Cowboy Who Came For Christmas (Harlequin Romance) by Lenora Worth

directly across from them. “Then you know why I’m here.”
    The woman shook her head. “Not really, other than you’re a friend of Sophia’s and...well...y’all need your privacy.”
    Surprised yet again, Adan put on his poker face. “Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag.”
    The woman stepped forward and extended her hand, clearly happy to discuss his so-called love life. “I’m Maggie Burton and this is my husband, Arnie.”
    The man offered his hand, but he didn’t look all that thrilled to see Adan. “Hi. How ya doing, sir?”
    Adan grinned and shook his head, thinking the vibes with these two set off all kind of alarms in his mind. “I’m fine, I reckon. And call me Adan.”
    They laughed and both started talking at once.
    “This is where he proposed to me,” Maggie explained, one hand sweeping the distant vistas. “Such a lovely spot.”
    “So we come back here every year right before Christmas and remember how special that day was,” Arnie added. “Of course, it’s not usually whiteout conditions like this.”
    Adan glanced around. “I didn’t expect to see anyone out on a day like this. Surprised you’d want to deal with this cold and snow.”
    “We’re big hikers,” Maggie said, adjusting her wool cap for emphasis. “But today, we were cold after our morning hike so we lit a fire and just had the nicest lunch of hot chocolate and trail mix and then we did another quick hike and came back.” She pointed to her husband’s backpack. “Would you like a granola bar?”
    “No, thanks,” Adan replied, his mind whirling with all kinds of scenarios. “So you just got back from an afternoon hike?”
    “And here we are,” Arnie said on a nervous laugh, obviously hoping that explained everything. “Need to build up this fire again.”
    “Did you get out for some fresh air?” Maggie asked, her tone a bit too perky. Then she looked past him. “Where is Sophia?”
    “She stayed behind,” Adan replied, glancing past them with the solid assurance that these two were putting on a big show.
    “Oh, too bad,” Maggie replied, her hand tugging at her hair. “We all love Sophia.” She did the hat moving thing again.
    A secret code or warning to someone?
    “She’s a sweet woman,” Adan said, not bothering to mention Sophia was pretty brutal with duct tape. “I probably need to get back and check on her.”
    Then reality set in. What if these two were a distraction so Pritchard could circle back to see Sophia? But why would he do that and why in the world would she still willingly be helping a known felon when she had a Texas Ranger staying at her place?
    He’d have to hurry back to the cabin and confront her.
    The more he thought about it, the more convinced Adan became that something was up with the friendly folk of Crescent Mountain. The only explanation seemed to point to all of them trying to put on some kind of act for his sake. And these two were front and center right now.
    They’d made a big show of kissing and cuddling before they pretended to be rebuilding the fire. Then they’d been so animated their acting smacked of a complete deception.
    Or maybe he was just becoming too jaded and distrustful.
    “So have y’all seen anyone else today?”
    “Who wants to know?” Arnie quipped, slapping a hand on his fancy hiking pants.
    “I do,” Adan said, done with the comedy routine. “I’m here on official business. Looking for a man—big, bulky and mean, and wanted by the state of Texas.” His voice grew louder with each word. “Fugitive, felon, murderer who could be loose in these beautiful, romantic woods. And anyone who might be aiding and abetting him would suffer serious consequences.”
    He lifted his gaze to the trees and thought he saw a movement up on the bluff. Adan pretended to ignore that movement and then zoomed in on the now cowering but still adorably cute couple. “Know anyone like that?”
    “We don’t,” Maggie said, her voice rising, both of her hands