Page 53 of Falling for the Maverick

So Lucas thought it disrespectful. Keith had thought nothing of turning around to stare at women whenever they were together. It was one of several signs Michelle had ignored, a blatant indication that he wouldn’t be faithful.

“I don’t want to be lied to, Lucas,” she continued. “Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. I want the truth even it hurts, because I will eventually get over the hurt.”

“I’m not your ex, Michelle. So please don’t compare me to him. I’ve never cheated on a woman. I’ve never been able to juggle more than one relationship at the same time. I hope that puts your mind at ease.”

A beat passed. “It does,” she admitted.

“Are you still going to the Halloween party?” he asked.

“Yes. I still have to decide whether I’m going to wear a costume.”

“I’ll probably go as a cowboy.”

Michelle laughed. “No fair. That’s what you dress like every day. Boots, jeans and Stetson.”

“That’s why it’s going to be easy for me. I once went to a Halloween party dressed in a zoot suit. There was so much material in the pants that if there had been a strong wind, I would’ve gone up like a helium-filled balloon.”

Michelle put her hand over her mouth to muffle a burst of laughter. “Did you have the big hat?”

“Yup. I had the whole outfit, including the long chain. I felt like such a clown that I swore I’d never wear a costume again. That’s why I’m going as a cowboy.”

“If I can find an appropriate dress, then I’d like to go as a cancan dancer.”

“That’s something I’d like to see.”

The first year she was back in Tenacity, Michelle hadn’t attended any of the town’s holiday celebrations. However, last year the news that Luca Sanchez had discovered dinosaur bones had energized her along with most of Tenacity’s residents. She’d decided to join the town’s first annual pumpkin spice crawl, and she’d been caught up in the excitement of going around drinking and eating pumpkin-inspired food. Then she felt as if she’d really come home with the family reunion. It had become even more special for her when Shane came back to Tenacity from Helena, where he’d lived for two years with an ex-girlfriend. It was the first year in a long time that Joseph and Patty Corey were able to have all their children together on the Circle C.

“Do you celebrate Halloween with the kids at the daycare?” Lucas asked, his question breaking into her thoughts.

“Yes. Right now, we’re planning for a Halloween party. All the classrooms are decorated and in a couple of days we’re going to carve pumpkins.”

“Do you like working at the daycare?”

“Yes, but it’s very different from being a classroom teacher. The young children at the daycare are complete opposites of my second graders.”

“What do you do at the daycare?”

“I’m the arts and crafts teacher. I work with three-to-five-year-olds. They like painting and doing puzzles, but what they’re obsessed with is glitter. Every time I work with them, I bring some home on my clothes and in my hair.”

“You must really enjoy working with children.”

“Enjoy doesn’t begin to describe it, Lucas. There’s something so special about them when they’ve completed a task or whenever they’re exposed to something new that truly excites them.”

“Give me an example.”

“Learning to tie shoes is cause for a celebration. The ones who are completely toilet-trained come in and will show me their big boy or big girl underpants. For them it’s rite of passage that they no longer think of themselves as babies.”

“If you do return to the classroom, which grade will you teach?”

“It all depends on which ones are open. I’m certified for pre-K through six. If I’m not assigned to a classroom, I can substitute as an art teacher. Early childhood education was my major and art my minor. I’ve been mulling it over, but I’m seriously thinking about going back to teaching.”

Lucas grunted under his breath. “The only thing I remember about my art teacher was she smelled like an ashtray and she had nicotine stains on her fingers. I was forced to hold my breath whenever she leaned over our table.”

“Have you ever smoked?”

He shook his head. “Not cigarettes. I’ll take few puffs on a cigar during a celebration, but that’s extent of my smoking. What about you?”

“What about me?”