Todd’s Cowgirl (Silver Spoon Falls #12)
Chapter 1
I’m barely over the threshold, and the air’s already working on me, thick with the sweet scent of fresh donuts and way too many memories. Frank Butterworth grins from behind the counter. “Welcome home, Todd! I didn’t know you were coming home.”
I manage a smile and reply, "Thanks, Frank. Thought I'd surprise everyone."
Frank’s got the small shop done up in his usual style, like the nineteen-fifties came through town and never bothered leaving. Red vinyl stools line the counter, a neon donut blinks in the window, and there’s an old jukebox in the corner that plays nothing older than Elvis. Everything’s so damned familiar.
The place is practically empty, and it feels too big, too quiet, except for the low hum of the fridge and the blood roaring in my ears. I’ve been gone so long I can hardly believe I’m back here, standing in the same old donut shop. Even though I’m fresh off a championship win with the San Francisco Riptide, I’m not happy. And I won’t be until she’s in my arms.
I take a half-step toward the counter, thoughts scrambling around in my head. Frank’s there, still grinning, the scent of his famous maple bars thick in the air. Everything feels just as warm as I remember, like a well-loved old quilt, but now the comfort’s laced with a weird kind of tension.
The door jingles behind me, and I turn, my breath catching. It’s almost too good to be true. I’ve been trying to figure out how I’d approach her, but it seems the universe did the hard work for me.
It's Maggie. The one who got away. I can't move, can't speak. We just stare at each other as the last ten years fall away, and we’re suddenly back where we started. And ended. Suddenly, it’s too hot in here. Suddenly, I’m too hot, everywhere.
I must look like I’m ready to keel over with my shirt glued to my back and my pulse bounding visibly. I can’t even manage a nod. Instead, I just stand there like a wax dummy, arms stiff at my sides. The world outside Frank’s shop slips away, leaving only my racing heart and Maggie’s eyes locked onto mine.
It’s like I’ve been sucked back in time to when Maggie and I spent every free second together the summer before I left for college. First, she taught me to ride a horse, but then she taught me how to fall in love. The love I feel for her will last forever, and it’s time for me to make sure she feels the same way.
We just stand there, gawking at each other. One of the last times I saw her, she was kissing me like it was the end of the world and she didn't mind one bit. It takes everything I’ve got not to rush over and scoop her up right now.
She’s even more beautiful than I remember. Her chocolate hair is longer and has more waves. A flood of memories hits, so real I can taste them. Her laugh, those midnight stargazing sessions, the surprise kiss by the lake that changed everything between us.
I try to swallow, but my mouth's gone bone dry. This isn’t just shock. This is seeing Maggie, really seeing her, and feeling the ground shift underneath me. This is the girl I left behind, and I’d like to kick my own ass for my stupidity.
Her lips curl into a smile, tentative at first, like she’s not sure if it’s okay, if I’m okay. I finally let out the breath I've been holding, and that’s when a flutter in my stomach spreads throughout my body, making my hands shake and my heart hammer.
Everything else disappears. It’s just her and me, and that look that says maybe she’s thought about this too, thought about me. Her smile grows, gaining confidence, and my chest tightens with a sudden, aching clarity. There’s no getting over her. Hell, I never even tried. The longing is like a punch, taking my breath away. I feel a thousand things at once, and they all come back to the overwhelming reality that Maggie Carrington is standing right in front of me, and it’s time for me to correct the biggest mistake of my life.
Frank walks over to my side, jarring me out of my Maggie-induced trance with a booming voice and flour-dusted hands. “Would you look at this!” he bellows, smacking my back hard enough to dislodge a rib. “Our very own big shot athlete!” He’s as subtle as a runaway freight train, and my ears burn at his bellowing. He nods at Maggie, grinning like he just won the lottery. “You came by at the perfect time.”
“I know,” she mutters, looking like she’d rather be anywhere besides here right now.
“Sit! Sit!” Frank urges us both, pointing at a booth at the back of the donut shop. My body goes on autopilot, dropping into the chair even though my brain’s still screaming, Can this really be happening?
Maggie’s just as flustered, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her purse. Frank watches us, chuckling and pouring coffee we didn’t ask for. “Donuts are on the house for my two favorite customers!” he declares, giving me a nudge on my shoulder.
I’m aware of every inch of Maggie, her scent, her presence, the way she chews her bottom lip like she used to. It’s been so long since we’ve been face to face, and I’m thankful Frank’s relentless meddling put us this close. A shiver runs through me, electrifying everything.
I’m already flushed, already battling the heat she’s got me worked up to. My cock stirs, then swells, going rock-hard under the table. I shift in my chair, desperate for relief, but there's none to be found. The jeans I’m wearing do nothing to hide my situation, and I try angling my body, adjusting, and fidgeting. I wonder if she notices. I wonder if she cares.
Frank’s as oblivious as ever. “Now, when did you blow back into town?” he asks, clearly loving every awkward moment he’s orchestrating.
"Last night," I manage to say, my voice strained and sounding as ragged as I feel beneath the weight of exhaustion. I didn’t get in until after midnight, and my eyes popped open at six am out of habit. Frank lets out a hoot as if I've just shared the funniest joke, and then gives my back another hearty thump. "I thought I'd come by and get donuts for my nieces," I explain, trying to muster a smile.
"How are the girls doing?" Frank inquires, his eyes twinkling with genuine curiosity.
"They're growing up too fast," I reply with a weary sigh, imagining their bright eyes and infectious laughter that seem to transform with each passing day.
Frank chuckles, a deep, resonant sound that fills the cozy bakery. "Ciara and Garrett are trying to repopulate Silver Spoon Falls," he jokes, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
I laugh, shaking my head in amusement, picturing the bustling household. "They're going to keep going until Garrett gets his boy," I say, envisioning the determined look on Garrett's face as he dreams of adding a little boy to their lively brood.
Frank nods as he takes both our orders, jotting them down with a swift flick of his pen before walking away to prepare them. The air between us becomes electric, charged with a palpable tension that feels as if it might spark at any moment. It's an uncomfortable sensation, heavy and intense, yet undeniably real, as if the very atmosphere is alive with unspoken words and emotions.
She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and the movement is so simple, so achingly familiar, that I’m hit with another wave of nostalgia and intense hunger. The tightness in my jeans only makes it worse.
We’re both quiet, the space between us filled with the pounding of my heart and Frank’s off-key humming. I fight to find words, any words, to fill the gaping silence. “How have you been?” I finally blurt, my voice coming out embarrassingly weak.
"Great.” She glances around before giving me a fake ass smile. “I didn’t expect to ever see you again," she says, her voice trailing off as her eyes dart down to the ground before meeting mine once more. Her cheeks are tinged with a rosy hue, perhaps from the embarrassment of the unexpected encounter or the undeniable chemistry that crackles between us, reawakened as if it had never dimmed.
"I'm like a bad penny," I murmur, my voice carrying a self-conscious laugh, aware of the irony and truth in my words.
I’m lost in those eyes, the memory of them haunting every bad decision I’ve made since I walked away. Her mouth opens like she’s about to say more, then closes again as she watches me squirm in my seat.
It’s pure torture, sitting this close, wanting to reach across and drag her into my lap. Wanting to kiss her until we’re both breathless and everything else just fades away. My pulse is going nuts, and it’s taking all my self-control not to jump up and claim her right here in the local donut shop.
I gulp, clutching the coffee mug, which is damp from my sweaty hand.
Every nerve’s on high alert, singing with anticipation and uncertainty. Each second stretches longer than the one before, and I know if we weren’t in public, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands to myself.
Maggie watches me with that unreadable gaze, one part suspicion, one part surprise, and it’s everything I didn’t know I was missing. She starts talking, her voice both new and familiar, the words tentative but real.
“Congratulations on the championship,” she says, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smile that loosens every knot in my chest.
“Thanks,” I mutter, realizing the championship means nothing without the woman who owns me, heart and soul.
“I watched a few games with my brothers.” She pauses, then dives into the deep end. “You’re really great.”
“Thanks.” I feel like a goddamn broken record. “How are your brothers doing?”
“The same.” She gives me a sly look. “They’re still overbearing pains in my rear end.” Discussing her older brothers helps ease the tension that’s been strangling me, and suddenly, we’re talking like no time has passed. We slip back into an easy rhythm, letting the years and the miles fade until it’s just us again.
“Remember when we snuck out to the field, spread a blanket, and stared at the stars until Silas and Cole pelted us with water balloons?” I ask, leaning forward, chasing the warmth of the memory.
“They’ve always had the worst timing in the world.” Maggie’s smile goes full wattage, and it’s all I can do to keep my heart from flinging itself across the table.
“Hanging out with you was worth the pain of dealing with their shit.” My voice is rough, choked with the emotion of everything rushing back at once. I can’t believe I ever left her. Can’t believe I survived the last ten years without her. After seven years in the NFL, I’ve got more money than I can spend in a lifetime. Now that I know I can give Maggie the life she deserves, I’m back to rectify the biggest mistake of my life.
I mention that night by the lake, the kiss that took us from friends to something more. She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t back away. She just meets my gaze, steady and sure, and it sends hope sparking through every part of me.
She chuckles, the sound low and sweet. “Remember the time you tried to impress me with your riding skills?”
“The ground broke my fall.” I’m grinning like an idiot, and I don’t care. Not even a little.
“You had the wind knocked out of you, but I think the look on your face when you landed was the real injury.” Maggie’s laughing now, head thrown back, and I can’t remember the last time anything felt this right.
As we sit across from each other, my gaze is glued to her, captivated by the lively twinkle in her eyes and the playful curve of her lips. Each glance she throws my way is charged with an energy that makes my heart race, and every smile seems to light up the room. She embodies everything I have ever desired, a constant presence in my thoughts despite my futile attempts to push her out of my mind.
Frank cuts in and sets two boxes of donuts on the table before us. "On the house!" he says with a bright smile. "Make sure to drop by and see me before you leave town." His words remind me that I'm scheduled to leave in a few weeks for training camp, but I already know that isn’t going to happen.
I barely notice him, barely hear anything beyond the sound of Maggie’s voice. She doesn’t shy away from the past, and the way she looks at me now, I hope she won’t shy away from a future with me, either.
It’s getting late, and I know I should be heading back to Ciara's house with the donuts.
With each breath and passing second, I find myself falling more deeply in love with Maggie. Fucking hell. I need Maggie in my life and nothing else matters.
“When did you move back to Silver Spoon Falls?” I want to know everything about her. Especially whether or not there’s some asshole waiting in the wings.
I can't tear my gaze away from her, nor do I wish to. "After I graduated from college, Silas persuaded me to return and take charge of the family charitable foundation." She pauses, assessing me with a keen eye as if deciding whether I'll stick around long enough for any of this to truly make a difference.
“I’m glad you’re in town.” No use beating around the bush. “It makes wooing you all the easier.”
“Wooing me?” She hesitates, but only a little. “Who said I want you to woo me?”