Maverick (Star Valley Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

the hotel took little time. Leah was ready to hit the sheets and wake up early for the ceremony, but Becca, Candace, and the other girls seemed undaunted by the ticking clock.
    Or maybe they were racing it.
    “Drinks are on me!” Becca shouted and tottered off to the hotel’s bar in her impossibly high heels.
    “Oh,” said Leah, glancing at Candace and taking a step back. “I’m kind of tired and—”
    “Bullshit,” said Candace, clamping a hand down on her arm. “Let’s go find your cowboy!”
    Leah allowed herself to be dragged into the dimly lit space, which boasted a gleaming dark wood bar to the right and leather cushioned banquettes to the left. She also allowed herself no hint of either relief or disappointment when the guy from the elevator was nowhere to be found.
    Candace was undaunted. “We’ll find another one,” she declared, always and forever able to read Leah’s thoughts.
    At one of the large banquettes, Leah ordered a daiquiri, which seemed safe enough, and the waitress returned with their drinks a few minutes later.
    “Round Robin!” Becca cried suddenly before Leah even took the first sip.
    Before Leah could react, Candace snatched her daiquiri with her left hand while passing her own to the right. Anna, to Leah’s left, set her barely-sipped Jack and Coke down in front of Leah with a flourish. Everyone at the table picked up their neighbor’s drinks and lifted them high. Not to be left out, Leah picked up the swirling amber liquid and peered at it cautiously as Becca said a few words of thanks for all her girls coming to help her celebrate.
    When it was time to drink, Leah let a slug of the whiskey trickle down her throat. It burned and she tried not to cough or spit it out.
    “Whoo!” shouted Carly. “Drink it down then pass it around!”
    All the drinks shifted again and Leah found herself now in possession of a vodka and cranberry. This one went down just a bit easier but two passes later she found herself staring at more whiskey. At this point, though, the burn was barely noticeable and the pleasant warmth in her belly more than made up for it.
    “Yikes!” breathed Anna, looking over Leah’s shoulder.
    Everyone turned to see a muscled, broad shouldered man in a crisp, white button down shirt and blue jeans striding into the hotel’s bar. His wavy brown hair fell just above his eyes and he wore a smile as wide as any valley Candace and Leah had driven through to get here.
    “Oh, my God!” Candace whispered. “That’s the cowboy from the elevator!”
    Leah didn’t need to be reminded. Immediately she recalled the smell of leather and aftershave and the heat of his body as he’d leaned in next to her just hours before.
    “You know that guy?” Becca practically shrieked.
    Anna shot her a look. “Girl, you’re getting married tomorrow. It’s too late to trade up.”
    “I don’t know him,” Leah muttered. “I just saw him in the elevator.”
    “He practically dragged her back to his room,” Candace said proudly.
    “He did not!” Leah hissed, but that look in his eyes had been intense. If he had dragged her to his room, she might have forgotten to fight him.
    “Go talk to him,” said Candace.
    “Oh, I don’t know.” Leah gazed at him from across the room. Maybe he looked even better than she remembered.
    “Well, I know. Go on,” Candace insisted. “He’s not with anyone.”
    It was true. By some miracle he was sitting alone, but he wouldn’t be for long. It seemed he’d captured the attention of most of the female population in the room. Leah felt completely out of her league.
    As though Candace could read the expression on her face (and why not? They’d been friends their whole lives) she said, “ He’s into you. ”
    Also true. Though Lord knew why. She glanced down at her chest and grimaced. She could think of at least two reasons.
    “He’ll remember you, trust me. Just…just…”
    “Tell him a joke!” Anna suggested.
    “Yes,” said