Page 32 of The Maverick’s Legacy

“I don’t want anyone else,” Carly said. “Jesse is funny and caring, and… I can honestly see myself settling down with him. He’s different from all the men I’ve met who were either more obsessed with their careers than I am or who were only interested in hooking up with a famous Hawkins Sister. Not to mention he’s a dedicated father. But…”

When she didn’t continue, Amy asked “But what?”

Carly adjusted Josephine, not willing to look at her sister as she confessed, “Like you said, what if he’s still hung up on his wife?” Tears filled her eyes for a second, but she quickly blinked them away. “I don’t know how to compete with a ghost.”

“A ghost?” Amy asked.

Carly’s heart ached a little as she remembered Jesse’s brief reference. “I didn’t ask for details, but Jesse mentioned his late wife. I feel so bad that he and Oscar had to go through that type of loss.”

Amy gazed at her husband in the distance. “You know, Josh and I didn’t always have it smooth sailing. You have to work at a relationship and establish strong communication with one another. Maybe you need to ask for more details about his life before he moved to Tenacity. Especially how long ago it was that his wife died. I mean—Car—if she died recently…”

Carly gave a watery sigh. “I know. But when am I supposed to bring it up? We have our dates—which doesn’t seem the appropriate time to ask about his dead wife.”

Amy winced at that. She then said cautiously, “Maybe you should consider dating other guys.” When Carly’s face turned stubborn, Amy rushed, “I love you, but you do have a tendency to want to see the best in men that aren’t the greatest for you. Look at your childhood crush on Paul Rodriguez.”

Carly gave her a disbelieving look. “You’re seriously not bringing up a boy band member that I had a crush on when I was ten.”

“I’m just saying you had five boys to choose from in that group, and you became obsessed with the one who was widely known for being a player.”

“He was gorgeous—still is, come to think of it! Have you watched his show, First Comes Marriage?”

Amy rolled her eyes in exasperation. “No, I don’t have time for silly reality TV shows.”

“First of all, how dare you,” Carly joked. She didn’t really care for that type of entertainment either, but she’d decided to check the show out one time while she was bored on the road because she’d heard Paul hosted it. She’d found herself becoming addicted to it. “If we’re going to talk about this subject again, let’s rehash the fact that I’m still hurt you never took me to see Holiday Boys when I was a kid, despite the fact that you could have been an awesome older sister and driven me to any of their concerts!”

“I was not subjecting my ears to a bunch of screaming preteens, thank you very much.” The mirth in Amy’s eyes slowly drained though as she added, “Look what happened with Fletch.”

Carly scowled. “Fletch was a mistake.”

“But you kept turning a blind eye to him, even when he was obviously not the one for you.”

“Trust me, my eyes were wide open when it came to that man,” Carly grumbled.

Josephine started to squirm before she let out a noise that indicated she needed a new diaper. Being the amazing aunt that she was, Carly handed the baby back to her sister. Amy rolled her eyes but took her daughter and stood up.

“I’m just saying,” Amy continued, “don’t build the guy up too much in your head. Like you said, you don’t know where his mind is at. Is he ready for a relationship, or is he still hung up on his wife to the point where he’s not ready to see someone else? You don’t want to end up a rebound, even if she passed years ago. Maybe the first question you need to ask him isn’t about his feelings for her but if he’s mentally ready for you.”

Josephine let out a whine, and Amy kissed her head. “All right, my darling, let’s get you changed.”

Amy left Carly with nothing but thoughts she didn’t want to think. She swallowed hard, knowing her sister was right. She had to guard her heart from Jesse because the last thing she needed was to fall head over heels in love with the man, only for him not to return her feelings.

She stared off in the distance where she could see Amy’s husband, Josh, riding his horse as he rounded up some cattle. Carly took a breath and smelled fall leaves and hay. A breeze stirred the chimes hanging from the eaves, and for just a second, she relaxed. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to read the message. And just like that, her relaxation quickly erased. Her mouth twisted unhappily as she read another message from Dex.

The sponsors came back to me with another offer. Another $50,000!!! What are you waiting for?

Amy came back without the baby. “Your favorite niece decided she wanted a nap in the comfort of her own crib.” She paused when she saw Carly staring vacantly at her phone. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Carly swallowed before showing her sister the message.

Amy read it and whistled. “You still haven’t gotten back to him on that, huh?”

“I want to,” Carly told her. “But every time I get my phone out to respond, my mind goes blank. I don’t know how to answer. My head is screaming at me to stop being a fool and to take the offer. I know, financially, it’d be worth it.”

“Well, what does your heart say?” Amy asked.

“My heart?” Carly said it like she’d never heard of the organ. She reached up her hand and pressed it against her chest where it was pounding painfully. “I… It’s telling me to stay, to rest. I want to see what else life has to offer, and the idea of going back on the road again makes me feel sick.”

“Here, give me your phone,” Amy ordered. When Carly gave it to her with a confused look, her sister began typing rapidly. It made a swooshing noise, letting Carly know that Amy sent a message.