“Badger, do you think my mom sounded a little weird when we left?” Hayley fastened her seat belt and glanced at him. “Or am I getting paranoid?”

He blew out a breath. “It’s my fault. I mishandled the conversation and now she thinks I’m plannin’ to propose this mornin’ and offer you a ring.” He backed out of the drive and drove toward Main Street.

“How would she get that idea?”

“Well, we’re only supposed to be goin’ for breakfast, but I told her not to expect you back right away, that I’d planned a surprise. I didn’t want her to worry.”

“I knew it! I knew you were up to something. Is this about what I think it is?”

“What do you think it’s about?”

“Us having sex.” She quivered with anticipation.

He kept his attention on the road but his cheek dented as he grinned. “It might be about that.”

“You found a solution?” She tried to breathe normally. Impossible.

“Could be.” He braked the truck at the stop sign and turned to her. “But first we need to take care of something.”

“You need to buy condoms.”

“I bought those before I came over to your house. In fact, when your momma said I’ll bet you have a certain item in your pocket I thought she was talkin’ about that.”

“Oh, Badger.” She started to laugh. “No wonder your face was so red when I walked in.”

“But when she mentioned gettin’ down on one knee, that was my clue that she thought I had a ring and that’s why our breakfast would take so long.”

“Well, she’ll just have to be mistaken about that.”

“No, she won’t.” He put on the left blinker and turned onto Main Street. “I’m gettin’ you a ring.”

“Hey! No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am. If I don’t, your momma won’t believe I’m serious about you. The whole plan could start fallin’ apart. I remember seein’ a jewelry store. Ah, there it is, and we even have a parkin’ spot.”

“Don’t park in front of it.”

“Why not? There’s a perfect spot!”

“Go a few spaces down. We don’t want anyone seeing us in front of the jewelry store.”

“Oh. Good point.” He parked in front of the hardware store and shut off the motor. “Your momma thinks I already have the ring.”

“Right.” She turned to him. “You don’t have to buy one. Let’s brainstorm.”

“Let’s not.” The clock was ticking. He didn’t want to waste time debating the ring purchase. “People don’t know me here. I can duck down to the jewelry store, get a ring and come back.”

“Even if you could, I can’t let you do this. That’s taking this charade too far.”

“Hayley, if you don’t show up with a ring, I guarantee your momma’s opinion of me will suffer.”

She met his gaze without saying anything. He was right, damn it. “Okay. Go find a ring. But I’m paying for it.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I am, so! I’ll keep the receipt and when we break up, I can just get my money back. It’s the logical way to handle it. Surely you can see that.”

“No, ma’am, I can’t. There’s no way on God’s green earth that I’m lettin’ you pay for the engagement ring I put on your finger.”

“Badger! Be sensible!”

“I can’t be sensible about this. I’m Southern.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“No Southern gentleman would ever walk into a jewelry store to buy an engagement ring and let his lady pay. She might as well cut off his balls and hand them to him on a platter.”

“I see.” Her easy-going Badger had taken a stand. His display of stubborn masculinity was more of a turn-on than she would have expected. “But if you’re determined to do this, I don’t want a diamond.”

“You don’t?” He looked stunned. “Isn’t that supposed to be the—”

“I’ve never liked them that much. I’d rather have a sapphire.”

“Ah.” He smiled. “One to match your eyes.”

“That’s not the reason. I just think they’re prettier than diamonds.”

“So are your eyes. I’ll find a ring that matches.” He opened the driver’s side door.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Whoever waits on you, ask them to keep this quiet. It might work, at least for a while.”

“I’ll do that.” Leaning over, he gave her a quick kiss before exiting the truck.

A half-hour later, he was back.

“Well?”

“Found the perfect ring.”

“Can I see it?”

“No. I’ll give it to you later. When I propose.”

“Badger! This is all make-believe. Show me the ring.”

“No, ma’am.” He started the truck. “When you tell your momma about the proposal, I want it to be as close to the truth as possible.”

“Are you going to propose over breakfast in a restaurant?”

He sent her a smile. “No, ma’am, I am not.”

Despite herself, she was intrigued. But she tried to keep the mood businesslike. “You have the receipt, I hope.”

“Oh, yeah.” He pulled it out of his coat pocket.

“Let me see it.” She plucked it out of his hand.

“Hey, I didn’t—“

“Badger Calhoun, you spent a fortune on this ring!”

“Did not.”

“You did! And I—“

“Never mind, darlin’.” He backed out of the parking space. “I didn’t mean for you to see how much I spent, but now that you have the receipt, you’d best keep it.”

“But you’ll be the one who has to return it since you put it on your card.”

“Just hang onto it for now, okay?”

“Okay.” How easily he’d spent the money to buy a sapphire ring. Judging from what her mom and dad had found out online, his parents were very well off. Quite likely he was, too.

It didn’t matter if he was or wasn’t, but it gave her an idea. “We still haven’t decided on an issue we can use to explain our breakup. How about money?”

“Now there’s a borin’ thing to fight about if I ever heard one.”

“But couples do. Like for example, I could assume after going through this ring-buying experience that you throw your money around. If that’s true, I would object to that behavior.”

“So would I. Do you throw your money around?”

“No, but my job isn’t a particularly high-paying one. I have to be careful.”

“I’m careful.”

“You call buying a ring on the spur of the moment careful?”

“I do. I checked out the framed certificates on the wall. That gentleman has owned that store goin’ on forty-two years. He’s a certified gemologist and past president of the Eagles Nest Rotary Club. He sponsors a Little League team.”

“So?”

“A man like that will carry quality merchandise. Today I invested in a sapphire ring. A few months ago, I invested in Cowboy’s Beechcraft and nobody’s more likely to make a success of his business than he is. I’m careful with money.”

“I’m glad to hear—”

“I can’t claim to be so careful when I’m dealin’ with people, though. Cowboy says I tend to leap into situations without thinkin’ about the consequences. He could have a point.”

“You may not always be careful, but you’re compassionate. You came to my rescue and saved this holiday for me. Maybe you jumped in, but I’m grateful you did. I’ll take good care of your investment.”

“Just take good care of you, darlin’. In the end, the ring is just a pretty rock.”

“It’s more than that! You just said you invested in a piece of quality jewelry.”

He smiled at her. “Only to show you that I don’t throw money around. When I spend it, I have a good reason. But you’re a million times more valuable than that ring.”

She blinked. That sounded an awful lot like what an actual fiancé would say. Yet the engagement was make-believe, right? Sure, they had chemistry through the roof, but what he’d just said wasn’t about sex. It was about caring. His comment wrapped her in cozy warmth from head to toe.

Distracted by their discussion, she’d lost track of where they were. A quick check out the window told her they’d left the main road and were tooling along a dirt one. “Where are we?”

“On our way to the Nestin’ Place B and B.”

“Say what?”

“I asked Cody about a hotel or B and B and he suggested this place. He gave me the phone number last night after dinner. I called and got us the last room she had available, the one at the top.”

She couldn’t make sense of it. “Badger, we can’t move out of where we are and stay here. I can’t leave my folks’ house to…” Spend the holiday in bed with him? It was tempting.

“We’re not doin’ that. I figure we’ll only be here an hour or so this mornin’. But maybe tomorrow mornin’ we can—”

“You rented it again for tomorrow, too?”

“Darlin’, I rented it through New Year’s.”

“I’m speechless.”

“See, when Cody caught us makin’ out in the tack room, that started a discussion between Cody and me. He remembered this cute little B and B that’s only been open for a couple of years. Locals don’t stay here. Just folks passin’ through. We can pop in and out without stirrin’ up gossip in town.”

She stared at him. This was so out of her experience. “You rented it for more than a week?”

“Maybe that was overly optimistic. You might decide after today that you’re not fond of gettin’ naked with me.”

“Badger, this is a very rude question but I’ll ask it anyway. How much money do you have?”

“Enough.”

“Enough for what?”

“The rest of my life.”

“Good Lord.” She flopped back against the seat. “I had no idea.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t, except that it allows you to buy sapphires and rent a room in what is likely a pricey B and B when you’ll only be using it an hour here and an hour there.”

“Like I said, I’m hopin’ for two hours tomorrow. But you might decide against the plan. You have veto power.”

“I can’t imagine vetoing anything after what’s happened so far.”

“I’m countin’ on that. You heat up fast, Hayley. We’ll make good use of that hour.” He pulled up in front of a three-story blue Victorian with yellow trim.

Stately pines rose like protective sentinels behind the house. In a paved area to the side, several cars with out-of-state plates were parked. A hanging wooden sign in the snowy front yard was artistically lettered with The Nesting Place B&B, Maureen Stanislowski, proprietor. A spectacular evergreen wreath hung on the front door and large potted poinsettias stood guard at either side of it.

He shut off the engine. “This is it. We get a bed and we get breakfast.”

“It’s an inspired idea, Badger. The house is lovely.” She shivered in delicious anticipation at the prospect of sharing a bedroom with him, even for an hour.

“I asked her to put the food in our room. We don’t have time to fraternize at the breakfast table with the other guests.”

“That’s a good plan, but is she okay with this unusual arrangement?”

“I explained the situation and she was extremely understandin’. She wants us to have private time together and is very happy that she can help.” He looked over at her and reached for her hand. “She told me she’d be in the back servin’ breakfast, but she’ll come out to meet us and give us a key.”

She nodded. No man had ever swept her off her feet and she liked it. A lot.

He gazed into her eyes. “I want you, darlin’. If you’ll come inside with me, you’ll make me a very happy man.”

Her heart thudded against her ribs. “Then let’s go in.”

“Thank you.” After helping her out of the truck, he took her hand as they walked up to the house and climbed the steps.

She couldn’t shake the image of a bride arriving at her honeymoon suite. Silly, but nothing about this was familiar.

In her experience, love affairs began late at night after a steamy date that had ended at her apartment or his. Sex had just happened. Or maybe the guy had planned for it to happen, but not to the point where he’d booked a romantic setting to seal the deal.

Badger had pulled out all the stops. Breakfast and a bed awaited them on the top floor of this stately Victorian. The fantasy would only last a few days, but for now, it was more real than she’d expected.

When Badger opened the front door, a bell tinkled. She stepped into a fairyland of twinkling lights, several miniature trees in various coordinated color schemes, and the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg in the air. Down the hallway, conversation and laughter blended with the clank of plates and silverware.

A petite woman dressed in jeans and a red Christmas sweatshirt hurried toward them from that direction. “Badger Calhoun?”

He swept off his hat. “Yes, ma’am. This is my fiancée, Hayley Bennett.”

Her brow furrowed. “Bennett? Isn’t Reverend Bennett the minister who’s such a cutup?”

“That’s my father. As Badger probably explained, I’m staying at the parsonage and Badger is out at Wild Creek Ranch. We didn’t realize that we’d miss each other so much when we planned this trip, but it’s been more difficult than we anticipated.”

“I’m so glad you came to me, and that I had the top floor room.” She handed them two keys. “The one with the blue key fob is for the front door. The green one is for your room. That will allow you to access your room at any hour.”

Badger took both keys. “Thank you, ma’am. We appreciate this more than we can say.”

“You’re welcome. When’s the happy day?”

“We’re still debatin’ that topic.” Badger took off his jacket and helped Hayley with her parka. He put both coats over his arm. “Thank you for providin’ us with a safe harbor. We’ll let you get back to your guests, now.” He swept his hat toward the stairs. “After you, darlin’.”