Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Phoebe was certain it was still dark when Max’s alarm went off in her ear. She didn’t have much time to worry about it because he rolled right over her, stuck out his arm, and shut it off.

“Sorry.” His voice was gravelly in the morning. “I forgot you were here.”

As he was basically lying on top of her, she just stared up at him, especially when he seemed in no hurry to move.

“Am I squashing you?” Max asked.

“A bit.”

“Do you like it?”

She didn’t bother to reply to that, and he grinned.

“Do you want to get up and help with the barn chores or sleep longer?”

“I’ll get up,” Phoebe said. “I’m awake now.”

“Jet lag will do that to you.”

He finally moved away from her, switched on the lamp, and sat on the edge of the bed to put on his watch, confirming Phoebe’s suspicions that he slept almost naked. He had at least three tattoos, including one that disappeared beneath the waistband of his boxers. She could also see the wounds of past battles on his back and surgery scars on his left shoulder.

She clenched her fist in an effort not to reach out and touch him. He glanced over his shoulder and paused.

“Are you admiring my ass or my tats?”

“They are both very nice,” Phoebe said. “Do I have to choose?”

He grinned. “Now you’re being funny. I guess you’re one of those morning people I’ve heard about.”

“I do love mornings,” Phoebe agreed, averting her gaze as Max stood and went over to put on his robe. “So many possibilities.”

“I like your spirit.” Max tied the sash on his robe. “Normally I’d run down the hall naked to the bathroom, but I’ll spare you this morning,”

“Isn’t it a little chilly for that?”

“I don’t really notice the cold.” He walked to the door. “I’ll take a shower when I come back, so I’ll be quick. I’ll start some coffee in the kitchen and meet you out in the barn.”

Five minutes later, he knocked briskly on the door to tell her the bathroom was free. She could hear him whistling as he headed down the hallway, which made her want to smile. He might have left the military, but like most people who’d been institutionalized, he was remarkably efficient.

Having grown up in freezing cold dormitories at boarding schools with limited hot water, she was fairly immune to the cold herself. After grabbing a fresh jumper and a pair of clean knickers from her suitcase she used the bathroom, put on her jeans and thickest socks, and went to the kitchen where Jen was making something in the microwave.

“Morning, Phoebe,” Jen said. “Meet Sky.”

There was a small child in a highchair at the table who was regarding her with great interest. He looked nothing like Jen or Noah since he was blond and blue-eyed, but when he smiled, he was all his mother.

Sky pointed his spoon inquiringly at Phoebe.

“This is Phoebe,” Jen said as she handed him a cup of milk. “She’s a friend of Uncle Max’s.”

Sky nodded as if his mom made perfect sense and tried out the new word. “Feezies.”

“Perfect.” Phoebe smiled at him. “Nice to meet you, Sky.”

Jen offered her a mug. “I made you hot tea.”

“Gosh, thank you,” Phoebe inhaled the glorious scent of black tea and milk. “I fear I’m addicted. I even travel with my own tea bags.”

“I’ve heard that from a lot of Brits,” Jen said. “There’s a whole box of the stuff in the pantry, so please help yourself.” Jen added milk to cool down the bowl of oatmeal along with some berries and placed it on the tray in front of Sky. “If you want something to eat now, there’s bread, cereal, and oatmeal, or you can wait and have a proper breakfast when you come back from the barn.”

“I think I’ll wait.” Phoebe blew on her tea to cool it down. “My stomach isn’t sure what time it is yet.”

“I know that feeling.” Jen checked Sky was eating the oatmeal rather than wearing it. “I used to travel through so many time zones that sometimes it felt like I was moving backward in slow motion.”

“When was that?” Phoebe asked.

“When I worked on the USNS medical ships as a midwife.” Jen smiled. “I’ve just completed my last tour, and I’ve started working with Sally at the medical clinic in town instead.”

“What an interesting career,” Phoebe said.

“I’ll bore your ear off about it whenever you like.” Jen grinned at her. “As long as you tell me how the heck you persuaded Max to get married.”

Phoebe set her mug in the sink. “It’s a deal. Thank you for the tea”

“You’re welcome.” Jen hesitated. “And I’m really glad you’re here. Max needs some stability in his life.”

Phoebe debated telling Jen exactly why she’d chased Max down and decided against it. If she wasn’t going to be at the ranch for long, there was no point in making unnecessary waves and everyone was being so kind.

She put on her borrowed wellies, zipped up her ski jacket and went outside, gasping as the icy air sliced through her lungs. It was far colder than it looked, and she wished she’d put on her thermal underwear. She found her gloves and her knitted hat in her pockets and put them on against the chill blowing down the hillside.

The lights were on in the barn, and she could already hear the cheery banter of Max and his friends as they did their morning chores. She paused at the doorway to take off her gloves. Should she really be here?

“Hey, beautiful,” Max stepped out of a stall and came toward her. He wore a thick, fleece-lined jacket, jeans, and beaten-up cowboy boots and looked good enough to eat. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”

“I said I would,” Phoebe met his amused gaze. “But I’m not sure you actually need me.”

“I always need you.” He took her hand, his fingers warm around hers.

Phoebe sighed. “Are you ever serious?”

“Sometimes. When things are important to me—otherwise I’m a complete pain in the ass.”

“I can confirm that.” Luke came up behind him. He was dressed almost identically to Max except he had a beanie on his head rather than a cowboy hat. “He drives us all nuts. Morning, Phoebe.”

“Good morning, Luke,” Phoebe said. “How may I help?”

“We’re turning the barn horses out into the pasture this morning, so if you’re up to supervising that it would give us more time to shovel shit.”

“Nice, boss,” Max said. “Mind your language.”

“I’m not offended,” Phoebe hastily intervened as Max frowned at Luke. “I’ve heard far worse.”

“Probably from Max,” Noah’s deep voice said from one of the stalls where he leaned on the door and joined the discussion.

“He’s always behaved like the perfect gentleman toward me,” Phoebe said. “My brother swears far more and even Grandmother has been known to say ‘bugger’ occasionally.”

All three men were now smiling, and Phoebe frowned. “Did I say something amusing?”

Max wrapped his arm around her and gave her a hug. “Nah, we’re just appreciating you.” He turned her slightly away from the others. “Are you okay leading the horses out? They can be skittish first thing in the morning.”

“I know how they feel,” Phoebe muttered as she put her gloves back on. “I’d be delighted to deal with the horses. Show me where to start.”

An hour later, she followed the men back up to the house and almost groaned with delight when the succulent smell of bacon wafted out from the kitchen. She hung her coat in the mudroom and stepped out of her boots. Warmth surrounded her like a blanket, and she pressed a hand to her cold cheek as she went through to the kitchen.

A stack of pancakes, a pan of eggs, and the biggest pile of bacon she’d ever seen sat in the middle of the table. Everything looked delicious. Her stomach growled and Jen handed her a plate.

“Get in there fast, Phoebe, or else the guys will eat it all.”

“Surely not all of it.” Even as she objected, Phoebe was doing as suggested. She hadn’t survived eleven years at boarding school by being shy. “There’s enough to feed an army.”

“Or three cowboys, and a lady,” Max said right behind her. “We get through a lot of work and a ton of calories.”

Phoebe helped herself to two eggs, three pieces of bacon, and two pancakes, and sat down to eat. Max had at least twice what she had and Noah, who admittedly had a large frame, took even more. There was little to no conversation as everyone focused on the food.

Eventually Luke sat back. “Thanks for cooking, Jen.”

“You’re welcome.” Jen brought coffee over for the guys and tea for Phoebe. “I’m heading out soon. Sally’s already at the clinic.”

“Is Sky still asleep?” Noah asked.

“He went for a nap after having his breakfast seeing as he was awake half the night, but he’ll be up soon.” Jen put her hand on Noah’s shoulder. “Are you okay to get him up and keep him busy until I get back around noon?”

“Absolutely.” Noah reached back and covered her hand with his own. “We might go into town and pick up the mail.”

“You should take Phoebe,” Jen said. “I bet she’d enjoy it.”

Noah looked over at Phoebe who tried not to shrink down in her chair.

“Would you like to come to town with us?”

“That would be lovely, unless Max needs me for something.” Phoebe turned inquiringly toward Max who was drinking his coffee.

“You should go. I owe these guys a couple of weeks of back chores so I’m going to be busy.”

Phoebe was beginning to wonder whether Max really wanted to have a conversation with her about their current situation. She’d have to contrive a way to get him alone before she left to visit the town.

“Good,” Noah nodded. “I’ll give you an update on our departure time once I’ve dealt with Sky.”

* * *

Phoebe loitered in the bedroom until Max came in from his shower.

“Hey.” He smiled at her. “Aren’t you going out?”

“Not for a little while. Plenty of time for us to have a chat before I leave.” She sat on the bed and looked up at him. “We do have quite a lot to discuss.”

He raised his arm and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, making the knot in the towel wrapped around his hips loosen slightly. As it was on her eye level Phoebe couldn’t miss it.

“Could you possibly put some clothes on first?”

“Sure, I could, but do you really want me to?”

She determinedly raised her gaze to his face. “Yes, please.”

“Okay, boss.”

He dropped the towel and went past her, humming under his breath as he searched the drawers for clean boxers, a long-sleeved T-shirt and then pulled on his jeans and zip up, fleece jacket. Phoebe slowly let out her breath and unclenched her fingers from the bed sheets. It really wasn’t fair how attractive he was and how he made her feel without even trying.

“Okay.” Max sat on the bed beside her. “Shoot.”

“Originally, we agreed to stay married for as long as it took me to solve my legal issues.”

Max nodded. “And then I went AWOL, and you didn’t get the chance to divorce me. Although, I assumed that once you knew I was in the military, you’d establish contact and do everything by mail.”

“But I didn’t know if I could contact you,” Phoebe pointed out. “There was nothing in the paperwork to indicate that I could do so, or how to do it.”

Max frowned. “I’m pretty sure there should have been something.”

“Well, if there was, I didn’t receive it, and to be honest, Max,” Phoebe continued in something of a rush. “I was wrong to assume our marriage would fix all my legal issues.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Keep going.”

“It solved one part of the problem, because my father thought marriage was a stabilizing influence on me.” She shrugged. “He was very old-fashioned in that respect, but his solicitors insisted that it wasn’t sufficient to break the whole entail in my grandfather’s will.”

“What’s an entail?” Max asked.

“It’s an old-fashioned provision in a will that tries to ensure that property or money stays within a family.”

“Okay.”

“It’s possible to break an entail these days, but all the family members have to agree,” Phoebe added.

“And your father wasn’t having it.”

Phoebe nodded. “Originally, that’s how matters stood, yes.”

“So, you’re saying you didn’t immediately seek the divorce because you needed to stay married to sort out this entail thing, and not just because you couldn’t find me?”

“It was a bit of both, really.” She met his blue gaze head-on. “I truly wasn’t sure how to contact you, or whether you even wanted to hear from me, and I needed time to work out how I could fulfill the conditions of the will and persuade my family to honor it.”

“I feel so used.” Max pressed his hand to his heart.

Phoebe gave him a severe look. “You had my address. Don’t forget that you could’ve contacted me at any point to discuss matters or divorce me.”

“I was busy,” Max pointed out, “trying not to get killed.”

“Oh.” Phoebe pressed her lips together because he was right. How on earth could she compete with that. “I’m so sorry.”

Max grimaced. “Don’t be. It was my choice to enlist, and I shouldn’t have used it as an excuse to stop the conversation in its tracks.” He reached for her hand. “Keep talking.”

“I should remember that my silly little problems aren’t the center of everyone else’s world,” Phoebe confessed. “You did me a huge favor in Reno. The onus was rightly on me to deal with the divorce, and I let you down.”

He reached over and took her hand. “If we’re going for honesty here, I’ll admit that a lot of the time I completely forgot I was married, so don’t think I was worrying about us every day. I wouldn’t have been able to do my job if I wasn’t one hundred percent focused.”

She squeezed his fingers, and for a moment, they just looked at each other before Max cleared his throat.

“So, what’s changed?”

Phoebe eased her hand free. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Max grinned. “You’d be a terrible poker player, Feebs. Why did you finally chase me down?”

“Because my father died.”

His expression immediately sobered. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“He had pancreatic cancer, and after several years of treatment, he finally ran out of options.” Phoebe tried to keep her voice from trembling. “I basically put my life on hold to take care of him since my mother died five years ago.”

“That sucks,” Max said.

“It was horrible watching him waste away and not being able to do a thing about it.” Phoebe swallowed hard. “My siblings were present, but because they have full-time jobs, I volunteered to take on the responsibility of caring for Father. Not that I regret it. He was a wonderful man, and he deserved the best care in the world.”

“Aww . . . Feebs.”

Max moved so suddenly, she was wrapped in his arms before she’d taken another breath. She rested her cheek against his chest and let him hold her for a glorious moment. His heart thumped reassuringly against her ear, and she breathed in the scent of fresh laundry with an undercurrent of leather and the outdoors that she was coming to recognize was uniquely Max.

“I’m sorry.” She tried to draw back, but he didn’t let go of her completely. “I still get emotional about him. I know it doesn’t change or fix anything.”

“You can’t help how you feel,” Max said, his voice low and comforting. “I know I’m never going back into a war zone, but sometimes my mind and body don’t believe me.”

She gazed into his blue eyes, aware of the swirling undercurrents beneath his wisecracking exterior.

“I think being here surrounded by the quiet and the people who love you will help the past fade away.”

“I hope you’re right.” Max turned his head until his mouth brushed her fingers. “Can I kiss you, Feebs?”

“What does that have to do with anything we’re talking about?”

“Maybe I think we both need a break from the hard stuff.”

Mesmerized by his voice, Phoebe leaned in and set her mouth against his, her whole body tensing as he sighed her name, and carefully kissed her back. He took his time until she was the one urging him on. With a low sound, he opened his mouth and let her inside and it was glorious, and hot, and . . .

With a gasp, she threaded her fingers through his short, black hair, anchoring herself against the influx of feelings for a man she really didn’t know at all. His arm moved from around her shoulders to her waist so that she was pressed against his chest. She wanted to climb into his lap and push herself shamelessly against him.

“That’s my girl.”

Goodness, his voice was wicked. His fingers brushed her hip and she almost combusted with lust. This would never do.

“Max?”

“Hmm?”

“Can we stop for a moment?”

“Sure.” He immediately released her, which only confirmed her suspicions.

“Were you trying to distract me again?” Phoebe asked. “Because it’s really not fair.”

“It’s more fun than talking, though.”

“That’s true, but I’m trying to explain a very complicated situation, and now I’m all flustered.”

His finger brushed her cheek. “You blush like a rose.”

“Or a beetroot.” Phoebe determinedly met his gaze. “May I continue?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“After my father’s death, my brother, George became the head of the family.”

“Okay.”

“I thought he might be more amenable to breaking the legalities than my father had been, but he’s remarkably stubborn and he listens to our grandmother too much.”

“And Granny wasn’t keen on you getting your freedom?”

“She simply believes that things should be left alone, and that precedent and history are more important than ‘my feelings’.”

“Which leaves you where, exactly?” Max asked.

Phoebe took a deep breath. “As someone who needs to convince her family that her marriage isn’t a sham for a start.”

“Hold up.” Max frowned. “Why would they even think it’s a real marriage? We haven’t seen each other since our wedding day. How could anyone think we had a relationship?”

Phoebe shifted uncomfortably on the bed. “Because I might have suggested we did?”

For once, Max was the one who took a moment to form a sentence. “What did you do?”

“I might have implied that you were working abroad on long-term contracts and that you weren’t able to come to the UK and see me.”

He nodded. “Which was kind of true.”

“Yes, but I didn’t know that at first,” Phoebe said. “I suggested to my father that you were involved in some kind of hush-hush CIA type thing.”

A dimple flicked in his cheek. “Like an American James Bond?”

“Something like that. I used to pretend to fly out to undisclosed locations to see you once a year. Sometimes I only went as far as Brighton, but my family didn’t know that.”

“Phoebe . . .”

“I know!” Phoebe waved her hands in the air. “It’s ridiculous isn’t it, and now I’ve created a monster, and I don’t know quite how to deal with it—”

Max captured one of her hands and covered it with his own. “Breathe.”

Phoebe made herself meet his gaze. “When I brought up the issue of the entail in my grandfather’s will with George, my grandmother became suspicious.”

“About your fake CIA husband?” Max tutted. “What a shocker.”

“I didn’t think she’d been paying that much attention, what with my father’s death, George taking on all his responsibilities, and my sister Eugenie’s upcoming marriage. But she’s very shrewd despite her age.”

“And now she’s wondering why she’s never met your husband of four years and wants you to do what—produce him out of a hat?”

Phoebe nodded. “She wants you to attend Eugenie’s wedding so that she can get to know you better.”

Max sighed. “You’re a worse liar than me, Feebs.”

“I know, it’s horrible, isn’t it?” She bit her lip. “You must despise me.”

His eyebrows went up. “You’re kidding, right? I think you’re amazing.”

“I lied about our marriage to my family and didn’t get the divorce I promised you.” There was a catch in Phoebe’s throat. “How is that in any way honorable or amazing?”

“Because I admire a woman who can think on her feet?” He leaned in and kissed her nose. “I’m proud of you and I’d be cool to accompany you to your sister’s wedding.”

“I only started talking about you to keep my father happy when he was ill, but it got out of hand,” Phoebe confessed. “He enjoyed hearing about your daring exploits.”

“You made up stories about me?” Max looked absolutely delighted. “That’s so cool. What did I do?”

“All kinds of things,” she said. “I got the ideas from the political thrillers and spy stories in the local library.”

He burst out laughing, and she stared at him in fascination. She’d expected condemnation and anger, not enthusiastic acceptance.

“Aren’t you cross?”

“Hell no! This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” His smile dimmed as he looked at her. “I know it’s been tough for you, but come on, Feebs, it has its funny side.”

“I never thought I’d have to explain it to you, and now that I have it does seem remarkably silly,” Phoebe acknowledged.

“Okay, so if I come to England for your sister’s wedding and meet your family, what happens after that?”

“If my grandmother and George accept our marriage as valid, they have to accept the conditions of the new will my father made.” Phoebe paused. “At least, that’s the impression I got from George.”

“Who you also said might not be the sharpest knife in the box.”

“I did try and talk to Mr. Darby, the family solicitor, but he referred me to my grandmother.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Max frowned. “Maybe when we get over there, we can set things straight once and for all.”

A shout came from the kitchen. “Phoebe? Are you ready to go? I’m loading Sky into my truck.”

“That’s Noah,” Phoebe said and shot to her feet.

“Take your time. He’ll wait.” Max looked up at her.

“He reminds me of my PE teacher at school.” Phoebe brushed her hair and found her backpack. “I don’t want to end up doing extra laps of the track for being late.”

“His bark is worse than his bite.” Max stood up too and wandered over to open the door for her. “And he’s always on his best behavior when he’s around Sky.”

She paused to smile at him as she went past. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

“You’re welcome.” He winked at her. “Let me know the date of that wedding so I can square it with Luke.”

“I will.” She was already in motion, aware of the silent kitchen and the distant sound of a truck engine raring to go. “Is there anything you need in town?”

“If you go into the café, ask Bernie for my usual, will you? She knows what I like.”

With a final wave of her hand, Phoebe rushed down the hallway, through the kitchen, and into the boot room where she put on her outdoor garb. Noah was already sitting in the driver’s seat of a huge black truck and Sky was strapped into his car seat in the rear.

“Fee!” He clapped when she got in and Noah gave her a nod from behind his sunglasses.

“Don’t forget your seatbelt. The driveway isn’t paved.”

She put on her belt and settled back into the seat, aware of the shakiness in her legs, and the relief of finally unburdening herself to Max. She’d thought he’d kick her out once he knew what she’d done, but he’d seemed entranced by the idea and had offered her his full support.

She released another calming breath. Perhaps for the first time in a long while something would go right for her, and she’d finally be able to claim what was rightfully hers.