Bring Me A Maverick For Christmas!

She was wearing a dress. The color was richer and deeper than red, and the fabric clung to her mouthwatering curves. The skirt of the dress ended just above her knees, and she wore pointy-toed high-heeled shoes on her feet.

He took a few steps toward her and noticed that there were sparkles in her hair. Crystal snowflakes, he realized, as he drew nearer. She’d made up her face, too. Not that she needed any artificial enhancement, but the long lashes that surrounded her deep blue eyes were now thicker and darker, and her temptingly curved lips were slicked with pink gloss.

“You look... Wow,” he said, because he couldn’t find any other words that seemed adequate.

Her cheeks flushed prettily. “Back atcha.”

He knew his basic suit and bolero tie were nothing special, particularly in this crowd, but he smiled, grateful that she didn’t seem to be holding a grudge. “I wasn’t sure you were going to come.”

“Neither was I,” she admitted.

“I’m glad you did,” he told her. “And I hope you brought your checkbook—there’s a lot of great stuff on the auction table.”

“As soon as I figure out where I’m sitting for dinner, I’ll take a look,” she promised.

“You can sit with me,” he invited.

“I think I’m supposed to be at Dr. Smith’s table.”

He shook his head. “There are no assigned tables.”

She looked toward the dining area, where long wooden tables were set in rows on either side of the dance floor.

The decor was festive but simple. Of course, Brendan and Bailey had left all those details in the hands of the event planners, who had adorned the tables with evergreen branches and holly berries, with tea lights in clear glass bowls at the center of each grouping of four place settings. The result was both festive and rustic, perfect for the venue and the occasion.

“I’ve never been here before,” Serena confided. “But this place is fabulous. You and Brendan did a great job.”

Bailey immediately shook his head. “This was all Caroline Ruth and her crew. The only thing me and Brendan can take credit for is putting her in charge,” he said. “And picking the food.”

“What will we be eating tonight?” she asked.

He plucked a menu off a nearby table and read aloud: “Country biscuits with whipped butter, mixed greens with poached pears, candied walnuts and a honey vinaigrette, grilled hand-carved flat iron steak, red-skin mashed potatoes and blackened corn, with huckleberry pie or chocolate mousse for dessert.”

“And that’s why I had salad for lunch,” she told him.

He chuckled as he steered her toward the table where Luke and Eva were already seated, along with Brendan Tanner and his fiancée, Fiona O’Reilly, and Fiona’s sister Brenna and her husband, Travis Dalton.

Conversation during dinner covered many and various topics—Presents for Patriots, of course, including the upcoming gift-wrapping at the community center—but Brendan and Fiona’s recent engagement was also a subject of much interest and discussion.

“So how long have you and Serena been dating?” Brenna asked, as she dipped her spoon into her chocolate mousse.

Bailey looked up, startled by the question. “What?”

Serena paused with her wineglass halfway to her lips, obviously taken aback, as well.

“I asked how long you’ve been dating,” Brenna repeated.

“They’re not dating,” Eva responded to the question first. “But they’re married.”

“Really?” Brenna sounded delighted and intrigued by this revelation.

“Not really,” Serena said firmly.

“I don’t know.” Eva spoke up again, winking at Bailey and Serena to let them know she was teasing. “There were a lot of people at the community center today who believe you are.”

Serena rolled her eyes. “Only because we were dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a little role-playing to spice things up in the bedroom,” Brenna asserted.

Serena shook her head, her cheeks redder than the dress she’d worn during their role-playing that afternoon. “I should have stayed home tonight.”

“I’m just teasing you,” Brenna said, immediately contrite. “Although Travis and I fell in love for real while we were only pretending to be engaged.”

“I cheered for both of you on The Great Roundup,” Serena admitted.

“Then you saw me win the grand prize,” Travis chimed in.

Bailey frowned. Though reality shows weren’t his thing, it would have been impossible to be in Rust Creek Falls the previous year and not follow the events that played out when two local residents were vying for the big money on the television show. “It was Brenna who won the million dollars.”

“That’s true,” Travis confirmed, sliding an arm across his wife’s shoulders and drawing her into his embrace. “But I won Brenna.”

She smiled up at him. “And I won you.”

“And I need some air,” Bailey decided.

“Me, too,” Serena said, pushing back her chair.

They exited the main reception area but didn’t venture much farther than that. Leaving the building would require collecting their coats and bundling up against the frigid Montana night.

“They don’t mean to be obnoxious,” Bailey said when he and Serena were alone. “At least, I don’t think they do.”

She laughed softly. “I didn’t think they were obnoxious. I thought they were adorable.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I watched The Great Roundup, but you never know how much of those reality shows is real, how much is staged, how much is selectively edited. It’s nice to see that they truly are head over heels in love with one another.”

“For now,” Bailey remarked.

Serena frowned. “You don’t think they’ll last?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think the odds are in their favor.”

“Love isn’t about odds,” she said. “It’s a leap of faith.”

“A leap that frequently ends with one or both parties hitting the ground with a splat.”

“Spoken like someone who has some experience with the splat,” she noted.