Page 41 of The Maverick’s Legacy

His companion elbowed him, and the man guffawed.

“What do you think she’s doing at a grocery store, you ninny?” the other man said. This one was tall and gangly with a gray mustache.

“I’m just making conversation.”

“You’re being nosy. You just want the scoop on what’s happening between her and Jesse Abernathy.” The taller man looked at her. “Forgive Gary—he’s been married to my sister for too long. They’re both busybodies.”

Gary glared at his brother-in-law. “I’m going to make sure to tell her you said that, Richard.”

Richard gulped. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Carly shook her head and left the men to their squabbling as she entered the store. A bored teenager behind the counter waved to her, and she smiled back.

She grabbed a basket and walked around the store getting some microwave popcorn, licorice, and a case of hard seltzer. If Jesse planned on breaking up with her, she was going to binge-watch TV while stuffing her face with as many empty calories as she could.

“Hello!” a woman called from behind the meat counter, her voice bright over the low hum of the coolers. “Are you excited for the upcoming rodeo?”

“Very,” Carly replied, offering a polite smile as she adjusted the grocery basket on her arm.

There was a good chance this rodeo might be her last, and she wanted to enjoy it. She owed herself that much. Still, the thought carried more weight than she wanted to admit. Rodeo had been her world for so long. But lately, when she thought about her career—the endless travel, the pressure to stay at the top, the constant spotlight—retirement sounded more appealing than ever.

She was tired. Not just the kind of tired that a good night’s sleep could fix, but the deep, bone-level exhaustion that came from years of being on. Always performing. Always smiling. Always needing to be the best. Somewhere along the way, the joy had started to slip through her fingers. Especially after the disaster with Fletch.

“My whole family’s planning on attending,” the worker continued as she wrapped a package of steaks in brown paper for a different customer. “It’s not every day we get to see a celebrity perform.”

Carly’s lips curved politely. “Thank you for attending.”

The woman beamed. “We’re all huge fans in my household. My daughter was just heartbroken when you and Fletch Alistair broke up. She’s been following your career for years! She honestly thought you two would get married—”

Carly’s fingers tightened around the basket handle. A dull ache stirred in her chest, but she kept her tone steady. “No, neither of us planned on that. I—”

“That’s what I said,” the woman cut in with a cheerful shrug. “Besides, Jesse Abernathy is much cuter, in my opinion. And he’s local.” She gave Carly a knowing wink.

Carly blinked, caught off guard. “Oh—well…it was nice talking to you.” She shifted her basket higher on her arm. “I should get going.”

She turned down the nearest aisle before the woman could respond, her pulse quickening. The overhead lights hummed softly, and for a moment she just stood there between the shelves of coffee and cereal, trying to breathe. She hadn’t realized her life in Australia had made such an impact here—that strangers, halfway across the world, still followed gossip about her and Fletch.

And just like that, the walls she’d built between her old life and this new one felt a little thinner.

Once she was done with her purchases, she headed back outside. Gary and Richard were gone, and she wondered if they’d gone to rat each other out to Gary’s wife. It was almost too bad. She could have used the distraction.

After she got home, she quickly tidied up the house. Carly wasn’t inside much anyway, considering she spent a majority of her time outside working on her potential school and practicing for the upcoming rodeo. Time was also ticking away on her getting back to Dex, but she’d worry about that tomorrow. If Jesse told her tonight that he was done with her meddling, then maybe she would take her agent up on his offer. At least for a little while. It wouldn’t be running away by any means. Just…a return to her roots.

She went into her room to get ready, deciding on yoga pants and a pullover sweatshirt that hung loosely over one shoulder. She figured she might as well be comfortable tonight, especially depending on how things turned out. She thought about ditching her bra, but her breasts were big enough that it’d be too noticeable. Then again, this might end up being a really short conversation, so to hell with it. She was just pulling her hair into a loose ponytail when there was a knock on the door. She ran to answer it, wanting to get the evening over with.

“Hey,” Jesse said, holding a box from Pete’s Pizza and a six-pack of beer.

“Hi,” she said before stepping back so he could come in. Carly headed to the kitchen and knew that Jesse was following. He set the pizza on the black dining table while she grabbed some plates from the cupboard.

When she turned around and saw Jesse taking in her casual clothes, his gaze lingering on the lack of bra strap that her loose sweatshirt revealed, her eyebrow raised. He tore his eyes away and flipped open the pizza box. On one half was pepperoni and mushroom; on the other was pineapple and black olives. She grabbed a seltzer out of the fridge and walked back to the table. Carly sat in one of the orange chairs at the table and pulled one of the slices toward her that was slathered in pineapple. She took a bite, taking a second to appreciate the salt and sweet deliciousness.

“I don’t think I’ve known someone who likes pineapple on pizza before,” Jesse said as he reached for a pepperoni slice.

“Have you ever tried it?” she countered.

He looked disgusted. “Absolutely not.”

“Maybe I’ll convert you yet,” she said before licking away the sauce that was lingering on her lips.