Page 11 of Waiting for the Rancher
“But why?” Hazel persisted. “Plenty of women fall right into your arms. So why choose her?”
Did plenty of women fall into his arms? He supposed some did. He was never without a partner at the local dances at Inman’s Lodge. He always had women to flirt with after church services or at ice-skating and hockey games on Mill Pond. Whenever he went into town, he usually found one young gal or another to talk to. He supposed he could have picked one of them and settled down by now.
But none of them interested him all that much or for very long.
Hazel stood quietly beside the foal, waiting for his answer, her fingers absently stroking the creature’s forelock.
His action was indefensible, but he had to say something. “Would you believe me if I told you I kissed her because I wastrying to take the blame for it and keep Sterling from knowing about Violet’s doubts?”
Hazel cocked her head, studying him as though trying to see deep inside to the truth. “I want to believe you, Maverick. I really do. But you have to know how far-fetched your excuse sounds.”
He expelled a sigh of defeat. “I know.”
She left the foal and approached the fence. She stopped and placed her hands on the post on either side of his. “Was Violet telling the truth? Did she initiate the kiss?”
He let himself meet Hazel’s gaze—her unassuming, trusting, clear gaze. “Would you believe me if I told you yes?”
Again she studied him, and this time her eyes were soft, almost kind. “You’ve never lied to me before. Why would you start now?”
A lump pushed up into his throat. Heaven almighty, he liked Hazel. She was the sweetest gal he’d ever met. “Thank you.” His reply came out low and laden with emotion.
She shifted her hands so that they were on top of his, and she squeezed.
The ache in his throat pulsed higher. He wasn’t a man given to blubbering, but he could feel the heat forming at the back of his eyes. The past two days had been pure torture, and now to have someone outside his family who was giving him even half an ear and not passing judgment? That was more than he could take.
He bent over and rested his head on the rail.
She kept her hands upon his, and somehow that simple comfort told him everything he needed to know—that she still was his friend and would listen to everything he had to say.
“I was feeling real bad about my pa not being there,” he said quietly, not caring about the anguish in his voice. “And real bad Ma was too sick to come and that Ryder and Tanner weren’t there either.”
Hazel squeezed his hands again. “I guessed that was bothering you.”
“It was getting to me something awful. So I stepped outside for a minute, and that’s when I saw Violet crying by the side of the house.”
“I didn’t realize she’d gone out.”
“Me either. Course, I went right over to see if she was all right. And she started going on about how she didn’t know if she loved Sterling enough to marry him.”
Hazel sighed. “I should say I’m surprised, but she’d shared her reservations with me on a couple occasions over the spring.”
Maverick lifted his head and straightened. “She had reservations right from the start when she turned down his proposal that first time.”
Hazel’s head was still tilted in that endearing way she had about her when she was trying to figure something out. “I suppose there was a part of her that cared for Sterling and wanted to marry him. But she wasn’t as ready as Sterling.”
“I should’ve listened better to her. But I was just thinking about Sterling and how upset he was gonna be when he realized Violet was outside crying. So I scooped her up and started back to the house.”
This time Hazel nodded, as if she finally understood.
“She told me she might have feelings for someone else.” He forced himself to finish telling the whole sordid tale. “I didn’t realize who she was talking about until she started to kiss me.”
Hazel’s eyes flashed with something. Was it anger? “No matter how confused Violet was, she shouldn’t have been kissing another man while she was engaged and about to be married.”
“I know.” Maverick didn’t understand how Violet could be so hurtful to Sterling. “The only thing I could think was that she’d been looking for a way out of the marriage and it was the only thing left for her to do.”
“She should have talked to Sterling.”
“Maybe she tried. You know how persuasive Sterling can be when he wants something.”
