Ignoring her reasoning, he said, “I assure you, Maggie, you’ll have your own tent and all the privacy you need.”
Did he think she was opposed to going on this trip because she was worried he might make a sexual overture toward her? How embarrassing! It wasn’t him she was worried about but herself.
“That part doesn’t concern me. I just think it would be better if…I didn’t go.”
He shook his head, and Maggie’s heart sank. She’d already learned he was hardheaded and stubborn. More than likely if she didn’t agree to this trip, he’d call it off. And once Aaron learned of that, he’d be one hurt boy.
“The only way I’ll go is if you come with us. Take it or leave it.”
Daniel didn’t know why he was being so insistent about Maggie going with him and Aaron. She was not a woman he could allow himself to get close to. She was far out of his league. And even if she’d been one of his own kind, he couldn’t permit himself to think of her as anything but a friend. For years now, ever since he’d been old enough to realize how his father, Robert Redwing, had destroyed his mother’s life, Daniel had vowed to never take a wife or have children. He didn’t want the chance to hurt or disappoint a family in the way his own father had.
But the boy had touched him, and the attraction he felt for Maggie was something he couldn’t stop. Even with keeping his hands to himself, it would be a pleasure just to look at her and have her company.
“You drive a hard bargain, Daniel Redwing.”
His mouth slanted to a faint grin. “My grandfather taught me to be persistent.”
She laughed softly. “And my father taught me to be flexible. He always said it takes a man that will bend to get things done.”
Daniel’s heart leaped with a strange and sudden joy. “Does that mean you agree to come along?”
“I suppose,” she said, and though she wanted to be reluctant about it, she couldn’t ignore the excitement rushing through her. She sipped her coffee and studied him over the rim of her cup. “You’ll have to tell me what I need to bring for this trip.”
Daniel avoided looking at her. Just in case she might pick up the joy in his eyes. “You won’t need to bring anything. Just yourself.”
“And Aaron,” she added, as though she needed to remind them both for the reason of the trip.
Clearing his throat, he kept his gaze on his plate. “Yeah. And Aaron,” he replied.
Suddenly her fingers were touching his free hand that was lying atop the table, and the jolt from the connection jerked Daniel’s head straight up.
“Thank you, Daniel, for going to all this trouble. Most single men have—well, they have other things to do over the weekend.”
If she was thinking that he normally entertained women over the weekend, she couldn’t have been more wrong. But Daniel didn’t bother to correct her. Maybe it would be safer to let her think he was a bit of a playboy and not a man she should sidle up to.
“It’s no trouble, Maggie.” He pulled his hand away from hers and pointed to her plate. “You’d better eat up. I’ve got to be back at the department in fifteen minutes.”
Chapter Five
The next day Maggie drove to her sister-in-law’s health clinic in Aztec, where she volunteered two afternoons a week. Usually she organized patient files, typed reports and opened mail.
Today she’d just finished typing a letter of referral for a man needing knee surgery when Nevada Ortiz walked into the small office where she was working and placed two foam cups of coffee on the desk.
“Break time,” she said cheerfully.
Maggie glanced at her wristwatch. She’d been typing for two solid hours. “Oh. I didn’t realize so much time had passed.”
“You’ve had your head down all afternoon. I seriously doubt I’d dedicate my time and energy to my sister-in-law the way that you do.”
Nevada Ortiz was a young, pretty nurse who’d devoted the past few years working as Victoria Ketchum’s nurse. Her hours were long and irregular and many of the patients were stressful to deal with, but Nevada had an inherent ability to calm even the most unruly person.
Gesturing toward the stack of mail she’d been working on, she said, “This is much better than slouching around the house, searching through television channels. I need to be busy and productive.”
Nevada took a seat on a molded plastic chair sitting in front of Maggie’s desk and picked up the black coffee. “Well, so do I. But that doesn’t mean I want to work all the time. I’ve been thinking I might drive up to Durango for the weekend and do some shopping. Want to come along? We could even go wild and do one of those spas,” she suggested with a wink.
Maggie couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone out of town for the weekend to shop or anything. Except for her volunteer work, she was a homebody.
“Thanks for asking me, Nevada, but I’ve got other plans.”
The young woman with a mass of black curls floating around her head and complexion the color of smooth café au lait looked at Maggie with interest. “Really? That’s good to hear. Victoria’s always grumbling that you won’t do anything fun.”
Was this weekend going to be fun? Maggie wondered. The word sounded ridiculous. She was nearly thirty-four years old. Fun was for the young and the single.
You are young and single, Maggie. You can’t be a widow for the rest of your life.
The little voice in her head was unsettling, and she sipped her coffee as she did her best to shake it away.
“I don’t know how much fun camping will be. But we’ll see.”
“Camping?” Nevada frowned. “I’ve never heard Victoria say anything about you being an outdoor woman. Other than horseback riding. What’s brought this on?”
Maggie sighed. “Aaron, of course. Little boys need things like this, Nevada. Believe me, once you have a few children of your own you’ll find yourself doing all sorts of things you never thought you’d do. I just hope to God you have a husband around to help you.”
Nevada waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Not me, Maggie. I don’t want to think about kids or marriage for a long time. I watched my mother grow old and worn-out taking care of an abusive, cheating husband. That’s not for me.”
Maggie grimaced at the young woman. “Marriage isn’t always that way, Nevada.”
Nevada looked a bit rueful as she glanced at Maggie. “Maybe not. But it’s work. And I have enough trouble taking care of myself. Besides, I like playing the field. You don’t get bored and cranky that way.”
Rolling her eyes, Maggie sipped her coffee. “Nevada, one of these days you’re going to meet someone who’s really going to break your heart.”
Tossing her head, Nevada smiled smugly. “I’m too smart to let that happen.”
“Well, why wasn’t I invited to this party?”
Both Maggie and Nevada looked around to see Victoria entering the small office. She was a tall, dark-haired beauty with a slim figure that belied the fact that she’d given birth to a son only a few months ago.
“We thought you were working,” Nevada said. “Where’s Mr. Langley? Are you finished with him?”
Victoria nodded. “All finished. I decided not to give him a shot today. His blood tests looked good and he’s feeling better.” She walked over to the small desk where both women were seated and eased her hip onto one corner. “So what are you two hens gossiping about? Your latest boyfriend, Nevada?”
The young nurse giggled, then looked across to Maggie. “I’m going to keep him a secret for a while. But Maggie is off for a wild weekend. She’s going camping.”
Surprise marked Victoria’s expression as she twisted her head around to look at her sister-in-law. “Are you? Where? Who with?”
Maggie lifted her gaze to the ceiling. She hadn’t planned on mentioning the outing to anyone, except for maybe Ross and Bella, who might miss her and Aaron if they were gone from the ranch for a whole weekend. “Lake Navajo. Deputy Redwing promised to take Aaron, and I…I’m tagging
along, too.”
“Maggie! That’s wonderful news!” Victoria exclaimed.
Nevada straightened up at the edge of the plastic chair. “Deputy Redwing! You’re spending the weekend with Deputy Redwing?” she asked incredulously.
Maggie nodded. “Why? What’s wrong with him?”
Nevada let out a dreamy sigh. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He’s such a hunk, and I’ve tried every way I know of to catch his attention, but—” she paused and shrugged her shoulders with defeat “—he just seems to look right through me.”
“Well, there’s no need to be concerned, Nevada. Daniel is just a friend who’s helping me out with Aaron. That’s all there is to this little trip.” She didn’t go on to tell the women about Aaron making a pest of himself by calling Daniel every day. Her child’s behavior was a private thing and she’d tried to handle it that way. After her lunch with Daniel, she’d gone home and had a long, stern talk with her son. He’d promised her that he would never call Daniel unless he had permission first, and so far he’d kept his word. Maggie could only wonder if his promise had lasted because he’d finally gotten what he wanted—a camping trip with Daniel.
“Hmm. I don’t know of many men who’d do such a thing,” Victoria murmured slyly.
Maggie frowned at both women. “There’re plenty of men who volunteer their time to help needy kids. Daniel’s gesture isn’t any different.”
“Oh, come on, Maggie. Give us a break. You don’t expect Victoria and me to believe Deputy Redwing has no personal interest in you,” Nevada drawled mockingly.
“Even if he did have some sort of personal interest in me, I wouldn’t let anything…happen between us.” She turned a pleading eye on Victoria. “You understand me, Victoria, tell her that I’ve sworn off men.”
Victoria nodded solemnly. “That’s right, Nevada. Sadly, the whole family has tried to get Maggie interested in dating again. But it’s more important to her to cling to my brother’s ghost than to build a new life with someone else.”
Stunned that Victoria could make such a callous remark, especially in front of a friend, Maggie gasped out loud. “Victoria! How could you say that?”
The beautiful doctor, who also happened to be her sister-in-law, shook her head glumly. “Because it’s true. That’s how.”
Before Maggie could say anything to defend herself, the receptionist appeared in the doorway. “Dr. Hastings, can you take on one more patient today? She looks like she feels terrible.”
Maggie didn’t know why Victoria took the trouble to glance at her watch. She would care for the woman even if it kept her here until midnight.
“Of course, Gloria.” She turned her gaze on Nevada. “Go put her in an examination room and check her vitals. I’ll be there in a minute or two.”
Even though her break had been less than five minutes, Nevada didn’t complain or question. She jumped to her feet and hurried off to take care of the sick woman.
Maggie set her coffee cup to one side and reached for another piece of mail. “Well, I’d better get back at it, too,” she said as she ripped the envelope with a letter opener.
“Uh, Maggie, before I go, I—” she paused and smiled brightly at her sister-in-law “—I just wanted to say I’m glad that you’re going on this outing with Deputy Redwing. He’s a very nice man. Quiet but strong. When Jess was shot and close to dying, he helped me keep my head together, among other things.”
Maggie’s eyes fluttered to the desktop as an uncomfortable heat filled her cheeks. “Yes. Daniel is…very good in difficult situations.”
“And he might be good for you.”
Maggie’s head jerked up. “Oh, no. Don’t start that, Victoria. This is all for Aaron and Aaron only.”
“Maybe it’s time for you to start thinking about more than just your son.”
Victoria turned and left the office before Maggie could come up with any sort of reply to that, and after a moment she released a long, heavy breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.
Victoria and Nevada could make what they wanted out of this camping trip, she thought crossly. She wasn’t hunting for a man. And she was darn sure she’d never allow herself to love another one. She’d be crazy to set herself up for more of the pain she’d been through these past years.
Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful without even a puff of a cloud to threaten the blue sky. By seven-thirty that morning Maggie had herself and Aaron ready to go and by eight she’d stacked their bags on the front porch for Daniel to load into his vehicle.
“Let’s sit on the porch, Mom. That way we’ll be ready to go when Daniel gets here,” Aaron told her as she scurried around the kitchen making sure everything was as it should be before she closed the house.
“All right. You run on, and as soon as I get my purse I’ll be out there,” she told her son.
He raced away and Maggie left the spotless kitchen and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. She didn’t know why she felt the need to look at herself one last time before Daniel arrived. It wasn’t like she was going to a beauty contest.
Standing in front of a cheval mirror, Maggie eyed herself critically. As long as she couldn’t see her backside, the tight-fitting jeans she’d decided to wear were flattering. The baby-blue T-shirt she’d topped them with was soft and loose and hid the curve of her small waist and full breasts. That, of course, was the main reason she was wearing the garment. The more she kept hidden from Daniel the better off they’d both be.
Leaning closer to her image, she checked the faint gloss she’d applied to her lips. It was the only makeup she’d put on this morning and, though a little more color would have helped her image, she’d refused to doll herself up for a camping trip, or for Daniel.
Sighing, she turned away from the mirror, grabbed her purse and hurried out to join Aaron on the front porch.
Her son had been a bundle of excitement all morning, and even now he wasn’t sitting quietly in a lawn chair. Instead he was swinging on the front gate and peering down the dirt road for any sign of dust stirred by Daniel’s approaching vehicle.
“Mom, it’s fifteen after eight. Daniel’s not comin’.”
Maggie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her son’s eagerness to be with Daniel Redwing. It was good to see him smiling and happy and excited. There’d been times the past few months she’d caught him when he was unaware, and the sad wistful expression she’d seen on his face always cut right to her heart. Aaron meant more than anything to her, and if camping with Daniel made him happy, she was willing to play along.
“He said he’d be here at eight-thirty, Aaron. Just be patient. Now get down from the gate. You’re too big to be riding it. You’ll have it sagging on its hinges.”
“Aw, Mom, I can’t ever have any fun,” he complained. But he jumped from the gate and trotted over to where she sat in a wooden lawn chair.
Maggie playfully ruffled his hair. “Did you tell Skinny that someone needs to be up here to feed the horses today and tomorrow?”
“Yep. He’s gonna do it himself,” Aaron said proudly. “He said he couldn’t let just any old ranch hand take care of Rusty.”
Thank God for Skinny, Maggie thought. He was the closest thing to a grandfather that Aaron had, and the old man had taught her son a lot about horses and cows and ranching in general. Skinny realized that someday Aaron and his cousins would have to take over the reins of the T Bar K, and when that time came, none of them could be greenhorns.
“Here he comes!” Daniel suddenly shouted as a plume of red dust appeared in the far distance. “That’s him, Mom. You’d better get up and get your bags!”
“Aaron—” Maggie let the rest of her sentence drop as she watched her son race to the front gate as fast as his legs would carry him.
Daniel arrived in a dark-colored four-seater pickup truck. Before he could open the door and jump to the ground, Aaron was standing just outside waiting to greet him.
“Daniel, you’re finally here!�
� he said with a happy grin.
Daniel leaned down and shook the boy’s hand. “How’s my little buddy?”
Aaron’s face beamed with joy. “I’m really ready to go fishing. Mom got me some new lures. They’re orange and green. And we got one for you, too. Just in case you’d like to try one.”
Daniel smiled at the boy all the while he was acutely aware of Maggie ambling toward the yard gate. She was dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans. Her thick, red hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and gold hoops glinted at her ears.
She managed to look sweet and sexy at the same time, and when his gaze caught hers she smiled softly.
The tender greeting slammed him and turned his whole insides to mush. Just the weak sort of reaction he wanted to start the day with, he thought crossly.
“Good morning, Daniel.”
“Good morning. Have you been waiting long?”
“Oh, we’ve been waiting a long time,” Aaron said. “Mom had everything ready by seven-thirty.”
It was all Maggie could do to keep from groaning out loud at her son’s remark. “He’s excited,” Maggie tried to explain.
“That’s good.”
The two of them stared at each other for long seconds until Daniel finally began to tug on her elbow. She looked down at him and hoped the flushed heat on her cheeks was invisible.
“C’mon, Mom! Let’s get our bags. We’re wasting time.”
“Okay, son.” Maggie looked questioningly at Daniel. “Are you ready for this?”
“Don’t worry, Maggie. It’s my pleasure.”
Pleasure. Pleasure! That’s exactly what she felt when she was around Daniel Redwing, Maggie thought a few minutes later as they were driving off the ranch property and turning onto a main county road.
Even though there was a backseat, perfectly comfortable for either her or Aaron, Daniel had insisted there was plenty of room for the three of them up front. Then Aaron had begged to sit next to the window so he could look out. Maggie was now sandwiched between the two of them, struggling to keep her shoulder and thigh from pressing into Daniel’s.
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