THE MAVERICK'S THANKSGIVING BABY Read online

  A BRIDE—AND A BABY!—UNDER HIS TREE!

  RUST CREEK RAMBLINGS

  Stop the presses! Can you believe there’s about to be another wedding in Rust Creek Falls? Yes, local cowboy Jesse Crawford is tying the knot with Maggie Roarke, that Hollywood lawyer who’s been flitting in and out of town for the past several months. Rumor has it their hasty nuptials might have something to do with Maggie’s brand-new baby bump…

  We’re all for one big happy family, but we’re a little puzzled by this pairing. Maggie and Jesse couldn’t be more different if they tried—are they really ready to saddle up for the long haul? Stay on the trail, faithful readers, and let’s see if their baby-to-be can bring this new family together for the holidays—and ever after!

  “Oh. Wow.”

  Jesse felt stunned…and humbled, as he registered the shape of their baby: the outline of the head and the body, even the skinny little legs and arms, and—most awesome and overwhelming—the rapid beating of the heart inside the chest.

  He had some experience with ultrasounds—mostly with respect to equine fetuses. But this was completely outside his realm of experience. This was an actual human baby—his and Maggie’s baby. He knew that he’d done very little to help grow this miracle inside her. Yes, he’d contributed half of the baby’s DNA, but since then, he’d done nothing. She was the one who was giving their baby everything he or she needed, the only one who could.

  He wanted to say something to express the awe and gratitude that filled his heart, but his throat was suddenly tight.

  * * *

  MONTANA MAVERICKS: 20 Years in the Saddle!

  Dear Reader,

  I can’t believe it’s been twenty years since the first Montana Mavericks book hit the shelves. In the past two decades, more than one hundred stories have been published under that banner, giving readers a glimpse of handsome and heroic cowboys from historical times to present day, from Whitehorn to Thunder Canyon to Rust Creek Falls and other places in between.

  I am thrilled to be part of this twentieth anniversary celebration and especially to introduce you to small-town horse whisperer Jesse Crawford, who falls hard and fast for big-city corporate attorney Maggie Roarke. While it might appear that these two don’t have much in common (aside from some serious chemistry!), discovering that their one night of passion is going to have long-term consequences might just be enough to bring this couple back together in time for a holiday happy-ever-after!

  I hope you enjoy this return to Rust Creek Falls and The Maverick’s Thanksgiving Baby.

  Happy reading—and happy holidays!

  Brenda Harlen

  THE MAVERICK'S THANKSGIVING BABY

  Brenda Harlen

  Books by Brenda Harlen

  Harlequin Special Edition

  **Prince Daddy & the Nanny #2147

  **Royal Holiday Bride #2160

  ^The Maverick’s Ready-Made Family #2215

  ¶From Neighbors…to Newlyweds? #2235

  ¶His Long-Lost Family #2278

  ¶A Very Special Delivery #2283

  +A Maverick under the Mistletoe #2293

  ¶The Single Dad’s Second Chance #2337

  ¶A Wife for One Year #2348

  +The Maverick’s Thanksgiving Baby #2366

  Silhouette Special Edition

  *Her Best-Kept Secret #1756

  The Marriage Solution #1811

  ∞One Man’s Family #1827

  The New Girl in Town #1859

  **The Prince’s Royal Dilemma #1898

  **The Prince’s Cowgirl Bride #1920

  ¤Family in Progress #1928

  **The Prince’s Holiday Baby #1942

  §The Texas Tycoon’s Christmas Baby #2016

  ΔThe Engagement Project #2021

  ΔThe Pregnancy Plan #2038

  ΔThe Baby Surprise #2056

  ΩThunder Canyon Homecoming #2079

  **The Prince’s Second Chance #2100

  Harlequin Romantic Suspense

  McIver’s Mission #1224

  Some Kind of Hero #1246

  Extreme Measures #1282

  Bulletproof Hearts #1313

  Dangerous Passions #1394

  *Family Business

  ∞Logan’s Legacy Revisited

  **Reigning Men

  ¤Back in Business

  §The Foleys and the McCords

  ΔBrides & Babies

  ΩMontana Mavericks: Thunder Canyon Cowboys

  ^Montana Mavericks: Back in the Saddle

  ¶Those Engaging Garretts!

  +Montana Mavericks: Rust Creek Cowboys

  ++Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!

  Other books by Brenda Harlen available in ebook format.

  BRENDA HARLEN

  is a former family law attorney turned work-at-home mom and national bestselling author who has written more than twenty books for Harlequin. Her work has been validated by industry awards (including an RWA Golden Heart® Award and the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award) and by the fact that her kids think it’s cool that she’s “a real author.”

  Brenda lives in southern Ontario with her husband and two sons. When she isn’t at the computer working on her next book, she can probably be found at the arena, watching a hockey game. Keep up to date with Brenda on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, at @BrendaHarlen, or send her an email at [email protected].

  For Leanne Banks,

  Who shared some honest truths about cowboys…and other subjects :)

  XO

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  July

  Jesse Crawford was an idiot. A completely smitten and tongue-tied idiot.

  But far worse than that indisputable fact was that Maggie Roarke now knew it, too.

  What had ever possessed him to approach her? What had made him think he could introduce himself and have an actual conversation with a woman like her?

  While he’d never been as smooth with women as any of his three brothers, he’d never been so embarrassingly inept, either. But being in close proximity to Maggie seemed to rattle his brain as completely as if he’d been thrown from the back of a horse—and that hadn’t happened to him in more than fifteen years.

  The first time he saw her, even before he knew her name, he’d been mesmerized. She was tall and willowy with subtle but distinctly feminine curves. Her blond hair spilled onto her shoulders like golden silk and her deep brown eyes could shine with humor or warm with compassion. And her smile—there was just something about her smile that seemed to reach right inside his chest and wrap around his heart. A ridiculously fanciful and foolish idea, of course, and one that he wouldn’t dare acknowledge to anyone else.

  It was no mystery to Jesse why a man wo
uld be attracted to her, but he was still a little mystified by the intensity of his reaction to her—especially when he didn’t know the first thing about her. The discovery that she was a successful attorney in Los Angeles should have put an end to his ridiculous crush. Experience had proven to him that city girls didn’t adapt well to the country, and there was no way a lawyer—from Hollywood of all places—would be interested in a small-town rancher. But still his long-guarded heart refused to be dissuaded.

  He’d come to the official opening of the Grace Traub Community Center today because he knew she would be there, because he couldn’t resist the opportunity to see her again, even from a distance. It had taken the better part of an hour for him to finally summon the courage to introduce himself. And when he did, without muttering or stumbling over words, he felt reassured that things weren’t going too badly.

  She offered her hand and, in that brief moment of contact, he’d been certain that he felt a real connection with her. And then she smiled at him, and all his carefully rehearsed words slid back down his throat, leaving him awestruck and tongue-tied and destroying any hope he had of making a good first impression.

  He’d almost been grateful that Arthur Swinton intruded on the moment, whisking her away for a private word. Jesse had stood there for another minute, watching her with the older man and wondering if she might come back to finish the conversation they hadn’t even started. But Arthur had no sooner turned away when another man stepped into her path: Jared Winfree—also known as the Romeo of Rust Creek Falls.

  The cowboy tipped his head down to talk to her. Maggie smiled at him, though Jesse noticed that her smile didn’t seem to have the same debilitating effect on the other man, who leaned closer for a more intimate discussion. Jesse finally unglued his feet from the floor and walked out of the community center, berating himself for his awkwardness.

  His cell phone started ringing before he’d hit the bottom step, and he pulled it out to answer the call. At this point, he didn’t even care who was on the other end of the line—he was grateful for any distraction.

  After a brief conversation with Brett Gable, he was feeling marginally better. The local rancher was having trouble with an ornery stallion and wondered if Jesse could take a look at him and let the owner know if he was wasting his time trying to tame the animal or if he just needed to adjust his tactics. Jesse promised that he’d go out to the Gable ranch the next day.

  As he tucked his phone away again, he resolved to keep his focus on four-legged creatures and forget about women. Because while horses might not look as good or smell as pretty, they were a lot easier to understand and a lot less likely to trample all over his heart.

  Or throw themselves into his arms?

  “Whoa.” Jesse caught her gently as she bounced off his chest.

  Maggie’s wide, startled gaze locked with his. “I’m so sorry,” she said breathlessly.

  “Everything okay?”

  She shook her head, an introspective look now competing with the panic in her dark chocolate-colored eyes. “Are you married?”

  “What?” He had no idea what thought process had precipitated the question, but he immediately shook his head. “No.”

  “Engaged? Involved?”

  “No and no,” he said, just a little warily.

  “Then I’ll apologize now and explain later,” she told him.

  “Apol—”

  He’d intended to ask what she thought she needed to apologize for, but that was as far as he got before she lifted her hands to his shoulders and pressed her lips to his.

  To say that he was stunned would have been an understatement. But the initial shock was quickly supplanted by other stronger emotions: pleasure, happiness, desire.

  He wanted this. He wanted her. As if of their own volition, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him as he kissed her back.

  Somewhere in a part of his brain that was still capable of registering anything beyond the heavenly feel of this woman in his arms, he heard the crunch of gravel beneath heavy, impatient footsteps and a frustrated voice muttering, “Where on earth could she have... Maggie?”

  The woman in question eased her mouth from his.

  There was desire in her eyes—he wasn’t mistaken in that. But there was something else, too—a silent plea?

  A plea for what, he didn’t know and didn’t care. Right now, he would have promised her anything. Everything.

  She finally turned to look at the other man, and Jesse did the same.

  Jared Winfree’s brows were drawn together, his expression dark as he glanced from Maggie to Jesse. “Are you making a move on my woman?”

  Since Jesse had no idea how to respond to that question, he was glad that Maggie spoke up.

  “I’m not—and never have been—your woman,” she told the Romeo.

  But Jared continued to scowl. “We were supposed to be going to grab a bite to eat.”

  “No—you offered to take me for a bite to eat and I told you that I already had plans.”

  “With this guy?” His tone was skeptical.

  She took Jesse’s hand and lied without compunction. “We’ve been dating for the past several months.”

  “Then how come I’ve never seen you with him before?” Jared challenged.

  “We’ve been trying to keep a low profile and avoid being the topic of gossip,” she said easily.

  It was obvious by the stormy look in the other guy’s eyes that he wanted to challenge the claim, but with Maggie’s hand linked with Jesse’s and her lipstick on his mouth, the evidence was pretty convincing.

  “When you decide you want a real cowboy, give me a call,” Jared told her, and stormed off in the direction from which he’d come.

  Maggie blew out a breath. “Thank goodness.” She released the hand that she’d been holding on to as if it was a lifeline and turned to him. “And thank you.”

  “No need to thank me for something that was very much my pleasure,” he assured her.

  And the big-city lawyer with the razor-sharp mind and persuasive tongue actually blushed when his gaze dropped to linger on the sweet curve of her lips.

  “Do you want me to explain now?” she asked.

  “Only if you want to.”

  “I feel as if I owe you at least that much.”

  Half an hour earlier, he’d barely been able to say two words to her, but locking lips seemed to have loosened his, and he couldn’t resist teasing her a little. “Or you could just kiss me again and we’ll call it even.”

  Her mouth curved as she held his gaze, and he knew she was giving his offer serious consideration. “I think, for now, we’ll go with the explanation.”

  “Your choice,” he said.

  “I met him at the Ace in the Hole a few months back,” she began. “I was there to have lunch with my cousin, Lissa, but before we even had a chance to order, Lissa got called away. I decided to stay and at least finish my coffee, and he slid into the empty seat and introduced himself. He seemed friendly and we chatted for a while, but when he asked for my number, I told him I wasn’t interested in starting anything up with someone in Rust Creek Falls because my life was in Los Angeles.”

  Which, Jesse reminded himself, was a fact he’d be wise to remember.

  “He seemed to accept that easily enough and said maybe he’d see me around the next time I was in town. And I know Rust Creek Falls isn’t a big city, but every single time I’ve been back since then, I’ve run into him. And every single time, he asks me to go out with him.”

  “So why didn’t you just tell him you had a boyfriend in Los Angeles? I got the impression he would have believed that more readily than he believed you were with me.”

  “I don’t think he would’ve believed anything without proof—which you’re still wearing,” she said, and lif
ted a hand to rub her lipstick off the corner of his mouth with her thumb.

  And he felt it again—the sizzle and crackle of awareness when she touched him. And when her gaze locked on his, he knew that he wasn’t the only one who had felt it.

  “He hit on Lissa, too, when she first came to Rust Creek Falls,” Maggie told him. “Apparently he even started a bar fight with some other guy who asked her to dance.”

  “I don’t pay much attention to the gossip around town,” Jesse said. “But I remember hearing about that—both the sheriff and his deputy got punched and two guys got arrested.”

  Maggie smiled. “Lissa insisted it wasn’t her fault, but Gage said something about beautiful women being the cause of most trouble at the Ace in the Hole.”

  “Then you better stay away from the bar or you might incite a riot.”

  Her cheeks colored prettily, as if she hadn’t heard the same thing a thousand times before. And if she hadn’t, he figured there was something seriously wrong with the guys in LA, because Maggie Roarke was a definite knockout.

  “So why aren’t you involved with anyone back home?” he asked now.

  “How do you know I’m not?” she asked.

  “You didn’t kiss me until you’d confirmed that I wasn’t seeing anyone, and I can’t imagine you’d be any less respectful of your own relationship.”

  “You’re right,” she acknowledged. “As for not being involved—I guess I’ve just been too busy to do much dating.”

  “Until me,” he teased.

  She laughed. “Until you.”

  The magical sound of her soft laughter filled his heart, and the sparkle in her eyes took his breath away. He didn’t know what else to say—or if he should say anything else at all. Maybe he should just walk away while she was smiling and hopefully not thinking that he was an idiot.

  “I really do appreciate your cooperation,” she told him. “If there’s anything I can do to possibly repay the favor, I hope you’ll ask.”

  “Well, I was planning to grab a burger at the Ace in the Hole,” he admitted. “And despite the sheriff’s warning to your cousin, I’d be willing to take the risk if you wanted to join me.”