by Teri Wilson
This cowboy cutie won’t settle down
Until he gets unsettling news...
Finn Crawford is going to be a dad. He can only imagine the fireworks when the Ellington family learns he slept with their cherished daughter Avery. Their families have been feuding for years. It’s no wonder sweet, expectant Avery balks at Finn’s suggestion of a convenient marriage. What’s more surprising is that the footloose, flirty rancher might secretly long for something more...
“You look a million miles away all of a sudden.” Finn paused on the threshold to study her. “Everything okay?”
No, nothing was okay. She felt huge and overly emotional, and he was still the same ridiculously handsome man, perfectly dashing in all his clueless daddy-to-be glory.
“Actually...” Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t swallow, much less form the words she so desperately needed to say.
Tell him. Do it now.
“Yes?” He tilted his head, dark eyes glittering beneath the rim of his black Stetson.
Meeting his gaze felt impossible all of a sudden, so she glanced at his plain black T-shirt instead. But the way it hugged the solid wall of his chest was distracting to say the least.
“I, um...” She let out a lungful of air.
“You’re beautiful, that’s what you are. A sight for sore eyes. Do you have any idea how glad I am to see you?” Finn reached up and ran his hand along her jaw, caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
It took every ounce of Avery’s willpower not to lean into his touch and purr like a kitten. Her body was more than ready to just go with the flow, but her thoughts were screaming.
Tell him, you coward!
* * *
MONTANA MAVERICKS:
Six Brides for Six Brothers!
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for choosing to read The Maverick’s Secret Baby. It was a great honor and privilege to write this book, which is part of Harlequin Special Edition’s long-standing Montana Mavericks continuity. I am thrilled to follow in the footsteps of so many wonderful authors, and I hope I’ve done justice to the exciting Montana Mavericks world!
One of the things I loved best about writing The Maverick’s Secret Baby was the autumn setting. Fall is such a cozy, comforting time of year, and I tried to bring this warmhearted season to life as best I could. I imagine you enjoying a yummy pumpkin spice latte as you read about Avery and Finn trying to find their way back to one another with a little help from the residents of charming Rust Creek Falls and a sweet baby goat named Pumpkin.
If you enjoy this book, don’t forget to pick up the other novels in the Montana Mavericks: Six Brides for Six Brothers series! Finn Crawford has five brothers, and they’re all dreamy. None of them are looking for love, but it just might find them anyway...with a little help from their meddling father, Maximilian.
Happy reading!
Teri Wilson
The Maverick’s Secret Baby
Teri Wilson
Teri Wilson is a novelist for Harlequin. She is the author of Unleashing Mr. Darcy, now a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. Teri is also a contributing writer at hellogiggles.com, a lifestyle and entertainment website founded by Zooey Deschanel that is now part of the People magazine, Time magazine and Entertainment Weekly family. Teri loves books, travel, animals and dancing every day. Visit Teri at teriwilson.net or on Twitter, @teriwilsonauthr.
Books by Teri Wilson
Harlequin Special Edition
Furever Yours
How to Rescue a Family
Wilde Hearts
The Ballerina’s Secret
How to Romance a Runaway Bride
The Bachelor’s Baby Surprise
A Daddy by Christmas
Drake Diamonds
His Ballerina Bride
The Princess Problem
It Started with a Diamond
HQN Books
Unmasking Juliet
Unleashing Mr. Darcy
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
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This book is dedicated to my writing friends from the Leakey, Texas, writing retreat. From the small-town shop with the meat cleaver door handles to the house on the river and the nighttime campfires, it was the perfect inspiration for writing a Montana romance with a cowboy hero. I love you all.
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 from A Husband She Couldn’t Forget by Christine Rimmer
Chapter One
Finn Crawford was living the dream.
Granted, his father, Maximilian, had gone a little crazy. The old man was intent on paying a matchmaker to marry off all six of his sons. If that wasn’t nuts, Finn didn’t know what was.
This wasn’t the 1800s. It was modern-day Montana, and the Crawfords were...comfortable. If that sounded like something a rich man might say about his family, then it was probably because it was true. Finn’s family was indeed wealthy, and Finn himself wasn’t exactly terrible-looking. Quite the opposite, if the women who’d been ringing Viv Dalton—the matchmaker in question—were to be believed. More important, he was a decent guy. He tried, anyway.
Plus, Finn loved women. Women were typically much more open than men. Kinder and more authentic. He loved their softness and the way they committed so much to everything, whether it was caring for a stray puppy or running a business. Show him a woman who wore a deep red lipstick and her heart on her sleeve, and he was a goner. At the ripe old age of twenty-nine, Finn had already fallen in love more times than he could count.
So the very notion that he’d need any help in the marriage department would have been completely laughable, if he’d had any intention of tying the knot. Which he did not.
Why would he, when Viv Dalton was being paid to toss women in his direction? His dad had picked up the entire Crawford ranch—all six of his sons and over a thousand head of cattle—and moved them from Dallas to Rust Creek Falls, Montana, for this asinine pretend version of The Bachelor. The way Finn saw it, he’d be a fool not to enjoy the ride.
And enjoying it, he had been. A little too much, according to Viv.
“Finn, honestly. You’ve dated a different woman nearly every week for the past three months.” The wedding planner eyed him from across her desk, which was piled high with bridal magazines and puffy white tulle. Sitting inside her wedding shop was like being in the middle of a cupcake.
“And they’ve all been lovely.” Finn stretched his denim-clad legs out in front of him and crossed his cowboy boots at the ankle. “I have zero complaints.”
Beside him, Maximilian sighed. “I have a lot of complaints. Specifically, a million of them where you’re concerned, son.”
Finn let the words roll right off him. After all, paying someone a million dollars to find wives for all six Crawford brothers hadn’t been his genius idea. Maximilian had no one to blame but himself.
“Mr. Crawford, I assure you I’m doing my best to find Finn a bride.” Viv tucked a wayward strand of blond hair behind her ear and folded her hands neatly on the surface of her desk. All business. “In fact, I believe I’ve set him up with every eligible woman in Rust Creek Falls.”
“All of them?” Finn arched a brow. This town was even smaller than he’d thought it was. It would have taken him a lifetime to go through the entire dating pool back in Dallas. He should know—he’d tried.
Vivienne gave him a tight smile. “Every. Last. One.”
“Okay, then I guess we’re done here. You gave it your best shot.” Finn stood. He’d miss the girlfriend-of-the-week club, but at least his father would be forced to accept the fact that he wasn’t about to get engaged to any of the fine female residents of Rust Creek Falls.
Finn placed his Stetson on his head, set to go. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Sit back down, son.” Maximilian didn’t raise his voice, but his tone had an edge to it that Finn hadn’t heard since the time he’d “borrowed” his father’s truck to go mudding with his high school buddies back in tenth grade.
That little escapade had ended with Maximilian’s luxury F-150 stuck in a ditch and Finn mucking out stalls every weekend for the rest of the school year.
Of course Finn was an adult now, not a stupid teenager. He made his own choices, certainly when it came to his love life. But he loved his dad, and since the Crawfords were all business partners in addition to family, he didn’t want to rock the boat. Not over something as ridiculous as this.
“Sure thing, Dad.” He lowered himself back into the frilly white chair with its frilly lace cushion.
Maximilian sat a little straighter and narrowed his gaze at Viv Dalton. “Are you forgetting what’s at stake?”
She cleared her throat. “No, sir. I’m not.”
A look of warning passed from Finn’s father toward the wedding planner, and she gave him a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
Finn’s gut churned. What the hell was that about?
Damn it.
Knowing his dad, he’d gone and upped the ante behind Finn’s back. When Maximilian ran into problems, he had a tendency to write a bigger check to make them go away.
Finn sighed. “I’m no longer sure entirely what’s going on here, but I think it might be time for this little matchmaking project to end. Half of us are already married.”
One by one, Finn’s brothers Logan, Xander and Knox had become attached. It was uncanny, really. None of them had ended up with women of Viv’s choosing, but they’d coupled up all the same. The way he saw it, his dad should be thrilled. The Crawford legacy would live on, Finn’s bachelor status notwithstanding.
Maximilian shook his head. “Absolutely not. We need Viv’s help now more than ever. It’s not going to be easy to make matches for you, Hunter and Wilder. Hunter hasn’t so much as looked at another woman since his wife died. Wilder is just...well, Wilder. And you can’t seem to focus on one woman to save your life. If you’re not careful, son, you’re going to wind up old, alone and lonely. Just like me.”
A bark of laugher escaped Finn before he could stop it.
“Please.” He rolled his eyes. “You’re far from lonely.”
His father was rarely, if ever, alone. The business and living arrangements at their sprawling Ambling A Ranch pretty much assured that Maximilian saw each of his six sons on a daily basis. Plus, he was the biggest flirt Finn had ever set eyes on.
His dad had been single for decades. Finn’s mother had abandoned the family when all six of her sons had been young. Maximilian might have remained single, but that hardly meant he lacked female companionship. His wallet alone was an aphrodisiac—plus he was something of a silver fox. Being in his sixties didn’t stop him from dating nearly as much as Finn did.
Like father, like son.
“Point taken.” Maximilian shrugged one shoulder. The corner of his mouth inched up into a half grin. “In any case, we’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to find you a bride.”
“Your son might need to adjust his standards,” Viv said, as if Finn wasn’t sitting right there in the room. “The sheer number of women he’s dated in the past three months should have guaranteed a good match.”
“I guess you’ll just have to dredge up more women. It seems like the only solution.” Finn aimed his best sardonic smile directly at the wedding planner. She was really beginning to annoy him.
Adjust his standards? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
“I’ve been calling around town to see if I’ve overlooked any single ladies. This morning alone I’ve tried all the day-care centers, the veterinary clinic, the medical center and Maverick Manor.” Viv tapped a polished fingernail on the pink notepad in front of her. “I thought maybe I could find a few datable, single women working in one of these locations whom I might not be acquainted with, some ladies living in one of the surrounding counties.”
So now she was going to import women into town to date him? This whole ordeal was getting more absurd by the minute.
“Any luck?” Maximilian said.
“Not yet. But there’s still one place left on my list—Strickland’s Boarding House.”
An ache took up residence in Finn’s temples. “That ramshackle Victorian mansion by the fire station?”
Viv’s lips pursed. “It’s a town landmark.”
“It’s purple,” Finn retorted.
“Lavender gray, technically.” She smiled brightly at him. Jeez, this woman never gave up, did she? Maybe because your father is offering her a million dollars to marry you off...possibly more. “Just the sort of place a lovely single woman might choose to stay.”
“That actually makes sense, son.” Maximilian waved a hand toward Viv’s list. “Go ahead and call over to the boarding house. We’ll wait.”
Finn was on the verge of pulling his Stetson low over his eyes and taking a nap. No one here seemed to care much what he thought, anyway. But once Viv dialed the number, she put her phone on speaker mode, which made napping pretty much impossible.
After two rings, an older man’s voice rattled on the other end. “Howdy, Strickland’s Boarding House.”
Viv smiled. “Hello there, Gene. It’s Vivienne Dalton calling.”
“Hi there, darlin’. What can Melba and I do for you today?” he said.
In the background, Finn heard a woman—Melba, presumably—asking who’d called. When Old Gene supplied her with the information, she yelled out a greeting to Viv.
Viv and Old Gene exchanged a few more pleasantries. Gene asked about her husband, and she inquired as to the well-being of the baby pygmy goat Gene and Melba were caring for.
Of course there’s a baby pygmy goat. Finn suppressed a grin. Maximilian, however, was less charmed. He cleared his throat, prompting Viv to get on with the matter at hand.
She took the hint. “Actually, Gene, I have a rather odd question for you. Do you happen to have any single young women staying at the boarding house who might be interested in a date with a handsome cowboy named Finn Crawford? I’m trying to help out a friend who’s new in town.”
“Funny you should mention single young women,” Old Gene said. “We’ve had a darling young lady staying with us for a couple weeks now. A bit on the shy side, but sweet as pie.”
Viv’s eyes lit up. “Really? What’s her name?”
“Avery.”
Finn narrowed his gaze at Viv’s phone.
Avery?
The only Avery he knew would never fit into a place like Rust Creek Falls. She couldn’t possibly be talking about...
“Avery who?” Maximilian growled. “P
lease tell me you’re not talking about the daughter of that rat bas—”
“Dad.” Finn shook his head. “Chill out.”
As usual, Maximilian had a harsh word at the ready for anyone related to his old nemesis, Oscar Ellington.
Finn was certain he didn’t need to worry. It just wasn’t possible. Oscar Ellington’s daughter lived over a thousand miles away, in Texas. Plus, with her pencil skirts, red-soled stilettos and designer handbags, she wasn’t exactly what Finn would describe as sweet. Considering they’d only shared one night together, she wasn’t exactly his, either.
Still, what a night it had been.
“Gene! Stop talking right this minute!” Melba’s voice boomed in the background again.
Viv frowned down at her phone. “Is everything okay over there?”
“Fine and dandy,” Gene said.
Melba issued a simultaneous “No, it is not. Gene seems to have forgotten we shouldn’t be giving out guests’ private information.”
“But she seems a little lonely,” Old Gene countered while Melba continued to balk.
Again, Finn’s memory snagged on a sweet, sultry night on an Oklahoma business trip and the most electric kiss he’d ever experienced. The power had gone down, bathing the city in darkness. But when his lips touched Avery Ellington’s, they’d created enough sparks to light up the sky.
How long had it been?
Months.
“Excuse me.” Finn leaned forward in his chair. He knew he was supposed to be a quiet observer at the moment, but he had to ask. “What exactly does this Avery woman look like?”
The glare Viv aimed his way shot daggers at him.
“Never mind,” she said primly. “Sorry to bother you, Gene. We’ll chat soon. Give that baby goat a kiss for me. Bye now.”
She ended the call, and for a minute, Finn was seriously worried she might throw the phone at his head. “What does she look like? You can’t be serious.”
Maximilian shrugged. “It’s a legitimate question.”
Finn held up a hand. “Wait. That’s not what—”