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“You keep telling yourself that, big brother. I’m just glad she’s back. She was the best rancher we knew, guy or gal.”
“Yeah, maybe so. But she’s been living in San Antonio for the past fifteen years. What could she possibly think she still knows about this kinda life? You know I woke her up at six this morning?”
“You woke me up just ten minutes before that. What’s your point?”
“My point is, she doesn’t belong here anymore. And the sooner she figures it out, the better we’ll all be.”
“Bull. Working a ranch is like riding a bike, Benny. If I can pick it back up, anyone can.”
“Still. She should sell and let me take over. There’s too much for her to tackle on her own. Shit—she’ll be here a year just trying to rein in the weeds alone.”
“And this would be a bad thing, why?”
“Because she’s just gonna get in the way. Sexy or not, I don’t like knowing she’s there, making a bigger mess of things.”
“So, you think she’s sexy? I knew it.” Jax slugged Bennett’s shoulder, causing him to swerve slightly.
Luckily, they were on private property, so the truck course corrected without any damage.
“Knock it off. Who cares? It doesn’t change anything.”
“Yes, it does. You loved her somethin’ fierce. Enough to want to marry her. That doesn’t go away just ’cause she left for the city.”
Bennett slowed to stop and waited for a doe and her new fawn to cross the dirt road in front of them. He shut his eyes and wished for the umpteenth time he hadn’t left Maggie alone at the fair that night after she’d asked for time to think over his proposal. Whatever had happened to her had spooked her enough to avoid him every day since. He’d gone over it a hundred times and still couldn’t make any sense of it.
“No, it went away when she didn’t show up to see me off and didn’t return any of my calls or letters after that.”
“You were kids, Benny. You both messed up.”
The mother and child safely in the copse of birch across the road, Bennett drove on.
“Maybe. But either way, it’s over. Has been and always will be. Maggie Newman is nothing more than a neighbor who’s getting on my nerves.”
“Fine. But since she’s not making me mad, I might swing on by and say hi. It’s been what, almost two decades since she pantsed me by the creek for calling her a silly girl? I kinda wanna see what that stubbornness looks like now, especially if it’s got your boxers in a bunch.”
Bennett’s teeth ground with frustration. Jax gave him grief on a daily basis—it was his MO—but today it rubbed Bennett in all the wrong ways.
“Don’t even think about it. She made it clear she wants to be left alone, so we’re gonna honor that.”
“Seems to me the woman could use a friendly face. Your mug looking all sour like it is probably scared her off. Probably what happened when you proposed, too. Made it sound like a business deal she should get in on. Wonder she didn’t swoon right there.”
Bennett pinched the bridge of his nose. “I said leave it alone, Jax. Let’s just finish up this field and get back to the house. I don’t want to think about her or Newman Ranch anymore and I don’t want you telling Mom, either. She’s got enough on her plate with the Guzman dinner.”
That shut his brother up.
Their mother was Deer Creek’s only caterer, so she and Mae, of Mae’s Bakery, usually tag-teamed weddings and such for the locals. They liked the intimacy of the small-town events. Even though both women had been approached to franchise, both had happily turned down the offers.
The only exception to their small events coordinating occurred a month ago. One of the local ranchers, Bill Harmon, met and proposed to a Hollywood starlet—the story behind which Bennett was still unclear—and the wedding was taking place on Bill’s land in three weeks’ time. Of course, the only person he wanted to cater was Grace, and Mae was his top pick for the wedding cake.
Which meant Deer Creek was about to double in population and both women were overwhelmed.
“I’ll back off about Maggie, but I can’t promise anything else, brother.” Jax’s half-smile was rife with mischief. “Man, and I was gonna skip out and go fishing today. This is so much better.”
“You’re impossible,” Bennett said as they pulled up to the field. He put the truck in park, got out, and dropped the tailgate.
He had so much to do—finalize the contract for new ranch equipment, bring the herds down to the south fields until they could spray for clover out in the east valley, get a new wrench from Harvey’s, and meet with buyers from Tennessee. Even with that list, Bennett didn’t think it would be enough to distract him from the one thing he hadn’t told his brother.
Some things, like the kinda love Bennett and Maggie had, didn’t fade like they should.
