Page 38 of Coming Home to Maverick

He nodded. “So, um. Friends?” His stomach shook.

“Yeeaaah. Friends.” She laughed with him. “Hey, we can be whatever you want us to be. Call it what you like. I’m not going anywhere.”

He grinned. “Well, now I know what I want us to be doing.”

She pushed his shoulder, and he rolled to the side so she could sit up beside him. “Did we miss the moon?”

“Have we ever caught it?”

“No way.” She ran a hand down his arm. “Hey, thanks for all this. For not hating me.”

“I can’t hate you. Even when I wanted to hate you, I couldn’t.”

She nodded.

“Hey, Maaaav!” Nash’s loud call made them both snort.

“What!” Maverick called down.

“I’ve got a little princess here who wants to see the magic moon with her mama.”

“Gracie, are you down there?”

“Yeah! Mama, is there a moon up there with you?”

She shook her head, and she and Maverick crawled to the end of the platform and looked down.

Nash tipped his hat. “I see Bailey there is sufficiently mussed up. Nice work.”

“What!” Bailey patted her hair and then gave up. “Anyway…”

Maverick called down, “There’s no moon up here. We missed it.”

Nash snorted.

“But how about we come down and I show you what we’re gonna be doing with your new baby pig.”

Her mouth opened so wide Bailey was sure it might never close. “My new pig! Mama! Do I get a new baby pig?”

“You sure do, honey. Maverick said he’s gonna help you learn to be a pig boss.”

Maverick grimaced. “Except that’s not what we call it. You’re gonna train your own pig and enter it in the fair.”

She took off running around the grassy space behind the barn, shouting.

“Thanks, Nash.” Bailey turned to climb down the ladder.

“I’m just happy to see some of this going on. We’re all behind you two no matter what.”

When she got to the bottom, she turned and wrapped her arms around a surprised Nash. “Thank you.”

He patted her back once, twice, then stepped away. “Backing away. See.” He held his hands out.

“Whatever.” Bailey shook her head.

“Nah, I know. No matter what happens, you’re family. Just wanted you to know.”

Maverick clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, brother.”

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