Page 1 of The Maverick’s Forever Home (Montana Mavericks: Behind Closed Doors #2)

“I look like I murdered a Smurf.” Maggie Cooper kept scrubbing at the blue food coloring staining the tips of her fingers.

It would be one thing if it was a pale pastel blue, but, no, it was neon blue—the sort of color there was no missing or hiding.

She sighed, adding more detergent to the bristle brush before scrubbing anew.

“Ready?” Her son, Cody, bounced into the kitchen—all smiles.

“Almost.” Would a classroom full of fourth graders judge her for blue fingers? Since the color wasn’t budging, she’d soon find out.

“Good.” Cody came to her side. “I don’t wanna be late. Today is special.”

She smiled at her son, tossed aside the brush and reached for a hand towel.

“It is the most special day, ever.” She finished drying her hands and hugged her son.

“My favorite day of the year. Your birthday.” And, after last year’s birthday, everything needed to be perfect for him.

It had to be. I have so much to make up for. “Happy birthday, my nine-year-old boy.”

Against her chest, she felt Cody nod.

She ran her fingers through his curly brown hair, oh-so thankful that things had worked out the way they had.

She was here now, with Cody, not in a hospital bed halfway around the world.

While she wasn’t fully recovered from her illness, she was getting stronger every day.

And she was home—with Cody, her brother and her parents.

“You made enough, right?” Cody slipped from her embrace to peer at the plastic cupcake holder waiting on the kitchen counter. “You’re sure?”

“Didn’t you already count them?” She laughed. “Twice?”

“It’s important, Ma.” He shrugged. “If everyone doesn’t get one, it’ll be bad.”

“Unless you ate five, we have five extras.” She took off the blue-streaked apron and hung it on the hook inside the pantry.

“Extra is good.” Cody slung his backpack onto his shoulder.

“I can carry them.” He slid the plastic cupcake carrier into his arms and cradled it, tightly, against his chest. “You’re going to stay the whole day, right?

Ms. Jalen said you could. She’s pretty cool.

She likes dinosaurs, too. She has this big poster on the wall with all the dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period and it shows them in order of size.

Did you know there was a Titanosaurus that was over 122 feet long? ”

“I did not.” Her son was a walking dinosaur encyclopedia—it was impressive. “That’s interesting.”

“Right?” Cody shifted the container of cupcakes, and Maggie pressed her hands to her sides to stop herself from helping him.

Cody was more independent now. Thanks to her brother, Mike, her son liked to do things on his own.

With Uncle Mike’s guidance, Cody had become an active helper on the family ranch and with chores around the house.

He didn’t like her hovering or worrying over him.

And she was trying not to, she really was, but since she’d come home it had been a constant struggle.

“How many cupcakes would you need to line up for 122 feet?” He steadied the container and turned to look up at her.

“I’m not sure. We can research that after school.” She grabbed her purse and the car keys and led the way to the front door—when her phone started ringing. “It’s Uncle Mike.” She answered her phone, closing and locking the kitchen door behind her. “Morning, brother-o-mine.”

“Morning, little sister.” Mike chuckled. “I was calling to wish the birthday boy a happy birthday.”

“He’s right here.” She held the phone out to Cody. “It’s for you.”

“Hello?” Cody stopped walking, and, since his arms were full, Maggie held the phone to his ear. “Yeah.” Cody giggled at the sound of her brother and his partner, Danny, singing, loudly and off-key, through the telephone. “That was real loud.”

Maggie smiled at the carefree joy on Cody’s face. It made her happy to see him this way.

“I said you were loud. Not good.” Cody giggled again. “Thank you. ’Kay. See you later.” He looked up at her. “Uncle Mike wants to talk to you.”

“What’s up?” she asked, opening the back seat of the car for Cody.

“I forgot to remind you about the cupcakes last night—”

“Oh, don’t you worry. Cody reminded me.” She held the phone between her cheek and shoulder and put the cupcake holder on the floorboard, then checked to make sure Cody had safely buckled himself into the booster seat.

“I baked plenty.” She closed the back door and waited, knowing her brother would have something to say.

There was a pause. “Are you saying…you baked ?”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” She headed around the car to the driver’s door.

“Sorry, but… You know, you don’t…cook.” He cleared his throat, his attempt to stifle his laughter failing. “You know, Mom would’ve helped you. Might prevent some kid breaking a tooth or something.” He was laughing hard, now.

“Ha ha. You are hilarious .” She wasn’t about to admit this was her third batch of cupcakes—she’d never hear the end of it then.

“Sorry, Mags. Just trying to lighten the mood.” He sighed. “I figure you’re not all that thrilled to be spending the day at Cody’s school.”

Her eyes stung as she stared down at her blue-stained fingertips. “It’ll be fun.” She’d plaster on a smile and hope that she wouldn’t run into any of the mean girl moms this time.

“You’re a good mom, Mags. Don’t let anyone get in your head about that.” He cleared his throat. “You hear me?”

“Yeah…” She heard him but she didn’t believe him.

Winding up, alone, in a hospital in a developing country had given her a sobering week to consider the choices she’d made in her life.

The fact that she’d left Cody for work as often as she had weighed heavily on her heart and mind.

She’d never doubted the importance of her work, but that didn’t stop her from regretting the time it had cost her with her little boy.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I promise. ”

“Never going to happen. You’re my twin sister.” He sighed. “If you want, Danny and I can come up to the school and run interference for you.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m not going to bother you or Danny over something so trivial.

” This was one of those times when having that twin telepathy wasn’t a good thing.

No matter what she said, her brother could sense what she was feeling.

She was nervous about today—nervous about having another not-so-pleasant run-in with one or more of the room moms that helped out at Cody’s campus.

If Mike hadn’t been at the house when she’d come home crying, he’d never have known about her encounter.

But he had been, and, clearly, it’d been enough to bring out her brother’s protective side. “But I do appreciate the offer, Mike.”

“You being bullied isn’t trivial, Mags. I’ve never stood by when you’ve been treated poorly, and I’m not going to start now. If things take a not so pleasant turn, call me, okay?”

No, not okay. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll call in the cavalry.” She forced a laugh and hurried on to say, “I’ll see you tonight. Bye.” She hung up and started the car. Enough of that. Today was going to be a good day. No, a great day. It was Cody’s birthday—that was all that mattered.

“Ma.” Cody was staring out the window. “Do you think I could spend the night with Uncle Mike this weekend? We were going to watch the whole Walking with Dinosaurs series, but then you came home so we didn’t get to.

Plus, I’ve been teaching Danny lots about dinosaurs because he doesn’t know lots about them. That’s sad, right?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She wasn’t going to let his choice of words get to her. He was nine—which meant he had no filter. “I’m sure Danny appreciates your tutelage.”

“My what?” Cody giggled. “Toot?”

“Tutelage.” She laughed, too. What was it about boys and fart jokes? The word, or any version thereof, always made Cody laugh. “Tutelage means instruction. You’re teaching Danny, right?” She smiled at Cody in the rearview mirror.

“Oh.” He nodded. “Yep. I’m trying. But man, he has lots and lots and lots to learn, Ma. I mean lots .”

He sounded so sincere. The way his eyebrows rose and he cocked his head to the side made him look so much like Mike. “Not everyone is a dinosaur expert, Cody. Since Uncle Mike likes him so much, maybe go easy on him.”

“I know, Ma.” He sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Uncle Mike loves him and stuff. He did get Uncle Mike to buy milkshakes with our pie—that was awesome. So Danny’s cool—even if he doesn’t know about dinosaurs.

And if I get to stay the night with Uncle Mike, I can tutelage him more.

Can you ask him? Please. It can be one of my birthday presents. ”

“I’ll ask him.” She winked at him in the rearview mirror and was rewarded with one of Cody’s blindingly sweet smiles.

That smile eased some of her lingering self-doubt and nerves.

She could go into life-and-death situations, instill order in all the chaos without a second’s hesitation, and set up a functioning medical clinic with the most rudimentary equipment.

At work, no one questioned her about anything.

No one asked her why she’d leave her child to work in potentially dangerous situations or doubted her competence or choices.

But that wasn’t always the case in her non-work world.

Still, she couldn’t let her nerves get the best of her.

Whether it was judgmental room moms, precocious nine-year-olds or the as yet unknown Ms. Jalen, she would handle it with a smile on her face.

It was Cody’s birthday. If he wanted her to be his special guest for the day, then that’s exactly what she’d do.

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