The Maverick's Midnight Proposal

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?

Rust Creek Ramblings

Sighting confirmed! That handsome, brooding cowboy about town is Luke Stockton—Rust Creek Falls’s long-lost son. It’s been over a decade since his parents’ tragic deaths...and Luke’s sudden departure. Our guess is he’s here to reconnect with his estranged siblings. Why, then, is Luke spending so much time at Daisy’s Donut Shop? The coffee’s great but...

Perhaps beautiful baker Eva Armstrong has him in her thrall! Careful, Eva, you’ve had enough heartbreak. Despite the sizzling kisses, Luke isn’t the marrying kind. Still, we encourage a little mistletoe mischief...after all, Christmas is the season of love. Perhaps Luke and Eva will “ring” in the New Year together. Get it? All we want for Christmas is a happily-ever-after!

She shrugged. “When someone returns to town after a dozen years, people are bound to talk.”

“No doubt,” Luke admitted, his tone grim.

“All good stuff,” she told him.

He lifted his mug, swallowed a mouthful of coffee. “It seems that you have me at a disadvantage.”

“How so?”

“You obviously know my name—and apparently a lot more—but I don’t know yours.”

She touched a hand to the bib of her apron. “Oh. I forgot my name tag today,” she realized. “Eva Rose Armstrong.”

He set down his mug and proffered his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eva Rose Armstrong.”

She felt a tingle through her veins as her palm slid against his. His hand was wide and strong, with calluses that attested to a familiarity with manual labor. It was a man’s hand, and every womanly part of her responded to the contact.

“Eva,” she said. “My friends call me Eva.”

“Are we going to be friends, Eva?”

“I think so,” she said, not daring to admit that she already hoped “friends” was only the beginning of what they would be to one another.

“I could probably use a friend,” he admitted, releasing her hand to pick up his fork again. “I don’t think I have any left in this town.”

* * *

Montana Mavericks: The Great Family Roundup— Real cowboys and real love in Rust Creek Falls!

The Maverick’s Midnight Proposal

Brenda Harlen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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, 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, www.brendaharlen.com.

For my parents,

who exemplify the joys and blessings of home—not just at the holidays but always.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

Lee Stanton paused as he entered the room, his gaze caught by the blinking light on his phone indicating that he had a message. He picked it up to check the call history. The same number had shown up on his display more than a dozen times in the past four days, though the caller, who’d identified himself as David Bradford, had only left two messages previously. This would be the third.

He pressed the button to connect to voice mail, then punched in his access code.

“This is David Bradford again, the private investigator from Tulsa, hired by Hudson Jones to track down Luke Stockton from Rust Creek Falls, Montana. Please call me back at 539-555-6234.”

Lee hit the erase button.

The investigator was nothing if not persistent, and the client—Hudson Jones—was obviously getting his money’s worth. Unfortunately, his perseverance wasn’t going to pay off this time, because it wasn’t possible to find someone who didn’t exist, and Luke Stockton had disappeared twelve years earlier on his way to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Lee tried to put the call out of his mind as he rummaged through the refrigerator, looking for something—anything—to throw together for dinner. After seven hours on horseback feeding cattle and checking perimeter fence, he was cold and tired and hungry. And apparently long overdue for a trip to the grocery store.

He pulled a bottle of beer out of the fridge and twisted off the cap. He tipped the bottle to his lips as he picked up the phone again, dialing from memory the number for Peppe’s Pizza.

While he waited for his dinner to be delivered, he turned on the television and flipped through the twelve channels that were included with basic cable as part of his rent. But nothing on the screen held his attention for long.

For the past dozen years, he’d walked the right side of the law, working from sunup to sundown, falling into bed exhausted at the end of the day. But no matter how fatigued his body was, he couldn’t escape the memories that continued to haunt his dreams. Memories of a past he’d wanted only to leave behind. Now he couldn’t help but wonder if that past had caught up with him.