Page 11 of The Maverick's Forever Home
One look at her father and she understood why her mother had been concerned.He sat on the floor next to Cody with the kit directions in one hand and a tube of superglue in the other.The problem was, her father wasn’t a reading directions sort of man.Any minute, he’d toss the paper aside and start gluing stuff together—whether it was right or not.
“It does have a lot of pieces.”Maggie sat on the floor between them.“Dad, how about we figure this thing out before we start gluing things together.”She handed the glue to her mother before he could argue.
“Uncle Mike says to think twice and act once.”Cody grinned when Mike gave him a thumbs-up.
“Fine, fine.But I can’t read this.”Her father shook his head and held the paper out for Mike.“See if you can make heads or tails out of it.”
Mike scanned the paper, gave their father a look andturned the paper over.“It’s in English on the other side, Dad.”
“Is it?”Their father laughed.“Well, that’ll make it easier.”
“You think?”Mike joined them on the floor.“Looks like you two are doing a good job with the prep work.It came all mixed up like this?Seems like more work than it needs to be.”
“Grandpa opened all the bags and dumped them out.”Cody’s whisper wasn’t all that quiet.
“Dad.”Mike sighed.
“What?”Their father shrugged.“I was trying to help.”
Maggie reached over and gave her dad’s arm a squeeze.
“You doing good?”Her father covered her hand with his.“Sit a spell and rest.”
“I’m fine, Dad.”She glanced at Cody.
But Cody had scooted closer to Mike to read the directions, too.“That’s a lot of directions.”
Mike chuckled and reached up to ruffle Cody’s hair.“It sure is.”
If one good thing had come out of her absence, it was seeing how close her brother and son had become.Cody needed a solid male role model in his life.Ideally, the man would be positive, consistent, hardworking, communicative and loving.Her brother was all those things and more.Did it hurt, just a little, that Cody didn’t shy away when Mike mussed up his hair?Sure.She couldn’t pinpoint when things had become so tense between she and her son—only that it was after she’d arrived back home.Mike and her parents kept assuring her it was a phase and not to worry.She hoped that was the case.Besides, Cody getting love and affection mattered more than anything to her.
“Was it nice having your mom at school today?”Hermother plopped a cushion onto the floor and sat beside Maggie.
“Yeah.”Cody nodded.“Everyone thought she was cool.”
“She is.”Mike nudged Cody.
“I know.”Cody nudged him back.“But this other little girl had a birthday today, and she followed me everywhere.”
“Is she your girlfriend?”Her father laughed at the look of horror on Cody’s face.
“Grandpa, she’s a baby.She can’t even talk right.”Cody turned to her.“Tell ’em, Ma.”
“She is in kindergarten, Dad.A teeny-tiny thing.”Just picturing Delilah in her mismatched knee socks had Maggie smiling.“She was absolutely adorable.”
“Nuh-uh.She kept talking about my brain, how tall I was,andshe didn’t like pizza.”Cody shook his head.“Andshe asked Ma if she could shoot a bow and arrow.That’s weird.”
“Thanks to you, she tried pizza and liked it.I know her father appreciated that.”Maggie had been trying not to think about Braden Parker since she got home.If she did, then she’d remember she’d given him her phone number.She’d given her phone number to, basically, a stranger.It was ridiculous and totally out of character…and she really wanted him to call.
“I guess.”Cody shrugged, then looked directly at her.“You talked to her dad a lot.”
Stay calm.If she started blushing, things would rapidly get out of hand.“We were the only adults in the cafeteria, Cody.Aside from the staff.”
“I guess.”Cory stopped reading the directions and looked at her.“Your face got red, though.”
“Her face got red?”Mike perked up.“When she was talking to this guy?”
“Real red.”Cody grinned.
