Page 29 of Coming Home to Maverick

He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “You deserve it, Bailey. I’m happy for you.”

She let his words wash over her and hoped they might at least be partly true. She didn’t feel like she deserved much of anything, but she knew Gracie did, and so she hoped things might keep looking up for the two of them.

Judy brought them a piece of chocolate cake without asking.

“Oh, and this. This is unmatched anywhere, too.” She took the first bite, aware that Maverick watched her lick the chocolate from her lips. And then a new, thrilling kind of jitter crept in. Their tradition when eating this cake: she always kissed the last bite from his lips.

But obviously that wouldn’t be happening now. Would it?

Maverick seemed nonplussed. He grabbed a spoon. “You better hurry, or I’m gonna eat the whole thing.”

“Oh no, you don’t.” She pretended to fight back his spoon and took the biggest bite she could manage. “Mmm. Really, this is so good.”

They ate a few more bites, but Maverick seemed distracted. “So, the Dawson Ranch sponsors a team of 4-H kids in the upcoming fair. I was watching Gracie with the pigs, and I wondered would she want to participate?”

Bailey’s eyes widened. “She would love that more than anything. Could she really?”

“Of course. We’ll add her to the team and get them started on their new piglets in a couple weeks. Good timing, really.”

“I can’t wait to tell her.”

One more bite waited on their plate. He scooped it up, and his knowing eyes peered into hers. “Some traditions are harder to let go than others.” He lifted his napkin to wipe the frosting from his lips, and a part of her wilted inside.

Maverick paid for their meal, and when they stood to leave, he hesitated. “Come over. You and Gracie and your parents. Mama’s been asking. We’ll do our Sunday dinner like we used to.”

“Okay. Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Let’s start tomorrow. All the guys are in town for the rodeo still. We can catch Nash before he takes off.”

“I’d like that. Thank you.” She watched his face, trying to get a read on him. “You ever gonna ride again?”

“I did, remember.”

“I know, and I saw your face. I know how much you loved it.”

He shrugged. “Sometimes we don’t get to pursue our dreams.”

She knew it was a pointed comment, and she deserved it. “But do you wish you could?”

He looked away. “I didn’t think I did.” He shook his head. “This feels nice, actually, to be able to talk to someone about all this.”

She waited for him to continue.

“As soon as I put the gear back on, I wanted back into that life more than almost anything.”

She placed a hand on his arm, stepping close. “Then you should, Maverick. You should.”

He shrugged. “I saidalmostanything. There is one thing I want more.”

“To take care of your father’s ranch.”

“Yes. No amount of rodeo fame would ever make up for letting the ranch fail.”

“I see that.” And she admired Maverick even more. “But I still think there’s room for both. Or there should be.”

“I won’t deny I’ve thought about it over and over, but now’s not the time.”

She didn’t know when he would ever feel like it was the time. But she hoped that someday he would. She knew it was a selfish desire. If he got to achieve his dreams, it would make up in a small part for her deserting them all, leaving him to be the responsible one while she pursued and failed at her dreams.

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