She pushed the horse out to the farthest corner of the small field. And then she stopped, turning in a slow circle so she could see all the land around her. Beautiful. The land filled her in much the same way her singing did. She loved this ranch like she did her own.
She realized, as she drank in everything, she’d do a lot to protect it. She was a Dawson as much in her heart as she hoped to be in her life. Did she want to marry Maverick? Could she finally take that step? Of course, she could. She’d already told him she wasn’t going anywhere. She’d do anything to be his wife.
Her phone rang, and without thinking, she answered it. “Hey, love. I’ll be over there in a second.”
The quiet on the other end concerned her. “Hello? Maverick?”
“So you’re back with Maverick?”
“Daniel.”
“I’m glad you at least took my call even if you didn’t know it was me.” The self-deprecating tone made her smile.
“Well, you can’t blame me. He’s pretty special.”
“So you’ve said. Does he know how awesome you are? ’Cause I wish I’d known sooner.”
She sucked in a breath. “Do you?”
“Yeah, I was a jerk. Look, I don’t want to come between you and Maverick. Again. But I was thinking maybe I can come out there to meet my daughter.”
“She’s not your daughter.”
“What are you saying? I’m pretty sure she is.”
“Let’s just be super clear. You said you wanted nothing to do with her, that if I was gonna keep her, she wasn’t your responsibility.”
“I know what I said. But I feel differently now. She’s something special, I bet, and I just want to meet her. I won’t even get up in your life. Can I meet her as, like, a family friend or something?”
She groaned. “In. Out. Done. Don’t plan on staying more than an afternoon.”
“Okay. I will.” The breathless hope in his voice made her wince.
“And, Daniel. There is no us. And you’re not her dad.”
“Got it. And thanks. This means a lot.”
“Mmm. Don’t make me regret it.” She hung up the phone. All the peace and happiness of the Dawson ranch was gone, replaced by a worrisome anxiety she couldn’t shake.
She rode to Maverick’s horse and reached for its bridle, and then led both horses over to the barn.
As she took off their saddles and brushed them down, she couldn’t shake the cold heaviness in her heart. Surely letting Gracie’s father meet her had to be the right choice? As she poured some alfalfa into each of the horse’s bins, she just couldn’t convince herself to be happy about Daniel coming. She wanted to wrap her arms around Gracie and run away, far and fast.
As she made her way back across the empty paddock and headed for the pig barn, she knew she was dragging her boots, but she didn’t know what to do about it. Maverick would know right away something was bothering her, but she didn’t want to tell him and especially not his mother.
Gracie pushed open the barn door and came running to her. “Mama!” She leapt into her arms. “Guess what!”
“What! Tell me!” Her heart started to feel lighter, and she managed a real smile for her daughter.
“I’m gonna name my pig Nash!”
She laughed. “What!”
“Yeah, Maverick said that was a good idea. It’s ’cause Nash helped me pick out the right one. And we’re gonna win, so I want his name up there with me.”
“That’s a great idea!” She laughed again and looked for Maverick.
He stood leaning in the barn’s doorway. “I had very little to do with it.”
“That I can’t hardly believe.” Bailey lowered Gracie to the ground. “Why don’t you show me what your Nash can do.”
Gracie ran back and picked up her piglet. “He’s so smart.” She took him to a larger, empty stall and tied a mini rope bridle around the pig’s neck.
“How does she know how to do that?”
“She’s a natural. I promise. Just explained it once.”
“Wow.” She paid closer attention as Gracie worked with her pig. At first, the animal was reluctant, resisted instructions, but Gracie kept at it, kept asking, kept showing, and soon, Nash the pig was prancing around doing what he was told. “You’re so good at that, love.” Her eyes flitted to Maverick’s. “And I’m sure you had a great teacher.”
Maverick was everything a young girl should have in a father. Again, the guilt piled on as Bailey considered the consequences of her choices. Maverick could have been her father.
He sidled up to her. “I love your little girl, you know.” His eyes were full of sincerity, full of love. “All this time, I’ve been thinking about our kids, wondering what they would have been like.” He dipped his head toward Gracie. “She’s so much more amazing than I even thought.”
Bailey’s eyes filled with tears. “If only you were her father.”
Hurt flashed through his face. “Understood.” He stepped back and called out, “Well done, Gracie. Should we give little Nash a bath?”
“Wait. No, you don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand?” He turned around, his face closed, his eyes guarded.
“I’m just…” She glanced at Gracie, who was paying closer attention. “I was just saying I was stupid.”
Gracie widened her mouth in surprise. “Did you just say a bad word?”
“No, what I meant was dumb.”
Gracie’s expression did not change.
“I made a poor choice.”
She nodded her acceptance and then turned back to Nash the pig.
Maverick’s expression became less guarded as he looked from mother to daughter.
“What I’m trying to say, Maverick, is that if I’d been smarter, you would be a father already. And we wouldn’t even be having this awkward conversation.”
“And I’m just sitting here noticing that I still could be, because I love you and her, and you’re pushing me out.” The hurt grew in his eyes, and he turned away with a forced cheerfulness. “You know, piglets don’t like baths too much, but I once read if you bathe them in milk, it makes all the difference.”
Gracie took his hand and glanced back at Bailey. “Are you and Mama okay?”
“Yeah, we’re great.”
Gracie frowned. “Whose daddy are you? Why’s she mad about it?”
“I don’t know, Gracie Faith. Some things are just too confusing for me to figure out. But one thing I do know, you are one special girl, and I’m glad we’re friends.”
“Friends.” She frowned. “I thought we were family.”
Maverick turned to Bailey. “That’s right. We are.” Then he scooped her up in his arms and kissed the top of her head as they rounded the corner to the hoses.
“Do you want to be my daddy, sometime?” The tentative manner in which she asked broke Bailey’s heart.
Gracie held her breath.
“I’ll be your daddy any time you want. Just call me Daddy, and we’re good to go. But no matter what you call me, I want you to know I’m here for you. I love you, Gracie Faith.”
She nodded and then wrapped her small arms around his neck. “I love you, too.” He squeezed her tight and led her back to the pig barn.
Once Nash the pig was washed and dried and back with his mother, they sent Gracie inside with Grandma.
Maverick came to join Bailey at the split-rail fence. He didn’t say anything, but Bailey found his presence comforting even though they were at odds. She pointed up to the ridge which formed the property line between their ranches. “You know I love this land?”
He faced her, but she didn’t turn. She gestured all around them. “I love all of it. It’s special.”
His boot dug around in the dirt at their feet. “You look good here.”
She nodded. “I feel good here. I think I would do anything for your papa, for the Dawson land.” She needed to talk to him about Daniel, especially after that beautiful talk he had with Gracie. If he
was wanting to be in her life, be her daddy, then what was she doing letting Daniel come? Why did there even need to be a Daniel? Did she have any sort of obligation to Gracie’s biological father? She ached to tell Maverick, desperately needed his advice. But she didn’t want him to feel obligated or responsible for them.
He rested his head on his hands. “We’re in some trouble, financially.”
“What? What kind of trouble?” Her mind started spinning.
“The kind where we’re talking selling off pieces.” He looked up at the ridge but didn’t say anything about it being one of the pieces in question.
She followed his gaze and shook her head. “No. You can’t do that.”
“Bailey, we might not have a choice.”
“No, you always have a choice. You can’t sell off parts of the Dawson Ranch. There has to be another way. Have you guys talked about this?”
“A bit. We’re gonna have a meeting this week. I gotta make some tough decisions.”
“Well, I say no. No way. Think of your mama. Think of the town. Your brothers…”
“What about me, Bailey?”
She quieted. The only thing she loved more than the land were the people in her life. Maverick. Gracie. “What do you want?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you really want? When you say think about you, what does that mean?”
He looked away. “I don’t know.”
“The circuit? You still want to ride?”
“Yeah, well, no. I liked it. I told you. I want to ride if you’re there.”
She nodded. “I’ll be there. If that’s what you want.” A sick feeling rose inside. “Does that mean we have to give up the ranch?”
“No, just a piece or two, maybe. Whether I ride or not, we might have to do that.” He turned to her. “Mama says if I ride, the name recognition might help the ranch. People will buy our cattle. I could be my own sponsor.”
Bailey nodded, but a sad feeling filled her. “Then do it.”
“What? Just like that?”
“Yeah, do it. Go ride. Get on this next rodeo circuit. They’d take you.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You’ve got your class at school. Gracie. You’re not coming on the road right now, I’d imagine.”
She breathed in and out twice before she answered. “You need to go without me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It does to me. And you’re right, I can’t leave right now. But you can. And I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere while you’re gone. We’ll come watch when we can.”
He shook his head. “Just like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can send me away like it means nothing to you? What about you’re not going anywhere? What about that?”
“Look, what do you want from me? I’ll do anything. You want me to follow you on your circuit, to leave everything and bring my daughter on the road? I will if you want.”
He searched her face. Then he shook his head. “I guess not. Not if you’re not excited about it.”
She didn’t know what else to say. He wanted to ride. She knew it. And she wasn’t gonna take it away from him. She wasn’t gonna be the reason he stayed behind and gave up his dream. Especially if it was gonna save the ranch. She was trying out a little bit of that trust she’d read in the Bible. This could go in God’s hands. It would work out.
“You’ve got to, Maverick. Follow your dream. Save the ranch. Go do what you’ve always wanted, and I’ll help around here.”
“You, what?”
“Sure, I will come be with your mama and fill in where I can.” He shook his head like he was gonna turn down her offer, but she saw a flicker of relief pass across his face, and that was enough for her. “Go.” She just hoped she’d survive without him and that he really would come back. She’d seen firsthand what the race to success could do to a person.
“I’ll be right here when you get back.”
As he looked up at the sky deep in thought, she noticed he didn’t promise to come back. He probably just didn’t think of it.
Chapter 18
All night, Maverick turned the options around in his brain. He’d have to talk to the brothers about selling. But maybe they wouldn’t have to sell. Maybe if they all did something for the ranch, it would be enough to keep it intact. The fair would help, he knew, but…
He read through the circuit offer again. His mother and Bailey and his brothers all thought he should go. At first, he had thought they were just being supportive of his dream, feeling bad he’d given it up. But now he wondered if they were right, that there was some wisdom in it. If it wasn’t just a selfish desire of his own, he could see himself trying to make it work. He could talk up Dawson Ranch everywhere he went, find some sponsors even for the ranch itself. He’d definitely make some connections and hopefully sell a lot of beef cattle in the process.
He’d just about talked himself into giving the guy a call and accepting a position on the team when he wanted to touch base with Bailey about it again. He didn’t know what more they could talk about. But seeing her again suddenly became so urgent he left everything unfinished on his desk, hopped in his truck, and hurried to her house.
He turned down her driveway to find a strange car in front. Maybe one of the neighbors had bought a new one. But an Audi? It just wasn’t the normal Willow Creek car. It had out-of-towner written all over it. He pulled to a stop under their large live oak. As he stepped out of the truck, he could hear Gracie laughing and playing in the backyard. He smiled. Then his heart clenched. He’d miss that girl. Leaving for nine months of the year with only a few breaks would be hard on him. She’d grow. She’d start kindergarten. She’d learn things. She’d probably be jumping ponies if her grandpa had anything to do with it. And Maverick would miss it all.
Should he consider her needs before his own? Before the ranch’s? She was the most important person in his and Bailey’s life. He hadn’t ever been a father, hadn’t ever cared for a child like this. And they weren’t married—Bailey had made it clear enough he wasn’t the girl’s father. But he couldn’t help the direction of his heart.
Going over things in his mind again, he realized how much he needed Bailey to help him make this decision.
As he rounded the house toward the backyard, he stopped and moved behind the huge flowering bushes. Gracie was laughing and squealing and then took a great running leap into a man’s arms. A man Maverick had never seen before. “Are you my uncle too?”
He strained his ears.
“Not quite your uncle.” He laughed. “But I want to be important to you, perhaps even family.”
Alarm reverberated through him. Daniel.
“Daniel, come inside for some lemonade,” Bailey called from the back porch. Maverick couldn’t see her, but her voice sounded light, carefree.
Bailey hadn’t said anything about Daniel coming into town. And yet here he was, and things were looking cozy.
But Maverick was having none of it. Bailey couldn’t go through with it. If she was even thinking about letting that slug of a human back into her or Gracie’s life, Maverick would have words with her. He stomped back around to the front yard and up the steps. He lifted his hand to knock just as Bailey walked by. Her eyes widened. She looked behind her and then hurried to the door. She stepped out onto the front porch and closed the big wooden door behind her.
“Trying to hide something?” Maverick’s voice sounded as suspicious as he felt.
She frowned and put her hands on her hips. “So you saw him.”
“Of course.”
“Well, now’s not a good time to just show up, you must know that.”
“I think it’s a perfect time. Someone’s gotta show you the difference between a real man and that lying weasel of a human.” She could not actually be considering involving Daniel in her life.
“And you think that’s gonna solve someth
ing?”
“Well, yeah.”
“He’s her father.”
The hurt he felt at her words cut him super close, but he shook his head. “No, he’s not.”
She sighed. “Don’t you think I feel the same way? Don’t you think I know what’s going on in your head? But I couldn’t tell him not to see her. Could you have?”
He thought of a whole stream of things he could tell this guy while his fist connected with his face. But as he saw the pain in Bailey’s expression, he knew he had to take a different stance. “So this is what you want?”
She nodded. But when he turned away, she said, “Wait, what do you mean ‘what I want?’”
Fear barreled through him. He couldn’t compete with Daniel, not for something so precious, not when he’d already lost once to the creep. “No, I hear you. I wish you guys every happiness trying to figure all this out.” He made up his mind. He was out. Bailey needed time to figure out the whole Daniel thing, and Maverick already knew he was not a good addition to that party.
“Wait, no. Where are you going?”
“I came to tell you I’m leaving tomorrow. To get ready to ride the circuit. Coach wants me practicing, getting in shape, getting to know the guys.”
Bailey nodded, her face cold and unreadable.
“So, bye.”
“Just like that?”
He nodded and indicated what she had in the house. “Just like that.”
She watched him get into his truck and pull away. When he checked his mirror before turning down the road, she was still on the porch.
His phone dinged. Bailey. What about the fair?
I’ll be back for the fair.
Then he tossed his phone onto the seat beside him. Leaving made him sick. But if he left, maybe Bailey could figure her whole mess out. If he left, he could help Dawson Ranch. Everyone seemed to think it best that he leave, even Nash. And Bailey basically told him he’s not welcome while she’s trying to figure out Daniel’s place in their lives. Everyone wanted him to go.
Coming Home to Maverick Page 14
