She didn’t want that image haunting her during what would be a very long night.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tailspin. Aaron texted the word to Badger, not knowing whether he’d be looking at his phone. The guy was on the brink of a wedding extravaganza he’d anticipated for more than eighteen months. He had better things to do than keep track of Aaron’s drama.

  Despite that, Badger texted back within two minutes. Be right there.

  Aaron quickly replied that driving over wasn’t necessary. Badger didn’t respond.

  Five minutes later his red truck appeared in front of the house. Aaron walked out to greet him. “You didn’t have to do this.”

  “I think I did.” He held up a six-pack. “I purely hate to see a man drinkin’ alone.”

  “Maybe I’d decide not to drink.”

  “That’s as likely as a Southerner givin’ up his deep-fat fryer.” He gestured with the six-pack. “Proceed. These are gettin’ warm.”

  Aaron turned and started back into the house. “Shouldn’t you be with Hayley?”

  “I’ll be with Hayley for the rest of my life.” Badger followed him up the steps. “I explained that you had a crisis goin’ on, and she practically pushed me out the door. She likes you, for some reason or other.”

  “She might not after she hears about this fiasco. Did you tell her?”

  “Not yet.”

  “She might not care for either of us after she finds out what we’ve been up to. If Caitlin is anything to go by, our actions aren’t going to play well with the women of Eagles Nest. Probably won’t go over well with the guys, either.” He walked into the living room.

  Badger came in, closed the door and handed him the beer. “Stick these in the fridge and rustle up whatever munchies you got. I’m buildin’ us a fire.”

  “Don’t be shy. Make yourself right at home.”

  “I’m takin’ charge because you’re in shock. You may not realize it, but—”

  “Caitlin’s in shock, too.”

  “Would you prefer I take this beer over to her place?”

  “I don’t think you’d be welcome.”

  “Exactly. I’m givin’ aid and comfort where I can.”

  “Do you think she’ll call anybody? I hate to think of her sitting in her place dealing with this by herself.”

  Badger gazed at him and sighed. “What you’re sayin’ is that I need to call Hayley and tell her the deets. I’d prefer not explainin’ it over the phone, but—”

  “I never mentioned Hayley. Why would you call her?”

  Badger shook his head. “You have so much to learn. I’m callin’ her so she can go over and check on Caitlin while I’m proppin’ you up. A team effort.”

  “Oh.”

  “Considerin’ the poor timin’, it’ll be yet another test of my relationship with my bride-to-be. This is the kind of news best delivered in person.”

  “Then don’t call her.”

  “And leave Caitlin sitting alone in her apartment?”

  “Maybe she’ll call someone.”

  “Think about it. We’re on the eve of a big weekend involvin’ most of the community. Is she really goin’ to contact somebody about her personal issues tonight, of all nights?”

  “Good point.”

  “I’ll take one of those beers before you put them away. To grease the wheels before I call Hayley.”

  He handed over one of the bottles. “We never should have started this.”

  “That’s cryin’ over spilled milk, good buddy.” He twisted the top off and took a swig of the beer. “We’ve spilled that milk.” He handed Aaron the cap. “Now we have to clean it up.”

  “I’m not sure we can. She went nuclear on me.”

  “Which means we have us a challenge.” He grinned. “And I do love me a challenge.”

  “Badger! This isn’t a game.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. It’s the best kind of game. Nobody needs to go trudgin’ home empty-handed. You can both win. All you have to do is stay loose and have fun.”

  “For your information, I’m not having fun and neither is she.”

  “That’s a cryin’ shame, because your Raven gig was hysterical.”

  “Tell that to her.”

  “I will if I get the chance. You goin’ to put that beer away? It’s best to keep it at a constant temperature.”

  “You sound concerned.”

  “I am.”

  “Isn’t that a contradiction? What about staying loose?”

  “It’s simple. Play at life.” He smiled and lifted the bottle. “But take your beer seriously.”

  Aaron gazed at him and shook his head. “I can’t decide if you’re a genius or a crackpot.”

  “Not a lot of difference between the two. Now get out of here. I need privacy for makin’ this delicate phone call to my darlin’.”

  “Give me a holler when you’re done.” He headed into the kitchen with the beer. The situation was still dire, but not as horrific as it had been before Badger arrived.

  After grabbing a beer for himself, he refrigerated the rest. He tucked the carton next to the one he’d bought today in anticipation of exactly this kind of fustercluck. Too bad his hunch had been right on.

  Twisting off the cap, he took a long swallow from the bottle that likely would be the first of several. Then he leaned against the counter and gazed at the label. McGavin’s Pale Ale. All the rage. A natural to serve Caitlin. And now, every time he drank the stuff…

  To hell with it. He chugged it and took another bottle from the fridge. Badger’s soft murmur drifted in from the living room. Given the timing, expecting Hayley to abandon her evening plans to go see Caitlin was a big ask.

  The murmurs ceased and Badger appeared in the kitchen, phone in hand. “God, I love that woman.”

  “She’ll do it?”

  “She’s goin’ to text her first, and if Caitlin doesn’t want her to come over, she’ll respect that. But if she says okay, then—” He paused as his phone pinged. “Good deal. Caitlin gave her the green light.”

  Aaron exhaled. “I owe Hayley big time.”

  “Oh, she’ll be collectin’ from both of us for this deal. She knew I was up to somethin’, but she thought it was tied in with the bagpipes.”

  “A man of many secrets.”

  “Fortunately, she cherishes that little quirk. And she even gets why we did this.”

  “She’s not upset?”

  “Can’t very well be upset considerin’ we ran a fake fiancée con on her mom year before last. Hayley’s the perfect person to talk with Caitlin tonight.” He glanced at the empty beer bottle on the counter. “I see one dead soldier but no sign of munchies.”

  “Right. Munchies.” He pushed away from the counter. “I’ll—”

  “Let me do it. Just keep on drinkin’.” He got out a couple of bowls and pulled bags of chips and pretzels out of the cupboard. “I spotted a sweet deal on a Cirrus Vision SF50 today.”

  “A jet?”

  “Yeah, baby.” He dumped chips in one bowl and pretzels in the other. “Tell me you wouldn’t love havin’ a jet in the lineup.”

  “Hell, yes. Can we afford it?”

  “Luke says we can and we need the deduction. I love havin’ a brother-in-law—well, as of Saturday he’ll be official—who encourages us to expand. Have you looked at the books lately?”

  “Nope.”

  “Badger Air is makin’ money hand-over-fist.” He picked up the bowls. “If you’ll grab my beer—”

  “Got it.” He followed Badger into the living room.

  “Luke’s advised us to raise all our salaries.” He set the bowls on the table and sat in the chair Aaron had taken each night. “We can afford to do that and get us a jet.”

  “Nice.” He settled down in Caitlin’s chair. Could he still smell her perfume? Nah. Overactive imagination.

  “You could take Caitlin up in it.”

  “Oh, sure.” He grabbed some chips. “She’d rather hang out with a geriatric platypus with an overbite than spend time with me.”

  Badger cracked up. “She said that?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Gotta love a woman who comes up with a creative line under pressure.”

  “Made me laugh. Which she did not appreciate.”

  “It’s a good sign that she’s ticked. It means she’s emotionally involved. You got your foot in the door, like we hoped.”

  “She slammed it shut, too. Hurts like a sonofabitch.”

  “But you got to kiss her. I surely didn’t anticipate that happenin’ when we set this up.”

  “Me, either. But things just…escalated.”

  “You didn’t say what went on last night.”

  “Don’t plan to, either.”

  “Oh, hey, that sounds promisin’. Kissin’, followed by more than kissin’. You’re in a way stronger position than I figured on.”

  “Doesn’t feel like it. You didn’t see how mad she was. She mentioned boiling my privates in hot oil.”

  “At least she’s thinkin’ about your privates.”

  “Nice try.”

  “Work with me, here. She deployed the words hot and oil in that sentence. On the surface, it sounds threatenin’, but underneath there’s a whole other message goin’ on.”

  “Like what?”

  “She wants you bad.”

  Aaron laughed. “Sure she does. Let’s go with that.” He gulped more beer. “What are the specs on this jet we’re buying?”

  “Before we get into jet talk, I need to say somethin’.”

  “Go for it.” He was developing a nice buzz.

  “You could be blamin’ me for talkin’ you into this. But you’re not.”

  He gazed into the fire and sipped his beer. “Truth is, I’m grateful.”

  “Grateful that it blew up in your face?”

  “I’ll admit tonight was hell. But those other three nights were heaven. It’s highly likely she’ll refuse to have anything more to do with me, but at least I had that much.”

  “That’s sportin’ of you, but I still think you have a—”

  “I’m not counting on anything, Badger. And I’m done whining about the way it turned out. I’d do it all again, even knowing how it would end.”

  “Wow. You’re in deep, good buddy.”

  “I am, and you know what? That’s okay. I was right about her. Without you and your wacky plan, I always would have wondered.” He lifted his beer in his friend’s direction. “Thanks.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Caitlin was furious with Badger, but she wasn’t about to let that anger ruin her budding friendship with Hayley, who’d had nothing to do with the episode. Shooting the couple’s engagement pictures earlier in the year had been a blast and she’d invited Hayley to have lunch with her whenever they could work it out.

  That had gone so well that they’d continued to meet for lunch or coffee whenever their busy schedules permitted. Because Hayley’s dad was a minister and Caitlin’s had been career military, they shared a history of being uprooted as children.

  Eagles Nest had become the hometown Caitlin had always wished for and she wanted to create lasting friendships here. Hayley was a good start.

  The front window gave her a view of the street so she could watch for visitors. When Hayley’s compact sedan pulled up in front of the building, Caitlin hurried downstairs to open the front door. Hayley commuted to Bozeman five days a week and was one of the few people in town besides Caitlin who didn’t drive a truck.

  She came in and gathered Caitlin into a tight hug. “Men. Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.” Caitlin stepped back with a shaky smile. “Come on upstairs. I have wine and chocolate.”

  “My favorites.” She followed Caitlin up the stairs and accepted a glass of red wine before settling in one of the barrel chairs grouped around a coffee table.

  Caitlin took the lid off a large box of dark chocolate truffles and set the box on the table. “I must be psychic. I bought this last week and never opened it.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t start in on it the minute you got home.”

  “I was so upset I didn’t think of it. I was too busy punching pillows.” She settled in a chair facing Hayley. “I so appreciate that you came over, considering all the other things you could be doing tonight.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’d be obsessing over last-minute details just like my mother is right now. I texted her I’d be out of pocket for the next couple of hours so we won’t be interrupted.”

  “What if something critical comes up?”

  “It won’t. She won’t allow it.” She leaned forward. “You really didn’t guess it was Aaron?”

  “Nope. I’ve asked myself a thousand times how I could have been fooled. In my defense, I haven’t spent much time with the guy. I could tell he liked me and since I’d never date him, staying away seemed kinder.”

  “Okay, you didn’t know him well.” Hayley finished a piece of chocolate and picked up her wine glass. “But their gonzo story about a vet named Raven slipping into town unannounced and moving into Aaron’s house…didn’t that seem odd?”

  “You need to read the letter he wrote.” She walked over to a small desk in the corner and picked it up. “I almost ripped it to shreds when I came home, but I’m glad I didn’t, because it’s a valuable piece of evidence. And a masterpiece.” She handed it to Hayley.

  She read quickly. “Damn, it is good. I recognize Badger’s wording in some of it, but the handwriting is Aaron’s. It’s neater than usual. I wonder how many tries it took to produce this.”

  “I hope they both sweated bullets over it.”

  “I’ll bet they did. This must have been why Badger went over to Aaron’s on Sunday night. He said something about making sure Aaron was okay because he’d overindulged at Saturday’s bachelor bash.”

  “Is Aaron a big drinker?”

  “Nah. I’m sure Badger exaggerated so he’d have an excuse to help him craft this letter. I see why you fell for it. He even drew a raven at the bottom.”

  “Yep. I thought that was adorable.” She rolled her eyes.

  “You’ve never heard Ryker or Badger call him Raven?”

  “Not that I remember. Like I said, I tried to maintain some distance. You know when a guy looks at you a certain way, you can tell he wants to ask you out?”

  “Sure. And Aaron’s pretty transparent.” She took a deep breath. “At least he used to be. He must have put on the performance of his life.”

  “Maybe that’s another reason I didn’t guess. He doesn’t seem like the type to do something like this.”

  “He’s not. I guess he was desperate and Badger…well, being Badger…”

  “Did you know Aaron had a crush on me?”

  “Suspected it. Then Badger confirmed it. Aaron told him you were the only woman in Eagles Nest he had any interest in dating.”

  “That’s ridiculous. There are lots of wonderful women in this town.”

  “But only one Caitlin Dempsey. Badger said he wouldn’t shut up about you. Raved about your creativity, your dedication, your sense of humor. He also thinks you’re hot.”

  An unwelcome warmth invaded her core. She ignored it and took a swallow of wine. “I suppose I should be flattered.”

  “I’m not making excuses for him. For either of them. What they did was wrong.”

  “Damn right it was. You should have seen the setup. Two easy chairs pulled up to a cozy fire, a couple of bottles of McGavin’s Pale Ale, dim lights because supposedly he couldn’t tolerate normal brightness. They thought of everything.”

  “Badger told me about the cap and the scruff. But even so, it seems amazing that you weren’t able to recognize—”

  “I didn’t because I desperately wanted to believe Raven’s touching story. You read the letter. I bought the premise. Hook, line and sinker.”

  “And you liked Raven?”

  “Yes.” Hard to admit.

  “Were you attracted to him?”

  Even harder to admit. “Yes, damn it, I was!” She hid her warm face in her hands and took a deep breath. “I thought he was sexy and mysterious.” She met Hayley’s compassionate gaze.

  “That’s what they wanted you to think.”

  “And boy, did I fall right in with the plan. No last name? No problem. After all, having only one name is cool, right? I turned him into effing Zorro.”

  She chuckled. “Oh, Caitlin.”

  “I cringe to think of how I played right into his hands.” Literally. “I came up with explanations for the screwy stuff. When he fed me the BS that Aaron had three night flights in a row, which is why he was never there, I praised Aaron for selflessly volunteering so Ryker and Badger could spend their evenings at home with their sweethearts.”

  “Man, you really did want to believe.”

  “My dad and brother served with distinction. I’m such a sucker for the story of a wounded hero who’s sacrificed years in service to his country.”

  “Which, to be fair, is true.”

  “Tonight he said it was, but he also admitted they exaggerated some things.”

  “Not that part. Aaron broke his leg when the plane he and Ryker were flying was shot down behind enemy lines. The bones took forever to heal. Several operations in a German hospital. Lots of PT.”

  She shivered. “They were captured?”

  “Rescued in the nick of time. You could ask Ryker about it. On second thought, ask Kendra. Ryker doesn’t like to talk about it.”

  “Kendra must not like to talk about it either. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with her since I moved here and she’s never—”

  “Yeah, you’re right. It’s not a favorite topic in that family. I wouldn’t know if Badger hadn’t filled me in on the details. Ryker never planned to tell Kendra about the crash.”

  “Really?”

  “He lived, so he didn’t see the point in giving her the grisly details. She only found out when Aaron’s mom wrote her a letter praising Ryker for saving her beloved son’s life.”

  Her stomach hollowed out. She was ready to kill him, but if he’d died… “So Aaron really does have a mom in Ohio?”