Prologue
Bentley Maverick was the youngest of four children. Micah was the oldest, then Beauregard, then Jessalyn, and finally Bentley. Micah was long gone from the Maverick home by the time Bentley was born, and Beauregard took his younger brother under his wing. Jessie ran away from home at fifteen and disappeared into the north, and neither brother ever saw her again.
Beauregard became a professional gambler, and Bentley followed suit. Beauregard fell in love, married, and had two sons, Bret and Bart. Bentley met Abigail Sutter and soon found himself married with a baby on the way, and both families picked up and moved to Texas. Abigail gave birth to a son, named after his Uncle Beauregard, and died not long after. Beauregard's wife Isabelle also passed, and the two brothers found themselves alone, doing their best to be both momma and daddy to their boys.
Years pass; children grow into adults, and Beauregard moved into Ben's house, where the two of them lived side by side for many years. Eventually Ben's son Beau married and fathered twins, and he and his family settled in Baton Rouge, where his wife's family lived. After many years of listening to his son plead, Bentley left Texas, moving in with Beau and his family in Louisiana.
The twins were fourteen when the three Maverick sons decided to spend a month together in Texas. Beau packed up his wife and father and their twins and went to Little Bend. Some strange things occurred, but all in all everyone had a good time. Everyone except Bentley, that is, who realized how much he missed his brother and the closeness they had.
Don't misunderstand me. Bentley enjoyed himself, but he longed for someone to share his life with. Beauregard had married his longtime companion while everyone was together, and Bentley remembered his daughter-in-law's offer to help him find a 'companion' of his own. The longer he thought about it, the more he liked the idea, and waited until his son and granddaughter were asleep before broaching the subject with Dani. They were somewhere south of Fort Worth when he plunged right in.
"Dani, remember telling me there were several ladies at church who might prove to be a suitable companion for an old man like me?"
Dani was startled for a moment, then a smile overtook her face. She'd been worried about Bentley for a while and thought that he would benefit from acquiring a 'girlfriend.' "Yes, Ben, I remember."
"Well, I think I'm ready to meet one or two."
"I think that's a wonderful idea. I'll get to work on it as soon as we get home."
Ben smiled and closed his eyes. Now he could take a nap, knowing that he'd started the wheels in motion.
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