Bring Me A Maverick For Christmas!

The smile she gave her husband was filled with love and affection. And maybe it did warm Bailey’s heart to see Luke and Eva so happy. And Danny and Annie. And Jamie and Fallon. And his sister Bella and Hudson. And maybe he was just the tiniest bit envious.

But only the tiniest bit—not nearly enough to be willing to risk putting his own heart on the line again.

Thankfully, he was saved from responding by the sound of—

“Is that dogs barking the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’?” Eva asked.

“That’s gotta be Serena’s phone,” Bailey noted.

Luke picked it up from the table, his brows lifting when he looked at the case. Then he turned it around so Eva and Bailey could see the image of a bulldog wearing a Santa hat.

Bailey wasn’t going to judge her for loving Christmas as much as she loved her dog, especially when the call had provided a timely interruption to an increasingly awkward conversation. He took the phone from his brother and went to find Serena.

“This would send Marvin into a frenzy of joy,” she told him, gesturing with the pen in her hand to a Canine Christmas basket filled with toys and treats that had been donated by Brooks Smith and his wife, Jazzy.

Bailey glanced at the bid sheet. “Looks like there’s already a bidding war between Paige Traub and Lissa Christensen.”

“And now me, too,” she said, as she scrawled her offer on the page.

He lifted his brows at the number she’d written. “You doubled the last bid.”

“It’s for a good cause,” she reminded him.

“So it is,” he agreed.

“Is there anything here that’s caught your eye?” she asked.

He knew she was referring to the auction table, but the truth was, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her since she’d arrived.

“I’m still looking,” he told her. But as he’d very recently reminded his brother and sister-in-law, he wasn’t looking for happily-ever-after.

“There’s a lot to look at,” she said. “Everything from kids’ toys and knitted baskets to a weekend getaway at Maverick Manor.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, the bids on that are already out of my price range.”

And yet she was willing to overpay for some dog toys to support a good cause and make Marvin happy.

“Is this Marvin?” he asked, holding up her phone.

She smiled. “No, it’s a stock photo, but I bought the case because it looks a lot like him.”

“Well, you might want to check your messages,” he said. “Because you missed a call.”

Serena finished writing her contact information on the bid sheet, then took her phone from him. “I can’t imagine who might be calling me. Almost everyone I know is here tonight,” she told him, as she unlocked the screen with her thumbprint.

He was surprised to see her expression change as she scanned the message. The light in her eyes dimmed, her lips thinned. She texted a quick response, then said, “I have to go.”

“Now? Why?”

“My mom’s at the Ace in the Hole.”

“And?”

She just shook her head. “Long story.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.

She seemed surprised that he would offer. “No,” she said, but softened the rejection with a smile. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s not necessary.”

He took her phone from her again, then added his name and number to her list of contacts. “Just in case you change your mind.”

“Thanks,” she said, and even managed another smile. But he could tell that her mind was already at the bar and grill down the street—and whatever trouble he suspected was waiting for her there.

Chapter Four (#u31fff2a1-3e53-5077-9653-c9aaa3edca57)

Serena found a vacant spot in the crowded lot outside the Ace in the Hole and shifted into Park. She pocketed the keys as she exited her vehicle, the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach increasing with every step she took closer to the oversize ace of hearts playing card that blinked in neon red over the front door. She could hear the music from the jukebox inside as she climbed the two rough-hewn wooden steps. The price of beer was subject to regular increases, but the ancient Wurlitzer still played three songs for a quarter.

There were a few cowboys hanging around outside, cigarettes dangling from their fingers or pursed between their lips. She held her breath as she walked through their cloud of smoke and ignored the whistles and crude remarks tossed in her direction as she reached for the handle of the old screen door with its rusty hinges.

Once inside, her gaze immediately went to the bar that ran the length of one wall with stools lined up along it. Booths hugged the other walls, with additional tables and chairs crowded around the perimeter of the dance floor.

She made a cursory scan of the bodies perched on the stools at the bar. The mirrored wall behind the rows of glass bottles allowed her to see their faces. She recognized many, but none belonged to her mother.

Rosey Traven, the owner of the Ace, was pouring drinks behind the bar. Catching Serena’s eye, she tipped her head toward the back. Serena forced her reluctant feet to move in that direction.

She found her mother seated across from a man that Serena didn’t recognize. A friend? A date? A stranger?

Amanda Langley mostly kept to herself. For the past couple of years, she’d worked as an admin assistant at the mill, but outside of her job, she didn’t have a lot of friends. And as far as Serena knew, she didn’t date much, either.

She was an attractive woman, with the same blond hair and blue eyes as her daughter, but a more boyish figure and a raspy voice courtesy of a fifteen-year pack-a-day habit that she’d finally managed to kick a few years earlier.

The man seated across from her wasn’t bad looking, either. He had broad shoulders, a shaven—or maybe bald—head, and a beard and moustache that were more salt than pepper.

Serena hesitated, trying to decide whether to advance or retreat, when her mother glanced up and saw her. Amanda looked surprised at first—and maybe a little guilty? Then she smiled and beckoned her daughter over.