Instead of laughing, as she’d expected, he nodded slowly. “That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to her about it next week. If she’s interested, I can—”
He stopped talking and stared over her head. “No way.”
She turned to see what had caught his attention. The Strykers had arrived. Three brothers and their wives.
“What?” she asked before all the breath left her body.
Jonny grabbed her hand and pulled her across the room. “I don’t believe it,” he said.
She couldn’t, either. Not the dragging part but the way he was holding her hand. Just as if they were... She wasn’t sure what. Friends? Lovers?
His long fingers laced with hers. His palm was warm and his touch...tingled. She didn’t know what to think, what to say. Begging him to never let go seemed out of place at this holiday gathering. And she had the oddest impression he had no idea what he was doing.
“Clay,” Jonny said, coming to a stop in front of the youngest Stryker brother. “What are you doing here?”
Clay stared for a second, then laughed. “I could ask the same thing. You in Fool’s Gold?”
“I bought a place outside of town.”
“I have a haycation business. Farm vacations.” He drew his wife close. “Honey, this is Jonny Blaze. We’ve worked together. Jonny, my wife, Charlie.”
Sadly, Jonny had to release Madeline’s hand to shake Charlie’s. Madeline had known the other woman for years and had, until that moment, liked her a lot.
Jonny grinned at her. “Clay’s a great guy. We had a lot of fun on the set.”
Clay shrugged. “That was a while ago. We were both younger.”
Madeline thought about Clay’s former profession. “When you say worked together,” she began.
Jonny chuckled. “Clay was my butt double on Amish Revenge.”
Various scenes flashed in her mind, including the one where Jonny had walked naked through the house. From the front there had been no “below the waist” shots, but from the back, there had been a single, long, slow pan from neck to feet.
“That wasn’t you?” she asked, hoping the disappointment didn’t show in her voice.
Charlie leaned against her husband. “I can attest that what you saw on the big screen was all Clay.” She looked at Jonny. “Didn’t have the goods, huh?”
Jonny’s good humor didn’t fade. “I have the goods,” he said easily.
Clay nodded. “He would have been fine on his own. What Jonny won’t say is that the first actor hired for the role had insisted on a butt double. When he dropped out and they hired Jonny, he could have canceled the contract, but he didn’t. It was a big break for me in the business.”
Madeline’s head was swirling from too much information. First, that Jonny hadn’t been the producers’ first choice for the movie that had basically made his career. Second, that even then, he’d been such a nice guy, giving Clay a job. Third, that the man had held her hand.
“Be careful,” Charlie told him. “If Eddie and Gladys get ahold of you, you’re toast.”
With that, the other couple moved away. Jonny turned to Madeline. “I met Gladys, but who’s Eddie?”
“They’re two older women who have a cable access show,” she explained. “One of their most popular segments is a contest where they show pictures of men’s butts. You have to guess who the men are and text in your answer.”
His dark green eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“You can’t make stuff like that up.”
“I guess not.” He shrugged. “I was expecting bake sales and toy drives. Not butt contests.”
“We’re a constant surprise.”
“Did you mention the toy drive?” Taryn asked as she walked by. “Do you know something? Should I worry?” She paused. “Oh, hello. You’re Jonny Blaze. Taryn Crawford. You met my husband earlier. Angel—with the bodyguard school.”
“As far as I know, everything is on track for the toy drive,” Madeline assured her.
Taryn, ever fashionable in a dark violet dress that matched her eyes, sighed. “We do a toy drive between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year I was smart enough to be on vacation. This year, I’m here and feeling the pressure.”
“What kind of toys are you looking for?” Jonny asked.
Both women stared at him.
“What kind do you have?” Taryn asked.
Madeline expected him to say something like he was happy to write a check. Instead, he hesitated.