Lovers at Heart (12 page)

“Max! Hi!”

Left with no choice short of restarting the car and backing out of the driveway, she opened her door.

“Hi. Savannah, right?”
What am I doing here?

Four of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen were heading in her direction, each one more striking than the next. Behind them followed an older clone of Treat.
OhGodOhGodOhGod
.

“Yeah. We met at the festival.” Savannah waved at the dark-haired men.

Do they run a modeling agency here?
GQ
headquarters?
She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the car window and quickly took her hair out of her ponytail and shook it free.

“What are you doing here?” Before Max could answer, Savannah said to the others, “This is Max. Treat’s Max.”

One of the men stepped forward. “Hi, Dane,” the man said.

Dane? The one who slept with Treat’s girlfriend?
Max already didn’t care for him.

“We’re Treat’s brothers,” he said.

You mean
GQ
genes run in the entire family?

“This is Rex, Hugh, and Josh.” Each of the men stepped forward and shook her hand with a ready smile that lit up their handsome faces. Even with their good looks and fine physiques, none of them struck the same fluttery chord in her heart as Treat had.
Where is he?

The older man stepped forward. “Max, it’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear. Welcome to the Braden ranch.” He stepped forward and embraced her.

“Oh, um…” She put her arms around him, feeling awkward and strangely comforted at the same time.

“We were just going to barbeque. I hope you’ll join us,” Hal said.

He put his arm around her and guided her toward the backyard before she could say a word. She didn’t miss the coy smiles and nods from the others as she was shuttled away. She wondered where Treat was.

“Thank you, sir. I actually—”

“Hal. There are no sirs on the Braden ranch unless you’re here to piss one of us off.” He smiled and continued walking toward the backyard, as if Max was an invited guest.

“Thank you. Hal, I actually came to see Treat. Is he here?”

Josh, with his tightly shorn hair and slimmer build, wearing slacks and a polo shirt, tended to the barbeque pit with jeans-clad Dane, whose dark eyes danced with mischief and curiosity as he snuck peeks at Max.

“Treat was called away,” Hal said.

“Called away?” she asked. “Do you know when he’ll be back? I could come back later.”

Hal was already on his way to Josh’s side. He slung an arm around his son’s shoulder in an easy, comfortable fashion. Max watched Savannah set another plate at the table as Hugh headed back inside and reappeared a minute later with a beer in his hand.

“Did you get one for our guest?” Savannah asked with a nip of irritation.

“No, really—” Max interrupted, but Hugh was already on his way back inside.

He came back with an ice-cold beer. “Here you are, Max.”

“Thank you, but I really shouldn’t stay,” she said.

“Nonsense. You don’t have to eat if you’re not hungry,” Hal said just as her stomach growled. “But then again…”

Why do I keep forgetting to eat?

The family moved so quickly that Max was a little overwhelmed, which was not a feeling she experienced often. She should be helping, organizing, doing something other than standing around with her jaw hanging open; instead she was letting them guide her from one place to the next. Hell, she should be running for her car. She had no business being at Treat’s father’s house.
Especially without him
.

Before she had a chance to make her feet and mind work in unison and escape the backyard, she had a plate full of food and was laughing at a joke Dane had made.

“How did you and Treat meet?” Josh asked.

“I can answer that,” Dane said.

“Let the lady speak,” Josh said.

Hugh reached across the table in front of Max. She leaned back, giving him room to retrieve the condiments. It struck her how different each of Treat’s brothers were. Treat had impeccable manners, and he’d never sneak peeks at anyone—at least she couldn’t imagine him doing so.

Savannah narrowed her eyes at Hugh, and after a moment of confusion, he finally took the hint.

“Excuse me,” Hugh said, withdrawing his arm.

Max raised an eyebrow at the way Savannah jumped in just as a mother might have done. She loved watching Treat’s family in action. It was so different from her own family’s silent meals. “That’s okay,” she said with a smile.

“Max?” Josh asked again.

She’d been surveying the family so intently that she’d forgotten that Josh had asked her a question. “Oh, sorry. We met at a friend’s wedding.”
I could just bolt. Not say a word and take off running for my car.

“Cousin Blake’s wedding. Remember? You were all too busy to attend.” Dane glared at Hugh.

“What? I had an award ceremony.” Hugh lifted his palms toward the air as he explained. He was much more demonstrative than his brothers were. Max watched his eyebrows draw together, as if he didn’t understand what the issue was.

“Don’t you always?” Dane said.

“Oh, please. You ran off to some shark-infested area and missed it, too.” Josh folded his napkin in his lap, crossed one ankle over the other leg, and leaned back in his chair.

“At least I made an appearance first, which is more than I can say for any of you,” Dane said with a smirk.

Max enjoyed the playful banter and couldn’t help but wonder what it must be like to have that many siblings—that many people who would be there for her. Dane was as quippy as Hugh was clueless to what she was sure his siblings saw as his self-centeredness.

“We were supporting Hugh,” Savannah explained.

“Right, for his five minutes of fame that he gets every couple of months. How long has it been since you’ve seen Blake? You know, he spent a lot of time with us when we were younger, and you get married only once.” Dane lifted his chin at Hugh, as if to say,
Top that!

“As far as I can tell, none of my lovely brothers are walking down the aisle anytime soon. Once, twice, or whatever.” Savannah buttered a piece of bread and took a bite.

“Max, have you ever been married?” Hugh asked.

She was about to take a drink and stopped midair, bottle in hand.

“Hugh.” All it took was one word and a harsh glare from Hal for everyone at the table to understand that that line of questioning was off-limits—including Max.

“What about you? You’re so busy with Connor Dean.” Josh said Connor’s name in a singsong voice, and Savannah immediately reacted by swatting him on the arms.

Max couldn’t help but smile at the ribbing. No wonder Treat enjoyed his family so much. She already felt like one of them.
This can’t be good
.

The afternoon meal was comfortable and, Max had to admit, more fun than anything she’d done in a very long time. She kept picturing what it might be like to be there with Treat. How much ribbing would he dole out? What kind of teasing would they thrust upon him? How would he act around her? Would he be openly affectionate, as Blake was with his wife, Danica? Or would he be more reserved in public, like Chaz was toward Kaylie?

What am I doing? I’m not even his girlfriend
.
Why aren’t any of them married?
She tried to ignore the red flag that waved like a beacon in her mind.

As she walked to her car with the family in tow—
Did they do everything together?
—she thought about when Treat had said goodbye the night before. Now that she was really thinking about it, something about the way he said it seemed... final
.
The lingering touch of her cheek, the sadness in his eyes that she’d attributed to her hasty retreat.
Goodbye, Max
. Did he know he was being called away today? What exactly did that mean,
He’s been called away?

Hal embraced her and held her longer than most friends might. He held her like a father might hold his daughter. When he released her, he put his large hands on her shoulders and said, “Treat’s out of town. I’m not sure what went on between the two of you, but he was in a hurry.”

His eyes searched hers, and she was too numb to speak.

He was in a hurry?
Goodbye, Max.
He left on purpose. He wasn’t called away. He was saying goodbye for good
.

Hal continued. “I might suggest that you give him some time.”

“Oh, Dad.” Savannah moved her father’s arm from Max’s shoulder, and then pulled Max into a hug. “Don’t listen to him. If Treat left because something happened between you two, fix it.”

“She’s giving relationship advice again,” Dane said loudly. “Max, Savannah’s not exactly the queen of dating. Don’t listen to a word she says.”

“Look who’s talking,” Josh joked.

“Boys.” Hal put a stop to their taunts.

The four men said goodbye to Max, and as she climbed into her car, she was more confused than ever.

Savannah stuck her head into the car’s window and said, “Call him. Fix it.”

“I don’t have his number,” Max admitted as Dane dragged Savannah away.

“Leave the girl alone,” he said.

Max waited, hoping, praying someone would give her his number, but they were so wrapped up in bickering that she knew she’d get that number only on a hope and a prayer.

As she drove away, watching them in the rearview mirror, she wondered where Treat had gone and why he would have run away without so much as a goodbye.
He did say goodbye. I just didn’t know it.
She had to talk to him. She felt his absence like the permanent loss of a loved one, complete with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and a lump in her throat.

She pulled her car over on the side of the road and dialed Treat’s assistant’s number. Scarlet had been so helpful in planning Chaz’s wedding; surely she wouldn’t mind tracking him down
.

THE SWEEPING VIEW of Wellfleet Harbor always took Treat’s breath away, but tonight, as the cool air blew through the upper deck of the Pearl restaurant and the moon sparkled on the ripples of the bay, thoughts of Max kept him from enjoying its beauty. He was second-guessing his actions with an insurmountable list of what ifs: What if the next morning she reconsidered? What if she did read the notes? What if he’d stayed while she read them? What did she think of them? Did she think they were childish, or romantic and meaningful, as he’d meant for them to be? What if he had tried harder? He could have tried to woo her for another few days with walks, flowers, talks, and kisses—oh, how he wanted to kiss her again.

“Treat?”

Bonnie’s voice brought him back to the present. “I’m sorry, Bonnie. Long flight last night. I’m just a little tired. I missed the question.”

“I asked how long you were planning on being in town.” Bonnie’s joyful eyes lit up her plump face when she smiled. His father would have called her a
sturdy woman
or
substantial
, and the fact that she was more confident than most model-skinny women Treat knew made her more beautiful than they could ever hope to be.

“I haven’t really decided. A few days? A week? I’m not sure,” he answered.

“He lives a hard life. Traveling all over the world to fancy resorts can be exhausting,” Chuck teased. He reached for his wife’s hand and winked. “Even a man like Treat needs time with normal folks like us.”

Treat shook his head and swallowed a gulp of his drink, enjoying the warmth of the bourbon as it slid down his throat. “Bonnie, tell me how things are with you.”

“Oh, me? Everything is wonderful. I’m still working at the museum up in P-Town and loving every minute of it. Still reading with the same book club, and helping with community functions. Oh, there’s a library book sale on Tuesday. I can’t believe that they still wanted to hold it right after the Oyster Fest, but they figured the more people the better. This is the first year they’ve extended the Oyster Festival to run through Monday. The retailers needed the income boost from the tourists.” Bonnie barely slowed down to take a breath. “Anyway, I’m not doing anything too exciting, but I enjoy myself.”

“That’s what life’s all about,” Treat said.

“Well, that and enjoying who you’re doing it with,” Chuck said with another wink.

Bonnie blushed. “Oh, Chuck. Please, not in front of Treat.”

“That’s okay, Bonnie. Your husband loves you. No need to be embarrassed by it.” The tug in Treat’s chest had him longing for Max again. No, he couldn’t do this to her or to himself. She’d made her feelings clear, and he didn’t blame her one bit. The way he’d made her feel was unforgivable, and he had to allow her to move on.

“Do you have someone in your life, Treat?” Bonnie asked.

I wish
. “No. No, I don’t.” He gulped down the rest of his drink and held his hand up to request another.

“Well, you know, Joanie’s sister, Amanda, is in town for the Oyster Festival.” Bonnie flashed a coy smile.

Treat smiled. “Thank you, Bonnie, but I think I’m out of the game for a while. I just need to relax a bit. I had forgotten about the Oyster Festival. No wonder the streets are jam packed.” The thought of trying to make small talk with a woman other than Max increased his longing for her. Talking to her was so easy, and the way she tried so hard to hide her nervousness was adorable. He thought about the weight of her in his arms as he carried her into the bedroom, the way she looked up at him right before taking him into her mouth, tossing aside that girl-next-door image with one blink of her sultry eyes. Women usually flashed a look-what-I-can-do smile at him when they were handling him in that way, showing him that they would do
anything
for him. Not Max. Max looked at him like she was doing something she wanted to do
for herself
—dare he even think it—something that looked a lot like love. A sharp reminder rushed to his groin, and he closed his eyes for a moment to quell his desire.

Surely he was fabricating the feelings that had hovered in her eyes. He was taking himself down a trail he could never follow. He watched the lights of a boat as it drifted away.
Let her go
.
This is for the best
.