Page 45 of The Maverick’s Legacy

Tiffany wiggled her eyebrows. “Someone must really like you, huh?”

Carly pulled the flowers close to her chest and breathed them in, taking a moment to appreciate their scent. “Thank you so much.”

She didn’t comment on Tiffany’s hint for information. The florist had to already know who the flowers were from.

They said their goodbyes, and Carly went back into the kitchen. She noticed that the pizza box from the night before was on top of her garbage container and that their empty bottle and can were in her sink. A little lump formed in Carly’s throat realizing that Jesse must have cleaned up a little while she was sleeping.

She put the flowers on the table, running a finger over the silken petals. She searched for a card and noticed one buried between the green leaves. Pulling it off its plastic stem, Carly read the message.

I didn’t want to wake you, but I had to pick up Oscar. Thank you for the amazing night. I’ll call you later today. Jesse.

Then he’d drawn three hearts after his name. Carly’s mouth broke into a smile as she traced one with the tip of her fingernail. She felt silly for letting her imagination run away with her earlier, when a part of her brain had been loudly shouting that there was a reasonable explanation as to why he’d left so early. She ran her thumb over the tiny heart Jesse had drawn next to his name. She knew she’d probably analyze what it meant for the rest of the day.

Her earlier confusion and hurt at his abrupt departure that morning ebbed slightly, though she couldn’t help but feel a little out of sorts at how he’d acted right after they’d shared such a pleasurable moment together.

Carly needed to clear her head, so she grabbed her coat and headed for the barn to feed Nieve and clean his stall. Once they were through, she led him out into the rebuilt paddock so that he could graze and get his morning exercise.

As she stood along the fence, watching him, he sauntered over to her and gently nudged her arm.

“Hello, my handsome boy,” she murmured against his soft forehead. “We should go for a ride later—what do you think?”

He whinnied in response before he trotted back over to a patch of grass. Carly left him to it. As she walked back to the barn, she breathed in the fresh cool air. The leaves were starting to change, leaving the homestead looking like nature had painted it in bright shades of red, yellow, and orange. No matter how conflicted she’d felt over the decisions she’d made in recent months, she would never regret buying this property.

She looked at the large patch of cement next to the barn. She assumed that the previous owners had used the space for horse trailers or equipment at some point. She stood on it and looked down at the hard surface beneath her feet.

She thought back to what her father had said all those weeks ago. Wouldn’t this be the ideal spot for her office? It’d be close to the barn and the perfect place to greet students if she opened her program.

Carly could almost picture the kids being bussed in from whatever foster system they were currently in. She wondered if, as she had that first time, they’d look at the horses with excitement, a little fear, and the feeling that her life would never be the same again because she’d been given a taste of freedom. That no matter what happened next for her, she’d always have that memory, and no one could ever take it away from her.

She wanted to do that for someone who was as lost as she’d once been. Could she do it though? Would she succeed at giving a child that feeling she’d had the first time her dad put her on a horse?

She wouldn’t know unless she tried. But that meant…she had to let go of another part of her life.

A lick of excitement danced through her as she thought back to her vision of what she wanted to do with the property. She had the permits ready to go, contacts had been made to the different horse rescues. Amy’s husband had put her in contact with some local contractors that he knew. If she did want to move forward with things, she had referrals she could call.

What was she waiting for? Doing the rodeo circuit was her job, something she did to give her financial security. The school was her dream. She had the means to do it. She just needed the gumption.

Taking a deep breath, she sent the contractor a text. And then…she called Dex.

Chapter Seventeen

Oscar was beaming by the time Jesse reached the school, where the buses had dropped off the team.

“Hey, bud,” Jesse said, taking in his son’s bright grin. “How’d it go?”

“It went great,” Coach Finn said as he came up to them. The former professional football player gave Oscar a proud nod. “Oscar had all the stats on the opposing team. He suggested a play. I agreed and so did the team captain. It helped us win the game. The whole team now realizes what an asset he is.”

“That he is,” Jesse replied. Oscar studied sports like an art student studied Van Gogh.

“They made me team statistician,” Oscar announced, rocking on his feet.

“The team was in agreement,” Finn added.

Jesse’s chest tightened proudly. He could read between the lines. The team had finally accepted his son.

His heart was in his throat as he smiled at Oscar. “It sounds like the trip was successful.”

Finn nodded, his expression turning determined. “Yep. Especially now that the team knows we have a secret weapon in our midst.”