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Crockett's Seduction
Tina Leonard
All He Wanted Was The One Woman He Couldn't HaveArtist, rancher, bull rider, Crockett Jefferson has always been a man of strong passions. So when he finds himself thinking passionately about the one woman he shouldn't–Valentine Cakes, the mother of his brother's child–this sensitive cowboy knows he's in trouble.Valentine has no idea of how Crockett feels about her, but she does think the handsome cowboy is sexier than any man has a right to be. Of course, she isn't about to let on–trying to win Crockett would confirm everything the Jefferson men once thought about her: That she was a gold digger after a wealthy cowboy.Crockett and Valentine are sitting on a powder keg–and it'll take only one sweet kiss for the whole thing to explode!
THE JEFFERSON BROTHERS OF MALFUNCTION JUNCTION
Mason (38), Maverick and Mercy’s eldest son—He can’t run away from his own heartache or The Family Problem.
Frisco Joe (37)—Fell hard for Annabelle Turnberry and has sweet Emmie to show for it. They live in Texas wine country.
Fannin (36)—Life can’t get better than cozying up with Kelly Stone and his darling twins in a ring house in Ireland.
Laredo (35), twin to Tex—Loves Katy Goodnight, North Carolina and being the only brother to do Something Big.
Tex (35), twin to Laredo—Grower of roses and other plants, Tex fell for Cissy Kisserton and decided her water-bound way of life was best.
Calhoun (34)—Loved to paint nude women, and finally found Olivia Spinlove, the one woman who could hold his heart.
Ranger (33), twin to Archer—Fell for Hannah Hotchkiss and will never leave for the open road without her.
Archer (33), twin to Ranger—E-mail and an Aussie stunt-woman named Clove Penmire were this cowboy’s undoing.
Crockett (31), twin to Navarro—He was the first artist in the family! And now everyone—including his new wife Valentine Cakes—knows it!
Navarro (31), twin to Crockett—Fell for Nina Cakes when he was supposed to be watching her sister, Valentine, who is the mother of Last’s child.
Bandera (27)—With Holly Henshaw in a hot air balloon he doesn’t need poetry to keep his mind off his troubles.
Last (26)—The only brother who finds himself a new father with no hope of marrying the mother. Will he ever find the happy ending he always wanted?
GINGERBREAD MAN RECIPE
Bake with love
¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar (dark or light brown)
¼ cup light molasses
1 beaten egg
2 cups flour (unsifted)
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
Cream shortening and sugar, then add molasses and egg. Beat well.
Mix together flour, salt, soda and spices, and sift.
Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well.
Put in refrigerator for a while. My grandmother’s handwritten note to the side says to cover and chill for at least one hour. Roll out dough and cut out in gingerbread shapes.
Try baking at 350°F for ten minutes.
In my family, we do not use frosting on our gingerbread men! You can use frosting, or what Mimi always bought was red hots and sprinkles (like chocolate and colorful ones). We press the decorations into the gingerbread men and then bake them. That’s how my kids love them. It’s just so delicious to taste the gingerbread at holiday time! Hope you enjoy!
With love,
Tina Leonard and Isabel Sites (Mimi)
Crockett’s Seduction
Tina Leonard
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tina Leonard loves to laugh, which is one of the many reasons she loves writing Harlequin American Romance books. In another lifetime Tina thought she would be single and an East Coast fashion buyer forever. The unexpected happened when Tina met Tim again after many years—she hadn’t seen him since they’d attended school together from first through eighth grade. They married, and now Tina keeps a close eye on her school-age children’s friends! Lisa and Dean keep their mother busy with soccer, gymnastics and horseback riding. They are proud of their mom’s “kissy books” and eagerly help her any way they can. Tina hopes that readers will enjoy the love of family she writes about in her books. Recently a reviewer wrote, “Leonard had a wonderful sense of the ridiculous,” which Tina loved so much she wants it for her epitaph. Right now, however, she’s focusing on her wonderful life and writing a lot more romance! Visit her at www.tinaleonard.com.
To Heather Diane Tipton, Marcy Shuler and Dawn Nelson, the quicker-picker-uppers, who pulled me out of the dumps. I loved having you in my office for “tea.” What wonderful friends you are!
To all my Tina Leonard’s Corral Gal Pals,
for being awesome friends.
To the Scandalous Ladies, for recipes, reading and support you provide so generously.
Thank you, Stacy Boyd, for being a patient, encouraging editor. Kathleen Scheibling, bless you for your stalwart heart and patience.
Maggie Kelly, you are a gem.
Lisa and Dean, you have made my life fun!
Tim Leonard, my childhood best friend. I’m glad you did my homework in first grade.
Mother, I miss you. Judy, I miss you, too.
Shannon and Dad, what a wonderful blessing to have a wedding in the family. Welcome to the family, Shannon. We will take good care of you.
Contents
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
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
Sometimes she riled my temper, but she always made me smile.
—Maverick Jefferson to his sons after his wife, Mercy, passed away
As Crockett Jefferson stood at his brother Bandera’s wedding, he wondered if Valentine Cakes ever realized how much time he spent staring at her. He shouldn’t. She was the mother of his brother Last’s child. Crockett’s deepest, darkest secret was that Valentine evoked fantasies in his mind, fantasies of the two of them laughing, touching, kissing—
“Well, that’s that,” his eldest brother, Mason, said looking to Hawk and Jellyfish, the amateur detectives and family friends who’d come to the Malfunction Junction ranch to deliver news about Maverick Jefferson, the Jefferson brothers’ missing father. Before he heard anything else about the mystery that obsessed Mason Crockett once again found his vision glued to Valentine and her tiny daughter, Annette. His eyes had a habit they didn’t want to give up, no matter how much family drama flowed around him.
Hawk looked at Mason. “Do you want to know what we learned about your father before or after you eat your piece of wedding cake?”
Crockett sighed, watching the fiery redhead as he heard the pronouncement about Maverick. With regret he took his gaze off Valentine. She held her daughter and a box of heart-shaped petits-fours she’d made for Bandera’s wedding reception. Being an artist of sorts, he appreciated both Valentine’s lovely baked goods and her beauty. She smiled at him, her pretty blues eyes encouraging, her mouth bowing sweetly, and his heart turned over.
She could never know how he felt about her.
He didn’t want to feel the way he did about the mother of his brother’s child. So, to get away from the temptation to look at Valentine again, Crockett followed Hawk, Jellyfish and Mason to the shade of a tree so they could talk.
“We were able to confirm that Maverick was in Alaska, for a long time,” Hawk said. “Your father lived with an Alaskan woman of Inuit descent. She found him slumped in a boat one day, floating offshore. Not knowing who he was or where he’d come from, she had friends help her carry him to her home. When he awakened, Maverick had no memory. She lived in a remote area, far from any town where a tourist group might have lost a member. Mannie kept him with her for four years, always hoping he might tell her something about himself.”
Crockett looked at Mason, who surely had to be feeling the same lead in the pit of his stomach that he was feeling. Finally, some trace of Maverick had been found, but he also feared there must be more to the story.
Jellyfish put a hand on Mason’s shoulder. “You should know that Maverick only told Mannie a few things about himself, once some of his memory returned. She awakened one day to find him gone. He’d left behind food to keep her for a long time. Gifts, but not his heart. He was a natural wanderer. During the entire four years he’d stayed with her, she’d sensed he wasn’t really with her by the distant look in his eyes when he searched the horizon.”
“Oh, jeez,” Crockett murmured. They were all wanderers. Right now, their father might still be out there somewhere, searching for what would ease his heart. Even with this new information they were not much closer to finding him.
“Maybe there is more to learn,” Hawk said. “But we felt it was important to come back and tell you the news, then let you decide what more you want to know.”
Crockett felt a deep tug in his chest. Now they would hold a family council to decide what to do. It was good they’d found out now, since all the brothers were at the ranch for the annual Fourth of July gathering and Bandera’s wedding.
Now that so many of the Jefferson brothers had married and moved away, Mason wanted to hold a family reunion at least twice a year—Christmas in the winter and Fourth of July in the summer. Christmas was a natural choice, but Independence Day was a time when the pond was warm enough for the children to swim, Mason had said. But Crockett knew his request really had nothing to do with pond water. Mason just wanted the brothers and their families together at so-called Malfunction Junction ranch, their home.
Crockett had to admit there was something to the power of family bonding as he again watched Valentine help her tiny daughter across a field. Right now, he wanted to get away from all thoughts of family—and Maverick. It simply hurt too much to know that their father had been living on whale meat in a hut somewhere. It was life—but it wasn’t life with them.
Could Maverick have been happy? Had he regained his memory? Or had he given up after their mother died? Crockett doubted they’d ever know all the answers. They’d been haunted for too many years by the questions, and each and every brother had learned various ways of dodging painful soul-searching.
“Thanks, guys,” Crockett murmured to Hawk and Jellyfish since Mason seemed dumbstruck. “I’m sure Mason will call a family council after dinner to discuss what you told us. Stick around. Helga’s made ribs, sweet peas and grilled corn, and I believe Valentine whipped up some blueberry pies. Comfort food is what we all could use right now. And good friends.”
That said, he headed in Valentine’s direction. He grabbed the box of petits fours from her so that she could play with Annette. “Go on,” he told Valentine. “You jump, too.”
“Thank you, Crockett.” Giving him a smile that tugged at his heart, Valentine pulled off her shoes and got inside the inflatable house-shaped structure. She bounced gently with her daughter.
With pleasure, he noted that all of Valentine bounced. Her hair, her breasts, even her laughter seemed to go up and down as she played with her daughter. He loved watching her be a mother.
Crockett lowered his head for a second, pushing his cowboy hat down. It was a shame that Valentine and his youngest brother, Last, had not worked out as a couple. They had a beautiful little daughter; Annette was such a sweet baby. And, wanting to support the new addition to the family, the Jefferson brothers had backed Valentine in her own business, a bakery she’d named Baked Valentines.
He would never have dreamed that the onetime receptionist at a beauty salon would have been such a smart businesswoman—and an awesome baker. It was hard for him to understand why Last didn’t love this talented, hardworking woman…. Boy, he was getting in a groove with being jealous of his brothers.
Lately, he’d found himself stewing over things he shouldn’t. It was affecting the way he felt about his family.
First Calhoun, then Last.
Before his brother Calhoun had stolen Crockett’s thunder and his creativity by becoming a better artist than him. Only more commercial, Calhoun always said, as if that made it more acceptable. Crockett had put his soul into painting. It had been a good life: cowboying by day, painting by night.
But he hadn’t been able to paint in a long time. And now all he seemed to think about was Valentine.
The woman in question turned and fell over, laughing. Her jeans-clad bottom jiggled—-and Crockett’s artistic eye was transfixed.
He’d never seen anything with such rounded perfection. Bountiful and sexy. Lush and full.
“Only sculpting would do that form justice,” he mused. “The warmth of fired clay, touched with the hue of a rosy—”
“What?” Valentine asked, sitting up to look at him. “Do you want to join us?”
