Max (7 Brides for 7 Brothers Book 5) Read online

She couldn’t help but turn to face him. “Why would a man like you do such a thing? Seems as if you’d have the world at your feet if you wanted it.”

  He looked down at her. “I didn’t want it. My father was a workaholic. After my mother died, we hardly saw him. He traveled and he worked late, and he never knew how to let go and have fun the way he once did. Mom was the love of his life. He lost his parents when he was a teenager, and he lived in darkness until she came along. When he lost her, he went back to that darkness.”

  He shrugged. “I guess all of us boys have some of the same darkness within us. I didn’t know what I wanted when I left home at eighteen. I went to college for a while. All we did was drink and party—but one night, when I was sick of drinking beer and feeling like shit, I got caught up in a movie. Charlie Sheen was in it and it was about Navy SEALs. I remember thinking, ‘That right there is what I want to do.’ So I left school and went to the recruiter’s office.”

  “Just like that, huh?”

  He snorted. “Definitely not just like that. You have no idea how hard it is to become a SEAL. And you don’t get to apply right away either. So I did my time in the regular Navy and then I applied. One of the instructors figured out that I was one of those Brannigans. They teased the shit out of me, thought I’d quit, but all that did was harden my resolve.”

  “And you made it.”

  “I made it. Proudest day of my life.”

  She loved listening to him talk. He had a voice that sounded like fine whiskey and the kind of rocks you find at the bottom of a river—smooth, deep, and strong. Maybe that was a silly way to imagine it, but it made sense to her.

  “So why did you leave the Navy?”

  She didn’t imagine the tightening of his jaw in the dim light of the barn. Or the way his fingers curled around the bars of the stall. “It was time to go.”

  “Yet you went to work doing the same thing for someone else. Or did I misunderstand you?”

  “You didn’t.”

  He didn’t say anything else, and she didn’t push him. Clearly, she’d asked him enough questions and he wasn’t going to answer that one.

  Just then a tiny hoof popped out. “Look,” Ellie said, grabbing Max’s arm. “The baby’s coming!”

  It didn’t take long at that point. A few heaves and the baby slid most of the way out. The back legs were still inside, but the membranes had broken and the foal was breathing on its own. One less thing for her to worry about.

  Another contraction hit and the baby was free, a slick little thing lying on the straw. Ellie slid the bolt to the stall and went inside. She picked up straw and dried the newborn colt while Lily pushed herself up and started to lick him.

  “What happens now?” Max asked from the other side of the door.

  “It’ll take a little while for him to stand and nurse. I have to keep watch for that—and then there’s the placenta. Once she passes it, I have to make sure it’s intact. The vet will come by tomorrow to examine everyone.”

  Ellie sat back on her heels and sighed as Lily nosed her baby. Ellie hadn’t been sure what the mare would do the first time, but Lily seemed to accept everything that had happened. Instinct was taking over and helping prod her in the right direction, and that was good.

  Ellie left the stall and joined Max. “Thanks for coming out here with me tonight,” she said, her eyes on the mama and baby instead of him. “I appreciate it.”

  He reached out and gently put a hand on her face, turning her to look at him. Her skin tingled where he touched, and her breath shortened as if he somehow had control of that too.

  “You’re a remarkable woman, Ellie Applegate. I’m glad I was here with you.”

  “Don’t make me cry, Max. I’m already halfway there. I always get emotional when my mares have their babies.”

  “Duly noted. Hey, you want me to run up to the house and grab some coffee?”

  “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all night.”

  He grinned. “Be right back then.”

  Ellie settled into a chair to wait. She listened to his footsteps fade away, and then she tilted her head back and listened to the soft sounds of the barn at night. Caesar appeared from nowhere and rubbed against her legs, meowing as he did so. She reached down to scratch him and he started to purr. Misty, another of the barn cats, ambled out of the darkness with a mouse in her teeth. After a look at Ellie, she trotted into the shadows to dispose of her prey.

  Ellie sighed. This was her life. Horses, barn cats, the smell of sweet hay and grain and leather. She didn’t want it to change. And yet she knew change was coming. It was inevitable, in fact. One way or the other, the man who’d left to fetch some coffee was going to change everything.

  But would the change be good or bad? That’s what she didn’t know.

  Max thought that Ellie would go to sleep and stay in bed for a few hours after the disjointed sleep of last night, but he was wrong. They’d left the barn around four and gone back up to the house. They didn’t say much as they went their own way, but there wasn’t much to say at that time of the morning anyway.

  At five thirty, he heard her rattling around upstairs. By a quarter till, the back door banged shut and he knew she was off to the barn to feed. He got dressed and went to help her. Miguel was there, and he grinned as Max approached.

  “Amigo, you are back for more?”

  Max laughed. “I’m beginning to realize the work is never done.”

  “No, that is true.”

  Ellie smiled at him. He liked it when she smiled. Max went to grab hay and gave each horse their ration as Ellie scooped grain. The mama and baby were looking happy and healthy in their stall. The baby nursed and the mama munched her feed. Then the baby bounced around a bit, twisting his long, spindly legs and hopping. Such a fragile thing, and so full of energy at the same time.

  Ellie put the wheelbarrow away and then returned with a tiny halter. She and Miguel went into the stall and put the halter on the baby, who didn’t seem too happy about the situation but went along with it anyway.

  “You have to handle them right away,” Miguel said to Max. “Get them used to people and let them know they have work to do.”

  “It starts early then.”

  “Better now than when he’s bigger and stronger.”

  “Miguel’s specialty is handling the babies,” Ellie said. “He’ll have this little guy walking on a lead line and picking up his feet before too long.”

  She yawned, and Max frowned at the dark circles under her eyes. But he knew she wouldn’t go back to bed. There were horses to take care of and clients to give lessons to, and she wouldn’t hear of taking a rest and postponing those things.

  Not that he supposed she had much of a choice. He still hadn’t asked to see the books, but he figured that most of her money came from lessons and boarding. If she didn’t give the lessons, she’d have less money in her budget.

  Max stuck around to do what he could, but by midmorning it was clear he’d get more done at the house. Lacey arrived, her smile as sunny as ever, while Ellie was giving a lesson to a middle-aged woman who kept hunching over no matter how many times Ellie told her to sit up straight.

  “Poor Terri,” Lacey said. “She used to ride over fences, and she hasn’t quite gotten the hang of saddlebreds yet. But she will!”

  “Things okay at work and home?” he asked. He’d spent some time over the past couple of days watching her place for any signs of Brice, but the man hadn’t appeared at all.

  “They sure are,” she said. “Thanks again for your help. He hasn’t called me once.”

  “Be sure and tell me if he does, okay?” Because if he did, Max was making certain there were consequences.

  “I will.”

  Max left her and went back up to the house. He was still working on the walls—Ellie had picked a color from the samples he’d gotten—and he wanted to finish. He’d buffed the floors, but he was thinking about stripping and sanding them before applying a new stain.
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br />   He told himself it was so the farm would sell when it was time, but deep down he knew that wasn’t the real reason. Deep down, he wanted to please Ellie. He wanted to see her smile, and he wanted to ease some of her worry.

  Except he was one of the big causes of her worry, wasn’t he? Son of a bitch, nothing about this whole mess was easy. Had his dad known what he would find here? Or had he only hoped that Max would show up, meet Ellie, and want to help her out?

  His dad hadn’t talked a lot to him about being a SEAL. But he’d been proud. He’d said those words once when Max had been on leave. He’d been visiting California when his father called and asked him to go for a drink. They’d met at a bar that night, and his dad had ordered his favorite drink. Bushmills 21. Max preferred a good beer, but what the hell, he’d ordered one too.

  The whiskey was smooth and strong, and he remembered thinking about how much it cost and how the guys he worked with wouldn’t waste that much money on a single drink.

  The meeting hadn’t lasted long. Only long enough for the whiskey to disappear. Once that was gone, his dad had looked at his watch, said he had a meeting, shook Max’s hand, and left. Typical Dad, always running to the next deal, the next big score.

  But he’d said one thing that had stuck with Max.

  “I’m proud of you, son. Of the man you’ve become. It takes more guts than I’ve ever possessed to do what you’re doing. Keep protecting the world and making it a safer place—but protect yourself as well. When you decide you’re done, I’ll always have a place for you.”

  But Max had never been done. Not really. He didn’t think he’d ever be done—except, in the dark of the night since he’d come to Kentucky, there was something about the quiet of the farm and the peacefulness of horses in the field. And something about the woman who worked her ass off to keep it all together.

  He rubbed the back of his arm across his forehead to keep the sweat from dripping into his eyes and surveyed the walls. They were about as even as possible for old plaster walls, and they shone with new cream paint.

  He dropped the roller onto the tray and stepped back. His first thought was to go get Ellie and show her. His second thought was that he needed to take a mental step back from the churning thoughts in his brain and try to gain some clarity.

  He thought about calling Knox again—but Knox was happily in love and not about to understand Max’s misgivings about Ellie and the farm. Instead, he decided to call James.

  James was the oldest, and unlike the majority of their brothers, James wasn’t going to let a woman change his life. Max, James, and Finn. They were the only sensible brothers left.

  Max could use some sensible advice right now.

  12

  Ellie managed to get a quick nap in the afternoon, then it was back to the barn for more work. She didn’t see Max when she went up to the house, though she smelled paint. His truck was gone, and she figured he’d had to go get more supplies. He’d been painting the room, and he’d managed to unstick the windows. She hoped, selfishly, he’d unstick them all before too long.

  By the time she finished at the barn for the day, his truck was once more parked in the driveway beside hers. Her heart tapped a little faster as she walked up to the house. He was sitting on the back porch, which she discovered as she started up the steps and he spoke, making her jump.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s okay. I was kind of lost in my thoughts.”

  “How’s the baby?”

  She took the seat beside him and sank onto the cushions. The sun shone on the bluegrass, and she sighed with happiness.

  “He’s perfectly fine. The vet says he’s strong and healthy. No anemia.”

  “That’s good.”

  “It is.” She tilted her head as she looked at him. “What have you been up to today?”

  “Painting.”

  “I thought I smelled paint.”

  “Want to see?” He got up and held out a hand.

  She put her hand in his and let him help her up. “Definitely.”

  She wished he’d keep holding her hand as they walked through the door and into the house, but he didn’t. He led the way, and when he stepped into the room and turned back to her, she had an image of him always leading her to this bedroom and then turning to catch her as she walked into his arms.

  Stop that.

  She crossed her arms as she stepped inside and turned around to look at the walls. “Wow. What a difference this makes.”

  “You should see it during the day when it’s brighter.”

  “I’m amazed.”

  “You picked the color.”

  “Yes, but you sanded and patched the plaster.” Tears pricked her eyes. “I never thought this room could be elegant, but I think it could.”

  “Build a bathroom and it could be a hell of a master suite.”

  “I think you’re right. Maybe someday.”

  She knew he heard what she didn’t say. Someday, if she owned the farm and had the money.

  He came over and stood before her, and her pulse skipped. She wanted to reach up and skim her fingers along his jaw, but she wouldn’t do it. He confused her and aroused her, and she didn’t quite know how to behave around him anymore. God, had he really only been here a few days? It felt like he’d been in her life forever.

  “Ellie, I need to see the books. I need to know what you’re taking in and what the expenses are.”

  She swallowed as her throat knotted tight. Well, that wasn’t what she’d expected. But of course it was his right to see the finances for the farm he owned. He wasn’t going to be lenient or generous, and she needed to remember that. This was about business, no matter that there was clearly an attraction between them too.

  “Well then, I guess you should come to the office.” Her voice sounded stilted, and she knew she wasn’t hiding her emotions very well.

  Max frowned. “I’m not trying to hurt you. I want to help. I want to do what’s best for us both.”

  “Of course. I understand.” She turned to go before she did something ridiculous like cry—and it was ridiculous, but she was tired and worn out and her emotions boiled right beneath the surface. She couldn’t blame him for what he wanted, just as she couldn’t blame herself for her own dreams. They were both caught in the middle, and there was no easy way out for either of them.

  He caught her and spun her around again and she gasped. He held her by the shoulders, gently but firmly. There was something in his gaze, something hard and fierce and protective, and she had the strongest urge to melt into him and let him take care of everything.

  But that’s not what she did. She was a fighter, and she didn’t give up. Not ever.

  “You don’t believe me, do you? After everything, you think I’m going to rip the rug out from under you.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth, and her insides sizzled with awareness. “I called my oldest brother. He’s a businessman, the kind of guy who sizes everything up based on dollar signs and how much money he stands to gain. He told me to take an inventory and put the place on the market—with or without your permission—because once you see the amount of the check you stand to gain, you won’t refuse to sign the papers when we have a buyer on the hook.”

  She snorted, but he put a finger over her lips before she could speak.

  “I told him he didn’t know you if he thought that was going to work. That I’ve never seen a more determined or stubborn woman in my life.”

  He pulled his finger away from her mouth, and she blinked in confusion. “You aren’t planning to follow his advice?”

  “No, I’m not. I want to see the books because I own the place and I have the right to know what’s going on here. Yes, I want to sell it—but I want your agreement that it’s the best thing to do.”

  She felt the tension in her body leaching away. For the moment, anyway. “Then come to the office and I’ll show you.”

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sp; “It can wait until you’re rested. You look like you’re about to fall asleep where you stand.”

  “I’m fine.” She sighed. “Just let me go up and take a quick shower, and then I’ll show you.”

  He let her go. “If that’s what you want.”

  Without him holding her up, she did feel as if she might crumple to the floor and sleep for the next few hours.

  “Just give me a few minutes.” She started for the door, then turned back as if she’d forgotten something. “Thanks for all the hard work in here. It looks amazing. Almost as if you should be fixing up houses instead of fighting wars.”

  He frowned, a quick movement of his brows that transformed his whole face. It was over as fast as it happened and his expression was smooth. “You’re welcome, Ellie.”

  What the hell had he been thinking? Max ran a hand over his head and blew out a breath. He should have worked up to the books in a different way, but it had been on his mind a lot lately. And even more so since he’d talked to James.

  He could still hear James’s voice in his head, telling him to put the place on the market anyway. That’s what James was going to do with the winery he’d inherited. In fact, he’d recently let it be known through his contacts that he was taking offers on the place.

  Max was surprised he hadn’t sold the winery before now, but of course James was so busy managing all his many investments that a tiny Italian winery hadn’t commanded much of his attention. Still, he would sell it without regret and move on to the next thing on his list.

  Max knew that James’s advice was sound—but he couldn’t do that to Ellie. If he put the farm on the market and got an offer without her knowledge, she’d certainly never speak to him again.

  He wished he was capable of not caring about that, but dammit, he did care. His mistake had been in staying once he came to check the place out. He snorted. It was almost as if Dad had known what would happen when he’d inserted that clause in the contract where Max had to visit the farm. If Max hadn’t stayed, if he’d taken a look around, demanded to see the books, found out what he was dealing with, he could have then done precisely what James told him to do.