Intimate Illusions [The Callens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Melody Snow Monroe

ways, he treated her as an equal. She liked that. Since Ian had showed her where the stepping pad was, Devonne hopped in. “So where are we going?”
    His cheeks sagged a bit. “I just told you.”
    “Oh, my. You were serious.” The trailer behind the truck should have confirmed it.
    “Dead.”
    Wouldn’t this be an interesting day? “Then let’s go buy some cattle.”

Chapter Six
     
    Devonne truly believed she was a world traveler. Now she knew she’d been wrong all these years. Other than both coasts, she’d not seen most of the United States. Getting to watch Ian work the cattle auction was something she’d never experienced. “I thought you said you bought cattle last week.”
    “We did, but a new shipment came in. We might not get a chance to bid on this quality for a long time. You buy when you can.”
    Once she stepped into the enclosed building, the odor hit her. The smell was a combination of hay and some musky odor that probably entailed something that could be turned into fertilizer. She tried to be a good sport and not pinch her nose but being around all these animals made it a bit hard to breathe.
    He had a pass that allowed him into a pen to look over the cattle. “Stay back while I go in there. It’s no place for a lady.”
    She held up her hands in surrender. “You’ll get no argument from me.” Her sandals were not the shoe of choice when in this oversized barn.
    No sooner had Ian entered the cage holding some black cows than two other men went in. They shook hands and slapped backs with Ian. While it would appear they were best of friends, she detected some tension in Ian’s shoulders. The older men must have been competing with Ian for these fine animals. She intently watched him work. He took out his smart phone and was probably typing notes on which animals he did or didn’t want. She couldn’t tell which. Maybe the ones he spent the most time with were the ones he wanted the least. It was like playing cow poker.
    He left that pen and entered another one. She was content to watch and stay out of harm’s way. About thirty minutes later the loudspeaker announced the auction would begin shortly.
    Ian appeared shortly. “You ready to see the master at work?”
    He seemed to have an overinflated opinion of his talent, which was a tad odd since he appeared unsure of himself most of the time. Oh, sure, he acted tough, but inside was a boy ready to prove to the world he was worthy.
    “You bet.”
    He led her to some stands that surrounded a small pen. He carried a paddle with a number on it. She’d been to enough art auctions to know how they worked. The auction began, but she couldn’t keep up with the auctioneer or the speed of the bids. There wasn’t a person with a flashlight that pointed at the winning bidder. The auctioneer would move on to the next animal before she understood who the proud owner was. Every minute or two, some cowboy would either walk in one animal or several. Each animal had his ear tagged with a large number.
    She knew to keep her mouth shut and not ask questions, as Ian didn’t need the distraction. This was his livelihood. If Max trusted Ian to do the job, he must have been good at it.
    Sometimes Ian would bid right at the start and then stop, and at other times, he’d not make his move until the end. Every time he got the animal he wanted, his back got straighter, his breath increased, and his fingers tightened on his phone. This was his adrenaline high. She, too, caught the excitement. After forty-five minutes, the auction ended.
    She glanced over at Ian who broke into a smile. “That was incredible. Did you get all the animals you wanted?”
    “For the most part. I went against the gentleman in the brown jacket last week. He lost big time. This week, he caught on to my moves. Next time I’ll have to be more careful.” He stood and grabbed her hand. “Come on. I need to pay then gloat.”
    Devonne never expected to have such a good time. Seeing Ian