Page 30 of The Maverick’s Legacy

“Yeah, I think so,” she replied. “Michelle said the townsfolk would enjoy it.”

He stared at his glass intently. “And you’re up for it?”

She gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

“The first day we met, Oscar had mentioned you were recently injured. Are you sure doing a rodeo is a good idea right now?”

Carly didn’t know if she should react with indignation or lean over and kiss him for caring. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. I was hardly hurt. The reporters made a bigger deal about it than necessary because I’d quit the Australian circuit around that time and moved home. The injury was seriously nothing. I’m as good as new.”

She melted a little at the relief on his face.

“Can I escort you to the event?” he asked.

Carly practically glowed. That didn’t sound very friend-zone-like to her. So maybe they would end up being more than just friends, just as she hoped.

“Yeah,” she answered. “I’d really like that.”

He cracked a grin. “Good. It’s a date.”

On the way home, Carly couldn’t stop anticipating their good-night kiss. Everything was going so well, and after their connection earlier on the dance floor, she could not be mistaking the looks he’d been giving her all evening. He wanted to kiss her just as badly as she wanted to kiss him.

Once they arrived at her house, Jesse walked her toward her porch. She glanced toward the sky and sighed contentedly.

“I don’t know what it is about Tenacity,” she murmured, “but the stars seem a little bit brighter here than anywhere else I’ve been.”

They came to a stop at her steps.

“Do you have a favorite constellation?” Jesse asked, his eyes on her instead of the sky.

“Well, I’m a Virgo, so I have to give my love to that,” Carly joked. “I remember when I first arrived at Suzie’s place, she and Arthur took all of us to an observatory. I got to see Saturn and all its rings. You could even see their shadow against the planet. It was incredible. Before I found my forever home, I would spend hours staring up at the night sky, wishing on as many stars as I could see—which wasn’t very many. Most of my foster homes were in cities, and light pollution ruined my view.”

“What’d you wish for?” Jesse asked, his voice soft.

Carly’s face turned a little sad. “At first, I used to wish for my birth parents’ accident to have been a mistake, that they weren’t dead but were actually out searching for me. And then one night, I had a really bad night with my foster parents. The guy came home drunk and started lashing out at anything and anyone he could find. I—” She couldn’t tell him what happened; she didn’t want to relive it. “Anyway, later that night I went up to my room and stared up at the sky. I saw one star that night, and I wished with all my heart that I could find someone who would rescue me from the hell I was living in. When my social worker came to check on me and saw…the bruises, she removed me from the home. The next family I was sent to turned out to be Suzie and Arthur. The rest is history.”

She gave him a half smile and saw that he was staring at her with sadness on his face. Oh hell, had she ruined the mood?

“I’m sorry you went through that,” Jesse finally said.

Carly gave a small shrug. “It all worked out for the best in the end. I couldn’t have asked for two better parents than the ones I ended up with. They introduced me to horses and the rodeo life. Everything I have is because of them.” Deciding they needed a change in subject, she asked, “What about you? Any wishes on stars?”

Jesse tilted his head back and looked at the sky. “I was always too busy, I guess. When I was younger, we had my parents’ ranch we had to take care of. Though sometimes my brothers and I would camp outside. We’d lay out under the night sky, and I’d count as many stars as I could before I’d fall asleep.”

“I’m sure you were able to count every single one,” she teased.

“I think I got to three hundred and then I’d either lose track or fall asleep,” he said with a laugh.

Carly gave the stars one final look. She wished the night would never end. When she finally glanced at Jesse, she found that he was staring at her again. She could read the intention in his eyes.

“Carly…” Jesse rasped.

“Yes?” she said, trying not to sound too eager.

“I—” His phone buzzed, and Jesse dropped his gaze to the phone he pulled out from his pants pocket. He read the text, his eyes deepening in concern.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yes…just my son.” He put his phone back in his pocket. “I need to go.”