“Hello.” Max stopped by her side, looking professional in his pants and shirt.
She’d tried not to be self-conscious in her comfy clothing, but a part of her regretted that she hadn’t taken the time to dress in something nicer. The truth was, she hadn’t even considered changing, not until she’d seen Max looking so sleek and polished. Even then, she’d told herself what she wore didn’t matter, that she wasn’t trying to impress Max or draw his attention.
“I’m just checking on Emberly.” Kade spoke calmly while hooking his thumbs through his belt. “Tyler’s worried that you’re planning to take advantage of her.”
“Ka-ade.” Emberly’s scowl spread. “You can tell Tyler I’m a grown woman and can take care of myself just fine.”
Kade shrugged. “Max doesn’t look all that threatening. Probably can’t wrangle a fly.”
“Wrangle a fly?” Max’s brow shot up.
“Kade thinks you’re weak,” Emberly answered bluntly.
“Is that so?” Max drew himself up to his full height, his biceps flexing against his shirt and his shoulders straining at the seams, showing off a body that was definitely not weak.
Max had been a perfect gentleman all evening and hadn’t done anything to make her worried about himtaking advantage of her. In fact, she hadn’t noticed anything since she’d met him, other than that he was a little bossy and arrogant at times. But with a prince, she supposed that was to be expected.
Kade grinned at Emberly. “You’re trying to get me in trouble.”
“Then go on and leave me alone. You shouldn’t have come.”
“That’s what I told Tyler. But he said I had to walk you home.”
Emberly appreciated that her brothers cared about her, but sometimes they were overbearing. Especially when it came to the men in her life. They’d scared off plenty of interested guys when she’d been in high school. And the first couple of guys she’d dated in college hadn’t lasted long either because of her brothers’ pesky interference.
They’d given her a hard time with Ryan too, and he’d complained about them a lot. She’d always wondered whether, if they’d been nicer to him, he would have loved her back.
She doubted it. The truth was, if Ryan had really cared about her enough, he would have loved her regardless of her brothers. But the other part of the truth was that her brothers had a high standard for any man who came into her life.
She would have to make it very clear that Max was just a guest. He wasn’t in her life. And there was nothing going on between them except for her being a good hostess and doing her best to make sure Max loved the ranch so that he would go back to his rich friends and talk about it. Word of mouth was everything to marketing, especially a prince’s word of mouth.
Was it time to tell her family about Max being a prince? Then maybe they would understand her need to spend time with him and make sure his visit went smoothly. Or maybe they wouldn’t understand... Her brothers would probably still be nosy and too protective.
“I know you don’t need me along.” Kade gave her another one of his irresistible smiles, the kind that made the local girls swoon over him. “But I haven’t talked to you in a couple of days. Let me walk you back.”
She could sense Max watching her interaction with her brother. Was she holding out hope Max would offer to accompany her home? Surely not. That was ludicrous. Why would he even consider it?
“Fine.” She reached for her coat.
Kade chuckled. “Don’t act so excited.”
“I’ll try not to.”
Within minutes, she’d said goodbye and was walking with Kade along the shoveled and salted pathway toward the lodge. He was full of questions about Max, and she did her best to be as honest as possible.
Once again, she considered telling him the truth about Max being a prince. But something held her back. Maybe she was afraid that the more people who knew, the easier it would be for someone to slip up and let the word out. Since Max seemed so determined to keep his trip private, the least she could do was protect his secret.
She’d just washed her face and put on her pj’s when a knock sounded on the front door of her cottage. The dozen or so employee houses were small but well built, with one bedroom off the great room and kitchen. They were furnished with all modern appliances, supplies, and furniture. The home had been sufficient for her and allowed her to stay close to the staff and the lodge so that she could make herself available for any needs that arose after hours.
After quitting school and returning from Colorado Springs with her tail tucked between her legs, she’d gotten tired of everyone dissecting her life and trying to figure out what had gone wrong and what she should do next. She’d needed to step away and have some breathing space and had moved into an employee cottage.
As much as she loved her family, she liked having her own place, liked taking breaks from her brothers’ well-meaning meddling in her life, liked feeling responsible and grown-up, even though her family still treated her like a child sometimes.
She pulled an oversized sweatshirt over her pj’s and made her way to the door. As she peeked out the peephole, she drew in a quick breath at the sight of Max standing on her front stoop in the porch light.
She’d left his cabin an hour or so ago. What was he doing here now?
Had Tyler been right to be cautious? Did Max expect more from her?
