Chapter Ten
TREAT WASN’T SURPRISED when Max refused to see him. She was a prideful woman, and he knew how hard it was for her to face him even on the ride back to her car last night, but he wasn’t going to be dissuaded that easily. Embarrassing moments happened, and he wanted to be by her side for each and every flushed-cheek second, until the only thing that made her tremble was pure, unbridled passion.
He hoped the cake might ease her nerves and bring that wall she’d erected down just enough for her to realize that not making love last night was no big deal. After talking with his father, Treat was even more convinced that what he felt for Max was the real thing.
Now it was after eleven at night, and he stood at the far end of the festival parking lot, waiting under the cover of night for Max to walk through the back gates. It had been hard not calling her, but he wanted to look into her eyes, to see what she was feeling when they finally talked. His pulse raced when he saw Chaz and Max walking beneath the glow of the lighted gate. She looked gorgeous in jeans and a sweater, carrying the enormous box he’d sent. Chaz headed to his car as Max put the box on her passenger seat. Treat had the urge to run and swoop her into his arms, but he knew his sensitive bird needed careful hands.
He approached slowly as Max settled into the driver’s seat, and before she closed her door, he said, “Max,” startling her into a scream.
“Sorry. It’s me,” he said quickly.
Her hand flew to her chest as Chaz ran over.
Treat held his hands up. “Chaz, it’s me, Treat. I didn’t mean to startle her.”
“Treat? Hey, man. Sorry I couldn’t get her down here earlier. I tried.”
He watched understanding dawn on Max’s face, causing her cheeks to flame. He’d texted Chaz earlier asking if he could spare Max for an hour. But he hadn’t anticipated a scene, and the last thing he’d wanted was to cause her more embarrassment.
“That’s why you tried to get me to leave early?” Max asked.
Chaz shrugged. “Hey, Kaylie threatened to kill me if I didn’t try.”
She glared at Treat, but just as quickly as a scowl formed, her lips curved, wiping it away. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“What can I say? I was just following the bread crumbs.” He smiled at her confusion. Savannah was right after all.
Chaz turned his back and leaned closer to Treat. “The cake? Impressive and pretty friggin’ romantic. You realize you’re setting the bar pretty high for us normal guys, right?”
“When it comes to Max, nothing is romantic enough.”
“Nice,” Chaz said with an approving smile. Then he headed back to his car.
“You scared the daylights out of me,” Max said as she closed her car door.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I wanted to see you earlier, but realized that was a mistake, too. I guess I’m full of them.”
Her long lashes fluttered a little shyly. “No, you’re not. I’m sorry for sending you away. I was too embarrassed to face you.”
He stepped closer, needing to be near her, and handed her the purse she’d left in his car. “I think the best way for you to overcome embarrassment is for me to become a permanent fixture in your life.” That earned another sexy smile. “How was your day?”
“My day was spent trying to figure out how not to be embarrassed around you, while handling a hundred issues. The cake is amazingly delicious, and it’s exactly what I needed. Thank you.”
He gazed into her eyes and said, “I hope one of your solutions was not to forget us.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think forgetting us is even a possibility.”
“What do you say we take a walk? I’ll keep my hands to myself and won’t let us get caught up in any hanky-panky.”
“Hanky-panky?” She laughed. “I haven’t heard that since I was twelve.”
“Maybe you’re hanging out with the wrong crowd.” He reached for her hand, then quickly withdrew it. “I said I’d keep my hands to myself, and I already made a liar out of myself.”
“Maybe you were on the right track of how to overcome my embarrassment.” She reached for his hand and lifted his arm, snuggling in beneath it, settling all the upended pieces of him into place again.
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE chocolate cake and seeing Treat, Max had convinced herself that there was only one way to move past last night, and that was to face it head-on. Snuggling up to Treat had done the trick, but as they walked along the street toward town, the cool air carried his masculine scent, and all she could think about was kissing him again.
Oh, for Pete’s sake.
She needed to distract herself so she didn’t make a fool out of herself again. “Was Savannah upset that you left last night?”
“No, but now that you mention it, she’s probably upset with me right now. She called this morning, and I forgot to call her back. Do you mind if I just send her a quick text?”
Rather than finding fault that he hadn’t called her back, she admired his dedication to his family. “No. Go ahead.”
As he texted Savannah, his lips rose to a smile.
When she’d met Treat at the resort, he’d been professional and proper to everyone in the room. With the exception of the one misunderstanding between them, he was always a gentleman. And when he’d greeted Max, he’d kissed the back of her hand, as if she were someone special. She sensed he treated his family the same way.
“You really love your family, don’t you?”
“Sure. Don’t you?” he asked as he put his phone in his pocket.
“Yes, but I don’t have any siblings. I think those relationships are different from parental relationships.”
“I can’t imagine life without them. My mom died when I was eleven, after being sick for years, and afterward I tried to step into her shoes and take care of my four brothers and Savannah, but I never really pulled it off.”
She imagined him as a little boy, crushed by the death of his mother and trying to be strong for his siblings, and her heart opened even more. “I’m sorry about your mother. That must have been awful.”
“It was very difficult, but I have great memories of her, and I think about her often.”
“What was she like?”
He tightened his hold on her shoulder as the lights of the town came into view. “She was always there, smiling, hugging us. She loved the outdoors. My father would tell you she was stubborn, and I’m sure she was, but she had this spark of life about her…until she no longer did.”
She leaned against him, her heart aching for him. “She sounds wonderful. I wish I could have known her.”
“I think she would have adored you.” He got a faraway look in his eyes and said, “This is a little embarrassing to admit, but when she first got sick, my father bought her a horse, Hope. And now he believes he can communicate with my mother through the horse. Like she’s still around.”
The hairs on the back of Max’s neck prickled. “I’d really like to meet Hope.”
“You would?”
“Yes, very much. After my grandmother died, I felt her around for a long time. I think there’s some truth about the people we love never really leaving us. Not that I ever communicated with her after we lost her or anything. I was never that lucky, I guess. But I wouldn’t disregard what your father feels. Do you feel anything when you’re around Hope?”
“I don’t know how to answer that, because I want so badly to feel something. Sometimes I think I do, or I see a look in Hope’s eyes that makes me wonder, but that’s probably the hopeful eleven-year-old in me coming out.”
“Or maybe it’s the hopeful man trying to have faith in something other than the tangible.”
Treat pressed his lips to the side of her head as they crossed a street. He didn’t say anything, but she felt a wave of appreciation rolling off him.
“You’re lucky that you have so many siblings,” she said. “You said you helped each other through your loss?”
“Sure, as much as we could. I’m the oldest, and I’ve always tried to protect them. But I couldn’t be Mom.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t even come close. It wasn’t that I wanted to replace her. I just wanted to make it hurt less for them.”
“I’m sure they appreciated all that you were able to do,” she offered.
“You know, that’s just it. After years of hoping and praying that she’d be okay, I was so broken by her death that I really didn’t do much. I listened when they cried, told them everything would be okay. But when it was time to go away to college, I was kind of relieved to get out from under all that guilt.”
His emotions were so raw, as if he’d experienced leaving his family just yesterday instead of years earlier. Max wished they were sitting by a fireplace, or on a bench, somewhere she could crawl into his lap and comfort him.
He looked down at her, and she was drawn to the sincerity in his eyes. “I wish I’d known you then. To help you through.”
His lips curved up and he said, “How old are you, Max?”
“Twenty-eight and a half.”
He laughed. “Well, let’s see. You would have been two. I’m not sure you could have done much, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
She buried her face in his side and said, “Still.”
He tipped her face up and kissed her tenderly. Then he brushed his lips over her cheek and whispered, “Still,” and pressed another warm kiss to her lips. A minute later he said, “Everyone expected me to help my father run the ranch, and as much as I wanted to help him, it would mean reliving those memories, and that was too much for me.”
“I’m sure your family understands,” she said.
“I’ve never told them. It’s not something I’m proud of.”
There it was again, another crushing blow to her heart. How many men would admit to things they find as faults within themselves, much less something so intimate? Everything he said proved what she’d already known. Treat Braden was one of a kind.
“I’ve never told anyone that before.”
“Thank you for sharing it with me.”
“I want to share things with you, Max,” he said as they came to Main Street.
Sparkling lights shone through large storefront windows, and the sound of music filtered out of restaurant doors. Max soaked in the romantic feel of the evening, wanting to share her secrets with him, too, to tell him the rest of the story about Ryan. But even the thought of bringing such ugliness into their relationship made her feel sick. She wasn’t ready for that. Would she ever be? At least she could share the secrets that she was sure wouldn’t send her spiraling into darkness.
“I wish I had a brother to listen when I was younger. I would have done anything to have someone to confide in,” she admitted. “I still wish I did.”
He gathered her in his arms and gazed into her eyes. “Hopefully one day you’ll feel like you can confide in me.”
Oh, how she wanted to. Max’s stomach growled, and they both smiled.
“Want to grab a bite?” he asked. “I haven’t eaten all day, and you’re obviously hungry.”
“Yes, I’d like that. I’m sure existing solely on chocolate cake isn’t the best idea.”
A few minutes later they were sitting in the back of a quiet Italian restaurant. Max scanned the menu, knowing that although she was hungry, she wouldn’t be able to eat a whole meal while butterflies were tap-dancing in her stomach.
“It’s late. Would you like to share a dish instead of getting two whole meals?”
She looked up at him incredulously. The one time she’d suggested sharing a meal with Ryan, he’d looked at her like she was crazy. She’d never asked another man to share. Chalk that up to just one more thing to like about Treat.
“I’m sorry. Are you not a sharer? I forget that some people don’t like to eat off other people’s plates.”
“No. I love to share. Why don’t you choose, though. I’m no good at making food decisions.”
“Most women don’t like men to order for them, either. Seems like we’re a good match.”
His smile held so much contentedness that Max almost reached for his hand. But after what happened last night, she wasn’t taking any chances. First I’ll reach for your hand, then your shirt, your pants…
She felt her cheeks flush and tried to stifle the smile tugging at her lips as Treat reached over and placed his hand over hers, taking the worry off her plate.