Roz Fox - A Maverick's Heart

“Uh, okay.” Rory ran to the Cherokee. “Thanks,” he added after Seth easily slid the bike inside.

“No problem. Have a good day at school.” Seth closed the hatch, flung a wave at Lila and crossed over to his friends. “I see Zeke and Myra left,” he said, accepting the keys from Ben.

“Yeah. They had chores. Zeke said to call him. He said if this weather holds you can start reroofing the barn soon.”

“Lucky you,” Gavin said as they all climbed into the SUV. “I mean it,” he stressed when the others laughed. “I’d rather be here roofing a barn than returning to Afghanistan.”

“How much longer do you and Ben have there? Aren’t we bringing all troops home?” Seth asked.

“Not all. I have another sixty days on my assignment,” Ben said.

“Three months for me,” Gavin admitted. “Who knows after that? I intended to make the army my career, but after coming here...” He stared out his window without finishing.

“I’m only staying until it’s time to re-up,” Ben said. “Being here made me realize how many places I’d like to see in the U.S. I have a college friend who bought a fishing boat in Alaska. He said anytime I want I can have a job.”

“Once the docs fix me up as good as they can, I may come back here,” Hunter added. “What about you, Seth? It was hard not to notice the way you leaped up to help Miz Lila. What’s her situation? I assume she’s divorced?”

Seth screwed his lips to one side. “She’s been widowed awhile. But her voice still gets choppy when she mentions her husband. I could be interested, but the few women I’ve liked enough to get serious have all insinuated I’m a rolling stone. And I don’t know what I’d do but hunt for gems.”

They left the town behind and their talk turned to travel and other things.

* * *

“DID YOU FEED GHOST?” Lila asked Rory after she backed the Cherokee around and headed down the lane. “And did you secure the gate to keep him on our side of the house? We don’t need him getting out again like he did last night.”

“I pulled on the knob when I saw you and Seth come out of the barn. Did he say anything to you about helping me learn to throw and catch?” Rory asked, leaning forward to stare at his mother.

Her eyes sought his in the rearview mirror. “Helping you...no. Why would he?”

Rory slumped in his seat, clasping his old mitt and baseball. “I dunno.” Then he mumbled, “Zeke said Seth could give me tips on account’a he got awards and trophies playing baseball. He was so good he had scouts looking at him to play for the pros.”

“Really? Zeke actually said Seth was that good?”

“Yep. He only told me he played on a city team when he was my age. But I was wishing he’d talk to you about helping me get better.”

“Hmm. I’m sorry, honey. He didn’t. And unless he does, don’t you go bugging a guest, okay? But, gosh, I wonder if he’s qualified to teach high school and really coach baseball.”

“Huh? Kemper’s dad never played ball, but he plays catch with Kemper and teaches him to bat better.”

“Well, I heard at the café that the high school coach plans to retire. I think he teaches, too. I just wondered if Seth might be interested.”

“Why?”

Lila hid a smile. “Uh, no reason other than probably Zeke would love to have his twin settle in the area.” No way would she admit to her son that Seth Maxwell was about the nicest single guy to hit Snowy Owl Crossing in forever.

“I s’pose. If he helped me, I’d like it, too,” Rory said.

Chapter Three

Lila stopped at the school and helped her son unload his bike and chain it up. “You have your cell phone? I put it on the charger for you.”

Rory opened a small pocket on his backpack and let her see the phone.

“Okay, have a good day. I’ll see you at Memaw’s café shortly after three.”

He closed his pack and dashed up the walkway to catch up to another boy about his height. Lila watched the two horse around then go inside with a gaggle of kids. She waved to a mom pulling into the drop-off circle.

Climbing back into her vehicle, Lila spent a moment missing the kindergarten days when Rory’d wanted a hug and kiss before he skipped into class. They’d gone from that to her giving a quick brush of a stubborn lock of his hair, to a wave, to now nothing but him scurrying away without glancing back. Those milestones signified the passing of time as nothing else could. So many things around her changed, yet she seemed stuck.

On the drive back to the B and B her mind drifted. She’d been a single mom longer than she and Kevin had shared parenting. She wasn’t sure why she thought of that now. Other than Seth Maxwell joking this morning about them having a torrid affair.

Lila felt her face heat again. Not only would she not class the sex she’d shared with her husband as torrid, in the five years since his death she hadn’t dated.

Thinking back over her marriage, she tried to be honest. She’d been totally green about sex when she’d married at age eighteen. To Kevin, a farm kid, it was a perfunctory part of life. Yes, they’d dated for four years prior to getting married, but dating in Snowy Owl Crossing consisted of sitting together at ball games. Or meeting at the gym for a school dance where, mostly, they stood around. Maybe they held hands at potlucks. That was pretty much it, because kids worked hard in their family businesses. No one had time to hang out idly.

That didn’t mean she never had fanciful dreams. Sometimes Kev had fallen asleep, leaving her hot and wanting—wanting to share passionate love with him. But it never happened.

When she arrived back at the ranch that claimed so much of her time and energy, she spared a second to wonder if she’d ever share intimacy with a man sure of himself in the bedroom. Not only sure of himself but caring of her needs, as well.

She parked and went in to clean the now-empty rooms and ready them for the folks scheduled to check in at eleven.

Collecting a stack of clean sheets, she recalled how Seth Maxwell claimed he’d never had a torrid affair. She puzzled over whether she thought that was a lie. Thirty-two, handsome as sin and a world traveler, his saintly declaration didn’t fit.

Well, he hadn’t claimed to be a saint. And there was a whole lot of space between celibacy and indulging in a torrid affair. But look how fast she’d chastised him for the mere suggestion. Mostly out of habit. Because in a small town rife with gossip she worried about other people’s opinion of her. Her best friends pointed out that she cared too much how others judged her. Maybe Seth saw that, too, and had elected to tease her.

But why would he? The sum total of their association had been brief. She stored that thought and called herself silly for presuming to even picture him settling here, let alone the two of them becoming more than passing acquaintances.

Blanking her mind, she hurried on to strip beds and start laundry.

* * *

IT WAS 4:00 P.M. when Seth walked into the Snowy Owl Café. It’d been a long round-trip to the Billings Logan International Airport. None of the three guys he’d driven there had been booked on the same flights. For his job, he spent a lot of time sitting in airports, so it hadn’t been any big deal for him to wait to be sure none of their flights got canceled, even though they said there was no reason for him to hang around.

The fact was, he had spent too much of his life booked on Podunk airlines prone to delays and cancellations. He’d forgotten how dependable American carriers were. Dependable schedules, plus nice food courts and gift shops that sold snacks, books, magazines and other stuff in short supply in many foreign airports where he’d twiddled his thumbs. But with all Billings Logan airport offered in the way of food, none of the guys had been hungry after Lila’s great breakfast. So here Seth was, well after lunch, and famished as a bear fresh out of hibernation. And there was nary a free seat to be had in the café. He’d never seen the place this full.