We take some time before heading back to his truck to jump on the four-wheeler and race through the property. I don’t feel the heavy sadness that used to hang from these pastures like a thick fog. They might have lost the meticulous standard of perfection that my father held his ranch to over the years, but even with the overgrown blanket of time, they still hold the footprint of my parents. Now with Maverick here with me, and the knowledge that he’s going to be breathing a whole new life into this land, I can’t wipe the bittersweet smile off my face.
My daddy would be so proud. Not just of the plans that Maverick has for this place, but also because of the man he has become. He always loved Maverick, just as much as he loved Clay and Quinn, but like his daughter, he had a soft spot for the middle Davis boy. After overhearing a conversation between him and my mama, I know, even though he never voiced his thoughts to me directly, he was very aware of his only daughter’s crush on Maverick. I’ll never forget the words he had whispered to mama. He said, “It’s bigger than life, how she feels for that boy and I couldn’t be happier about that, but he’s got to figure out his own heart before he can accept hers. Mark my words, honey, it will happen one day. I just know it.”
I wish he were here to see that finally happen, but I know somewhere up there he’s smiling his toothy grin down on us.
Maverick drops me off at my house after we go back for his truck. Quinn isn’t there, thankfully, so I’m saved another tumble to the ground with her excitement. She hadn’t called either and I’m equally thankful that she’s giving me some time to wrap my head around the new status between her brother and me.
Clay’s truck is there, but he didn’t come to talk to us this time. Clay’s stretched thin, another thing that Maverick told me, but something that I also knew from Quinn. Before Buford died, Clay had been spending a lot of time at the shop with her. Helping her find new ways to grow the business there, not that they needed it, she was as swamped as my bakery was. I know Clay had hoped to get both the shop and the ranch running in a way that he could oversee them from behind the scenes as the owner, but that hasn’t happened yet. He’s still very much the workaholic he was, only this time the weight on his shoulders is so much heavier.
Maverick left almost an hour ago, telling me that he would be back after he “handled some shit.” I’m not sure what shit he needed to handle, but I was a little relieved to have time alone. So much has happened in such a short time that my head feels like it might literally start spinning. Not that I’m complaining. Still, it’s nice to have some quiet for my thoughts.
Add to that, Maverick telling me that he was taking me on a date tonight, my spinning mind has kicked into overdrive. The date itself is a big deal because he’s not only showing me he’s serious about us, but he’s going to be showing the whole town. And with a town like Pine Oak that thrives on the next biggest gossip story, we’re going to be talked about for a long time. It isn’t just the story of us that they’re so fascinated about, don’t get me wrong, they are—but it’s also him. His departure from Pine Oak was talked about for years after the fact, but with him coming back and coming back somewhat famous—okay, a lot famous—he is sitting under a giant neon sign of attention.
And that terrifies me.
Our relationship is new. We’re new. Even with our very long history. It’s a given that with the attention he brings with him, every single second of our relationship will be stalked, whispered about by most, and analyzed by many.
I hate that.
I hate knowing that this time between us will be subjected to so much talk while people watch us with a hawk-like focus, hoping that they get to watch the fireworks.
Even though I know that we have the support of the town, I would be a fool not to be nervous. With so many people watching your new relationship, there is a lot more added pressure. I just hope that with their excitement to watch little Leighton James finally get the boy she’s always loved doesn’t encroach on what we’re building.
He didn’t tell me where we were headed tonight, but with a town this size, there aren’t that many options. Unless, that is, you wanted to drive outside of town to one of the more populated areas. It wasn’t like we were in the middle of nowhere, but we were more than an hour from Dallas and a good thirty plus to get to another major city.
Unless he plans on our first date being at the diner, nothing glamorous there, we were going to be driving for a while. I couldn’t think of anything else that he would pick for our first date. Well, there was always the Chicken Coop, a popular local bar aptly named since there are a whole lot of chicken wire pens around outside. Don’t get me wrong—I love it at the Chicken Coop, or as locals like to call it, the Coop, but it would make for a very rowdy night.
“Well, Earl, how do I look?”
He looks up from his spot in the middle of my bed and blinks at me.
“Yeah, that’s how I feel too, baby.”
I decided to go with something casual, that way regardless of where we ended up tonight, it should work for any situation. Be it a nice restaurant or a crowded bar.
The white lace sundress was one of the nicer ones I owned. Depending on the shoes I paired it with, it could go from fancy to casual in a blink of an eye. Tonight I went with my favorite pair of brown cowboy boots. My hair was hanging in loose curls, and aside from mascara and some lipstick, I didn’t have any makeup on. Some Alex and Ani bangles on my wrists were all that was left.
It was 100 percent me, but it was also a far cry from the kind of women I know he’s spent the last ten years seeing. Of course, those girls were more worried about catching the eye of a rider than they were about modesty. Self-doubt had been keeping me company since I got out of the shower and tried for almost an hour to find something to wear, but in the end I knew I would never be anything other than the woman in the mirror before me.
“You look beautiful, Leighton.”
I screamed, jolting in place before spinning to look at the man now standing in my open doorway. “Jesus, Maverick. You scared the crap out of me.”
His shoulders shake, but other than a few deep rumbles, he doesn’t make a sound. His eyes roam from the top of my head to the tips of my boots, not missing an inch as he takes his time. The zap of arousal from his commanding gaze is so powerful it feels almost tangible.
I shift my feet, feeling the thin silk between my legs grow wet with the excitement his appraisal gives me. “If you keep looking at me like that, cowboy, the only ride we’re going to have tonight is me on top of you.”
His eyes close and he drops his head back. I smile to myself, not even caring if I’m egging him on. He’s got his formfitting Wranglers on, this pair a deeper denim than the last. He’s switched the button-down for a plain black T-shirt, his muscles straining the sleeves. His black cowboy boots have a layer of brown dust covering them, but other than that, he looks like he took a lot of time and care in looking good. Not that he has to put much effort in that.
“I wouldn’t be upset about that though, in case you were wondering,” I add with a wink.