“There you go!” Nash sauntered like every cowboy should. “Nothing like a county fair.”
“Any of you boys riding today?”
“You know we are. Me and Decker for sure.” He leaned closer. “And don’t tell now, but they’re trying to get Maverick back on a bull to do his signature move.”
“The move! I’d forgotten the move.” Everything about home was just the same. Except that it wasn’t. Maybe for an afternoon, she could forget her mistakes and the mess she’d made of her life and enjoy the fair with her daughter.
Gracie ran up to a small corral full of baby pigs. “Oh, Mama! Would Grandpa buy me a pig too?”
“She already knows who to ask! Smart girl.” Nash tipped his hat to her.
“Thanks. She really is special.”
Gracie stretched her hand through the fence to touch a piglet on the head and giggled.
Food trucks filled the air around them with delicious smells, smells that brought back memories of her mother’s quilting booth and pie tables. Memories of long glorious days with friends, searching every inch of the county fair park. And memories of Maverick and stolen kisses in the horse stalls.
“Might I get you two ladies a frozen lemonade?” Nash was all charm, all politeness, and Bailey had forgotten how nice it was to be around someone who worked to put you at ease.
Another tall and broad Dawson waved as he approached. “Nash! Who do we have here?” Decker’s twin, Dylan, was soon at his side, and Bailey was surrounded by Dawson testosterone.
She laughed. “Hey, guys! It’s great to see you all.”
Decker, Dylan, and Nash towered above her. Their broad shoulders and immense size were offset by the signature Dawson twinkle in their eyes. She was transported back to her high school days for a minute until a small hand tugged at her shirt. “Mama?” Gracie’s small voice sounded unsure.
“Oh, honey. I want you to meet some more friends.” She swung her up into her arms. “Remember Maverick?”
She nodded.
“Well, these are his brothers.”
“Oh.” She wiggled to be lowered to the ground so Bailey set her on her toes.
Nash got down on his knee. “You already know me. Isn’t that right?”
She nodded. “You’re the little one.”
The other guys snorted.
“That’s right.” Nash waved them off. “Well now, these guys are just a bunch more like me.”
She considered him a minute and then lifted her eyes all the way up to the tallest.
Decker winked. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Gracie seemed to rally. “Grandpa’s gonna buy me a pig.”
“Is he now?”
A crowd of elementary school kids approached. “Oh, pig,” someone called from behind them.
A large group of full-grown pigs were walking down the dirt path toward them with the children right behind.
Gracie squealed. “Look!”
“Oh, fun. It’s the 4-H kids.” Bailey laughed. “Remember when we did that?”
“Yeah, we remember.” Decker frowned.
“Oh, let it go.” Dylan shook his head. “Still chapped your pig lost?”
“It can’t be my fault it rolled in dirt.”
“It’s the pig’s fault, then, but the pig also lost. Time to get over it.”
Bailey thought about all the hours she’d spent on her pig, training it, feeding it, bathing it. At the time, she’d outgrown the initial excitement, and it felt more like a chore than anything; but looking back, those were some of her happiest memories. Gracie’s gaze was glued to the young children as they walked by, calling commands to their pigs, tapping their shoulders, and the pigs moved along accordingly. Bailey knew her next question before she asked.
“Mama.”
“Yes, sweet pea.”
“Could I have my own pig to boss like those guys?”
“Someday, baby girl.”
Her lip stuck out, but she didn’t say anything else.
The 4-H group rounded the next corner. And then Nash returned with frozen lemonade.
They walked along, all the brothers still at her side. “Don’t you guys have something to do?”
Dylan shrugged. “Nope.”
Decker shook his head.
Nash lifted his hat to wink at Bailey. “Anybody else feel like Bailey’s trying to get rid of us?”
“A little bit.” Decker raised a finger. “I’m getting that vibe.”
“Oh stop. Let’s go say hello to my mom.” Bailey’s mom sat in the same spot she always had, with shelves and baking racks behind her, along with a tall image of a pie fresh from the oven and her signature logo for Patty’s Pies.
“And now Bailey will learn the real reason we’re hanging around.” Nash winked and then approached her mom’s pie booth. “Well now, hello, Mrs. Hempstead. Don’t you look lovely today.”
She laughed and beckoned him closer. “I’ve been saving this piece right here for you.”
Nash reached for the slice of her mom’s boysenberry pie and grabbed a fork. “Now this here is why I come to the fair.”
Decker closed in. “I want a taste of why I come to the fair.”
Her mom handed him a slice of the blueberry.
And Dylan got the strawberry. “I think she saved the best one for me.”
“Nah, we all know Maverick gets that one.” Nash glanced quickly at Bailey and then back at her mom.
Bailey checked her watch. “I think it’s time for the bird show.”
Decker nodded. “And we’ve got to get in costume.”
“We’ll come see you.” Bailey waved to them as the twins ran off.
Nash pointed at Gracie. “I’ll be looking for you, little lady.”
She grinned and stuck the straw to her lemonade back in her mouth.
As soon as they’d all left, Gracie said, “Who were all those tall guys?”
“I told you. They’re Maverick’s brothers. My friends.” Her heart ached when she said it. They were really like brothers to her. They would have been her brothers. But now they were friends, and that would have to be good enough.
She knew that coming home was going to be full of the bittersweet, just like a bar of rich, dark chocolate. Hopefully it stayed decadent, and she could work through the moments that tore at her heart.
Chapter 5
Maverick stood as far back as he could, watching the cozy picture in front of him. Bailey was walking through the fairgrounds with her beautiful girl skipping at her side. They were laughing. Gracie would point to things, and then Bailey would excitedly say something. He’d seen the pair surrounded by his brothers, and for a moment, everything in the world seemed right. At last, Bailey was home.
But then the reality of their situation left him in screeching pain. She’d left. She didn’t want him in her life—she didn’t want to live in this town.
Then why was she back? He tried to hang on to the old familiar bitterness so he didn’t run over to her and drool all over the scene like an excited puppy. But he couldn’t help the nostalgia that crept into his heart. If he and Bailey had married, that could have been their little girl. That could have been his life. As he watched them, he couldn’t help but wonder what was keeping him from scooping up all that happiness for himself. Why not let go and try again?
He could think of a few reasons that kept him back where he was, watching instead of standing at their side. But then Gracie tugged on her mom’s hand and dragged her over to the mechanical bull. That clinched it.
Maverick jogged over. Gracie wanted to ride, but Bailey was shaking her head. The man at the front of the line got on, and the bull started rocking back and forth.
Gracie jumped up and down, clapping.
Then the bull picked up the pace, and the man fell to the ground.
Gracie frowned and paused. And Maverick couldn’t let that be. No daughter of Bailey’s was gonna be afraid to get up on a mechanical bull. Maverick flexed his fingers and rotat
ed his shoulders, then he crouched down beside her. “You know, Gracie, your mom can stay on one of these longer than anyone I know.”
“Used to.” Bailey shook her head. “And the final Dawson brother has arrived.”
“You already saw my brothers?”
“Yep, you missed boysenberry pie.”
“Oh no, ma’am. I never miss boysenberry pie. Your mama is good enough to save me a piece. Every time.” He couldn’t tell if she was pleased or irritated to learn he was on close terms with her parents.
“Excuse me, Uncle Maverick?”
“Yes, sweet pea.” He loved her small voice. And “Uncle Maverick” was a definite improvement.
“Can my mama really ride the bull?”
“She’s so good at it. One of the best.”
“Oh, Mama. I wanna see!”
Bailey eyed him for long enough that Maverick almost lost hope, and then with one last look at her daughter, she nodded. “I will, but only if Maverick does it too.”
“Oh yes! You should both ride!”
“I could, little lady, but then I might beat your mama, and she doesn’t like that much.”
Gracie puckered her forehead and pressed her lips together, thinking about their dilemma for so long that he wanted to scoop her up and swing her up onto his shoulders. She was just so dang cute. Then she said, “I think you should ride together.”
And she won all of his gratitude, because the deep red on Bailey’s face was worth whatever awkwardness came after.
He tipped his head back and laughed. “You know, there was one time we did.”
Bailey’s horrified expression made him laugh even harder. “Maverick, this is not the time…”
He held up his hand. “It’s the truth.” People nearby were now listening, and he turned to look at them. “Maybe some of y’all remember?” He paused, but no one seemed to know what he was talking about. “You know, the time when Bailey and I rode the bull together.”
Low chuckles followed, and Bailey looked like she wanted to hide.
“Do it again!” Gracie clapped her hands and stepped up on the split-rail fence that circled the bull.
Bailey shook her head. “We’re not riding that thing together, Maverick.” She handed him her purse, paid the guy, and stepped up into the stirrup.
Watching her swing her lithe, strong body up on that bull did things to Maverick, things that he didn’t want to resist. She was just the kind of woman he’d always loved. She was the only woman he’d ever loved. And if looking at her was gonna get his blood boiling, that was just the way of things. So he let his eyes glide over her, and he welcomed the deep emotion that came with it. He’d always loved the way Bailey looked, but what he really loved about Bailey was the fire that burned inside. And that was on full display right now too.
He sidled up next to Gracie. “Your mama is something special, you know that?”
She nodded. “Yup. She’s a star.”
“Well now, that might be true. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Your mama has special mom magic. She’s smart. And good to other people, and super fun. She’d drop everything to help a friend, and you’re lucky to have her, of all the women in the world, as your mom.”
Gracie’s eyes widened, and she watched her mom with a new sparkle.
Bailey looked between them, and Maverick couldn’t get a read on her expression. She waved to them. “Okay. Gracie, honey, this is for you. ’Cause there’s no way I’d be up here for any other reason than to show my little girl that women can do this too.”
Maverick tipped his hat. “You’re not gonna hear any argument from me.”
Bailey nodded to the guy running the ride, and it started to move. The ride began slow, the rocking motion easy to move into as you adjust your body to the swaying and dipping. But most riders still fell off in the first twenty seconds anyway. If you made it through the easy stuff, then the bull started jerking and hopping and rotating in full circles, and it became truly difficult to stay on, even for Maverick.
The longer Bailey went, the larger the crowd grew. Gracie clapped. “Go, Mommy!”
And on she went. One minute. One minute thirty. A large horn blared, alerting everyone that she’d broken the record. And Bailey kept at it.
The bull dipped low, rose up, and jerked to the side at the last minute, flinging her to the ground.
Bailey stood up, brushing off the hay and the dust. She walked toward them, looking a little shaky.
Maverick rushed to her side. “Hey, you all right?”
She nodded. “Dizzy,” she whispered, then she reached for her girl. “What did you think?”
Gracie clapped. “The record! You beat it! Did you hear? I think there’s no way anyone’s gonna beat that.”
“Oh yeah? Maverick has to try, remember?”
He shook his head. But when Bailey raised an eyebrow, he nodded and paid the guy. He wrapped one hand up in the reins purely by reflex. The feel of the ropes in one hand and the saddle below him brought a surge of unexpected happiness. He raised a hand in the air, and the machine began.
Gracie jumped and clapped, and Bailey smiled. That smile brought him all the way back to a rodeo he’d done in high school. He’d been waiting in the box, sitting on the edge, ready to lower himself down on an angry bull. Then he’d met her eyes, waiting back behind the box for her barrel racing event, and her smile gave him everything he needed. All the fear left, and he’d won the event, setting a new record no one had yet beat to this day.
The mechanical bull beneath him jerked again, sudden and violent. Maverick was thrown to the ground.
He jumped up and started dusting himself off, but Bailey was already halfway to him, concern all over her face. “What happened? You okay?”
Chagrined, he could only shrug. “I guess you distracted me.” It was the absolute truth.
“Mom won! Mom won!” Gracie jumped up and down and laughed.
Maverick nodded. “You are so right. This deserves an ice cream to celebrate. Who’s in?”
Both girls raised their hands.
“Then we’re off. I happen to know where to get the best ice cream in town.”
As they crowded into a booth, he on one side and Bailey and Gracie on the other, he didn’t think he could enjoy the moment any more than he already was. “Now, Gracie, I need to hear some stories about your mama, ’cause she’s something special around here. And I’m betting she was something special wherever you guys were too.”
Gracie nodded right away and scooped a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. “She was, mm-hmm.”
He waited.
“She’s the best story reader I’ve ever heard.” The girl nodded again, followed by another spoonful. “She reads me my top three and then even one more every night.”
He was expecting something about her singing or playing guitars or something, but Gracie’s reply was even better. “I can’t think of anything more special. That’s even better than winning the bull riding contest.”
“Mm-hmm.”
His gaze found Bailey’s, and he reached for her hand across the table.
“What about you, Maverick?” Bailey asked. Then she turned to her daughter. “Did you know that Maverick here is a true rodeo star?”
“There was a time I might have been.” He avoided her face as he fiddled with his napkin, and she rushed to apologize.
“Of course. I’m sorry about your dad. Really sorry. This place isn’t the same without him.”
“Thank you. No, it’s not.” He shrugged it off. He wished it had been that easy when he’d turned down the first-place championship spot on the national rodeo team.
In many ways, it had been easy to know what he should do. He couldn’t have told his mother that she would have to care for the ranch without him. But knowing what he should do and feeling happy about it were two different things. He still missed those days. He placed his napkin on the table. “There’s something gripping about the words ‘might have been.’”
He shifted in his seat, releasing her hand. “So, what’s a pretty pair of ladies like the two of you doing here without a handsome cowboy at your side?”
The grateful twinkle in Bailey’s eyes told him she was ready for lighter topics. She raised one eyebrow. It wiggled for a moment like it always did when she was about to tease him. “Why, you know one?”
“I think I could wrangle one for you.” He flexed.
And she laughed, but not before he saw a hint of appreciation as her gaze traveled over his arms and chest.
“’Cause me and the sweet pea, here, we’re beginning to think that good cowboys are in short supply.”
“They might be. We’re a dying breed. But I could pull some strings.”
Her grin widened, and her eyes were sincere. “Well, I don’t know if that will be necessary. I got the best one around right here.” She looked away and then back. “If he still has time for that kind of thing.”
“I’ve got time.” He laughed. “Bailey, would you like to go to dinner with me?”
“Only if it involves—”
“Feed Store barbecue?”
“Exactly.”
“I can arrange that. Tonight at seven?”
“Aren’t we watching your brothers in their show tonight? And you?”
“Did they tell you that?” He shook his head. “They’re always trying to rope me back in.”
“We’d like to see you on a bull again.” She turned to Gracie. “Wouldn’t you like to see Uncle Maverick on a real bull?”
“Oh yes!” She clapped her hands again.
“Now that’s just unfair.” He sat back and crossed his arms. “I don’t know how much longer I want to wait for our dinner. So how about this: I ride. Then you and I get drinks. And then we go out for dinner tomorrow.”
Her cheeks colored, which he thoroughly enjoyed. “You’re on.”
For the next hour, they laughed and teased, and life was almost perfect. Then Maverick’s alarm dinged. “Oh, that’s my cue. Time to get backstage.”
“You’re really gonna do it?” The hope and sparkle in Bailey’s face made him sit taller.
Coming Home to Maverick Page 4
