Mummy and the Maverick
She only has weeks to convince him he can love again…Billionaire businessman Autry Jones swore off single mothers after the pain of losing both the woman he loved and her child when she left him. But now he’s met widowed mother of three Marissa Jones, who might change his mind – and his life – in just three weeks…
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And Daddy Makes Five
Rust Creek Ramblings
In a town as small as Rust Creek Falls, it would be hard not to notice the new millionaire on Main Street, even if he wasnât drop-dead gorgeous. But bachelor Autry Jones does not disappointâheâs every bit as handsome as his settled-down brothers Walker and Hudson. However, this business-minded CEO not only shies away from commitment, heâs also heading for Paris in a month. So why is he keeping company with Marissa Fuller, a young widow with three daughters?
Marissa and Autry have made a âno-strings/just friendsâ agreement, but Abby, Kiera and Kaylee clearly have other ideas. Can a dedicated tycoon find happiness with a mom and her kids? We here at the Gazette are hopeful. Some contracts were made to be broken!
âWhat about you, Marissa? What would make you happy?â
âWhen my crew is happy, Iâm happy.â She smiled. âI guess itâs hard to separate one from the other. Itâs been a long time since itâs been just me, you know?
âWhat would make me happy?â She paused and looked at him, and she was pretty sure her answer was written all over her face.
He sucked in a breath and leaned close and kissed her. She kissed him back, grateful for their secluded corner.
âJust for tonight,â she said.
âJust for tonight.â
She kissed him again, her hands on his face, everything she felt going into the fierce kiss. âNo strings attached,â she whispered.
âThatâs always been the case,â he said.
No strings. Sheâd shake on that again, but not on being friends. She couldnât be casual friends with Autry, not after this, and certainly not after they made love.
âMaybe we should take this conversation upstairs,â he said.
âI think weâre done talking,â she whispered and kissed him again.
* * *
Montana Mavericks: The Great Family Roundupâ Real cowboys and real love in Rust Creek Falls!
MEG MAXWELL lives on the coast of Maine with her teenage son, their beagle and their black-and-white cat. When sheâs not writing, Meg is either reading, at the movies or thinking up new story ideas on her favorite little beach (even in winter) just minutes from her house. Interesting fact: Meg Maxwell is a pseudonym for author Melissa Senate, whose womenâs fiction titles have been published in over twenty-five countries.
In memory of my beloved grandparents.
Contents
Autry Jones stood on the sidewalk in front of Just Us Kids Day Care Center, trying to process that his familyâs corporation, the venerable Jones Holdings, Inc. was in the day care business. And that he was about to walk inside the building.
Autry and children didnât mix. Joneses and children werenât supposed to mix, but somehow, two of his four brothers had not only settled down with wives in this small Montana town, but were heavily invested in a day care franchise.
Autry took off his aviator-style sunglasses and tucked them in his pocket. He sucked in a breath and pulled open the front door.
There were babies everywhere.
Well, little humans, Autry amended, as he stepped inside and glanced around the main room. And only a handful of them, now that he actually counted. A big-cheeked baby was in a womanâs arms. A toddler wearing a shirt decorated with a cartoon monkey was building a tower of cardboard blocks. A little girl with bright red pigtails sat at a pint-size table, drawing a picture of a house and the sun with a smiley face in the center.
The middle-aged woman holding the baby smiled at him and walked over. He read her name tag: Miss Marley.
âHi, Miss Marley,â he said, extending his hand. âIâm Autry Jones. Myââ
The woman grinned and shifted the baby in her arms. âNo introductions necessary, Autry. Youâre Walker and Hudsonâs brother. Iâd know a Jones brother anywhere. They mentioned you were flying in today. But you just missed them. They left for Ace in the Hole. Everyone in town is getting together there for a viewing party.â
Ace in the Hole? Was that some kind of golf tournament? He could see Walker on the course, but Hudson? No way. âA viewing party?â
Miss Marley looked at him as if heâd been living on Mars for a while. âTo watch The Great Roundup, of course! I plucked the short straw, so Iâm on duty with this lil cutie and the Myler siblings until their parents get off work, but three people promised to record the premiere for me.â
Ah, a TV show, Autry figured. He didnât watch much TV. As president of Jones Holdings, an international company involved in real estate and manufacturingâand lately, a day care franchiseâAutry was focused on negotiating deals and making money. Having time to watch TV was beyond him, despite the stretches he spent in airport lounges and on flights to everywhere from Dubai to Australia. Free time was about preparationâwhich was practically his familyâs motto. Well, his fatherâs. Not that that had always been the case for Autry. Something he didnât like to think about.
