Page 5 of Cowboy's Christmas Girlfriend

“Suzanna?” He doffed his hat at her approach, and reached for her bag. Her hand got caught in the grip and they struggled to free her, Will pulling one way, Suzanna the other. At last, she detached herself and stood breathing hard. Next to Will, she felt dumpy, a round little mushroom at the foot of an oak. She had to tilt her head to meet his eye.

“How tall are—”

“How was your—”

“Sorry. You first.” She laughed, too loud, and cringed as heads turned. Will smiled—perfect teeth—and set his hat back in place.

“Six-six bare-headed. Six-nine with the hat. And I was asking, how was your flight?”

“Tall. I mean, bumpy. I mean, nice to meet you.” She was making a mess of this. Breathe for goodness sakes. He’s just a tall, gorgeous cowboy. That’s all. She briefly imagined him on the cover of a sexy romance novel. He would do the book justice.

“Likewise,” said Will. “You got more bags, or is this all you brought?” He hefted her bulging suitcase like it was nothing. Suzanna resisted the impulse to reach up and squeeze his bicep. To give him a good pinch to make sure he was real. She tweaked her own arm instead, and Will cocked a brow.

“My truck’s parked out front,” he said. “Ready to go?”

“Ready when you are.” Suzanna trailed Will through the concourse, trotting to keep up. When she lagged behind, he slowed to match her stride. He smiled down at her, bemused, and she realized she was babbling, filling the silence with a stream of nervous chatter.

“It smells different,” she was saying. “I noticed it the moment I stepped off the plane—sort of an icebox smell, like when you open the freezer. Can you smell that? Maybe it’s just an airport smell, but I—I—”

She broke off, stunned, as the sliding doors hissed open. Blue mountains rose in the distance, their crumbling peaks wreathed in scarves of cloud. Above them, the sky stretched wide, the color of ocean spray on a clear winter morning.

“You okay?”

“The mountains. They’re…” Suzanna gaped, slack-jawed. Majestic didn’t cover it. Breathtaking came closer, but—

“Oops, watch your step.”

“Huh?” Suzanna looked down, stumbled, and tripped over a low step. She cried out, dismayed, and then Will had her, strong arms encircling her, setting her upright. He held her close as she found her feet, only a moment, but enough for her to breathe in his warm outdoor scent. Enough that she felt his pulse, the slow tide of his breathing.

“You’re shivering,” he said.

“What?” She stepped back, face flushed with embarrassment. What was he talking about? She was heated, actually, though it had nothing to do with the weather. Then the sting of the cold reached her, making her actually shiver.

“You should put on your coat.”

She looked down at herself, at her new silver puffer jacket. “This is my coat.”

Will pressed his lips together, as though stifling a laugh. “In that case, you’d better get in the truck. I’ll blast the heat and you’ll thaw in no time.”

True to his word, Will got the heat blowing as they got underway. Suzanna leaned back and basked in it like a turtle on a rock.

“It gets pretty cold out here,” said Will. “Record low’s minus seventy, so you’ll want to bundle up—hat, scarf, gloves, long johns. If you need anything, just ask. My mom’s about your size.”

“Minus seventy?” Suzanna wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “Is that even possible?”

“Up in the mountains, yeah. Down here, minus forty’s about as low as it goes.”

Suzanna shivered all over. She thought she’d packed warm—plenty of turtlenecks, thick socks, knitted hats—but she hadn’t reckoned with the reality of Montana. Cold in Miami was like fifty-five, still T-shirt weather, but with a jacket on top.

“We should talk about our relationship,” said Will. “What we’re going to say.”

Oh, right. Suzanna took a deep breath. Less than an hour from now, she’d be giving the performance of a lifetime—introducing herself to his family as Will’s girlfriend. This, too, felt more real in the cold light of day.

“We should stick to the truth,” she said. “At least, as far as we can. We met online. You helped with my book—a cowboy romance. One thing led to another, and here we are.”

“It’s still new,” Will continued, picking up where she left off. “We’re taking it slow, so, uh…” His grip tightened on the wheel. “When it comes to my daughters, maybe you’re just a friend. I don’t want to confuse them, with us being just temporary.”

“Understood.” Suzanna flashed him a quick smile. “Speaking of Beth and Ann, how are they doing? They still in trouble for feeding Lucky spinach pie?”

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