The Maverick's Midnight Proposal

by Brenda Harlen

  But in the few weeks that he’d known her, she’d already helped to lighten the load he carried. Of course, talking to his siblings had helped, too. Their support and acceptance had given him hope that he could finally move forward with his life, but it was Eva who had given him hope that he didn’t have to move forward alone.

  With her sweetness and kindness and patience, she had shown him that he wasn’t only worthy of being loved, but that he was capable of loving in return. Because he knew now that he did love her—and he didn’t ever want to leave her.

  Unfortunately he came to that realization about an hour after he’d driven past Maverick Manor, which meant that it would be another hour before he could get back. And it was almost eleven o’clock already.

  He checked his mirrors to confirm that there were no other vehicles around, then made a U-turn in the middle of the road and stepped on the accelerator.

  * * *

  Eva had practically floated through the day, buoyed by foolish hope that she’d walk into Maverick Manor and find Luke waiting for her. But he wasn’t there.

  Of course, she hadn’t given him a specific time and, in retrospect, she could acknowledge that “New Year’s Eve” was a little vague. Just because he wasn’t there promptly at eight o’clock didn’t mean he wasn’t going to show up.

  But eight o’clock had become nine o’clock, which was when Travis and Brenna were scheduled to renew their vows in front of their families and friends. As Eva watched them promise to love, honor and cherish one another, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever find a man to look at her the way Travis looked at Brenna. For a very short while, she’d let herself believe that Luke Stockton might be that man, but his absence from the festivities tonight forced her to accept that she’d been wrong.

  When the groom was instructed to kiss his bride, he did so with lavish enthusiasm and Eva lifted a tissue to dab at the moisture on her lower lashes. More than a few of the female guests were wiping their eyes, and she trusted that anyone who saw her tears would assume they were a response to the emotional ceremony. Only she knew the truth—that at least a few of those tears were for herself, for the weary heart that had been rejected yet again.

  As she looked around the room, hoping for a quiet corner to escape to for a minute, she couldn’t help but take note of all the happy couples and families in attendance. Newlyweds Autry Jones and Marissa Fuller were there with her daughters Abby, Kiera and Kaylee, the girls all sporting festive berets from their recent trip to Paris; and Abby’s BFF, Janie Lattimore, who was staying with her dad, Hank, while her mom, Annie, was off on her honeymoon with her other dad, Danny, in celebration of their Christmas Eve wedding. Lydia Grant was cozied up in the corner with Zach Dalton, and Eva had heard rumors that a springtime wedding was being planned for the recently engaged couple. Hadley Strickland was wearing a ring on the third finger of her left hand now, too, and was in attendance with her doting fiancé Eli Dalton. Because everyone in town was pairing up and falling in love.

  Everyone except Eva.

  Well, she’d done the falling in love part.

  Unfortunately, Luke hadn’t fallen in love, too.

  And now it was after eleven o’clock and, as each minute passed, she became more and more certain that he wasn’t going to show up. How could she have misread the situation so badly? Was she so desperate for love that she only saw what she wanted to see?

  She didn’t believe it. The way Luke had looked at her, kissed her, touched her, she’d been certain that he had deep feelings for her.

  But tonight was New Year’s Eve and he wasn’t anywhere around, forcing Eva to acknowledge the possibility that she might never see him again.

  She glanced at the slender gold watch on her wrist—a gift from her parents when she graduated high school—and felt her heart sink a little deeper. It was almost eleven thirty now. She looked around the room again. There were so many people packed into the ballroom that she wasn’t sure she would be able to pick him out of the crowd if he was there. But she felt confident that she would know it in her heart—and right now, her heart was empty.

  “Can I have this dance?”

  The voice was familiar, albeit not the voice she longed to hear. But she forced a smile and turned to Bobby Ray Ellis. She didn’t want to dance with anyone but Luke, but she also didn’t want to look like a pathetic wallflower. It was New Year’s Eve and this was a party, so she would dance with anyone who asked and pretend that her heart wasn’t shattered into a million pieces.

  * * *

  It was almost midnight by the time Luke pulled into the very full parking lot of Maverick Manor. He scanned for an empty space, certain that everyone in Rust Creek Falls had turned out for the New Year’s Eve party. Or maybe they were here to watch the reality TV newlyweds renew their vows. Either way, the prospect of such a crowd had a bead of sweat sliding down his back.

  He preferred intimate gatherings to boisterous parties, and there weren’t a lot of women that he would venture near a fancy shindig like this for. In fact, he couldn’t imagine doing it for anyone but Eva. Because he loved her.

  He wasn’t sure that he was worthy of her heart, but he wasn’t foolish enough to let a woman like her slip through his fingers. Yeah, he had scars, and they went pretty deep. But Eva had seen them all and she loved him anyway.

  The doors of the hotel opened up, spilling out light and music and a familiar figure in a black dress. A very little black dress. His mouth went dry and his heart, already racing, started to pound even harder and faster.

  But Eva didn’t see him. Nor did she seem to be looking for him. Instead, she ducked behind a support column, as if she wanted to be alone, and dropped her chin to her chest.

  He’d started eagerly toward the entrance as soon as he saw her, but now his steps faltered.

  Was she...crying?

  Of course she was, and even an idiot could figure out why. Because she’d asked him to meet her tonight, to prove that he cared about her, and she thought he was a no-show.

  The absolute last thing he’d ever want to do was hurt her, but the streaks of moisture on her cheeks confirmed the painful truth. The tears were his fault.

  But he could fix this—he would fix this. And he would spend the rest of his life making it up to her, if she would let him.

  “Eva?”

  Her head came up fast and her eyes, swimming with tears, met his for only a brief moment before they slid away again.

  “What—” the word sounded a little hoarse, and she paused to clear her throat before continuing “—what are you doing here?”

  “Isn’t this where you told me to be?” He took another step closer. His gaze roamed over her hungrily, taking in every detail from the spiraling curls piled on her head to the strapless figure-hugging dress that ended several inches above her knees and the ice-pick heels on her feet. “You look...wow.”

  And a little cold, he realized, noting the goose bumps on her arms. He unbuttoned his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

  “Thanks,” she said, then gave him a casual once-over and offered a small smile. “You clean up pretty good yourself, cowboy.”

  “I hate wearing a tie,” he admitted.

  “Why did you?”

  “Because—” he reached for her hands and linked their fingers together “—according to my sister, when a man who doesn’t usually wear a tie puts one on for a woman, it tells her that she matters.”

  “Words could probably accomplish the same thing.”

  “I’m not always good with words,” he confided. “But I’m here—and wearing a tie—because you matter.”

  She dropped her gaze to their joined hands. “I thought you weren’t going to show up,” she admitted.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” he said.

  “You’re here,” she said, and o
ffered a tremulous smile. “That’s the important thing.”

  “Do you remember telling me that my story wasn’t over? That I could write a happy ending if I wanted it?”

  She nodded.

  “I want that happy ending—with you.” He dropped his hands so that he could draw her into his embrace. “I love you, Eva.”

  “I love you, too,” she said.

  Inside the crowd began the countdown to midnight.

  “Ten...”

  “I didn’t intend to cut it this close,” he told her.

  “...nine...”

  “We still have nine seconds.”

  “...eight...”

  “Eight,” she amended.

  “I want to kiss you at midnight, so I’ll have to talk fast.”

  “...seven...”

  “Or we could skip the talking and move—”

  “...six...”

  “—right to the kissing.”

  “...five...”

  He reached for the box in his pocket—only to remember that she was now wearing his jacket. He patted his hands down her sides, searching.

  “Or the awkward, fumbling foreplay,” she teased.

  “...four...”

  He found the box and dropped to a knee in front of her. “Will you marry me, Eva?”

  Her eyes went wide and she lifted a hand to press it to her heart. “Ohmygod—I feel like I’m dreaming.”

  “...three...”

  “You’re not dreaming,” he assured her. “You’re also not answering my question.”

  “...two...”

  “You really want to marry me?”

  “...one...”

  “More than anything else in the world.”

  “Then yes,” she said quickly. “My answer is yes.”

  He slid the ring onto her finger.

  “Happy New Year!”

  He smiled. “Happy New Year, Eva.”

  “Happy New Year, Luke.”

  Then, finally, he was kissing her.

  And Eva forgot that she was standing outside at midnight on New Year’s Eve in twenty-degree weather because being in Luke’s arms warmed everything inside her.

  While he continued to kiss her, she became aware of something that sounded like...clapping?

  Then someone said, “Now that gives a whole new meaning to the expression ‘ring in the New Year.’”

  Luke reluctantly eased his mouth from hers, but he kept his arms around her, holding her close. “While your enthusiasm is appreciated,” he said dryly, “you’re interrupting a private moment here.”

  “I didn’t mean to intrude,” the stranger said. “But that really was perfect. In fact, I don’t think my producer could have scripted it any better.”

  “Producer?” Eva echoed warily, noting the camera propped casually on his shoulder.

  “Of The Great Roundup. That’s why I was here—to film Travis and Brenna’s renewal of vows,” the man explained. “I was on my way out when I caught a glimpse of something from the corner of my eye and started the camera rolling. I got the whole proposal—and that really hot kiss.”

  Luke didn’t look happy to hear his admission. “You recorded us—without our knowledge or consent?”

  “The candid stuff is always the best,” the cameraman said. “Do you guys think you’d be interested in taking part in the show next season?”

  Eva had enjoyed watching Travis and Brenna compete for the big prize—and Luke hadn’t grumbled too much about it—but she didn’t think either of them wanted that kind of fame or fortune. She looked at him now, and they both shook their heads.

  The man pressed a card into Luke’s hand. “In case you change your mind.”

  Then, finally, he took his camera and walked away.

  “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?” Luke asked.

  “No,” she said. “I don’t want to be famous. I just want to be with you.”

  “Good.” He brushed a sweet kiss on her lips. “Because that’s everything I want, too.”

  Epilogue

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Eva asked, seeking reassurance before she slid the scraper under the seam of the wallpaper.

  “I’m sure this paper is hideous,” Luke told her. “Which means that it has to go.”

  She looked at the printed ivy that seemed to crawl up the walls, and though it wasn’t anything she ever would have chosen, she didn’t think it was ugly so much as dated. Which made sense, considering that his parents had papered the kitchen walls some twenty years earlier.

  Even when Luke had decided that he wanted to stay in Rust Creek Falls with Eva, he’d balked at the idea of moving back to his childhood home. But over time she’d managed—with the encouragement and support of his siblings—to counter his objections.

  They hadn’t decided what they were going to do with the land, because they were still looking for Liza so that all of the siblings would have input into that decision, and Hudson’s PI hadn’t had much luck in tracking her down. But David Bradford had done some digging locally and discovered that Matthew Baldwin was the one who had paid the taxes on Sunshine Farm. The why was still unknown and the old man had rejected all efforts by his grandchildren to find out, but Eva was confident the truth would be revealed in short order.

  For now, Luke and Eva were working toward making the house livable again, one room at a time. They’d tackled the master bedroom first, for obvious reasons; then Luke had wanted to redo the kitchen—for Eva.

  “I was trying to decide what room to do after we’re finished with the kitchen,” Luke said as he scraped the paper on the wall next to where Eva was working.

  “We’ve just started with the kitchen,” she reminded him.

  “I know,” he admitted. “But when it’s done, maybe we could do the bedroom across the hall from ours.”

  “Don’t you think it makes more sense to focus on the main floor first?” she said.

  “We could do what makes sense—” he said, holding his palms up as if they were scales and he was weighing the options “—or we could make a baby.”

  The scraper slipped from Eva’s hand and clattered to the floor. She left it where it fell and turned to face him. “You want to have a baby?”

  “Well, not before we’re married,” he said. “But yeah, in the not-too-distant future. As long as it’s what you want, too.”

  “Yeah, it’s definitely what I want, too.”

  Then she lifted her arms to link them behind his head and drew his mouth down to hers.

  “In fact,” she said, whispering the words against his lips, “I think we should go upstairs now and check out the bedroom you were talking about.”

  “You just want to get me upstairs so that you can seduce me.”

  “You don’t know me as well as you think you do,” she said, shaking her head in mock disapproval as she reached for the buckle of his belt. “Or you’d realize that I can seduce you anywhere.”

  “You’ve got me there,” he admitted. “In fact, you’ve got me anywhere you want me.”

  She kissed him again. “Which is only one of the many reasons I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” he said, and proceeded to show her how very much.

  * * * * *

  Can’t get enough of those Mavericks?

  Don’t miss our bonus Montana Mavericks summer special.

  Vivienne Shuster is an expert wedding planner, but her own love life is a disaster—and now she needs a fiancé to impress her boss! Cole Dalton thinks weddings are for the birds. Can he cowboy up and help Viv—without falling for the Rust Creek Falls marriage magic?

  Look for

  THE MAVERICK’S BRIDAL BARGAIN

  by Christy
Jeffries

  Available June 2017, wherever Harlequin books and ebooks are sold.

  And catch up with the rest of the

  MONTANA MAVERICKS:

  THE GREAT FAMILY ROUNDUP

  Look for:

  THE MAVERICK FAKES A BRIDE

  by New York Times Bestselling Author

  Christine Rimmer

  MOMMY AND THE MAVERICK by Meg Maxwell

  THE MAVERICK’S BRIDE-TO-ORDER

  by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Stella Bagwell

  THE MAVERICK’S RETURN

  by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Marie Ferrarella

  THE MAVERICK’S SNOWBOUND CHRISTMAS

  by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith

  THE MAVERICK’S MIDNIGHT PROPOSAL

  by Brenda Harlen

  Keep reading for an excerpt from YULETIDE BABY BARGAIN by Allison Leigh.

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