A Maverick for Christmas

by Leanne Banks

  Craving the need to escape his thoughts of her, he took a shower, praying it would wash thoughts of Abby from his head. He went to bed and tossed and turn then finally fell asleep.

  Cade heard the collision and the crunch of metal and glanced behind him. What he saw filled him with horror. Abby’s cute little VW was a twisted mess. A truck had ran into her little car just outside his driveway.

  His heart pounding in his chest, he raced to help Abby. She had to be okay, he told himself. She had to be. He got to her car and saw her slumped in the seat, unconscious. A trickle of blood slid down the side of her cheek.

  “Abby,” he yelled at the top of his lungs as he beat on the VW’s window. “Abby!”

  The sound of his own voice awakened Cade. His body drenched in a cold sweat, he shook his head, still locked in the terrible nightmare where he couldn’t get to Abby, where he couldn’t help her.

  Sucking in deep breaths of air, he blinked his eyes and turned on his bedside lamp. It had been a dream, he told himself. A dream. Still, he reached for his cell phone and his finger hovered over the speed dial for her phone number. He just wanted to hear her voice, to make sure she was okay. That was all he needed.

  Reality finally began to penetrate his brain, and he scolded himself. He needed to get control of his emotions. He was totally out of hand. He was going to have to work harder at reining in his feelings. When he’d let his heart get away from him in the past, it had always led to pain. This time was no different.

  On Thanksgiving morning, Cade went to DJ’s along with what seemed like everyone else in the community to pack up turkey and rib dinners for the less fortunate. He walked into the diner and nearly walked straight into Abby.

  He reached out to steady her, but Abby put up her hands and stumbled backward as if she would do anything to keep him from touching her. The knowledge stabbed at him. “Hey,” he said. “How are you doing?”

  She bit her lip and didn’t meet his gaze. “I’m okay. Busy as usual. Oh, look, there’s Austin,” she said, gesturing toward a familiar-looking young man.

  Cade studied the guy for a few seconds and realized this was the young man who had taken Abby out that night she’d been dressed to thrill. He felt a twist of jealousy even though he knew he had no right.

  Abby glanced at one of several sheets of paper she held in her hand. “Austin,” she called. “Rose,” she said to the Traubs’ sister and waved them toward her. “Do you two mind riding together to deliver the dinners? We want to start making deliveries as soon as possible because they’re all spread out.” Abby paused a moment then gave a slight smile. “Oops, maybe you two haven’t met.”

  “I can take care of that,” Austin said and extended his hand. “Austin Anderson. I’ve seen you around, but was never lucky enough to meet you.”

  Rose smiled. “Rose Traub. I believe my brothers are better known than I am,” she said wryly.

  “I can’t imagine why,” Austin said. “They can’t be nearly as pretty.”

  Rose glanced at Abby. “Thanks for putting me with someone who has a sense of humor. It will make the day go faster.”

  “Have fun,” Abby said to both of them and gave them a sheet of paper. “Here are the names and addresses for your deliveries. Thanks so much for your help.”

  Cade forced himself to move away from her even though he wanted nothing more than to be close to her, even in this room full of other people. Spending the past week without her had been pure hell. But necessary, he told himself as he joined an assembly line putting together the food boxes. He loaded a box of ribs into each package of food.

  The room was full of conversation and purposeful activity. He heard a few people chuckling and wondered when he would feel like laughing again.

  Suddenly an unfamiliar young woman approached Zane Gunther, the country music star who had made Thunder Canyon his home and recently fallen in love. “Mr. Gunther, I’m Tania Tuller. Ashley was my sister.”

  The whole room turned quiet because everyone knew that Zane was fighting a lawsuit over a fan dying at one of his concerts. The tragedy had apparently forced Zane to reconsider his career in the fast lane. The poor guy had been horrified that such a thing could happen at one of his concerts.

  “Mr. Gunther, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my sister’s death, it’s that none of us knows how long we have here to live our lives. That means we’ve got to go after our dreams and make the best out of the time we’re given. Holding grudges is a waste of precious time. Ashley died going after her dream of seeing her hero. You were her hero,” Tania said, her voice breaking.

  Zane stepped toward Tania and put his arm around her to support her. Tania leaned against him. “My parents’ lawsuit is an idea. Ashley would be horrified by it. Your music was the light of her life. I’m going to try my best to talk my parents out of this lawsuit, and I really believe I can.”

  Murmurs spread throughout the room like wildfire. Cade watched Zane speak quietly with Tania, but he found Tania’s words sticking him like needles. Almost everything she said could have been directed at him. Life is short. He might not be holding on to a grudge, but holding on to fear was just as bad or worse.

  He looked at Abby, who was struggling to put on a brave face, but he could tell she was miserable, and he was the cause of it. An overwhelming wave of realization swept over him. Abby was the woman of his dreams. She made him feel as if anything were possible. Being with her gave him the deepest sense of peace and happiness he’d ever dreamed possible.

  Hard facts slammed into him. Fear had been holding him back. Fear might be why he wasted so many years dating Laila. Deep down, he knew that spending time with her was safe. He was so scared he would lose Abby that he was pushing her away before he could get hurt. Cade couldn’t wait one more minute to talk to her.

  Striding across the room, he stood directly in front of her and looked into her sad brown eyes and wanted to kick himself. “I’ve been a fool,” he said. “You’ve misunderstood my reaction to you and I’ve been fighting my feelings like a bull in a china shop. I love you so much it freaks me out.”

  Abby blinked in surprise. “What?”

  “Yeah, and I think deep down you suspected it. When I wanted to back off, I confused you. I’m so sorry for that,” he said, shaking his head. “I love you so much that the thought of losing you scares me to death.”

  “But you didn’t lose me. You pushed me away.”

  “I didn’t lose you, but I’ve lost others. What I feel for you is stronger than anything I’ve ever known before. What if I lost you, too?” he asked, the sound of his voice gruff to his own ears.

  “Oh, Cade,” she said, stepping into his arms. “I wish you had talked about this with me before. I never want you to suffer like this. Never.”

  The sensation of her body against his was so sweet he had to catch his breath. “I’ve been a total hard-headed fool. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. I just hope you can forgive me.”

  She bit her lip as if she wasn’t sure she could trust him. That possibility tore at him and he was determined to regain her confidence in him.

  “You know that people will talk about us. Are you sure that’s not going to bother you? Are you sure you’re not going to change your mind?”

  “Not in a million years,” he said. “Let them talk. The most important thing in the world to me is you.”

  Cade wasn’t given to wild impulses, but Abby brought out all kinds of surprising things inside him. He climbed on top of a table. “Listen, everybody. I love Abby Cates.”

  A heartbeat of silence passed before the room exploded with applause. Cade jumped off the table and pulled Abby back into his arms. Her face was full of shock and happiness. “Cade?” she said in surprise.

  “Better get used to it, Abby. This is the effect you have on me,” he said and took her mouth in a kiss for all the world to see.

  Epilogue

  Abby experienced the most thankful Thanksgiving day in her history. Eve
ry time she thought about Cade standing up on that table in DJ’s to profess his love for her in front of everyone, she pinched herself to believe it was true. Of course, it helped that everyone in Thunder Canyon wanted to replay the scene with her over and over. Old man Henson chuckled over it every time she saw him, and the servers at the diner thought it was the most romantic thing they’d ever heard. Even her ROOTS girls wanted to hear the story over and over like a fairy tale from when they were little girls.

  Her parents had always loved Cade, so they were thrilled, and Laila was pleasantly surprised to hear that Cade had stepped up the way he should. After Thanksgiving, the days passed with the speed of light and suddenly it was time for the Cateses’ double wedding.

  Cade was taking her to the wedding, of course. They’d spent every possible moment with each other, and both freely admitted, every possible moment just wasn’t enough. Abby followed in her mother’s footsteps by putting Christmas decoration in every room of Cade’s house, including the bathroom. At first Cade had thought it was ridiculous, but she’d heard him humming the Christmas song from a music box she’d placed in his bedroom on more than one occasion.

  Although her friend Austin Anderson had originally planned to escort her, he’d graciously bowed out and Abby had heard he was taking Rose Traub.

  Abby wore a navy velvet dress in honor of the holiday season, curled her hair and applied her makeup with care. This was the event of the season but, more importantly, she wanted to impress Cade. She wondered if there would ever be a time when she didn’t want to impress him and just couldn’t imagine it. At the same time, though, Cade made her feel as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world even if it was the end of the day and she knew she looked as tired as she felt.

  “Abby!” her father called. “Cade’s here.”

  Abby grabbed her coat and walked into the living room where Cade stood in a dark suit that set off his light hair and blue eyes. All she could do was stare.

  “You look amazing,” he said.

  She laughed breathlessly. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

  “All right, you lovebirds, get on your way. I’m going to have to push my wife out the door soon. Never seen so much primping in my life,” her father said. He’d been ready for a half hour.

  “What do you expect, Daddy? It’s a double wedding in a ballroom. We all want to look our best,” Abby said and pressed a kiss on her father’s cheek. “We’ll see you there.”

  Cade led her to his SUV and helped her into the car. They talked during the entire ride about how they’d spent their morning. Soon enough, they arrived at the wedding. A line of guests formed, waiting to be seated for the ceremony of two of Thunder Canyon’s most beloved couples. Abby could feel the excitement and anticipation in the air.

  “Oh, look,” she said. “There’s Zane Gunther with Jeannette. She looks so pretty.”

  “Did you hear that the Tullers dropped their lawsuit against Zane?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “That’s wonderful news.”

  Cade nodded. “He’s started a special foundation in Ashley’s honor and he’s naming it The Ashley Tuller Foundation.”

  “He’s a good guy. It’s amazing how fast he and Jeannette got together. They’re already engaged.”

  “When it’s right,” Cade said, looking into her gaze, “you know it. And there’s no need to waste time.”

  Her stomach dipped and she squeezed his hand. She stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear. “I love you more than anything, Cade Pritchett.”

  He snuck a quick kiss and sighed. “This may be bad timing, but—”

  “What?” she asked, confused by the nervous expression on his face.

  “Come here,” he said, pulling her away from the crowd. He led her to a quiet, private place on the other side of the building. The wind fluttered through his hair, making her want to touch it.

  “I had wanted to wait to give this to you for Christmas, but I can’t. Everything is right with you. You make me feel more complete, more at peace, more happy than I have in my entire life. I don’t want to wait another minute without taking the next step,” he said.

  Her heart beating like a helicopter’s propeller, she stared at him. “What are you talking about?”

  Abby watched as Cade knelt down one knee and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. He opened it and lifted it for her to see a beautiful diamond ring. Abby gasped at the sight of it, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Cade. Was this really happening? She was certain she was having an out-of-body experience.

  “Abby, I love you with all my heart and soul. You are my true soul mate. There is nothing that would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

  Abby’s hands began to shake. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Yes, she’d had a crush on Cade for as long as she could remember, but her crush had grown into a woman’s love. Knowing that he wanted her to be his was so powerful she nearly couldn’t comprehend it. “Could you repeat that last bit?” she managed in a husky whisper.

  Cade stood and pulled her into his arms. “I love you, darlin’. Say you’ll be mine forever.”

  With his arms around her, the reality set in. Cade Pritchett had just asked Abby Cates to marry him. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I will.”

  Cade placed the ring on her finger and sealed their promise with a kiss that sent Abby around the world. She knew she and Cade had found the love of a lifetime, and they would always cherish each other.

  Special thanks and acknowledgment to Leanne Banks for her contribution to the Montana Mavericks: The Texans are Coming! continuity.

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-1564-1

  A MAVERICK FOR CHRISTMAS

  Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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  § Montana Mavericks: The Texans Are Coming!

  * The Royal Dumonts

  † The Billionaires Club

  ** The Medici Men