Page 22 of The Maverick's Homecoming

Still, she hesitated. Was she becoming too…attached to him? It did kind of feel that way. Should she say no? “I have a question.”

He looked at her steadily. “You’re stalling—but go ahead, ask away.”

She almost smiled. Because he read her so well. “Where, exactly, will you be speaking?”

“The outdoor amphitheater beside the Dinosaur Center. Eventually I think it’s going to be part of the amusement park, but for now it’s great for town events,” he said. “That’s where I’ll be giving my talk. And I could really use a friend there for moral support.”

“Oh, come on. Everyone in town is your friend.”

“Kenzie.” He gave her that look, the one she remembered from all those years ago. The one that said, “Quit messing with me and help me out here.”

She kind of wanted to hug him. But that could so easily become a habit. “Sure, Finn. I’ll be there.”

He let out a long, slow breath. “Finally. I’ll pick you up at noon. I’m scheduled to speak at one. There will be schmoozing afterward. I’ll need you for that, too. It shouldn’t be hard. Just stand close to me and look at me like I’m the hottest guy you ever met.”

She had to press her lips together to keep from laughing out loud at that last bit. “So really, I’m your date. That’s what you’re telling me.”

He narrowed those sky-blue eyes at her. “Let me put it this way. Yes, we arefriends. And yes, you will be my date tomorrow. Both of those statements are true.”

She considered stalling some more, just to give him a bad time. But then again, she’d probably given him enough grief for one afternoon. “Okay, Finn. Pick me up at noon. I’ll be ready.”

0

CHAPTER Three

When the doorbell rang exactly at noon the next day, Kenzie was standing at the mirror that hung on the back of her bedroom door.

What she saw had her scowling at her own reflection. She definitely looked pregnant. Her boho-cowgirl maxi dress with its tiered crinkle skirt and off-the-shoulder top did very little to disguise her baby bump.

Not that she was really trying to hide anything. Not anymore. Because she was now six months pregnant and the cat, as they say, was out of the bag.

People in town looked at her with warmth and understanding. One or two of her friends had said rude things about Tate. But they all took extra care to make it clear that they were on her side. Several had come right out and offered to help out anytime she needed them.

She frowned at her reflection again. Mostly, she loved being pregnant. She felt curvy and lush. Best of all, her growing belly meant that she would be a mom. Sometimes, though, she missed her flat stomach, her perky breasts and her trim ankles. For the next few months, she was only going to get bigger.

Sometimes lately she did kind of wonder how it would have been if things had worked out differently with Tate, if she had him to count on now and after the baby came.

But no. She pulled her shoulders back and winked at her reflection in the mirror. Tate was long gone. And she and her baby would manage just fine.

The doorbell buzzed again. She adjusted her top, smoothed a hand down the front of her tiered skirt and went to answer.

Finn greeted her with a grin. “What took you so long?”

She stared at him, deadpan. “Tell me. Does this outfit make me look fat?”

His grin disappeared. “Anything I say right now is going to be wrong—am I right?”

“Probably. But answer the question, anyway.”

He drew in a slow, cautious breath. “Here goes. You. Look. Gorgeous.”

She laughed then. And it felt good. “Right answer.” Stepping over the threshold, she pulled the door shut and then took his arm.

* * *

When they arrived at the Dinosaur Center, Mayor JenniLynn Garrett was right there waiting, hand outstretched, to greet Finn and Kenzie.

Finn liked JenniLynn. She was smart and warmhearted. She chatted for a moment with Kenzie, thanking her for her work looking after the students at Tenacity High.