Page 21 of The Maverick’s Legacy

“This all sounds amazing,” Carly said as she looked over the menu. “I haven’t had authentic Mexican food in so long.”

Jesse cocked his head. “They don’t have Mexican restaurants in Australia?”

“They do, but I didn’t get to really enjoy life there. It was mostly work.”

“How long were you there for?” he asked.

“About ten years,” Carly replied, her eyes skimming over the quesadilla section. “Oh, the cheese quesadillas sound good.”

Jesses’s eyebrows shot up. “Ten years and you didn’t get to enjoy any Mexican food? No one took you on a date for some?”

He was fishing, and she smirked like she knew it too.

“There was one man I dated for a while, but we were both on the circuit. I was too busy winning, and he was too busy flirting with groupies.”

Carly said it lightly, as if it was a joke, but he sensed the hurt under the bravado.

“I’m sorry,” he replied just as Yolanda returned with waters and took their order.

After she left, Carly placed her arms on the table. “What about you? Are Mexican restaurants your normal go-to when you date someone?”

“No… I…” Jesse didn’t want to talk about it, but he might as well rip the Band-Aid off. “I haven’t really dated anyone since my wife died.”

The amusement on her face disappeared instantly. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Jesse shrugged. “I don’t really talk about it.”

Carly picked up her water and took a sip before she tactfully changed the subject. “What about Oscar? How’s he doing with the move?”

Jesse appreciated the deliberate effort that she’d made to get them out of a sticky conversation. “He seems better. School’s hard for him. He doesn’t exactly understand social cues. If someone is mad or making fun of him, he doesn’t understand it and then gets upset. But I’m proud of him for joining the football team and trying to be involved. Coach Finn has taken him under his wing, which I’m grateful for. The friends might not be coming like I’d hoped they would, but he’s at least talking more. I think it also helps that we’re currently staying with Grayson and JenniLynn. Her youngest is on the spectrum, so they’re both great at reading when Oscar’s having a bad day.”

He ran a hand over the slight whiskers on his jaw. “It’s good to be around family. I’ve felt really alone trying to raise Oscar without having a support system nearby. MaryBeth—my late wife—she was a great mother and always knew how to make sure Oscar had everything he needed, mentally and emotionally. Sometimes I feel like I’m failing him.”

Carly reached over and squeezed his hand. “I don’t know Oscar well, considering that I just met him the one time, but I didn’t get the impression that he was failing at life. He seemed like a happy teenage boy.”

She went to withdraw her palm, but Jesse’s free hand grabbed hers and held it against his other one.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“You’re welcome,” she returned with a small smile. In that moment with the soft candlelight from the table flickering over her features Carly looked so beautiful that Jesse would have been happy sitting there looking at her all night.

The moment was broken up by Yolanda returning to the table, delivering a mango margarita for Carly and a beer for him.

“What about you?” Jesse asked after taking a sip of his beer. “How are you settling into life in Tenacity?”

She sat back in her chair as she considered his question. “It’s definitely been a change of pace, that’s for sure. But it’s good. Lots of people still stop and whisper—” She tilted her head toward a couple looking their way. They quickly turned their attention back to the table in front of them. “But people aren’t rude when they recognize me. Some people can be really assertive toward me and my sisters because of our careers. Not to mention the press. It’s a nice change of pace to be in a place where most people’s concerns are what color you’re painting your barn instead of what race you’ve won or who you’re dating.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Jesse joked. “JenniLynn said the social network in town was buzzing after I said hi to you at the football game.”

Carly let out a startled giggle at the realization, and Jesse basked in the sound of it.

“I can’t imagine being on the rodeo circuit,” he said. “What’s it like? Other than people wanting a piece of you.”

“Busy,” she replied. “It’s not just about loading up your horse and getting to your next stop. It’s a business like everything else. I have an agent and publicist. There are nonstop meetings with sponsors and event organizers. I loved it for so long. To be honest, it’s been all I’ve known since I was adopted.” She licked at the salt on her margarita glass, and he became transfixed at the trail of her tongue along the glass. “But I’ve been excited for the change.”

He didn’t miss the way her face dimmed, similar to how she looked in the car when she touched on the subject earlier. He frowned, wondering about that expression. He wanted to peel away the layers she seemed to be burying herself under so he could see what she was thinking and why she looked so cautious all of a sudden.

Yolanda returned again, this time with their food.