She wasn’t certain what angered her more, the fact that he had the audacity to touch her or that he had done it in such a patronizing way. “Look,” Maggy snapped, her eyes blazing, “I’m tired of—”
A sudden wail from the other room cut off her words. Cody ducked around her and through the door just as Elizabeth entered the living room—with a wailing child tucked securely under her arm. The toddler took one look at Maggy and stopped crying.
“Ma-ma,” the child cooed, extending his chubby arms to Maggy, who blanched self-consciously at the sight of the near-naked child suddenly claiming her as his mother.
“Not mama, Bobby,” Cody corrected gently, corralling the child’s chubby arms as he continued to reach for the stunned Maggy. “Come here, tiger,” Cody growled, scooping the child out of Elizabeth’s arms. He swung the toddler up on one lean hip and planted a kiss atop his head.
“Bobby?” Maggy mimicked weakly, staring at the duo in confusion. She took a step closer to Cody and the child as if she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. “This…this is Bobby? The naked stranger with no teeth?” Her voice became a high-pitched croak as she turned to her mother.
“Why of course, dear,” Elizabeth replied serenely.
Maggy sank down heavily on the couch as fiery waves of embarrassment washed over her. Oh Lord! Her mother had done it again! She’d lived with her mother and her peculiarities long enough to know that things weren’t always what they seemed.
And him, she thought, glaring at Cody, who had the nerve to smile at her distress. He knew all along what she had been thinking. Why on earth hadn’t he said something? Why had he let her go on making a fool of herself? One look at him and she had her answer. Obviously the man was having a good time at her expense. Her resentment grew.
On the other hand, she reasoned, it wasn’t his fault she had jumped to conclusions. She was the one who had made a snap judgment, the one who had made such a blatant, obvious fool of herself. No wonder he found everything so amusing! If pressed, Maggy would have to admit her behavior was pretty funny. Not that she’d ever admit such a thing to him, though.
Smoothing down her skirt with shaking fingers, Maggy knew she had to swallow both her resentment and her pride and apologize to the man. What on earth must he think of her?
“Mr.—Cody,” Maggy said, licking her lips nervously. “I think I owe you an apology.” She tried hard to drag up a smile to match his.
“Apology accepted.” Cody’s deep voice vibrated with suppressed laughter, and Maggy flushed again.
“Oh Mother,” she groaned. “I thought—well, I just assumed—why didn’t you tell me Bobby was a child!” she demanded.
“Well, dear, you didn’t ask.” Elizabeth blew a tangle of silver curls out of her eyes as she plopped down on the couch.
“I thought…well…” Maggy struggled for words, fidgeting with her scarf. “I just assumed Bobby was a grown man with no teeth, no job, whose only interest was in the bottle and your money,” she finished lamely, dropping her gaze to stare glumly at her shoes.
“A man!” Elizabeth’s eyes twinkled. “Well, for goodness sake, dear! Whatever gave you that idea?” her mother asked innocently, trying hard not to smile. “I told you you’ve been working too hard.”
“I’m sorry if I offended you,” Maggy went on, feeling totally mortified. She watched Cody and the child in fascination. For some reason she found herself drawn to the man—and the child. Realizing she was staring, Maggy reluctantly dragged her eyes away. “All right, Mother. What’s going on? I mean what’s really going on?”
“I already told you, but apparently you weren’t listening. Cody is an old and dear friend of mine, and right now he needs some help.”
“What kind of help?” Maggy asked in sudden alarm, glancing from one to the other, and knowing she was probably going to be sorry she even asked. Her instincts immediately went on full alert. Long ago she had gotten used to her mother’s penchant for high drama and adventure. Although she had been retired from the stage for years, she still had a flair for the dramatic. Not to mention the eccentric, Maggy thought, as the corners of her mouth twitched with humor. Her mother was totally guileless, outspoken and the only sixty-year-old radical she’d ever encountered.
Maggy knew that as long as there was a cause to support, a freedom to defend or an underdog in need of a champion her mother was happy. Glancing back at Cody, Maggy couldn’t quite decide which of the three he was.
“Cody’s in need of a—” All of a sudden Elizabeth grew tight-lipped. “Perhaps Cody’d better explain, dear.”
Maggy’s suspicions grew as the silence in the room lengthened. Why did she get the feeling her mother was about to drag her into another one of her adventures—or misadventures? Perhaps because it wouldn’t be the first time. Her mother seemed to attract trouble the way dogs attracted fleas.
Taking a deep breath, Maggy tried to prepare herself for what was to come. Whatever her mother was involved in right now, it certainly couldn’t be as bad as the time she had chained herself to a local theater scheduled for demolition, nor when she’d arranged a sit-in protest of the firing of a local cable television producer. Maggy stole another glance at Cody and the baby he was trying to entertain. On the other hand, maybe she’d better reserve judgment until she’d heard the man out.
“It’s a long story,” Cody finally said, releasing the child so that he could toddle over to Elizabeth. Maggy felt her nerves tighten. Experience had taught her that the longer the story, the worse it usually was. But after the way she had treated Cody, the only courteous thing to do was hear what he had to say.
Maggy reluctantly met Cody’s gaze and was caught short by his wolfish smile. She suddenly found herself breathless. He was looking at her—no, inspecting her—with such intense male interest that she nervously knotted her fingers together in her lap.
“I’m desperate, Maggy,” he said sweetly, giving her a grin that should have sent her stampeding for the door. “Because right now, what I need is a woman!”
Chapter Two
Maggy’s eyes flew to his. “Ex-excuse me?”
“A woman,” Cody repeated, patiently specifying his need and trying earnestly—without much success—to banish the grin from the corners of his mouth.
For a long, silent moment, Maggy stared at him doubtfully, then her breath rose and fell in a great rush of relief. He was putting her on, she decided, having fun with her again, but this time it wasn’t going to work. She was on to him. But she did have to hand it to the man. He was wild and outrageous and, Maggy admitted with a tinge of disgust, thoroughly charming in a brazen sort of way. But that didn’t mean she was going to play straight man for him anymore. She could dish it out as well as take it.
“A woman,” she deadpanned, straightening her spine against the couch and trying very hard to be blasé. “I see. Any particular kind of woman?” She was going to give back as good as she got, at least until she found out what the man really wanted.
“The usual kind—two legs, two arms, two—” he grinned again and her heart took an unexpected tumble “—well, you know.”
Oh, she knew all right, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why on earth he was telling her. Surely this man was quite capable of getting any woman he wanted, so why on earth was he informing her? Unless… A sudden thought occurred to Maggy, causing her nerves to begin an ominous squeal. He couldn’t possibly mean—surely he didn’t want a woman for—Maggy swallowed hard. Even he couldn’t be that gauche? Could he?
“Would it be too much to ask what you need this woman for?” she asked carefully, praying her trembling voice didn’t give away her thoughts.
“Well, it’s not for what you’re thinking,” Cody teased, and Maggy’s heart settled back down in her chest, despite the fact that his tone was laced with devilish amusement. “I told you it was a long story. I’m a writer, you see, and—have you ever heard of a magazine called Modern Motherhood?”
Maggy shook her h
ead. “I’m afraid I haven’t.”
“Well, about a year ago I started writing a series of articles for Modern Motherhood. You know, tips and advice for new mothers?” He was looking at her expectantly, and Maggy finally nodded her head as if she fully understood—which she didn’t—and as if there were nothing out of the ordinary about this conversation or this man—which there was.
“Anyway,” Cody continued. “Every year Modern Motherhood nominates one of their authors as Mother of the Year.”
“So now you see the problem, dear.” Elizabeth looked at Maggy, who in turn stared at her mother blankly.
“No, Mother, I’m afraid I don’t.” If there was a point to this conversation, she had obviously missed it.
“Maggy, do pay attention.” Elizabeth tugged at the ribbon around her head as she struggled to contain Bobby. “Cody has been nominated as Modern Motherhood’s Mother of the Year.”
“Congratulations,” Maggy returned politely. Mother of the Year. Sure. Next they’d be telling her he could pull stars from the sky! And that the moon was made of yogurt. At this point nothing would surprise her. Maggy swallowed around her sudden nervousness. On second thought, maybe she’d better reserve judgment.
“There’s an awards ceremony in Chicago next month that Cody has to attend,” Elizabeth explained patiently.
“And?” Maggy prompted, vividly aware that even her mother didn’t see anything unusual about this conversation. Or this man. But then again, Maggy mused, her mother never did.
“That’s what I need a woman for,” Cody explained hurriedly at the dazed look on her face. “I need someone, a woman, to go to Chicago and accept that mothering award on my behalf.”
“I offered to do it,” Elizabeth sniffed, struggling to hang on to Bobby and talk at the same time. “But I don’t think anyone would believe I’m the mother of a two-year-old. I look good for my age—” Elizabeth patted her hair “—but not that good.”
“Why on earth would you need a woman for this?” Maggy asked, looking in confusion from one to the other. “Why can’t you simply accept the award yourself?”
“Because,” Cody said evasively, as if the word covered all the bases.
Maggy looked at him suspiciously. She had the feeling she was going to be sorry she even asked, but her curiosity got the best of her.
“Why not?”
He brought his gaze back to hers and Maggy’s pulse jumped like a needle on a warped record. Those devilish blue eyes of his held a host of promises: adventure, humor, recklessness. She lowered her eyes, disconcerted now because every time she looked up, his eyes seemed to be waiting.
“Have you ever heard of Adventure Publications?” he finally asked.
“Here we go again,” Maggy muttered. “Am I going to need a road map to follow this conversation?” she inquired with a raised brow.
“No, no, no,” he said with a laugh, quickly trying to reassure her. “Listen, Mags, it’s like this. I’ve authored a series of action and adventure books for Adventure Publications. Wild Bill Cody’s Adventures,” he announced proudly, and Maggy couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t know if she was smiling at the utterly ridiculous abbreviation of her name, or his animated tall tale.
“For years now I’ve cultivated a rough-and-tough macho image. It’s what my stories demanded.” Cody leaned forward in his chair, planted his feet flat on the floor and looked directly at her. “Now Mags, how would it look if my fans found out that Wild Bill Cody’s won a Mother of the Year Award?” His voice rose to a properly scandalized level, and Maggy’s sense of humor overrode her exasperation.
“I simply can’t imagine.” She laughed.
“So you can see why I can’t accept that award myself.”
“Why, of course,” Maggy returned solicitously, not seeing anything of the sort. Where on earth had her mother found this one? she wondered. She racked her brain for a way to get this handsome but rather peculiar man out of her mother’s house. She didn’t think he was dangerous, but clearly the man’s bulb was short a few watts.
“See, my bosses at Adventure Publications aren’t too thrilled that one of their leading writers has won a mothering award. Their message was pretty clear. If I accept that award myself my credibility as well as my career will be shot to—Haiti.”
“So don’t accept the award,” Maggy countered, hoping he was at the end of this story, and deciding to humor him just in case he wasn’t.
“I have to,” Cody explained with maddening patience. “Part of the prize is a scholarship to college for Bobby.” His face softened as his eyes found the child, and he smiled gently. “Hell, it would be reckless and irresponsible to just toss away something like that. This award could insure Bobby’s future. And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how important a college education is?”
Maggy’s gaze followed Cody’s, and she looked at the child. It was clear that the bond between them was strong. Despite her misgivings about the man and his story, she had to admit there was something heartbreakingly old-fashioned about a big, rugged, supposedly macho man who was so obviously devoted to his child. She felt something tug at her heart.
Glancing up at Cody, she found herself smiling. She’d been hanging around her mother too long, she mused, because this whole ridiculous story was beginning to make sense to her.
If this man was telling the truth, and she’d reserve judgment for the moment, Maggy could see he really did have a problem. But on the other hand, it was his problem, and she had no idea why on earth he was telling her.
“I still don’t see what all this has to do with me.” She caught the glance Cody and her mother exchanged and dawning horror began to seep into her consciousness, growing stronger when Cody turned to her with a playful grin.
“Oh no!” Maggy breathed, shaking her head firmly. “Don’t tell me you expect me to accept this mothering award for you?”
“Well, you don’t have to act like I asked you to dance naked down Main Street,” Cody pointed out, quite clearly offended at her tone of voice.
“Absolutely not,” Maggy said firmly, shaking her head. He might just as well have asked her to dance naked down Main Street, because there was about as much chance of her doing one as the other. “There is no way,” Maggy stammered, realizing immediately that this story was just crazy enough to be true. While she would willingly do anything for her mother, and had in the past, this was going too far, even for her. “It’s not possible,” she insisted.
“Why not?” Cody asked with a frown, obviously not paying any more attention to her protests than her mother ever did.
Why not? Indeed. How on earth did she ever expect a man like him to understand?
As the assistant headmistress at Miss Avalon’s Academy for Young Ladies, Maggy’s position decreed that she conduct herself in a manner befitting her vocation. Miss Avalon’s was the most established, prestigious finishing school in the Midwest. Nestled in the rolling Wisconsin countryside, generation after generation of proper young ladies had been trained and educated at the academy, including Maggy herself. Her boss Miss Barklay, the headmistress of Miss Avalon’s, demanded that her faculty be of the highest character and reputation. Maggy’s actions both personally and professionally must be totally above reproach at all times. But how, she wondered, could she expect this man to understand when her own mother didn’t?
Maggy knew she would have to approach this situation with great calm and deal with it in a logical manner—the way she dealt with everything else. Otherwise her mother and this man would have her entangled in another screwball scheme and Maggy couldn’t afford it, not now. She tried to maintain a detached air, but it was hard with her mother staring, the toddler squirming, and a handsome blue-eyed rogue doing his best to drown her in his charm.
“I happen to be at a very sensitive stage of my career right now. I can’t afford to become embroiled in—” Maggy searched her mind for the correct phrase, then quickly rejected her choice for a more polite one “—anything that
might reflect badly on me or my position. I simply can’t do it,” she insisted, and both Cody and her mother stared at her. Neither said a word, but just kept looking at her until Maggy grew decidedly uncomfortable. “Well, I can’t,” she repeated, wondering why her voice suddenly sounded so feeble.
She could just see Miss Barklay’s face if she learned that Maggy, her hand-picked successor, had suddenly announced to all the world that she was not only an author, but the unmarried mother of a two-year-old as well! Sweet heaven! Neither Miss Barklay nor the academy would ever recover. Nor would Maggy’s career. No, there had to be another way.
“Surely you must know some woman who would be willing to accept this award for you?” Maggy asked.
Cody rubbed the back of his neck and flashed her a sheepish smile. “Well, Mags, to tell you the truth, the women I’m…uh…acquainted with aren’t exactly motherly types.” He wiggled his brows suggestively at the stunned look on her face. “If you know what I mean?”
Maggy felt a nervous twitch inch along her mouth. Oh Lord, she knew all right! Why on earth was she so surprised? Cody certainly didn’t look like the type of man to surround himself with modest women who cloaked and covered themselves from stem to stern, wore sensible shoes and practical undergarments.
Maggy glanced down and realized mournfully that she had just described herself. A flicker of defiance kicked up her spine. Why should she care if she wasn’t his type? He wasn’t her type either—not that she had a type—he was just too…too…male. Cody reminded her of the men of long ago, men who had braved the frontier to tame the Wild West. But the West wasn’t wild anymore, and Maggy had a sinking feeling there wasn’t anything tame about this man or his type of woman.
“Surely you could find someone on your own?” she muttered feebly.
Cody chuckled softly. “I already tried that, Mags. All I got for my trouble was a slap in the face, a kick in the shin and a bop on the head from a rampaging umbrella. Most women never let me finish explaining. As soon as I said I needed a woman and was willing to pay—well—all hell broke loose.”
Baby Makes Three: Heartwarming Love and Laughter Page 2