A Maverick's Heart Read Online Free Page A

rodent. A second, slightly smaller, all-white bird circled above the dumbstruck quintet of men, crying, pyee-pyee, pyee-pyee right before the pair flew off.
    “Wow.” Zeke was first to break the silence. “Those were snowy owls, guys. The male made off with a good-size rat.”
    By then the others had sufficiently recovered from their initial shock to squint and follow the birds’ flight.
    Hunter shifted his stance. “What a sight. I’m glad we had this experience. From the way Myra’s friend Tawana talked about how the owls return here every year to nest... I figured they’d already all gone north.”
    “Are they dangerous?” Gavin asked. “I think that second one grazed my head.”
    Zeke watched Gavin scrub a hand through his crew cut. “They don’t attack humans, dude. They do rid our ranchlands of pests like mice, rats and voles. Myra and I had a tug-of-war with a huge male once who tried to make off with her minipig, Orion.”
    Ben muffled an expletive. “Not in your kitchen, right? Then again, who keeps a pig in their kitchen?”
    Zeke socked his pal’s arm. “Hey, a pet is a pet is a pet. And the day it happened, we had Orion in a pen outside near where we were cutting alfalfa. I told you last night...the little guy grows on you.”
    Wisely his friends held their tongues, although not all schooled their doubtful expressions.
    “Orion is cute,” Seth said, opening the Cherokee’s door. “Hey, if we want any of that great-smelling breakfast before we leave for the airport, we’d better hop to it.”
    Ben and Gavin climbed into the backseat, leaving the front passenger seat for Hunter.
    “I’m positive keeping a pig in any part of the house, especially the kitchen, wouldn’t grow on me,” Gavin asserted once they were inside the SUV and out of Zeke’s hearing.
    After starting the engine, Seth glanced behind him. “Is a pig any worse than goldfish or parrots or snakes?”
    “Okay, I see your point. To each his own,” Gavin muttered.
    Hunter turned to address his one-time regiment buddies. “If any of us fell in love with a pig owner like Zeke did, we’d change our minds. Love short-circuits brain cells.”
    They all laughed as Seth parked near the entrance to the B and B.
    The others piled out of the Cherokee. Without waiting for Zeke, all but Seth climbed the steps and went inside. He noticed Lila’s son at the side of the building, tossing a baseball in the air. Even though the boy wore an old mitt on his left hand, he missed catching three times out of three. Ghost chased after the dropped ball and carried it back to the kid.
    “Hiya, Rory,” Seth called, pausing to lean on the handrail. “You need to teach Ghost to throw the ball back to you.” He grinned. “Are you on a team or just goofing around?”
    Rory took the ball from Ghost and wiped dog slobber on his pants, his shoulders sagging as he squinted at Seth. “I wanna join the team my best friend is on. Mom first said it was too ’spensive. But last night she said she’ll try to figure out how I can play. Were you in Little League when you were my age?”
    “What’s your age? Eight?”
    “I’m nine,” Rory said, puffing up his chest. “Since last month.”
    “Hmm. At nine I played on a junior boy’s city league. In junior high, high school and college my brother and I were on school teams. Do you watch the pros? We grew up going to see the Boston Red Sox.”
    “That’d be cool. I like to watch games.”
    Zeke drove up, parked beside Lila’s Cherokee and vaulted from his pickup. “Hi, Rory,” he hollered. “Hey, did your mom finally sign you up for Little League?” he asked, bounding over to stand beside his twin.
    “Not yet. And I’m not very good. Even if Mom finds money so I can join Kemper’s team, I probably won’t get to play in a real game.”
    Zeke clapped Seth on the back. “You should get this guy to give you tips while he’s staying here. He racked up awards and trophies playing baseball. In