The Last-Chance Maverick: Now a Harlequin Movie, Art of Falling in Love! (Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!, 5)($22.91Value)

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Now a Harlequin Movie, Art of Falling in Love ! RUST CREEK RAMBLINGS Fellow Ramblers, have you heard that Jonah Dalton is back in town? The sexy, citified architect hasn't been seen round these parts since…well, we won't get into all that. Let's just say love has not been kind to our Jonah. But our sources whisper he's recently been painting the town red with spirited artist Vanessa Brent. She's been methodically working her way through her bucket list—and taking Jonah along for the ride. You'd never guess that Vanessa's lust for life is masking her own heartbreaking secret. Can our hardworking maverick be the one to finally make her whole? Readers, we will let you draw your own conclusions—but we think this romance is a masterpiece in the making! USA TODAY bestselling author Christyne Butler fell in love with romance novels while serving in the U.S. Navy. She started writing her own stories in 2002 and writes contemporary romances full of life, love and a hint of laughter. And there has to be a "happily ever after" or she’s just not satisfied. She lives in central Massachusetts with her family and loves to hear from her readers at chris@christynebutler.com. Rust Creek Falls, Montana Vanessa wasn't sure she'd heard Nate Crawford correctly. A rushing noise that reminded her of the crazy bumper-to-bumper traffic on Philadelphia's Schuylkill Expressway filled her ears, except it was the beautiful mountain scenery around her that went a bit hazy as she choked down a mouthful of hot tea. Blinking hard, she focused on the disposable cup in her hand, noticing for the first time she'd grabbed two different flavored tea bags which explained the chocolateyorange taste burning her tongue. Even though she'd remembered arriving early enough for this morning's meeting to grab some refreshment at the canteen here on the job site—not to mention watching the breathtaking Montana sunrise through the two-story, floor-to-ceiling windows that filled the back wall—maybe it had all been a figment of her imagination. Maybe she was still tucked beneath her goose-down comforter in that amazingly oversize Davy Crockett-style bed in her cabin, dreaming… "Are you all right?" Nate asked, getting her attention. She looked up in time to see him rock back on his heels, a slight frown on his handsome face. He then glanced at his fiancée, Callie Kennedy, a nurse who helped run the local clinic, who'd placed a hand on his arm. "Yes," she gasped, "yes, I'm fine." No, that was a lie. Vanessa was definitely not fine despite the fact she stood in the cavernous lobby and main entertaining space of a log mansion that Nate, a local businessman and member of one of the town's founding families, was converting into a year-round resort. The gorgeous view of the Montana wilderness was at her back while a stone fireplace big enough to stand in filled the opposite wall. And then there were the rest of the walls. All empty. Her gaze honed in on one of them—freshly painted if the scent tickling her nose meant anything, above the oversize, hand-hewed, carved desk where guests would check in once the resort officially opened. "You want to hire me—" Vanessa asked, knowing she had to hear the words again. "—to do what?" "Paint a mural," Nate repeated, gesturing at the large blank space. "I thought it would be a great tribute to the people and places that mean so much to this town, to Montana. Rust Creek Falls has a connected history with both Thunder Canyon and Whitehorn and I'd like see all three towns honored here at the resort." Her gaze followed, trying to see the vision the man's words created, but nothing came to her artist eye. Zero. Zilch. Her stomach cramped at the now conditioned sensation. How many times had she experienced that same feeling over the past year? "I think he surprised you, didn't he?" Callie asked. "Ah, yes." Vanessa glanced down at her cup again. "Maybe I should've gotten something a bit stronger to ensure I was fully awake for this." "And maybe we shouldn't have asked you to meet us here so early, but we both have to be down in Ka-lispell for most of the day. Nate didn't want to wait, and you did say—" "Ah, no, early is fine. I'm usually up before the sun, anyway." Looking up at her friend, she waved off Cal-lie's concern. "But I'm still a bit confused. You're asking me to do this because…" "Because I was quite amazed." Nate paused and took a step closer, his head bent low even though the three of them were the only ones around, "and pleased when I found out the Vanessa Brent who's running an after-school art program at the community center and V. E. Brent, world-famous abstract expressionism artist, were one and the same." Nate's soft-spoken words took her completely by surprise. Not that she went out of her way to hide who she was or what she did with her life before moving to Rust Creek Falls back in July. When asked, she'd only said she'd worked in the creative arts, but was currently on a time-out,