Much Ado About Mavericks Read Online Free

women who grabbed him and smothered him with hugs.   He hugged them back and couldn’t contain a hardy belly laugh as he spun his ma around, then grabbed his sister and did the same.   While the front door was draped in black, he took a certain amount of satisfaction that neither Ma nor Suzanne wore mourning clothes.  The old man didn’t deserve the honor.
    “Good to see you, Ma.”  He kissed his mother on both cheeks.  Her dark brown hair had only a few more gray hairs than when he left, and other than the small wrinkles around her eyes, she hadn’t aged a day in thirteen years.  “You’re as beautiful as I remember.”  He hugged her again, catching a whiff of the lavender perfume she always loved.
    “Benjamin, you’ve learned the art of flattery well.”  She grinned and kissed him again.  “It works.”
    He turned to Suzanne.  “Just one more.”  He hugged his sister again.  She’d grown a good six inches and filled out to be the beauty he’d always thought she’d be.   “You sure don’t resemble that nine-year-old tomboy in pigtails that I remember.”  Her dark brown hair was pulled into a stylish chignon and a crisp white apron covered her neatly pressed blue gingham dress.  “I bet you have to chase away beaus with a stick.”
    She giggled and kissed him on the cheek .  “Oh, Ben!  I’m so glad you’re home.”  She stepped back and studied him from hairline to boot tip.  “You’re so big.  You weren’t much taller than Ma when you left and now you top her by a foot.  Why, you’re a lot taller than Daddy was!”  She grinned.  “Broader, too.  And definitely more debonair.”
    His mother tapped him on the cheek.  “I always knew you’d turn into a handsome man.  I’ll bet those ladies in Boston have their nets out for you.”  The she urged him into the house.  “Come in.  Mr. Callison is waiting for us.”
    “It’s good to see you both again.”  He wasn’t sure whether he felt gratified or embarrassed over their effusive compliments, but pride welled in his chest as he followed her into the kitchen breathing in the comforting aroma of ginger.  “Cookies?” he asked hopefully.
    Ma chuckled.  “Of course.  You think I’d not have your favorite cookies ready for your first homecoming in more than a dozen years?”
    Suzanne captured his hand in both of hers.  “How long are you staying?”
    “I suppose it’ll take a week to get all the old man’s affairs settled.  I imagine he left the ranch to Ma—there can’t be too much complication.  Pretty straightforward, really.”
    “Why leave so soon?” Ma asked, filling a plate with gingersnaps from the cookie jar.  “You might as well stay a while.  We’ve missed you sorely.”  She unhooked a serving tray from the wall and gave it to her daughter.  “Suzanne, get the coffee and cups ready.  Remember the sugar and cream—Mr. Callison likes both.”  She turned back to Ben.  “It’s such a long trip out here, you might as well stay at least a month.”
    He shook his head, not about to stay in Henderson Flats a minute longer than necessary.  “I plan to take you both back to Boston with me, Ma.  Suzanne will do well in Boston society, and you’ll have plenty of friends, too.  I bought a nice house last year, big enough for each of you to have your own bedroom suites.  It’ll be comfortable.”
    His mother frowned fleetingly and glanced at Suzanne, then back at him, smiling weakly.  “We’ll talk about our plans after the lawyer leaves.  He’s in the parlor now, waiting for us.”  She picked up the tray Suzanne had prepared.  “Go on ahead.  I’ll follow you.”
    As Ben entered the parlor, a balding man in a brown suit stood.  “You must be Benjamin Lawrence.”  He offered his trembling hand.
    Giving the man a firm handshake, Ben said, “Yes, I am.”
    “I’m Osbourne Callison, your father’s attorney.”  Callison coughed, then sat on the couch and dug some