Page 1 of The Maverick's Homecoming

Prologue

Three and a half months ago

“Kenzie?” asked a deep voice from directly behind her. Kenzie Osborne knew that voice. Her stomach churning, she swiveled on the wooden barstool.

Yep. Finn Monahan.

Unbelievable. Almost fifteen years had rolled by since the day he broke her heart. That day, as he’d turned to walk away from her, she’d shouted that she hated him, that she would never speak to him again.

But life goes on. And remembering that painful after­noon now just made her feel even sadder than she had a moment before.

She stiffened her spine and put on a smile. “I heard you were back in town…” The words came out sounding strained, but not because of what had happened years ago. She had fresher heartaches to deal with now, heartaches that had nothing whatsoever to do with Finn.

Her stomach lurched again. She breathed in through her nose and ordered the uncomfortable feeling to pass as Finn’s wide brow creased with a worried frown. “Look, Kenzie,” he said. “The truth is, I followed you in here.”Herewas the Grizzly Bar on Central Avenue in their hometown of Tenacity, Montana.

Why?she wondered sourly. What in the world could she and Finn Monahan possibly have to say to each other now?

Not a thing, that’s what.

Drawing in another slow breath, she glanced around the knotty-pine-paneled space. All the tables were empty. Down at the end of the bar, a lone cowboy sat staring into a half-finished glass of beer. The bartender was nowhere to be seen.

And Finn just stood there, watching her. Apparently, he thought they had more to say to each other. “Honestly, Finn. I’m really not up for a trip down memory lane right now.”

He looked at her with what actually seemed to be honest concern. “I’m not here to talk about old times, I promise you.”

“Great,” she said sincerely and then she waited for him to move along. He didn’t. Instead, he remained right where he was and continued to stare at her with that worried look on his face. After several endless seconds of truly uncomfortable silence, she asked impatiently, “If not what happened years ago, then whatareyou here to talk about?”

“I saw you outside.” He gestured back over his shoulder at the door to the street. “You seemed upset.” He glanced at the crumpled papers she’d dropped on the bar and then went on, “You stopped out front and looked around like you weren’t even sure where you were. I followed you in here because I just wanted to… Look. All you have to do is tell me. Are you okay?”

A weird squeak of laughter escaped her. She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the ridiculous sound. Laughing was a bad idea. Her emotions were all wonky. Laughter just might make her burst into tears.

And what had he asked her?

Right.Are you okay?

Why lie? He wanted to know what was wrong with her, fine. “Truthfully, Finn, I’m feeling a little low. My divorce is final.” She grabbed the papers from the bar and shoved them at him. “I got these in the mail today. One look at them and I jumped in my car headed…” She drew in a slow breath through her nose. “Well, I’m not sure where I was headed. I found myself cruising along Central Avenue. About then, I decided that what I needed was a good, stiff drink… The rest you can probably figure out for yourself.”

“Damn.” Finn stared at the divorce decree in her outstretched hand and then met her eyes again. “Kenzie, I’m so sorry. I…” He swept off his Stetson and held it to his chest. “Hell. There has to be a right thing to say at this point. But I don’t have a clue what that might be.”

She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. The truth is that my marriage is toast and has been for a while now. Honestly, I’m trying really hard to move on.”

“Well. Okay, then. That’s good, right?” He asked the question carefully.

She sighed. “Yeah. It is good. But still. Getting the final papers is a real kick in the teeth, one that knocked the wind right out of me. It brought back the past seven years—eight, if you count the year my ex and I were dating…” She paused for another careful breath. Why was she still talking? Finn Monahan did not need to hear this.

And yet she kept right on. “It’s just that, suddenly, I feel like I’m drowning, going under for the last time with no chance of rescue. You can’t imagine all the hopes I once had, all the big dreams of love everlasting.”

“Yeah, I can.” He looked right in her eyes. She knew what he was thinking because she was thinking it, too. They’d been in love once, she and Finn. Yeah, they’d been teenagers then. But still. They’d shared big dreams and high hopes.

She dropped the decree on the bar again. “Sorry. I guess what I’m trying to say is that getting the final papers is no fun at all.”

He seemed at a loss. “I can’t even imagine.”

“Never been married, huh?” Her question was rhetorical. She would have heard if the great Finn Monahan had ever taken the leap.

“Nope. Still single.” At that moment, he almost looked shy.

So shoot her. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking that her ex-high-school sweetheart had grown into a truly fine-looking man. He was bigger and broader than back in the day. And the faint beginnings of laugh lines and crow’s feet? They only added character to his handsome face.