Maggie's Man

Maggie smiled at the good-looking cowboy who had planted himself opposite her at the counter. He had come in here every day for the past few weeks and wasn’t showing any signs of getting tired of her cooking—or her company—yet.

“Morning, Maggie. I’ll take a coffee and one of those cinnamon buns, please.” His baby-blue eyes twinkled as he removed his hat and placed it on the stool beside him.

“Coming right up. This is getting to be a regular habit, isn’t it?” She grinned at him. “Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

“Yeah. No one cooks like you do. It’s well worth the trip.” He took the plate from her, sniffing the fresh cinnamon.

“Oh, right.” She felt a little disappointed.

He must have noticed her expression. “You sure know the way to a man’s heart,” he added quickly.

Good save. She snickered. “Well, I wish that was all it took,” she joked.

He raised his eyebrows, taking a swig of his coffee. “You’re not gonna tell me you’re single?”

She giggled. “I sure am,” she told him, admiring his subtle way of asking. “I know it’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” She put a hand to the back of her head, posing like a model. Sticking her nose in the air, she gave him a blasé look before bursting into laughter. She knew she was a little too old and a lot too fat to pull off a super-model appearance, but she was having fun pretending. In truth, she was still in her twenties, but she felt more like a hundred and twenty.

“I can’t for the life of me imagine why you’re not wed.” He sounded serious, much to her amazement.

She sighed, quickly turning away from his handsome face while wiping her hands on her apron.

“Can we get some coffees over here, miss?” An older gentleman had just sat at a window seat with a lady, whom Maggie guessed would be his wife.

“Of course.” Maggie suddenly felt flustered. She hadn’t taken any notice of them coming in, as she’d been too busy laughing with Aiden Fielding, the gorgeous cowboy.

Her hand shook as she poured the coffee, and she tipped one of the cups over with the edge of the coffee pot, sending the hot, black liquid running all over the counter.

“Damn!” She felt herself go hot and knew she was blushing. Panic overtook her as she quickly tried to rectify the mess.

“Hey, hey. Are you okay?” Aiden was on his feet in a second, moving everything out of the way of the stream of coffee that was threatening to engulf everything in its wake. His voice was calm and gentle, and Maggie wished she could be as composed as he was.

“Yeah, I just…” She took a cloth and soaked up the spill, surprised to see Aiden dive behind the counter and grab a clean cup.

He quickly poured the drinks and placed them on a tray while she cleaned up the counter. “Did you scald yourself?”

He was right next to her, and she was surrounded by his fresh cologne. She had admired his scent from across the counter, but he was even closer to her now, and she was immersed in the heady aroma. He was a gorgeous-looking guy and seemed to really care about her. But she had to remember he was way out of her league—and age range. Although he must have been a year or two her senior, she usually went for much older men than him—not that she’d had that many.

“Er…no. No, I’m fine. Thank you,” she stammered as he stared at her with his big, concerned eyes. “I’d best take these over.” She took the tray, brushing past him as she squeezed from behind the counter to serve her customers.

“I can recommend the cinnamon buns,” Aiden called over to the elderly couple as Maggie served their drinks.

“Now that sounds like a good idea,” the man remarked, looking first to Aiden then to his companion. “What do you think, Sylvia? Cinnamon bun?”

Maggie noticed the lady’s face light up, much the same as she was sure hers did when someone mentioned food.

“Ooh, yes please.” The lady smiled excitedly.

“We’ll take two, please.” The man nodded at Maggie.

“No problem.” She quickly returned to the counter and placed two of the warm buns onto a plate. She loaded up the tray with knives and side plates, as well as a couple of napkins then smiled at Aiden before taking them over to the couple.

“Thanks for that. You’re good for business,” she told the cowboy when she arrived back at the counter. He had already returned to his seat opposite her and was sipping his coffee.

“Gotta keep you employed,” he said with a laugh.

“Ain’t that the truth.” She sighed, rolling her eyes.

He frowned. “Now that’s the second time this morning I’ve said the wrong thing,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Is everything all right, Maggie?”

She balked, shocked that she had given away her feelings. “Oh, of course. No, you didn’t say anything wrong.” She tried to assure him but could see he wasn’t convinced. “Everything’s fine, really.”

She busied herself tidying away some dishes so she didn’t have to look at him, but she could feel his eyes boring into her.

“Do you like working here?” he asked after a few minutes.

She turned back to him, smiling. “Yes, of course.”

She followed his gaze as he looked around the little café. It was a cozy place with red-checked tablecloths on wobbly-legged tables, surrounded by old, mismatched chairs. A couple of booths occupied one end while a row of tables stood in front of the large window. At the other end was the door to the small kitchen that backed from the counter where Maggie served coffee. Tall bar stools lined the counter from the patron’s side so customers—like him—could easily perch up there and have a quick drink or chat to the waitress.

“Does it ever get busy in here?” he asked.

“Not really,” she told him. “Which is just as well, being as the boss refuses to take on any more staff. He reckons I cost him enough, already. Ha!”

She thought back to the pittance she earned working here every day. Her only consolation was that it was easy work and she didn’t have to travel far to get here. Trouble was, Bracken Ridge, where they were situated, was so far away from anything that they hardly had any customers. The Melrose Motel stood opposite them, but business wasn’t exactly booming there either, so she didn’t get many residents to cook for. Most people just drove right on through the tiny village to get to the more interesting towns of Almondine or Pelican’s Heath, a short trip down the road.

“But surely if business picked up, he’d have to?” Aiden appeared thoughtful.

“Yeah right. Like that’s gonna happen.” She wiped her hands in her apron again. “Between you and me, it’s more likely to close down altogether,” she told him in a hushed tone.

Aiden looked surprised. “So where does that leave you?”

“Oh don’t worry about me. I’m likely to be out of a home before I’m out of a job anyhow, so it won’t make much difference either way.”

His shocked face told her she had said too much, and she inwardly admonished herself for letting her tongue run away with her. There was just something about Aiden. He was so easy to talk to.

“Thank you very much, dear. That was lovely.” The elderly couple left their table, calling over to her from the door.

“Glad you liked it. Come again.” Maggie was grateful for the distraction and hurried on over to clear their table, noticing that they had left a large tip along with their payment.

When she returned to the counter, Aiden was taking a call on his cell. “Yeah, tell him we’re interested,” he said. “Definitely. We want that land at the best possible price, ya hear? Thanks for that.”

“Everything all right?” she asked, sad to see him stand up.

“Just peachy. I’m hoping to accrue more land for the ranch, expand a little.” Excitement shone from his eyes as he nodded, smiling. “Say… How about a drink tonight? What time do you finish?” He put his hat on.

She frowned in surprise. “Don’t you think I’m a bit old?”

“Too old to go for a drink?”

She snickered, her heart racing. She really liked the guy, and she did enjoy his company. He had a point, though. They were only going for a drink. “Okay. I get off around seven.” Something burned inside her, and she couldn’t help smiling at the thought of spending more time with the hunky cowboy.

“I’ll be here, then,” he told her with a grin, throwing a handful of notes on the counter.

“I’ll look forward to it.” She was sad to see him go, but it was nice to think it was only for a few hours.

* * * *

Aiden climbed into his truck. He liked Maggie Welch a lot and was pleased that he’d finally plucked up the courage to ask her out. It had been several weeks since they’d met, and he’d liked her from the start. She always seemed quite happy and cheerful, so it was a shock to see her flummoxed and a little pensive today. Something must have happened.

He drove down the back road toward Pelican’s Heath, looking forward to seeing her again tonight. It was obvious he’d said the wrong thing when he mentioned her being married. He’d meant it as a compliment but could see he’d hit a raw nerve. And what about losing her home and job? That poor girl always seemed to put on a brave face, but it seemed things weren’t quite as they appeared with her.

Ben, his older brother was waiting for him when he pulled up at the ranch. “No prizes for guessing where you’ve been.”

Aiden grinned. “I’ve got a date with her tonight.”

Ben hooted with laughter. “Well now, you actually did it? What in hell kept ya, bro?”

“Very funny. I just wanted to wait for the right moment. That’s all. I don’t think she’s as confident as she makes out, you know?”

He followed Ben over to one of the meadows that looked out to the south of the Fielding Ranch.

“I can’t wait to meet this one,” Ben murmured, shaking his head.

“Maybe in time, bro.” Aiden wasn’t so sure his family would approve of Maggie.

Ben chuckled, looking out over the land in front of them. “Well, you’ll sure be able to impress the girl if we get all this,” he remarked.

Aiden sighed. He knew money and land weren’t going to impress a girl like Maggie, and he was glad of it. He couldn’t explain that to Ben, though.

“Well, I’ve told Walker we’re interested,” he said, “but at a reasonable price. We can’t let this guy know how much we want it.”

Ben nodded. “Yup. I don’t even know this guy, Rossington. Seems he just recently acquired the spread, and now he wants to sell it on. I knew old Jake Parry had passed away, but I thought his family was keeping the place on.”

“Maybe they’re finding it hard to cope,” Aiden mused. “Perhaps we should’ve offered them more help?”

“If they were anything like the old man, they’d have had to beg for it.” Ben snorted. “That old cuss wouldn’t give you the time of day. He sure wouldn’t thank you for offering any kind of help. Probably misinterpret it as an insult, if you ask me. No, I reckon we were right to leave well enough alone there, bro.”

Aiden sighed. Ben was probably right. Jake Parry was known for not being the friendliest of men, and his family seemed to be behind him all the way. He’d been a wealthy guy, though, and owned a lot of land hereabouts. If they could just get their hands on the few acres that bordered their land, it sure would provide a much-needed boost to the Fielding Ranch.

“I’d love to see a few thoroughbreds over there,” Ben remarked wistfully, pointing to one of the fields.

Aiden shook his head. “Nah, I reckon we should get more quarter horses. They’re good all-rounders. And if we’re gonna start giving riding lessons, as Josie suggested, they’d be perfect for the job.”

Ben frowned, looking back at him. “But think what it would mean to get some more real good thoroughbreds. It’d give a good impression to folks who came to take your lessons, too. Let them see how affluent we are. We’ve got to make it look good, and the few we’ve got don’t exactly stand out.”

Aiden sighed. This argument was getting old. Ben had always been more interested in how things looked to the outside world, instead of what was practical.

“But we won’t be that affluent if we go throwing good money away on show horses,” he objected. “We can get more quarters for the same money, and they’ll be a lot more useful to the ranch as a whole.”

“Nah, we’ve got enough. We don’t need to bring in any more, at least not yet a while. I reckon we need to lift the prestige of the Fielding a little, and the best way to do that is to buy the best.”

Aiden rolled his eyes. “Well, let’s think about that once we’ve got the land, shall we? One step at a time.”

Ben nodded and smirked, which let Aiden know that, as far as he was concerned, he’d won the argument. Damn!

Maggie was a little nervous but quite excited to see Aiden Fielding come into the café at seven o’clock sharp. He looked really cool in his tight-fighting Levi’s and partially unbuttoned shirt. She was glad she’d put on a pretty floral top with her jeans today and had already combed her long blonde waves out of their tight bun, so they hung loosely around her shoulders. She’d also touched up her lip gloss and mascara, hoping it would be enough to make a good impression.

“Ready?”

She smiled. She was more than ready. She’d practically booted out the last of her customers fifteen minutes ago so she could clean up the place and primp herself a little before he arrived.

“All set.” She grabbed her purse and coat from the counter then followed him out of the door, locking up on her way out.

“You look lovely.” His face shone in the dim light as he beamed at her, and she felt a warmth in her stomach she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“So do you.” She blushed, not sure if that was the correct thing to say to a man, although it was the truth. She was a bit out of practice with this sort of thing.

He chuckled and led her over to his truck, which had clearly been washed for the occasion.

“Have you eaten?” He was holding open the door and offered her a hand to climb up into the seat.

“No, but—”

“Good. I thought we might grab a bar meal while we’re out. I’m starving.” Aiden pulled her seatbelt out, and she grabbed it quickly before he could reach over and slot it into place.

“Thanks,” she said, fastening it herself. She was a rather large girl and very conscious of her weight. The last thing she wanted was for him to have to heave the belt over her fat tummy. “A meal sounds great.”

She watched him close the door and walk around the front of the truck. “Did you have a good afternoon?” he asked as the engine purred into life.

She nodded. The vehicle screamed quality. The leather upholstery was immaculate and the whole vehicle still smelled new. The walnut dashboard was highly polished and the seat felt soft and comfy. “How about you?”

“Great.” He smiled. “Remember I said we’re hoping to buy more land to expand the ranch a little? Some just came up for sale on the ranch that backs onto our south field.”

“That’s good.” She was happy for him, although it was yet another reminder that the gorgeous guy was way out of her league.

“Yeah, only big bro has got his own ideas how to use it.” He shook his head with a sigh. “He wants to get more thoroughbreds in, while I just want more quarter horses. I’m thinking of setting up a riding school over there, and the quarters will come in useful.”

“Makes sense. Why does he want thoroughbreds?” she asked, intrigued.

“Same reason he wants everything,” Aiden grumbled. “For show.”

“Oh.”

Aiden looked over at her. “He only cares about how things look from the outside,” he explained. “I’d rather spend our money on stuff we need and can use. I suppose I can see that thoroughbreds are an investment, but right now we need to think about keeping up the revenue, you know? There’ll be plenty of time to think about appearances once we’ve got the money rolling in.” He sighed, tipping his hat a little farther back on his head. His fair, wavy hair fell forward onto his face.

“I’m with you on that one,” she told him thoughtfully. “Go for the practicalities first. The rest can wait.”

He grinned over at her. “I’m glad you can see it my way.”

She watched as he drove out onto the main road and toward town. He looked real competent as he handled the large truck, and everything about him shouted class. Although he was casually dressed, he looked neat and smart. He smelled of that gorgeous cologne that she just knew was expensive. Something in his manner told her he was a guy who was used to an easy life, not having to graft for every penny. She was happy for him. She just felt sorry for herself—a trait that she hated and silently admonished herself for.

He pulled up outside a rather swanky-looking restaurant and bar.

“Am I under-dressed for this place?” She balked at the sight of it.

He grinned, leaning over the steering wheel. “Don’t you know? Casual is the new smart?”

She smiled. He oozed confidence, and she couldn’t help letting a little of it rub off on her. “Well, if you’re sure?”

“Come on.” He winked as he quickly climbed out then came around to open her door just as she unfastened her seatbelt.

She loved the feel of her hand inside his when he helped her down. “Have you been here before?” She noticed the maître d’ nodding and smiling at him as he walked in.

“A few times.” He grinned.

“Mr. Fielding, how nice to see you, sir. Would you like your usual table by the window?”

“That would be great, Enriqué.” Aiden put his hand in the small of Maggie’s back when they followed the waiter over to their table.

She waited while the maître d’ pulled out her chair, then she allowed him to place her napkin on her lap.

He clicked his fingers to a waitress who brought over their menus and a wine list.

“I will leave you to study the food,” he told them. “Perhaps an aperitif while you decide?”

“I’ll take a sweet sherry, please, Enriqué. Whatever you’ve got. Maggie?” Aiden looked over at her, his eyebrows raised.

“Um, I’ll have the same, thanks.” She managed a smile, and the waitress and her boss disappeared.

Maggie shuffled uncomfortably. Although some of the other diners were in jeans, theirs looked a lot more expensive than hers, and the women wore designer tops with sparkling jewelry, which she guessed wasn’t fake.

“Are you sure I’m not out of place?” she whispered over to Aiden.

He frowned in astonishment. “Of course not. You look beautiful, Maggie. I haven’t seen you with your hair down before. It looks lovely.” He smiled, and she felt a glow inside her.

She turned back to the menu in her hand. “What are you going to have?” She had already noticed the cost of the food and it left her feeling a bit sick.

“I thought I’d dive straight in with the steak,” he said, a little sheepishly. “You can have a starter if you prefer, though?”

“No, no. The steak’s fine. Rare, please.”

He grinned, closing his menu.

The maître d’ must have been watching, since he swooped down as soon as Aiden had taken her menu and put them together in one hand.

“Have you chosen, Mr. Fielding? Madam?”

“We’ll both have the rump, rare with all the trimmings please, Enriqué. And a good red to go with it. Châteauneuf-du-Pape?” He looked questioningly at Maggie, who nodded. It had been a while since she had drunk anything so expensive.

As soon as Enriqué left them, Aiden stretched his hands over the table to hers. She was surprised to feel his warmth as he tenderly stroked her fingers.

“So, tell me everything. I wanna know all about you,” he said, smiling.

“There’s not much to tell,” she assured him, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

“Where are you from? Have you any family? What other jobs have you had? What are your plans for the future? What’s your favorite color?” He chuckled, taking a sip of his sherry.

“Oh my goodness, that’s a lot of stuff you wanna know,” she told him with a giggle. And nothing I want to tell you, she thought ruefully. “Okay, my favorite color’s red. What’s yours?”

“Green,” he said straight away.

“The color of the grass, that’s nice,” she mused. The color of money, she thought.

He nodded. “You’re a real country girl, aren’t you?” He smiled at her approvingly.

“Yeah.” I am now. With her jeans and cowboy boots, he’d be forgiven for thinking that, but then, looks could be deceptive.

“And you’re a country boy, aren’t you?” It was a safe bet that he’d been brought up on the family ranch, although he must have considered himself the landed gentry, whereas she looked like a common hillbilly.

“Yup. Born and bred on the Fielding Ranch.” He confirmed her suspicions.

“And you still live there? With your family?”

“I have a cottage on the spread. My sister, Josie, and her husband live in the main house. Ben, our older brother, prefers to live just outside of town, but he still works on the ranch.” He took another sip of his drink.

“No parents?” She frowned, concerned that she might have hit a raw nerve.

“Not anymore.” He smiled a little sadly, and she knew it was a sore subject.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Not at all. It’s absolutely fine.”

She was surprised to feel his hand tickle the back of hers and realized he must have been worried that he’d upset her. She quickly smiled at him to try to reassure him otherwise. He was really thoughtful, and she appreciated that.

“So, do you live at Bracken Ridge?”

The food arrived just then, and she was grateful for the distraction.

“Not far from the café,” she told him, breathing in the aroma of the delicious meal in front of her.

The sommelier arrived with their wine, and she watched Aiden taste it. He nodded to the waiter who then poured both glasses.

“To us.” Aiden lifted his glass in a toast and she reciprocated, a little surprised.

“To us,” she echoed, wondering just what he meant. He was a lovely guy and she really enjoyed his company, but surely he could see there was no future for them? More’s the pity.

The rich wine coated her throat in flavors of warm spice, herbs and a hint of game. She could tell it was a good year, maybe 2005 or 2007, she surmised, and she licked her lips as a taste sort of like hot tar danced on her tongue. She closed her eyes to savor it and was surprised to see Aiden watching her closely when she opened them again.

“You like?” he asked.

“I love,” she replied, “the wine and Châteauneuf-du-Pape itself.” She licked her lips to enjoy every last drop.

Aiden straightened up in surprise. “You’ve been there?”

She smiled, realizing he wouldn’t have imagined half the things she’d done in her life, assuming as he did that she was just an old-fashioned country girl.

She nodded. “I used to love going to the south of France,” she said, as a memory of long, warm hazy days spent visiting vineyards as though she were some kind of royalty crossed her mind’s eye.

“The weather is beautiful, and the people are so kind and generous.” She recalled how many crates of wine she and her fiancé had been given before they’d left, a sort of thank you for all the business they had sent to the little wineries.

Aiden looked impressed. “When was this? How did you come to be there? On holiday?”

“Something like that.” She took a mouthful of her succulent steak and actually groaned at the taste. It had been a long time since she’d eaten anything so delicious.

“A woman of mystery,” Aiden remarked.

“Not really,” she said with a smile. “I’ve just seen a bit more of life than you and traveled farther.”

His head snapped up in surprise. “You’re no older than me,” he protested. “Although I get that you may have done a little more with your life. I’ve never moved out of Cavern County.”

She was pleased he was too much of a gentleman to ask a lady her age, and she just smiled. She’d guessed he lived a sheltered life of luxury.

“Does it bother you?” He looked incredulous.

“That depends,” she replied, narrowing her eyes a little, “on what you’ve got in mind.”

She felt a burn in her stomach as she watched his eyes darken. He really was a gorgeous guy, and she’d love to take things further with him, but—

“I want to see more of you.”

Her pussy clenched at his deep voice, and the look in his eyes told her that he was well aware of the innuendo in his statement. She swallowed hard.

“D-do you?” She felt herself go hot and knew she was blushing. Hopefully it was too dark for him to notice, although, she remembered with a cringe, she had certainly seen him flush earlier. His expression told her that he had noticed all right.

“Is that a problem?” He stretched his hand back over the table and placed it lightly on her arm.

She bit her lip anxiously. How do you answer that?

She shook her head slowly, knowing darn well she’d love to see more of the handsome hunk—in more ways than one.

“Good.” He stroked her arm before removing his hand to take a sip of his wine.

She felt almost bereft at the loss of contact.

Quickly she took another sip of her own drink, gaining strength from its warm richness.

“So you know quite a bit about wine?” He continued with his meal, studying her intently.

“I know a bit,” she replied nonchalantly.

“And is that something you’re interested in?”

“Not especially. It’s just something I’ve learned about over the years. When you go out there to the vineyards, they’re only too keen to tell you all about it. For instance, did you know that this wine is made primarily from three types of grapes—the granache noir, the syrah and Mourvedre?”

He was about to take a sip of his drink when he put the glass back down in surprise.

“No, I didn’t know that.”

“The more Mourvedre they use, the more tannin you can taste in it, like in a younger wine,” she went on, taking another sip.

“Well, that’s fascinating,” he said, his jaw looking a little slack.

She grinned, pleased that she’d impressed him.

“I’d love to travel over there,” he said after a few minutes’ eating.

“You should.” She took another sip just before he took the bottle and refilled her glass. “I think everyone should travel.”

“I might need to take a guide with me,” he teased.

“I’m your man…er…woman,” she pounced.

He laughed. “Yeah, I’ll bear that in mind.”

Her head was going a little muzzy, and she knew she’d probably drank too much wine on an empty stomach, so she tucked into her meal. The last thing she wanted was to get tipsy tonight. She’d told him way too much already…