A Maverick for Christmas

He clasped his hand over hers, the last bite of chocolate hanging between them.

“Take it,” she urged.

Her voice was too sexy to ignore. He grabbed her hand and drew it to his mouth. Cade enveloped the chocolate with his mouth and swallowed it down. The motion was both carnivorous and sexual.

Abby’s brown eyes widened in surprise.

“What did you expect?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Something more…”

“Polite?” he asked.

Her eyes darkened. “Maybe. If so, I’m glad I was wrong.”

His gut tightened. “You need to be careful. You’re asking for trouble.”

“Just from you,” she said.

His heart hammered against his rib cage. “This is a bad idea.”

“There are worse ideas,” she countered.

He felt himself begin to sweat. How could Laila’s little sister affect him this way? It wasn’t possible.

Dear Reader,

Have you ever felt invisible? Like you could jump up and down and scream and the person you’re trying to reach still wouldn’t see you? I have, and it’s a terrible feeling. It could almost make you feel like you need to do something desperate to get that person’s attention. That’s part of what’s happening to my heroine, Abby Cates. She has wanted to get the attention of the man of her dreams for what feels like forever. Now it looks as if she may finally get her chance.

In A Maverick for Christmas, we sled into the holiday season in Thunder Canyon with another couple ripe for romance. When Abby, “the invisible woman,” does everything in her power to turn Cade Pritchett’s head, he doesn’t know what hit him, but he sure does like it. Can a lifelong crush really lead to true love?

Curl up and enjoy the ride! All the Thunder Canyon Mavericks and I are wishing you the warmest, most loving and joyous holiday season ever!

xo,

Leanne Banks

A Maverick for Christmas

Leanne Banks

www.millsandboon.co.uk

LEANNE BANKS is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author who is surprised every time she realizes how many books she has written. Leanne loves chocolate, the beach and new adventures. To name a few, Leanne has ridden on an elephant, stood on an ostrich egg (no, it didn’t break), gone parasailing and indoor skydiving. Leanne loves writing romance because she believes in the power and magic of love. She lives in Virginia with her family and four-and-a-half-pound Pomeranian named Bijou. Visit her website, www.leannebanks.com

This book is dedicated to Susan Litman.

You know why.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Prologue

Abby Cates remembered the moment she fell for Cade Pritchett. She had been nine years old at the time, and he’d been giving swimming lessons at Silver Stallion Lake. At seventeen, Cade had been tall, strong and blond. He was nice to all the kids, but demanded they learn their strokes. Abby was pretty sure he didn’t remember scooping her out of some too-deep water when she’d choked and panicked. In her little-girl mind, Cade was a god.

Despite her best efforts, Abby had never found any man who could top Cade in her mind, not even now that she was twenty-two. And that was a terrible shame, especially since he’d never noticed her and, on top of that, wedding fever was running through Thunder Canyon like a bad flu.

Now that her older sister Laila was engaged to Jackson Traub, the discussions of weddings were nonstop. Her mother was usually so eager for Christmas that she began decorating plans in early November, but this year she was clearly distracted. If her mother didn’t take a little break from wedding talk, then Abby was going to explode through the roof of her family’s home. She tried not to listen to her mother’s phone conversation as she finished cleaning up the kitchen after dinner.

“A double wedding for Marlon and Matt,” her mother cooed. “Love is definitely in the air. And soon enough, there will be babies,” she continued, her tone giddy with delight. Abby glowered. Love is in the air. Yeah, for everyone except her. Her mother began to dig for more details on the double wedding of her cousins, and Abby turned the water on high as she washed the last pot. She wished she could wash out her brain as easily as she could clean the dishes.

Why in the world had she fallen for a man who couldn’t seem to even notice her? Talk about unrequited love. Then it had gone from bad to worse when he’d dated her beautiful oldest sister, Laila, the town beauty queen. Then it went from worse to tragic when he’d proposed to Laila. At least her sister had turned him down, but she’d hated the idea that Cade would suffer from Laila’s rejection.

The past couple of years it had been so hard to see Cade with Laila. Abby had felt as if she’d walked around with a permanent knot in her stomach. In love with her sister’s on-again, off-again boyfriend? It was like a bad soap opera. Although she loved Laila, Abby had been torn between guilt and resentment. She’d successfully kept it hidden, but she didn’t know how much longer she could manage it, especially since it felt as if everyone around her was finding love and getting married. And as far as Cade Pritchett was concerned, she might as well be invisible.

Irritated with her bad mood, she muttered to herself, “Suck it up. Wedding fever won’t last forever, and Christmas is right around the corner.”

One second later, the door opened and her sister Laila waltzed in wearing a smile and flashing a cover of a bridal magazine. “I guess I need to start planning for the big day.”

Abby felt something inside her rip. The beginning, she feared, of turning into a rocket and shooting through the roof. If she didn’t get out of here. “Gotta go,” she said, tossing the towel she held on the counter. “I’ll be back later.”

Laila shot her a bemused look. “Where are you going?”

“I need to do some research for a paper,” Abby manufactured, although it was partly true.

“Can’t you do it online?” Laila asked.

“Nope. Tell Mom when she gets off the phone,” Abby said and grabbed her coat. She jammed her hands through the sleeves and raced outside. Full of so many different emotions, she walked blindly away from the house. She skipped getting into her orange Volkswagen Beetle, hoping the cold air would freeze her feelings.

She was torn between swearing a blue streak and crying. She hated to cry, so she began to swear under her breath. Walking toward town, Abby whispered every bad word she could call to mind. At a younger age, she would have gotten her mouth washed out with soap, but there was no one to tattle on her unless she counted the bare November trees and whistling wind. Unfortunately she used up her repertoire very quickly, and despite her best efforts, her eyes filled with tears.

Chapter One

It had been a long day and it was colder than a well-digger’s backside. Cade had been working like a dog and wanted a little reward. He wouldn’t be getting it from a woman tonight, so Cade Pritchett looked inside the café, trying to decide whether or not to indulge in a slice of cherry pie.

Cade looked away. Since that insane moment he’d proposed to Thunder Canyon’s beauty queen, the woman he’d dated casually the past few years, he’d become all too aware of his burning need for a family of his own. It didn’t make sense because Cade wasn’t interested in falling in love. He’d done that once and lost the woman to an accident. He wasn’t interested in risking his heart, but he wanted more than what he had now. A partnership in his father’s business, his own spread just outside of town and his hobby rebuilding motorcycles. Oh, and his hound dog, Stella. He should have listed her first.

From his side, he heard a sniffling sound. Curious, he glanced over and saw Abby Cates wiping her nose as she leaned against the café window. His stomach clenched. Abby, little sister of the woman he’d asked to marry him during the Frontier Days celebration. That had been a monumental mistake.

He heard Abby sniff again and Cade felt a surge of concern. He should check on the girl. The poor thing looked upset. He moved toward her.

“Hey, what’s up? Or down?”

Abby glanced up in shock, her wide eyes blinking in surprise. “Hi,” she said and gave another sniff and surreptitious wipe of her nose with her tissue. “What are you doing here?”

“Thinking about getting a piece of pie,” he said. “Long day.”

She nodded and blinked away her tears. “This is the beginning of one of your busy seasons, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, how’d you remember?” he asked.

“Osmosis,” she said. “I guess I eventually noticed during the last few years when you didn’t hang around the house as much.”

“Yeah,” he said. “So, what’s with the sniffles? I don’t think it’s allergies or a cold.”

She shrugged and lowered her gaze, her eyelids hiding her emotions from him. “I don’t know. Lots of changes going on at my house. I guess I’m going to miss Laila now that she’s getting married,” she said, then froze and met his gaze. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say—”

He waved his hand in dismissal. “No problem. My pride was hurt more than anything else. Laila and I were never crazy in love. I shouldn’t have been such a darned fool by proposing to her,” he said.

“You weren’t the fool. Laila was. She should have never let you get away,” she said.

Cade laughed and shook his head. It felt nicer than he’d like to admit for Abby to rush to his defense, but he knew more than most that romance and emotion could be fickle and elusive. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sheepskin jacket. “You shouldn’t be out here in the cold,” he said. “Let me buy you a cup of hot chocolate.”

She met his gaze for a long moment, and he saw a flurry of emotions he couldn’t quite name except one. Defiance.

She licked her lips. “I’d like something a little stronger than hot chocolate.”

Surprise punched through him. “Something stronger,” he said. “You’re a little young for that, aren’t you?”

She gave a husky chuckle. “Are you suffering from a little dementia due to your advanced years? I’m twenty-two.”

“Whoa,” he said. “When did I miss that?”

“I guess you weren’t looking,” she said wryly. Her chocolate-brown eyes flashed with humor, and his gaze slid over her silky, long brown hair.

“I guess not,” he said. “So you want to go to the Hitching Post?”

“Sure,” she said with a shrug, and they walked down the street to the town’s most popular bar and hangout. It was crowded when they walked inside, so he hooked his hand under her elbow and guided her to the far end of the bar.

“Hey, Abby,” a young man said from halfway across the room.

She glanced up and shot the guy a smile.

“Hi, Abby,” a young woman called.

“Hey, Corinne,” she said.

“You seem pretty popular here,” Cade said, finding a space next to the bar. “How often do you come?”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I know those people from my classes at college. I’m usually too busy to spend much time here. They’re probably surprised to see me here.”

He nodded. “What do you want to drink?”

“A beer’s okay,” she said with a shrug.

He noticed her lack of enthusiasm. “What kind?”

“Whatever you’re having is fine,” she said.

He felt a twinge of amusement. “You really don’t like beer.”

“I’m working on it,” she said. “At least once a year.”

He laughed out loud. “I’ll get you one of those pink girly drinks. Cosmo,” he said to the bartender. “And a beer for me. Whatever you have on draft.”

Moments later, she sipped her pink martini and he drank his beer. “It’s loud in here,” he said.

She stirred her drink with the tiny straw. “Yeah, I guess that might bother you older folks,” she said with a naughty smile.

He shook his head. Her teasing gave him a kick. “Yeah, I’m thirty. Don’t rub it in. What have you been doing lately?”

“School. College,” she corrected. “I’m also working at the youth center. And as you know, my family can get a little demanding. I have a part-time job teaching skiing lessons at the resort when I can fit it in. What about you? How’s that new motorcycle coming?”

He was surprised she’d remembered. “Close to perfection, but I’m still tinkering with it.”

“You wouldn’t know perfection if it slapped you in the face,” she teased.

Cade liked the way her long eyelashes dipped over her eyes flirtatiously. Someday, Abby could be trouble, he thought. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean you have that perfection complex. Nothing you do is ever good enough. Not with your woodworking. Not with your motorcycle.”

She nailed him in one fell swoop, taking him off guard. “How’d you know that?”

“I’ve known you for years.” She took the last sip of her cosmo martini. “How could I not know that?”

For one sliver of a second, she looked at him as if he was a dork then shrugged. “You want another one?” he asked.

She shook her head and smiled. “No. I’m a lightweight. Already feel this one. I’ll take some water.”

Cade ordered water for her and continued talking with Laila’s little sister with whom he’d played board games and computer games when he’d been waiting for Laila. He was distracted by her mouth. Especially when she licked her lips after taking a sip of her water. Her lips were plump, shiny and sexy. He shouldn’t notice, but he sure did.

“So you’re busy at work,” she said and took another long sip of water. “Bet your father’s driving you crazy.”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “No need to repeat that.”

She laughed. “I won’t. That could be tricky working with your dad. I mean, I love my own dad, but I can’t control him.”

“That’s for sure,” he said, thinking of his own father.

She clicked her half-empty water glass against his beer and dipped her head. “We agree. Cheers.”

“So, what are you majoring in?” he asked.

“Psychology. I finish next spring, but I may need to get an advanced degree. I like working with the teens.”

“I can see where you would be good at that,” he said, thinking that although Abby appeared very young, she was pretty mature for her age.

“I don’t know what I’ll do after I graduate. I haven’t decided if I’ll leave Thunder Canyon or not,” she said.

Her statement gave him a start. “You would leave town?”

“I may have to if I want to get an advanced degree. Plus, with everything going on with my family, it may be time for me to strike out on my own by then.”

He nodded. “If you wanted to stay, you could get an advanced degree online. And just because you move out of your parents’ house doesn’t mean you have to move out of town.”

She smiled. “You almost sound like you’d like me stay. That can’t be true. You barely notice me.”

“You’re a quality girl—” He broke off. “Woman,” he corrected himself. “I hate to see Thunder Canyon lose a good woman like you.”

“Ah, so it’s your civic duty to encourage me to stay here,” she said.

He felt a twist of discomfort. “Lots of people would miss you.”

“Well, I haven’t made any decisions yet. I need to finish my classes first. I’m just glad the end is in sight. What do you think about the rivalry between LipSmackin’ Ribs and DJ’s Rib Shack?”

Cade would have had to have been deaf and blind not to know about the controversy between Thunder Canyon’s longtime favorite barbecue restaurant DJ’s Rib Shack and the the new rib place, which featured waitresses dressed in tight T-shirts. “I’m a DJ’s man all the way. I don’t like it that the Hitching Post started featuring LipSmackin’ Ribs on the menu and I refuse to order them. I’ll buy drinks here, but no ribs.”

“So you’ve never even visited LipSmackin’ Ribs?”

“I went a few times just to see what the fuss was about,” he said.

“You mean the skimpy uniforms the waitresses wear,” she said.

He shook his head and rubbed his jaw. “I pity your future boyfriend. He won’t be able to pull anything over on you.”

“Future? How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend right now?” she asked. “I don’t, but I certainly could. There are even some men who think I’m attractive, some who ask me to go out with them.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. And you be careful about those guys. You make sure they have the right intentions.”

She shot him a playfully sly look so seductive he almost dropped his beer. “What would you say are the right intentions?” she asked.

His tongue stuck in the back of his throat for a few seconds. “I mean just that—you need to make sure they have the right intentions. You shouldn’t let anyone take advantage of you.”

“Unless that’s what I want him to do, right?”

He choked on his beer. Where had this vixen come from? Although she’d been a spirited competitor whenever she’d played games and been far more knowledgeable about sports than most females he knew, Cade had always seen her as Laila’s sweet little sister. “I think it’s time for you to go home. I’m starting to hear things come out of your mouth that aren’t possible.” He waved for the bartender to bring the bill.

“Oh, don’t tell me I scared big, strong Cade Pritchett,” she teased as he finished his beer and tossed some bills on the counter.

“There’s more than one way to scare a man. Let’s go,” he said and ushered her through the bar to the door.

Abby felt higher than a kite. She’d been waiting forever for the time when it was just her and Cade. She’d had a secret crush on Cade since even before her sister had dated him, and watching Laila’s wishy-washy attitude toward Cade had nearly put her over the edge on more than one occasion during the past few years.

But now, she thought, her heart beating so fast she could hardly breathe, she had Cade all to herself, if only for a few more moments. “So is most of your work right now for people who want to get special Christmas gifts?”

“A good bit of it,” he said. “But there’s a potential for a big order. We’ll find out soon.” He stopped abruptly. “Is that old man Henson trying to change a tire on his truck?” he asked, pointing down the street.

Abby tore her gaze from Cade’s and felt a twist of sympathy mixed with alarm. “I think it is. Isn’t he almost eighty-five? He shouldn’t be changing a tire during daylight let alone at this time of night,” she said.

“Exactly,” he said and quickened his pace. “Mr. Henson,” he called. “Let me give you a hand with that.”

Abby joined Cade as they reached the elderly man, who’d already jacked up the truck. “I’m fine,” he said, glancing up at them, his craggy face wrinkled in a wince of pain. “It’s these dang rusted bolts.”

“Let me take a shot at them. Abby, maybe Mr. Henson might like a cup of that hot chocolate I was talking about earlier.”

“I don’t need any hot chocolate,” Henson said. “I’m fine.”

“I’m not,” Abby said. “Would you keep me company while I drink some to warm me up?”

Henson opened his mouth to protest then sighed as he adjusted his hat. “Well, okay. But make it quick. I gotta deliver some wood in the morning.”

Abby shot a quick look at Cade and shook her head. Mr. Henson was legendary for his work ethic. She admired him for it, but she also knew he’d gotten into a few situations where he’d had to be rescued. Flashing Henson a smile, she hooked her arm through his and walked to the café.

She made chitchat with the man while they sat in a booth and waited for their hot chocolate. She noticed Mr. Henson kept glancing out the window. “Your truck will be fine. It’s in good hands with Cade.”

“Oh, I know that,” Mr. Henson said. “Cade’s a fine young man. You’ll do well with him.”

She dropped her jaw at his suggestion then gave a wry laugh. “I think so, too, but I don’t believe he sees me that way, if you know what I mean,” she said and took a sip of the hot drink.

He wrinkled his already deeply furrowed forehead and wiggled his shaggy gray eyebrows. “What do you mean? You’re a pretty girl. I’m sure you turn quite a few heads.”

“Thank you very much,” she said. “That means a lot coming from you.”

“It’s true. I’ve never been known for a silver tongue. My Geraldine, rest her soul, would tell you the same. Although she was the prettiest woman to ever walk the streets of Thunder Canyon. I still miss her.”

Abby slid her hand over Mr. Henson’s. “I’m so sorry. How long were you married?”

“Fifty-three years,” he said. “That’s why I keep working. If I sit at home, I’ll just pine. Better to be moving around, doing something.”

“But you could afford to take a break every now and then. We don’t want anything happening to you,” she said and made a mental note to stop in and visit Mr. Henson. His loneliness tugged at her heart.

He shrugged. “I’ll go when the good Lord says I’m ready, and not a minute before.” He glanced outside the window. “Looks like Cade’s finished changing my tire. We should go now. Let me pay the bill. And don’t you argue with me,” he said when she’d barely let out a sound. “I don’t get to share some hot chocolate with a girl as pretty as you very often these days.”

“And you said you didn’t have a silver tongue,” she said. “Thank you.”

The two left the café and caught up with Cade, who appeared to be looking for a place to wipe some of the grease off his hands. Abby offered the paper napkin she’d wrapped around her cup of hot chocolate.

He made do with it. “Thanks,” he said then glanced at the truck again. “It’s no wonder you had trouble with those bolts. I had to bang on them to get them loose. You’ll get that tire repaired soon, won’t you?” he asked.

“I’ll get to it. I’ll get to it,” Henson said in a testy voice as he inspected the job Cade had done changing his tire. “Thank you,” he said with a nod. “What do I owe you?”

Cade shook his head. “Nothing,” he said.

“Aw, come on. I gotta give you something for your trouble,” Henson said.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what you can give me,” Cade said. “You can stay out of trouble.”

Henson glared at Cade for a moment then laughed. “I’ll see what I can do. Thank you again. And, uh—” He glanced at Abby. “Take care of that pretty girl. You shouldn’t let a good one like her get away.”

Abby shot a quick look at Cade’s disconcerted expression. Her face flamed with heat and she quickly focused her attention on her hot chocolate—blowing on it, sipping. “Thanks for the hot chocolate, Mr. Henson. Good night, now,” she said.

She stood beside Cade as the old man got into the car and drove away.

“I’ll give you a ride home. My car’s just down the street. That Henson is a character, isn’t he?” Cade muttered, leading her to his vehicle.

“I have to agree. So are you,” she said, wishing the evening wouldn’t end.

He opened the car door and glanced at her. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” she said. “You’re always trying to stay in the background, but here you go again saving the day.”

“What do you mean?” he asked as he started the car.

“I mean you’re always rescuing somebody. It’s just what you do. White Knight syndrome?”

He looked at her for a long moment with an expression on his face that made her breath stop in her chest. He looked at her as if he were seeing her as more than Laila’s little sister. “I didn’t think anyone noticed,” he finally said.