The Maverick's Resolution
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Brenda Harlen
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Chapter One
Ruby McKinley didn’t mind having to work New Year’s Eve. Besides, it wasn’t as if she had any better offers for the evening. Unlike her babysitter, who bailed at the eleventh hour when her sometimes-boyfriend invited her to go out, forcing Ruby to take her daughter to work with her. Thankfully, four-year-old Emery never complained about going to the inn with her mom, though that didn’t make Ruby feel much better about it as she settled her little girl on the sofa in the manager’s office with her iPad while she worked the front desk.
Though the hardscrabble town wasn’t anyone’s idea of a holiday hot spot, one of the event rooms at the inn had been booked for a party tonight. Ruby had seen the musical entertainment—the Row House Four, according to the placards posted on either side of the doors—come in earlier to set up for the party and had recognized one of them as Marisa Sanchez.
Marisa was a local piano teacher who’d become an internet superstar after a video of her multicultural, offbeat spin on the holidays had gone viral the previous Christmas. Ruby didn’t know Marisa well, but the pianist’s brother, Julian, was a good friend of Ruby’s ex-husband. Her bandmates were apparently Marisa’s roommates from her college days in Boston.
Ruby tapped her foot to the beat of the music emanating from behind closed doors and wondered what it would be like to have friends like Marisa had—friends who would travel halfway across the country to perform with her, just because she asked. Ruby was still in touch with some of her friends from high school and college in Wyoming, via the exchange of holiday cards and occasional text messages, but she honestly couldn’t remember the last time that she’d met Lucy for lunch or had coffee with Shanice or even chatted on the phone with Caitlin. Of course, her friends were all married now and busy with their own families, and since Ruby’s parents had moved to Florida, she had no reason to make the trip back to Wyoming.
Sure, she’d made new friends in Tenacity—including Megan Grant, the manager of the Tenacity Inn; Chrissy Hastings-Parker, who did catering for the hotel; and Lynda Slater, who’d selflessly offered both friendship and free legal advice when Ruby’s marriage was falling apart. And while she enjoyed spending time with her friends when their schedules allowed, most of her hours outside of work were occupied by her daughter.
Suddenly, the music faded and the revelers in the party room began to count down to midnight. A quick peek into the office confirmed that Emery had fallen asleep watching her favorite Disney movie. Her wispy blond hair was splayed out on the throw pillow behind her head, and her hand was curled into a pudgy fist, her thumb resting against the lower lip of her Cupid’s bow mouth.
Emery had never taken to a pacifier, but she did love to suck her thumb. And while Ruby liked to think she’d been making some progress in her efforts to break her daughter of the habit, there were occasional lapses—most often when the little girl wasn’t in her bed at home, as was the case tonight.
The sound of noisemakers emanating from the party room confirmed that the new year had arrived, and Ruby lifted her can of 7UP in a silent toast to her daughter.
Happy New Year, my baby—the very best part of my life. I’ve never been big on resolutions, but this year, I’m going to do better for both of us.
The celebratory din began to fade, only to be immediately followed by another round of cheers. Before Ruby had a chance to speculate on the potential cause, Marisa Sanchez and Dawson John burst through the doors. The sound of cheers, whoops and a distinct pop of a champagne bottle could be heard in the event room.
Marisa waved her left hand in the air, the diamond on her third finger flashing in the overhead lights. “Dawson asked me to marry him—and I said yes.” Then she turned to her fiancé and gave him a smacking kiss. “I feel like I’m the luckiest person in the world.”
“Second luckiest,” Dawson countered. “Because I’m the luckiest.”
“Well, congratulations to you both,” Ruby said sincerely.
And she was truly happy for the couple, who were obviously in love and excited about their future together. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad, because it didn’t seem like so very long ago that she’d been the one showing off her engagement ring. That she’d been the one full of hopes and dreams for her life with the handsome and charming Owen McKinley—a life that had quickly fallen apart.
As she watched Marisa and Dawson, now surrounded by family and friends who’d spilled out of the party room into the lobby to offer their best wishes to the happy couple, Ruby found herself wondering if she’d ever experience love again...
Or maybe she should wonder if she’d ever know the joy of truly loving and being loved—because she’d recently found herself questioning if she’d really been in love with the man she’d married or just wanted to believe herself in love. Because at the time she’d met Owen, several of her friends back home in Wyoming had been planning weddings and preparing to have babies and Ruby, newly arrived in Tenacity, Montana, had been feeling alone and lonely.
And wasn’t that a sad commentary on her marriage?
And perhaps proof that Owen had been right to blame her for its failure.
She pushed aside the unhappy thoughts, reminding herself that her marriage was in the past and she was looking forward to the future, especially now, at the beginning of a brand new year.
And then every last thought slipped from her mind as her gaze landed on Julian Sanchez and registered the fact that Marisa’s brother was making his way toward the front desk.
Julian had gone to high school with Owen, and he’d spent a fair amount of time hanging out with her husband when she and Owen were married, which was how she’d gotten to know the local ranch hand. He’d always been polite and respectful—albeit a little distant, until Emery’s birth had breached that distance.
From the first minute, the little girl had him wrapped around her finger, and watching him respond to her daughter with such openness and warmth—a contrast to Owen’s cautious disinterest—had filled Ruby’s heart with joy. He’d been a doting and favorite “uncle” throughout the entire first year of her daughter’s life, until Ruby learned about her husband’s cheating and kicked him out of the house, resulting in Emery losing not only her father but also her honorary uncle.
Of course, Owen was entitled to visitation, and Ruby had been more than reasonable there. The fact that he rarely chose to spend time with his daughter was entirely on him. Thankfully Caroline and Mark McKinley—Emery’s paternal grandparents—doted on their granddaughter and stepped in to fill at least some of the void resulting from her father’s abandonment.
Ruby suspected that Julian’s absence had left an even bigger void back then, but of course her daughter had been too young to have retained any memories of him.
But Ruby remembered him, and while he was obviously at the inn for the party, she had to wonder—why was he coming toward her?
And why was her heart suddenly beating a little too fast inside her chest?
It was possible that her physical reaction had something to do with the fact that Julian Sanchez was a seriously good-looking guy.
He was about six feet tall, she guessed—similar in height to her ex-husband. But that was where the similarities ended. Owen McKinley was smooth and polished and always immaculately dressed—his designer shirts neatly pressed (by the local dry cleaner, of course, because he couldn’t trust his wife to do it right) and his ties perfectly knotted.
No one would describe Julian Sanchez as smooth and polished. He was usually unshaven, his hair seemingly always in need of a trim, his broad shoulders straining the seams of his Western-style shirts. But it was his eyes—dark and intense and full of wicked promise—that caused a woman’s blood to heat inside her veins when they were focused on her. And his mouth—exquisitely shaped and quick to curve—that made a woman’s knees quiver when he smiled at her.
Of course, she meant any other woman’s blood and any other woman’s knees, because his friendship with her ex-husband had made her immune to Julian Sanchez.
But he looked really good tonight, his usual rancher attire upgraded to include dark jeans and a shirt that looked more L.L.Bean than C.C. Filson, plus dress boots and a leather jacket.
Still, that was no reason for her blood to suddenly be humming in her veins.
And that was before he smiled at her.
As his lips curved, an unexpected warmth spread through her veins.
Or maybe she was having a hot flash.
Was twenty-nine too young for menopause?
Probably.
But she was reluctant to consider any other explanation for her physiological reaction to the rancher’s presence.
“Hello, Ruby.”
She managed to smile back. Even better, she didn’t stammer as she replied, “Happy New Year, Julian.”
“And to you,” he said. “Though I’m sure it would be off to a better start if you hadn’t had to work tonight.”
“I didn’t mind,” she said. “It’s not as if I had other plans, anyway.”
“No other plans?” He sounded incredulous. “A beautiful woman like you? I find that hard to believe.”
Beautiful? Did he really think so?
Or was he toying with her?
Either way, she felt her cheeks grow warm in response to his words.
“Trust me,” she said. “There aren’t too many men who want to ring in the New Year with a single mom and her four-year-old daughter.”
“I think you’d be surprised,” he said. “But speaking of—where is Emery tonight?”
She nodded toward the partially closed door behind her. “In the office.”
“Eating caviar and sipping champagne?”
He was obviously teasing, but it had been so long since she’d exchanged playful banter with a handsome man that she’d evidently forgotten how.
“Sleeping.”
Julian grinned at her lame response, anyway, and her knees melted.
Seriously, the man’s smile should be registered as a lethal weapon.
Or maybe her visceral reaction was a sign that something was wrong with her.
This man was a friend—a good friend—of her ex-husband. And while that didn’t necessarily make him her enemy, it certainly gave her cause to be wary.
Even if Julian had always been kind to her.
But she didn’t think he was only being kind now.
In fact, it almost seemed as if he was flirting with her.
Or maybe that was wishful thinking on her part.
Because more than a year after her divorce—and three years after the breakdown of her marriage, she hadn’t been on a single date. Which meant that she hadn’t kissed a man—never mind anything more intimate than that—in more than three years.
In fact, it had been so long since she’d experienced anything like sexual desire, she’d been certain that her hormones had gone dormant, like flowering bulbs in the cold of winter. Except that winter had lasted three long years for Ruby, and though it was still winter now—and bitterly cold outside—those hormones seemed to be stirring to life again.
Her unexpected reaction to Julian’s presence was so unnerving that she was almost relieved when her cellphone rang, intruding on their conversation.
She glanced at the unfamiliar number displayed on the screen.
It was just after midnight on New Year’s Day, and as she’d exchanged text messages with her parents and each of her siblings earlier in the evening, she suspected this was probably a wrong number.
“Excuse me,” she said to Julian.
“Of course.”
She swiped to connect the call. “Hello?”
“Ruby McKinley?”
“Yes,” she confirmed warily.
“It’s Hazel Browning from Family Services.”
The caller’s identification only exacerbated Ruby’s confusion.
Why would Family Services be calling her at this time of night?
Unless...
Her heart skipped a beat as cautious hope unfurled inside her.
“What can I do for you, Ms. Browning?”
“I’m hoping you can foster a baby boy.”
Ruby was stunned.
Overjoyed.
And maybe just the teensiest bit apprehensive.
When she was interviewed after applying to be a foster parent, she’d been warned that she might never get a call. That her interest in being a foster parent was appreciated, but that single parents weren’t able to provide the optimal environment for a child in need of a family.
She’d been disappointed, of course, but not really surprised.
If she’d had a choice, she wouldn’t be raising her daughter as a single parent, either. But all things considered, it was preferable to raising Emery in a home where her dad’s infidelities weren’t a secret to anyone.
“Ms. McKinley? Are you there?”
“Yes,” she said. “And yes, I’d be happy to take the baby, just tell me when.”
“Now.”
“Now?” she echoed, stunned.
“Or in about two hours,” Ms. Browning clarified. “Which is how long it will take me to get the baby and all his stuff packed up and make the trip from Bronco.”
“Two hours.” She glanced at her watch.
“Is that a problem?”
“It’s just that I’m at work right now. At the Tenacity Inn.”
She heard papers rustling over the line before Ms. Browning spoke again. “There was nothing in your file indicating that you work nights.”
“I don’t usually,” she explained. “I’m just covering for someone tonight.”
“Well, you’ve got two hours to get someone to cover for you,” Ms. Browning told her. “But if you don’t think that’s possible, I can call the next name on my list.”
“No!” Ruby protested.
Her vehement response caused Chrissy Hastings-Parker to pause on her way past the desk.
“I’ll figure something out,” Ruby continued at a more normal volume. “Please don’t call anyone else.”
“Okay,” Ms. Browning relented. And after verifying Ruby’s address, she promised that she’d be on her way as soon as possible.
“Is everything okay?” Chrissy asked, when Ruby ended her call.
“That was Family Services.”
Chrissy immediately went on the defensive. “Why would they be hassling you?” she demanded to know. “You’re a wonderful mother to Emery.”
“They’re not hassling me,” Ruby hastened to assure her friend. “I’m going to be a foster parent.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly how I’m feeling.”
“So they have a child for you?”
She nodded. “A baby boy.”
“I guess that’s good news then,” Chrissy said.
“Except that Ms. Browning is on her way from Bronco with the baby right now, and she expects me to be home to take custody of him in two hours and I’m scheduled to be here for another five.”
“I can cover the desk for you,” Julian said.
Ruby blinked.
In her excitement about the call, she’d forgotten that he was there.
Why was he still there?
“Thanks,” she said. “But I can’t just abandon my responsibilities to someone who has absolutely no hotel experience.”
“How do you know I don’t have any hotel experience?” he challenged.
“Just a wild guess,” she said. “Am I wrong?”
“No,” he admitted. “Unless checking in from the other side of the desk counts.”
“It doesn’t,” she told him.
“But I have hotel experience,” Chrissy chimed in. “I can hang out here until the day clerk arrives.”
“I couldn’t ask that of you,” Ruby protested.
“You didn’t ask, I offered,” her friend reminded her. “And what other option do you have?”
“I was hoping Aihan might be willing to come in early.”
“If she is and she can, great,” Chrissy said. “If she isn’t or can’t, I’ll be here until she shows up for her usual shift.”
Ruby was torn. “I really would like to get Emery home and settled into bed before Ms. Browning arrives. And I should tidy up a little, because I’m sure she’ll want to do a quick inspection of the house before she leaves the baby.”
“So go,” Chrissy urged. “And don’t worry about the desk. I can’t imagine anyone is going to be checking in during the wee hours of the morning of New Year’s Day.”
“I’m going,” Ruby promised. “But before I do—would you know if there’s anyone working in maintenance tonight?”
“What do you need?” Julian asked.
“If I’ve got time before the baby arrives, I might be able to put Emery’s old crib together so he has somewhere to sleep.”
“I can help with that,” he said.
“Do you have more experience assembling cribs than you do behind a hotel desk?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. And while it’s admittedly limited experience, it was assembling your daughter’s crib.”
“You put Emery’s crib together?”
“Have you ever seen Owen assemble anything more complicated than an Ikea bookcase?”
“No,” she admitted. “And even that wasn’t completed without a lot of cursing.”
“There’s a surprise,” Chrissy muttered under her breath.
“But I’m sure you have better things to be doing at—” she glanced at the watch on her wrist “—half past midnight on New Year’s Eve.”
“Isn’t it technically New Year’s Day now?”
“I guess it is,” she agreed.
“And no,” he said. “I don’t have anything better to be doing.”
“How about sleeping?” she suggested. “Doesn’t morning come early when you work on a ranch?”
“It does,” he acknowledged. “But what kind of a cowboy would walk away from a woman in distress?”
“I’m not in distress,” she felt compelled to point out.
Chrissy elbowed her in the ribs. “Ruby, the man’s offering to do you a favor.”
“And I appreciate it, but—”
“The correct response is, ‘that would be helpful—thank you, Julian,’” her friend interjected.
Ruby felt her cheeks grow warm. “Is that the correct response?” she asked Julian.
He shrugged. “Only if you think it would be helpful.”
“I do. I mean, it would. If you happen to have a screwdriver on you. My neighbor borrowed my toolbox on the weekend and hasn’t yet returned it.”
“I’ve got a whole set of screwdrivers in the toolbox in my truck.”
“Then that would be helpful,” she acknowledged. “Thank you, Julian.”
He responded with a nod and a smile, and she nearly melted into a puddle at his feet.
“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Chrissy teased.
Ruby rolled her eyes at her friend, who grinned, unrepentant.
“I’ll follow you home,” Julian said.
Now Ruby nodded. “Okay. I just need a few minutes to pack up Emery and her things.”
To her surprise, he followed her into the office and began gathering up the books and toys that her daughter had left scattered around.
“Just dump everything into that bag,” she said, gesturing to the bright pink-and-orange backpack that Emery insisted on taking with her everywhere.
While he did so, she wrestled her sleeping child into her puffy coat and snow boots.
Emery stirred as she tugged the second boot into place. “Mommy?”
“It’s time to go home, Em.”
Her daughter blinked sleepily. “Is it the New Year?”
“It is,” she confirmed. “Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year,” Emery echoed, yawning. Then, having caught sight of Julian, she said to him, “Who are you?”
“That’s Mr. Sanchez,” Ruby said.
“Julian,” he chimed in.
But the little girl’s interest in the stranger wasn’t any match for her sleepiness, and her eyes drifted shut again.
Ruby retrieved her coat and purse from the rack by the door and buttoned herself up against the cold outside before reaching to lift her daughter into her arms.
“Let me carry her,” Julian suggested.
“I can manage,” Ruby assured him.
“I’m sure you can,” he said. “But I’m offering to help.”
Her friend’s recent admonishment echoing in her head, she said, “That would be helpful—thank you, Julian.”
He grinned and took the sleeping child from her arms.
Ruby picked up the backpack and her purse and led the way out of the office, pausing at the desk to thank Chrissy again and finagle her promise to call if she had any questions.
“The Honda SUV,” she told Julian, gesturing with the key fob as they exited the building.
As she hit the unlock button, the lights flashed. She hurried to open the back door, so that he could put Emery in her car seat.
“I’m going to let you buckle her up. That way you know it’s done right,” Julian said, stepping back so that she could lean in to secure the five-point harness.
She started the engine and turned the defroster on high, then stepped out again with her snow brush in hand.
“Get in,” Julian said, giving her a gentle nudge. “I’ll clear the snow off.”
“Shouldn’t you be dealing with your own vehicle?”
“It had stopped snowing by the time I got here. My truck’s fine.”
With a shrug, she slid into the driver’s seat and watched through the defrosting windshield as he brushed the snow away. When he was finished, he opened the passenger-side door and set the brush on the floor mat.
“I’ll be right behind you,” he promised.
“22 Pine Street,” she said. “In case you lose me in traffic.”
He chuckled at the unlikelihood of that happening and hurried to his truck.
She waited until she saw him pulling out of his spot, then made her way to the exit of the parking lot.
It was a short drive to her house from the inn—of course, most everything in Tenacity was a short drive from everything else—and less than ten minutes later, she was pulling into the driveway of the simple two-story Colonial that was now her home with Emery.
True to his word, Julian was right behind her.
She grabbed her purse and her daughter’s backpack and unbuckled Emery’s harness, then stepped back to allow him to pick up the still-sleeping child.
Her boot slipped on the bottom step and she wobbled a little. Even with his arms full of little girl, he managed to reach out and steady her.
“You alright?”
She nodded. “The steps are a little bit slippery. As soon as I get Emery settled in bed, I’ll come back out to shovel them off. Or at least throw some salt down.”
“You take care of your daughter,” he said. “I’ll take care of the steps.”
She decided there was no point in arguing.
And why would she protest when the idea of venturing out into the cold again in the early hours of morning held little appeal?
He waited patiently in the foyer while she removed her boots and coat and put them away in the closet, and he continued to hold Emery while she took off her daughter’s outerwear.
“S’eepy,” the little girl said, her eyelids flickering.
“I know, baby,” Ruby said, her voice a gentle whisper. “I’m going to take you up to bed right now.”
“And I’ll be back to deal with the crib as soon as I get those steps taken care of,” Julian promised, matching her tone.
“You haven’t asked where I keep my shovel,” she noted.
“I don’t need your shovel,” he said. “I have one in the back of my truck. And a bag of salt, too.”
“You must have been a Scout.”
“I wasn’t,” he said. “But I did grow up in Montana, so I know the importance of traveling with the basic requirements for survival in winter.”
“Then I’ll let you get to it,” she said. “Thank you.”
But she stayed where she was for a few more seconds, watching as he walked out the door and thinking that it had been a long time since she’d had a man around her house—and certain she’d never had a man like Julian Sanchez.
