Diamonds and Spurs [The Callens 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

Forcing her mind on washing and not daydreaming, she finished quickly. Once she dried and dressed, she felt human once more. When she stepped into the main room, Lilly and Trinity quieted.

Mandy waved a hand. “Don’t stop on my account.”

“We were wondering if when you went to Vince’s house you met his roommate?”

Why would they ask? “Yes.”

Lilly crossed her arms and rubbed her shoulders as if she was picturing Cam caressing her. “What did you think?”

She shrugged. “He seemed nice. Perhaps distant would be a better word.”

“Did he tell you what happened to him?”

“No. We were in the same room for maybe five minutes. What happened?” Perhaps she could shed some light on his odd behavior.

Trinity giggled, a sound reserved for someone much younger. Trinity had to be close to forty.

“His fiancée dumped him. Stole a lot of his money, too.”

Lilly waved a hand. “Not to defend her, but he gave her a credit card and carte blanche. She used it a lot then never came back.”

The anger she’d held evaporated. “That’s terrible. When did this happen?”

“Maybe a month ago.”

No wonder he was in a foul mood. “How did you two hear about it?”

Lilly sat up. “Everyone on the ranch was talking about it. Sharon, that’s her name, came around here on occasion whenever Sam had a get-together. She was beautiful and very high society.”

“I would have thought she’d be more interested in a Callen.”

“She dated Vince, too,” Trinity said.

“Wow. Does everyone know what goes on around here?”

The women exchanged glances. “Pretty much.”

All the more reason to keep her nose clean. “Cam mentioned something about a birthday party for Sam’s little girl.”

“Yup. Saturday,” Trinity said. “I went last year. It was quite the affair. It should be bigger this time. I swear those Callens keep reproducing.”

At the mention of having children, her heart splintered. Two years ago, Craig came home and announced he’d had a vasectomy, probably to put an end to her harping on him to have children. She should have left him then.

Lilly and Trinity seemed to know a lot about Vince and Cam, but if she expressed too much interest, it would definitely get back to the men. Right now, she needed to focus on keeping this job.

* * * *

Cam parked his Jeep and jumped out. “What should I say to her?” He’d been such a jerk.

Vince had been right. The moment he cast his eyes on Mandy, he’d immediately thought of Sharon and her traitorous ways. To make things worse, he’d grilled like she was some criminal come to steal from them.

“How about the truth?” Vince leaned in the back and grabbed the two birthday presents for Juliette.

“I’m not good with expressing my feelings.”

Vince laughed. “That’s an understatement.”

“That’s what makes me a good lawyer. I’m analytical. Factual.”

Vince slapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not so sure about that. From my perspective, when the right woman is underneath you, you’re a passionate guy.”

Cam moved out of his reach. “Let’s table this.”

Vince laughed. They neared the party, and Cam kept a lookout for Mandy. The sooner he apologized, the sooner he could enjoy himself.

Sam waddled close to them. She claimed she was only six months pregnant, but to him she looked ready to pop.

He gave her a hug. “Hey there, beautiful.”

“How are two of my favorite men?”

Vince kissed her cheek. “Can’t complain.” He held up the presents. “Where do you want them?”

“There’s a table out back near the pool. Party’s already in full swing. Go enjoy yourself.”

Vince winked. “We plan to.”

They walked around the outside of the house and followed the crowd noise. They passed groups of people. Some were sitting under the tents, others were conversing closer to the pool, and still others were wandering around, ostensibly to look at the newly renovated barn.

At least three ponies led by the staff were in the corral. The children on the ponies were either staff kids or the children of their acquaintances. At three, Juliette was too young to ride.

Cam estimated close to two hundred people were present.

They headed toward the present table near the pool. He’d brought his suit with him, but given the number of kids and parents there, he wasn’t sure if there’d even be room in the water.

Vince nudged him. “There she is. Go talk with her.”

His heart jacked. Mandy was sandwiched between Trinity and Lilly. As he approached, Vince’s older brother, Daniel, zeroed in on her.
Christ
. He didn’t need another Callen horning in on her.

“Distract your brother. I don’t need the competition.”

“So now you admit you’re sweet on her?”

Cam shot him his best glare. “I need to apologize.”

“Sure.”

Vince strolled toward his brother. “Hey, Daniel.”

Vince’s brother stopped his beeline to the girls and waited for Vince to catch up. Now it was his chance. He waved to Mandy to get her attention. She looked up, and he gave her his best smile. She immediately turned away.
Shit
. His apology would be harder than he expected.

Mandy placed a hand on Lilly’s shoulder then walked to the deep end of the pool. She dove in, executing a perfect dive, and made little splash. He admired her athleticism. Sharon had shunned getting wet, saying it messed with her hair.

Time to change. He ducked into the pool house, entering in the men’s half. A row of lockers lined one wall. No one was there, and after changing, he stuffed his clothes in the last locker on the right.

He didn’t want to make it too obvious he planned to approach Mandy, so he stepped into the shallow end. He ducked under the refreshing water. Now he was glad he’d brought his suit. Two kids he didn’t recognize did cannonballs next to him, getting water in his eyes. He placed his head in the water and with a practiced stroke swam to the other end, pretending he was in the pool to exercise.

Mandy was in the deep end treading water when he looked up to take a breath. Her gaze was focused on him. So much for being casual and pretending he happened to run into her. In two strokes, he pulled up inches from her.

She reached back to grab the wall. When she half turned, looking as if she wanted to get out, he placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on the edge of the pool.

“I want to apologize.”

Her chin tucked in. “For what?”

“I was rather rude the other day. I don’t normally grill people.”

“I understand.” Her gaze was on anything but him.

He’d rehearsed the conversation a hundred times, but in none of the scenarios had the apology gone this way. “What do you understand?” He held up a hand. “Forget I said that. I’m used to facing a jury and questions just pop out of my mouth.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re a lawyer?”

Her tone was more than tinged with disgust. “I take it you find lawyers despicable?”

Her lips turned up. “Now I’m the one who should apologize. Like you, I just got out of a sticky relationship. I’m gun shy.”

Her admission formed an invisible bond between them. “Divorced, I hope?”

Her eyes turned dark as if he’d uncovered a deep secret.

“How did—”

He lifted her hand and ran his thumb over her ring finger. “Tan line.” He should have let go immediately, but the thrill of touching her ran deep.

As if she wasn’t in a hurry to break the connection, she eased her hand from his grasp. “You have a good eye.”

“The Callens hire me to do background checks on all the employees.” Her fingers clutched the edge of the pool. “I didn’t dig very deep. You came out clean. If you hadn’t, Sam wouldn’t have hired you.”

Her chest deflated. Vince had been right. She was hiding something. He doubted it would have an impact on the Callen family, but it gave him an excuse to get to know her better. “We got off to a bad start. I’d like to make it up to you.”

Her glance shot over his shoulder then back at him. “That’s not necessary. No harm, no foul.”

His ego shot to full alert. He was as rich as Vince. Women didn’t turn him down. “I want to.” He spoke the truth. “It’s not part of the apology. We’ll do whatever you want.”

A sparkle came to her eyes. She drew in her bottom lip, and his cock responded.

“How about teaching me to shoot a rifle?”

A low laugh started in his belly and rumbled up his chest. “Never saw that coming.”

She shrugged. “I figure out here a person needs to have good aim. What with bears, wolves, and snakes, I don’t want to be caught without protection.”

Boy, had he misjudged her. “You aren’t the type to be looking for trouble, are you?” Intrigue didn’t need any more sport hunters.

“No, but if I’m to take women on the trail, I want to be able to protect them.”

“You do know Sam always has a man escort the women for that purpose?”

“Yes, but what if he goes down? I can be the backup.”

He couldn’t wait to tell Vince about this little vixen. “You’ve got yourself a date.”

Cam wasn’t sure this was such a good idea, but a promise was a promise. He owned a lot of different kinds of rifles, but he decided the lever-action Winchester would best fit her. She stood about five foot six inches and had wider shoulders than hips. Her athleticism would help with her stance.

Because he wanted to make sure her bullets wouldn’t hit anything but the intended target, he brought her to his and Vince’s house. Other than scrub, only a line of trees existed far from the rifle’s range.

“Have you ever used a weapon before?”

She’d arrived in faded jeans and a tank top. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked like the girl next door. Not that he wanted to compare the women, but Sharon would never hold a rifle and she certainly wouldn’t have gone out in public without eye shadow and lipstick, both of which seem to be missing on Mandy. He had to say, she looked adorable. His cock twitched and he gritted his teeth.

“In high school, my dad took me to an indoor firing range a few times. I’ve used a twenty-two, and once I shot my dad’s Magnum .357.”

“How did that go for you?”

“I decided I was a much better horseman than a shooter.”

He laughed at her honest appraisal of her skills. “I’ve set some cans on the fence, but before you try your hand, we need to go over a few ground rules.”

She raised her gaze upward and smiled. “Such as always treat a firearm like it’s loaded and don’t aim it at anything other than the target?” Her chin notched up.

He nodded. “I see your dad trained you well.”

“For handguns. I figure out here, I’d need a rifle.”

“Good thinking.”

He showed her how to load the bullets and cock the gun. “I’m going to have you use a bladed-off stance. You right handed?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll demonstrate. Hold it like this.” He centered the buttstock of the rifle on his upper chest. His left shoulder jutted forward as he reached to hold the forestock. “Don’t put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.” He handed her the rifle.

“You first. Shoot some of the cans.”

He cocked a brow. “You want to see if I’m even competent enough to be a teacher?”

She stepped back and chuckled. “Caught me.”

He liked that about her. Mandy seemed open, but he’d bet she wouldn’t be forthcoming about her past.

“Fine.” Cam placed his cheek firmly into the stock, aimed carefully, and pulled the trigger. A second later, he moved the barrel to the next target and shot. He left one can standing for her to aim at.

The
ping
of hitting the cans was his reward.

Mandy clapped. “Wow. You’re good.”

He swallowed a smile. “You don’t have to act surprised.”

She grinned and held out her hands for the rifle. She placed the buttstock on her shoulder.

“Wait a minute.” He moved behind her and placed his back against hers. “The recoil will tear up your shoulder if you place it there.” He bent his knees to simulate her height, wrapped his arms around her, and repositioned the rifle on her upper chest. He stepped back and cleared his throat. His intent had not been to cop a feel.

Liar
.

Her hand supporting the forestock was too far forward. Once more he helped her into position. “Hold on.” He was losing his mind. “Ear protectors. I don’t want Crystal to ask you to do something and you can’t hear.”

She tilted her head and looked way too cute. Cam pulled two sets out of his backpack and placed a pair on her head so as not to disturb her hand position. He nodded and stepped back.

Her stance widened and she leaned forward a little as if that extra inch would make her shot more accurate. Her butt stuck out, and his cock went wild. He shut his eyes and tried to calm his libido. Maybe Sharon had done a number on him more than he was willing to admit. Or else it was the lack of sex in the last month that had him hornier than a stud in heat.