Maverick Christmas Surprise
A Christmas gift he never expected! Wilder Crawford never expected to find a baby on his doorstep! His baby? Maybe -and he intends to find out! But first he must prove to the baby’s aunt, Beth Ames, he is daddy material. But inviting Beth to stay he might just find something else… a family?
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A GIFT THE COWBOY DIDN’T EXPECT
The last thing Wilder Crawford expected was to find a baby on his doorstep on Christmas morning. His baby? Maybe—and he intends to find out! Little Cody’s aunt, Beth Ames, thinks the steadfastly single rancher isn’t daddy material. But her objections only make Wilder dig in his spurs. He invites Beth to stay for the holidays, never dreaming he might fall for the earnest schoolteacher. Unless Santa’s intent was to turn the cowboy into a family man all along...
BRENDA HARLEN is a former attorney who once had the privilege of appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada. The practice of law taught her a lot about the world and reinforced her determination to become a writer—because in fiction, she could promise a happy ending! Now she is an award-winning, RITA® Award–nominated national bestselling author of more than thirty titles for Mills & Boon. You can keep up-to-date with Brenda on Facebook and Twitter or through her website, brendaharlen.com
The Sheriff’s Nine-Month Surprise
Her Seven-Day Fiancé
Six Weeks to Catch a Cowboy
Claiming the Cowboy’s Heart
Double Duty for the Cowboy
One Night With the Cowboy
Bring Me a Maverick for Christmas! The
Maverick’s Midnight Proposal
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.
ISBN: 978-1-474-09188-6
MAVERICK CHRISTMAS SURPRISE
© 2019 Harlequin Books S.A.
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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To my MAC girls—Stacy, Freda, Elena & Jen—
with thanks for so many fabulous memories
(and in anticipation of many, many more!).
Contents
Note to Readers
Dallas, Texas Christmas Eve
Beth Ames couldn’t help but sing along with the holiday song on the radio. Christmas had always been her favorite time of the year, and she was even more excited this holiday season because it was her nephew’s first. Four-month-old Cody was the love of her life, and she was grateful—if a little surprised—that her sister had invited her to celebrate the milestone occasion with them.
Over the years, the relationship between Beth and Leighton had been strained more often than not. While Beth might wish it wasn’t so, she couldn’t change the dynamic on her own, and her sister had always rebuffed her efforts to get closer. That had finally changed when Leighton confided to Beth that she was pregnant.
No doubt Leighton had been scared about the prospect of having and raising a child on her own, now that the baby’s father was no longer a part of her life. Of course, Beth had questions about the man, but Leighton refused to answer them. And the more she pushed, the more her sister resisted.
“I appreciate your support, but I don’t need your lectures,” she’d said. “So if you want to be there with me when the baby is born, you’ll stop asking about a guy who, I can assure you, has less than zero interest in being a dad.”
