A Maverick's Heart

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.

Aha! He spotted Zeke and Myra sitting at a table with four burly men—other ranchers, if their faded jeans, plaid shirts and cowboy boots were anything to go by. Cowboy hats hung on the backs of their chairs.

Seth smiled to himself. Cowboy boots was something he’d bought at the airport gift shop. And a hat. The three guys had kidded him, but if he planned to live in the ranch community for a while, he wanted to fit in. The black boots made from buttery leather with a few turquoise cutouts had called to him. Surprisingly they were comfortable. He wondered if Zeke would notice he wasn’t wearing his sneakers.

Actually he saw that his brother and new wife were deep in conversation with the folks at their table and four other guys seated at an adjacent one. He wouldn’t barge in.

This must be the cattlemen’s meeting Zeke had mentioned. Maybe he should just leave and go to Cody’s Bar. They served burgers and fries.

He backed toward the entrance, hearing the ding, ding of a bell and a woman yelling, “Order up!” That was when he first noticed Lila taking an order on the far side of the room. She ripped a page from her pad and wove between the tables, headed for the pass-through, where two plates sat beneath a warming light. For a moment she looked straight at Seth, did a double take, stopped and changed course in his direction.

“I only have a minute. Are you here for a meal or to ask me something about the B and B?”

“I stopped to eat, but there’s no seating.” He jerked a thumb toward the exit. “I figured I’d run down the street to Cody’s.”

“If you don’t mind sharing a small booth with Rory, he’s doing homework over in yonder corner.” She stabbed her pencil for emphasis.

“Do you think he’ll be okay sharing with me? Never mind, I’ll go ask him. You have hungry customers.”

“Right. And another order to hand in. Mom has a high school student who helps out serving at these big meetings, but she called in sick. It’s been crazy.” As if to underscore that, Doreen Mercer slapped the bell twice. Orders were waiting.

Lila puffed out a breath and sped off.

Seth made his way to the back booth. His brother looked up and raised a hand in recognition then swiveled in his seat, seeming to check for an empty chair.

Seth shook his head, pointed toward the back and Zeke nodded.

On reaching Rory’s booth, Seth said, “Hi, sport. I stopped by to eat, but the place is full up. Your mom suggested maybe I could sit with you.”

The boy stopped toying with the fork stuck in a Cobb salad. “Sure.” He sat straighter. “Hey, if you want, you can have my dinner. I haven’t licked the fork or anything.”

Smiling, Seth slid onto the bench seat across from Rory, venturing a guess that the kid disliked lettuce. From the size of the mound left in his bowl, Seth judged the whole of it remained untouched. “It looks good,” Seth said. “I may order the same thing. You know, you’ll need all of that protein if you’re going to play ball.”

“Really?” Rory dug his fork under the egg and slices of ham, but kept scowling. “I don’t like vegetables, but Mom says I gotta eat ’em.”

“You should listen to her. Veggies build strong joints, which you need to swing a bat hard enough to hit a home run.”

The kid appeared to still be mulling that over when his mother rushed up, order pad in hand. “Seth, do you need a menu?” She happened to glance down at her son’s bowl. “Rory Jenkins, you’ve hardly taken a bite. Tonight’s dessert is your favorite chocolate pudding. But if you don’t make a substantial dent in your dinner, you aren’t getting sweets. Sorry, Seth.” A short sigh escaped her. “What can I bring you?”

“I told Rory that salad looks good. I’ll have one, too. And coffee, black.”

Lila stood a moment with her pencil poised over her pad. “Uh, I’ll go turn in your order.” She gestured toward the kitchen, still not moving, as if she expected him to change his mind.

He flashed a smile. “Great. I’m starved. It’ll be a race to the finish to see if Rory beats me to that chocolate pudding.”

“You are so full of it,” Lila murmured, bending nearer to Seth so only he heard before she whisked away, stopping at a table where four ranchers hailed her.

Satisfaction rippled through Seth when the boy pulled his bowl close to his chest and said, “I’m starting now. I bet I can beat you.”

“Hmm, okay, but chew it well so you don’t choke.”

Seth watched the egg disappear, followed by the cheese. And for perhaps the first time he wondered what he’d be like as a dad. His own father had encouraged and guided him and Zeke, patiently answering scores of sometimes dumb questions. He’d taught them by example, too. Seth couldn’t recall a time he’d ever heard his father raise his voice to his boys or their mother, or to anyone at their games as some dads were prone to do. He’d want to be a husband and dad like that.

Stuck on the subject of family, he realized he was almost at the age now that his folks were when they’d had him and his brother. Now that Zeke was married, Seth wondered how long they’d wait to have a kid. Maybe not long. So he’d be an uncle.

Maybe it was time to find his life partner. But, as he’d told Zeke before coming to visit, with his nomadic life the few women he’d found interesting didn’t consider him a good long-term prospect.

He couldn’t blame them. Sooner or later he always succumbed to the lure of a possible mother lode. It was his career, after all. So was it surprising some women accused him of being more passionate about chasing new gems than he was about them? Spending a minute examining past relationships, he gave an inward wince.

What did that say about him? What would Lila Jenkins think?

He cracked the knuckles on his left hand. It was a restless habit.

Rory paused in his eating. “My teacher says not to do that...crack your knuckles. It’ll make ’em fat so they won’t bend when you get older.” The boy’s forehead wrinkled. “But you’re old and your fingers still bend.”

“Hey, I’m not that old.” Seth laughed, but flexed his fingers several times.

“That’s a cool ring,” Rory noted. “Is it a snake?”

Seth spread his right hand open on the table. “Yes, I had a silversmith in Italy make it. The snake’s eyes are chips from emeralds I found in Thailand.”

“Huh. Me ’n Kemper found a snake in his mom’s garden once. He had yellow eyes.”

Seth shrugged. “I guess I could have had his eyes made from citrine—that’s a yellow stone. But I was stoked from finding a nice cache of emeralds that I sold at the Vicenza gem fair.”

For a second the boy’s expression went totally blank, then he picked up his fork and began eating again.

Obviously emeralds didn’t impress the kid. Seth had encountered that dismissive look before in some adults who learned what he did. Usually not from women who wanted him to give them expensive jewelry. Perhaps that’s what he hoped to find in a woman—someone genuinely interested in him, not the gems he unearthed.

Seth saw Lila on her way toward him, juggling what were most probably his empty mug and two coffeepots. As she made her way between tables, she paused to refill cups, including for the table of ranchers who’d waylaid her after she’d taken his order. She had a ready smile that Seth liked. In fact, he found a lot about her to like—very attractive, hardworking, patient, a good mom.

Finally reaching their booth, she set the mug in front of him. “You didn’t specify leaded or unleaded. I brought both.”

“I’ll take regular so I have enough energy to go for a run after I get back to the ranch.”

She poured from the pot with the brown top. “Do you run every evening?”

“When I can.” He caught her studying his torso. “I’m blessed with good genes. But much of my work requires climbing mountains, which demands that I stay in good shape.”