The Maverick's Christmas Baby
Rejoice, ye merry Mavericks!As Christmas approaches, we here at The Rust Creek Falls Rambler thought we’d reward our devoted followers with a blind item guaranteed to put a little extra jingle in your stockings. Which rugged Rust Creek Traub has been spotted canoodling with a very pregnant lady of the Crawford kind? Astute readers will guess we’re talking about divorced rancher Dallas Traub, who rescued expectant shopkeeper Nina Crawford from a snowy car wreck a few weeks back.Can these holiday honeys survive feuding families, three boisterous boys, and a little bundle of joy intent on an early arrival?Only Santa knows for sure… and he might just be bringing the gift of love down the chimney this year!
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Noelle was small, but pink and perfect, with just a smattering of hair the color of Ninaâs. And gazing down at her made him smile.
âYouâre a beauty like your mama,â he told her in that same almost inaudible whisper. âBut you must be tired, too, so why donât you go back to sleep for a little while?â
As if obeying, the newborn balled up her fists under her chin, closed her eyes and did just that.
Making Dallas smile all over again.
Youâre not mine â¦
Youâre neither one mine ⦠he reminded himself.
But somehow it felt as if they were. Or at least as if they should be. And the thought of walking away from either of them was something he just couldnât find it in himself to do.
MONTANA MAVERICKS:RUST CREEK COWBOYSBetter saddle up.Itâs going to be a bumpy ride!
VICTORIA PADE is a USA TODAY bestselling author of numerous romance novels. She has two beautiful and talented daughtersâCori and Erinâand is a native of Colorado, where she lives and writes. A devoted chocolate lover, sheâs in search of the perfect chocolate-chip-cookie recipe.
For information about her latest and upcoming releases, and to find recipes for some of the decadent desserts her characters enjoy, log on to www.vikkipade.com.
Contents
Chapter One
âOh, this is not good...â Nina Crawford said to herself as she cautiously pulled her SUV to a stop at the sign on the isolated country road outside her hometown.
Mother Nature had not been kind to Rust Creek Falls this year. First a summer flood had devastated the small Montana town, and nowâstill in the midst of trying to recover from thatâit was being hit by a December blizzard.
The weather report had predicted only a moderate storm that would arrive later tonight. Nina ran her familyâs general store in town and, trusting that weather report, when an elderly, arthritic customer on an outlying farm had called in and asked that a heating pad be delivered to her, Nina hadnât hesitated to leave the store in the hands of her staff and grant that request. And even when that lonely elderly woman had offered Christmas cookies and chamomile tea, Nina still hadnât had any worries about spending an hour visiting.
But the sky had grown increasingly ominous and dark with storm clouds, and when the first few flakes began to fall much earlier than they were supposed to, Nina had left.
Only to find herself miles from home when the howling winds had whipped that snow into a blinding frenzy.
Temperatures had plummeted rapidly, and already the snow was freezing to the windows of Ninaâs SUV, adding to the limitations of her vision. She rolled down her window, hoping to be able to better see if another vehicle was coming from her left.
It didnât help much. Visibility was low. Very, very low.
She studied the crossroads, searching for anything that might give her an indication that another car was coming. But she didnât see any approaching headlights in the whiteout conditions, and all she could hear was the screaming wind. So, hoping the coast was clear, she rolled up her window and ventured into her right turn.
But the moment she got out onto the road she did see headlights. Coming straight for her.
Trying to avoid a collision she swerved sharply, and so did the other vehicle.
The next thing Nina knew her SUV was nose-down in a ditch and sheâd fallen pregnant-belly-first into the steering wheel.
Which was when she felt the first pain.
âNo, no, no, no...â
Fighting the rise of panic, she did what she could to push herself back from the steering wheelâwhich at that angle was no easy task.
Her due date was January 13. It was currently two weeks before Christmas. If her baby was born now it would be a month early.
She couldnât deliver a month early.
She couldnât....
A pounding on her side window startled her and the fright didnât help matters.
âAre you all right?â a manâs voice shouted in to her.
Her SUV hadnât hit anything so her airbag hadnât activated and the engine was still running. But dazed and scared, she didnât know if she was all right. She just couldnât think straight.
Then the door was opened from the outside. And standing there was Dallas Traub!
It wasnât exactly encouraging to see a member of the family that had been at odds with her own for generations.
âAre you all right?â he repeated.
âI donât know. I may be going into labor. I think I need help....â
âOkay, stay calm. My truck is stuck, too, on the other side of the road. But at least it isnât nearly up on end the way you are. If we can get you out of here you can lie down in my backseat.â
Fear and the dull ache in her abdomen robbed Nina of the ability to argue. Traub or not, he was all there was and she was going to have to accept his aid.
âCan you turn off the engine?â he asked.
That made sense but it hadnât occurred to Nina. And, yes, she could do that, so she did, leaving the keys in the ignition.
