The SEAL's Holiday Babies

“Exactly,” he said, pleased now that they understood each other perfectly.

“Which is why you interrupted my lunch with Sam.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t think Sam’s the man for me. Obviously.”

“Well,” Ty said, uncomfortably acknowledging that what she’d said held the ring of truth, “there are better options.”

“And who would those better options be? Because quite frankly, Sam suits me.”

“How?”

“He’s nice. He’s gentle. He says what he means. Unlike some people, who are full of baloney.”

Ty supposed she meant him. She certainly had that you’re-the-guy-full-of-baloney tone in her voice. “I take it you’re not happy I interrupted your lunch.”

“Face it, Ty, you’ve always been something of a showboat.”

“You mean I live life large.” He sneaked another glance at her shapely body, red-hot from the flaming topknot of hair to her boots. “I remember when you and I used to play with our friends all day in the fields. Ball, chase, Red Rover—if it was a game, we knew it.” He sighed. “I miss those days sometimes.” He didn’t understand how his best friend had grown up to be such a siren. Jade had him tied in knots he wasn’t sure could be undone, except maybe by some kind of spell. Or his absence. “I’ll be leaving soon,” he said, reaching for the easiest knot to untie.

“Good,” she said pleasantly.

His lips twisted of their own accord. “Guess that means no going-away party.” Or kiss, for that matter.

“I wish you the best of luck. I hope you make it through BUD/S. You’ve worked hard enough to get there.”

He turned his head at the soft, earnest note to her voice, surprised. “I believe you mean that.”

“With all my heart.” She opened the door when he stopped at the last crosshatch of road at the town’s edge. “See you around, Ty.”

“You can’t get out here.” They were a good two miles from the main drag. He didn’t want her to leave, anyway. He’d been enjoying having her in his truck, even though he sensed she had something urgent on her mind.

“I’ll be fine. Sam followed us.”

She waved, closed the door, and as she headed to the truck behind his, which was indeed Sam Barr’s vehicle, Ty’s last glimpse of Jade was her sweet fanny as she got on the running board and scooted up into the passenger seat. He blinked, stunned by how fast he’d lost her. Damn Sam for being such a resourceful fellow, Ty thought, recognizing at the same time that Sam had many fine qualities, resourcefulness notwithstanding, or Ty would never have brought him here as an outstanding, trustworthy candidate to be won by the ladies of BC.

But he didn’t have to be so darn resourceful.

* * *

“IT WAS LIKE taking candy from a baby,” Sam observed to his two friends as they perched in the bunkhouse at the Hanging H ranch. Their friend—and project—Justin Morant had married Mackenzie Hawthorne here not so many months ago, making himself the proud father of four little girls. Justin had kept the three amigos—as he called Squint, Sam and Frog—on at the Hanging H, saying he had big plans to expand the spread and operations. They would also need a lot of help when they put the Haunted H into full swing, the renaissance of Bridesmaids Creek’s beloved “haunted” house and amusement place for kiddies and families. This October, they’d be putting the haunted back in the Hanging H, and BC was buzzing with the return of one of their most profitable and renowned projects.

“Candy from a baby?” Squint said. “Even a baby has better sense than Ty.”

Frog grinned. “I figure putting you up to following Ty around was a stroke of genius. There you were, the proverbial white knight, when Jade decided she needed a ride away from temptation.”

Sam sank into the leather sectional sofa in the comfortable bunkhouse, sighing with pleasure. “They say a man doesn’t know what he’s lost until it’s gone. And the only way to capture Ty in his own snare is to make him think the bait is about to be stolen.”

They all crowed about that, lifting beer bottles to each other in victory.

“What we need is a real challenge,” Frog said.

The room went silent.

“I don’t believe there’s anything more challenging than getting Ty Spurlock to pull his head out of his butt,” Sam offered. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, let’s see.” Frog gazed at the ceiling. “The haunted house will start by the end of this month, for nine glorious months of family fun. Then BC kicks off Christmas Wonderland all over town, and Santa Claus takes over right after Thanksgiving. What do you say,” Frog said, warming to his idea, “if we give ourselves a two-week deadline to get Ty and Jade engaged?”

Squint looked at him doubtfully. “What you’re really aiming for is to get Ty off the dime before he leaves for BUD/S. That’s just not going to happen. You know as well as anyone, since you were by my side in Afghanistan, that a BUD/S candidate is encouraged to take care of any detail that might be a distraction before he gets to training. Along that topic, a candidate is also discouraged from taking on new decisions, such as a wife. I say hold your horses, there, son. BUD/S is serious stuff.”

“Then why are we doing this? Why are we trying to pull the rug out from under Ty?” Sam shook his head. “It’d be unfair to Jade if we’re all going to wave goodbye to Ty in a couple of weeks, and her heart is broken.”

“That’s why an engagement is even more important.” Frog nodded wisely. “No questions left unanswered.”

“There are too many questions,” Squint said direly. “You forget there was a murder here years ago that was never solved. Ty hasn’t forgotten that the lack of an arrest was put down to his father’s bungling of the investigation. He’s not going to pop any questions until his dad’s name is cleared. And the only way to clear it is to reopen the Haunted H, and let everyone see that the past is the past. Whatever happened then no longer matters.”

They considered that.

“I guess so,” Sam said. “We’re not being fair to Jade, then. She doesn’t want a man who’s all hung up in his head.”

“No,” Frog agreed. “She’d be better off with you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to settle down,” Sam declared. “I want to see Ty caught in his own trap!”

“Then we’ll have to work around the murder angle,” Squint said, “Frog and I’ll focus on Daisy Donovan, since it was her old man who was determined to destroy the Haunted Hanging H and brought this whole house of cards down on Ty. And you try to wrangle Ty to the altar, preferably before he ships out.”

“Great,” Sam said. “You took the easy assignment, and left me to corral the man who brought us here to find brides for ourselves.”

“Thought you just said you don’t want a bride,” Squint pointed out.

“It’s true,” Sam said, downcast. “I just came along for the ride, and to see the two of you suffer. Then you decided to make Ty suffer, and that seemed like even more fun. But it’s not so much fun anymore,” he groused.

“It’ll be worth it when we see Ty heading up the altar path,” Frog said, exhorting his friends to action. “Shake on it, fellows. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

* * *

TY WAS SO annoyed with his friends and a certain sexy redhead that when Daisy Donovan slid up under his arm in the parking lot of the sheriff’s office, all he could do was muster up an unenthusiastic, “Hi, Daze.”

She gave him a friendly enough squeeze, but where Donovans were concerned, it was like being in a boa constrictor’s grip—you knew it wasn’t going to end well unless you could get away fast.

The tempestuous brunette bombshell had no inclination to remove herself from his side. “So much man, Ty Spurlock, and somehow, all I ever feel for you is sisterly emotions.”

“That’s what they tell me. What’s on your mind?”

She laughed, hot allure practically snapping sparks his way—which meant Daisy wanted something.

“You.”