“Yay!”She grabbed his hand.“Wet’s go!I wanna see footbaw.And Cody.And Maggie.”
“Hayes and I were thinking tonight might be a good night to go to a game, too.”Miles glanced at Hayes.“Renee and Chrissy are off doing something together.”
“Been a while since I cheered on the Tenacity Titans.”Hayes nodded.
Braden glared at his brothers.This was not about football or spending time with him—this was about checking out Maggie.He’d gone and made things worse by letting them misunderstand his earlier comment.And if he tried to set the record straight now, they wouldn’t believe him.
“Fine.”It’s not like he had anything to hide.He and Maggie were friends.If they needed to see that for themselves, he wasn’t going to stop them.
The Tenacity High School football field hadn’t changeda bit.The bleachers were solid, even if they could use a little TLC.Braden thought that was a pretty good analogy for his hometown and the people that lived there: solid and tough if a little rough around the edges.
He held Delilah’s hand as she tugged him toward the stands.The moment she spied Maggie and Cody, she squealed and let go of his hand and took off running.“Cody!Maggie!I’m here!”
“That’s your friend?”Miles whistled.
“Delilah’s right, she’s pretty.”Hayes chuckled.
Braden ignored them and walked ahead.He wasn’t all that excited to introduce them to Maggie—especially if they were going to act like idiots.
“Hey, Braden.”Cody waved at him.
“Hey, Cody.”He smiled at the boy.“Nice hat.You ready for some football?”
“Yessir.”He tipped his black felt cowboy hat back on his head.“Ma got Delilah some pom-poms so she can cheer.”
“And I got some for me, too.”Maggie held the pom-poms high.
Maggie stood, taking the hand Delilah offered her.“Let’s go find some seats before they’re all gone.”
A strong breeze hit, catching Maggie’s curls so her long hair seemed to dance in the wind.All Braden could think about was how, even with a red nose and wild hair, Maggie Cooper was prettier than any woman he’d ever seen.
“I should have worn my hat.”Maggie reached up to smooth her hair.“That would have helped to tame the curls a little.”
Braden was glad she’d left her hat at home.He liked her hair this way, untamed and free.
“Hey.”Miles’s voice snapped Braden out of it.
When his brothers had joined them, he didn’t know.Butthe two of them were standing by, watching, wearing identical goofy-as-hell grins.
Great.
“You must be Maggie.”Hayes touched the brim of his hat.“I’m Hayes.This is Miles.We’re Braden’s brothers.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”Maggie’s smile was warm and welcoming—and only made her prettier.“This is my son, Cody.”She paused so they could exchange greetings before saying, “My brother, Mike, and his partner, Danny, are here somewhere, too.”
Was that part of the original plan or was her brother being nosy like his?Then again, if he’d been around when Rylee was courting Shep, wouldn’t he have done the same?A brother had to make sure his sister wasn’t meeting up with some delinquent with ill intentions.It was part of the job description.
They headed into the stands to find seats.When they found a row with enough room, Delilah sat first, then him and Cody, and Maggie at the end.
“We’re gonna sit higher up,” Hayes said.“I see Shane Corey over there, isn’t it?”He pointed farther down the bleachers.“Looks like it.When did he get back in town?”
“Let’s go find out.”Miles touched the brim of his hat and smiled at Maggie.“It was nice to meet you two.”
“There’s plenty of room.”Maggie pointed at the mostly empty row.
“Oh, no… There’s a better view from up there…” Hayes mumbled to a stop and headed up the bleacher steps with Miles on his heels.
“Did we scare them off?”Maggie asked him, looking puzzled.
