Tempting the Ringmaster by Aleah Barley Read Free Book Online

-breather—Blue Deveraux—was showing off for some of the troop kids. Beyond him, Dorothy was putting two of the horses through their paces.
    Maybe Graham had a point.
    “We’re a traditional circus. Jugglers, acrobats, and strong men.”
    “Lions, tigers, and elephants?”
    “Nope.” Belle’s tongue darted out, moistening her lips. “We don’t have any wild animals.”
    “Too dangerous?”
    “For the animals. All the noise and the action, it’s not right. They don’t belong here. We have domesticated animals, trick riders on horses and some trained dogs—the kids love them—but nothing more exciting than that.”
    They were passing through the mass of trailers where the performers lived. She raised a hand, waving at men, women, and children, calling out to each of them by name. 
    “We don’t have any sideshow acts either,” she explained. “We’ve got a psychic. Irma Baumbach—Madame Magyck to the uninitiated—she used to do the Dance of the Seven Veils too. Before I—” She cut off awkwardly, swallowing the end of her sentence.
    When she’d taken over the circus after her father’s death, she’d put an end to some of the more exotic acts. If they were going to draw in the crowds in small towns like Whispering Spring and Buck Falls, they needed to be a family show.
    “That’s Irma,” she pointed out a stunning blonde in a pink bikini, tanning herself on a crooked beach chair. The sun was setting overhead, but that didn’t stop Irma from enjoying the last few rays of light… Or half a dozen roustabouts from hanging around to enjoy the sight or Irma.
    Graham’s gaze coasted politely over the blonde before returning to Belle. “What about clowns? I loved clowns as a kid.”
    “Keith Aldridge—and the boys—you met him last night. He was the one in the orange vest.”
    “Little guy.” Graham reached up to rub his jaw thoughtfully. “Big fists.”
    “That’s Keith. He can be a little rough, but he loves the circus.”
    “Uh huh.” Graham grabbed her arm, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. “What about you? What do you do?”
    “Paperwork, piles and piles of paperwork.” Her teeth dug into her bottom lip. Another woman might have been put off by the hard work, but she’d always had a knack for making numbers do what she wanted.
    “You’re not a part of the show?”
    “Not anymore.” Not for years. She didn’t need the roar of the crowd, not when she was busy making sure everybody hit their marks and made their cues.
    Belle stayed quiet the rest of the way to the parking lot. There was nothing else she had to say. It wasn’t like they were going on a real date—where she might share her hopes, dreams, and feelings—they were just two people going out to grab a drink. She just needed to get through the evening without adding to his bruise collection; then they could go their separate ways like nothing had happened.
    The ride into town was quiet and comfortable. Graham drove a big American sedan with lights bolted on top and the words ‘Buck Fall’s Police Department’ splashed across the side. Classic rock music played when he turned the car on, but he turned the volume down while he drove to point out the local sights.
    He knew it all like the back of his hand, the new library, the old historical museum, and the town hall.
    After a ten-minute drive, he pulled into a slightly more industrial area and stopped in a dark lot under a ‘No Parking’ sign.
    “Aren’t you afraid you’re going to get towed?”
    “Nope.” Graham got out and hurried around to hold the passenger side door open. He put a hand on Belle’s arm, leading her down the block to a small bar stuck in between a factory building and a used bookstore.
    The name over the bar’s door had long since faded away, but the neon flickering in the window let everyone know it was still in business. Stepping inside, Belle was surprised to find a clean, cozy interior with a wide bar on the left hand side and a