A Maverick's Heart (5 page)

Lila stepped fully into the kitchen. “Are you all right, Mom? I don’t know when the last time was that I ever heard you complain about anything.”

“Like mother, like daughter.” Doreen aimed a pointed frown at Lila. “When were you going to tell me about driving your car into a ditch last night?”

“Uh, never. I didn’t want you to worry. Who told you?”

“Rory. And by the way, just who is the man who rescued you? How is it that you’re letting him buy baseball equipment for Rory? Is he the guy I saw seated with my grandson? He and some other young men came in for lunch a couple of days this week. I thought they were visitors passing through town.”

“They were all in Myra’s wedding. You were too busy with the reception, I think, to have met them. Three are gone now. Seth Maxwell stayed. He’s Zeke’s twin and rents from me. He’s who sat with Rory tonight. But, Mom, I fully intend to reimburse him for any baseball stuff he purchases.”

“Why would he purchase anything?”

“According to what Zeke told Rory, his brother was good enough at baseball to have scouts after him. He’s offered to give Rory pointers. Rory’s so anxious to play, why not take advantage of his expertise?”

Doreen began pulling pans from the dishwasher and banged them around as she put them away. “I’m not blind, Lila. You spent a good deal of time tonight talking to him. I had to ring more than once to remind you of an order up. All I’m saying is you need to have a care that Rory doesn’t come to depend on a man who’ll be moving on. Kids, especially fatherless ones, wear their hearts on their sleeves.”

“You’re thinking about me—about how attached I got to Clay What’s-His-Name, that cowboy you dated for two or three years after we moved here.”

“Shafer. Clayton Shafer. Hard as it was on me to have him pull up stakes and go work at some ranch in Colorado, it was harder on you. You were ready to call him Dad. When he left, you cried a lot—and blamed me.”

“I remember,” Lila said slowly. “I’m sorry. Back then I didn’t understand that he was a cowboy drifter. I’ll keep that in mind now when it comes to Seth Maxwell.” Making an X over her heart, she eased out of the kitchen.

But Lila couldn’t shake off the exchange she’d had with her mother. An hour later as she drove home and every other sentence out of Rory’s motor mouth started with “Seth’s gonna teach me...” she honestly didn’t have the fortitude to dash his hopes. Learning to play ball so he could join his best friend’s team was all Rory wanted at this moment. And she’d had to refuse him things too much in his short life.

She could limit their time together. That’s what she’d do. Along with pointing out to her son that Seth was nothing but a coach. A temporary one at that.

Yes, that was a smart plan she decided, driving to the side of the house to park.

“We didn’t go in the ditch tonight,” Rory announced. “I forgot to tell you Seth might take Ghost for a run and he said you needed to slow down.”

“Oh, he did? Well, the house is dark except for the automatic porch light. That means all the guests, including Seth, have retired for the night.”

Rory yawned. “I’m sleepy, too.”

Inside Lila found Ghost snoring away in the laundry room. So if Seth had taken him for a run earlier, apparently they were both done in.

After tucking Rory into bed, Lila made her nightly visit to the kitchen, where she liked to wind down with tea. She was disappointed not to share Seth’s company tonight as they’d done the evening before.

“Whoa, girl,” she muttered. “Just...whoa!”

Skipping tea, she went to bed wondering why, when she’d never wasted time mooning over other guests, she could not get Seth Maxwell out of her mind.

Chapter Four

In the morning Lila woke Rory at the usual time. “Your breakfast is ready in the kitchen, buddy. Get dressed and come eat. I’m making quiche for our guests and cutting up fruit for them. Shall I save some apple slices for your lunch?”

“Can I have them with peanut butter?”

“You lost the container we used. Let me see if I have something else.”

“I accidentally threw the other one in the trash the day we went on a field trip. ’Cause I didn’t take my lunch box, remember?”

“I know. I should have put it in something disposable that day. Listen, don’t wear your logo T-shirt again today. Not only is three days in a row too many times for one shirt, but you got chocolate pudding on it last night. Put it in the laundry basket when you feed Ghost. I’ll try to start a load before we leave this morning.”

“What’s a logo?”

“Someone’s brand. In this instance, the New York Yankees.”

“But that shirt’s my favorite, Mom.”

“I realize that, but you can’t wear a dirty shirt to school.”

“O...kay. Will it be clean again by the time we get home this afternoon?”

“Clean, but maybe not dry.”

“That’s not fair. If I’m not wearing a baseball shirt, Seth could forget he said he’d play catch with me.”

Lila wanted to say that given her mother’s nudge last night that might be best. But as single-minded as Rory was about baseball, how could she hedge on her support? Their circumstances took a toll on him. Even if keeping a roof over their heads required sacrifices on her part, she hated that it too often negatively impacted Rory’s childhood.

“Honey, I’m sure Seth will remember. The shirt goes in the wash,” she said and left his room.

Back in the kitchen, Lila quickly gathered ingredients for quiche. But her thoughts lingered on Clayton Shafer. As a kid she’d been a huge daddy’s girl. Nothing had been harder than losing him and being forced to move away from her home and her friends. The easygoing cowboy who’d befriended her mom and her the next year had served as a balm to their broken hearts. At the time he came into their lives, Clay Shafer had lived in a bunkhouse on Doug Parson’s big ranch. Still, he’d made time to court her mother with candy and flowers. He’d also brought laughter into their lives again.

Handy with tools, Clay had fixed things around the café and in the apartment above, where they lived. Thinking about it now, she realized he’d also become a fixture in their home. They’d grown to depend on him. By her second year of middle school, she’d taken for granted that Clay was in their lives for good.

Midyear of seventh grade she’d gone home excited to invite him to her first father-daughter banquet. Only seventh graders got to attend and it was a big deal, partly because all the girls got new dresses. Dads bought them corsages. Some of her friends planned to wear their first high heels.

Lila remembered bouncing off the walls waiting for Clay to come by after his workday. He didn’t show up. Nor did he come to the café for breakfast. Her mom let her call the bunkhouse to see if he was sick or off moving cattle. When the cowboy who answered the phone said Clayton had received an offer to manage a ranch in Colorado and had packed and left the previous day, the news sent shock waves through her. In truth, like any self-absorbed teen, she’d healed fairly rapidly—thanks in part because Kevin Jenkins, in his quiet way, had begun to notice her.

As she checked on quiche she had in the oven, she wondered if her mom had been scarred by Clay Shafer’s callous defection.

Lila got out the cutting board and began chopping fruit. Maybe that was when her mom had changed from carefree to cynical. Certainly she had doubled down on work at the café. Prior to that they’d only been open for breakfast and lunch. After Clay’s departure they served food from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Very likely her mom had been the subject of gossip. Perhaps they both were, and that was why she cared so much what folks thought of her. Why she hadn’t flirted or dated since Kevin’s death.

Having arranged fruit in a flat container set over ice, Lila carried it to the dining area and placed it on the sideboard. She made sure there were enough plates, silverware and napkins out for her guests.

She heard the door to the laundry room close and barely missed getting mowed over by Rory when he dashed around the corner.

“Yum, something smells good,” he said.

“Quiche, which you don’t like. I set out your cereal. Say...why are you wearing a jacket?” Lila followed him into the kitchen, where he took a seat at the table.

“I’m cold,” he mumbled.

She noticed how he avoided looking at her as he poured his milk. It was a guilty action if ever she’d witnessed one. “Okay, young man, off with the jacket.”

“Aw, Mom!”

Bending, she unzipped it and saw what he was hiding—the T-shirt she’d told him to put in the wash. “I cannot believe you deliberately disobeyed me. Hand it over. Now,” she said, peeling him out of his jacket.

He crossed his arms and pulled away. “I don’t want you seeing me naked.”

“Going shirtless until I bring you another is far from being naked.” Lila grabbed for the hem just as the oven buzzer sounded and she let go of the shirt.

“I have to take the quiche into the dining room. You’d better be out of that shirt by the time I return, young man, or else...”

“Or else what?”

“Or else don’t even think about playing ball with Seth Maxwell after school.”

That threat moved Rory as nothing up to then had. He had the shirt off in a heap on the floor by the time Lila hung up her oven mitts and shut off the oven. Smoldering over his recalcitrance, she scooped up the offending shirt and bolted from the room only to run smack into the man who’d played a part in this latest dispute.

* * *

S
ETH
TEETERED
ON
the slant heels of his new boots. He grabbed her upper arms to keep them both upright. “Hey, hey. Slow down. I was coming to find you to let you know I fed the horses. Last night your other guests mentioned riding to the river this morning. If you like, I can help them saddle up. And one of the women asked if I knew which horses were the gentlest.”

Lila sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Why would you feed my horses? And why would I expect you to help the others? You, too, are a guest.”

Seth released her and frowned into her upturned face. “You have a packed schedule. I’ll be here a few more weeks at least, and yesterday you said you didn’t have time to look after the stock properly. I thought—wait, you look mad. Have I done something to cause that?”

“Only roundabout,” she said, dangling Rory’s T-shirt by a sleeve. “I let him buy this New York Yankee shirt at the start of school. He wants to wear it all the time. This morning I insisted he put it in the wash. Instead he came to breakfast hiding it beneath his jacket. His reason for rebelling is that he’s afraid if you didn’t see the logo, you’d forget promising to play catch with him. I know that may sound to you like a silly reason for me to be steamed, but his blind focus on baseball is getting to be too much.”

“I follow through on my offers, Lila. Will you tell him that?”

She nodded. “I hate how often I’ve had to disappoint him.”

“It’s evident you’re a lady with a lot on your plate. Which is why I want to help since I’m kicking back here until Zeke roofs his barn. That’s delayed because he’s pitching in to brand calves for neighbors. How is my helping you different?”

“Zeke is a rancher now, and neighbors will help him if need be. You’re my paying guest. I could reduce your rent, but it was a long winter with no renters.”

“You are one stubborn woman,” Seth said even as he tucked an errant curl behind her ear.

Lila broke out in a grin. “So I’m told. ‘Hardheaded’ is how Mom puts it. Okay, I’ll give in gracefully. And, thanks. Now I have to make sure this goes in the wash, and take Rory a clean shirt. We’re running late. I did plan to turn the horses into the grassy corral. If you’ll do that and help the others saddle up, next time you’re at the café I’ll buy your supper. Which reminds me, last night you left too much money for your meal.”

“I always tip well. Assures future good service.” He held up both hands when she puffed up again. “We’ll argue about the tip later.” He turned aside. “Hey, you never said which horses will be best for the ladies.”

“Guinevere and probably Merlin. Both have good dispositions.”

“Got it. I’m ready to help myself to breakfast. Something smells so good it’s making my mouth water.”

Lila had headed down the hall, but glanced back. “I hope you believe real men eat quiche. The ranchers scoff, so Mom can’t put it on the café menu. Instead she bakes the same thing in a deep pan without crust and calls it cowboy frittata.”

“Too funny.”

Laughing, Seth served himself a double slice of the quiche that had spinach, mushroom, crumbled bacon and onion. He ate it and some cantaloupe and pineapple then poured a to-go mug of coffee to take to the barn. He heard the washer go on, but since Lila hadn’t returned with another shirt for Rory, he left. He got a kick out of sparring with her, but wasn’t above calling it quits while they were even.

He had turned the last of the four horses into the grassy corral by the time Lila drove off. Rory saw him and waved. Seth waved back.

It wasn’t long before the two couples staying at the B and B came out. One of the men hailed Seth and jogged up to the fence. “I know we were asking about the horses, but we’re gonna drive to the river to fish. Lila said her mom wants to buy any fish we catch to serve at the café, so we need to take a cooler. We’ll ride to the lake tomorrow and take a picnic lunch. You’re welcome to join us to fish today.”

“Thanks, but I have errands to run. Tomorrow, I’ll help you saddle up.”

“That’s not necessary. Let me apologize for assuming you worked here. Lila informed us this morning that you’re a guest.”

“No apology necessary. I came for my brother’s wedding, and they’re all good friends. I’m staying on awhile and I want to pitch in. Makes me feel useful rather than decorative.” They all laughed then parted after agreeing Seth would help ready the horses if he was out and about the next morning.

The couples drove out and Seth went upstairs to shower. Before he headed to town he took a final turn around the dining room, again thinking with all Lila did she was amazing. But it was mind-boggling to see how she gave guests free rein of her house. He knew her private quarters were locked because it said so on a card taped to the back of his room door, along with a request to treat the Owls Nest as if it “was your own home.” That bothered him some. However, it was her house. Only there was something making him want to look out for her.

Shaking off the feeling, he made sure he had his front-door key before he locked up. First item on his to-do list was to find the county library.

A phone app directed him to an adjacent town where Zeke said he’d also find the courthouse. He drove past a sporting-goods store on his way to the library. That meant he’d be able to take care of all his errands without running all over creation.

At the library he hunted up a librarian rather than poke around on his own. “Hi,” he said to a woman pushing a book cart. “I’m interested in locating any material you may have relating to sapphire finds in the area.”

The gray-haired lady studied him through wire-rimmed glasses. “I’ve lived here all my life. I only know of two such reports. Most Montana gemstones are found in abandoned gold and copper mines in the state’s heartland. Here we’re mostly about cattle and fishing. So if you came here to strike it rich, you may be wasting your time.”

“I’m here visiting family, but gem hunting is my trade. A friend said he’d read that sapphires were found near Snowy Owl Crossing. I’d like to check it out.”

“If it’s your trade I guess you know abandoned mines can be treacherous. Even though they’re closed, you’d be required to have a permit to excavate in them.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Come, I’ll show you the newspaper archives. We’re in the process of having back issues digitized, but our crew is nowhere near working on the dates you’ll want. The copper in the Rainbow Mine played out eight years ago. Some guys took clear quartz out of it last year. Opportunity Mine ran three shifts hauling gold and copper. It’s been maybe five years since they suffered a terrible tunnel collapse. Upper runs caved in on a lower cut they were digging. Eighteen miners died. There was talk of lawsuits, but the state mine board ruled it an accident. Tragic all the same for some local families.”

Seth murmured an agreement, wondering if that was where Lila’s husband had worked.

“Opportunity Mine was where a couple of brave or stupid men claimed to have found a dozen sapphires. They went back a second day, but came out swearing they’d heard ghosts or some such tripe. They cleared out of town. Far as I know, the stories kept other hunters away.”

“Interesting. I’m no stranger to evil-spirit legends. Superstitions are entwined with gems, especially in Asia and South America.” Seth smiled. “In some areas it’s hard to hire guides. I haven’t made definite plans to search here. If I do, I’ll be careful.”

The woman stopped in the back corner of the library and tapped the face of a few file cabinets. “The month and years filed in each drawer are listed on the front.”

“Thanks.” Seth pulled a small note pad and pen out of his shirt pocket.

“Good luck,” she said and left him to his own devices.

He found an article on the Rainbow Mine first. As the librarian noted, a crew reported digging there the summer after the mine closed. They’d found clear quartz and some smoky crystals. Apparently not enough to bring the hunters back. Seth knew clear quartz sold for more now than it used to, but not enough to waste his time.

He next located a series of articles on the pair who’d found sapphires in the mine named Opportunity. Reporters had chosen to write human-interest pieces that tied their experiences to a haunted mine. One suggested perhaps poison gases in the old tunnel had made the gem hunters dream up ghosts.

Seth went back to the drawer that held papers printed the year of the mine accident. It took longer, but he finally located issues where it had made headline news. He found Kevin Jenkins among the names of missing miners. That must be Lila’s husband. He didn’t see a specific story about her and Rory, but the articles were still sad. He considered not writing down who currently owned the Opportunity Mine. However, if only two gem hunters had taken out a few high-grade sapphires, likely there were more. And that mine actually sat quite near Zeke and Myra’s ranch.