A Maverick for Christmas. Leanne Banks

unable to squelch his curiosity.

      Abby’s gaze turned serious. “His mother, Lisa, has passed her G.E.D. and has completed her L.P.N. She wants to get her R.N. She’s just nineteen and one of my ROOTS girls. I told her I would step in as often as possible during her education. She’s halfway through her R.N.”

      He felt a shot of admiration. “You’re a good friend.”

      “She’s a good mom. It’s the least I can do.”

      Cade’s respect for Abby grew. Big brown eyes, long brown hair, she was just Laila’s little sister, but now she seemed like so much more. He glanced at the toddler and couldn’t hold back a smile. “How are you babysitting with your courses?”

      “Just call me Superwoman,” she deadpanned. “Kinda like you’re Superman.”

      He felt a crazy hitch in his chest and inhaled quickly. “I’m no Superman.”

      “Nobody else knows that,” she said and shifted the baby on her hip.

      His mind flashed. Body. Baby. Come-hither smile. Heaven help him.

      Cade cleared his throat. “I’ll get back to the shop.”

      “Thank you for coming, Cade,” Mrs. Wrenn said in her squeaky voice.

      “Let us know when you need a break,” Abby offered, her eyes lowered to a sexy half-mast.

      Cade felt a rush of arousal race through him. He swore to himself and turned away. “See you ladies later,” he said.

      “Anytime,” Abby said, and the sexy invitation sent his blood rushing to his groin. Cade swore again, but he suspected the fresh air might not cure his distraction.

      Abby was surviving at home, but barely. Although she was happy her sister Laila had found true love and wanted to marry, it was hard to deal with the constant wedding plans. Plus, her cousins were headed down the aisle, too.

      Enough was enough and it felt like pulling teeth to get Cade to look at her as if she was more than a fourth grader. Reality beckoned, however, and Abby was forced to join her family for a dinner with Jackson Traub and his sister, Rose. Jackson had managed what many other men had tried by winning over her sister Laila.

      “To Laila and Jackson,” her father toasted, lifting his glass. “May your love be bigger than your wills.”

      “Here, here,” Abby’s mother said.

      “Yeah,” Abby muttered under her breath and took a big gulp of sparkling wine.

      Laila beamed and looked at Jackson. The love between them sizzled. Laila lifted her glass to Jackson and her eyelids lowered in an intimate gaze. “Who would have ever known?”

      “Who?” Jackson echoed and clicked her glass against his.

      Abby felt a sliver of envy that traveled deeper than her soul. What she wouldn’t give to have Cade look at her that way. Not in this lifetime, she thought.

      Thank goodness the Cateses understood their priorities. Food was near the top of the list. Soon enough, a platter of roasted chicken was passed her way, followed by mashed potatoes. After that, green beans and biscuits.

      Abby took a small spoonful of each dish as it passed. Her mind was preoccupied with Cade. Her appetite was nearly nonexistent. The good news was that everyone’s attention was focused on Laila and Jackson, so no one would notice the fact that she wasn’t the least bit hungry.

      Abby nodded and smiled and pushed her food around her plate then murmured an excuse to get her away from the table. She sought peace in her backyard. It was freezing, but that was no surprise. Abby enjoyed the freezing air that entered her lungs. Despite the fact that it was too cold for words, she was thrilled with the solemn quiet her father’s ranch offered at moments like these.

      She meandered past the porch and shoved her hands into her pockets.

      Seconds later, she heard voices from the back porch.

      “I know it’s crazy, but Laila is my dream come true,” Jackson Traub said. “I never expected it, and she took me by surprise.”

      “I’m so glad,” Rose Traub said. “I was surprised, but happy when it happened. I love that you never thought it would happen to you.”

      “Thanks,” Jackson said, unable to conceal his amusement.

      “Humility is the beginning of wisdom,” Rose said.

      Jackson swore. “You’re tough.”

      “You taught me. I’m just not sure I’ll ever find my true love. Maybe he doesn’t exist. I feel like I’ve dated every man in Thunder Canyon.”

      Abby swallowed a sound of frustration that threatened to bubble from her throat. Rose had been out with a lot of Thunder Canyon men. She’d even gone out with Cade, and that hadn’t set well with Abby, at all.

      “You haven’t dated every man. There’s still old man Henson and his friends,” Jackson joked.

      Abby resisted the urge to laugh, but Rose didn’t. Her warm chuckle drifted through the cold air. “Thanks for the encouragement. Mr. Henson is eighty-five if he’s a day.”

      “Just kidding,” Jackson said. “But the truth is you can find your true love. I did. Don’t give up.”

      “I’m not sure I can count on that,” she said.

      “Give it a little longer,” Jackson said. “You might be surprised.”

      Seconds later, silence fell over Abby as she stood outside the deck in the dark. She wasn’t quite sure what she should take away from the cold night and the conversation she’d overheard.

      Abby stared into the horizon, feeling the stars from the sky watching over her. She should leave, she thought, but she felt the stars tracking her. She wanted—no, needed—to feel the stars guiding her to her future. More than anything, she wished a lucky star was shining down on her. A star of love. If not love, then an antidote for love.

      Fixing her gaze on the brightest star, she felt a ripple of realization shimmy down her spine. She’s wanted Cade as long as she could remember. She’d pushed herself to flirt with him the other night. Abby felt as if her passion for Cade would never be returned. But she would never be sure if she didn’t put herself out there.

      Abby had never been much of a flirt, and she had no idea how to be a seductress, but maybe she needed to give it her best shot now. Maybe she needed to do everything she could to make Cade see her as a woman, a desirable woman who wanted him. At that moment, she made a promise to herself. No more shy little sister, hiding behind Laila. Abby needed to find her inner sexpot.

      Abby cringed at the thought. Okay, maybe not sexpot, but seductress had an empowering ring to it…when it didn’t make her snicker.

      Two days later, Cade took a break from work at the shop and headed for the new bakery in town, the Mountain Bluebell Bakery. He was feeling deprived lately and figured giving in to his sweet tooth was the least of possible evils. Cherry pie or something better sounded great.

      He exhaled and his breath sent out a foggy spritz. Noticing a crowd ahead, he slowed as he approached. A news team was interviewing several different citizens of Thunder Canyon.

      “So, do you think a down-home ribs meal is good enough to keep customers happy?” the newscaster asked. “Or do you think tight T-shirts and short shorts are necessary in today’s market?”

      “Nothing wrong with short shorts and tight T-shirts,” a man from the crowd yelled.

      “But is it necessary?” the newscaster asked.

      “Well,” the man said, “I guess not. But it sure doesn’t hurt.”

      The crowd laughed.

      Suddenly a microphone was put in Cade’s face. “What about you? Do