Page 10 of The Maverick’s Forever Home (Montana Mavericks: Behind Closed Doors #2)

“Is there a reason you sound so irritated when you say ‘this Braden Parker guy’?” If he was going to poke at her, she’d poke right back. It was what siblings did, after all.

“Maybe I don’t like my little sister going on a date with someone I don’t know much about.” He wasn’t laughing or smiling now. “Men can be assholes.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of that fact, Mike.” She leaned close enough to pat his hand. “So you don’t need to worry about me. I admit he’s handsome, okay. But there is no way I’m going to let myself develop feelings or get involved or whatever—not with Braden or anyone else.”

“Did you say ‘let’ yourself?” Mike was all out belly-laughing now. “That’s funny. Since when was falling for someone a choice?”

“We are getting together with our kids. Two single parents hanging out.” She wasn’t amused. “And stop saying it’s a date. It is not a date.” She said this with intent.

“What’s not a date?” Cody came into the kitchen, flung his backpack on the kitchen table and looked back and forth between the two of them. “What’s going on?”

“That Braden Parker guy called your mom.” Mike ignored the warning look she shot him and kept talking. “Your mom is trying to convince herself it’s not a date.”

“Oh.” Cody grinned. “I told you he likes you, Mom. It’s a date.” He headed for the pantry. “What’s for snack? I’m starving.”

Mike mouthed, It’s a date , then said, “I’ll find you something. But don’t ask for pudding.”

Maggie let her brother handle snacks and started cleaning up the kitchen.

She didn’t want to burst her brother’s love bubble, but he was wrong.

Or, maybe, she was just jaded. But since the day Ned Ralston left her, alone and pregnant, her heart had been under lockdown.

Keeping people at a distance was a pretty effective way to prevent forming attachments.

She was the one who would decide who she’d let in.

And so far those people were Mike, her parents and Cody.

They were it. They were essential to her.

And just like that, all the tingles and giddiness and excitement she’d had for Saturday drained away.

It was good, too. She’d stopped listening to her heart a long time ago—for the sake of self-preservation.

As much as she wanted to convince herself empathy was all she felt for Braden, she knew better.

If it was just empathy, would hearing his voice have her breathless and her heart pounding away?

No. Better to face the truth now, to shove all that warm and fuzzy, complicated, emotional nonsense deep, deep down, and focus on the friendship she and Braden could have.

Being a single parent was hard. Having someone who truly understood that would be a good thing for both of them.

The way she saw it, they could both benefit from a good thing.

* * *

Braden could breathe easier now that he’d talked to Maggie.

He’d been 99 percent certain that Maggie had given him her phone number because she’d felt sorry for him.

After all, she’d seen everything that’d happened with Delilah, sensed he was floundering and hadn’t appeared to judge him for any of it.

And he’d been honest about his struggles and how he could use advice.

But afterward, he worried what he’d said might have come across as a pickup line.

Did she think he was the kind of guy that had used his little girl to get her number?

She had been all red-faced when she handed over her number.

Had he made her feel uncomfortable? Or pressured her?

It turned his stomach to think so. All he could do was call her and straighten things out.

Their phone call made him feel better. Hopeful, even. She hadn’t seemed hesitant when he’d suggested they get together. That had to be a good sign. If he was going to become friends with this woman, he didn’t want there to be any weirdness between them. And friendship was all their future held.

Sure, a year ago, he’d have seriously pursued Maggie—courted her, even.

But a year ago, his life had been entirely different.

Back then, he could never have imagined the life he was living today.

Back then, he’d been too caught up in doing what he wanted, when he wanted, without giving a whole lot of thought to anyone else.

He’d been selfish because there was no reason not to be.

In retrospect, he realized he’d kinda been an ass.

Everything was different now.

He was only just beginning to understand what happiness really meant.

It wasn’t about going out, partying, big events or grand gestures.

Instead, it was all the little daily life things put together.

Things like his daughter’s smile, the sound of her laughter, or the feel of her little body relaxed when she fell asleep in his lap.

Knowing he did the best he could for Delilah every day.

That she felt safe and secure with him was something he was proud of.

And even though it was just the two of them, they were a family.

As a single parent, Maggie would understand all of that. That’s all he wanted from Maggie—understanding. As much as his family wanted to be there for him, they couldn’t comprehend his situation the way Maggie could.

He wasn’t saying he didn’t see her for the woman she was.

That was the only problem. He wasn’t as immune to her as he’d like.

It’d be easier to be friends if that wasn’t the case.

He’d have to overlook how tall and willowy she was and try not to get caught up those big green eyes of hers.

Stop wondering if all that thick, curly brown hair was as silky-soft as it looked.

And not get thrown off by how beautiful her smile made her look.

Instead, he’d focus on what was the best thing about her. She saw him—listened to him. He couldn’t pinpoint why, but when he’d talked to her it was like she was listening to him with her whole body. It’d made him—

“What are you thinking about?” Miles clapped him on the shoulder. “You don’t focus and you might end up nailing your hand to that post.”

“You don’t have to look so happy about the idea.” Braden glanced at his brother. “That’s some fashion statement you got going on there.”

Since Miles’s diagnosis of early onset macular degeneration, he had to take extra precautions with his eyes, including wearing wrap-around sunglasses when he was outdoors.

The glasses, paired with Miles’s brown felt cowboy hat pulled low, was a statement all right.

“Renee says I look sexy. Happy wife, happy life.” Miles grinned.

“And, for the record, I’m amused by what’s going on in here.

” He tapped Braden’s temple. “Whatever it is, you’ve been humming George Strait songs for the last hour. ”

“I have not.” He pulled one of the barbed shank U nails from the leather pouch hanging off the fence post. “You need to get your ears checked.”

“Is that so? I know my eyesight is failing, but my hearing’s just fine.” Miles peered over his shoulder. “What do you think, Hayes? Am I hearing things?”

“If you are, I am, too.” Hayes sat on one of his horses, Clyde, watching a herd of cattle on the far hillside.

“Whatever.” Braden wasn’t going to let their teasing get to him.

“This have anything to do with that mistake you were going to make?” Miles propped one arm over the fence Braden had already fixed.

Damn, but he should have kept his mouth shut.

“Mistake?” Hayes nudged Clyde’s sides so the horse edged closer to where they were standing. “You sure you want to do that? The last mistake you made left you with a walking, talking consequence that’s changed your whole life.”

Braden glared up at his brother. Whether or not there was some truth to Hayes’s words, he was not okay with anyone calling his daughter a mistake. He never would be. “Delilah is my daughter. Not a mistake.”

“No. I… I didn’t mean that. I just meant the whole thing with Phoebe…

Getting involved with someone that doesn’t tell you that you have a daughter until that daughter is almost five years old.

That mistake. Not Delilah. Delilah’s great.

Not a mistake. At all.” Hayes tipped his cowboy hat back. “But that sounded bad. I apologize.”

“Yeah, it sounded bad. How else did you think it was going to sound?” Miles was scowling at their elder brother, too.

“I screwed up, okay?” Hayes held up both hands. “And I feel like total crap for saying such a thoughtless thing.”

“Forgiven.” Braden didn’t like holding on to anger.

And he sure as hell didn’t want to stay angry with his brother.

Hayes had definitely stuck his foot in his mouth, he’d been clumsy, not malicious.

Besides, his brother had a point about his relatively brief relationship with Phoebe.

Their relationship had been fueled by passion, not love—he knew that now.

Still, if it hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have his little girl.

And he couldn’t imagine his life without Delilah in it. “Now, let’s forget it.”

“You’re a bigger man than me, Braden.” Miles shook his head, still eyeing Hayes with open disappointment. “Idiot.”

“Whatever.” Hayes rested both hands on the pommel of his saddle and leaned forward. “How about we circle back to the reason Braden’s humming.”

“How about we forget that, too?” Braden shot Miles a look, hoping that would be enough to silence his brother.

“Do we have to?” The cheeky smile said Miles would not be silenced. “I mean, we’re brothers and all. Brothers talk.”

“Right.” Hayes nodded. “We do. Talk.”

“We do?” Braden put his hands on his hips and stared at Miles, then Hayes. Growing up, they’d always been more of the “suffer in silence” sort of family. “Since when?”

Miles scratched at the back of his neck. “Since…now.” The side-eye he directed at Hayes was anything but subtle.

“Yeah. Now seems like a good time.” Hayes grinned. “So talk already.”