He watched her walk toward the kitchen and heard Max’s low greeting.

“Morning, gorgeous,” his brother said. Rye knew he was kissing her.

Rye walked into the bathroom thinking about just how much he liked having Rachel around. He turned on the shower. With Max injured, there had been no question of Rye staying with friends. Rye had taken some time off to take care of the stables while Max was down. Working with horses again was making him think about making a permanent change. He’d taken the job as sheriff because, at the time, they had needed a steady income. Brooke had still been in grade school, and money had been tight. Rye had known he was the one who could hold down a job without being murdered by his coworkers, so he’d taken one for the team. He’d started as a deputy. When the old sheriff had retired, Rye had easily been voted into office. No one else wanted the job. But his real love was working with horses, like Max did every day. The stables paid now. Harper Stables had an excellent reputation, and more work was coming in every day. If Rye quit, he could help Max and teach riding lessons. He wanted to work with his brother again.

He wanted to live here with Max and Rachel, too. The last week had proven that to him. Every evening they had dinner together. Max sat across from Rye, and Rachel sat happily in the middle. She was in the middle of everything. When they sat down to watch television, Rachel plopped down between them just like she belonged there. When they went out, she sat in the middle of the long bench seat of Max’s vintage Ford truck. She insisted on the three of them doing things together. They’d watched movies, played games, and talked about everything under the sun. She’d made it easy for him to almost believe he was a part of this little family she and Max seemed to be forming.

What if she could handle a ménage? What if she wants it?

Rye stepped under the cool water and cursed. He was hard again, and the water wasn’t helping. He wrapped his hand around his dick and started to brush his thumb over the head. He was going to go blind. He just knew he was.

* * *

Max’s hands slid down to cup his girlfriend’s perfect cheeks. He pulled her close and didn’t try to disguise the erection he was sporting. It had been days since he’d gotten inside her. It was starting to make him crazy.

“Hello, gorgeous,” Max breathed as he leaned down to slant his mouth across hers.

Rachel softened against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn’t protest as his tongue swept in to play with hers. He hauled her up so her feet were dangling. It was the only way to get her little pussy where he wanted it. He rubbed himself against her. He knew it made him a caveman, but he wanted to mark her as his. He wanted her to get a tattoo on that perfect ass of hers that read Property of the Harper Brothers.

Max set her down. His brain just went there all the time now. He couldn’t stop thinking about Rachel between him and Rye. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Pancakes and sausage,” Rachel replied with a suspicious gleam in her eyes.

Max kissed her forehead gently and went to sit down at the kitchen table. He was very careful since Rachel was looking at him. He didn’t want her to figure out what he was thinking. He had more than one thing he needed to hide from her today. He schooled his features to express nothing but innocence.

“Oh, God, what are you thinking?” Rachel looked utterly horrified. “Who are you going to kill?”

“What?” Max asked, holding his hands up in confusion.

She rounded the table and leaned over. Max couldn’t help but notice she wasn’t wearing a bra. If he leaned in just a little bit, he could see the curve of her breasts and the faintest hint of nipple.

“Eyes up, mister,” Rachel ordered in what he’d come to think of as her “drill sergeant” voice. His eyes obediently came up. He’d learned when it was in his best interests to obey her immediately. His baby was one tough cookie, and he was man enough to admit he needed her to be that way. He would walk all over her otherwise. That would make for one boring relationship. Rachel kept him on his toes.

“Sorry, baby.” He would try to distract her with charm. He had some of that. He smiled and pulled her hand into his. He tugged her down onto his lap. “I can’t help it. I get distracted by your breasts. They’re really pretty. And I’m really, really horny. We haven’t had sex in days. It’s killing me, Rach.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Her arms went around his neck. “Max, you just had surgery. You haven’t even had the stitches out yet. The doctor said we should wait a few days.”

“It’s been almost a week.” He put a little whine in his voice. Maybe if she thought he was just horny, she would forget her suspicions. It was imperative that she not figure out what he had done after she’d gone to sleep. “I promise I could be very still. I would lie perfectly still, and you could do all the work.”

She grinned. It did strange things to his heart. “That sounds so tempting. I’ll call the doctor today, and I’ll see if we can get him to let you off the leash.” She kissed his cheek. She got up and went to the stove, where she poured out pancake batter. Max relaxed.

She rounded on him suddenly. “You’re sure you’re not planning something terrible?”

She knew him far too well. He grimaced inwardly. This was where Rye would come in handy. Rye could distract her. Rachel, Max had decided, was far too much woman for one man. He needed his brother because Max had figured out that a tag team approach was required when Rachel got saucy. But he was all on his own now. He didn’t like the feeling.

“Baby, I’m just planning on doing a little light work around the barn. I’m going to spend some time with Sunflower, and then I’ll have Rye drive me into Del Norte for my checkup. That’s my plan.” It was true. It was part of his plan. He didn’t mention the stop he intended to make.

Her eyes narrowed, and he wondered briefly if she could make that spatula into a weapon. He thought she probably could. Max sighed. He could make it into one, too. He could pull her over his lap and shove those boxers off her hips, then spank that pert little rear. He wouldn’t hurt her. He’d just get her bottom all pink and pretty. He’d rather use his hand, though, he decided.

“What did you just think?” Rachel asked breathlessly.

Rye stood in the doorway. He had on jeans and a T-shirt. His hair was still wet from his shower. “He was wondering how you would handle it if he pulled you across his lap and spanked you with your spatula. You should use your hand, Max. It would be better.”

Rachel’s mouth fell open. She looked between the two of them like she was trying to figure out what to say.

Max pointed at Rye. “He said it.”

Rye shrugged. “He was thinking it.”

“So were you.”

Rye’s face fell. Max saw him look down at the crotch of his jeans. “Damn it.” He turned and walked back down the hall. Max knew exactly where he was going.

“What’s wrong with him?” Rachel looked concerned as his brother marched off.

Max smiled broadly. Rye had done his job. She wasn’t thinking about his potential plans anymore. She set a plate in front of him. “I guess he’s not hungry,” Max lied.

His brother was hungry, all right. He’d been hungry since the minute he laid eyes on Rachel. Max didn’t blame him. He had been lucky to see her first, or Max knew he might be the one spending an awful lot of time in the bathroom. The thing was, Max thought as he began to dig into his breakfast, he was starting to believe this whole thing could work. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, and it was getting brighter every day. The last week had been a bit of a revelation. Rachel had been perfectly comfortable with Rye. She seemed to enjoy being with both of them.

That was the trick. Getting her comfortable being at the center of their ménage would change everything. Once she realized that they intended to worship the ground she walked on, the sex would be easy. She was beginning to see that no one in Bliss would look down on her for being involved with two men. Once Rachel realized she would be accepted, and that they loved her, she would understand that it was okay to love them both back. Max knew he and Rye could make it so good for her that she would wonder why she hadn’t had two men before. She wouldn’t want to go back.

A sense of contentment took root. He had a plan. He’d formulated it during the long hours he’d been forced to stay in bed. After he’d woken up in the hospital, he’d realized exactly what he wanted out of life. He wanted everything, and he wasn’t willing to compromise. He wanted Rachel to marry him and Rye. He wanted her to have their children. He wanted happily ever after for all three of them. He would have to be ruthless and purposeful to get what he wanted. Part of his plan was figuring out just what Rachel was running from. In all the discussions the three of them had indulged in over the last week, Rachel had been silent on the subject.

Max munched thoughtfully on his sausage as he watched his woman swaying to some music she heard in her head while she flipped pancakes for Rye’s breakfast.

Last night, while she’d slept peacefully in their big bed, he’d slipped away. He’d moved quietly through the house and out to her car. She’d been living in it. It only made sense that she kept her secrets there. After thoroughly going over every inch of the old Jeep, he’d found a seam in the floorboard. The items she kept in that little hidey-hole had just brought up more questions.

He’d found her pitiful stash of cash. She’d saved three hundred dollars from her tips, and there was a check she hadn’t cashed yet for another three hundred and fifty dollars. It was the sum of her wealth. Max’s heart seized at the thought of her having so little to her name.