Maverick Holiday Magic (Montana Mavericks: Six Brides For Six Brothers Book 5) Read online

  Santa brought a nanny for Christmas!

  Widowed rancher Hunter Crawford will do anything to make his daughter, Wren, happy—even if it means hiring a live-in nanny he thinks he doesn’t need. Merry Matthews quickly fills their house with cookie cutters, pine wreaths and true yuletide spirit. These two lonely hearts clearly belong together, but it may take an extra push from Wren for Hunter and Merry to find holiday bliss in Rust Creek Falls...

  Dear Santa,

  I have been nice this year...mostly! I know this letter is late, but could you please bring me something extra special for Christmas? I really, really want a mommy.

  Merry is the best nanny ever, and she makes my daddy smile. She would be the perfect mom. But Daddy says it’s “complicated.” I don’t know why grown-ups make everything so hard. Santa, he really likes her. I can tell!

  Now, though, Daddy is acting all weird. I’m afraid Merry is going to go away. I need some big-time Christmas magic to make her stay with me and my dad. Please, Santa, can you help me? Can you make us into a real family for Christmas?

  Your friend,

  Wren Crawford

  * * *

  MONTANA MAVERICKS:

  Six Brides for Six Brothers!

  Dear Reader,

  One of my favorite movies is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It doesn’t get any better than seven romances in one story. So, when offered the opportunity to participate in this Montana Mavericks continuity series, Six Brides for Six Brothers, I couldn’t have been more delighted.

  Hunter Crawford is one of six brothers who recently relocated from Texas to Rust Creek Falls, Montana. He’s a widower with a six-year-old daughter and welcomes the chance to leave sad memories behind. What’s not so welcome is his father’s determination to find a wife for him and all of his brothers. Four have already lost their hearts, and Hunter has no intention of being number five.

  Merry Matthews is grieving the recent loss of her father and struggling with financial repercussions after his death. An opportunity to earn extra money comes along when newcomer Hunter Crawford asks her to be his daughter’s weekend nanny for his brother’s destination wedding. When it turns into a full-time job, she’s delighted to be working for the handsome rancher. And caring for his little girl doesn’t feel like work at all. It’s a chance to bring some good cheer into their lives during the most wonderful time of the year. Unless Hunter refuses to let himself be cheered.

  Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving and Christmas? Maverick Holiday Magic has both because Hunter Crawford needs all the holiday magic he can get! I hope you enjoy reading Hunter and Merry’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  Happy holidays!

  Teresa Southwick

  Maverick Holiday Magic

  Teresa Southwick

  Teresa Southwick lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Harlequin.

  Books by Teresa Southwick

  Harlequin Special Edition

  An Unexpected Partnership

  What Makes a Father

  The Bachelors of Blackwater Lake

  A Decent Proposal

  The Widow’s Bachelor Bargain

  How to Land Her Lawman

  A Word with the Bachelor

  Just a Little Bit Married

  The New Guy in Town

  His by Christmas

  Just What the Cowboy Needed

  Montana Mavericks: The Lonelyhearts Ranch

  Unmasking the Maverick

  Montana Mavericks: The Baby Bonanza

  Her Maverick M.D.

  Montana Mavericks: What Happened at the Wedding?

  An Officer and a Maverick

  Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!

  From Maverick to Daddy

  Visit the Author Profile page at www.Harlequin.com for more titles.

  To all the remarkably creative and talented writers

  in the Montana Mavericks series

  and our gifted and patient editor, Susan Litman.

  All of you made working on this book a joy!

  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

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from A Wyoming Christmas to Remember by Melissa Senate

  Chapter One

  Ambling A Ranch

  Rust Creek Falls, Montana

  Hunter Crawford knew what his father was up to.

  It was common knowledge that Max had hired the local wedding planner to find wives for his six sons. Four of them were now off the marriage market and the target on Hunter’s back was getting bigger. That’s why he was suspicious of the old man pushing this big destination wedding for their brother Finn in Rustler’s Notch, Colorado. Hunter was pushing back. He’d much rather stay here on the Ambling A Ranch, where he was more insulated from his father’s meddling.

  There were four cabins on this sprawling property—the big house, where his father and his brother Wilder lived, and three smaller places.

  Hunter lived in one of them with his six-year-old daughter, Wren, and loved the two-story log house. It had four bedrooms, two baths, a great room and kitchen. The place wasn’t huge, but it had enough room for the two of them. The biggest selling point was that it had no bad memories from the past clinging to it. He was doing his best to keep the vibe pure of pain, for Wren’s sake. Although that could change.

  His instinct was telling him that this wedding was somehow going to threaten his resolve to maintain his bachelor designation. The way he saw it, everyone had one great love in their life and he’d had his. Losing her had nearly destroyed him. He was determined not to put himself in a position where that could happen to him again. But his father and Wilder weren’t taking no for an answer and had come to give him a hard sell.

  He’d reluctantly opened the door to them and they followed him into the kitchen. Might as well get this over with, he told himself as he took a breath and faced them. “I’m not going to the wedding.”

  Maximilian Crawford stood beside the circular oak table and stared him down. He was a tall, handsome, distinguished man in his sixties. Tan and rugged looking, his lined face suggested a life spent outdoors—and it had been. Now he left the physically taxing ranch work to Hunter and his brothers. His hair had once been brown like his sons’ but now it was gray and earned him the nickname “Silver Fox.” He was accustomed to getting what he wanted by any legal means necessary, but Hunter had inherited his father’s stubborn streak. So neither of them blinked.

  Finally, his father said, “Why?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  “It’s important to me that the whole family is there. Your brothers and their new wives are looking forward to a little vacation in Rustler’s Notch.” The older man looked at his youngest son, a “don’t just stand there” expression in his eyes.

  “Yeah,” Wilder said. “You coul
d use a vacation, bro.”

  “I’m good,” Hunter said.

  “It’s actually not you I’m worried about.” Wilder settled his hands on his lean hips. “The truth is, I could use your help. The two of us are the only single Crawford men left. It’s Colorado in November. Can you say ‘snow bunnies’? It pains me to say this, but I need a wingman.”

  Hunter glared at him. “Did someone drop you on your head when you were a baby?”

  “Maybe.” Wilder glanced at their father, then shrugged. “Why?”

  “Just to make sure I’ve got this right...” He paused for dramatic effect. “At this family outing, your primary goal is to hit on every single woman between the ages of twenty and forty?”

  “Yes.”

  It wasn’t easy to get under his brother’s skin. Hunter wasn’t even sure why he tried. “Even if I was interested in partying, which I’m not, I have a six-year-old daughter. Wren and I would cramp your style.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting we bring Wren.” Wilder stopped for a moment, clearly thinking that over. “Although, a single father with a kid could be a chick magnet.”

  “Don’t even go there,” Hunter warned. “And no, you can’t borrow her.”

  “That’s low,” his brother said. “I would never use my niece like that.”

  “He was just kidding,” Max cut in.

  “Yeah, lighten up, big brother. It would do you good to let off some steam.”

  “How would you know?” Hunter asked. “All you think about is your next score. You have absolutely no responsibilities. And no idea what I’ve gone through.”

  “That’s true,” Wilder acknowledged. “But it’s been six years since your wife died. Everyone else has been tiptoeing around the subject but I’m already in the doghouse with you so what the heck.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Lara wouldn’t want you to be like this. There’s no law against moving on. And your daughter should see you out and having fun.”

  “He’s right, son.” Max’s expression was sympathetic.

  Hunter shifted his glare to Max. “You don’t get a vote.”

  Max’s wife, the brothers’ mother, had left the family without a word when Hunter was a little boy and Wilder was just a baby. Their father was on his own raising six boys. As a kid, Hunter didn’t know that his parents’ relationship was bitterly unhappy. All he knew was that his mother took off and he’d believed if he’d been a better kid, a better son, she would have stayed. Max had it rough but Sheila didn’t die. She’d made a choice. Unlike Hunter’s wife, who’d passed away suddenly. The woman he’d loved was gone forever and there was no one to blame but himself.

  “It’s true,” Max said. “I can’t tell you what to do. But that doesn’t change the fact that I would really like to celebrate your brother’s marriage with my whole family in attendance.”

  “Why is this wedding such a big deal to you, Dad?”

  Max sighed and looked the way he always did when something should be clear as day but he still had to explain. “Sarah and Logan had a nontraditional ceremony at the local bar.”

  “Nothing wrong with Ace in the Hole. I’ve met some nice women there,” Wilder said.

  Max shook his head and continued. “Xander and Lily had their wedding at the Rust Creek Falls Community Center.”

  “It was nice. My daughter had a great time there.” It was local and this town was a place where everyone watched out for neighbors. Hunter didn’t have to worry about keeping an eye on Wren every second.

  “Knox and Genevieve were secretly married,” Max continued.

  “So were Finn and Avery,” Hunter interjected. “I say again—what’s the big deal?”

  “I think it’s about time we had a big splashy, formal family affair. We have a lot to celebrate, what with four of you boys settled down.” Max was known to be a master manipulator, but no one doubted his love for his sons. “Think about it. Five-star resort. Beautiful country. Love in the air.”

  Maybe for his brothers, but Hunter wasn’t interested in love. Not again. “Look, Dad, how many ways do you want me to say this? I don’t want to meet anyone. Stop trying to fix me up and call off Vivienne Dalton.”

  “Matchmaking is not what this is about.” Max didn’t look the least bit guilty about paying the local wedding planner a million dollars to find wives for his six sons. “And think of your daughter. Think about Wren.”

  “She’s all I think about.” She was his world and everything he did was to keep her happy and safe.

  “Why would you deny her the opportunity to be with her family? To make memories. And if you were to have a little fun, too, well...” Max let the words hang in the air between them.

  “And Finn asked you to be a groomsman along with the rest of us brothers,” Wilder reminded him. “Come on, Hunter. You can’t let him down. And as far as watching Wren? You’ve got Logan, Knox, Xander.”

  “And me,” Max said.

  “And me,” Wilder chimed in.

  “Yeah,” Hunter said, deliberately surrounding the single word with sarcasm. “Because nothing could go wrong with that scenario.”

  “That’s low,” Wilder said. “If you can’t trust your family, then who can you trust?”

  “A nanny.”

  Hunter looked at his brother, then both of them stared at Max, who had made the suggestion. “What?”

  “Hire a nanny for the wedding.” Max shrugged.

  “Wedding? What wedding?” No one had seen Wren standing there. But now the little girl was clearly excited. “Can I be in it? The bride and groom are going to need a flower girl.”

  “Oh, sugar. I’m in deep trouble now,” Hunter muttered to himself.

  “Hi, Gramps.” The blonde, blue-eyed star of his world walked farther into the room and looked way up at the tall men surrounding her. “Hi, Uncle Wilder. I was upstairs playing with my princess dolls. I didn’t know you were here.”

  Max went down on one knee to be on her level. “Hi, Wrennie. We came to talk to your dad about going to Uncle Finn’s wedding. I’m going to use my private plane to fly us all there and we’re going to stay in a very fancy hotel.”

  “Oh, boy!” Her big eyes grew bigger. “For real?”

  “Yup. And I’m pretty sure Avery is going to ask you to be her flower girl. But your dad isn’t sure he wants to go.”

  She turned her gaze on him. “But why?”

  Hunter hated when she looked at him like this. He lost every argument because stubborn was no match for those big blue eyes. “It’s a town that’s bigger than Rust Creek Falls. In a hotel like that there are lots of tourists—”

  “Who?”

  “Strangers visiting from everywhere. It will be harder for me to keep an eye on you all the time.”

  “But the flower girl gets to wear a pretty dress. Not as pretty as Avery’s because she’s the bride and that’s like the wedding princess, but...”

  “I suppose.” Hunter was at a loss when she talked dresses.

  “And maybe Avery doesn’t know anyone else to be a flower girl,” Wren said earnestly. “I have to be there.”

  “That’s a good point.” Wilder bent at the waist and rested his hands on his knees, making his gaze almost level with hers. “And there’s something else you should know. Your dad is supposed to be Uncle Finn’s groomsman.”

  “Would you have to get all dressed up, too?” the little girl asked.

  “That’s right, Wren,” Max said. “Your daddy is going to need a tuxedo.”

  This was why his dad and Wilder had followed him here to the house to finish this discussion. Despite their words to the contrary, they knew Wren was home from school. The two of them were counting on her to overhear. With her on their side, he didn’t stand a chance. But he’d give it one more shot.

  “If I’m in the we
dding, honey, it means I can’t watch over you the way I want.”

  Wren nodded thoughtfully, then her face brightened. “I heard Gramps say something about getting someone to take care of me.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think we can find anyone on such short notice.” Hunter was beginning to hope there was a way for him to make this situation work in his favor after all.

  “I know someone,” his daughter said.

  Well, dang it. “Who?”

  “Miss Merry. She works at my school. She helps in the classroom and she’s a playground supervisor at recess and lunch.” She smiled. “She’s really nice, especially on my first day of school when I was new. She played with me and got the other kids to play, too. She’s my first best friend in Rust Creek Falls.”

  “She sounds perfect,” Max approved. “You’re not going to disappoint my granddaughter, are you, Hunter?”

  “Please, Daddy.”

  The eyes, the pleading voice. The guilt that she didn’t have a mother. Hunter was toast and he knew it. “I’ll talk to Miss Merry and see what she says. But if it doesn’t work out, that’s it. Will you be okay with that?”

  “Yes!” Wren threw herself into his arms. “Thank you, Daddy. You’re the best daddy in the whole world.”

  If only. He wanted to be her hero and keep her safe. So he would meet Miss Merry, who sounded like someone’s elderly grandmother. In which case this could work.

  * * *

  “You’re younger than I thought you’d be.”

  And you’re even more handsome than you sounded on the phone. For a split second Merry Matthews was afraid she’d said that out loud. When the wariness in his green eyes didn’t change to fear of the crazy woman, she figured the thought stayed in her head where it belonged.

  She’d heard rumors in town about his exceptional good looks, but she had been woefully unprepared to see Hunter Crawford in the flesh. Then his deep voice had her nerve endings sparking and momentarily shorted out a commonsense answer. Now he was staring at her as if her hair was on fire. It was time to say something.