The Maverick's Summer Sweetheart Read online

  Romancing the Would-Be Cowgirl

  It’s summertime in Rust Creek Falls and Gemma Chapman is here on her honeymoon...alone. And the town gossips are atwitter about the jilted city girl who has been spotted with local single dad and rancher Hank Harlow! His daughter, Janie, is doing her darnedest to play matchmaker for them, but is she leading her papa down the trail to disappointment? Or will this can-do cowboy lasso Gemma’s wary heart for good?

  “What do you think? Does this say Montana cowgirl or is it too Pacific Northwest lumberjack?”

  Hank didn’t know what he’d expected to see when Gemma pulled back that curtain. After all, at their first meeting, she’d been wearing less material than it took to make a handkerchief. He knew how gorgeous she was. Sexy, sophisticated, big-city chic. Everything about that woman had exuded look but don’t touch. But this...

  Skintight indigo denim hugged her long legs, skimming over every curve in a way that had his palms tingling to do the same. As his hungry gaze moved upward, he took in the sleeveless blouse she’d chosen. Not the checked one she’d held up earlier, but a red bandanna print that showed off the toned muscles and smooth skin of her arms.

  This was girl next door...all grown up.

  And all the reasons why Hank had told himself to keep his distance—the differences in their lives, in their locations, his reluctance to risk his heart in any kind of relationship—seemed to have been brushed aside with one magical swipe of a dressing-room curtain.

  “It looks just like...”

  “Like what?” he asked when her voice trailed off.

  “Like something a real cowgirl would wear,” she whispered. “Doesn’t it?”

  * * *

  MONTANA MAVERICKS

  Dear Reader,

  A dream vacation... What do those words mean to you? To some it might mean a cruise to a tropical island. Or a house on an endless beach. Or even a trip to some exotic, far-off city.

  Not too many people would think of the tiny town of Rust Creek Falls, but that’s exactly where Gemma Chapman planned not just a vacation, but a honeymoon. And when her engagement ends short of a walk down the aisle, Gemma’s reservation turns into a honeymoon for one! What’s a suddenly single city girl supposed to do in a Western town? Good thing for Gemma, rancher Hank Harlow is there to show her the ropes.

  Staying at Maverick Manor is not a dream vacation for Hank, but it’s where his daughter wants to spend the first week of her summer vacation. When Janie tries to play matchmaker between her dad and Gemma, the divorced single father fears he doesn’t stand a chance with the sophisticated city girl. Little does he know that Gemma has always had a thing for cowboys!

  What starts out as a vacation romance quickly turns into more. Not only does Hank offer Gemma a true Wild West experience, he also helps her discover her own connection to Rust Creek Falls and a missing piece of her past. But when the honeymoon is over, will Gemma and Hank go back to their real lives, or will they take a chance that a summer fling can blossom into a love for all seasons?

  I hope you enjoy Hank and Gemma’s story! I always love hearing from readers at [email protected] or on Facebook!

  Hope you all have a summer to remember and maybe even a dream vacation this year!

  Stacy Connelly

  The Maverick’s Summer Sweetheart

  Stacy Connelly

  Stacy Connelly has dreamed of publishing books since writing stories about a girl and her horse. Eventually, boys made it onto the page as she discovered a love of romance novels. She is thrilled that her novel Once Upon a Wedding was recently turned into a movie titled Christmas Wedding Planner.

  Stacy lives in Arizona with her two spoiled dogs. She loves to hear from readers at [email protected], at stacyconnelly.com or on Facebook.

  Books by Stacy Connelly

  Harlequin Special Edition

  Hillcrest House

  The Best Man Takes a Bride

  How to Be a Blissful Bride

  Furever Yours

  Not Just the Girl Next Door

  The Pirelli Brothers

  His Secret Son

  Romancing the Rancher

  Small-Town Cinderella

  Daddy Says, “I Do!”

  Darcy and the Single Dad

  Her Fill-In Fiancé

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

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

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  To all the Montana Maverick authors and readers

  who have been a part of this series for decades!

  I am so happy to join you.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Excerpt from The Cowboy’s Secret Family by Judy Duarte

  Chapter One

  “This is awesome! Don’t you think so, Dad?”

  As rancher Hank Harlow reluctantly handed over the keys for his classic Ford pickup to the valet and watched a uniformed kid roughly half his age and half his size carry his own luggage toward the impressive entrance of Maverick Manor, he had to admit it sure was different.

  Not that Hank had never stayed in a fancy hotel before. He had—even if that one time had been on his honeymoon. He didn’t spend much time thinking of that long-ago weekend. It was over...as was his marriage.

  “Dad!” His preteen daughter, Janie, turned back with an exasperated sigh that only preteen daughters seemed capable of. Standing in front of the iron-trimmed double doors, she threw her arms out wide. “Did you even hear me? Isn’t this awesome?”

  Dad... That was what Hank thought was awesome. His little girl still calling him “Dad” even though she, like the rest of the tiny town of Rust Creek Falls, Montana, now knew the truth.

  With a last glance back at the disappearing bumper of his F-150, Hank jogged over to his daughter. “You are right, kiddo. This place is awesome.”

  Hugging Janie to his side, he stepped into the lobby. Hank was familiar with the local hotel and its unique story. The timber-and-stone mansion was once a private home locals referred to as Bledsoe’s Folly. For years the place had stood empty and abandoned, until Nate Crawford had turned it into the fanciest hotel for miles around. Perched on a mountainside with gorgeous views of the town below, the hotel was a prime location for parties and special events.

  But this would be Hank’s first time as a guest. And not just for an overnight stay. Nope. When Hank asked Janie how she wanted to spend her first week of summer vacation, this was his daughter’s request—a stay at Maverick Manor.

  He didn’t get it. He really didn’t. Staying in a hotel in their own hometown? Sleeping in a strange bed, living out of a suitcase, using ridiculously tiny travel toiletries? All less than thirty miles from the Bar H, his ranch and Janie’s home away from home when she wasn’t living with her mother and Anne’s new husband, Daniel Stockton.

  She’s growing up, Hank, Anne had told him. She wants to experience new things.

  Over the past several years, Hank had suffered through quite a few new things—including his divorce, the return of Anne’s first love, her remarriage, Janie calling another man
Dad...

  Yeah, he’d had enough of new at a time when he wanted nothing more than to hang on to the way things used to be.

  Janie has been missing Abby, Anne had added. She’s feeling a bit disconnected from her best friend, who’s off having all these exciting adventures. Janie wants to be seen as mature and sophisticated, too.

  Hank had bitten his tongue at that. Janie had just completed the sixth grade. No one in the sixth grade needed to feel mature or sophisticated. Certainly not his tomboy daughter! But Anne might have a point when it came to Janie’s best friend. Abby’s mother, Marissa, had married Autry Jones, and since then the family had been living in Paris, where Autry worked for his family’s company. Hank supposed Paris did seem new and exciting compared to little ol’ Rust Creek Falls, where everyone knew everyone else.

  And if staying at Maverick Manor was what Janie wanted, then Hank would make sure this summer vacation was everything his daughter hoped it would be.

  “So, what do you want to do first, Janie?” he asked as they waited in line to check in.

  Janie grinned up at him. “I want to check out the room and the view. Oh, and then order room service and see what movies are showing and—”

  Hank nodded at his daughter’s unbridled enthusiasm and tried not to think how the views from the Bar H were the best around or how he and Janie could have shared snacks and watched her favorite flicks right from the comfort of their very own couch.

  She’ll be a teenager in a few months, Hank, he could hear Anne telling him. She won’t be a little girl forever.

  Not forever. At the rate things were changing, not even for long. As he forced a smile at the woman behind the desk, Hank tried hard not to look into a future where he’d be sitting on that couch, watching movies and eating popcorn...alone.

  * * *

  Gemma Chapman eyed her reflection in the full-length mirror. The black satiny bikini she’d found in a 5th Avenue boutique had been exactly what she was looking for three months ago. A little sexy, a little revealing, perfect for grabbing her groom’s attention on their honeymoon.

  Now she didn’t know what she’d been thinking.

  Discovering only weeks before the wedding that the man she had planned to marry had been sleeping with her best friend had Gemma questioning everything.

  Including swimwear.

  On paper—like in their engagement announcement and the photo taken by one of New York’s most in-demand wedding photographers—she and Chad Matthews had been perfect for each other. Both of them came from affluent families. Both of them had attended prestigious prep schools before going to Ivy League colleges. Gemma worked in the financial district at an investment company, while Chad was already a junior member at a top law firm. They knew the same people and were members at the same club. They both enjoyed an evening at the theater and dining at the trendiest restaurants, followed by a night on the town. And if Gemma had ever longed for something more, her mother was always there to remind her not only how to act, but how to feel.

  You should feel honored your stepfather wants to adopt you.

  You should feel fortunate Chesterton Prep has accepted you.

  You should feel thrilled your stepfather arranged an interview with Carlston, Landry and Greer.

  You should feel so excited that Chad proposed.

  Walking in on her fiancé and her best friend, Gemma hadn’t needed anyone to tell her how she should feel. Angry...betrayed...humiliated... Certainly she had felt all of that, but shouldn’t she have also felt heartbroken? And how was it that a relationship that looked so perfect on the outside could end up being so empty inside?

  Chad’s infidelity had made Gemma start to question what else in her life wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. And while her mother was certain Gemma would feel completely miserable on a honeymoon by herself, she had kept her first-class reservation and had arrived in Rust Creek Falls earlier that day.

  Unlike her cheating scumbag of an ex, Maverick Manor was exactly as advertised. The bathroom had had all the amenities of a modern hotel but with an added old-fashioned flair in the enormous claw-foot tub and a raised sink reminiscent of a water basin. And though the spacious bedroom—with its hand-scraped wood floors and exposed-beam ceiling—had the same rugged and handcrafted design as the rest of the hotel, the honeymoon suite also boasted a faux-bearskin rug that was spread out in front of a river-rock fireplace and a four-poster bed draped with a sheer white canopy. Romantic touches a newlywed couple would expect.

  Which was all the more reason to leave the suite behind and head for the pool.

  From what Gemma had seen on her way to her room, the hotel’s newly constructed pool looked exactly as it had in the website photos—with rock walls and a waterfall and a spa built to resemble a natural hot spring. The wide wall of windows looked out onto a breathtaking mountain view, and the huge glass panels that could be closed during colder months were open for the summer.

  Ignoring the swimsuit for a moment, Gemma adjusted the beaded headband holding back her shoulder-length black hair and eyed the makeup she’d touched up after the long flight. Just a few swipes of mascara on her darkly lashed green eyes and a hint of peachy lip gloss. She was, after all, only going down to the pool. Not that she actually planned to get in the pool—at least not more than dipping her manicured feet into the shallow end.

  Realizing she was simply wasting time, she finally muttered, “Oh, get over yourself!” The swimsuit wasn’t that revealing, and she had the white terry-cloth hotel robe to take with her.

  She hadn’t come all this way to sit in her room, feeling sorry for herself. She could have done that back in her New York apartment. But this was Montana. A land of wide-open spaces, majestic mountains and towering trees. And Rust Creek Falls had been calling to her since she’d first stumbled across the name of the town, a piece of a puzzle that Gemma hoped might fit into one of the empty places in her childhood.

  If nothing else, she wanted to experience what might have been. And in the process, she wanted to wipe all the poor Gemma thoughts from everyone’s minds.

  Starting with her own.

  * * *

  Before heading down to the pool, Gemma had packed her tote with half a dozen or so brochures she’d picked up in the lobby—touting everything from the local bar and donut shop, to nearby hiking and camping sites, to a place called Sunshine Farm, which had been dubbed “The Lonelyhearts Ranch” after people who stayed there started finding their true loves.

  For the past several months, Gemma had scoured the internet, trying to learn all she could about Rust Creek Falls. She’d been fascinated to discover a blog written by a former New Yorker who had arrived after a devastating flood several years ago. Lissa Roarke’s description of the location and the way the community had pulled together in the face of such adversity had added another layer to Gemma’s curiosity about the tiny town.

  She wasn’t sure how long she’d been down by the pool, the shrieks of laughter echoing through a space filled with the scent of sunscreen and chlorine, before she became aware of the young girl dripping by the side of her chair.

  “Is that the latest edition?” the girl asked, pointing to the glossy magazine on Gemma’s lounger. “The one with the article about Lyle? You know, the former singer of 2LOVEU?”

  Sixty-hour workweeks, with her reading material limited to The Wall Street Journal and endless finance articles, threatened to make Gemma a dull girl. She did her best to balance all those facts and figures she needed to know in her job as a financial adviser by focusing on the lifestyles of the rich and famous in her free time. And now that she was on vacation, she was far more interested in which super couple was breaking up than in what stock might be splitting.

  “I think it is.”

  “Oh, my gosh!” the girl gushed as she plopped down onto the seat next to Gemma’s. “I’ve been dying to read that. Crawford’s Genera
l Store is sooo slow about getting the newest issues. I actually saw Lyle back when he was in 2LOVEU. My best friend, Abby, and I went to Seattle to see him in concert there. It was the most exciting night of my life!”

  Five minutes ago, Gemma wouldn’t have thought she had anything to talk about with a girl who was maybe ten? Eleven? But she quickly found herself charmed by the tiny blonde’s enthusiasm. She was all skinny arms and legs in a navy polka-dot halter-style top and matching boy shorts, and her light blue eyes were already a little red-rimmed from her time in the pool. But the girl had an outgoing smile and confidence Gemma hadn’t mastered until she was in her late teens.

  “I saw him once, too, when he was on his solo tour in New York City.”

  “No! Really? Are you from New York? That must be so exciting! I’ve lived here, like, my whole life! My name’s Janie. If there’s anything you want to know about Rust Creek Falls, I can totally tell you all about it. Like the time Brenna and Travis starred on The Great Roundup—you know, the reality show on TV?”

  “You actually know the couple who married in the show’s finale?” Gemma hadn’t seen the program when it originally aired, but she’d come across it in her search of Rust Creek Falls. When she’d learned two of the cast members were from the small town, she’d binge-watched the entire season, eager to learn who won the grand prize—and whether the couple had hooked up just for ratings or if they had fallen in love for real.

  “I do. I know just about everyone in town!”

  Janie’s eager boast was enough for Gemma to take the words with a grain of salt, but she still had to wonder. If the town truly was that close-knit, then maybe...

  Gemma didn’t mean to tune out the girl’s happy chatter as her thoughts started to wander, but with a glance across the far side of the pool, her attention instantly snapped back to the present. All exhaustion from the months of planning the “wedding that wasn’t” fled as her heart slammed in her chest and every nerve ending came to vibrant life at the sight of a gorgeous guy lifting himself out of the deep end. Though she knew it had to be her imagination, he almost seemed to be moving in some kind of super-sexy slow motion. Water sluiced off his broad shoulders and chest, down six-pack abs and along equally muscular legs as he rose to stand on the concrete decking.