her name’s Lena Horton—”
“Aw, hell. She’s not Carl Horton’s wife, is she?” Michael glared at him, lifting his lips in a human version of a wolf’s snarl. “Shit, man. Don’t you know not to interfere between a husband and his wife?”
Max tried to keep his irritation in check, but a bit of it managed to leak out anyway. “I didn’t have much of a choice. Carl came after his wife and kid. What was I supposed to do? Let him break down Cally’s door and do nothing about it? Should I have let him knock Cally aside and drag his wife out of the house kicking and screaming?” He neglected to mention
Lena
’s nonappearance during Carl’s attack. No need to cloud the issue with details.
“Of course he couldn’t. Max, you did the right thing.”
The six men abruptly stood at attention. Sara, the alpha-female, entered the room, an apron tied around her waist. She ruled the pack alongside Michael and, in some ways, held even more influence. All the men had shared her bed when she was first brought into the pack almost a year earlier. Since then, she’d grown into her role as a leader and could make them do as she liked.
“Sara, you don’t know everything.” Michael’s voice softened, the hardness of his features morphing into the tender look he always gave her.
“I don’t need to know everything.” She glanced out the window. “I’ve heard what people say about Carl Horton, and I wouldn’t make a rat live with the man. If his wife has finally taken off and is trying to keep her little girl from seeing more of her father’s awful side, then we’re going to help her.”
Max sent Sara a look of thanks and tried not to stand too close to the frustrated Michael.
“Fine. What do you want to do with them?”
Max imagined he could hear Michael grind his teeth together.
“
Lena
and her girl can have the guest room at the end of the hallway.” Her gaze fell on Max, rushing heat into his neck under her perusal. “As for Cally, she can choose for herself. If she wants to boot Max out of his room to sleep on the couch, or let him stay with her, then so be it. Now, let’s go welcome our guests.”
Michael held up his hand, stopping all of them, including Sara. “First things first. While they’re here, no shifting in the daytime.”
The men grumbled, but Michael quieted them by holding up his hand and making a fist, the signal for immediate silence. “I’m not saying we won’t have our nightly run.” He cleared his throat and continued. “Because I have a feeling we’re going to need the release more than usual. But not as a full pack. Max and one other will have to stay behind to make sure Carl doesn’t make an unexpected appearance while we’re gone.”
Max nodded, willing to make the sacrifice. The others remained silent, giving their unspoken agreement.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“What the fuck now, Sara?” Jimmy rolled his eyes.
She tweaked his arm. “No foul language around the little girl or I’ll tie your tail in a knot.”
Chapter Five
After Sara had shown
Lena
and
Brittany
to their room, Cally went with Max to a bedroom located at the end of a long corridor. The bedroom was decorated sparsely with only a few pieces of furniture. An enormous bed dominated one wall.
“Wow, that is one big bed.”
Max placed her suitcase at the side of the dresser. “Yeah, we had them special made.”
“You mean all the beds are like this?”
“They are. Which is why
Lena
and
Brittany
will have no problem sharing a room. Plus, each bedroom has its own bathroom.” He shrugged. “What can I say? We may be ranchers at work, but we enjoy the finer things in life, too. At least as far as comfort goes.”
She walked into the gold-gilded bathroom and froze when she saw the huge bathtub. “I know this is
Texas
, but is everything big in this house? Six people could fit in there.”
“More.”
More?
And how many of the “more” were women?
“I thought you said you’d never had any women in your bed? I guess you weren’t counting your Jacuzzi, huh? Or the enormous rain shower, either.”
“I’ve never had a woman in either of them. But every bedroom has the same bed, shower, and tub and I have been in the other ones.”
With lots of women?
She started to ask, but stopped, aware she had no right to make any claims on him.
He stepped behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. “So what would like? Are you going to share my bed with me? Or are you going to kick me out into the cold?”
She giggled, unable to resist his charm. “I hardly think sleeping on the sofa downstairs is kicking you out into the cold.”
“Anywhere I sleep is cold without you in my bed.”
Not only could the man make her ache for him with his touch, he could do the same with his words. “Somehow I don’t think you’ve had to sleep alone much.”
He nuzzled against her ear. “That’s where you’d be wrong. I may have had my share of women, but I’ve never shared my bed with any of them. You’ll be the first.”
She pivoted to face him, needing to see if he was sincere. The truth shone in the way he looked at her. “Then how can I possibly kick you out of your own room?”
He squeezed her tight, cupping her breast. “Want to try the mattress?”
As much as she longed for him, she wanted something else more. “Would you mind if I take a bath first? All I can think of right now is soaking in hot water.”
“Sure, I understand. It’s been a long night for you.”
The fatigue she’d fought off suddenly hit her. But she wasn’t too tired to ignore her other needs. “How about scrubbing my back for me?”
He grinned and started shedding his clothes. She laughed at his enthusiasm, tugged her shirt over her head, then turned on the faucet. The hot water steamed into the air, fogging up the full-length mirror on the opposite wall. Max surprised her by lighting the candles surrounding the tub and flicking off the light.