Missing Maverick Read online

  Missing Maverick—© Anna Brooks

  Copyright © 2021 Anna Brooks

  Published by Anna Brooks

  Cover design by Passion Creations by Mary Ruth

  Cover photography by Scott Hoover

  Editing by Kim Nadelson

  Editing by Editing4Indies

  Proofreading by Kimberly Holm

  Formatting by Champagne Book Design

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  ABOUT THIS BOOK

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  PREVIEW OF JUSTIFYING JAMIE

  PREVIEW OF BREAK

  OTHER BOOKS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I was going to love her until my last breath, and she promised to do the same… but she lied.

  Cricket McBride packed up without warning, ditching our small town and the life we were going to build together. She left me with tears in her eyes, a kiss on my cheek, and an empty heart that had done nothing but hardened over the years.

  My life wasn’t what I thought it would be, but I’d long since accepted it for what it was. I was content with working on my family ranch and being the best father I could. And I was fine with that.

  Or so I thought.

  When Cricket returned, one look was all it took for me to admit I still cared, but it wasn’t until I saw the marks on her skin and the pain in her soul that I realized just how deep that love went. Because the same hands that held her tight also promised to protect her… and I never broke a promise.

  PROLOGUE

  Maverick

  Of all the things I’d been through in my life, the people who had come, and more importantly gone, I was rarely surprised anymore. So when I found out I had a ten-year-old daughter, it was safe to say surprised was an understatement.

  I didn’t have time to process all I was feeling about it because I was too busy figuring out how to navigate my life with another kid. I wanted to make sure Aubrey felt comfortable in my home, her new home, so I’d gotten started on redoing the extra bedroom right away.

  I had already emptied the closet and was in the process of going through the dresser drawers when my fingers brushed against a velvet box I almost forgot was in here. Knowing exactly what it was, I hesitated to pull it out.

  The bright red material was dusty, and I closed my fist around it and sat on the end of the bed. My leg was bouncing nervously and the back of my neck was sweating as my heart rate kicked up a dozen notches. My knuckles were white and I squeezed my eyes shut as I fought back the memory of what was in that box.

  But when I did that, it had the opposite effect, and a scene from almost fifteen years earlier played out in front of me like a movie…

  “Do you want a bite?” Cricket held out the giant pretzel I just bought for her from the stand in the mall. I leaned over and opened my mouth, and when the salty snack touched my lips, I took a bite. “Where do you want to go next?” she asked as I tossed my arm around her shoulders and continued walking.

  I wanted to go anywhere but here, but she loved shopping, so that wasn’t what I said. “Wherever you want to go.”

  “Let’s go check out Claire’s. I need some new earrings.”

  She didn’t, but I followed her regardless. On the way, I stopped outside an actual jewelry store and peeked inside. “Let’s look here for earrings.”

  “I can’t afford anything in here.”

  Neither could I, but if she wanted something, I’d find a way to get it for her. “Let’s just look.” I pushed her in, and we were greeted by a worker, but they never even came over to ask us if we needed help. I’m sure they knew two teenagers wouldn’t be buying real diamonds, so they didn’t waste their time.

  I had my finger hooked in her jeans pocket as we walked around. I watched her as she glanced into the display cases, studying her facial expressions. She was trying to act like she didn’t like the jewelry, but I knew when something caught her eye because she bit her lip and tried not to smile. And when she couldn’t fight a grin any longer, I looked away from her to see what she saw. And when the pink and yellow diamond wedding ring came into view, I had a really weird feeling in my stomach.

  I knew I loved Cricket, and I never even noticed another girl. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to be with Cricket forever, but I guess I didn’t actually ever think about what it meant to be married to her. And when the image of me putting that ring on her finger came to mind, I saw it vividly. And I wanted it… badly. I wanted her to have my last name, to bear my children, to be at my side until the day I died, and I intended on making that happen as soon as possible.

  She bumped into me when she kept moving, but I was still stuck at that point in time because that was the exact moment I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Cricket McBride was mine.

  CHAPTER 1

  Maverick, about two years later

  “Run, Cam!”

  “That’s my boy!” My cousin Dallas cheered for his stepson, and him being the lead singer of a rock band made his voice stand out louder than anyone else in the crowd. “That’s it, Cam! Go, go, go!”

  I whistled, the piercing noise carrying its way onto the turf where Cam was sure to hear all of the support. My daughter Dixie Mae was sitting on my lap as she clapped and cheered, and my other daughter Aubrey jumped up and down excitedly next to me. My eyes moved from watching Cam haul ass down the football field to Aubrey. She grabbed my hand and tugged as he scored, and when she turned her head back and looked at me with the same blue eyes Dixie Mae and I had, I felt a rush of contentment ease throughout my soul… something I wasn’t sure would ever go away when it came to her.

  It hadn’t even been two years since I discovered Aubrey was mine, and missing out on the first ten years of your daughter’s life was sure to have lasting effects, but luckily, I hadn’t seen any indication that she hated me for it yet. She took the news that I was her dad without any issue, and honestly, I think she was relieved to have a father who cared. Having her a part of the family was just as if she’d been around since birth. Every time she smiled at me, whenever she called me Dad, it hit me square in the chest in a different way than it did with Dixie Mae; not better or worse, just… different.

  “He scored,” she reported excitedly. Her curly brown hair was straight that night, and she spent so much time with the flat iron before we arrived that we were almost late. She had changed so much over the past couple of years that every time I looked at her, I swear she was more grown-up than the minute before. I hated that I missed out on watching her grow from a baby to a toddler to a little girl, so I made sure to cherish every moment of her becoming a young woman, even though that thought made me nauseous.

  “He did.”

  “He’s so fast.”

  I grinned. “You’re one to talk.”

  At twelve years old, Aubrey was the tallest girl in her class and the fastest in her middle school, just like I was. In fact, she was set to break my records, and my brothers were her number one fans, waiting for the day I’d get knocked down on the stats. God… I had a kid in middle school and one in first grade, neither of whose mother I was in a relationship with. Talk about a winner. I did, however, have an amazing family, all of whom were at Cam’s first football game of his senior year. Along with the rest of the town.

  “My mom says I get it from you.” Aubrey shrugged. “She was never into sports, so any athletic ability is from your genes, not hers.”

  “She’s right about that.” I actually had a basketball scholarship for a major university that I turned down because I had plans to start my life with Cricket. Basketball could have been my ticket out of this town if I wanted it, but what I needed was the girl who promised to love me forever, so there wasn’t a second thought as to if I’d leave Warrenville. But shortly after I graduated, she left me, and it was too late. Although at that time, I was a mess anyway, so even if I went to college, I’I probably would have gotten kicked out.

  “I have to go potty.” Dixie Mae squirmed, and I helped her down.

  Aubrey took her hand and offered, “I’ll take her.” She was a great big sister, and I loved how much they love
d each other. There was no jealousy between them, and since Aubrey had been in our life, I’d only heard them fight once.

  “Okay, thanks. I’m watching.” No way in hell I’d let the two of them out of my sight, even in a town as safe as ours, so I followed them as they walked down the bleachers and then through the crowd before they disappeared into the small brick building that housed the restrooms and concession stand.

  “How’s it goin’?” Wilder elbowed me, but I didn’t spare him a glance, my vision firmly stuck on the last place I saw my girls.

  “Good, why?”

  He shrugged. “No reason. It’s great to see the girls getting along so well.”

  “Yeah, Aubrey being with us half the month has helped them get really close.” After I initially found out about Aubrey, I only got to see her every other weekend and then longer over the holidays and last summer. But this summer vacation, her mom agreed to let her stay with me for a whole month. The problem with that was when it was time to go home, she didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want her to leave, either. I loved getting to know her better and witnessing the quick bond she and Dixie Mae had made in such a short period. So after lots and lots of deliberation and arguing and compromising, Piper, Aubrey’s mom, decided to move to Warrenville. We now shared custody 50/50, and it’d been… oddly smooth.

  “How are you managing? It’s definitely hard with two of them.” Wilder’s twin girls would be turning two soon, so he would know.

  “The hardest thing is managing my time. It was one thing when Dixie Mae was little and didn’t have school, but now with both of them at different schools and in different activities, it’s proven to be challenging for sure.”

  “Yeah, I hear that.”

  The thumping of my heart started to kick up after not seeing the girls for a few minutes. “What’s with the inquisition? It’s not like you don’t know this stuff, Wild.”

  “Well… You know how much of a help Oakley’s been. I’m so grateful Dallas recommended her to us as a nanny because she’s turned into so much more than that. Between her watching the twins so Frankie can work, to her helping Frankie run Wild Confections, she’s been a huge blessing.”

  “Yeah, I know that. Dixie Mae loves her.” Oakley had been helping out Wilder and Frankie for a little over a year now, and she’d become practically like family, even coming to our monthly Sunday supper on occasion.

  “Well, it’s just… if you needed a hand sometime, she’s more than willing to help out.”

  “You don’t think I can take care of my kids?” My spine straightened as fear clutched my guts, and just as I was about to jump off the bleachers and go charge into the bathroom, my daughters appeared. Laughing and happy. Perfectly safe. I sighed in relief and sank back onto the bleacher seat.

  He shook his head. “That’s not it at all. No need to be defensive. I just wanted to throw it out there if you ever needed it.”

  It wasn’t a horrible idea, but I had already lost out on so much time with Aubrey that when I had her, I didn’t want to share that time with anyone. But it also would be helpful to have someone every once in a while when things got crazy at the ranch, and I needed an extra hand. “I’ll think about it.”

  He clasped me on the shoulder and then joined the DE-FENSE chant with the rest of Warrenville. When my girls returned, Aubrey sat on my left and Dixie Mae plopped down next to her. As much as the past couple of years had been a challenge, I was finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

  The game went to the final seconds, and Cam’s team won with a field goal. The town celebrated like they always did, and that was by piling into the Pickled Pig for burgers, shakes, and fries.

  My family took over the whole left side of the diner, and I smiled at my sister-in-law when she came over and sat next to the seat Aubrey had just vacated. She and Dixie Mae were hanging around Cam and his friends, and I wanted to strangle the little bastards because they made Aubrey’s cheeks turn pink.

  “I have a proposition for you.” Frankie nudged my shoulder.

  I raised a brow at my sister-in-law. “Don’t let Wilder hear you say that.”

  She scrunched her nose. “Not like that, gross.”

  “I’m wounded.” I placed my hand on my chest over my heart.

  “Oh stop, you know you’re a hottie, but you’re like a brother to me. I’m talking about a girls’ night. We didn’t do it last year because the twins were still so young, but every year before that, Aubrey, Piper, and I went to a spa for a couple of days. If you were okay with it, we wanted to bring Dixie Mae with us this year.”

  My head pulled back on its own accord. “Piper’s okay with that?” Frankie and Piper were twins, so that made our family even more tight-knit, but Piper had never included Dixie Mae in anything before. Wilder and I met the Young sisters at the same time about thirteen years ago, but obviously, when they came back into our lives, we discovered we had very different relationships with them.

  “It was her idea. She said she was going to talk to you about it, but I figured I’d feel you out first.” That made sense.

  “I’m fine with it. I’ll ask Dixie Mae if she wants to, but you and I both know what her answer will be.”

  “Great! We’re thinking at the end of the month, and it would be during Piper’s weekend so you won’t miss out on your time with Aubrey.”

  It actually surprised me how cool Piper had been with custody. I think it had to do with the decade she kept her from me. “Doesn’t matter to me either way. Just let me know the date as soon as you do.”

  Damn, a night all to myself? I hadn’t had one of those in the better part of a year. I knew exactly what I’d be doing with my evening of freedom, and it definitely didn’t include me being alone.

  CHAPTER 2

  Cricket

  My bodyguard stood vigilant as I continued packing my suitcase in my New York apartment. I’d been a nervous ball of energy the past couple of weeks, and for the first time, I noticed my fingers weren’t trembling. I was more excited to move on now that I was in the home stretch and didn’t have to look over my shoulder. The movers were set to arrive any minute, and I wanted to jam as much as I could into my carry-on to get me through the next few days. There was a knock on the door, and I jumped. Maybe I was a little more anxious than I’d like to admit, but Lincoln reassured me, “It’s all good. I’ve got it.”

  I swallowed and gave him a curt nod. “Thanks.”

  He looked through the peephole and asked to see identification, and before he let the movers in, he went into the hallway for a moment where I heard muted instructions being doled out. The door swung open, and Lincoln’s eyes found mine before they gave a quick scan of my apartment even though he’d only vacated it for a minute. “Movers are here. They’re good to go as long as you are.”

  “I am. Hi.” I waved lamely at the three men before me. “I’m only taking this suitcase and the purse and laptop. Everything else can get boxed up. Thank you.”

  While they got to work, I sat at the kitchen island where my laptop was and opened my email. I’d definitely made a mess of things with my hasty departure, but I was sure that my restaurant was in good hands and the people who worked for me would end up better off under new management. Plus, it was my sous chef who I’d sold to, so everyone already knew and loved him. It was the way I announced my departure with virtually no warning that had everyone upset.

  But the decision couldn’t wait. I had to do what was right for me, not anyone else. I needed to get out of New York as fast as I could and never return. It was something I had been secretly working on for a while, but recent events had me fast-tracking everything.

  My left hand went to my throat, where I gently moved my scarf to cover the bruises, and I felt Lincoln’s presence behind me. He stood close and alert, and that knowledge comforted me greatly. I only wished I would have gone with my gut and hired him sooner, but hindsight was always 20/20.

  I couldn’t keep looking back. I had to move forward as quickly as possible. So that was what I continued to do. After a few hours, the movers had everything packed up, and Lincoln and I were on the way to a hotel closer to the airport.