Maverick Holiday Magic (Montana Mavericks: Six Brides For Six Brothers Book 5)

by Teresa Southwick

  “Hunter, I can take her. I’ll just finish up these dinner dishes and the two of us can head out. You get some rest.”

  “Does the whole town really go?” he asked.

  “I’ve never taken a head count so I’m sure there are some people who don’t attend. But it’s always crowded.”

  Wren shook her head. “It won’t be the same with just Merry and me. You have to come, Daddy.”

  Merry recognized indecision on his face along with the fatigue. When they were exhausted, most people resembled roadkill. Not Hunter Crawford. He made the wrath of God look good. He hadn’t shaved and the dark scruff, along with the weariness, somehow made him look brooding and sexier than ever.

  Then it occurred to her that his hesitation might be about her. Maybe he wanted alone time with his daughter and was trying to figure out how to say so and not hurt her feelings.

  “Wren, maybe your dad wants to take you by himself. Just the two of you. A father/daughter outing.”

  “No.” The little girl put on her stubborn face like a superhero costume. “Then you would be all alone. And sad.”

  “Well,” he said, “then I guess the three of us are going. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No one is allowed to be sad. Especially my little princess.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.” She hugged him and he kissed the top of her head.

  Merry met his gaze. “I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”

  “Thanks.” There was a flicker of something in his eyes, probably regret that he wouldn’t get some sleep for another couple of hours.

  A little while later the three of them pulled into the town hall parking lot. The large pine tree had been set up on the corner of Cedar Street and North Main. They exited the truck and Merry automatically took Wren’s hand because there were cars, moving slowly, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

  On the sidewalk, Wren said, “Daddy, hold my other hand.”

  “Okay, kiddo.”

  The little girl turned a happy smile on both of them. “We’re all holding hands.”

  Merry had no idea why but she blushed and her cheeks grew warm. Since it was dark and Hunter couldn’t see it, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, besides a cold wind was blowing. There hadn’t been any snow yet, but they still needed to bundle up. She assessed Wren’s pink jacket, matching knit hat and fur-lined boots.

  “Are you warm enough, sweetie?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you?” Hunter was looking at Merry.

  Could he see the flush on her face? Did he resent her for intruding on this outing? After giving him an out, she wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that he hadn’t told his daughter no. She had on a cream-colored hat with a pompom, matching mittens and a quilted jacket.

  “I’m a little chilly but we’ll all huddle around the tree for the lighting and the crush of bodies will block the wind.”

  It would be lovely if the two of them snuggled up and shared body heat. But that would be a Christmas miracle since there was about as much chance of that happening as Santa actually coming down the chimney.

  “I see the tree,” Wren shouted. She tugged them along and they moved with a lot of other people all heading in the same direction.

  The community tree was situated in a grassy area beside the town hall. They found a spot and eased into it next to an older couple.

  “Daddy, I can’t see very well.”

  Merry bent down to the little girl’s level and pointed to a break in the bodies. “Look right through there, sweetie.”

  “I’m tryin’, but they keep movin’ back and forth. I’m gonna miss the lights.”

  “I promise you won’t,” Merry assured her. Knowing Rust Creek Falls, she was sure astronauts on the international space station could probably see this tree when it was lit.

  “I’ll put you on my shoulders,” Hunter said.

  “Can you?” Merry tried to gauge his fatigue level. “Are you too tired?”

  “Coffee and the cold woke me up.” He grinned at her then effortlessly lifted his six-year-old onto his broad shoulders. “How’s that, kiddo?”

  “Awesome! I can see everything from up here.”

  Problem solved, except for the part where Merry wanted to sigh at the adorable sight of this swoon-worthy man making sure his daughter had a fulfilling experience. After he’d been up half the night.

  They weren’t far from a raised platform with a microphone for the town officials—mayor, deputy mayor, sheriff. All of them were assembling now so it shouldn’t be too long.

  The tall silver-haired woman beside her smiled and leaned close. “What a beautiful family you have.”

  “Oh, they’re—”

  “I remember when my daughter was that age and still believed in Santa Claus.” She whispered that part so Wren couldn’t hear. “Then some little twerp at school told her there was no such thing, before she or her father and I were ready to let that go.”

  “That’s too bad. Kids don’t have a filter. And when they learn something that rocks their world, they don’t keep it to themselves.”

  “Isn’t that the truth.” The woman smiled ruefully. “Not unlike the majority of adults in this town who spread gossip like jam on toast.”

  “There are plusses and minuses to small-town living,” Merry agreed. “That’s one of the negatives.”

  “It’s not a deal breaker, though. This is a good place to raise children. Take it from me. My daughter moved away when she got married.” She looked at Wren on her father’s shoulders. “Don’t let your little girl do that.”

  Before Merry could explain that she was Wren’s nanny, there was microphone static. Then Mayor Collin Traub did a sound check. A few years ago the man had won the mayoral election over Nate Crawford, who was a distant relation of the Crawfords at the Ambling A. The man was now the owner of Maverick Manor, the town’s upscale hotel. The current mayor had skillfully guided the town through recovery after the devastating flood and did such a good job, he’d been reelected by a wide margin.

  “Can everyone hear me?” His deep voice traveled well and the crowd murmured that they could. “I’ll keep this short because it’s cold out here. But you all know that. Let me start off with a public service announcement. Tonight the stores will be open late for you to start, or continue, your holiday shopping.

  “Welcome to the Rust Creek Falls annual tree lighting. From now through Christmas there will be lots of holiday events sponsored by the city council. Check the dates and times in the Rust Creek Falls Gazette and on the RCF website.

  “I want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Now let’s get the season going and light up this tree. On the count of five.”

  The crowd counted along and when they got to one, green, red, gold and blue lights flashed on giving off a brilliant glow. Ornaments covered the branches and gold-trimmed ribbon wound around the tree. There was a dazzling star on top.

  Almost as one voice the crowd said, “Ooh! Wow.”

  “It looks so pretty. A princess tree. Best one ever!” Wren clapped her mitten-covered hands together. “Don’t you think so, Daddy? Aren’t you glad you came?”

  “I am,” he said.

  Merry grinned. “So you’re not mad at me for mentioning it?”

  “Only a little.” But his grin said otherwise.

  “When are we gonna get our tree?” His daughter looked down at him from her perch on his shoulders. “We hafta get one soon.”

  “We will. Next week we’ll cut one down.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  The crowd was slowly dispersing and Merry looked for the older woman beside her. She planned to set the record straight about Hunter and Wren not being her family, but the lady had moved away. Part of Merry was glad she didn’t have to correct the woman’s assumption. Belonging to this family was such
a lovely idea. But she wasn’t a child who could visit Santa and ask for the gift that meant the most to her.

  Hunter set his daughter on the ground. “Thanks for making me do this, princess.”

  “You’re welcome.” She smiled at him and the look said she had another request. “Would you thank me for making you get me hot chocolate at Daisy’s Donuts?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s a school night. What do you think, Merry?”

  She quivered and was pathetically happy just being here with them. If the night went on forever it would be okay with her. “Well, I think that you’ll be a little tired at school tomorrow, along with all the other kids who are here. But this only happens once a year.”

  “Is that a yes?” Wren asked.

  “Affirmative,” her father teased.

  “Does that mean yes?” the little girl demanded.

  “It does.” Merry held out her hand. “I know you’re big, but I need you to hold my hand crossing the street.”

  “Daddy, too?”

  Merry figured he could handle it on his own. He was a grown man. She looked at him and was a little surprised at the intensity on his face. It disappeared when he noticed her watching.

  “If he wants,” she answered.

  “He does,” Wren said for him. “Let’s all hold hands.”

  Merry defied anyone to tell this child no. And the three of them crossed North Main Street along with a few other spectators who were walking to Daisy’s. A lot of people apparently had the same idea and there were only two tables next to each other that were free. The woman in front of them told her husband and son what to order for her and said she was going to grab one of the tables.

  “Good idea.” Hunter looked at her. “Why don’t you stake out the last one. Wren and I will get hot chocolate.”

  “Sounds good.”

  She sat at a circular table and put her purse and jacket on two other chairs. The woman at the table beside her did the same.

  Merry smiled at her. “Good idea to grab these.”

  “Yeah.” She looked thoughtful. “Aren’t you an aide at the school?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “My son is in sixth grade and I’m sure I’ve seen you there.”

  The woman looked vaguely familiar. “Yeah. I work in the primary grades. There are going to be a lot of tired and crabby little ones tomorrow.”

  “Your little girl doesn’t look like she ever gets cranky. And your husband is wrapped around her little finger, I bet.” She smiled. “You have a beautiful family.”

  The words were like a solid whack to the chest, the second one tonight. It was such a wonderful idea, but that’s all it was. Just an idea, a notion without a chance of being real.

  She smiled and could feel the sadness around the edges. “He’s not my husband and that’s not my daughter. I’m just her nanny.”

  “Oh—” The other woman looked distressed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

  Merry didn’t hear the rest. A traditional family was everything she’d ever wanted but the dream was not looking good. Since Thanksgiving night Hunter had been different, distant. Oh, he teased and bantered but when their eyes met, she could almost see his barriers securely in place. There hadn’t been a glimmer of the raw need she’d seen when he’d almost kissed her. But she must have been mistaken about that.

  There was no way he had feelings for her. Not the way she did for him.

  Christmas carols played softly in the background. But for her, the most wonderful time of the year wasn’t so wonderful.

  Chapter Ten

  After school the next day Merry met Wren just outside of her classroom for the walk to the truck. Last night’s excitement at the town Christmas tree lighting and a fairly substantial sugar high at Daisy’s Donuts immediately after made it way past bedtime when the little girl was finally asleep. Merry had expected to collect a tired, cranky and out-of-sorts child that afternoon, but that’s not what happened.

  “Merry!” Wren ran over and was practically jumping up and down. Clearly she was excited about something. “You’ll never guess what happened.”

  She made an exaggeration of studying the happy little face. “Well, I’m guessing it’s something pretty fantastic judging by that deliriously happy smile.”

  “It is. I got a big part in the Christmas play.” She clapped her hands together. “It’s going to be at the community center and my teacher said almost everyone in town comes to watch.”

  “Oh, sweetie, that’s wonderful.” She bent down to hug her. “What part did you get?”

  “I’m going to play Rudolph’s best friend, Dancer.”

  “Awesome.”

  “It’s the second-biggest part and there are a lot of lines to learn.” The smile dimmed just a little.

  “I can help you with that, sweetie. And you have a really good memory. That’s probably why your teacher picked you. Learning your lines will be a piece of cake. You’ll see.”

  “We better go home so I can start.”

  “Okay.” When the little girl trustingly slipped her hand into Merry’s, there was a definite tug on Merry’s heart. She hoped she was creating a positive difference in this young life. That would go a long way toward making this hopeless crush on Hunter Crawford mean something.

  Hand in hand, they weaved through the crowd of children who’d just been dismissed from class and walked to the lot where Merry’s old truck was parked. She took the pink backpack and set it on the back seat, then lifted Wren up. Without a running board it was next to impossible for six-year-old little legs to breach the distance.

  “Hop on into your car seat, sweetie.”

  “You always say that.”

  “Because I always want you to be safe.”

  “You always say that, too.” Wren spontaneously hugged her.

  That gave Merry’s heart another delicious tug and she squeezed the small body close for a moment. “I’m very glad to know you listen to what I say.”

  “I do.”

  “Good.” She pulled away and winked. “Now, make sure you—”

  “Buckle yourself in,” Wren finished.

  They were both laughing as Merry closed the truck door. She walked around and opened the driver’s side and climbed behind the wheel. “Okay, let’s get you home. Are you hungry?”

  “Yes. Can I have peanut butter on crackers and some apple slices? I like the way you cut them up into skinny pieces.”

  “Of course. That sounds like a very nutritious snack. And we have everything. I don’t have to stop at the store before we leave town.”

  She put her key in the ignition and started the engine, then backed out of her space and headed slowly for the exit onto South Main Street. She made a right turn to go north out of Rust Creek Falls toward the ranch.

  It was awfully quiet in the passenger area. “Everything okay back there?”

  “Yes. I can’t wait to tell Daddy about the play.”

  “He’s going to be pretty excited and very proud of you.” She glanced in the rearview mirror and noted an uneasy look on that sweet face. “Something wrong?”

  “My teacher said for the play the whole class gets to help make fake snow out of construction paper because when Santa and the reindeer land the sleigh, it slides on snow.”

  “Good. Then the whole class will feel like they’re part of the play. Everyone makes an important contribution. No one gets left out. That’s the meaning of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s story.”

  “That’s what my teacher said.”

  Merry noted that she still sounded a little concerned. “What’s really bothering you, honey?”

  “In Texas there wasn’t any snow where we lived but Daddy said Santa is magic and would come anyway because there isn’t snow everywhere he goes.”

  “Your dad is righ
t.”

  “But before we moved here to Montana he told me there would be snow by December and there isn’t any.”

  “That’s true. It has been unseasonably warm this year,” Merry admitted. “But look at that sky. If those aren’t snow clouds I don’t know what are.”

  “I hope so. I’m so tired of waitin’.” There was a whole lot of emotion in those words.

  “If it’s not a problem for Santa, why is it so important?”

  “Mistlesnow.”

  “What now?” Merry asked.

  “When it starts to snow, you make a wish and it will come true.”

  “That’s sweet. I never heard that before. What a lovely idea.”

  “It didn’t snow for Uncle Finn and Aunt Avery’s wedding. And it got cold here, too, but there’s nothing. I’ve been waitin’ and waitin’. I never saw it snow before. And I can’t hardly wait to make a wish.”

  “Well, I’ve lived in Montana for a while now and it’s snowed every winter. And I’m pretty sure it’s in the weather forecast for today. So, just keep an eye on that sky.”

  “Okay.”

  Merry glanced in the rearview mirror again and saw the little girl staring eagerly out the truck window. She smiled and was charmed yet again by this special child. Obviously she had her mother’s DNA but she’d been raised solely by her father. That made him a pretty special man. Clearly he had so much to give. It was a darn shame that Hunter was so closed off and that made her sad.

  A few minutes later she made the turn onto the road that led to the Ambling A Ranch. She drove about a mile in and the cluster of buildings came into view. Moments later she parked in front of the log cabin. Hunter was standing on the covered porch, which wasn’t a surprise, but Merry’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. That wasn’t a surprise either. The same thing happened nearly every day because he was almost always waiting to make sure his daughter got safely home so he could hear about her day. After that he went back to whatever job he’d been doing.

  He stepped off the porch and lifted a hand in greeting. She sighed a little at the intensely masculine sight of him with his black Stetson pulled low on his forehead and his sheepskin jacket accentuating broad shoulders. He moved to the truck’s rear passenger door to lift out his little girl.