Page 28 of Waiting for the Rancher
Maverick hesitated and then tried for a smile. “Well, I ain’t gonna rob a bank for you, if that’s what you were thinking.”
Sterling didn’t smile in return.
Maverick’s humor faded. “You know I’d take a bullet and die for you if necessary.” When they were younger, they’d talked about dying for each other if they ever had to fight in a war together. Though they were older now, Maverick still felt the same way.
Sterling’s Stetson cast a dark shadow over his face. “If you want to prove you’re sorry, then leave me and my family alone.”
Leave him and his family alone? Even Hazel? “That’s ridiculous—”
“I knew you wouldn’t do it.” Sterling spat the words. “Because you’re too selfish. Everything has to be about you.”
“No it doesn’t.”
“Then show me.” Sterling held his gaze, daring him. “Stay away from Hazel. Far away.”
Maverick’s insides churned. This was his chance to redeem himself in Sterling’s eyes. But what his friend was demanding was too difficult. “There has to be some other way—”
Sterling scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’d take a bullet and die for me—”
“I’ll do it.” He owed it to Sterling to do anything his friend asked of him. Not pursuing Hazel would hurt as much as taking a bullet. And it would definitely be dying to himself and his desires.
Maybe Sterling wasn’t being fair to require that kind of sacrifice. But the fact was, Maverick knew he’d had a part in ruining his friend’s wedding day and undermining the relationship with Violet. And since he’d caused Sterling the misery of a broken heart, then he oughta be willing to suffer a broken heart now too.
Without waiting for Sterling to say anything else, Maverick mounted and started back the way he’d come. With every jolting step of his horse, the pain of walking away from Hazel jarred him more until his heart felt as though it had been ripped from his chest and thrown into the middle of a cattle stampede.
11
Maverick had been avoiding her. There was no other explanation.
Hazel rubbed down Candy in the paddock, but her attention was focused on the north pasture, where Maverick had been all day. Now, at the sight of him upon his gelding riding with another fellow, her heart gave a traitorous beat.
It was one week since he’d kissed her that night she’d stayed at High C Ranch and had fallen asleep with him on the sofa. Ever since then, he’d barely spoken more than a dozen words to her.
The morning after the kiss, she hadn’t wanted to return home when Alonzo had come for her. But when he’d said that her family was worried about her, she’d reluctantly gone. Besides, she owed it to her family to help them too.
When she’d returned to the Oakleys’ the following day at midday, Maverick had already been gone, scouting for fresh pasture for the herds, anything that wasn’t covered in snow. Once he’d located a place on the open range, he’d taken turns with the other ranch hands guarding the cattle from predators and thieves.
Then he’d been traveling for two days. She’d had to ask Clarabelle where he’d gone, learning that he’d ridden up past Dillon to check on purchasing another stud.
He’d returned late yesterday. While he’d been riding up the lane, mud-splattered but never more handsome, her heart hadn’t stopped pattering with need—the need to just have one smile directed her way, one glance, even one tiny word.
But he’d ridden past the mare paddock as if he hadn’t noticed she existed, and she’d gone home with Alonzo yesterday feeling as though her heart were breaking. Only when she’d finally been alone later in her room had she allowed herself to cry.
After she’d finished, she’d given herself a stern rebuke about the reality of her situation. The truth was that their kiss hadn’t meant as much to Maverick as it had to her. She was obviously making far more out of the moment than he’d intended.
She should have known better with how flirtatious Maverick was with women. In fact, he probably didn’t even remember the tender moment—probably had already put the kiss from his mind.
Because obviously, he’d kissed plenty of women in his life, and what was one more woman and one more kiss? Especially from someone as inexperienced and naïve as she was, who’d never been kissed and most likely had botched the entire thing.
If anything, she ought to be glad he’d forgotten about her and put the incident from his mind. It was probably better that way—less embarrassing for them both.
Candy gave a nervous whinny and sidestepped away from Hazel.
She placed a steadying hand on the mare’s spotted withers. A pale gold, the horse looked as though someone had splattered ink over her hindquarters. “You’re okay, girl. Everything will be just fine.”
It was the mare’s first foaling. At two—now almost three—she was young to be having a foal. But she was one of the first of the new Oakleys born on the ranch, so her baby was important in the continued development of the breed.
Hazel’s attention drifted again toward Maverick drawing closer. Now she recognized the young man riding beside him as Tanner, one of the Oakleys’ adopted sons. She hadn’t seen Tanner around much, not since Mr. Oakley’s death. Even beforethat, Tanner had been the wanderer of the family, gone much of the time up in the mountains hunting and trapping and sometimes working as a trail guide.
