Callie's Captors [Mountain Men of Montana 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Jane Jamison

results, but in order to get them she had to play along. “Fine. But you’d better do more than try. And no funny business, either.” She stalked past him.
    Damn, but he smells good.
    Not in the way most men she knew smelled good. His wasn’t an aroma that came from expensive aftershave. His came from his skin, his breath, and his very being.
    It doesn’t matter how good he smells. Keep your guard up.
    “It’s Kirkland.”
    “What?”
    “My last name. It’s Kirkland.”
    She wasn’t sure why, but suddenly she wanted him to know.
    He smiled. “Callie Kirkland. I like it. It fits you.”
    He followed her into the sunlight then stopped as she came to a standstill. The sight around her was amazing, throwing all other concerns out of her mind. The people she’d seen last night were back, along with many others. Children of all ages dashed about, playing and shouting at their friends, then laughing as women tried to corral them. At last, one very large woman with a long braid of red hair bouncing down her spine gathered them together and herded them into the woods. A couple of other women along with three men followed them, disappearing into the heavy brush.
    “Where are they going?”
    “Who?
    She pointed in the direction that the children had gone. “The kids. Why are they taking them into the forest?”
    Blue took her hand and she couldn’t bring herself to remove it from his. “They’re taking them on a nature walk so they can learn about the medicinal purposes of the plants.”
    “So it’s like a community school? Or homeschooling?”
    Luke ambled by with two other large men who, judging by their size and their similar features, had to be relatives. He lifted his hand in greeting and she did the same. “Are those Luke’s brothers?”
    “Yup.”
    She smirked at Blue’s imitation of the way Luke talked. Checking around her, she found several groups of men and women who appeared to be related. “Is that common? The brother thing?”
    “For us, yes. We tend to stick with family. But there are others who join together to make new families.” He took the orange a small woman with flowing blonde hair gave him, thanked her, then started pulling it apart.
    Callie took the wedge he offered her. “What’s this place called? Have you always lived here? Or is this one of those retreats people pay exorbitant amounts of money to visit? Is it a getting-back-to-nature therapeutic resort?”
    “I’ll tell you what you want to know, but you have to promise me that you’ll keep an open mind.”
    “You people sure do ask for a lot of promises.” She paused to stare at a man whose nose was very wide. Long teeth jutted out over his bottom lip. He stretched his lips wide, exposing more teeth, and making her aware that she was gaping at him. She looked away, embarrassed by her rudeness. But then it hit her. Many of the people around her were unique in their appearance. Some had large teeth or facial features while others seemed different in their coloring or the way they held themselves.
    “I just want to make sure you don’t jump the gun and think I’m crazy.”
    Crazy? Her interest piqued. “This sounds interesting.”
    “We call our home The Hidden.”
    “Right. Lyra told me that.”
    He gave her a short glance. “What else did she tell you?”
    “Not much. She said you Deacon boys should be the ones to explain.”
    “Then I’d better get on with it. The Hidden is our sanctuary.”
    He paused to take a bite of the orange and she took one, too. Juice ran down her hand and the sweet taste erupted in her mouth. “Wow. That’s a really good orange. I think it’s the best one I’ve ever had.”
    “The fruit in The Hidden is a lot better than on The Outside.”
    “The Outside?” Not caring if it was unladylike, she shoved the rest of her piece into her mouth and sighed as the delicious flavor spread over her tongue and down her throat.
    “That’s what we call everything outside of here.” He gestured