Destined for the Maverick
Page 5
His smile turned crooked. “Sweetheart, you’ve gotten paint all over this room.” He rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks. “We’ve still got two weeks before the completion date.”
“I’ll quit,” she said fervently. “Your cousin Keith is looking for someone. I saw the sign when he fixed Edith. It’s still there. I knew I’d have to find another job when this ended anyway and—”
He pressed his finger over her lips, silencing her. “The gas station would never survive you. You’re too flammable.”
She gaped. “I beg your pardon?”
His hands swept down her back and he pulled her onto his lap. “And I want you right where you are, Addie McBride.”
Forget bubbles blooming inside her. Joy was filling her veins, seeming to flow out of her pores. “Really?”
“Really.” He kissed her softly. “A person can’t fight destiny, after all. And I think I knew you were mine the first time I heard Edith groaning.”
“Oh, for cripe’s sake,” Reg’s voice barked from outside the doorway. “How the hell did paint get out here? Girl, you better clean this up before Jackaroo—oh.” He stepped into the room, eyeing them sitting on the floor together amid the mess. His crooked teeth flashed. “Guess that’s all right,” he said, and turned on his heel and left again. A second later, they heard him yelling at someone else.
Jack’s eyes met hers again. “Where were we?”
Addie looped her hands around his neck. She was spreading paint everywhere, but he didn’t seem to care.
So neither did she.
“Right about here,” she whispered against his lips, and felt them curve in a smile against her.
“That’s right.” His arms held her close. So close she could feel his heart beating in time with hers. “That’s exactly right.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from
MILLION-DOLLAR MAVERICK
by New York Times bestselling author
Christine Rimmer.
Don’t miss a single installment of the Montana Mavericks
Special Edition continuity: 20 Years in the Saddle!
If you loved Destined with the Maverick by Allison Leigh, be sure to catch these great stories in the popular Montana Mavericks collection, only from Harlequin Special Edition:
Million Dollar Maverick by Christine Rimmer (July 2014)
From Maverick to Daddy by Teresa Southwick (August 2014)
Maverick for Hire by Leanne Banks (September 2014)
The Last Chance Maverick by Christyne Butler (October 2014)
The Maverick’s Thanksgiving Baby by Brenda Harlen (November 2014)
A Very Maverick Christmas by Rachel Lee (December 2014)
Order your copies today in ebook format.
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After winning the lottery, Nate Crawford wants nothing more than to start a new life and leave his hometown of Rust Creek Falls behind—for good! Until he meets nurse Callie Kennedy, the one woman who might be able to charm Nate into revealing his haunting secret...and perhaps even sticking around for good?
The longer he stayed, the more she didn’t want him to go.
In the back of her mind, a warning voice whispered that she was giving him the wrong signals, that she was supposed to be swearing off men for a while. Plus, well, he kept saying he was moving away and she never wanted to live anywhere else but Rust Creek Falls.
It couldn’t go anywhere. And the last thing she needed was to get herself all tied in knots over a guy who wouldn’t be sticking around.
But then instead of waiting for him to say how he should get going, she opened her big mouth and offered, “Coffee?” She bent to put the dishes in the dishwasher rack.
He moved in a step closer. “There are just some things a man can’t resist....”
She shut the dishwasher door and rose to face him, aware of the warmth of him, so close, of the gold striations in those moss-green eyes, of how she loved the shape of his mouth, with that clear indentation at the bow and the sexy fullness of his lower lip.
He lifted a hand and brushed his fingers along the bare skin of her arm, bringing a lovely little shiver racing across her skin. Outside, the sky lit up and thunder rolled away into the distance. The rain just kept pouring down, making a steady drumming sound on the roof.
She whispered, “Nate...”
Her lips felt kind of dry suddenly. She started to stick out her tongue to moisten them, but caught herself just in time and ended up nervously pressing her lips together.
“Yes, Callie.” Now his voice was tender.
* * * * *
Enjoy this sneak peek from
MILLION-DOLLAR MAVERICK
by New York Times bestselling author
Christine Rimmer, the first book in
Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!,
a brand-new six-book continuity
launching in July 2014!
Don’t miss a single installment of the new
Special Edition continuity,
MONTANA MAVERICKS: 20 YEARS IN THE SADDLE!
Beginning in July 2014 with
MILLION-DOLLAR MAVERICK
by
New York Times bestselling author Christine Rimmer
Nate Crawford holds a winning lottery ticket that has him set for life—as soon as he cashes it in and leaves town. Until he meets nurse Callie Kennedy, the one woman who might be able to charm him into revealing his haunting secret...and perhaps even sticking around for good!
FROM MAVERICK TO DADDY
By Teresa Southwick
August 2014
Playboy rancher Caleb Dalton finds safety in playing the field. But then he meets a single mom who has no intention of allowing a cowboy to turn her well-ordered world—or her little girl’s heart—upside down.
MAVERICK FOR HIRE
By USA TODAY Bestselling author Leanne Banks
September 2014
Carpenter Nick Pritchett offers to give his best buddy, Cecelia Clifton, a makeover to help her find the cowboy of her dreams. Big surprise—he doesn’t count on falling for her himself!
THE LAST-CHANCE MAVERICK
By USA TODAY Bestselling author Christyne Butler
October 2014
Architect Jonah Dalton swore he’d never return to Rust Creek Falls after his painful divorce, but business brings him back. Still, will a new romance with artist Vanessa Brent keep him in town...for good?
THE MAVERICK’S THANKSGIVING BABY
By Brenda Harlen
November 2014
Maggie Roarke’s one-night stand with rancher Jesse Crawford was out of character—and resulted in pregnancy! These two parents-to-be couldn’t be more different. Will their holiday-baby-to-be bring them to a fairy-tale ending?
A VERY MAVERICK CHRISTMAS
By New York Times Bestselling author Rachel Lee
December 2014
Beautiful blond Julie Smith never talks about her past—because she has no memory of anything that happened before she awoke in a small New England hospital four years ago! Perhaps a very special cowboy can help bring her back to her roots...just in time for the holidays!
ISBN-13: 9781459256217
DESTINED FOR THE MAVERICK
Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Allison Leigh for her contribution to the Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle! continuity.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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