The Maverick's Secret Baby

Avery had yet to go anywhere near it. She didn’t know a thing about goats. Or baby bottles, for that matter.

“You’re really doing your best to get on my last nerve this morning.” Melba sighed.

“I was simply trying to do something nice,” Old Gene muttered. “You never know. Avery might enjoy going on a date with a nice young man.”

“Wait…what?” She blinked.

How had the conversation moved seamlessly and at lightning speed from the goat to her love life?

“Gene.” Melba looked like she might hit him over the head with her ladle.

“Can I ask what you two are talking about?” Avery set her mug down on the counter with a thunk.

Old Gene shrugged. “Viv Dalton just called. Apparently she knows a lonely cowboy.”

“Don’t you worry, dear.” Melba reached for her hand and gave it a pat. “I made sure Viv knows you’re not interested in meeting a man right now. Old Gene had no business even giving her your name.”

Avery had no idea who Viv Dalton was, nor did she care. But she cared very much about her name floating around town. She might be new to Rust Creek Falls, but she was well aware of how swiftly the rumor mill worked. Case in point: Melba knew her husband was bringing home a goat before he’d even walked through the door. Old Gene had stopped by the general store for supplies on the way back to the boarding house and before his truck had pulled into the driveway, Melba had already gotten half a dozen texts and calls about the furry little kid.

“You gave my name to a stranger?” Avery felt sick.

The goat let loose with a pitiful bleat that perfectly mirrored the panic swirling in her consciousness.

Old Gene and Melba exchanged a worried glance.

“Only your first name.” Melba reached for Avery’s empty cup and refilled it with another ladleful of fragrant apple cider. A peace offering. “I’m sorry, dear. Old Gene was just trying to help, but I set him straight.”

Avery nodded.

She wasn’t sure what to say at this point. The day she arrived, she’d made it very clear to Melba that she was in town for a little respite. She’d been in desperate need of peace and quiet.

Avery had a feeling Melba assumed she was on the run from a bad boyfriend—maybe even a not-so-nice husband. She was somewhat ashamed to admit that she’d done nothing to correct this assumption. But it had been the only way to prevent her arrival in Rust Creek Falls from hitting the rumor circuit.

Her time had run out, apparently.

“Apologize to Avery, Gene.” Melba pointed at her husband with a wooden spoon.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Avery smiled in return, because it was impossible to be angry at a man bottle-feeding a baby goat. “You’re forgiven.”

Melba let out a relieved exhale and turned back to the stove. “Go on now and do your yoga in peace. Gene and I both know you’re not one bit interested in meeting that Crawford boy, no matter how charming and handsome Viv Dalton says he is.”

Avery almost dropped her yoga mat.

That Crawford boy?

She couldn’t be talking about Finn. Absolutely not.

Please, please no.

And yet somehow she knew it was true.

Charming? Check.

Handsome? Double check.

She swallowed hard, but bile rose up the back of her throat before she could stop it. She felt like she might be sick to her stomach…again. But that was pretty much par for the course now, just like her crazy new insatiable food cravings and the broken zipper on her favorite pencil skirt.

The goat slurped at the baby bottle, and Avery stared at the tiny animal. So utterly helpless. So sweet.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked them away.

Get a grip.

She had more important things to dwell on than an orphaned goat. Far more important, like how on earth she could possibly explain to Melba and Old Gene that the last thing she wanted was to be set up with Finn Crawford when she was already four months pregnant with his child.

Chapter Two

No amount of downward dogs could calm the frantic beating of Avery’s heart. She tried. She really did. But after an hour on her yoga mat, she felt more unsettled than ever.

Probably because every time she closed her eyes, she saw Finn Crawford’s handsome face and his tilted, cocky smirk that never failed to make her weak in the knees.

She huffed out a distinctly nonyogi breath, scrambled to her feet and rolled up her mat. So much for the quiet, peaceful space she’d managed to carve out for herself in Rust Creek Falls. Her little time-out was over. She could no longer ignore the fact that she’d come here to find her baby’s father—not when fate had nearly thrown her right back into his path.

“Finished already, dear?” Melba said when Avery pushed through the screen door and back into the kitchen of the boarding house. She shook her head. “I don’t understand why you young girls enjoy twisting yourselves into pretzels.”

Melba’s apron was dotted with flour, and a fresh platter of homemade biscuits sat on the kitchen island. The baby goat snoozed quietly on a dog bed in the corner by the window.

“Yes. I think I’m getting a little stir-crazy.” She needed a nice distraction, something to completely rid her mind of Finn Crawford until she worked out exactly how to tell him he was going to be a daddy. “Maybe I could help clean some of the guest rooms again?”

Back home in Dallas, Avery typically put in a sixty-hour workweek. Fifty, minimum. She couldn’t remember having so much free time on her hands. Ever. When she’d first arrived in Montana, all the unprecedented free time had been a dream come true. Pregnancy hormones had been wreaking havoc on her work schedule. The day before she’d left town, she’d actually nodded off in the middle of a marketing meeting. She’d needed a respite. A work cleanse.

Staying at the boarding house had given her just that. And it was lovely…

Until the morning she couldn’t force the zipper closed on her favorite jeans—the boyfriend-cut ones that were always so soft and baggy. Faced with such painful evidence of the life growing inside her, Avery had experienced a sudden longing for her old life. She didn’t know the first thing about babies or being pregnant, so she’d thrown herself into helping out around the boarding house in an effort to rid herself of her anxiety. Unfortunately, she knew as much about cleaning as she knew about caring for an infant.

“Oh. Well. That’s certainly a kind offer.” Melba picked up a dishcloth and scrubbed at an invisible spot on the counter. “But I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. Old Gene is upstairs, still trying to unclog the toilet in the big corner room.”

Avery’s face bloomed with heat. The clogged toilet had been her doing. But what were the odds she’d accidentally flush another sponge?

The baby goat let out a long, warbly bleat. Meeeeeeehhhhhhhh.

Avery narrowed her gaze at its little ginger head. Was the animal taunting her now?

Melba cleared her throat. “Don’t look so sad, dear. If you really want to help out around here, I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“I do. Honestly, I’ll try anything.” Except maybe bottle-feeding the goat. That was a hard no.

Melba consulted the to-do list tacked to the refrigerator with a Fall Mountain magnet. “I need to make a run to the general store. Would you like to come along?”

Avery’s heart gave a little leap. She was much better at shopping than cleaning toilets. She excelled at it, quite frankly. A closetful of Louboutins didn’t lie. “Shopping? Yes, count me in.”

“You’re sure?” Melba gave her one of the gentle, sympathetic glances that had convinced Avery the older woman thought she was running from some kind of danger. “You haven’t wanted to get out much.”

Avery nodded. She was going to have to leave the boarding house at some point. Besides, the odds of running into Finn Crawford or his notorious father at the general store were zero. Not a chance. They weren’t the sort of men who ran errands. They had employees for that kind of thing. How else would Finn have time to wine and dine every eligible woman in town?

“We’re just going to the general store, right? Nowhere else? I have a…um…conference call later, so I shouldn’t stay out too long.” There was no conference call. At least not that Avery knew of. She hadn’t checked in to the office for days. Another first.

If she called in, her father would surely pick up the phone. She’d been a daddy’s girl all her life, through and through. That would change once he found out she was carrying Finn’s baby. Oscar Ellington would rather she have a child with the devil himself.

“Straight to the general store and back.” Melba made a cross-my-heart gesture with her fingertips over the pinafore of her apron.

“Super! I’ll run upstairs and change.” Avery beamed and scurried up to her corner room on the third floor of the rambling mansion.

Along the way, she heard Old Gene cursing at the clogged toilet, and she winced. The wincing continued as she tried—and failed—to find something presentable that she could still manage to zip or button at the waist.

It was no use—she was going to have to stick with her yoga pants and slip into the oversize light blue button-down shirt she’d borrowed from Old Gene. Lovely. If by some strange twist of fate Finn did turn up at the general store, he probably wouldn’t even recognize her.

Any lingering worries she had about running into him were instantly kicked into high gear when she and Melba reached the redbrick building on the corner of Main and Cedar Streets. Melba said something about the amber and gold autumnal window display, but Avery couldn’t form a response. She was too busy gaping at the sign above the front door.

Crawford’s General Store.

Did Finn’s family own this place?

“Avery?” Melba rested gentle fingertips on her forearm. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Yes, of course.” She pasted on a smile. “I just noticed the name of the store—Crawford’s. Does it belong to the family you mentioned earlier?”

“Heavens, no. The general store has been here for generations. The Montana Crawfords have lived in Rust Creek Falls for as long as I can remember. The new family is from Texas.”

I’m aware.

Seriously, though. Finn’s family was huge, and Rust Creek Falls was very small. Quaint and cozy, but rural in every way. Their addition to the population must mean that half the town had the same last name all of a sudden.

“I see,” Avery said.

She tore her gaze away from the store’s signage long enough to finally take in the window display, with its garland of oak and maple leaves and towering pile of pumpkins. They’d walked a grand total of two blocks, and already she’d seen enough hay bales, woven baskets and gourds to make her wonder if the entire town was drunk on pumpkin spice lattes.

Autumn wasn’t such a big thing in Texas. The warm weather back home meant no apple picking, no fall foliage and definitely no need for snuggly oversize sweaters. It was kind of a shame, really.

But here in Montana, fall was ushered in with a lovely and luminous harvest moon, smoky breezes that smelled of wood fire and the crunch of leaves underfoot. Avery had never experienced anything like it.

“Maybe we should get some ingredients for caramel apples and make them for my great-granddaughter Bekkah’s kindergarten class. I always bring some to the big Halloween dance, but the children might like an early taste.” Melba glanced over her shoulder at Avery as she pushed through the general store’s entrance. “What do you think?”

“I think that’s a marvelous idea.” Avery had never made caramel apples before, but there was a first time for everything.

Apples…autumn…babies.

She glanced past the dry goods section near the front of the store and spotted a rack of flannel shirts, quilted jackets and cable-knit cardigans. It wasn’t exactly Neiman Marcus, but she was going to have to bite the bullet and invest in a few things that actually fit her changing body.

“Good morning, ladies. Is there anything I can help you with?” A slim woman with dark wavy hair, big brown eyes and a Crawford’s General Store bib apron greeted them with a wide smile.

“Yes, please.” Melba pulled a lengthy shopping list out of her handbag and plopped it onto the counter. Then she gestured toward Avery. “Nina, I’d like you to meet Avery. She’s one of our boarders.”

Nina offered Avery her hand. “Welcome to Rust Creek Falls. I’m Nina Crawford Traub.”

Seriously. Did everyone in this town have the same last name?

“Hello.” Avery shook Nina’s hand, then dashed off to grab a few warm, roomy items of clothing while the other women tackled Melba’s list of supplies.

By the time she returned, the counter was piled high. It looked like Melba was buying out the entire store.

“Wow.” Avery’s eye widened. She clutched her new flannels close to her chest, because there wasn’t enough space to set them down. “This is…”

“Impressive,” someone behind her said. There was a smile in his voice, a delicious drawl that Avery felt deep in the pit of her stomach. “Here’s hoping you’ve left some stuff for the rest of us.”

Don’t turn around, her thoughts screamed. She knew that voice. It was as velvety smooth as hot buttered rum and oh, so familiar.

But just like the last time she’d been in the same room with the bearer of that soulful Texas accent, her body reacted before her brain could kick into gear. Sure enough, when she spun around, she found herself face-to-face with the very man she so desperately needed to speak to—Finn Crawford, the father-to-be, looking hotter than ever wearing a black Stetson and an utterly shocked expression on his handsome face.

Avery realized a second too late what was about to happen. Trouble.

So.

Very.

Much.

Trouble.

Avery?

Finn blinked. Hard.

No way… No possible way.

He was hallucinating. Or more likely, simply mistaken. After all, the brunette beauty who’d just spun around to stare at him might bear more than a passing resemblance to Avery Ellington, but she was hugging a stack of flannel shirts like it was some kind of security blanket. The Avery he knew wouldn’t be caught dead in plaid flannel. She might even be allergic to it.

It had to be her, though. On some visceral level, he just knew. Plus he’d recognize those big doe eyes anywhere.

Avery Ellington. Warmth filled his chest. Well, isn’t this a fine surprise.

Finn glanced at the older woman beside her—Melba… Melba Strickland, as in the owner of Strickland’s Boarding House. So Old Gene’s “darling young lady” that Viv Dalton wanted to set him up with was indeed the Avery he knew so well.

He burst out laughing.

Avery’s soft brown eyes narrowed. She looked like she might be contemplating dropping the flannel and using her hands to strangle him. “What’s so funny?”

“This.” He gestured back and forth between Avery and Melba. “I’m not sure you’re aware, but an hour or so ago, we were almost set up on a blind date.”

“I might have heard something about that,” Avery said, clearly failing to find the humor in the situation.

She seemed a little rattled. If Finn didn’t know better, he would have thought she was unhappy to run into him. But that couldn’t be right. The last time they’d seen one another had been immensely pleasurable.

For both of them.

Finn was certain of it. Plus, they’d parted on good terms.

“It’s incredibly good to see you. What on earth are you doing in Rust Creek Falls?” He arched a brow. She was awfully far away from her daddy’s ranch in Texas.

Melba interjected before Avery could respond, “Avery is a guest at the boarding house.”

Finn nodded, even though they’d already covered Avery’s local living arrangements. It still didn’t explain what she was doing clear across the country from home.

He swiveled his gaze back to Avery. She looked beautiful, but different somehow. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what had changed. Maybe it was the casual clothes or her wind-tossed hair, but her usual cool elegance had been replaced with a warmth that made him acutely aware of his own heartbeat all of a sudden.

“How’s the little one?” he said with a smile.

“Um.” Avery blinked like an owl. “How did you—”

Finn shrugged. “Everyone in town is talking about it. There’s nothing quite as cute as a baby goat.”

“The goat. Right.” Avery swallowed, and he traced the movement up and down the graceful column of her throat.

Was it his imagination, or did she seem nervous?

“The goat’s cute, but she’s a handful. I don’t know what Old Gene was thinking.” Melba rolled her eyes. “She has to be bottle-fed every four to five hours, round the clock. It’s almost like having a real baby again, but maybe a little less noisy.”

Avery turned toward Melba with an incredulous stare. “Less noisy?”

Melba shrugged. “Sure. You know how babies are.”

Avery shifted from one foot to the other as she glanced at Finn and then quickly looked away.

Melba’s eyes narrowed. “How exactly do you two know each other?”

Why did the question feel like a test of some sort?

Finn gave her an easy smile. He had nothing to hide. “Avery and I are both in the beef business.”

“Really?” Melba looked him and up down.

“Absolutely. Our paths used to cross every so often, but we haven’t bumped into each other since my family relocated to Montana.” A pity, really. “I’d love to take you out while you’re in town, Avery.”

She bit the swell of her lush bottom lip. “Oh…um, well…”

Not exactly the reaction he was going for. Avery looked as scared as a rabbit, and Melba was once again scrutinizing him as if he were giving off serial killer vibes.

Was he missing something?

His thoughts drifted back to the night they’d spent together in Oklahoma City. It didn’t take much effort. The entire encounter was seared in his memory—every perfect, porcelain inch of Avery’s skin, every tender brush of her lips.

They’d been in town for a gala dinner of cattle executives, and Finn would be lying if he’d said he hadn’t been hoping to run into her. Through their overlapping business connections and a handful of mutual friends, Finn and Avery had been moving in the same orbit for quite a few years. He’d wanted her for every single one of them. How could he not? She was lovely. And smart, too. It took a special kind of woman to hold her own as the vice president of a major company in a business dominated by men. Finn considered himself a Southern gentleman, but that wasn’t true of everyone in the beef business. Avery had run into her fair share of chauvinists and good old boys, but she never failed to rise above their nonsense with her head held high.

As much as she fascinated him, he’d respected her too much to make a real move. Their interactions had been limited to a low-key flirtation that he found immensely enjoyable, if somewhat torturous.

But the night in Oklahoma had been different. June in the Sooner State was always a nightmare of blazing heat and suffocating humidity, but that particular weekend had been especially brutal. A heat wave swept through the area, causing widespread power outages as the temperature soared. The gala’s luxury hotel was plunged into darkness. Even after they got the generator up and running, the crystal chandeliers were barely illuminated, and heady, scented candles were scattered over every available surface.

He remembered Avery saying something about the animosity between their families, and true, his father had never uttered a kind word about Oscar Ellington. Quite the opposite, actually. There was definitely bad blood between the Crawford and Ellington patriarchs. But Finn and Avery had always managed to get along. And something about the darkness made their little flirtation seem not so low-key anymore, so over laugher and dry martinis at the bar, they’d agreed to set aside any familial difficulty.

She’d looked so damned beautiful in the candlelight, all soft curves and wide, luminous eyes. He’d taken a chance and leaned in…

He swallowed hard at the memory of what came next. It had been like something out of a dream. A perfect night—so perfect he hadn’t taken another woman to bed since, despite his popularity in Montana. And now Avery was right here, less than an arm’s length away, when he’d thought he’d never see her again.

“Please,” he said. “Dinner, or even just coffee? For old times’ sake.”

He’d been neck-deep in women for the past three months, and now he was begging for an hour of Avery Ellington’s time. Wonderful.

Melba cut in again before she could give him an answer. “Look at the time! Sorry to interrupt, but we simply must be going. Avery, how could you let me forget? We have to stop over at the Dalton Law Office to pick up those papers for Gene.”

Avery’s expression went blank. “What papers?”

“Those very important papers. You know the ones.” Melba took the flannel shirts from Avery and handed them to Nina, who shoved them into a bag.

Avery crossed her arms, uncrossed them and crossed them again. Finn’s gaze snagged on her oversize blue button-down. Was that a man’s shirt she was wearing?

His jaw clenched. They hadn’t even spoken since that simmering night in June, but Finn didn’t like the thought of her with another man. Not one bit.

Overreacting much? It was one night, not an actual relationship. Maybe he wasn’t such a fine Southern gentleman, after all.

“Come on, now. We don’t want to keep Ben Dalton waiting.” Melba shoved one of her five shopping bags at Avery and then linked elbows with her.

“Right. Of course we don’t.” Avery glanced at him one last time as Melba practically dragged her out of the store. “It was good seeing you, Finn. Goodbye.”

He stared after them, wondering what in the hell had just happened.

“Can I help you find anything, Mr. Crawford?” Nina said from behind the counter.

Finn dragged his gaze away from the scene beyond the shop window and Avery’s chocolate-hued hair, whipping around her angelic face in the wind like a dark halo.

He smiled, but his heart wasn’t in it. “No, thank you.”

For some strange reason, he almost felt like he’d already found what he needed. And now he’d just watched her walk away.

Again.

“Where are we going, exactly?” Avery gripped her shopping bag until her knuckles turned white and did her best to resist the overwhelming urge to glance over her shoulder for another glimpse of the general store.

Of Finn.

She almost wanted to believe she’d imagined their entire awkward encounter just now. Since the moment she’d first spotted the two tiny pink lines on the drugstore pregnancy test she’d taken in her posh executive washroom at Ellington Meats, she’d tried to imagine what she’d say to Finn the next time she saw him. Somehow she always imagined she’d be able to utter more than two stuttered words.

Had she managed to string a whole sentence together at all? Nope, she was pretty sure she hadn’t. So much for being a strong, independent woman and facing the situation head-on.

“We’re not going anywhere, dear. I thought you were going to faint when you saw Finn Crawford. I made something up to get you out of there.” Melba gave her hand a comforting pat.

So her panic had been that obvious? Fabulous.

“Oh, thank you. But I was surprised, that’s all.” Shocked to her core was more like it.