A Maverick's Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

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