Badger was sorry that Ryker was upset with the new development, but it couldn’t be helped. Ryker was a straight arrow. His reaction was predictable, but when the plan went smoothly and Hayley enjoyed the holiday for a change, Ryker would have to admit it had been a good idea. Maybe even a brilliant one.

Wild Creek Ranch was exactly as he’d imagined. The buildings were set against a backdrop of pines and picturesque snow overlaid everything except the well-tracked dirt area between the house and the barns.

The low-slung ranch house looked as if some giant had been playing with Lincoln Logs. A row of colored lights twinkled along the eaves and the porch railing. An old-fashioned lamp post by the front walkway was decorated with a wreath and a big red bow.

Across the way stood what Ryker said was the original barn, which resembled something out of a kid’s book—hip roofed, painted brick red, hayloft above the massive double doors. A second barn had a sleeker profile. Both had lighted wreaths above the double doors. Nice touch.

From inside the truck, the wintery scene was charming. But he’d figured out that a landscape like this meant he’d freeze his ass off because he hadn’t taken the weather seriously.

“Oh, right,” Ryker said as he pulled in next to a row of parked vehicles. “I forgot the Whine and Cheese Club had a practice tonight.”

“The whozit?”

“My mom’s four gal pals. Deidre, Christine and Judy were in her graduating class and Aunt Jo used to be a neighbor until she moved into town this past spring.”

“Is Aunt Jo the one you were video chattin’ about with your mom that time I was there?”

“Yep.”

“She’s the honorary aunt who didn’t end up movin’ to New York?”

“Exactly.”

“See, I remembered. Aunt Jo’s daughter is Mandy and she married Zane in September. I have a mind like a steel trap.”

“I sure as hell hope so. You’re gonna have to tell your story to these ladies, and it better be the same story you tell from here on out.”

“I promise it will be, Cowboy. I’ve been rehearsin’ in my head on the way here.”

Ryker sighed. “Then I guess it’s show time.” He opened his door. “Leave your suitcase for now. We’ll bring it in later, after the introductions.”

“Sounds good. I’ll leave my duffel, too.”

“Yeah, that thing sure is packed tight. What’s in there?”

“Surprises.”

“You brought presents?”

“Of course I brought presents. It’s Christmas, isn’t it?”

“I know, but how could you possibly figure out what to get?”

“I keep tellin’ you I’m a genius.”

Ryker chuckled. “Like I said, I hope so.”

Cold air barreled in when Badger opened his door. He hurried out of the truck. The quicker he exited, the quicker he’d get inside. If Cody had followed through, there would be a coat in there waiting for him.

Ice crystals crunched under his feet as he followed Ryker over to the walkway. “What are the women practicin’ for?”

“The dance they’re doing for the talent show. I think Mom said something about Jingle Bell Rock.” Ryker mounted the porch steps. “They’ll probably wear Santa suits.”

Badger was right on his heels. “That’s not Jingle Bell Rock they’re playin’ in there.”

“No, sounds like rap.”

“It is rap. That’s Sweet Tee’s Let the Jingle Bells Rock.” He moved in time to it as he crossed the porch. Anything to stay warm.

“They must be messing around. They wouldn’t do a rap song.” Ryker used the boot scraper by the door.

“That’s ingenious.”

“What is?”

“The gizmo to clean off your shoes.” He used it, too, as he twitched to the music.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Cleanin’ off my shoes.”

“No, the jerking around part.”

“It’s hip hop. That music brings back memories.”

“You can dance that stuff?”

“Sure. Can’t you?”

“Never had the slightest desire.”

“Then you missed out, Cowboy. Can we go in now before my nuts freeze and fall off?”

“Yeah, sorry. I got distracted watching you having a spastic fit.” He opened the door and gestured for Badger to go in.

He didn’t have to be asked twice. He stepped into heaven. A fire blazed on the hearth and delicious aromas wafted from the kitchen. Directly in front of him in a space cleared of furniture, five women danced to Let the Jingle Bells Rock. They looked mighty fine doing it, too.

An attractive woman with dark hair and Ryker’s blue eyes smiled and waved as she kept moving to the beat. “Hi, Badger!”

He waved back. “Great job, y’all!”

“Thanks!” called a short, plump redhead. She was likely the instigator. She had some moves.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Ryker muttered.

“I think it’s cool. They’re good.”

“How can you tell?”

“Haven’t you ever seen hip hop?”

“It’s not real common around here.”

“What about in the service?”

“Maybe. Didn’t pay much attention to it if I did.”

“Well, you’re seein’ it now. And evidently you’ll be seein’ it again Saturday night at the talent show.”

“Looks like it.”

The song ended. The blue-eyed woman came toward him and stuck out her hand. “Whew! That’s a workout. If you haven’t guessed, I’m Kendra.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” She had a firm handshake. Not surprising since she was Ryker’s momma.

“And I’m thrilled you’re here, Badger. Let me introduce you to my friends.”

He committed the names to memory as she went around the group. The redhead was Deidre, the tall blond was Christine, the short brunette was Judy and the slender woman with short gray hair was Jo, Ryker’s honorary aunt.

“We were about to take a break and have something to eat,” Kendra said. “Are you hungry?”

“Ma’am, I was born hungry.”

She laughed. “That’s what I love to hear.”

“We’re on it, Kendra,” Deidre said. “You get Badger settled. We’ll handle dishing up the food and opening the wine.”

“Will do.” Kendra glanced at Ryker. “Or wait. Were you going to take Badger to the hospital Christmas party with you?”

“I was, but he has…other plans. I just need to get his suitcase and duffel out of the truck.”

“I’ll bring it in.” Badger started for the door.

“Wait a sec, Badger.” Kendra turned and headed for the hallway. “Cody brought you a coat. Put that on if you’re going back out.”

“I surely appreciate that he did that.”

“He said you could keep it as long as you need to,” she said over her shoulder.

“Mighty nice of him.”

She returned with a sheepskin jacket similar to Ryker’s. “This should fit.”

He put it on and sighed. “Perfect. Thank you.”

Ryker walked over and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for everything. I’ll walk Badger out and then head on over to the hospital event.”

“Sounds good, son. Badger, I’ll see you in a minute.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Buttoning his borrowed coat, Badger followed Ryker out to the truck. “They’re a great bunch.”

“They are. Known them all my life.”

“I envy you that.”

Ryker walked with him around to the passenger side. “Yeah, I’ll bet you do. How are things at home? We didn’t talk about that.”

“The same. Dad wants me to enroll in some refresher courses so I can finally take the bar exam and Mom says if I don’t do that I’m an ungrateful son who seems determined to throw away my very expensive education and the opportunities I’ve been given.”

Ryker leaned against the side of the truck. “I’m sorry. I was hoping they’d have mellowed while you were gone.”

“I was hopin’ the same. Evidently they were hopin’ I’d have come to my senses. It doesn’t leave much middle ground.”

“No.”

“The plain truth is, I’m an embarrassment to them. All their friends have model kids who’ve done what was expected.” He heaved his suitcase out of the truck. “They didn’t run away to join the Air Force like present company.”

“Then I’m glad you came here for Christmas. I just wish you hadn’t cooked up this scheme with Hayley.”

“I know you don’t like it.” He took his duffel out of the cab. “And you don’t believe it’ll be fine. But it will.” He hoisted the duffel over his shoulder and picked up his suitcase.

“I was planning that we’d take the plane up tomorrow morning, but I suppose this deal of yours could interfere with that.”

“I won’t let that happen. I want to see the plane. Hell, I want to fly the plane. I was itchin’ to take the controls of the one I was on today.”

“That’s a good sign.” Ryker’s expression grew more cheerful. “I’ll be here at nine.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“Okay. Well, are you all psyched up to go in there and spin your romantic tale?”

“Sure.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it.”

“See you in the mornin’.” As he carried his suitcase and duffel up to the porch and Ryker drove away, he rehearsed what he would say to the Whine and Cheese Club. It had to be smooth. He was on a mission. Hayley was in a fix and she needed him.

* * *

Two hours later, relying on his phone’s GPS and directions from the Whine and Cheese ladies, Badger was on the road to town and the parsonage where Hayley’s folks lived. Kendra had loaned him her truck, so he was driving with extreme care. Snowdrifts decorated the edges of the road like meringue but the pavement was dry.

Hell of a lot of darkness in the country. Here and there multicolored Christmas lights glowed from a house surrounded by black nothingness. Not much traffic, either. He’d turn on the radio if he knew which button to push.

He’d spent the past two hours joking with Kendra’s friends and dancing some hip hop with them. They’d talked about including him in their act, but he was already doing the juggling act so horning in on their segment seemed like overexposure.

Besides, he had enough going on with the Hayley situation. Near as he could tell, they’d bought his story and thought it was very romantic. They’d said Virginia was a little pushy but Warren was a sweetheart. They’d wished him well.

He’d set out as if embarking on a quest. He’d never proposed to a woman, so the concept of potential in-laws, even if they’d never become actual in-laws, was a new challenge. The fact that Hayley’s daddy was a preacher made things even more interesting.

But he could handle it. The story he and Hayley had cooked up was convincing. So why was he sweating?

Oh. He’d cranked the heat and now the cab was like an oven. He turned down the heat and cracked a window. Then closed it immediately.

The air coming in was like the freezer compartment of a refrigerator. How did people live in country this cold? How did a rancher like Kendra deal with sub-zero temperatures when she had to leave the house to feed the horses huddled in the barn? Maybe not huddled. The McGavins might heat the barn.

But Kendra had to get from the house to the barn and that couldn’t be any fun. His hat would be off to her if he had a hat.

She’d offered him a cap with earflaps but he’d gently turned her down. His borrowed sheepskin jacket looked manly. The cap did not. He wanted to make a good impression on Hayley’s parents. On Hayley, too, for that matter.

As he neared town, the houses were closer together and streetlights appeared along the way. Much better. He was used to civilization and lots of it. If he couldn’t be near a large metropolis, he wanted to be in a plane headed for one.

That said, Eagles Nest decked out for the holidays was damned cute. Garlands and bows adorned the street lamps on Main Street and all the shops had something festive in the window—wreaths, candy canes, snowflakes and lights. Drifts of snow on windowsills and along building foundations made it look like a tabletop village.

He located the street he was looking for and turned right. His destination was only a couple of blocks down and easy to spot. The church had a steeple and the parsonage had a nativity scene in the front yard.

A silver sedan parked in the driveway had to be Hayley’s rental. He had just enough room to pull in behind it without leaving the back of Kendra’s truck sticking out in the street.

The house was modest but the Christmas decorations made it look festive. Hayley had said they’d wait dessert for him. As he stepped out of the truck, he was short of breath. It wasn’t from the cold, which was milder here than out at the ranch or even at the airport. Might as well face it. He was a tad bit nervous.

He had no reason to be. This wasn’t real. All he had to do was walk in there and convince her parents he was in love with their daughter. And that was the problem.

Other than adolescent crushes, which had mostly involved unobtainable movie stars, he’d never considered himself in love. Lust had happened on a regular basis. But finding that special forever connection had been like snipe hunting in the swamp.

How did a guy act when he was in love? Other than what he’d seen in movies, which was mostly fake unless the co-stars had conducted an off-screen romance, he had no clue what his behavior should be. Especially when he was meeting her parents.

He took his time walking around to the porch steps. Maybe he was already making mistakes. A man in love would be eager to meet his girlfriend’s folks, wouldn’t he? He wouldn’t dawdle and then hesitate before pressing the doorbell.

Before he’d accomplished it, the door opened and Hayley stood there smiling at him. Her parents, tall and slender like Hayley, stood behind her. She favored her mom. Even their hair was similar. Her dad had lost most of his hair and wore glasses. They both looked excited to meet their daughter’s new guy.

In that moment, he knew exactly what to do. He reached for Hayley and drew her into his arms. “Hello, darlin’. I’ve missed you somethin’ terrible.”