Page 9 of One Lustful Summer (Texas Summer #14)

Rowan

I hit send on my email to Maggie and close the laptop. I spent yesterday afternoon and this morning working on the quote for the renovations she and I discussed on Friday.

The house is too quiet. Mom picked Jodi up this morning for church, and they have plans to go to shopping this afternoon.

I stand and walk out of my office, looking for something to do. But my brain stops short. My thoughts once again on Maggie. She didn’t run yesterday when I laid everything out. So that’s a plus.

With her on my mind, I grab my cell and send her a text.

R: Heads up, I just emailed over the quote.

I set my phone on the counter and decide to empty the dishwasher. There is no use staring at the phone, waiting for a response. I’m halfway through the chore when my phone beeps.

M: Great! I’ll take a look in a minute.

An idea pops up and I decide to go with it. I want to spend time with her and I don’t want all our time to be focused on the renovations.

R: You have plans this afternoon? I want to show you something on the property. Have you ventured out in the back?

M: No plans. And I haven’t made it out far.

M: You want to be my guide?

Hell yeah, I want to be her guide.

R: Yeah, I do. You good if I come over in about 20 minutes?

That should give me enough time to load up the side-by-side and drive over to her place.

M: See you in 20.

I make quick work of hitching the flatbed trailer. Next, I drive the UTV onto the trailer and strap it down with tow straps. Once the UTV is secure, I make a quick stop inside the house and load up a small cooler with some waters, sodas and snacks.

I drive down Maggie’s driveway ten minutes later and find her waiting for me on the porch steps. She stands up as I park and walks towards me.

I step out of the truck and take her in. She’s dressed in a pink tank top, short cutoff jeans and a pair of black chucks. Her brown hair flows down her back and over her shoulders.

“What’s that?”

she asks, pointing to the UTV.

“The Mule,”

I answer and chuckle when her eyes crinkle in confusion.

“It’s an UTV. A utility task vehicle or some call it a side-by-side. This brand is a Mule.”

“Why is it here?”

She asks as I unhook the first strap.

“I’m going to be your guide,”

I tell her as I walk around and unhook the other side.

“There are some trails out in the woods. Thought we would take a ride and then I can show you my favorite spot.”

“Awesome. What do you need me to do?”

“Stay right there while I get this off the trailer.”

I claim up on the trailer and back the Mule off.

Her eyes shine with excitement. And I’m glad I’m the one to share this with her. We haven’t talked to deep yet, but I have a gut feeling that she had a sheltered life. If I had to guess, moving to Paulding has been a total adventure for her.

I pull up next to her and tell her to get in. I hop out and grab the cooler from the truck and put in the back bed of the Mule, placing a bungee cord around it and securing it in.

“Ready?”

I ask her. She nods and tells me she is, so I take off around the house towards the woods. She grabs the frame on the side with one hand and the other grabs the ‘oh shit’ bar in front of her. I’m about to slow down when her laughter rings out.

I drive down to the woods and follow the tree line to the larger path. I have to let up on the gas a little to maneuver through the overgrown trail.

Maggie’s quiet as she takes it all in. I look over at her every few seconds. Her eyes are wide, and a wide smile as she turns her lead left and right, taking it all in.

We make it to the clearing at the creek, and I park. Her gasp has me turning in my seat to face her.

“Rowan,”

she whispers.

“This is beautiful. I own this?”

I scan the area, looking at it from her perspective. Old oaks shadow the clearing. Tall grass now replaces the trimmed area my grandfather kept up with. The creek is wider and deeper here, with plenty of space to wade through and cool off.

“You do. We used to come out and cool off almost every day in the summer. It’s where I did a lot of thinking in the day.”

The nostalgia of being here stings a bit. But I pull that emotion in. She doesn’t need to see it or feel guilty that this is hers.

I take a minute to point out the picnic table that my dad and grandfather built; the rope hanging from the tree across the creek that we used to jump into the water and fire pit near the far end of the clearing.

“Did you ever bring Jodi out here?”

Maggie questions.

I nod and tell her about a few of our adventures. Teaching Jodi to swim and fish. When she asks where Jodi is, I tell her about the girls’ shopping adventures for today.

“You’re doing a great job with her. She’s a hoot.”

Maggie exclaims.

“Thank you. Sometimes I wonder if I’m giving her a good life. I’m just a man, and I know she needs a mom, a woman’s touch. But she got stuck with me. That’s why I’m so thankful that my mom helps as much as she does. Lauren, too.”

Maggie’s hand lands on my thigh, her touch sparking the electric feel that buzzes anytime we touch.

“She’s not stuck with you. She’s lucky to have you.”

Her words hit hard. It’s the first time an outsider, someone who isn’t family or a friend, or a town person who has known me most of my life, has said those words to me. Words that I actually hear because I see she means it from her heart.

“That means a lot to hear.”

I tell her. I reach behind the seat and grab the blanket I keep hidden.

“Come on, let’s go check it out.”

I step out of the mule and unhook the cooler from the back.

“Let’s take a seat near the creek.”

Maggie steps out and waits for me to walk to her side. She takes the blanket from under my arm and we walk in silence to the bank near the creek. The grass is shorter here, probably from the wildlife grazing and walking alongside the creek.

Maggie spreads out the blanket and takes a seat in the middle. Her legs folded in front of her.

I set the cooler in front of her and then take a seat next to her. I open the cooler and grab a soda and water. Holding them out to her, I wait for her to pick her choice.

“I’ve done so much thinking here. If these trees could talk.”

I reminisce.

“This is where I came to collect myself when I found out that I was going to be a dad.”

I look over at Maggie. She gives me a small smile, and I continue.

“Katie, Jodi’s mom, and I were young. We were focused on partying and hookin’ up.”

I cringe when I think about how that sounds. But one look at Maggie and there is no judgement.

“Katie freaked out, and well you could say I did as well. Hell, I was twenty-four, living in the upstairs garage apartment at my parents’ house. I was nervous, scared, like could I even be a father? But as time passed, I watched her body grow and Jodi develop, and things changed. I learned about the pregnancy and baby development. And with all the changes and knowledge, I became more excited and ready for fatherhood.”

I take a breath. This next part hurts the most. Not because Katie is not here, but how she treated our daughter. My daughter.

“Two days after I turned twenty-five, Katie went into labor. I’m told it was an easy labor, according to mom and the nurses. After Jodi’s delivery, the medical staff placed her on Katie’s chest. She wanted nothing to do with Jodi. Katie just sat there and stared at the wall. She wouldn’t look at Jodi, would hold her. So I did the skin on skin. I fed Jodi her first bottle, changed her first diaper, and within a few hours, Katie was insistent that she didn’t want to be a mom. That this wasn’t what she had planned for her life. So, with the help of social services in the hospital and the help of my parents, Katie signed over her parental rights. And when the hospital released Jodi, it was Jodi and I from then on.”