Unmasking the Maverick
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Teresa Southwick
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18,8K
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16
Chapter One
The poor kid from Prosperity, Texas, who hated fixing other people’s trash for a living had come full circle.
On the upside, his father would be proud. But Brendan Tanner had a lot of mileage on him since those resentful teenage days. The Corps had a way of turning an ungrateful kid into a buttoned-up, battle-hardened marine. And it was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Now he was in Rust Creek Falls, Montana, fixing a broken toaster. He was living at a place called Sunshine Farm. After seeing something online about it being a welcome place to get a fresh start, he’d reached out to Luke Stockton, one of the owners, and the cowboy had invited him to stay as long as he wanted. The name made him smile, although the upward curving of his mouth felt a little rusty. In the last eighteen months there hadn’t been much to smile about.
It disappeared when he heard a sudden high-pitched squeal. Those battle-hardened marine instincts kicked in and he automatically took a defensive stance, then realized the sound was a child’s laughter. Slowly he released his breath. The reflexes were still sharp, but apparently so were the bad memories.
The kid in question burst through the open door of his temporary barn workshop and came to a stop in front of Brendan. The blond, blue-eyed little guy stared up at him and chewed on his index finger.
“Hey, buddy. Where’s your mama? Did you go rogue?”
The kid babbled something that could have been a foreign language for all Brendan knew, then pointed to his tall rolling toolbox. It had belonged to his father, one of the few things he’d brought with him from Texas. When word got out that he was handy, he’d found a use for the tools. Something told him this kid could put them to use, too, but there would be hell to pay.
His next thought was all about heaven when the prettiest redhead he’d ever seen appeared in the workshop doorway.
“Jared! There you are, you little stinker.” The reprimand was spoken with such affection that it wasn’t a scolding at all. Then she smiled at Brendan. “Hi.”
“Ma’am.” He nodded and touched the brim of his Stetson. She was a little breathless, probably from running, but it was just about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “I wondered where his mom was.”
“Oh, I’m not his mother. Aunt by marriage. My sister Fallon married Jamie Stockton, who was a widower, and she became a mom to his triplets—Jared, Henry and Kate.”
Brendan watched her grab the kid when he made a move toward the toolbox. Instantly the boy started squirming to escape. If Brendan was in her arms, escape would be the last thing on his mind.
Then it sank in. Triplets. “There are two more like him?” he asked.
“Triple joy.” She laughed and held on to the little wiggle worm. “Or triple trouble. It changes from moment to moment.”
“Dat.” Jared pointed a stubby little finger at a screwdriver sitting on the workbench. “Want dat.”
The kid’s determination increased his twisting to get free, but to her credit the redhead hung on. Brendan had trained in hand-to-hand combat in the Marines and wasn’t sure he could have managed to wrangle the boy. He’d never been around kids, but even he knew giving this small human a sharp tool was a bad idea—no matter how determined he was to have it. He could offer to supervise, but there were too many ways for the situation to go sideways. Then he had an idea.
Underneath the workbench was a basket of broken toys. Eva Stockton, the wife of Luke, who owned Sunshine Farm, had given it to him. She’d said she kept them around for her niece and nephews and asked him to repair any he could. The kids were hard on them, she’d said, and after meeting Jared he understood what she meant.
He pulled the stash out into the open. “Maybe he’d like to look through these?”
“You’re a lifesaver.” The woman looked at him as if he’d hung the moon.
The lifesaver part was truer than she knew, Brendan thought. He’d saved lives, and buddies had saved his, too. They shared a bond unlike anything he’d ever known, the tight-knit family he’d never had. A brotherhood forged in battle. But a different sort of skirmish ensued when the redhead set little Jared on his feet. The toolbox was forgotten as he started in on the toys.
“Car!” Jared held one up that was missing a wheel. He squatted down and set it on the hard-packed clay floor and made the universal sound effect used by boys to simulate an engine revving.
“Here’s to the short attention span of a two-and-a-half-year-old.” The woman’s eyes were big and blue and beautiful. The laughter shining there was really something special. “He hasn’t seen those broken toys for so long they’re like brand-new to him.”
“I haven’t had a chance to check them out and see if they’re salvageable.”
“Eva and Luke are keeping you busy?”
“Understatement. Fix a broken clothes dryer and suddenly you’re a Jedi knight who can use the force to put Humpty Dumpty back together.” He shrugged. “And they tell all their friends.”
“So, do I call you Sir Jedi? Or do you have a name?”
He nearly winced. Obviously his social skills were as rusty as his smile. “Brendan Tanner.”
She held out her hand. “Fiona O’Reilly.”
He took her hand and something crackled up his arm, shocking the words right out of his head. He barely managed to mumble, “Nice to meet you.”
While his brain was frozen, the rest of him was hot as a Texas sun on the hard-packed plains.
Before it turned awkward, Jared struck again. He’d emptied every last toy from the basket. Apparently the process of taking them out was playing with them and he was on to bigger and better things. Like the toolbox he’d temporarily forgotten. He opened a metal drawer, the one with various saw blades.
Without thinking it through, Brendan grabbed him up before he could touch anything and hurt himself. There was an instant screech of protest.
“I think they heard that in the next county.” He looked at Fiona. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle him, but those things are sharp.”
“You have pretty good reflexes.” Instead of being upset, she looked impressed. The kid, however, was ticked off and held his arms out to her. She took him and ignored the loud grunts and the struggle to get back down. “No way, Jared. How come you don’t know by now that I’m not a soft touch?”
Brendan begged to differ with her on that. She looked plenty soft to him, in all the right places. But he knew that was not what she meant. “I can’t imagine herding two more like this one.”
“That’s why I’m here. Luke and Eva invited the family to dinner and I’m part of the reinforcements. Fallon has Henry. The last time I saw them he was chasing a chicken and she was hot on his heels. Jamie was keeping Kate from going headfirst into the horse’s water trough. And I drew the short straw. We call him jackrabbit because he’s so fast.” She kissed his cheek and made smacking noises, getting a giggle out of the squirmy boy.
The sight of this woman with a child in her arms struck a chord deep inside Brendan. Her brightness flashed a light on the dark emptiness he carried around, the dusty place where he stored any hope of having a family.
“There you are.” Luke Stockton walked into the workshop.
It was getting like Grand Central Station in here, Brendan thought. For some reason he didn’t completely mind the invasion. He had liked Luke Stockton the first time they met and hadn’t changed his mind since he’d been here at Sunshine Farm. His blue eyes projected honesty, integrity, and the deep tan was a result of hard outdoor work.
He shook hands with Brendan, then looked at Fiona and his nephew. “Your sister was getting worried. About you. And keeping up with Jared.”
“Oh, please.” Fiona rolled her eyes. “I’m onto this little man.”
“I see you two have met,” Luke said, glancing between her and Brendan.
“We introduced ourselves,” she confirmed.
Luke took the squirming little boy, who was holding out his arms. Probably hoping this time he’d get put down. But Luke held him tight. “What are you up to, jackrabbit?”
“He’s not happy,” Fiona said. “Brendan wouldn’t let him juggle the saw blades in his toolbox.”
“You’ve got a mean streak,” Luke teased.
“That’s me. Making kids cry. It’s a gift,” Brendan said.
“Yeah. Speaking of gifts...” Luke looked at Fiona. “This guy can fix anything from a can opener to a car engine.”
“So I heard.” Fiona’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “You’re working him so hard the poor man hardly has time for anything else.”
“Me?” Luke shook his head. “I just mentioned to a couple of people that he’s got some skills repairing broken things. It’s not my fault folks in Rust Creek Falls ran with it.”
“So he should be flattered while working his fingers to the bone?” She folded her arms over her chest.
Luke lifted the wriggling kid above his head and got a snort of laughter out of him. “It’s clear to any enterprising person that there’s a need around here for this kind of service. I’m trying to talk him into opening a repair shop.”
“And?”
Brendan noticed a questioning look in her eyes, along with something that might have been female interest. If he was right about that, the attraction was mutual. “And I keep telling Luke that I will likely be gone in a few months.”
“That’s not a definite,” the other man said. “I’m telling you there’s money to be made and we need to spread the word.”
“If there’s one thing folks in Rust Creek Falls are good at, it’s talking. It’s almost a competitive sport around here,” she joked.
“A business venture isn’t the only reason to stick around.” Luke glanced at Fiona, then back. “This is a close community with good people.”
Brendan couldn’t swear to it but he’d bet money that Fiona blushed.
All she said was, “This town has a charm, for sure.”
And then another redhead appeared in the workshop doorway, holding an identical version of Jared. That must be Henry. And if the feather he was tightly clutching in his little fist was any indication, he’d caught up with that unfortunate chicken.
“See?” He held it up proudly.
“So the party is in here.” This was Fallon Stockton.
Even if Brendan hadn’t already met her, he would have guessed a sibling connection to Fiona just because of the coloring. She was pretty enough, but...she wasn’t Fiona. And he was going to forget that thought had ever entered his mind.
“It is getting crowded in here,” Luke agreed. “Also it’s not a safe place to turn these little guys loose.” Again he held up Jared, who squealed with delight.
“Eva sent me to find everyone. Dinner will be ready soon. We have to get the kids washed up,” Fallon said.
“On it.” Fiona took Jared. “Nice to meet you, Brendan.”
“Likewise.” Politely he touched the brim of his Stetson.
“You should join us for dinner,” Luke said to him.
That caught him off guard. “I don’t know...”
“Eva cooks enough to feed half of Rust Creek Falls. On top of that, Fiona brought her famous four-cheese macaroni dish and it is not to be missed.”
“It’s kind of last minute,” he hedged.
“There’s plenty of food,” Fallon confirmed.
“Tell him, Fiona,” Luke urged. “He hasn’t lived until he’s tried your homemade mac and cheese.”
“I don’t like to toot my own horn.”
No one could accuse Brendan of picking up on social cues, but even he didn’t miss the obvious matchmaking. Apparently neither did Fiona. The look on her face said she could cheerfully strangle Luke Stockton.
“I appreciate the offer,” he said, “but I’m pretty busy here. I promised to have these things back in working order by tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Luke nodded. “If you change your mind, there will be a place set at the table for you.”
“Thanks anyway.”
A place at the table, he thought, watching them all walk away. A family thing. He hadn’t experienced much of that in his life and it was probably better for everyone if he stayed away. And by “everyone” he meant Fiona. He’d seen the wary look on her face when he’d been invited. It was so different from her smile when he’d used a basket of broken toys to fix a toddler’s tantrum. Damn it. He wanted to hang the moon for her again.
In battle it was an unwritten rule that you never left a man behind. But watching her leave made him feel as if someone was and he had a bad feeling that man was him.
* * *
At the house, Fiona made a dash for the bathroom to see just how bad she had looked for her meet and greet with the hunky new guy. Her worst suspicions were confirmed. The overall effect was almost as bad as if she’d been mud wrestling. Come to think of it, chasing after little Jared Stockton wasn’t much different, but still...
Red hair had escaped her ponytail and hung around her face. The freckles on her nose, which she hated more than anything except the five extra pounds on her hips, were like dots begging to be connected. It’s what happened when a girl didn’t put on makeup because, hey, it was just family.
If the universe had given her a clue that she would meet the best-looking man in Montana, she would have made more of an effort to minimize her flaws. No wonder he’d turned down the dinner invitation. That and Luke throwing her at the poor man.
Now that she had a little distance from the power of his sex appeal, she could finally think straight. It was probably for the best that he hadn’t come to dinner. The last time someone pushed her at a man, things ended badly. And that time it was public.
Fiona opened the bathroom door and nearly tripped over Jared, who was waiting for her. She picked him up. “Hey, bud, at least you love me.”
“Wuv you.” He put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her.
“You’re a heartbreaker in training, that’s what you are. Let’s go help Aunt Eva and Uncle Luke get dinner on the table.”
With the child in her arms, Fiona walked down the hall and found her way to the dining room. It was crawling with Stocktons. Altogether there were seven Stockton siblings, but only four were here. The oldest, Luke, sat at the head of the table next to his new wife, Eva Armstrong. Bella was a Jones now, married to her husband, Hudson. Daniel Stockton and his wife, Annie, had a preteen daughter, Janie. Last was Jamie, who was married to Fiona’s sister Fallon.
The family had been split up after their folks died. In recent years they’d been coming back together, and these Sunday night dinners were important to all of them.
The dining room table was set for what looked like an army. Eva was directing everyone like a general executing a battle plan. The triplets were settled into booster chairs with Jamie and Fallon in between to oversee them. The other couples took their places, and Fiona was directed to one of the two empty seats at the end of the table. The Stocktons had one single male brother left and she had a bad feeling.
She sat next to the empty chair. “Is Bailey coming?”
Luke laughed at her question. “He was invited, of course, but politely declined.”
“Politely?” His wife, Eva, sat at a right angle to him in the place closest to the kitchen. “I think he said something about preferring horses to people.”
Bella sighed. “That’s just it. We’re not people. We’re family.”
“He’s got some issues to work through.” Jamie spooned peas onto Jared’s and Kate’s little plastic plates and passed the bowl to Fallon to serve Henry. “Give him time. He’ll come around. When he meets the right woman.”
Here we go, Fiona thought. She was a woman. She was nice. She was single and getting very close to the ripe old age of thirty. They’d better not ask why she wasn’t married unless they wanted to unleash a redhead’s legendary temper.
“So, who is the extra plate for, then?” Fallon asked.
“We have a guest staying in one of the cabins. Brendan Tanner,” Eva explained. “He fixed our dryer and some other things here at Sunshine Farm. Luke invited him to dinner.”
Just hearing his name made Fiona’s stomach feel funny. Nervous and excited. In a “crushing on him” kind of way. It was time to shut down this topic. “He said he couldn’t make it.”
“I’m hoping he’ll change his mind,” Luke said. “The man saved us the cost of a new clothes dryer. The least we can do is feed him dinner.” As if on cue, a knock on the front door interrupted him. “Come in.”
A moment later Brendan Tanner walked inside and stopped cold when he saw everyone looking at him. “You didn’t say the fifth infantry, third battalion would be here.”
Funny, Fiona thought. She’d been thinking an army was coming, too, when she’d seen how many places were set at the table.
“Always room for one more.” Luke waved him closer. “Sit there next to Fiona. Glad you changed your mind. We’re ready for you.”
Good for them, Fiona thought. She wasn’t ready for this at all. And if the look on Tanner’s face was anything to go by, he wasn’t, either. But there was something in his green eyes when he looked at her, an intensity that made them glow. Heat pooled low in her belly and her hands started to shake when he walked over and sat down. She’d give him this—the man had courage.
And he showered, she thought. His damp, freshly combed hair was a clue, as was the fresh scent of soap that clung to his skin. He’d changed his clothes, too. The plaid snap-front shirt tucked into jeans highlighted his narrow hips and broad shoulders. Eye candy for sure.
And she’d been staring. Oh, boy, say something brilliant. She cleared her throat. “So, Brendan, what made you change your mind?”
“Macaroni and cheese.”
“The one I made?” She was feeling a little tingly and flattered.
“Is there another one?”
“I don’t think so.”
He shrugged one of those broad shoulders. “It’s one of my favorites. Box or scratch, count me in.”
“I see.” Her tingly feeling went up in smoke. “So any bozo could throw ingredients together and you’d be first in line.”
“I—That’s not exactly what I meant—”
She grinned. “Just kidding. But seriously. If the dish I made for this dinner doesn’t bring tears to your eyes then something is very wrong with your taste buds.”
He smiled, and the power of the look enveloped her in a sort of golden haze. It was a little like floating close to the sun all by herself. Bright and quiet—
She suddenly realized how quiet this room was in spite of the large group around the table. They were all staring at her and Tanner. She’d once been the center of attention at a social gathering, and the horrible memory had humiliation pouring through her now as it had then. That time it was about a man, too.
She felt as if she was living out a comedy sketch. In a noisy room when you said something embarrassing at the same moment everyone went silent and heard you. This was like that. Even the triplets, who could usually be counted on for sounds in a pitch only dogs could hear, were mirroring the adults around them and staring.
You could cut the awkwardness with a butter knife. Poor Mr. Tanner looked as if he wanted the earth to swallow him whole. She had to do something.
“I’m starving. Let’s get the food going.” Fiona started to grab her macaroni casserole, but it was as big as the state of Rhode Island. Instantly Brendan reached out and lifted it for her. She put some on her plate and his. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
As if a switch had been flipped, everyone was taking food and passing platters around. Attention had been successfully diverted away from them.
Her relief was a little premature because when everyone had filled their plates it got quiet again. She said the first thing that popped into her mind. “So, Brendan, where did you learn to fix things?”
He finished chewing and swallowed before answering. “My dad taught me.”
“He must be very proud of you,” Fiona said.
“He was. He passed away not too long ago.”
“I’m sorry.” The words were automatic and felt so inadequate when a sort of sad, haunted look slipped into his eyes.
“Thanks.”
“I haven’t seen anything that Brendan can’t repair,” Luke said. “Your dad must have been a good teacher, and the skill he gave you is invaluable.”
Brendan looked thoughtful. “Funny you should say that. We didn’t have much, but dad’s knack for patching up what people threw out or paid him to fix put food on the table.”
“An honest living,” one of the men said.
“I suppose.” He looked down at the full plate of food in front of him. “Necessity was the mother I didn’t have.”
It was like a curiosity bomb went off in Fiona’s head. Follow-up questions exploded in her mind. But one of the triplets—Jared—made a bomb of his own and Fallon excused herself to change him.
The moment for interrogation passed when Hudson started talking to Brendan about horses. In Rust Creek Falls, that was like guys discussing cars anywhere else. It turned out that Brendan had worked on ranches in Texas for extra money. Was there anything he couldn’t do?
That wasn’t something she was going to ask. The less she knew about Brendan Tanner the better. She would bet he had a sad story, one that would engage her emotions. But he was a stranger and by his own admission was only in town temporarily. Matchmakers could throw them together until hell wouldn’t have it but they couldn’t make her play along.
Not again.
