Nobody can resist Montana Mavericks! From Whitehorn to Thunder Canyon to Rust Creek Falls, the Big Sky cowboys have been roping in readers for decades. Now New York Times bestselling author Allison Leigh kicks off a special anniversary series with Destined for the Maverick, a short and sexy prequel sure to get you in the maverick mood!
Rust Creek Ramblings
Addie McBride might be the most adorable construction worker weâve ever seen. But thereâs something a little suspicious about Rust Creek Fallsâ newest handyperson. Rumor has it she used to work in a big-city shopping mallâand that her only building experience is stacking piles of merino wool sweaters. So how in the world did she wind up on Jack Lawsonâs construction crew? Brace yourself, dear readers, as our Rust Creek cowboy meets his total oppositeâwho might just be his perfect match!
And donât miss Million-Dollar Maverick by Christine Rimmer, the first installment of Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!
Chapter One
âMontana?â The word was a comment in and of itself simply because it was practically a screech at the top of her coworkerâs lungs. So much so that it drew the attention of the trio of teenage girls who were browsing the rack of clearance-priced jeans. âWhat do you mean youâre moving to Montana?â
Addie McBride managed a calm smile, even though inside she was a mass of bouncing nerves, and continued folding the cap-sleeved T-shirts she was stacking on the table in the front of the store. The Cincinnati, Ohio, mall where Honeyque was located was typically quiet for the middle of the morning in the middle of April. It was also the middle of the school week, and from one corner of her eye, Addie kept an eye on the girls. If it had been a vacation day for students, the clothing store would have been busier, and sheâd bet they were cutting classes.
âI mean Iâm moving to Montana,â she told Daphne again. Maybe once she started her life there, she would lose the cynicism sheâd acquired that made her automatically suspicious of three giggling teenage girls.
Daphne rolled her eyes and continued plying the portable steamer over the dresses she was hanging. âI got that, Addie. The question is why? Honeyque doesnât have any stores in Montana, much less this. . .what did you call the town? Brown Creek River? Might as well be Timbuktu.â
âRust Creek Falls,â Addie corrected with a laugh. âRemember that woman Iâve been telling you about? Theone from Bootstraps who went to Montana to help with the recovery efforts after it was flooded out last summer? I saw her on the national news and started following her blog about it,â she prompted.
âThe one who moved there and got all hitched up with a cowboy as a result?â Daphne looked disbelieving. âYouâre moving because of that? Because you want a man? You had more dates last week than Iâve had in a month! Youâre too picky, thatâs the problem.â
For most of her life, Addie had been accused of talking too much. And she wished now that sheâd just kept her mouth shut. Just because sheâd been moved by Lissa Roarkeâs blog regarding her experiences in the small Montana town and the dignity of the Rust Creek people who lived there didnât mean that Addieâs young coworker would share the dream that had tugged Addie into making such a monumental change in her life.
âIâm not picky,â she said. And she wasnât about to tell Daphne that she did hope to find a man. Yes, sheâd had a few dates recently. And theyâd been as go-nowhere as always. She just couldnât find the kind of man who wanted the same old-fashioned things she wanted. Not here in Cincinnati. âIâm moving because I want a change. Iâm leaving next week.â And she was crossing her fingers that her fifteen-year-old car, Edith, would stand up to the drive, because even as expensive as gasoline had become, it was still cheaper to drive the long way than to fly.
Daphne went from disbelief to shock. âSo soon?â
âI have a week of vacation on the books, so Iâm using that as half of my two-week notice. If I make good time, Iâll have a few days to get settled before I start my new job.â
âIn retail?â
Again, she wished sheâd kept her mouth shut. âItâs a, um, a new development there,â she said vaguely. She didnât want to get into the details of the position sheâd been offered, particularly when it was a temporary job. Sheâd already battled her parents over what they considered a massively foolish decision to give up her position with Honeyque after sheâd been working there for five years.