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Maverick for Hire
Leanne Banks
“Okay,” Nick said. “Let’s replay this. Body language 101. When you want to show a man you’re interested, face him.” He paused. “Face me.”
“Oh,” she said and turned her body toward his.
“Flip your hair,” he said. “Guys like it when you mess with your hair,” he said.
Cecelia twirled a strand of her hair. “Is this okay?”
Nick felt a weird tug of attraction. “Yeah, that’s good. Remember to lean in and look like you’re listening to everything he’s saying,” he said.
Cecelia leaned in and twisted her hair again. “Like this?”
“Yeah,” he said and met her gaze. Something strange flashed between them. He felt drawn to her in a way he’d never felt before. He lowered his head. “Yeah,” he repeated and pressed his mouth against hers. Her lips were so soft, so sweet, and he wanted so much more.
Cecelia drew back. “You kissed me,” she whispered. “Why did you do that?”
“I don’t know,” he said, pulling back and mentally swearing at himself. Why had he kissed her? He had clearly gone crazy.
Maverick for Hire
Leanne Banks
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://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 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 a four-and-a-half-pound Pomeranian named Bijou. Visit her website, www.leannebanks.com (http://www.leannebanks.com).
This book is dedicated to my husband, who encouraged me through every day, no matter how unproductive I was.
Contents
Cover (#ub27dcf8d-f10d-53bd-b8cc-5ede4d126fbc)
Introduction (#u63416589-27c3-56a6-ab43-4a9633ccad59)
Title Page (#ub7e3db35-94e8-509e-bd51-54b890381814)
About the Author (#u7d816cf2-e8b6-5f5f-91d1-83d9201fde66)
Dedication (#u93ed140b-7e1d-5e28-8357-304d5624c716)
Chapter One (#ulink_f6862e1a-4e46-5135-9ae2-c3822c4480ec)
Chapter Two (#ulink_bae855b8-fed4-53aa-ad3a-e153aa95e675)
Chapter Three (#ulink_d12d525d-b35d-5896-8de0-9bf5775011e2)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_a46d50c5-87b8-5b67-9ad2-ca6dfeb64a7b)
Thank goodness she wasn’t attracted to him, Cecelia Clifton thought as she looked at Nick Pritchett. She’d known the carpenter for what felt like forever. They went all the way back to a shared childhood in Thunder Canyon. And now she frequently shared an after-work beer or water with him at the Ace in the Hole, the local backcountry bar in Rust Creek Falls, Montana. Built like a football player, Nick was all muscle. With blond hair and blue eyes full of humor and flirtatiousness, he wore his all-American looks with ease. Cecelia knew better than to fall for him, though. Nick had a good heart, but he wasn’t interested in marriage.
Cecelia tossed another dart at the board and smiled.
Nick groaned in pain. “Give me a break, Cece. A guy needs a win every now and then.”
“From what I hear, you’re winning all the time with all the women you have wrapped around your finger,” she said. Ever since Lissa Rourke, a volunteer with a charitable organization from New York, had blogged about the cowboys in Rust Creek after last summer’s Great Flood, a new type of visitor had been gracing the streets of town—young single ladies from around the country looking for love. As Lissa had spent time working hard to help Rust Creek Falls, she’d also found love with the local sheriff. Cecelia couldn’t deny part of the reason she’d come to Rust Creek was for a boost in her love life, but so far, she’d experienced zip in the romance department.
“Do you ever think about going back to Thunder Canyon?” she asked as she watched him send a dart soaring.
She noticed his dart landed closer to the bull’s-eye than hers had.
Nick frowned at her. “Why would I do that? Rust Creek is still bailing out from the big flood. Plus, they’ve welcomed me with open arms,” he said with a scalawag grin.
“Yes, they have,” Cecelia said drily and took her turn. She hit the closest to a bull’s-eye ever in this game.
Nick cursed under his breath. “You haven’t fallen in love with the town?”
“I have,” she said. “In a way.” She paused. “But...”
He glanced at her. “But what?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I came here with wide eyes with Jazzy. She’s married and super busy now. I feel, well...” She didn’t want to say the rest.
Cecelia and her best friend, Jasmine “Jazzy” Cates, had come to Rust Creek Falls together to find romance—and, of course, help the town with the recovery efforts after the flood the previous summer. Along the way, Jazzy had taken a job with local vet Brooks Smith. Their working relationship soon led to wedding bells. Only Cecelia knew the truth—that their quick vows were really a marriage of convenience, so that Brooks could convince his ailing father to let him take over the practice. Soon though, true love won out, and Brooks and Jazzy were as much in love as could be.
“Don’t tell me you were hoping for a Rust Creek cowboy,” Nick said.
“I was hoping for a fresh start and maybe a relationship,” she said and took a sip of her water. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. Nothing,” he said and focused on the dartboard. He threw a dart that landed dead center and smiled. “Now that’s the way it should be.”
She scowled at him. “The game’s not over.”
“Good luck,” he said then shook his head. “I never thought you were one of the man-crazy women. You didn’t seem to be working hard at getting a guy.”
She shrugged. “No one likes to look desperate. But the truth is I haven’t clicked with any of the guys I’ve met. That makes me wonder if I should go back to Thunder Canyon. Maybe the pastures here aren’t as green as I’d thought they would be.”
“Whoa, whoa,” he said. “Are you gonna take your turn?”
Cecelia scowled again. “Okay, okay,” she said and sailed her dart dead center.
Nick cursed under his breath again.
“I think I’m ahead, now,” she said.
Nick frowned at her. “Maybe you haven’t given Rust Creek the full shot you should have.”
“I’ve been here for over a year,” she protested.
“Yeah, but you haven’t really—” He broke off. “Tried.”
“Tried?” she echoed. “I’ve gone out on a lot of dates. Trust me.”
“Yeah, but have you tried to sell yourself?”
“Sell myself?” she said, clearly appalled. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t mean selling yourself that way.” He paused. “I mean that, in general, women need to sell men.”
She looked at him skeptically. “This sounds shady.”
Nick shrugged. “The truth is, the man is...the customer. You need to sell him in order to lasso him in.”
“That’s disgusting,” she said. “Disgusting.”
“It’s not,” he protested. “It’s the truth. A lot of men need to be shown what they want. Once they learn that, they’re ready to surrender to the noose of marriage.”
“Noose?” she echoed.
“That’s my interpretation. My brothers got married and they’re no fun anymore,” he said.
“According to whom?” she asked.
“According to me,” he said. “They always want to stay home with their wives.”
“Doesn’t that mean they’re happy to be with their wives?” she asked.
“I guess,” he said. “I just know I don’t want to become as boring as they are.”
Cecelia shook her head. “I’m so glad I know what a playboy you are,” she said.
“I’m not a playboy,” he said, pointing to himself. “I’m just trying to make some money. That’s why I started my Maverick for Hire business. A lot of women have been interested in giving me a honey-do list, so it just makes sense for me to make a full-time job out of it. You know what I did—put an advertisement in the Rust Creek Rambler newspaper for my handyman services, and I’ve been busy ever since. But we’ve gotten off track. You’re the one with the problem. If you want a man, Cecelia, you need to treat him like he’s a customer. I can tell you how.”
Horrified, Cecelia blinked at him. “I’m telling you that sounds an awful lot like prostitution.”
He shook his head. “You know I don’t mean that.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Cece, you know I think you’re great the way you are, but other guys want a little—” he shrugged his shoulders “—glamour.”
“Glamour?” she echoed. “In Rust Creek Falls?”
“Yeah, well, we’re a simple lot,” he said and scrunched up his face. “Do you really want to leave Rust Creek Falls?”
“I don’t know,” she said, looking away from him. “I just haven’t felt like I belonged here lately. And the truth is I was hoping I’d meet someone special here. Kind of like Jazzy did.”
He sighed. “I’d hate to lose my best bud,” he said. “You’re the only woman I know who doesn’t want me for my amazing body,” he said, joking. “Or to fix something in her house.
Cecelia rolled her eyes. “That’s your own fault for being such a flirt.”
He leaned toward her. “It’s not my fault all these women want my handyman services.”
“You’re profiting from it. Stop complaining,” she said.
“But—”
“Hey there, Nick,” a pretty brunette said as she bumped into him. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you!”
Cecelia noticed the woman was slurring her words.
“Hey, Daphne, good to see you again. I’ve been working hard lately,” he said. “How about you?”
She pointed her index finger at his chest. “I think we could be good together.”
Nick sighed. “You seem a little wobbly. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said and batted her eyelashes.
“I’m thinking you need to go home. Where are you living now?”
She sifted her fingers through his hair. “I’m renting a trailer out by Route 46.”
“How about you let me take you home?” he asked.
“I would love that,” she said, batting her eyelashes.
