Front Range Cowboys (5 Book Box Set)

by Evie Nichole

  Okay. So, that was kind of fair. Right? Except Maggie didn’t really know what to call it. “I suppose we’re dating. It’s just very low-key and”—Maggie could not stop the smile that stretched over her face—“I really like him, Rhonda. He’s a wonderful man. He’s really patient and not pushy at all. I’ve never been with anyone who respects me so much. It’s like he just wants to be with me. That’s enough for him. Just to hang out and talk and have fun together.”

  Rhonda’s face took on a very warm smile. “That’s really great, Maggie. Really. It sounds like you’ve found your prince charming. I know, after everything else that’s happened in the last few years, that’s probably a pretty big relief.”

  Maggie gave a tight nod and was not sorry to see Rhonda leave. Everything that had happened in the last few years. Wow. What a way to put it. Maggie’s parents had passed away. She was utterly alone. Once it was absolutely certain that there was no inheritance and that Maggie’s parents had been in debt up to their eyebrows, her loving fiancé had dumped her on her ass and left her to deal with everything on her own.

  The sudden ringing of her cell phone nearly made Maggie jump out of her seat. She snatched it up, grateful for the distraction. “Hey. What did you find out?”

  “Oh my God. Are you ready for this?” The voice on the other end of the line was Cara. Cara was Maggie’s former school friend who worked for family services.

  “Yep. Hit me. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Did you find someone named Carly in the system?”

  “Carly Valdez. The boy is five. His name is listed as Jaeger Hernandez. We show Carly getting child support payments in the amount of seventeen hundred dollars a month.”

  “For one kid?” Maggie yelped. She leaped out of her desk chair and started pacing back and forth in her office. “How is that possible?”

  “Carly doesn’t work. She’s supposedly on disability. There have been seventeen complaints in the last five years about her parenting. Family services has sent people out there for a welfare check every single time. Carly lives with her mother.”

  “Thank God someone is taking care of the poor kid!” Maggie’s heart went out to Darren. There was no possible way he could know any of this.

  “The woman was hospitalized three weeks ago with walking pneumonia. She’s in her eighties.” Cara’s tone was grim. “I think if Darren wanted to, and if he could establish a real household, he could file for full custody and win.”

  “But Carly has him believing that no judge would do that!” Maggie was having difficulty processing what she was hearing. “He has no idea this is what’s happening.”

  “I’m going to go out to the grandmother’s house right now. My boss actually told me to consider your phone call a request for another welfare check. They’re really worried about this kid because his grandma is in the hospital.” Cara sounded out of breath. “I’m heading to the car right now.”

  “Yes!” Maggie sat down. Then she stood up again. Shit! What did she tell Darren about this? What could she say? “Call me. Let me know what happens. If something happens and you remove Jaeger from his home, can Darren have temporary custody?”

  “Does he have someplace for the kid to sleep? Someplace safe?” There was the sound of a car door slamming on Cara’s end.

  Maggie thought of Laredo’s place. It was huge. “Yes. If Darren hasn’t moved into his new place by tonight, his brother has a posh house a few miles from my school. It’s just his brother and his nine-year-old daughter. There’s no reason Jaeger couldn’t stay.”

  “I don’t have to tell you what this is going to do to the kid,” Cara reminded Maggie grimly. “He’s never even met his father. There’s no telling what his mother has told him.”

  Maggie knew that. She just didn’t know if Darren fully grasped what could happen. “I know. I’ll try to prep Darren.”

  “All right. I’ll keep you posted.” Cara ended the phone call, and Maggie was left staring at her smartphone and wondering if she had just done a good thing or a bad thing. This was a five-year-old boy. He was still young enough to be impressionable and amiable to meeting and integrating new people, but if his mother had been feeding him a steady diet of “Daddy is an evil person,” it was going to be tough to change that pattern of thinking.

  Maggie felt too restless to stay in her office. She stumbled through her door and found herself heading automatically for the gymnasium. She could hear the yelling inside, but it sounded about as controlled as she’d ever heard it.

  Peering through the windows of the gym door, Maggie exhaled slowly as she spotted Darren surrounded by fifth graders. He was showing them how to throw a football to each other. Even the girls were having a fantastic time. Their young faces were alight with excitement. Everyone was paying attention. Everybody was having fun. And even the smaller, less athletic kids were getting some special attention from Mr. Hernandez as he offered smiles and encouragement.

  Darren is absolutely a natural with kids.

  And for Maggie Brown, there was nothing more attractive in a man. If they could just get through the insanity that seemed determined to swirl all around them, maybe they could finally find a place in the sun.

  A strange noise behind her made Maggie jump and turn around. She put her hand on her chest to still her thundering heart as she spotted Olivia Witherspoon standing there with her hands on her hips and a horrible sneer on her pretty face.

  “Go ahead and look,” Olivia told Maggie. “He won’t be here for long.”

  Maggie was so tired of bullies. Maybe this was why Olivia Witherspoon never did anything about those third grade boys. They were kids after her own heart. “It’s really sad that you care more about your love life than what’s good for this school and these kids,” Maggie told the irritated principal. “But you’d better watch out. You’re not as untouchable as you think you are. People like you always get what’s coming to them.” Maggie thrust her chin out and glared at Olivia. “Always.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Darren poked his head into Maggie’s office and smiled. “Ah, the woman at work. It’s a masterpiece. Did you know?”

  She looked up from her computer screen and offered him a tired smile. “Hey. How was your day?”

  “Busy, but really good.” Darren hadn’t felt this satisfied about a day’s work since his college football days. “The kids are doing really great. I’m teaching them how to throw different kinds of balls. Football, basketball, baseball, and I figure we’ll just keep working on coordination and then start playing some actual sports here soon.”

  “You’re really good at this, Darren.” She sat back in her seat and folded her hands over her middle. “Do you have any idea how unusual it is for a substitute teacher to just mesh so quickly with the kids?”

  “Well, I like to think it’s because I’m basically just a large child myself.” Darren grunted as he thought about his father. “I’m sure my dad could tell you stories about how I behave like a child all day long.”

  “I don’t want to hear what your father has to say,” Maggie told him. “But I would like to know what brings you to my office.”

  Darren wondered if Rhonda had forgotten to relay his message. “Actually, I asked Rhonda to tell you that I was going to stop by and that I would meet you after school.”

  The corner of Maggie’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “Let’s just say that Rhonda was so busy telling me about your adventure in Olivia Witherspoon’s office that she neglected to mention that part.”

  “My adventure?” Darren’s heart leaped into his throat. How much did Rhonda know? Had she told Maggie that there was something going on between Olivia Witherspoon and Darren? That whole thing could have been easily misinterpreted. “What adventure is she speaking of?”

  “Don’t worry.” Maggie waved her hand.

  She looked very tired for some reason. Darren felt bad for keeping her out all night because of his family drama. Hernandez drama always kicked everything in the face.

&n
bsp; Darren swallowed back his unease. “Tell me Rhonda wasn’t thinking that I fell into Olivia’s little plot or something.”

  “Actually, I can pretty well be assured it’s the opposite,” Maggie admitted. She began spinning back and forth in her chair, her head leaning back against the soft edge of her seat. “See, not only did Rhonda tell me that Olivia was super pissed off after your little meeting, but Olivia got right in my face and basically told me that you were here on borrowed time.”

  “Dammit.” Darren felt as though someone had just pulled the rug out from under him. “That wasn’t what I was trying to accomplish here.”

  “I know that.” Somehow, Maggie’s expression gave Darren confidence. It felt good to have someone who was so obviously in his corner. “Rhonda and I are trying to figure something out. I think you’re going to have to petition the school board about the job, but at the same time, we’re going to petition them to get rid of Principal Witherspoon. If we have the entire teaching staff on board, I think we’ll be okay.”

  Darren thought of the Farnsworth woman who had come to the gym to pick up her third graders the other day. He wasn’t so sure he would have the support of everyone. But maybe it was time to trust in someone else for once.

  “There’s something else,” Maggie told him suddenly. “I called a friend in family services.”

  “You did?” Darren’s heart slid right down into his athletic shoes. “And?”

  The thin line of her lips made him think that this was not going to be good. “Cara says that they have done seventeen welfare checks on Jaeger in the last five years. Those are created when someone calls with a complaint or a report of negligent parenting.”

  “Oh, shit.” It felt as though someone had poured ice water down Darren’s back. “What happened? What’s been happening? This is my son! Are you telling me that she’s beating my kid or something?”

  “I haven’t seen the reports.” Maggie stood up and came toward him. She put her hand on his arm. Somehow, even that light contact made everything bearable. He could breathe again. Maggie leaned forward and stood on tiptoe to brush her lips over his jaw. “Jaeger and his mother live with his grandmother. Everything was at least tolerable until the grandmother went into the hospital three weeks ago. Cara was going out there today. Apparently, family services has been keeping an eye on this case anyway.”

  “Jaeger,” Darren whispered. He put his hands over his face. What kind of father was he? How could he have just let this go for so long? “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know. How could I not know? How could I just take her word for things?”

  “Sweetheart, you could not have known. You trusted the courts. They never told you what was going on. Cara isn’t sure why they never contacted you personally.” Maggie pulled his hands away from his face and pressed her lips to his. “You’ve done your best, and now it’s time to do something more. Are you ready?”

  “Of course!” Darren stumbled over the words. He felt as though his knees were about to give out. “Tell me what to do.”

  “Do you have a place?” Maggie kept hold of his hands. She pulled him closer to her and pressed her forehead to his. “Did you get a house?”

  “I wanted you to go look with me tonight. I’m meeting the landlord. It’s a little two-bedroom not far from here. I’m not trying to spend a ton of money. I don’t even really know what’s available to me right now. I have to be careful.” There was no need to bring up the fight he’d had with his family only that morning. Not right now. It wouldn’t do any good. “I wanted you to go look with me.”

  “Then, let’s go,” Maggie urged. “Let’s go have a look, and then we’ll wait for Cara to call. She was on her way to check on Jaeger when I talked to her.”

  Darren stumbled backwards and felt his back press against the door of Maggie’s office. “She was going out there to take him away from Carly?”

  “She wasn’t sure. They have parameters and requirements. You know? It’s possible that if the grandmother was doing the bulk of the care, then yes. Carly hasn’t proved herself capable of caring for him. She’s on disability of some kind. Between that money, her grandmother’s social security, and your enormous child support checks, they’ve been doing really well. You pay more than any other man I’ve ever heard of for one kid!”

  “She nailed my balls to the wall,” Darren muttered. “But what was I supposed to do? She refused to work and Jaeger needed money to survive.”

  “You’re a good father,” Maggie whispered. She put her arms around Darren’s neck and pressed her face to the hollow beneath his throat.

  Darren returned the embrace. Closing his eyes, he soaked up the sensation of acceptance from Maggie’s nearness. He had never felt this at ease with anyone before in his life. There were no expectations. It was just the two of them enjoying the closeness of the other.

  Maggie gently brushed her fingertips over his face. He loved the way she traced every feature as though she were trying to memorize it. There was such emotion in those feather-light caresses. Each pass of her fingertips over his nose and then his jawline sent a thrill through his body that woke up every single nerve ending beneath his skin.

  “Darren,” Maggie whispered. “I love you. I know it probably seems silly. We haven’t known each other for very long, but you’re different than anyone I’ve ever met.” She paused as though she were looking for the words to say exactly what she meant. “You just fit me.” She put her hand over her heart. “Here. You fit me here.”

  She loved him? Maggie loved Darren? It seemed almost too good to be true. He didn’t deserve a woman like this. After everything that had happened in his life, he didn’t deserve anyone. Did she realize what she was getting into? Darren felt as though he were honor bound to inform her of her foolishness.

  “Maggie, I’m not what you think.” Darren felt like an idiot trying to explain this. “Do you have any idea what a loser I am? My entire family is ashamed of me. I washed out as a football player. I’m pretty useless as a part of the Hernandez Land & Cattle Company. I have apparently left my son with a completely inept mother for years because I was too lazy and selfish to check on what was really happening.” Darren felt utterly helpless in this moment. “I’m not the man you think I am.”

  “And I think you’re more than you give yourself credit for.” She cupped his face in her palms and dragged him down for a thorough kissing.

  Their tongues tangled together as he pulled her close to his body and felt for the first time in so long that everything might actually turn out all right. She tasted like sweet feminine spice. It was as if he could absorb every bit of her fire and zest for life in her kiss. She embodied everything he had ever wanted or dreamed of in a woman, when he hadn’t realized what it was he was looking for.

  Her nails scored his scalp and her fingers tugged at his hair. She made tiny little noises in the back of her throat that nearly undid him as she made love to him with her mouth. He loved this woman. He was honored that she would give him the words. He just wasn’t sure if he was doing her a favor or a disservice by giving them back. What did he have to offer her? Maggie was everything and Darren had nothing.

  “Maggie,” he whispered against her lips. “I love you. But I don’t want to be some pet project you’re picking up because I’m so pathetic that my life is a total disaster.”

  “You’re not,” Maggie insisted. “You’ve got it together far more than you realize. I promise. Just see yourself the way I do for once. Will you?”

  She nipped his lower lip and kissed him once again until he thought his head might explode. Heat lanced through his body. His fingers were tingling, and he felt as though he could not get close enough to Maggie to satisfy what he really needed. It wasn’t about sex or arousal. Yes. The woman aroused him. She turned him on like nobody else. She was amazing, and he could not wait to take their relationship to the next step. But if he never got Maggie into his bed, Darren would be just fine kissing this woman for the rest of his life.

 
; Maggie giggled as she pulled back just far enough to rub her nose against his. “Now. We need to go take a look at some rental property. Right?”

  “Right.” Darren had pretty much forgotten everything while she was in his arms. “Will you go with me?”

  “I never want to be anywhere else,” she told him quietly. Lacing her fingers through his, she grabbed her wallet and keys. “But this time I’m driving. It’s my turn, and it will be so much fun to make Olivia Witherspoon stew as she wonders where you’ve gone and who you’re with.”

  Darren did not point out that there was probably only one conclusion that Olivia Witherspoon would come up with and only one result of that realization. At this point, he wasn’t going to spoil the moment with negative thoughts. He was pretty sure there would be plenty of time for that later on.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Maggie had not been this nervous since the first time she had gone to look at a potential place to live for herself. Darren was giving her directions, and she was pleasantly surprised to learn that the house suggested by the landlord Darren had contacted was only about eight blocks from the school.

  “This is a really great neighborhood,” Maggie murmured as they drove down a tree-lined street. “The houses are older, but they still look pretty well kept.”

  “Apparently, this house used to belong to the landlord’s mother, so there aren’t a lot of rentals in the area.” If the way Darren was sitting on the edge of his seat was anything to go by, he was as nervous as Maggie was about this whole thing. Darren gestured to a small A-frame brick-front home about halfway down the street. “This is it. Number five seven five.”

  “Not bad.” Maggie parked her car in the driveway beside a truck that could have given Darren’s vehicle a run for its money. “Is this your landlord?”