Maverick vs. Maverick Read online

  His eyes were dark and mysterious. Tempting. She could see the slight shadow of stubble on his chin, catch the faint spicy notes of his cologne. Again today his tailored suit was gone, replaced by well-worn jeans, a thick button-down cotton shirt and a pair of boots. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear Walker was born and bred in this town. “What’s so special about tomorrow?”

  “You’ll have to meet me tomorrow morning at the corner of Commercial and South Buckskin Road, at nine. Then I can show you what I’ve been working on.”

  Her gaze narrowed. That location wasn’t near the day care, so it couldn’t be an expansion of the building. “What you’ve been working on? What do you mean?”

  He put his cup on the ground, then grabbed the second chain, keeping her against his chest, so close she could kiss him without moving. “Almost from the second I let you go that day, I regretted it. But you were right—what I wanted and what you wanted were two different things. I thought I could find a way to convince you to move to Tulsa—”

  She was already shaking her head. They’d circled right back to the same place. She should have known better than to think it would end differently. “I’m not moving, Walker. I’m sorry. Everything and everyone I love is here.”

  “I know that.” He smiled. “Once I finally realized that, I knew what I had to do.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I can’t tell you yet. You’re going to have to trust me.” He caught her chin with his palm and traced the outline of her bottom lip. She wanted to lean into his touch, to kiss that warm spot on his hand, to trust him, but her mind kept telling her to be cautious, to avoid the inevitable heartbreak.

  He closed the gap between them and pressed a kiss to her lips. A soft, slow, sweet kiss that tasted like sunshine on a warm spring day. “I opted for another road, Lindsay. And I hope you’ll do the same.”

  “Another road? Walker, you’re not making any sense.”

  He straightened. “Meet me tomorrow morning and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I promise, it will be worth your time.” He gave her one more kiss, then got to his feet and exited the park, leaving her with cold cocoa and a tough choice.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Walker had never been this nervous in his life. He’d negotiated multimillion-dollar deals, met with heads of state, jumped out of a perfectly good airplane once, but never had he been as nervous as he was on this bright October Sunday morning.

  He had everything he needed, finally. It had been down to the wire, and he’d had to call in more than a few favors, but everything was done and in place. He could only pray that the decision he’d made would be met with the reaction he hoped.

  He stood at the intersection of Commercial Street and South Buckskin Road, ticking off the minutes. It seemed to take forever for the hands on his watch to move.

  Right at nine, Lindsay pulled up to the curb, parked her car and got out. She cupped a hand over her eyes to block the sun and gave him a quizzical look. “Why did you have me meet you at an empty lot? On a Sunday morning, at that?”

  “Because it won’t be empty for long. And I wanted you to see it before everything starts.”

  She climbed up the small grassy hill and stood before him. She had on her cowboy boots again, along with a pair of hip-hugging jeans, a pale blue V-neck shirt and a black leather jacket. She looked sexy and comfortable all at the same time, and all he wanted to do was take her home and explore every inch of her. “What everything?”

  “My new corporate headquarters. We’re building it from the ground up, because I couldn’t find a suitable existing space in Rust Creek Falls.” As he said the words, excitement filled him. It had been a long time since Walker had had a business venture that had him raring to start the day. And this one, with this incredible view, and the incredible woman before him, was the best decision he’d ever made. He was glad he’d gotten the support of the rest of the board before he made the move, because it would prevent his father from exerting control over Walker any longer. “It’s not going to be some shiny, modern metal building. I’m thinking of giving it a lodge feeling, like the Maverick Manor, so it fits right in with everything else in this town. I should be starting on it next week.”

  “Next week?” She shook her head, and confusion filled her features again. “Wait, did you just say your new corporate headquarters?”

  “I’ve decided to relocate. To right here.” He pointed at the ground. “At least during my work hours. After hours, I’ll be living in a house in town. A rental, for now, to give us enough time to find what we really want.”

  She blinked and shook her head again. “I’m confused, Walker. Why are you moving here? And renting a house here?”

  “Because I don’t want to leave.” He took her hands in his, holding them tight. Her fingers were cold, her face wary. He couldn’t blame her. He’d been distant all week, afraid to make promises he wasn’t sure he could keep. But now, with everything moving forward, Walker was ready to tell Lindsay everything. “I want to stay here, right in Rust Creek Falls, with you.”

  She broke away from him. “Stay here? What are you doing?”

  “Changing my life for the better.” He tamped down his disappointment that she hadn’t been overjoyed by his news. He’d thought she would be happy he was moving here, happy that he wanted to be with her.

  “You don’t want to live in this small town, Walker. You’ve told me yourself how much you love Tulsa. That you couldn’t wait to get back to the city. You’ll get tired of this place in a few months, and then you’ll leave. And this will go back to being an empty lot.”

  She waved off his attempt to reach for her hand.

  “Just quit—” She stopped and took in a breath, then let it out with a shudder. “Quit making me believe in things that are never going to happen.”

  She turned away and headed back to her car. Walker jogged down the hill and stopped in front of her. “Damn, you are a stubborn woman. What’s it going to take for you to believe that I’m serious?”

  “You know what I want?” She threw up her hands. “Proof. Something other than words. I’ve had the words before, and in the end, they weren’t true. I want to know you’re serious.”

  He chuckled. “I figured you’d say that.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a sheaf of papers. “So here, counselor, are your exhibits, proving my case. The deed to this very plot of land. A letter from the building department, approving our architectural rendering. A lease for a rental down the street—”

  “How did you accomplish all this so quickly?”

  “Well, I paid some of my people very well to work extra hours, but most of the credit goes to the folks in Rust Creek Falls. Everybody knows everybody else in a place this small, and those connections can make the impossible happen.” He took a step closer. “Especially when I made it clear that I want to make a long-term investment in this town. One that could benefit everyone here.”

  She glanced over what he had given her. “You’re really doing this, aren’t you?”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

  She looked at the papers again, then at him. Her eyes widened. “You’re...you’re staying?”

  He nodded. “There’s more, Lindsay. For this one, I’m going to need a lawyer. A good lawyer, who understands this town and these people and will make sure I do this right.” He reached into the opposite pocket and pulled out a handwritten list and handed it to her. “Will you set this up for me?”

  She scanned the paper, the notes he’d made this morning, and her brows knitted in concentration. When she lifted her gaze to his again, surprise colored the blue depths. “You’re setting up a foundation...and The Just Us Kids Pediatric Pulmonary Center? Why?”

  “Because I don’t want what happened to the Marshalls to happen to anyone
else. Those medical bills, even with insurance, were so expensive, they could have lost their house and everything they had worked for. It could have happened to so many others, too. I thought I’d set up a foundation for the residents of Rust Creek Falls so that no one ever has to worry if they get sick. There’s going to be a resource available to them to pay those bills. And a center to take their children to if they need specialized medical care. It’s something this whole area needed, not just the town.” Even after all he’d done for the families and for the Marshalls, Walker had felt as if he’d left something undone, that he could have done more. “I’m hoping this is a way to give back to the town that will keep on giving for years and years to come.”

  She softened and tears filled her eyes. “Why would you do something like that?”

  He whisked away a tear with his thumb and smiled down at her. “Because you taught me to love this town as much as you do. I want to stay here, Lindsay, and build a life with you. I love you.”

  She opened her mouth. Closed it again. “You...love me?”

  He nodded, and his heart filled with hope and a million other emotions he couldn’t name. “I think I have from the minute I watched you argue in court. You were so passionate—about the case, about the people you represented, about the life you have here. And I wanted to be a part of that, with you. But most of all, I wanted to find a home. And I did, here.”

  “In Rust Creek Falls?”

  “No.” He took her in his arms. She nestled perfectly against his chest, fitting into that space like a missing piece. Walker smiled down at her. “Right here. With you. When I see you, I feel like I’ve come home, and when I hold you, it’s like I’ve found exactly the right place to be.”

  She pressed her head to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He held her for a long time, while the world went on, cars passing on their way to church, families going to a big Sunday breakfast.

  “I never wanted to fall in love with you,” she said. “You were everything I told myself to avoid. Because I didn’t want to get hurt again.”

  “I won’t hurt you, Lindsay.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and inhaled the floral notes of her perfume. “I spent too many years burying myself in my work because I thought what I wanted most didn’t exist, and I was afraid to try and find out if it did. Then I came here, and you challenged me to step outside the comfort of my office and to really live. And love.” He tipped her chin until she was looking at him. “You changed my life, Lindsay. And now I want to change yours.”

  He stepped back, then dropped to one knee on the grassy hill. He fished in his pocket for a red velvet box and flipped back the lid. “This was my grandmother’s ring. My grandfather said that if I ever found a woman who made me want to be a better man, then I should give it to her. You have made me want to be a better person, a better business owner and most of all a better man. To give more and expect less and to leave the space around me changed for the good.”

  “I did all that? But...how?”

  “By doing it yourself.” He held the ring out to her. “So, will you marry me, Lindsay Dalton?”

  She hesitated for a long moment, her fingers poised over his hand. Then she sighed and shook her head. “I can’t.”

  The hope he’d held on to for so many days plummeted like a stone. He withdrew the box and thumbed the lid closed. “I’m sorry. I thought—”

  She put a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t until I show you something. Wait here.” She turned and went back to her car, pulled out something big and square, then came back up the hill to him. “Considering you’re renting a house here, I think this might be an appropriate housewarming gift.”

  He unwrapped the paper covering and revealed the painting he had tried to buy last night at the harvest festival. The Dalton ranch, nestled among the mountains and the river. “How did you get this? Vanessa said she would only sell it to a member of the Dalton family.”

  She shrugged. “We took a vote.”

  Now it was his turn to give her a confused look. “You took a vote?”

  She nodded. “Me and my brothers and sister, and even my parents. Everyone heard about what you did for the kids that got sick at the day care and how you brought a ton of business to Maverick Manor. We decided that someone like that should be an honorary member of the Dalton clan, so we chipped in and bought the painting from Vanessa.”

  “Thank you.” As much as he loved the painting, he realized that seeing it now meant seeing the memories of Lindsay and knowing she wasn’t going to be his wife. Could he really look at this image every day and know that she wasn’t part of the picture? “Honorary member, huh?”

  She nodded. “It’s a temporary status.”

  “How temporary?”

  “However long it takes to plan a wedding.” A wide smile broke across her face. “You have made a successful argument, Mr. Jones, and provided ample evidence to demonstrate your commitment to this town and to me. And I’m ruling—”

  He wagged a finger in front of her. “You’re not a judge.”

  “Might I remind you, this is an empty lot and not a court of law?” She parked her fists on her hips and gave him a stubborn smile. “So the regular rules don’t apply.”

  “Ah, yes, indeed.” He made a sweeping gesture. “Proceed, Your Honor.”

  “I’m ruling that you and I, given that you love me and I love you—” hearing those words made Walker’s heart leap “—now enter into a binding lifetime contract. Of marriage.”

  He laughed. “That’s one contract I’m going to sign unread.”

  She cocked her head to one side. “I don’t know if you should. Not reading it first is a big risk.”

  “One I’m willing to take.” He propped the painting against his leg, then took her hand again. “The question is whether you are.”

  “I took that risk the minute I met you, Walker Jones.” She rose on her toes and kissed him. “And I realized I never want to be on the opposing side of you again.”

  He slid the ring onto her finger and drew her into his arms. “That’s one thing that we can agree on.”

  She looked up at him. “So, about this rental house...”

  “It’s temporary, just until we find something for the two of us.”

  “Until then,” she said, a devilish twinkle in her eyes, “I think we should go break it in. All part of the housewarming, of course.”

  He leaned down and kissed her, a long, deep, hot kiss that promised much more to come later. Then he drew back and tucked a stray tendril behind her ear. “Just having you there warms everything, Lindsay.”

  She smiled up at him. “Welcome home, Walker.”

  They were the words he had waited all his life to hear. His throat was thick, his heart full, and he couldn’t find anything else to say. So he gathered the woman he loved into his arms and held her tight while they stood together on a grassy patch of land that was no longer empty, because now it was filled with hopes and dreams. Home, he thought, had been here all along.

  * * * * *

  EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

  When Dea Caracciolo agrees to attend a sporting event as tycoon Guido Rossano’s date, sparks fly!

  Read on for a sneak preview of

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S PRIZE

  the final instalment of Rebecca Winters’ thrilling Cherish trilogy

  THE MONTINARI MARRIAGES

  The dark blue short-sleeved dress with small red poppies Dea was wearing hugged her figure, then flared from the waist to the knee. With every step the material danced around her beautiful legs, imitating the flounce of her hair she wore down the way he liked it. Talk about his heart failing him!

  “Dea—”

  Her searching gaze fused with his. “I hope it’s all right.” The slight tremor in her voice betrayed her fear that she wasn’t welcome. If she only knew…


  “You’ve had an open invitation since we met.” Nodding his thanks to Mario, he put his arm around her shoulders and drew her inside the suite.

  He slid his hands in her hair. “You’re the most beautiful sight this man has ever seen.” With uncontrolled hunger he lowered his mouth to hers and began to devour her. Over the announcer’s voice and the roar of the crowd, he heard her little moans of pleasure as their bodies merged and they drank deeply.

  When she swayed in his arms, he half carried her over to the couch where they could give in to their frenzied needs. She smelled heavenly. One kiss grew into another until she became his entire world. He’d never known a feeling like this and lost track of time and place.

  “Do you know what you do to me?” he whispered against her lips with feverish intensity.

  “I came for the same reason.”

  Her admission pulled him all the way under. Once in a while the roar of the crowd filled the room, but that didn’t stop him from twining his legs with hers. He desired a closeness they couldn’t achieve as long as their clothes separated them.

  “I want you, bellissima. I want you all night long. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S PRIZE by Rebecca Winters

  Available November 2016

  PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY

  www.millsandboon.co.uk

  Copyright ©2016 by Rebecca Winters

  ISBN: 978-1-474-04169-0

  MAVERICK VS. MAVERICK

  © 2016 Shirley Jump

  Published in Great Britain 2016

  by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

  All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.