Free Tempting the Ringmaster by Aleah Barley Page B

back onto his head.
    Trevor’s eyes were the size of dinner plates. When Graham’s nephew had asked if they could go to the circus that afternoon, the police chief hadn’t been able to think of a single logical reason why not. Especially when his nephew looked up at him with those big blue eyes—just like his mother—and that crooked smile on his face—just like his father.
    Graham should have tried harder.
    If looks could kill, he’d have been dead several times over on the way from the parking lot.
    Instead, he put a hand on Trevor’s slim shoulder and handed their tickets to the man at the door.
    They weren’t the only people from Buck Falls who’d decided to stop by and see the show. Tiffany had left work early to change clothes. She was sitting on the sidelines in something skin tight and slippery, laughing with Marta Sanchez. His father was sitting a few rows back. The mayor was wearing a tailored black suit, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his jaw set in a stiff line.
    The bleachers were filled with school teachers, farmers, and men who spent all day working in the plant. Graham recognized them all. There wasn’t much to do in Buck Falls on a Friday night, and the crowd from Whispering Springs looked just as thick. There had to be five hundred people under the big top. At twenty-five dollars a head—fifteen for kids under the age of sixteen—the circus was pulling in at least ten grand.
    The circus was scheduled to stage at least half a dozen performances before they moved on. The resulting revenue would be… not small potatoes.
    He was impressed.
    Belle wasn’t just super sexy. She was also a savvy businesswoman.
    Graham found a seat with his nephew near the front of the tent. He settled Trevor in place—made the boy swear not to move an inch—and went off to buy popcorn and programs. By the time he got back, his seat was occupied by the same auburn haired girl who’d shown him the way to Belle’s cabin the night before. She was dressed like a princess, in a flowing purple gown, pink slippers, and a cone shaped hat with multicolored streamers coming off the end.
    “Ooh, snacks!” She snagged the popcorn and took a big bite. “Yum.”
    Graham frowned. “Are you supposed to be up here?”
    “No-duh.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m supposed to be helping Dorothy get the horses ready, only she’s been in kind of a funky mood since last night.” Her nose wrinkled up slightly. “I mean, she’s not usually a bucket of sunshine, but when I spilled the carrots, she got nasty. I mean, I picked them up. Most of them anyway.”
    “You can sit with us to watch the performances,” Trevor offered, ever the gentleman even if his dirty blonde hair was pushed back crookedly against the side of his head and his blue jeans had a hole in the knee. “It’ll be fun.”
    “Hmmph.” The girl sniffed. “I am Petra Jarvis. My mother is Dana—a classic contortionist—and my father is Mikhail the strongest man alive—or at least in the state—I do not watch performances. I perform.” She ate some more popcorn. “But, I’m not on until after the intermission. I can stay until then.”
    “I’m Trevor Tyler,” Trevor said, mimicking Petra’s attitude. “My mother is Kelly Tyler—she’s the school librarian—my father was in the Navy—he died. I don’t perform. I go to school.” He clapped his hands together, breaking character. “Are you really in the circus? Do you live here? Can you tell me all about it? I bet you know everything!”
    “Everything,” Petra agreed. “Want to see an elephant?”
    “Heck, yeah, I know all about elephants,” Trevor said proudly. “My uncle caught one last night.”
    Petra’s head tilted up to look Graham full on. Her mouth hung open in slack-jawed surprise. “You caught an elephant?”
    Graham grinned. “I had a little help.”
    Belle. He would have stayed to help her get the elephant back to the fairgrounds the night before, but she’d made it