“I still can’t believe you didn’t get fired for sass-talking the publicity team. You must have someone helping you on the inside.”
Daisy-Mae turned toward the deep voice, knowing without looking that it was Maverick, and that his words were directed at her and that he was referencing the outburst she’d had at work almost two weeks ago.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence!” she said.
He joined her at the white fence overlooking the pastures that ran into the Texas hills beyond the Wylder’s backyard. Behind them and across the lawn, strings of lights lit up the stone patio at the back of the sprawling ranch house as dusk slowly settled in. The yard was filled with what seemed like half of Sweetheart Creek, here to celebrate Karen and Myles’s engagement. Her friend and her ex-boyfriend. She was happy for them both but couldn’t help wondering when Cupid was going to get around to finding someone for her, too.
Although these days Cupid would need pretty fast wings to catch up with her. Life had become a blur—and even more so since she’d stood up for Maverick in front of the PR team.
“Hey, it’s not every day a small-town bumpkin gives an NHL publicity team from New York what for—and lives to tell about it.” Maverick was all grins and as handsome as ever in his suit jacket, jeans, and cowboy boots.
“Maybe I’m more than meets the eye.” She gave him a playful jab in the ribs while batting her lashes. Truthfully, she was still embarrassed by the outburst. The PR team had wanted to talk strategy about her wardrobe as Dezzie’s handler. She’d been dressing like a puck bunny with a Dragons jersey tied at the waist, tight jeans, boots, and a Dragons cowboy hat at the home games, but they’d decided they wanted a princess. As in, a full-out princess to fulfill the dragon fairy-tale theme—and they were going to spread that theme throughout the entire arena.
Seriously? NHLers with a princess mascot? Were they writing the book on emasculation? As if the Dragons didn’t already have enough stacked against them as the worst-ranked, newest team in the league.
So, with little more than a thought beyond how embarrassing it would be for a man like Maverick, she’d opened her big mouth and told them exactly how she felt they should do their jobs. Then, once her brain had caught up with her, she’d excused herself, certain she was fired—only a few days into her new job.
“That’s why I told Miranda to promote you to the ticket holder experience manager.”
“Wait. That was you?” The promotion that had resulted from her rant had stunned her. But to know that Maverick had helped orchestrate it? That made her weak in the knees. Nobody had ever done something so incredibly sweet for her before. Or thrown her so far out of her skill set. She literally had no credentials and was in charge of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandising and events for fans.
She had ideas, sure. They were so obvious to her—like team-sponsored tailgate parties with lots of free swag before games—but everyone was grabbing at them like they were pure gold. She was certain they’d soon discover she was just some high-school graduate, country bumpkin who didn’t really belong there.
“Anyone who shoots down a princess theme earns my loyalty,” Maverick said. “Trust me.”
His look suggested that the PR team had tried to get him on board with the princess-and-the-dragon theme as well.
“Didn’t I earn your loyalty years ago?” She gave him a sassy look, hands on her hips.
“Nope.”
“Not even that time I pretended to be your girlfriend so that gal would take a hint during World Juniors and stop throwing her bra at you whenever you left the ice?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “That was so embarrassing.”
“Funny though.” He’d turned such an endearing shade of red each time. And here, almost fifteen years later, he was still running through that same color spectrum just talking about it.
“Do you know how mad Myles got at me because I borrowed you like that?”
“I don’t think he expected you to hold my hand.”
“At least I didn’t sneak a kiss.”
His gaze traveled to her lips, and she leaned against the fence, trying to block out the image of what it might feel like to kiss this handsome man.
Their eyes met and they shared a smile at the memory of riling up Myles. It had been so easy sometimes.
“Thank you for…” There were so many things on her list she didn’t know what to mention first. Starting with the fact that he could look past the stigma of her being a former beauty queen, and might actually believe she had a few rocks rattling around in her head. But even bigger than that was that he’d stood up for her. He’d believed in, and trusted her ability to do this new job—a big and important one. One that would undoubtedly reflect on him and the team in some pretty big ways.
“Yeah,” he said, looking bashful, “don’t worry about it. Us Sweetheart Creekers have to stick together.” He gave her a friendly nudge, then leaned against the fence beside her, his back to the party. He was so close, his arm brushed hers. What would it feel like to be held by him, to place her arms around those broad shoulders and lean in, hear his heartbeat through his shirt and all that muscle?
He idly held a bottle of beer in his hands, picking at its label. Daisy-Mae figured the drink was a prop to ward off drink offers, seeing as the hockey season had started three weeks ago.
“Well, I appreciate you vouching for me. A lot.”
“Just keep me out of tutus and tiaras and we’ll call it even.” He gave her a smile that felt all-knowing. Like they were friends. Like they could keep each other’s secrets and had inside jokes to laugh at. Which they were, and they did. But they didn’t hang out together without Myles. And now that Myles was getting married, she didn’t foresee many more moments like this with Maverick unless it was at a work function.
She smiled and clinked her bottle against his. “It’s a deal.”
“I’m still not sure what we’ll do with you at the rink, though.”
Her heart dropped. “What do you mean?”
“You’re an incredible distraction to the players.”
She laughed, his smile warming her belly. Maverick thought she was beautiful. Somehow that meant more than any of her beauty queen tiaras or crowns.
He grimaced. “What? It’s true. We haven’t won a single game this season.”
“That’s not my fault! I’m not even there for the away games.” She playfully jabbed a finger into his chest, secretly loving how little resistance there was. The man was fit, and she wanted to touch him all over to see where the muscles ran and where they ended.
“So how are you going to do it all?” he asked.
“Do what?” She took a sip of her beer.
“Don’t you run a few businesses here in town?”
She shook her head, bending to pet Myles’s dog Buckey as she came over for a scratch behind the ears. “Not anymore. I gave them up.” Working home games, and now in the Dragons’ offices as well, she didn’t have the time to keep them up so she’d sold or closed them all down. She’d started a lot of small businesses over the years, but the daily grind of building and maintaining them was so boring they’d never really gone anywhere. It was one of the things she loved about her current job. She came up with the ideas and set them in motion, and then someone else dealt with the details of it all.
Maverick was looking at her like she was crazy. “All of them? You’re not even filling in at The Watering Hole?”
She shook her head. It was a little scary letting all of those income streams go after the way they’d taken care of her over the years. Working for one company—one boss—was something she’d promised herself she’d never do again. Years ago she’d had a great job in a high-end restaurant where the tips were amazing. But when she’d talked to her boss about how he kept putting his hand on her butt, she suddenly found herself getting fewer and fewer shifts until she’d had to resign and find something new.
“Wow. That’s a big deal.” Maverick slid an arm across her shoulders, pulling her in for a brief, friendly embrace.
Movement and a flash to her right caught her attention.
“Who’s that with the camera?”
* * *
Maverick cast his gaze in the direction Daisy-Mae was looking. The photographer. He’d forgotten all about him as soon as he’d joined her at the fence. He’d been caught up in her dazzling smile, the easy jokes, and the fact that she’d seemingly reinvented herself in three short weeks. Gone were the cropped shirts and that certain something that screamed Texan country babe. She was still a babe, of course, and wearing her usual hat, boots, and fitted jeans. But something was different. Was it her top? Hair? Makeup? She had a sophisticated nuance now that put her in a whole new category of The Sexiest Woman On Earth.
He rubbed his forehead, trying to refocus his thoughts. Daisy-Mae was a massive distraction.
She was also unattainable. And therefore perfectly fine to have a slight obsession over as long as they didn’t spend much time together so she didn’t pull him from what truly mattered—the game.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t still imagine having Daisy-Mae on his arm, taking her out to the nicest restaurants in the city and pampering her. He’d bet, despite her many pageant wins, that no man had ever treated her the way she truly deserved. Not even his best friend, Myles Wylder, who’d cared deeply for her. The two had stayed together beyond their teenage years more out of habit than love or deep compatibility. And for some reason, it was often Maverick reminding Myles that Daisy-Mae had a birthday coming up, or that Valentine’s Day was just around the corner. That shouldn’t happen. Especially to a woman as special and loyal as Daisy-Mae.
“The PR team has him shadowing me,” Maverick said, finally clearing his thoughts enough to answer her earlier question.
“Why?”
“They’re hoping to catch some candid shots of me being a decent human being, I guess.” He tried to play it off like his reputation didn’t bother him. Although he was sure she’d heard just how severely his crappy reputation was dragging down the team and maybe even knew more about the team’s plans to fix it than he did.
“He took a photo of us.”
Maverick nodded. He wanted to laugh and enjoy that sunshine smile of hers, not talk about this. When he’d shot down the fairy-tale idea he’d had to agree to something. So a trailing photographer it was.
“Why? Are you going to be in an article or something?” Her look grew wary as she sized up the photographer.
“Do you want me to go over there and crush his camera?”
A mischievous twinkle flashed in her blue eyes. “Would you do that for me?”
“Anything.”
“Great. I could use another beer.” She handed him her empty bottle.
He hesitated, unsure whether he was being tested, teased, or if she simply just wanted a fresh drink.
“Sure. Same kind?” He checked the label. Not a Wylder homemade brew made by the youngest brother Ryan—smart call.
“Yes, please.” He moved away. “Oh, and can you get me some of Maria’s layered dip?”
Her request was innocent enough on the surface, but he knew getting his hands on Maria’s dip at a party where her octogenarian father-in-law Carmichael was present was like trying to fill a water glass in the middle of a desert.
Maverick scanned the people clustered under the Congratulations Myles and Karen banner. Sure enough, Carmichael was there, hunched over the layered dip, elbows out like he was ready to bite anyone who dared try to take a scoop.
“Get some yourself,” he told her with a light scoff.
“So much for doing anything for me.” She gave him a dramatic roll of her eyes.
He snorted and headed to the beer trough near the patio’s smoking barbecue. He bumped into Myles along the way, and they walked back to the fence together.
“Look who I found,” Maverick said to Daisy-Mae.
“Lovely party,” she told Myles. Her smile didn’t emit her usual ray of sunshine, and Maverick figured it had to be pretty tough being here. She and Myles had sort of fizzled out over recent years, but she’d been like one of the family. Seeing her friend take the spot she must have assumed would be hers had to hurt. Or maybe it was just awkward.
“Your beer, m’lady.” He bowed and handed her the bottle.
“Where’s my dip?” She gestured like she was upset, playing it up.
“When are you two getting married?” Myles asked, laughing.
Maverick winced at Myles and his lack of sensitivity. Why Daisy-Mae, a smart and beautiful woman, ever went for this knucklehead was beyond Maverick. Sure, his friend was charming and caring. But he’d never been the right man for Daisy-Mae.
“Mav has cold feet,” Daisy-Mae said, sliding her arm through his. That twinkle was back. Time to tease Myles. “Thanks for the beer, honey.” She rolled up onto her tiptoes in her cowboy boots, planting a kiss on Maverick’s cheek and spreading warmth through his entire body.
He grinned at Myles, ready for his friend’s reaction, focusing on that rather than how good Daisy-Mae’s soft lips had felt against his skin, how he loved being called honey.
“Well, it’s about time,” Myles said with something bordering on disgust.
“Sorry, what?” Maverick said as Daisy-Mae’s arm went slack.
“You two. You’ve been over here having your own private party all night, laughing and stuff.”
Daisy-Mae had fully pulled away now, and Maverick wished she’d come back, snuggle in again. “We were joking around.”
“And I’m saying y’all would make a good pair.” He grinned, and Maverick wondered if he was serious or if he’d finally turned the tables on them and their teasing.
Myles tipped his hat to them and headed to the patio to greet a new party arrival.
“That was weird,” Daisy-Mae said. Maverick nodded.
“You know,” he said, gesturing toward Myles who had found Karen and was giving her a kiss, “maybe it’s just all of this disgusting happiness around us, but it almost makes me want to give it a whirl.”
Daisy-Mae gave a choked laugh of surprise. “Really?”
“Sure. It might be a good thing.”
Although something as consuming as marriage still felt impossible. Daisy-Mae often referred to him as The One-Date Wonder for a solid reason. It took him a while to trust, and he’d had a lot of bad first dates thanks to his reservations. Being mildly famous, you were never sure if a woman was interested in you or what you might be able to offer. Then there was the other problem of the intense busyness during the season. Not many women enjoyed coming second to his career.
“Marriage would be a good thing how? You need a nice wifey to pack your suitcase for all your away games?”
He shot her a dark look. “No, the PR twins think marriage might help my reputation.” There. Let’s see what she had to say about that.
Daisy-Mae turned to study him. “Would you?”
“Get married?”
“For work and positive press?”
He shrugged, not looking at her. He’d spent the past few weeks considering the idea. There were some fatal flaws, though. First, who would he marry? Second, a marriage for show sounded like a terrible plan.
“Maybe,” he admitted.
“Maybe! Maybe?”
A few people from the patio turned to look their way.
“It’s that bad?” she asked, her eyes round.
He shrugged again and jammed his free hand into his jeans pocket.
“Wow,” she said softly. “That sucks.”
“Yeah.”
“And it’s not even your fault.”
“I know.” Maverick froze. Wait one second. He turned to look at her more fully. “Sorry? Say that again?”
“Well, that thing in Lafayette was obviously not your fault. You’d never…” Her cheeks went red. The urge to kiss her was even stronger than the time she’d had it out with some pageant protesters. He’d been taken with how her face had glowed with righteous indignation. That same glow was back along with her fight. Man, it was sexy.
“Never what?” he asked, holding his breath. He felt like she knew him, saw him. Knew he’d only done something good and was paying the price repeatedly.
“You’re not the type to mess up someone’s marriage.” She was watching him, and the party disappeared, the evening closing in around them. It was just them and this moment and the truth that so few could see but that Daisy-Mae seemed to. “I know you don’t—didn’t—love her. And her husband is…” She shivered.
“Is what?” He was desperate for her to intuitively understand the truth, the things he’d never spoken out loud. That she would just know because she knew him. Knew what he was and was not capable of.
“Adwin’s not a good man. I think you were trying to help Reanna somehow.”
The entire world seemed to lift from his shoulders, his chest, his mind. It was as though he could expand his ribs and inhale fully for the first time since he’d stepped in and stopped Adwin from hurting Reanna.
Daisy-Mae’s cool hand rested on his and he met her eyes, hit with the force of one thought: It should never have been Myles with Daisy-Mae. It should have been him.
* * *
Daisy-Mae’s crush was taking on a life of its own as she continued to hang out with Maverick. She’d always thought he was cute, but tonight, the way he was hanging out alone with her at Myles’s party and laughing with her, getting honest and deep… It was messing with her mind.
It felt good to be around him. Too good, because the man was seriously out of her league. Plus, it felt wrong to crush on one of her ex’s best friends. There was so much potential for broken friendships and awkward moments.
But Myles’ offhand comment about her and Maverick had hurt, and she couldn’t figure out why. Whatever it was, it was bringing up old feelings of being inadequate. It was as though Myles had announced to Maverick, right there in front of her, “Yeah, I don’t need her anymore. She was my reserve girlfriend. I kept her on a string in case I couldn’t find anyone else. But I’m good now, so you can have her.”
Obviously, her mind was an absolute mess because she was certain he hadn’t intended that.
It didn’t help that she’d just witnessed Myles drop a kiss on Karen’s waiting lips. She didn’t feel jealous though. It was more like a sinking, hollow feeling as though she’d never have love—the real kind. Her dad did his best to avoid her mother. Her grandma and grandpa had separate bedrooms and had bickered all their lives. Marriage ran in her family, but love didn’t. Not that burning, all-consuming kind of love that she’d been sold on by the media. The love she wanted.
But seriously. How long did a woman have to wait for true love? At this rate, she was going to be in dentures and leakproof panties by the time Cupid got down to Daisy-Mae Ray on his list.
She was still standing by the fence with Maverick, too chicken to join the party, as well as enjoying monopolizing his company. She feared he’d eventually wander off with his photographer to get some candid shots of him cuddling Myles’s dog or something and she’d be forced to mingle. And if she did, it was likely that at least one person would make a remark about her missing out with Myles, and didn’t it hurt to be there?
She watched the happy couple across the yard, laughing, smiling, kissing. Daisy-Mae shook her head. They’d be getting married in a few short months, on Valentine’s Day. “I can’t imagine it.”
“Marriage?”
She tipped her head to the side, realizing she could imagine marriage. It was just the getting there from here part. “I mean, maybe I can. It would be nice to have someone to come home to. Someone who lights up when he wakes up beside me each morning.”
“I thought you had a dog.”
She laughed. “Ella’s a girl.”
“So she doesn’t count?”
“Anything with four legs doesn’t.”
“How about someone who calls out to you when you come home? You want that? I think it would feel less lonely. Kind of like when you’re a kid and your mom is happy to see that you’re home from school.”
“Well, Ella has that covered.”
This time he laughed. “I really need to look into getting a dog.”
She quirked her head at this insight into Maverick. He was lonely too? She supposed he didn’t keep a girlfriend long enough to fill the void.
“You can tell your dog anything and they won’t judge you for it.”
“Sold!” he exclaimed, raising an arm like he was at an auction. “I’m away a lot though. That could be a problem.”
They were silent for a moment.
“I need a human,” Daisy-Mae said. “Meals, road trips… Someone to lean against while watching TV.”
“That sounds pretty nice. It’s hard to find someone you don’t mind in your space.”
Was that why his new ranch outside of town had been declared, unofficially, a woman-free zone? His mom was there frequently, by the sounds of things, but that was it. Myles had tried to explain that it was Maverick’s sanctuary when Daisy-Mae and Karen protested on behalf of womankind when they’d wanted to tag along and see the place. Naturally, it had only made Daisy-Mae even more curious about what had gone on with Maverick and Reanna, and before that, Janie.
Silence stretched between them, pleasant and comfortable. The party was growing louder, and a burst of laughter echoed across the yard.
“You know, most people date a little longer than sixteen months before getting married,” Maverick pointed out, resting an elbow on the fence, looking at Daisy-Mae.
“No, they don’t.”
“Okay, true. But these two were as good as engaged after four months of dating.”
“I can’t imagine being engaged in four months from now. There are literally no contenders.”
“None? You lie.”
“I do not!”
“You’re smart, kind, gorgeous, sassy, and fun. You have men lined up waiting for you to notice them.”
She snorted.
“Daisy-Mae,” he said, his tone serious, “you have a full NHL team roster waiting to date you.”
“A roster full of flirts, you mean?” She crossed her arms. “Because not a soul has asked me out.”
Maverick looked away with a hint of guilt. “Yeah, that’s strange.”
“Anyway, I need someone who’ll love me just the way I am. No changes required.”
“It really shouldn’t be difficult. People get married all the time. It’s easy.”
“Then why aren’t you hitched to some power-babe?” she retorted.
“I will if you will.”
“With you?”
Maverick clinked his beer bottle against hers. “You just called shotgun on me. Congratulations. There’ll be a prenup on your desk by Monday morning. You do have a desk now, right?”
She pulled her beer away from his and gave him a scowl that was difficult to master thanks to the giant smile that kept slipping out. “You think you’re so funny.”
She took a swallow of her drink, trying to hide the way her face was burning at the thought of marrying Maverick. To have a man like him… all hers? Mind. Blown.
“Why not?” he asked, leaning closer in the growing twilight. “I have money, looks…”
She simply raised her brows.
He laughed with a casual shrug. “Myles gave us the all-clear.”
For a second, right before he laughed again, she thought she detected a hint of seriousness.
* * *
Maverick was half serious about marrying Daisy-Mae. She was the kind of woman who might understand his insane schedule and not shy away from the occasional bit of fame and recognition that came with his career. Plus, he really enjoyed hanging out with her.
Daisy-Mae’s expression darkened, and she gestured subtly to something behind him. About eight feet away was Henry Wylder. Myles’s great-uncle and the grumpiest, unhappiest man in the town’s long history.
And he was talking to Maverick’s mom.
“At least he’s not after us,” Daisy-Mae said. “But maybe we should save her somehow? He has a way of making you feel like the smallest, least significant, and stupidest person in the world.”
“Henry still hasn’t forgiven me for warping his great-nephews. He likes to remind her of that.”
“Oh, the hockey thing?” Daisy-Mae frowned. “Really?”
Myles and his brothers had gotten into hockey alongside Maverick as teens, hitching rides to the city to skate on the only ice for miles. Henry had felt they were shirking their responsibilities on the ranch and that Maverick was tempting the boys into believing in a dream that would never come true for them. It probably irked him most that Maverick had made it, and not one of his kin.
But had that short-lived passion for hockey caused the Wylder brothers any long-lasting damage? No. Had it been amazing for all of them? Yes.
“My Lafayette scandal hasn’t exactly helped his opinion of me, especially now that I’m ‘tainting’ the town with my presence. It’s enough that my mom has to read about the lies, but having someone like Henry rail at her about it is too much.”
Daisy-Mae was chewing on the inside of her cheek, a sure sign something was bothering her. “You should rescue her.”
Maverick gave her elbow a squeeze. He moved a few steps away but hesitated as Daisy-Mae’s mother hustled over, all tight clothes and high heels despite the lawn party.
“Daisy-Mae! Daisy-Mae! I got the name of that surgeon I saw on that show last week.” She waved a slip of paper, tipping every so often as one of her heels sunk into the dry, packed dirt. “He’s expensive, but he’ll be worth it.”
What on earth was she up to now? She was in what Daisy-Mae had once called pageant mode, which was characterized by a slightly crazed shine in her eyes. He’d seen a few moms like that in hockey over the years, but they were nothing compared to Mrs. Ray.
“Hello, ma’am,” Maverick said as the woman approached.
Daisy-Mae waved him away, clearly embarrassed. “Go save your mom.”
Not a chance. He had to know what this was about. His mom could handle herself. So could Daisy-Mae, but he was infinitely more interested in what Mrs. Ray thought Daisy-Mae needed than what Henry might rant about.
“You look as lovely as ever,” Maverick said to Mrs. Ray.
“Don’t sweet talk me, hon,” she replied, brushing him off. “It won’t work.”
Daisy-Mae refused to take the piece of paper thrust at her. “Mom, I told you no.”
“Everything okay?” Maverick asked.
“Henry’s turning red,” Daisy-Mae replied, not looking away from her mom.
Indeed, Henry was in full rant. His poor mom’s smile had hardened like concrete, her cheeks pink with anger. The man’s gray and white hair waved in the breeze as he shook a finger, and Maverick had a feeling his mom was finally going to deliver a well-deserved verbal smackdown. He just hoped the man didn’t have a heart attack and ruin her big moment.
“You’re on TV now,” Daisy-Mae’s mom was saying. “You need to freshen things up a bit.” She reached out like she was going to pat the underside of Daisy-Mae’s chin, but Daisy-Mae deflected her. “Otherwise, how are you ever going to find a man? You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
“Mom, enough,” Daisy-Mae warned.
“Remember when your waist was just itty-bitty?” She grabbed Maverick’s arm. “Maverick, tell her.”
“She looks pretty darn gorgeous to me,” he said, dropping his voice low so it took on a hint of something that could be catalogued as longing.
Mrs. Ray harrumphed. “Well, you’ve proven you’re not discerning.”
“Mom!”
“I’ve been watchin’ the TV. Now, Maverick hon, be a good boy and tell her what kind of fancy man she’ll be missing out on with this new job if she doesn’t put the effort in.”
“They’re all no-good men like me, Mrs. Ray.”
That set her back for approximately three seconds. “But they’re rich. And Daisy-Mae is in her thirties. She can’t afford to be choosy.”
“Mom.”
“Find someone nice enough”—her mother adjusted Daisy-Mae’s long hair—“and accidentally forget to take your birth control. Then you’ll be set for life.”
Daisy-Mae visibly cringed. “That’s called entrapment.”
Maverick had never seen her look so humiliated and embarrassed. Not even the time her dress snagged while going down some stairs in a pageant and she took a huge tumble that cost her the crown.
He’d raced up on stage, Myles hot on his heels. It was only when he’d scooped her into his arms that he’d realized his error. She wasn’t his girlfriend, and he’d just destroyed her chance at a crown-saving recovery.
“Henry Wylder,” his mother’s voice sounded out, catching his attention. “You need to find some woman to love you and melt that nasty, judgmental heart of yours! I do not care what you think and we are done talking.” His mother marched off, Henry’s mouth opening and closing as he hurried after her, finger wagging.
She whirled, glaring at the old man. “I won’t say it again, Henry. So back off.”
She glared at him for a moment longer, then stalked away, shoulders back.
Daisy-Mae’s wide eyes met Maverick’s and she gave a huff of surprised laughter. “Wow.”
Maverick nodded. Henry had just bought himself a one-way ticket to his mother’s doghouse.
“Daisy-Mae’s got to take whatever’s offered,” Mrs. Ray continued as though the disruption hadn’t occurred, “or she’ll be alone forever. And this new job will be just like all the others. It won’t last and she’ll be home livin’ with me, and I like to keep the remote all to myself when her daddy’s out on the road. Beauty queens can’t succeed in business. They’ve got to take the takin’ while the takin’ is good. There might not be another opportunity like this.”
“Daisy-Mae’s just selective, Mrs. Ray,” Maverick said, doing his best not to growl. “She’ll find a great man and settle down soon.”
“That’s just a nice way of saying nobody’ll take her.”
“I’d take her.” He winked at Daisy-Mae, wishing she knew how true that was. Especially now that Myles seemed to have waved the checkered flag, possibly removing the Bro Code clause that had kept him from asking her out.