“I admit it,” Maverick said. “I used to be a player. I’m not anymore.”
“Since when?”
Maverick’s mouth fell open, then shut. “You don’t even know me anymore, so just…stay out of my life.” With that, he lifted the hood enough for the post to drop, then slammed the thing closed. He hurried toward the house, and Richard followed him with slow and cautious steps.
Get out of his life? That wasn’t likely to happen now. And just what kind of older brother was he? Tormenting Maverick the day after he’d lost his freedom? At least Richard had lived more of his own life before all this crashed down on them.
“I just want you to tell me one little thing before we go in,” Maverick persisted, switching direction and striding right back toward him. But suddenly his eyes wandered far to the right. His head followed the action as he lifted a finger to his lips.
Richard leaned forward, surprised to discover just what had caught Maverick’s attention. Voices. Female voices. It sounded like Ava and Andie were talking nearby.
He shot a glance toward the porch and realized the women had wandered out there. Andie held a watering can that she lifted to a hanging pot. “I swear,” she was saying, “I don’t even live here and I take better care of these things than Trenton does.”
“I suck at keeping plants alive,” Ava admitted. “Maverick said you guys have only been here for a few months, right?” she asked.
“Since March tenth, yes,” Andie replied.
“And you and Trenton just…hit it off, or what? Sorry if that’s too personal.”
“It’s not too personal—”
A quick thud to the arm yanked Richard’s attention back to Maverick, who was ducking behind a nearby shrub and motioning for Richard to join him. Richard followed suit without a second thought, ducking since he was a few inches taller than the shrub.
He held very still as they tuned back into the conversation on the porch.
“I don’t know,” Andie was saying. “He’s incredible. And it’s crazy. I never envisioned myself falling for a cowboy.”
“I did,” Ava admitted. “In fact, throughout most of my childhood, I had this daydream where some ruggedly handsome cowboy would ride in on his dark horse and rescue me…”
Richard leaned closer to the bush. Maverick did the same. Rescue her fromwhat?
“Anyway,” Ava continued. “I was just curious.”
“You know what, I’m really glad you came,” Andie said. The porch door let out a squeak, which meant they were probably heading back inside. “I was feeling a little outnumbered with all of these guys around.”
Ava chuckled in response, the sound distant as the screen door creaked once more and then banged closed altogether.
Maverick turned a sharp look on Richard, his eyes alive with interest. It was the face he pulled when a lightbulb had just gone off in his head. A grin spread over his lips.
“I don’t need you to make me any promises,” he said with a new air of confidence. “I’ve got this one in the bag.” And with that, he strode toward the back patio.
Richard gave in to a baffled head shake. Just what sort of thing was going through Maverick’s head this time?
