Maxwell's Smile (6 page)

The ten-acre plot west of the Twin Cities was wooded with dozens of varieties of trees, and as Rachel and Sam walked through the grass and down a hilly slope, she eyed wild raspberries and even blueberries tucked along the tree border.

About a hundred yards off in an open, grassy field, Maxwell pursued a cricket with insect net in hand. A magnifying glass was stuck in his back jeans pocket.

“This plot has everything a guy could want.” Sam stopped and looked over the stretch of land before them. Crickets chirped and birds circled in the jewel-bright sky. “There’s a pond over there with a huge willow.”

“I love willow trees.” Rachel swung her hand in his as they continued walking.

“Would be a great spot for the goats.”

“You and your goats!”

“And that grove of trees at the back is nice and thick. I bet I could build a deer stand back there.”

“Bet there’s lots of deer out here. A hunter’s dream. You hunt?”

“I do. Get a deer every fall, and process the meat myself. You like venison?”

“Love it, but I haven’t had it for a long time.”

“Well, I know what your Christmas present is going to be.”

“Does that mean you’ll be cooking for me?” she asked, allowing her inner flirt to heat up her words.

“It’s a promise. Do you see that little frog right there?” He pointed out the acorn-size green tree frog clinging to a milkweed pod. “Maxwell needs to see this.”

“Oh, no.” Rachel clutched his hand tighter, resisting his playful tugs.

“What? It’s just a frog. Don’t tell me…?”

“They creep me out.”

“Yeah? The kid needs to catch a frog. It’s a boy thing, Rachel. Come on, you don’t graduate from being a boy until you stuff a frog in your pocket and bring it home to show your mom.”

“Yes, well, his mother is standing right here and she can see it just fine from this distance.”

Sam’s eyes sparkled, and just when Rachel suspected he might pull a fast one and catch the frog, he shrugged and walked by.
Whew
.

“You’re a good influence on him, you know,” she said as they wandered over the grassy field. “Not only does he plan to do annual drives for Kid Flicks, he’s also started researching another charity he’d like to give to that provides clean water to families in areas that don’t have any. Isn’t that awesome? My nine-year-old son has taught me so much these past weeks. I love learning from him.”

“He’s taught me a lot, too. So now it’s my turn to teach him to toss the football. Or maybe we should start easy by flying a kite? I used to have the coolest kite when I was a kid. Rachel…” He turned her around in a fancy twirl, then clasped both her hands and stood before her as if he had a grand question to ask.

Not too grand a question, she hoped. She wasn’t ready for that.

“Would you be my girlfriend?” he asked, the sun highlighting the four sexy freckles on his nose.

“Yes,” she replied easily, and raised her face to kiss him as the breeze stirred up a storm of milkweed fluff around them. She laughed at the sudden onslaught of white seed kites. “I guess that was some kind of fireworks, eh?”

“I think so. Someone or something approves of us.”

It was in Rachel’s nature to ensure everything was perfectly clear. “I don’t want any promises you’re not ready to make, or false hopes. I mean, you get the plus one when we do the boyfriend-girlfriend thing. That can be a lot for any guy to accept.”

Sam shrugged. “Then I won’t make any promises. Not yet, anyway. But I can say one thing and know it’s the truth. You and Maxwell? You two own my heart right now. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I care about both of you. And when I said girlfriend, I really meant girlfriend plus one.”

“Oh, Sam.” Rachel hugged him and he spun her around, setting off another swirl of seed kites floating up into the crystalline blue sky along with the sound of Maxwell’s laughter.

* * *

Weeks later….

“Mom, I got a letter from Kid Flicks!”

Rachel looked up from the cherry pie she was making with Sam. Well, Sam was eating the cherries while she attempted to get them in the pastry shell before the culinary creation became a flat tart rather than a thick and juicy two-crust pie.

“What did they say, buddy?”

Sam scooted over on the bench by the window, and Maxwell sat next to him and opened the envelope. Rachel had to smile. The two got along so well, it made her sigh happily and linger in the moment.

Sam played with Maxwell’s mess of hair while her son read the letter from the sisters who ran Kid Flicks. They thanked him for his generous donation and the time and effort he put into the drive. The message was printed on their letterhead, which Rachel knew Maxwell appreciated.

“They said kids all over the United States send them letters to tell them how much they appreciate the movies being available in hospitals. And now I’m a part of that.” He beamed at Rachel, and she went over to plant a kiss on his nose.

“You’ve got flour all over you, Mom.”

“And now you do, too.” She touched the tip of his nose with a flour-dusted finger.

“Aw, Mom, now I have to wash my face.” He scrambled off the bench and headed upstairs.

“If that’s all it takes to get you to wash your face, I’ll bake a pie every night,” she called after him.

Sam tugged her to sit beside him, and gave her a kiss. “I don’t mind a little flour on my face,” he said. “And on my shirt, or even my jeans.”

“Such a scandalous man. The neighbors will talk.”

“Let them.” He pulled her up onto his lap and kissed her deeply, their noses touching and their foreheads pressed together. “The neighbor ladies have stopped trying to seduce me with martinis ever since we got together.”

“And that upsets you?”

“Nope. Makes it easier to fix things, too. No more TV guides shoved down toilets. Everything is either really broken or has been in need of a touch-up for a long time. Sort of like my heart.”

“Your heart?”

“It was in need of a touch-up when I met you and Maxwell. You’ve taken some spackle to it and made it almost good as new.”

“You don’t ever want it to be like new,” she said. “You’ll always have that tender spot for your brother. Right here.” She laid her palm over his heart. “As it should be.”

“I agree. You think it’d be all right if I took Maxwell out to the new property with me this weekend to fly the new kite?”

“Can I come along?”

“Of course you can. Especially if you bring some of that cherry pie for a picnic.”

“Sounds like a date.”

He kissed her nose and stroked the hair from her face. “I love you, Rachel McHenry. You and Maxwell. You hear that, buddy?” he said louder.

Maxwell appeared from around the corner, where he’d been lurking. “I did. What do you think, Mom? Should we let him stick around for a while?”

Rachel snuggled into Sam’s embrace. “You always have the best plans, Maxwell.”

ISBN: 978-1-4592-2691-3

More Than Words

Copyright © 2012 by Harlequin Books S.A.

Michele Hauf is acknowledged as the author of
Maxwell’s Smile

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