A Maverick's Heart (3 page)

Just as he spoke she backed into the dining room through the kitchen’s swinging doors, her arms laden with a large bowl of fluffy scrambled eggs topped with crumbled bacon and a steaming pan wafting with heat and the scent of cinnamon. “Did I hear someone ask for me?”

“Me,” Seth said to Lila, rushing to take the bowl from her and placing it in the center of the table. “I have the Jeep’s keys.”

Lila accepted them with a grateful smile. “Thanks. Now sit down everyone. Dig in while it’s hot.”

Zeke and Myra rounded the table. He pulled out a chair for her before taking his own seat. His friends ribbed him about turning into such a gentleman.

Lila motioned Seth toward an empty chair and handed Myra the fresh coffee cake.

Zeke, who waited to take a slice until Myra served herself, glanced up at Lila. “The Jeep’s fine. How’s your head? Seth said you banged it on the window.”

“What?” Myra stopped dipping out eggs. “Last night you said she was fine.” Her eyes accused Seth before skipping on to Lila.

“No, I didn’t.” Seth helped himself to coffee cake and passed the pan to Ben, who held out his hand. “I believe I said Rory was fine and then explained how Lila came to land in the ditch.”

“Are you all right?” Myra demanded after shooting her brother-in-law a dirty look.

Lila waved a hand. “This morning the spot is only slightly tender to touch. I wish Seth had kept quiet. I didn’t want anyone to know I hit my head hard enough to rattle my teeth. I don’t want my mom to hear. The last thing she said when Tawana and I left the café was to drive carefully.”

“I’m sorry, it slipped out,” Seth explained and patted the empty chair next to his. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“No. Rory and I ate earlier. In fact...” Pausing, she checked her watch. “I need to run out and feed the horses then load his bike. If I don’t hurry I’ll be late getting him to school. His teacher is a stickler for punctuality. But, you guys...” she said, glancing at Zeke’s three friends. “It’s been great having you as guests. Safe travels, and do come back when you can stay longer.”

Seth shoveled in a bite of egg, took a swig of juice and picked up a second wedge of coffee cake Myra had cut for him. Getting out of his chair, he said to the groomsmen, “You can put your bags in my rental, guys. I’ll help Lila.” He pulled his keys from his jeans pocket and tossed them to Ben Archer.

“No,” Lila protested. “You’re a guest.”

“One who plans to take a trail ride soon. So far, I haven’t had time to ride. As you feed the horses you can give me a rundown on the one least likely to dump me.” Seth polished off his coffee cake before he reached the arch. He hesitated briefly until Lila offered a guilty shrug to the others and hurried after him.

“Seriously?” she hissed at Seth as she plucked a jean jacket from the coat tree by the door. “What will everyone think?”

He held the door for her then jogged after her down the porch steps. “What’ll they think about what?”

“Mostly Myra and Zeke. I don’t want them to get the idea we, uh...well, as a business owner it’s not decorous to play favorites among my guests.”

Laughing, Seth fell into step beside her. “‘Decorous’? What kind of a three-dollar word is that? Are you saying you’ve never gone to the barn with any other guest?”

Obviously flustered by his question, Lila buried her hands in her jacket pockets and kept her gaze on her boots. “Not one who’s male, single and near my age,” she mumbled. “Or who is related to my best friend who knows my mom and all of our other friends,” she added. “It could be misconstrued.”

“There you go spouting big words again,” Seth teased, moving ahead of her to slide open the big barn door. “What could be misconstrued?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb.” Lila took a swipe at his arm, glaring as he deftly avoided her swing. “You’re breathing and single, and I’m a youngish widow. In this town if anyone were to mention those two things in the same sentence, rumors would fly. Before you could say Jack Robinson, townsfolk would whisper that we’re having a torrid affair.”

Seth grinned wolfishly and stopped beside the first stall. “Sounds like something worth exploring. I’ve never had a torrid affair before. Have you?”

“Stop it. You don’t know the people in this town like I do. Last night a couple of the Artsy Ladies poked me about you for no reason other than you’re staying here and you were my escort at Myra and Zeke’s wedding. They thought they were being funny, but I’m a mother of a boy at an impressionable age, for pity’s sake.” She flung open a bin of grain and filled a scoop.

Watching her fitful motions sobered Seth. “Point taken. Tell me about the horses,” he said, walking with her to the first stall, where a dark horse with a white blaze whickered.

“This is Pendragon. I didn’t name them. My husband did. Guiding guests on trail rides was to be his end of the business. After he died, I tried to sell the horses, but money’s tight all over.” She went back for grain for the second of the four animals, a brown-and-white pinto mare.

“This is Guinevere.” She rubbed the mare’s silky nose. “The last two geldings are Galahad and Merlin. Kevin loved King Arthur stuff. He planned to name new horses Lancelot and Mordred.” Her voice wobbled.

Seth took the scoop and fed the remaining horses, giving her time to gather herself. “Ben wanted us to rent them,” he said. “But Gavin didn’t think Hunter should risk riding. Not after Zeke told us how Myra got dumped from her horse.” Seth set his hand on the neck of the big dappled gray named Galahad. “If they aren’t exercised regularly, are they apt to buck?”

Lila shrugged. “Guests have ridden them without problem. I carry extra insurance in case anyone gets hurt. That’s mostly why I want to sell them. Are you not a good rider?”

Seth returned the scoop to the grain bin and closed the lid. “I’ve ridden horses and mules in mountainous terrain leading to some gem sites. It’s nothing I’ve done a lot. But I’d be willing to take them on a few turns around your corral to stretch their legs while I’m here,” he said, stopping to close the barn door as they exited.

“That’s nice of you.”

“No problem. Now, where’s Rory’s bike?”

“Oh, please, I can get that—I see your passengers gathered at your rental. Rory and I have gotten good at loading and unloading his bike. It’s a junior mountain bike, so it fits easily through the Cherokee’s hatchback.”

“All the same, when you have help available why not take advantage?” He’d no more than finished his suggestion when they saw Rory, weighed down with his backpack, wheeling his bike around the corner of the bed-and-breakfast.

Striding away from Lila, Seth intercepted the boy. “If you open the hatch, I’ll toss your bike in and you and your mom can be on your way.”

“Uh, okay.” Rory ran to the Cherokee. “Thanks,” he added after Seth easily slid the bike inside.

“No problem. Have a good day at school.” Seth closed the hatch, flung a wave at Lila and crossed over to his friends. “I see Zeke and Myra left,” he said, accepting the keys from Ben.

“Yeah. They had chores. Zeke said to call him. He said if this weather holds you can start reroofing the barn soon.”

“Lucky you,” Gavin said as they all climbed into the SUV. “I mean it,” he stressed when the others laughed. “I’d rather be here roofing a barn than returning to Afghanistan.”

“How much longer do you and Ben have there? Aren’t we bringing all troops home?” Seth asked.

“Not all. I have another sixty days on my assignment,” Ben said.

“Three months for me,” Gavin admitted. “Who knows after that? I intended to make the army my career, but after coming here...” He stared out his window without finishing.

“I’m only staying until it’s time to re-up,” Ben said. “Being here made me realize how many places I’d like to see in the U.S. I have a college friend who bought a fishing boat in Alaska. He said anytime I want I can have a job.”

“Once the docs fix me up as good as they can, I may come back here,” Hunter added. “What about you, Seth? It was hard not to notice the way you leaped up to help Miz Lila. What’s her situation? I assume she’s divorced?”

Seth screwed his lips to one side. “She’s been widowed awhile. But her voice still gets choppy when she mentions her husband. I could be interested, but the few women I’ve liked enough to get serious have all insinuated I’m a rolling stone. And I don’t know what I’d do but hunt for gems.”

They left the town behind and their talk turned to travel and other things.

* * *

“D
ID
YOU
FEED
G
HOST
?”
Lila asked Rory after she backed the Cherokee around and headed down the lane. “And did you secure the gate to keep him on our side of the house? We don’t need him getting out again like he did last night.”

“I pulled on the knob when I saw you and Seth come out of the barn. Did he say anything to you about helping me learn to throw and catch?” Rory asked, leaning forward to stare at his mother.

Her eyes sought his in the rearview mirror. “Helping you...no. Why would he?”

Rory slumped in his seat, clasping his old mitt and baseball. “I dunno.” Then he mumbled, “Zeke said Seth could give me tips on account’a he got awards and trophies playing baseball. He was so good he had scouts looking at him to play for the pros.”

“Really? Zeke actually said Seth was that good?”

“Yep. He only told me he played on a city team when he was my age. But I was wishing he’d talk to you about helping me get better.”

“Hmm. I’m sorry, honey. He didn’t. And unless he does, don’t you go bugging a guest, okay? But, gosh, I wonder if he’s qualified to teach high school and really coach baseball.”

“Huh? Kemper’s dad never played ball, but he plays catch with Kemper and teaches him to bat better.”

“Well, I heard at the café that the high school coach plans to retire. I think he teaches, too. I just wondered if Seth might be interested.”

“Why?”

Lila hid a smile. “Uh, no reason other than probably Zeke would love to have his twin settle in the area.” No way would she admit to her son that Seth Maxwell was about the nicest single guy to hit Snowy Owl Crossing in forever.

“I s’pose. If he helped me, I’d like it, too,” Rory said.

Chapter Three

Lila stopped at the school and helped her son unload his bike and chain it up. “You have your cell phone? I put it on the charger for you.”

Rory opened a small pocket on his backpack and let her see the phone.

“Okay, have a good day. I’ll see you at Memaw’s café shortly after three.”

He closed his pack and dashed up the walkway to catch up to another boy about his height. Lila watched the two horse around then go inside with a gaggle of kids. She waved to a mom pulling into the drop-off circle.

Climbing back into her vehicle, Lila spent a moment missing the kindergarten days when Rory’d wanted a hug and kiss before he skipped into class. They’d gone from that to her giving a quick brush of a stubborn lock of his hair, to a wave, to now nothing but him scurrying away without glancing back. Those milestones signified the passing of time as nothing else could. So many things around her changed, yet she seemed stuck.

On the drive back to the B and B her mind drifted. She’d been a single mom longer than she and Kevin had shared parenting. She wasn’t sure why she thought of that now. Other than Seth Maxwell joking this morning about them having a torrid affair.

Lila felt her face heat again. Not only would she not class the sex she’d shared with her husband as torrid, in the five years since his death she hadn’t dated.

Thinking back over her marriage, she tried to be honest. She’d been totally green about sex when she’d married at age eighteen. To Kevin, a farm kid, it was a perfunctory part of life. Yes, they’d dated for four years prior to getting married, but dating in Snowy Owl Crossing consisted of sitting together at ball games. Or meeting at the gym for a school dance where, mostly, they stood around. Maybe they held hands at potlucks. That was pretty much it, because kids worked hard in their family businesses. No one had time to hang out idly.

That didn’t mean she never had fanciful dreams. Sometimes Kev had fallen asleep, leaving her hot and wanting—wanting to share passionate love with him. But it never happened.

When she arrived back at the ranch that claimed so much of her time and energy, she spared a second to wonder if she’d ever share intimacy with a man sure of himself in the bedroom. Not only sure of himself but caring of her needs, as well.

She parked and went in to clean the now-empty rooms and ready them for the folks scheduled to check in at eleven.

Collecting a stack of clean sheets, she recalled how Seth Maxwell claimed he’d never had a torrid affair. She puzzled over whether she thought that was a lie. Thirty-two, handsome as sin and a world traveler, his saintly declaration didn’t fit.

Well, he hadn’t claimed to be a saint. And there was a whole lot of space between celibacy and indulging in a torrid affair. But look how fast she’d chastised him for the mere suggestion. Mostly out of habit. Because in a small town rife with gossip she worried about other people’s opinion of her. Her best friends pointed out that she cared too much how others judged her. Maybe Seth saw that, too, and had elected to tease her.

But why would he? The sum total of their association had been brief. She stored that thought and called herself silly for presuming to even picture him settling here, let alone the two of them becoming more than passing acquaintances.

Blanking her mind, she hurried on to strip beds and start laundry.

* * *

I
T
WAS
4:00
P
.
M
.
when Seth walked into the Snowy Owl Café. It’d been a long round-trip to the Billings Logan International Airport. None of the three guys he’d driven there had been booked on the same flights. For his job, he spent a lot of time sitting in airports, so it hadn’t been any big deal for him to wait to be sure none of their flights got canceled, even though they said there was no reason for him to hang around.

The fact was, he had spent too much of his life booked on Podunk airlines prone to delays and cancellations. He’d forgotten how dependable American carriers were. Dependable schedules, plus nice food courts and gift shops that sold snacks, books, magazines and other stuff in short supply in many foreign airports where he’d twiddled his thumbs. But with all Billings Logan airport offered in the way of food, none of the guys had been hungry after Lila’s great breakfast. So here Seth was, well after lunch, and famished as a bear fresh out of hibernation. And there was nary a free seat to be had in the café. He’d never seen the place this full.

Aha! He spotted Zeke and Myra sitting at a table with four burly men—other ranchers, if their faded jeans, plaid shirts and cowboy boots were anything to go by. Cowboy hats hung on the backs of their chairs.

Seth smiled to himself. Cowboy boots was something he’d bought at the airport gift shop. And a hat. The three guys had kidded him, but if he planned to live in the ranch community for a while, he wanted to fit in. The black boots made from buttery leather with a few turquoise cutouts had called to him. Surprisingly they were comfortable. He wondered if Zeke would notice he wasn’t wearing his sneakers.

Actually he saw that his brother and new wife were deep in conversation with the folks at their table and four other guys seated at an adjacent one. He wouldn’t barge in.

This must be the cattlemen’s meeting Zeke had mentioned. Maybe he should just leave and go to Cody’s Bar. They served burgers and fries.

He backed toward the entrance, hearing the ding, ding of a bell and a woman yelling, “Order up!” That was when he first noticed Lila taking an order on the far side of the room. She ripped a page from her pad and wove between the tables, headed for the pass-through, where two plates sat beneath a warming light. For a moment she looked straight at Seth, did a double take, stopped and changed course in his direction.

“I only have a minute. Are you here for a meal or to ask me something about the B and B?”

“I stopped to eat, but there’s no seating.” He jerked a thumb toward the exit. “I figured I’d run down the street to Cody’s.”

“If you don’t mind sharing a small booth with Rory, he’s doing homework over in yonder corner.” She stabbed her pencil for emphasis.

“Do you think he’ll be okay sharing with me? Never mind, I’ll go ask him. You have hungry customers.”

“Right. And another order to hand in. Mom has a high school student who helps out serving at these big meetings, but she called in sick. It’s been crazy.” As if to underscore that, Doreen Mercer slapped the bell twice. Orders were waiting.

Lila puffed out a breath and sped off.

Seth made his way to the back booth. His brother looked up and raised a hand in recognition then swiveled in his seat, seeming to check for an empty chair.

Seth shook his head, pointed toward the back and Zeke nodded.

On reaching Rory’s booth, Seth said, “Hi, sport. I stopped by to eat, but the place is full up. Your mom suggested maybe I could sit with you.”

The boy stopped toying with the fork stuck in a Cobb salad. “Sure.” He sat straighter. “Hey, if you want, you can have my dinner. I haven’t licked the fork or anything.”

Smiling, Seth slid onto the bench seat across from Rory, venturing a guess that the kid disliked lettuce. From the size of the mound left in his bowl, Seth judged the whole of it remained untouched. “It looks good,” Seth said. “I may order the same thing. You know, you’ll need all of that protein if you’re going to play ball.”

“Really?” Rory dug his fork under the egg and slices of ham, but kept scowling. “I don’t like vegetables, but Mom says I gotta eat ’em.”

“You should listen to her. Veggies build strong joints, which you need to swing a bat hard enough to hit a home run.”

The kid appeared to still be mulling that over when his mother rushed up, order pad in hand. “Seth, do you need a menu?” She happened to glance down at her son’s bowl. “Rory Jenkins, you’ve hardly taken a bite. Tonight’s dessert is your favorite chocolate pudding. But if you don’t make a substantial dent in your dinner, you aren’t getting sweets. Sorry, Seth.” A short sigh escaped her. “What can I bring you?”

“I told Rory that salad looks good. I’ll have one, too. And coffee, black.”

Lila stood a moment with her pencil poised over her pad. “Uh, I’ll go turn in your order.” She gestured toward the kitchen, still not moving, as if she expected him to change his mind.

He flashed a smile. “Great. I’m starved. It’ll be a race to the finish to see if Rory beats me to that chocolate pudding.”

“You are so full of it,” Lila murmured, bending nearer to Seth so only he heard before she whisked away, stopping at a table where four ranchers hailed her.

Satisfaction rippled through Seth when the boy pulled his bowl close to his chest and said, “I’m starting now. I bet I can beat you.”

“Hmm, okay, but chew it well so you don’t choke.”

Seth watched the egg disappear, followed by the cheese. And for perhaps the first time he wondered what he’d be like as a dad. His own father had encouraged and guided him and Zeke, patiently answering scores of sometimes dumb questions. He’d taught them by example, too. Seth couldn’t recall a time he’d ever heard his father raise his voice to his boys or their mother, or to anyone at their games as some dads were prone to do. He’d want to be a husband and dad like that.

Stuck on the subject of family, he realized he was almost at the age now that his folks were when they’d had him and his brother. Now that Zeke was married, Seth wondered how long they’d wait to have a kid. Maybe not long. So he’d be an uncle.

Maybe it was time to find his life partner. But, as he’d told Zeke before coming to visit, with his nomadic life the few women he’d found interesting didn’t consider him a good long-term prospect.

He couldn’t blame them. Sooner or later he always succumbed to the lure of a possible mother lode. It was his career, after all. So was it surprising some women accused him of being more passionate about chasing new gems than he was about them? Spending a minute examining past relationships, he gave an inward wince.

What did that say about him?
What would Lila Jenkins think?

He cracked the knuckles on his left hand. It was a restless habit.

Rory paused in his eating. “My teacher says not to do that...crack your knuckles. It’ll make ’em fat so they won’t bend when you get older.” The boy’s forehead wrinkled. “But you’re old and your fingers still bend.”

“Hey, I’m not
that
old.” Seth laughed, but flexed his fingers several times.

“That’s a cool ring,” Rory noted. “Is it a snake?”

Seth spread his right hand open on the table. “Yes, I had a silversmith in Italy make it. The snake’s eyes are chips from emeralds I found in Thailand.”

“Huh. Me ’n Kemper found a snake in his mom’s garden once. He had yellow eyes.”

Seth shrugged. “I guess I could have had his eyes made from citrine—that’s a yellow stone. But I was stoked from finding a nice cache of emeralds that I sold at the Vicenza gem fair.”

For a second the boy’s expression went totally blank, then he picked up his fork and began eating again.

Obviously emeralds didn’t impress the kid. Seth had encountered that dismissive look before in some adults who learned what he did. Usually not from women who wanted him to give them expensive jewelry. Perhaps that’s what he hoped to find in a woman—someone genuinely interested in him, not the gems he unearthed.

Seth saw Lila on her way toward him, juggling what were most probably his empty mug and two coffeepots. As she made her way between tables, she paused to refill cups, including for the table of ranchers who’d waylaid her after she’d taken his order. She had a ready smile that Seth liked. In fact, he found a lot about her to like—very attractive, hardworking, patient, a good mom.

Finally reaching their booth, she set the mug in front of him. “You didn’t specify leaded or unleaded. I brought both.”

“I’ll take regular so I have enough energy to go for a run after I get back to the ranch.”

She poured from the pot with the brown top. “Do you run every evening?”

“When I can.” He caught her studying his torso. “I’m blessed with good genes. But much of my work requires climbing mountains, which demands that I stay in good shape.”

“I know you’re a gem hunter. I saw Myra’s wedding band. She told us you found the stones, had them cut and set with diamonds. The colored stones are pretty. Blue at times. Purple at others.”

“Tanzanite. They’re only found in Tanzania and are becoming quite rare.”

“Do they just lie around on the ground?” Lila shifted the coffeepots.

Seth laughed. “Most quality gems are dug out of pockets in mountainsides. Rough-cut stones look very different from the finished product you see set in rings or necklaces.”

“Oh.” The bell announcing an order up dinged a couple of times, causing Lila to turn her head. “Your salad’s ready. Would you like a roll and butter with that?”

“No, thanks. I’m probably going to lose the race to Rory. He’s been shoveling his in while we’ve been talking.”

Lila shifted her gaze to her son’s side of the table and her eyebrows rose in surprise. “He is. Shocking. It’s always a battle to get him to eat vegetables, especially green ones. How’d you get him to listen to you?”

Rory answered. “Seth said I need to eat vegetables if I want to hit a home run. And he knows, ’cause don’t you remember me telling you Mr. Zeke said Seth got trophies for playing baseball?”

Lila bobbed her head, but before the conversation advanced further she was called away to replenish coffee at another table. She soon scurried back with Seth’s salad and was off again.

Seth had decided to let Rory win their eating contest if need be—to help his ego, and so that maybe he’d be happier to eat vegetables in the future. But then wondered if letting a kid win was like throwing a game?

Had his folks ever held back and let him or Zeke come out victorious? He didn’t want to think they had. He wanted to think he and his twin had been good enough to win on their own. But he’d definitely ask his dad the next time they spoke. He and Zeke had always had their father as a role model. Who did Rory Jenkins have? It must be hard when a boy only had one parent and she worked two jobs. And Rory seemed as if he understood that his mom was doing her best to make a living.