Page 52 of Lost and Found Cowboy

She stood in front of a wide bookshelf, painted bright pink and stuffed with picture books. In front of her was a large shallow plastic tub filled with water and about twenty-five rubber ducks floating around in it.

“Hi, Max,” Maisie said. “Do you want to pick a duck? If there’s a picture of a book underneath it, then you get to choose one of these books as a prize.”

Mack handed over five tickets.

Max picked a neon blue duck, and his face lit up as he turned it over. “There’s a picture of a book.”

Maisie clapped her hands with delight. “Wow. You won a prize, Max. Great job.”

Mack leaned close to Lorna’s ear, his warm powdered sugar-scented breath sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. “Whydo I have a feeling every one of those ducks has a picture of a book underneath it?”

Lorna grinned as she gave him an affirmative nod.

Max picked a book about dinosaurs. “Can we read this one at the library next week, Aunt Maisie?”

“Sure. That’s a great idea,” she said. “And I have a few others already set aside that I think you’re gonna love.”

“We’re so grateful to have Maisie in our lives,” Lorna told Mack. “When she found out about Max, she took a course on how to help kids with dyslexia, and she’s offered to tutor him and another little girl this summer to help them with their reading, so they don’t fall behind going into school next year.”

“That’s really cool,” he said.

“A lot of it is just spending time listening to him read. It takes a surprising amount of patience.”

Mack shrugged. “If there’s anything I’ve learned in the life of a cowboy, it’s how to be patient. So, I’m happy to listen to him read anytime, too.”

She didn’t know what to say. “That’s a kind offer,” she finally managed, then turned to see Ford and Elizabeth walking up to them and waved.

Elizabeth had the same stuffed cow as Max, and he set his new book down to pull it from his pocket and hold it up to show her. “Look, Aunt ‘lizabeth, we have the same one. Did you hear that Mack gave me my very own calf? I decided to name him Kevin, ’cause that’s my favorite minion’s name, so this one is Stuart, because that’s my second favorite minion’s name. And I can sleep with this one at my house. My mommy said I can’t bring my real calfhome because it won’t fit in my bed.”

“Your mommy is very smart,” Elizabeth told him. “And Kevin is a great name. I’m looking forward to meeting him.”

An announcement blared through the gymnasium letting everyone know there was still kettle corn left, that the parent/child three-legged race was about to start, and that if anyone was missing a black lab wearing a red collar, to please collect him at the corn dog stand.

Max made some corny joke about a dog eating a corn dog, and Lorna was laughing until she turned around and ran into Lyle.

“Well, isn’t this a nice little family outing?” he said, the disdain evident in his tone as he raked his gaze over the four of them, pausing to sneer at Mack and the baby strapped to his chest. “Does she make you carry the diaper bag, too? Or do you put her things in your man-purse?”

The fact that Lyle would compare carrying his child to a diaper bag made Lorna want to hurl. How could she have ever been married to this man?

“Hey, kid,” he said to Max, but made no move to hug him or Izzy. “Whatcha got there?”

Max held up the stuffed toy. “It’s a cow. But Mack just gave me a real calf. His name is Kevin, and he’s all mine.”

“Yeah? That’s cool. When he gets big and fat, you can sell him for steaks and make a nice chunk of money.”

Max looked horrified and moved closer to her. “I’m never selling him. He’s gonna be my best friend.”

Lyle raised a judgmental eyebrow at Lorna. “You’re letting the kid have a cow? The way I remember, you wouldn’t even let him have a dog in the house.”

No.Lyle was the one who wouldn’t let any pets in the house. He hated any kind of mess and never wanted to spend the extra money to feed an animal.

But she wasn’t going to argue with him. “It’s staying out on the ranch.”

Mack’s family and a few other people were gathered around them, not actively eavesdropping but for sure paying attentionto their conversation. Two exes and the new boyfriend having a conversation would be a hot gossip topic in this town.

“We gotta go,” Max said, pulling on her arm. “The three-legged race is about to start.”

“I just heard the announcement for that,” Lyle said, then looked down at Max. “It’s for parents and kids, right? You want me to do that with you instead of your mom, kid?”

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