The Christmas Backup Plan (Twilight, Texas #11) - Lori Wilde Page 0,1

father, Armand, was Mescalero Apache, and she’d inherited his straight black hair and high cheekbones, while also inheriting a pale creamy complexion from her Irish mother, Bridget.

She was an interesting contrast of dark and light.

Remington had known her his entire life, although he hadn’t seen her much in the twelve years he’d been in the Army, most of those spent as a paratrooper. On the few occasions she’d been home when he’d returned on leave, they’d made a point never to be in the same room alone together. They’d always rubbed each other the wrong way, and they literally had nothing in common.

Aria was impulsive, rebellious, quirky, and something of a busybody. Everything Remington was not. They’d grown up together on the Silver Feather in an arid, isolated stretch of Trans-Pecos nestled in the shadow of the Davis Mountains. Her family had worked for the Lockharts. Her father had been the ranch foreman until he’d retired, and his son Archer took over. Her mother had been their housekeeper.

In those terrible times, after his mother, Lucy, died when Remington was ten, Bridget acted as a surrogate mother to him and his three brothers, Ridge, Ranger, and Rhett.

At the moment, Remington was living on the Silver Feather because his paternal grandfather, Cyril, had left the four oldest Lockhart grandsons—this was before Dad had Rory and Reed with Vivi—two-acre parcels of land on each quadrant of the hundred-thousand-acre spread.

Nice of him, but as with everything involving his father’s family, there was a catch. None of the four brothers could sell their places without approval from the entire family. And Remington’s father would never grant his permission.

So, knowing he had few options with the land, he had a house built on his property while living in a fifth wheel trailer. His contractors had just finished building the house, giving him something to occupy his mind while he recovered from his injuries and adjusted to civilian life. But things still felt alien. He’d been away for twelve years. Living in a third world country had shown him a whole other way of being. And he wasn’t really sure who he was anymore, now that he was no longer an Army Ranger.

Besides, Aria reminded him too much of who he used to be. The wild kid he’d worked so hard to shed.

Yes, he and Aria found themselves forever tied, and not just because of their pasts, but also since his three brothers had all married her three sisters. He might as well get used to having her around. It was a weird family dynamic, especially when everyone seemed to expect him and Aria to get together too, just because the others had all gotten together.

Yeah, over his dead body. The woman was sexy, but she was a bona fide flake. She acted first and thought . . . Well, Aria didn’t think, did she? Neither before, during, or after jumping in with both feet.

“Why can’t she drive herself?” Remington asked, feeling a bit petulant. He wasn’t proud of it, but neither was he ashamed.

Aria drilled down on her glare.

“One,” Vivi said, “it’s a long drive in the winter with a potential ice storm brewing. Two, she’s got a lot of stuff to haul, and three, she needs help to set things up once she gets there—”

“It’s okay, Vivi, you don’t have to make excuses for me,” Aria interrupted.

“Excuses?” Remington lifted an eyebrow. What had the harum-scarum woman done now?

“My doctor says I can’t drive, okay?” Aria folded her arms over her chest and jutted out her cute little chin. “If it wasn’t for that, you can bet your sweet booty I’d drive myself.”

“You think my booty is sweet?” he drawled, intentionally provoking her.

Aria made vomiting noises.

“Stop it, you two.” Vivi sounded exasperated. “This wedding is important.” She turned to Remington. “Besides being one of Aria’s best friends, the bride, Olivia Schebly, is the daughter of Twilight’s mayor. If we do a good job, we’ll have an ‘in’ with Texas politicians.”

“A lot’s on the line then,” Remington said.

Vivi nodded and turned back to Aria. “So, follow the checklist. Got it?”

“I’ve got it right here.” Aria tapped her temple with an index finger. “Olivia is my bestie. I won’t disappoint either of you.”

“Write it down, please.” Vivi’s expression brooked no argument.

“I don’t need—”

Vivi interrupted her. “Write it down. I know you have a good memory, but considering recent events, write it down.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Aria rolled her eyes.

Without missing a beat, Vivi reached down and took a piece of