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promised herself that she'd do what she could to make up for what he missed. First step in that direc-
tion, she decided, was a special Christmas present.
She slept late on Christmas morning. But when she woke up, she got out her cell phone and made a
virtual shopping trip around town, to discover which busi- nesses were open on a holiday. She found
one, and it carried just the item she wanted. She drove by there on her way down to Jacobsville.
Good thing she'd called ahead about keeping her motel room, she thought when she drove into the
parking lot. The place was full. Obviously some locals had out-of-town family who didn't want to
impose when they came visiting on the holidays. She stashed her suitcase and called Harley's number.
"Hello," came a disgruntled voice over the line.
"Harley?" she asked hesitantly.
There was a shocked pause. "Alice? Is that you?"
She laughed. "Well, you sound out of sorts."
"I am." There was a splash. "Get out of there, you walking steak platter!" he yelled. "Hold the line a
minute, Alice, I have to put down the damn...phone!"
There was a string of very unpleasant language, most of which was mercifully muffled. Finally
Harley came back on the line. DIANA PALMER 117
"I hate the cattle business," he said.
She grimaced. Perhaps she shouldn't have made that shopping trip after all. "Do you?" she asked.
"Why?"
"Truck broke down in the middle of the pasture while I was tossing out hay," he muttered. "I got out of
the truck and under the hood to see what was wrong. I left the door open. Boss's wife had sent me by
the store on the way to pick up some turnip greens for her. Damned cow stuck her head into the truck
and ate every damned one of them! So now, I'm mired up to my knees in mud and the truck's sinking,
and once I get the truck out, I've got to go all the way back to town for a bunch of turnips on account
of the stupid cow... Why are you laughing?"
"I thought you ran purebred bulls," she said.
"You can't get a purebred bull without a purebred cow to drop it," he said with exaggerated patience.
"Sorry. I wasn't thinking. Say, I'm just across the street from a market. Want me to go over and get you
some more turnips and bring them to you?"
There was an intake of breath. "You'd do that? On Christmas Day?"
"I sort of got you something," she said. "Just a little something. I wanted an excuse to bring it to you,
anyway."
"Doggone it, Alice, I didn't get you anything," he said shamefully.
"I didn't expect you to," she said at once. "But you took me to a nice party and I thought... Well, it's just
a little something."
"I took you to a social shooting gallery and didn't even buy you supper," he said, feeling ashamed.
"It was a nice party," she said. "Do you want turnips or not?" 118 THE MAVERICK
He laughed. "I do. Think you can find Cy Parks's ranch?"
"Give me directions."
He did, routing her the quickest way.
"I'll be there in thirty minutes," she said. "Or I'll call for more directions."
"Okay. Thanks a million, Alice."
"No problem."
She dressed in her working clothes, jeans and boots and a coat, but she added a pretty white sweater
with a pink poinsettia embroidered on it, for Christ- mas. She didn't bother with makeup. It wouldn't
help much anyway, she decided with a rueful smile. She bought the turnips and drove the few miles to
the turnoff that led to Cy Parks's purebred Santa Gertru- dis stud ranch.
Harley was waiting for her less than half a mile down the road, at the fork that turned into the ranch
house. He was covered in mud, even his once-brown cowboy hat. He had a smear of mud on one
cheek, but he looked very sexy, Alice thought. She couldn't think of one man out of thirty she knew
who could be covered in mud and still look so good. Harley did.
He pushed back his hat as he walked up to the van, opening the door for her.
She grabbed the turnips in their brown bag and handed it to him. She jumped down with a small box
in her hand. "Here," she said, shoving it at him.
"Wait a sec." He put the turnips in his truck and handed her a five-dollar bill. "Don't argue," he said at
once, when she tried to. "I had money to get them with, even allowing for cow sabotage." He grinned.
DIANA PALMER 119
She grinned back. "Okay." She put the bill in her slacks pocket and handed him the box.
He gave her an odd look. "What's it for?"
"Christmas," she said.
He laughed. "Boss gives me a bonus every Christmas. I can't remember the last time I got an actual
present."
She flushed.
"Don't get self-conscious about it," he said, when he noticed her sudden color. "I just felt bad that I
didn't get you something."
"I told you, the party..."
"Some party," he muttered. He turned the small box in his hands, curious. He pulled the tape that held
the sides together and opened it. His pale eyes lit up as he pulled the little silver longhorn tie tack out
of the box. "Hey, this is sweet! I've been looking for one of these, but I could never find one small
enough to be in good taste!"
She flushed again. "You really like it?"
"I do! I'll wear it to the next Cattlemen's Associa- tion meeting," he promised. "Thanks, Alice."
"Merry Christmas."
"It is, now," he agreed. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. "Merry Christmas,
Alice." He bent and kissed her with rough affection.
She sighed and melted into him. The kiss was warm, and hard and intoxicating. She was a normal
adult woman with all the usual longings, but it had been a long time since a kiss had made her want to
rip a man's clothes off and push him down on the ground.
She laughed.
He drew back at once, angry. "What the hell...!"
"No, it's not... I'm not laughing at you! I was won- 120 THE MAVERICK
dering what you'd think if I started ripping your clothes off...!"
He'd gone from surprise to anger to indignation, and now he doubled over laughing.
"Was it something I said?" she wondered aloud.
He grabbed her up in his arms and spun her around, catching her close to kiss her hungrily again and
again. He was covered in mud, and now she was covered in it, too. She didn't care.
Her arms caught around his neck. She held on, loving the warm crush of his mouth in the cold rain
that was just starting to fall. Her eyes closed. She breathed, and breathed him, cologne and soap and
coffee...
After a few seconds, the kiss stopped being fun and became serious. His hard mouth opened. His arm
dragged her breasts against his broad chest. He nudged her lips apart and invaded her mouth with
deliberate sensuality.
He nibbled her lower lip as he carried her to the pickup truck. He nudged the turnips into the
passenger seat while he edged under the wheel, still carrying Alice. He settled her in his lap and
kissed her harder while his hands slid under the warm sweater and onto her bare back, working their
way under the wispy little bra she was wearing.
His hands were cold and she jumped when they found her pert little breasts, and she laughed
nervously.
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