18. Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
“Like with baby handcuffs or something?”
When Maggie pulled up to the house on Saturday afternoon, Abe struggled through the front door with Kai in his arms, a backpack slung over one shoulder, and pulling the stroller behind him. Maggie rushed over to help.
“What can I take?” Kai held out his arms, and she took him from Abe. “Hello, handsome.”
Abe picked up the stroller and carried it to his mother’s SUV. “Can you put him in his car seat?”
“Of course.”
While she did that, Abe tried to remember how to fold the stroller. He finally got it, put it in the back of the vehicle along with the backpack, then closed the hatch a little too aggressively. Maggie looked at him through the window, and he shrugged, then opened the backseat door opposite her.
“You got this?”
“He’s all tucked in.”
Kai looked at Abe. “Dog.”
“Oh… crap. Hold on, kid. I’ll get it.” He ran back to the house and into the bedroom. The stuffed cat was under the crib again. “You’d think it would land in front of the crib at least once in a while.” He retrieved it and went back outside.
After handing the toy to Kai, he got in the front seat next to Maggie. She glanced at the cat. “Dog?”
“I’ve just accepted it.”
“Dog it is.”
The parking around the rodeo grounds was always bad, with cars lined up along the street for a mile in every direction. Abe passed them all and drove to a gate marked ‘Vendor’s Only.’
Maggie smiled. “VIP parking.”
Abe stopped next to a man wearing a bright neon orange vest. “Afternoon.”
“Who are you with, sir?”
Abe showed him the card he had been given to allow him access through the gate. “Rocco’s Pizza.”
The man smiled. “I don’t suppose you have a pizza on you?”
“Afraid not. But the booth should be set up by now. My brothers got here a while ago.”
“I’ll check it out.” He handed the card back to Abe. “Keep that on your dash.”
“Will do.”
“Enjoy the rodeo.”
Abe continued through the gate and found a parking space a few spots down from Luke’s truck.
The back of the truck was empty, so they were probably up and running.
Abe went to get the stroller and backpack while Maggie got Kai out of his car seat.
She set him in the stroller, and Abe put the backpack on.
“I just realized something.”
Maggie smiled. “What’s that?”
“I’m never going to leave the house again with just my wallet, phone, and keys.”
She put a hand on his arm. “Nope.” She looked at Kai hugging the cat. “Is he really attached to that thing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“We don’t want to lose it then.”
“Ideally, yeah.”
“You need to secure it to the stroller.”
“Like with baby handcuffs or something?”
“Wow. I don’t even want to know why that came to you as a solution. You need a binky holder or something like that?”
“A binky what now? What the hell is a binky?”
“A pacifier. He probably doesn’t use one anymore.
” Abe was still confused, and Maggie took his arm, turning him to give her access to the backpack.
She opened it and started digging through it.
“Oh yes, score.” She pulled out a foot-long strap with a clip on one end and a pacifier on the other. She held it up. “Binky.”
“Oh, right. He doesn’t use one of those.”
Maggie removed the pacifier, then attached the clip to the stroller. She connected the other end to the worn ribbon around the cat’s neck. “Perfect. Dog isn’t going anywhere.”
Kai seemed to accept the situation, so they left the car and headed for the row of food booths. Rocco’s booth was between a street taco vendor and a kettle corn booth.
There was a line waiting for pizza by the slice, and Maggie watched Gentry and Luke working for a moment. “I’ll go relieve Gentry so he can come say hi and meet Kai.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, just don’t let them guilt you into staying.”
She headed around the back of the small trailer. When she appeared inside, next to Gentry, he listened to her for a moment, then looked out and waved at Abe. A few moments later, Gentry came around the trailer and walked over to them.
He shook hands with Abe, then knelt in front of Kai. “So, this is the famous Kai Buchanan.”
Kai grinned at him and held up his cat.
Gentry looked up at Abe. “He’s great, man.”
Abe nodded. “He tends to grow on you.”
Gentry stood. “First time out in the world with him?”
“Yeah. Wish me luck.”
“You’ll do fine. You’ve got Maggie as backup.”
“Which I’m very thankful for.”
“Does this mean…?”
“No.” He glanced at Maggie talking to the customers. “We’re friends. Nothing more.”
“Okay.”
Abe reached over and shoved Gentry’s shoulder. “It’s all I can handle right now.”
“I believe you, sort of. The boys are excited to meet Kai, and Levi is happy not to be the baby of the family anymore.” Luke whistled, and Gentry waved at him. “I should get back. Enjoy the rodeo.”
“Yeah. You too.”
Gentry flipped him off. “We’re making money. I guess that’s something, anyway.”
It took a few minutes for Maggie to free herself from the booth, but once she did, she got behind the stroller. “Let’s go before they call me back.’
“Where should we go?”
“Well, first off, I need some kettle corn.”
They went to the booth, and Maggie bought a medium bag. Abe nodded toward it. “Are you sure that’s enough for you?”
“I’m going to share it with you.”
“Hmm. I’m more of a funnel cake kind of guy.”
“Get yourself a funnel cake, then let’s go look at the horses.”
Many of the stalls were empty in the horse barn, but when Maggie spotted a horse with his head hanging over the gate looking for company, she went to it.
“Aren’t you a beautiful boy.” She rubbed the horse’s nose.
“Excuse me. Please don’t touch my horse.”
Maggie backed away and turned to face the woman approaching them. “I’m sorry. He’s so…Rachel?”
The woman stopped walking. “Maggie? Oh my gosh.” She looked at Abe and Kai. “I didn’t know you had a family.”
“Oh.” Maggie glanced at Abe. “They’re…neither of them belongs to me. We’re…Abe is my boss.”
“Oh.”
Abe offered his hand. “Abe Buchanan.”
“Right. The pizza guy.” She shook with him. “I suppose this little one belongs to you, then.”
“Yes. This is Kai, my son.”
She bent over and smiled at Kai. “Hi there, cutie.” She stood again and looked at Maggie. “When was the last time you competed? I haven’t seen your name on the roster for years.”
“It’s been a while.”
Rachel patted the horse’s neck. “I’m still at it.” She looked at Abe. “Do you ride? You look like you could be an ex-bull rider. Or broncs, maybe.”
“Not a rodeo guy.”
“Hmm. A missed opportunity, perhaps.”
Maggie took a few steps toward Abe. “Good luck with your ride.”
“Thank you.” Rachel smiled at Abe. “Nice to meet you.”
Maggie took his arm, and they headed out of the barn. Abe glanced over his shoulder at Rachel. “Was she just…?”
“Flirting with you? Yes.”
“Did she miss the two-year-old?”
“Some women find single fathers quite appealing.”
“How does she know I’m single? I could be stepping out on my wife with my employee.”
Maggie laughed. “Stepping out?”
“Whatever.”
“You have a very single guy vibe.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Everything about you screams unattached.”
“Even the baby?”
“Especially the baby.”
“Women are weird.”
“I totally agree.”
He stopped walking and turned to her. “So if we were here on a date, would my vibe change?”
“Yes.” He scowled, and she added, “You’d be more…possessive.”
“Is that what women want? To be possessed.”
“No.” She tugged on his arm. “We want a man to come to attention when a perceived threat appears. We may say we can take care of ourselves, but sometimes we want to know that some big, hunky man will step in and take care of business when we need him to.”
Abe shook his head. “Now you’re just messing with me.”
“Yes, I am. But I meant what I said about being attentive.”
When two boisterous cowboys in the middle of a contentious conversation walked by and nearly ran into Maggie, Abe stepped in front of her.
“Watch it, man.” The cowboy waved at him and kept going, and Maggie smiled. “What?”
“That’s stepping in to take care of business.”
“But we’re not on a date.”
“It kind of feels like a date.”
He started the stroller moving. “Where to next?”
Maggie caught up to him. “I heard you can feed the baby cows in the livestock barn.” They headed toward the barn, and Maggie glanced at Abe. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to force you into anything. I’m very happy just hanging out with you as a friend.”
He stopped walking. “What if I’m not?”
“You don’t want to hang out with me?”
“I mean the friend part?”
“Do you want more?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what I want.”
“Well, until you do, the three of us will have some fun together.”
“The three of us. From now on, it’s always going to be the three of us.”
“People with children manage to date successfully.”
“Hmm. I sure don’t see how.”
“Give it time.”