Badger loved nothing better than a good adventure. Pretending to be Hayley Bennett’s special guy for the holidays was shaping up to be an excellent one. Even the logistics were falling into place nicely. She was renting a car for the drive from Bozeman to Eagles Nest so he wouldn’t need to deal with her parents until later.

But Ryker would be in baggage claim waiting for him. He and Hayley hadn’t completely agreed on how to handle that.

She brought it up again as she walked beside him down the jet bridge to the Bozeman terminal. “I still think you should tell your friend the same story I’m telling my folks. What if he lets something slip?”

“If you knew Ryker, you wouldn’t be thinkin’ that way, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Ryker doesn’t let things slip.”

“But wouldn’t it be better not to take the chance?”

“No, ma’am. Ryker and I’ve shared some intense experiences. Because of that we can’t bullshit each other. He’d see right through me if I tried, so I might as well give it to him straight. I’ve trusted my life to Cowboy many times. I can trust him with this.”

“Cowboy?”

“That was his nickname just like mine was Badger. When you see him, you’ll know why.”

“But you said he runs a commuter airline.”

“Because he loves to fly, just like me. But he grew up on a ranch. Ridin’ and ropin’ are in his blood. I’ve seen pictures to prove that fact. I guarantee he’ll show up lookin’ like he rode in on a horse.” He walked with her into the terminal and paused. “Nice airport. I like the beamed ceilings.”

“Bozeman does a great job of welcoming travelers to Montana.”

“I can surely see that.” He glanced out a window. “Lots of snow on those mountains.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Which way to baggage claim?”

“Follow me.” She set a brisk pace, her shoulder-length hair swinging with each step.

He was more of an ambler, but he lengthened his stride to keep up with her. “I’ve never seen so many people wearin’ parkas and boots.”

“I meant to ask if you brought a heavier jacket than what you have on.”

“No, ma’am. I’m a Southern boy. It rarely snows in Atlanta, but when it does, the city shuts down. We have no idea what to do with that white stuff. Or how to dress for it.”

“Weren’t you ever stationed somewhere cold?”

“I was not, which was a blessin’. Flyin’ at high altitude was the only time I had to endure the cold. Not sure how I would have handled it if I had been subjected to it on the ground, too.”

“You’ve never gone skiing?”

“I’ve been on water skis ever since I could walk. Never had the urge to strap on snow skis.”

“But didn’t you say Ryker wants you to move to Eagles Nest and become a full partner in the business?”

“Yes, ma’am. I didn’t say I was committed to doin’ it. I’ve warned him I’m not a fan of ice and snow, but he maintains I’ll get used to it.”

“Between now and New Year’s?”

“Not likely, is it? But I promised ol’ Cowboy I’d show up and test the situation, so here I am.”

“Well, let me give you a tip. Get yourself a warmer jacket and a hat. Or a jacket with a hood.”

“I’ll take the hat option. Don’t see myself wearing a hoodie.”

“Eagles Nest has a great Western wear store.”

“Then I’ll keep that in mind as an option.” He rode behind her down the escalator to baggage claim. “Look for a tall guy built like a tank and wearing a Stetson.”

She laughed. “There will be a whole bunch of guys in baggage claim who fit that description.”

“Could be, but there’s only one Ryker McGavin. He stands out.”

She stepped off the escalator and glanced around. “Is that him wearing the black hat?”

“Sure is. Come on over and meet a great pilot and an even better friend.” Happiness poured through him at the sight of Ryker striding in his direction with a big ol’ grin on his face. He wasn’t a brother by blood, but he might as well be. They’d made a connection from day one.

He was so glad to see the guy that he got a little choked up when they embraced. Then he turned and introduced Hayley. “We met on the plane. You probably know her folks.”

“I do. Virginia and Warren Bennett. I see the family resemblance.” Ryker shook her hand. “I’m not much of a church-goer, but other people have told me your dad makes it a fun experience.”

“He does. His high school counselor told him he should either be a minister or a standup comic. He decided to be both.”

“That explains his act in the Christmas talent show.”

She blinked. “What talent show?”

“It’s a new thing. It’ll be Saturday night at the Guzzling Grizzly. The proceeds go to local families who need a boost during the holidays.” He glanced at Badger. “I signed us up for a juggling act.”

“Oh, did you, now?”

“I took a chance you kept it up after I left.”

“I did until I came back. I haven’t practiced much the past couple of months.”

“You’ll be fine. I’ve taught my little brother Cody our routine because we need three people to make it look right. You okay with that?”

“Sure.”

Hayley tugged on Ryker’s sleeve. “Did you say my dad’s doing an act in this talent show?”

Ryker smiled at her. “He sure is. He calls it Holy Hilarity, Godman. He showed me his superhero costume, complete with a cape. I guarantee plenty of people in town will come just for his performance.”

“Count me as one of them. I’ve never seen my dad in Spandex.”

“I doubt his parishioners have, either.” When a beep sounded in the baggage area, he glanced past her. “Looks like the bags have showed up. Need me to snag yours?”

“Thanks, but I’ll get it.” She headed toward the carousel’s conveyor belt.

Ryker glanced at Badger. “Does she need a ride to town? I only brought my truck but maybe we can make it work.”

“She’s rentin’ a car. When she visits her folks, she likes havin’ her own transportation.”

“Okay, that’s good. I was going to have to put her on your lap.” He gave Badger a knowing look. “Although you might not have minded that so much.”

“I’ll explain about that once we get on the road.”

“Please do. I can tell something’s going on.”

Hayley came over pulling a large wheeled suitcase and turned to Badger. “I’ll text you when I’ve figured out the best time for you to show up.”

“Okay. Drive safe.”

“Sure thing. By the way, will you have transportation?”

“I’ll figure it out.” Ryker was in his peripheral vision, frowning.

“Let me know if there’s a problem. See you soon.” She glanced over at Ryker. “Great meeting you.”

His frown disappeared and he smiled. “Same here, Hayley. You take care, now.”

“Thanks.” She made her way toward the car rental area.

Ryker pushed back his hat and stared at Badger. “What the hell?”

“It’s a long story.” He looked over at the carousel. “There’s my bag. We’ll talk on the way to the ranch.”

“We damn sure will.” He followed Badger over to the conveyor belt and waited for him to pull off his black suitcase. “You got a warmer jacket in there?”

“Nope. The sun’s shinin’. I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.” He led the way through a pair of sliding glass doors.

Badger stepped outside and gasped. “Shit, Cowboy! It’s freezin’ out here!”

Ryker laughed. “Ah, but the sun’s shining.” He started toward the parking lot.

“What’s the temperature?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“The wind doesn’t help.” He zipped his jacket. Didn’t do much good. “Hayley warned me I’d be cold. Guess I need a sheepskin deal like you’re wearin’, huh?”

“Might be a good idea. Seeing as how you’re going calling tonight. In fact, that sunshine you’re counting on will be gone before too long. Days are shorter up here.”

“I suppose they would be. Hayley said there’s a Western wear store in Eagles Nest. Maybe we need to stop there, pick up a jacket.”

Ryker glanced at his loafers and cotton pants. “Are the rest of your clothes like what you have on?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Then you need more than a jacket, flyboy. I’d suggest boots, jeans, a hat, maybe a flannel shirt or two, gloves, and—”

“Okay, I get the picture. We talkin’ a major shopping trip.”

“’fraid so. You up for that?”

“Not right now. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll tough it out until then.”

“If I’d known I would’ve brought you something of mine. We could detour by my house and grab something.”

“Hey, that’s too much trouble. I’ll manage.”

“Nah, you need something.” He pulled out his phone and punched a button. “Hey, Cody. Yeah, just picked him up at the airport. Listen, he needs a warm jacket. You got one you could take over to Mom’s? Great. Appreciate it.”

“Thanks, Cowboy.” Badger did his best to keep his teeth from chattering. Damn. He could see his breath.

“No problem.” Ryker tucked his phone away. “Don’t want you to go hypothermic on me.”

“Could I?”

He laughed. “Probably not unless you stayed outside for a prolonged period.”

“Like t-ten minutes?”

“Maybe in your case.” Ryker glanced at him. “Evidently you weren’t kidding about being a pansy-ass Southern boy.”

“Nope.”

“No worries. I’ll have you toughened up in no time.”

“How?”

“Well, first thing in the morning, we’ll go skinny dipping in the old water hole out at the ranch. We might have to chip away some ice, but—”

“You’d better be kiddin’ or I’m headin’ back to the terminal.”

“Ah, I’m kidding.”

“I knew that.”

“Never fear.” He punched him on the shoulder. “We’ll cowboy you up tomorrow and you’ll be fine.”

“G-good.”

“Just so you know, April was ready to buy a hide-a-bed so you could stay with us, but—”

“That would have been c-crazy.”

“That’s what I told her. You’ll be better off at the ranch. You’ll get your own room and a decent bed.” He stopped beside a badass black truck. “This is it.”

“Nice r-ride.”

“Thanks. Just wedge your suitcase in there beside the lumber. It should fit fine.”

Badger lifted his suitcase and shoved it into a vacant space in the back. Then he climbed into the cab and shut the door. The interior of the truck wasn’t a whole lot warmer, but at least he was out of the wind.

Ryker climbed behind the wheel, started the engine and switched on the heater.

Okay. The vent was producing warm air. He could talk without shivering. “Whatcha buildin’ with that lumber?”

“My brother Trevor and I are building April a henhouse.”

“Yeah?” Henhouses. Lord-a-Mighty. He was in the boonies, for sure.

“I promised her one for Christmas. Her mom has chickens, my mom has chickens, and April has decided she wants chickens, too. She got permission from our landlord to put them in the backyard.”

“Do you want chickens?”

“Sure, why not? The ones she gets will lay colored eggs. They’re called Easter Eggers.”

“Aren’t all chicken eggs white?”

“No.”

“That’s the only color I’ve seen.”

“Stick with me, city boy, and you’ll learn all kinds of useful info.” He pulled up next to a booth, paid the parking fee and headed out of the lot. “But enough about that. What’s the story with Hayley Bennett?”

“Turns out she has the matchmakin’ momma from hell and she was facin’ another Christmas of dealin’ with whatever guys her momma dragged over there. I suggested posin’ as her boyfriend and she went for it.”

“No, you didn’t. You’re making this up.”

“It’s for real. The poor woman was dreadin’ her vacation and now she’s not. But I’ll have to ask you to keep this to yourself.”

“Are you seriously going to interfere in the Bennett family dynamics?”

“They’re ridiculous dynamics.”

“Which is none of your damned business.”

“I’m making it my business. You should have seen her expression when she was tellin’ me about it. She’s at the end of her rope and for all I know this could be the Christmas she goes ballistic. I—”

“I can’t believe this. No, wait, I can. It’s so typical of you, leaping into a situation without considering how—”

“It’ll be fine. The story’s foolproof. We’ve worked it all out and it makes perfect sense. I’ll go over there tonight and introduce myself.”

“See there? Already a conflict. I was going to ask if you wanted to go with me and April to her hospital Christmas party.”

“And I would have loved to, except this came up. Once I present myself at her folks’ house tonight, her momma will back off. Problem solved.”

“Problem solved? Your problems will just be beginning, bozo!”

“How do you figure?”

“You’ll be setting yourselves up as a couple. At Christmas, in fact, which complicates the picture even more. Couples do Christmas things together. You and Hayley will be juggling holiday obligations from her family and my family, all the while trying to keep your damned story straight. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“You always think that. What about the time in Afghanistan?”

“You mean when you almost got yourself killed?”

“But I didn’t! I saved the day!”

“Only because you’re a damned lucky SOB. Logically you should have been shot down. You shouldn’t be alive.”

“You can’t always go by logic. Sometimes you have to go with your gut. Don’t worry. Hayley and I can pull it off.”

“And what if you don’t? What if one of you screws it up and the whole house of cards comes crashing down?”

“We won’t screw it up.”

“But what if you do? You’ll look bad and she’ll look bad. This isn’t Atlanta. You’ll feed the gossip mill for weeks to come. You’ll embarrass her folks. I don’t know Virginia very well but Warren’s great.”

Badger got it, now. “You’re afraid I’ll embarrass you.”

He sighed. “Yeah, that, too, I suppose. Listen, you’re making a huge mistake. How about texting her right now and calling it off? She’s not there yet. If she sees the text before she gets home, then—”

“I’m not callin’ it off, Cowboy. I offered to do this for her and I’m committed.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Believe me, it’ll all work out for the best.”

“I doubt it, but since you’ll be telling this big wooly to my mom and the rest of my family, you’d better lay it out for me before we get there.”

“Be happy to. Once you realize how foolproof it is, you’ll be able to relax.”

“Don’t count on it.”

* * *

Hayley rehearsed her speech all the way to her parents’ house. Good thing Luke wouldn’t be arriving for a couple of days. That would give her a chance to get more familiar with the story before she had to sell it to her brother. He’d be tougher to fool. Maybe she’d end up confiding in him, after all, but she’d decide that later.

She pulled into the driveway at dusk just as the multicolored Christmas lights strung along the edge of the front porch roof winked on. Two spotlights illuminated the hand-crafted nativity scene nestled in the snow-covered front yard. The Bennett house usually had the prettiest holiday decorations on the block, a labor of love shared by her mom and dad.

They’d wound the posts and railings with pine garlands and positioned a lighted tree on either side of the front door. A giant wreath hung there and battery operated candles glowed in every window. She loved it all, always had. That was why her mother’s obsession with finding her a husband was such a pain in the butt. It spoiled Christmas.

But when her mom came running out to greet her, the red parka she’d pulled on unzipped in her haste to get to the car and wrap her arms around her only daughter, Hayley almost lost her nerve. Maybe she should text Badger and tell him to forget the plan. She’d suffer through another season. Drink another bottle of wine when it was over.

Her mom gave her a tight hug and stepped back, her face alight. “I have the best news. Anna’s son is coming home for the holidays. He’s an art dealer and he’s doing very well. Just called it quits with his girlfriend. We’re meeting them for lunch at the Guzzling Grizzly tomorrow. Isn’t that fabulous?”

Hayley took a deep breath. Game on. “Mom, I have some exciting news, too. I’ve met someone.”

Her mother’s jaw dropped. “Met someone? Do you mean met someone in the sense that you two are—”

“Practically engaged? Yes. Yes, we are.”

“Oh, heavens! I’m flabbergasted! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It happened so fast and I wanted to break the news in person.”

“Of course you did.” Her mother grabbed both of her hands and squeezed. Her eyes were moist. “Come inside. We need to tell your father. This is huge, Hayley. Huge.”

“I should get my—”

“Later. First we need to inform your father that his baby girl has finally found the love of her life.”