by Kristi Gold
“She’s very good at what she does. I’m sure she has clients lined up for her services.”
“Actually, she doesn’t decorate for a living. She’s a good friend of mine.”
“A really good friend?”
When he heard the mild suspicion in Hannah’s tone, he knew exactly what she was thinking. “Her name is Marlene and she’s sixty years old. I’ll introduce you in the near future.” He decided to withhold the fact the woman was the late J. D. Lassiter’s sister-in-law.
She passed the bathroom and peeked inside, then did the same with the next guest room, and pulled up short when she came to the closed door. “What’s in here?”
A room he hadn’t had the heart to touch, even if it did unearth bittersweet memories he’d just as soon forget. “It’s a kid’s bedroom that I haven’t redone yet. I figured since I have three more guest rooms, I’m not in any hurry.”
When she glanced back at him, Logan could tell she wasn’t buying it. “Are you sure it’s not your secret man-cave?”
“That’s downstairs,” he said, relieved she wasn’t as suspicious as he’d assumed.
“Mind if I take a look?” she asked.
“Knock yourself out.”
When Hannah opened the door and stepped inside, her expression said it all. The place was a little girl’s fairy tale come to life, from the four princesses painted on the walls, to the pink cushioned seat built in beneath a ceiling-high window overlooking the courtyard at the front of the house.
“Cassie would absolutely love this,” Hannah said as she looked around in awe. “That was one lucky little girl.”
At least someone’s little girl had been that lucky. “It’s not exactly my taste, but then as a kid I preferred all things rodeo and baseball.”
She turned and smiled. “Is that the décor you chose for your man-cave?”
His presumed “man-cave” would suit both genders. “You can see for yourself after we get you settled in, so keep going because we’re almost there.”
She turned and bowed. “My wish is your command, captain.”
Grinning, he headed back into the hall and strode to the door he’d intentionally kept closed just so he could enjoy her reaction when he opened it. As expected, Hannah looked completely awed when he revealed the orange-tinted skies and the Rocky Mountain backdrop in clear view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“That is unbelievable,” she said.
So was Logan’s immediate physical reaction to the breathless quality of her voice. Keeping a firm grip on his control, he set her bags on the bench at the end of the king-size bed. “I have to agree with you there. It’s better than the view from my bedroom, but you’ll see that for yourself.” When he noticed the trepidation in Hannah’s eyes, he decided to backtrack for the second time in the past five minutes. “It’s included on the tour, unless you want me to leave it off.”
She shook her head. “No. Since we’re both grown-ups, I can go into your bedroom without the fear of being grounded.”
He wouldn’t mind keeping her there for an indeterminate amount of time, a fact he’d keep to himself for now. “The bathroom’s to your left.”
She breezed through the bedroom, opened the double doors and then looked back with a smile. “Is this where you hold all your parties?”
He wouldn’t mind holding a party there for the two of them. “Nope, but I probably could fit six people in the steam shower, and at least four in the jetted bathtub.”
Hannah moved inside and ran her hand over one of the two granite-topped vanities. “I feel like I’ve died and gone to five-star-hotel heaven.”
He thought he might die if he didn’t get a little lip action real soon. “It’s yours to enjoy for the duration.”
She turned and leaned back against the vanity. “I could use a good soak in the tub.”
And he’d gladly soak with her. “If you can wait until after dinner, that would be preferable. And speaking of that, it won’t be too long before it’s ready.”
Hannah straightened and smiled. “Great, because I’m starving.”
Man, so was he—for her undivided attention. “Then let’s get going with the tour.” Before he suggested they say to hell with dinner and take advantage of that tub. He definitely didn’t want her to believe he intended to take advantage of her.
Logan showed Hannah to the upstairs den and then escorted her downstairs. He did a quick pass through the great room, pointed out his office and the game room, pausing as he arrived at the last stop before he led her to kitchen. “And this is my favorite place, the media room,” he said as he opened the heavy double doors.
Her gaze traveled over the dark gray soundproof walls as she strolled down the black-carpeted, declining aisle. She paused to run her hand along the arm of one beige leather chair before facing him again. “Media room? This is more like an honest-to-goodness movie theater. All that’s missing is a popcorn machine.”
He nodded to his left. “In the corner behind that curtain, next to the soda fountain.”
“Of course.”
Hannah sounded almost disapproving, which sent Logan into defense mode. “Hey, the whole setup was here when I bought the house, including a huge collection of movies.” Most of which he’d never watched because he didn’t like watching alone. He planned to remedy that...and soon.
After folding her arms beneath her breasts, she slowly approached him. “I’d love to check out your collection.”
“Not a problem, but right now I better check on dinner before I burn everything to a crisp and we have to call out for pizza.”
She made a sweeping gesture toward the exit. “After you.”
She followed quietly behind him as he led the way back through the great room and into the kitchen. As she’d done in the media room, Hannah took a visual trek through the area, her eyes wide with wonder. “State-of-the-art appliances, enough cabinets to store supplies for an army and a stainless island that I would sell my soul to have. Are you sure you don’t have a robot hidden away somewhere to prepare your food?”
At least she’d said it with a smile, and that relieved him. He’d never been one to seek approval, but for some reason her opinion mattered. “No robot. Just me and sometimes the maid. I learned to cook after the divorce. It was either that or starve.”
Hannah claimed the chrome-and-black bar stool across from the oven and folded her hands before her. “I hope it tastes as good as it smells.”
He rounded the island, rested his elbows on the silver counter and angled his lower body away. “The recipe’s never failed me before.” He couldn’t say the same for his self-control because he was having one hell of a fantasy involving her and that bar stool.
“What are we having?” she asked.
He personally was having a major desire to kiss her. “The mostaccioli I told you about.”
“Fantastic. I’ve never had it before, but it’s always good to try something new.”
“And it’s great to share something new with someone who’s never experienced it before.”
“I’m looking forward to a lot of new experiences while I’m here.”
As their gazes remained connected, tension as apparent as the smell of the pasta hung in the air, until Hannah broke their visual contact by leaning around him. “According to your timer, we still have five minutes.”
He straightened and glanced behind him before regarding her again. “True, and it needs to rest for another ten.” Now what to talk about during those few minutes that would keep him from taking an inadvisable risk. “How did your daughter feel about you coming here?”
Hannah frowned. “She couldn’t get me out of town fast enough. I can’t compete with best friends and their baby brothers.”
“I guess sometimes kids need a break from their parents.”
She sighed softly. “I agree, but this is the longest break from each other we’ve ever had. I am glad to know she’s in good hands, and that she’s going to have a great time in my absence dressing up like a teenage harlot.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Hannah pulled her cell phone from her pocket, hit an app and turned it around. “I took this photo this morning of my kiddo and her best friend, Michaela.”
Logan started to laugh but the urge died when he homed in on the little girl standing next to Hannah’s daughter. The resemblance might be slight, but the memories overwhelmed him. Recollections of his black-haired baby girl they’d appropriately named Grace.
He swallowed hard before handing Hannah the phone. “Gotta love their imaginations.”
“Yes, but I don’t like the fact she’s trying to grow up too fast.”
He’d give up everything he owned for the opportunity to watch his daughter grow up, but she’d been torn from his life after only four brief years. Now might be a good time to tell Hannah about her, but he wasn’t ready yet. He wasn’t sure he would ever be ready to make that revelation. “While we’re waiting on dinner, do you want a glass of wine?”
“Sure,” she said with a soft smile. “As long as you’re also partaking tonight. I’ve decided it’s best I not drink alone.”
He’d learned that lesson all too well. “I’m not much of a wine drinker, but I do like a beer now and then.”
“Whatever works for you.”
Everything about Hannah Armstrong worked for him, and he’d just have to take out that thought and analyze it later. At the moment he needed to play the good host.
Logan crossed the room to a small bar where he’d set out an expensive bottle of red and poured a glass. Then he bent down and pulled out his favorite lager from the beverage refrigerator.
He returned to his place across from Hannah and slid the wine toward her. “Let me know if this meets your standards.”
“I’m sure it will since I can only afford the cheap stuff,” she said. “And before you mention that I can afford the best if I take the millions, don’t waste your breath. I still haven’t changed my mind.”
“That’s fine by me.” And it was, to a point. “If you do refuse the inheritance, the funds will be merged into the Lassiter Foundation and given to charity.”
She looked slightly amazed. “I didn’t think J.D. would have a charitable bone in his body after the way he apparently treated my mother.”
“And you,” Logan said. “But he always has been somewhat of a philanthropist, and a good parent, which is why I’m surprised he would ignore his child.”
“Perhaps he did have his reasons, and chances are I won’t know. Maybe I don’t want to know.”
He didn’t want to spoil the evening by being bogged down by emotional chains from the past. “Let’s concentrate on the present and worry about the rest later.”
Hannah grinned and lifted her glass. “Here’s to procrastination.”
This time Logan did laugh as he touched his beer to her wine. “And to good food, new friends and more good food.”
She took a sip of her wine and set the glass down. “Just don’t feed me too well. If I put on an extra five pounds that means I’ll have to lose fifteen instead of ten.”
“You don’t need to lose weight,” he said, and he meant it. “You look great.”
She lowered her gaze for a moment. “Thank you, but I really need to get back in shape so I can comfortably do those backflips.”
That made him grin again. “I’ve got quite a few acres if you want to practice after dinner.”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea in the dark?”
No, but he could think of several things he’d like to do with her in the dark. Or the daylight. “You’re right. I have another place to show you anyway.”
She bent her elbow and supported her jaw with her palm. “Where do you plan to take me?”
Places she hadn’t been before, but he didn’t want to jump the gun, or get his hopes up...yet. “It’s my second favorite place.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t referring to your bedroom since you left it off the tour, are you?”
He’d done that intentionally in an effort not to move too fast. “Not even close.”
“Can you give me a hint?”
Without regard to the taking-it-slowly plan, he reached over and brushed a strand of silky auburn hair from her cheek. “You surprised me tonight. Now it’s time for me to surprise you.”
* * *
Hannah had to admit she was a bit surprised when Logan suggested an after-dinner walk. She was even more shocked by his skill as a chef. Never before had she sampled such great food at the hands of a culinary hobbyist, who also happened to be a man.
She imagined his skills went far beyond the kitchen, particularly when it came to the bedroom. And although she’d been curious to see his sleeping quarters, she appreciated that he hadn’t presented her with that possible temptation. Of course, she had no reason to believe he actually wanted to get her in his bed. She could hear Gina laughing at her naiveté the minute that thought vaulted into her brain.
According to Logan, the temperature had dropped quite a bit and now hovered around forty-five degrees, sending Hannah upstairs to change right after they cleaned the kitchen together. Hopefully the weather would begin to warm up in the next few days with the arrival of May. She rifled through her unpacked bag and withdrew a sweatshirt. After putting that on, she exchanged her heels for a pair of sneakers, did a quick makeup check, brushed her hair and then sprinted back down the stairs.
She found Logan waiting for her at the back door right off the mudroom adjacent to the kitchen, exactly where he’d told her to be. “I’m ready to walk off all that delicious food.”
He inclined his head and studied her. “You really thought it was that good?”
Men. Always looking to have their egos stroked, among other things. She would actually be game for both...and obviously she was turning into a bad, bad girl. “I believe I said that at least five times during dinner, when I wasn’t making the yummy noises.”
His beautiful smile lit up his intriguing brown eyes. “Just making sure.”
After Logan opened the door, Hannah stepped in front of him and exited the house. She was totally stunned, and extremely thrilled, when he rested his palm on the small of her back as he guided her toward a somewhat visible rock path illuminated by a three-quarter moon.
Unfortunately he dropped his hand as they began their walk toward a large expanse of land, but the Rocky Mountains silhouetted against the star-laden sky proved to be a great distraction. “It’s really nice outside, even if it’s a little cold.”
“Feels good to me,” he said.
She glanced at him briefly before turning her focus straight ahead to prevent tripping. “I can’t believe you’re not freezing since you’re only wearing a lightweight jacket.”
“The wind’s not nearly as bad as it usually is around here. And I’m also pretty hot-blooded.”
She had no doubt about that. He was hot, period. “What’s that building in the distance?”
“A barn.”
“Is that where you’re taking me?”
“Nope.”
She didn’t quite understand why he seemed bent on being evasive. “Are you purposefully trying to keep me in suspense?”
“Yeah, but it’ll be worth it.”
A roll in the hay in the barn would be well worth it to her, and she’d best keep her questionable opinions to herself.
They continued to walk in silence until a smooth-wire fence stopped their forward progress. “This is my second favorite place,” Logan said as he propped one boot on the bottom rail and rested his elbow on the top.
Ha
nnah moved beside him and waited for her vision to adjust to the dark before taking in the panorama. The lush pasture traveled at an incline to what appeared to be a stream lined by a few trees. Not far away, she noticed two shadowy animals with their heads bent to graze on the grass. “Are those your horses?”
“Yeah. Harry and Lucy.”
“Didn’t they star in a fifties sitcom?”
Logan’s laughter cut through the quiet. “I’m not sure about that, but they both came to me already named.”
After she turned toward him and leaned against a post, his profile drew her attention. It was utterly perfect, from forehead to chin. “How long have you had them?”
“I bought Harry when I turned eighteen. He was a year-old gelding. I broke him and trained him to be a pretty good cutting horse. He’s twenty now.”
She had no idea what a cutting horse was, but she didn’t want to show her ignorance. “What about Lucy?”
He went suddenly silent for a few seconds before speaking again. “I’ve had her about ten years, I guess. She’s a retired pleasure horse and pretty kid-proof.”
“That sounds about my speed.”
He lowered his foot and faced her. “You’ve never ridden a horse?”
She internally cringed at the thought. “Twice. The first time I was sixteen and I went on a trail ride with friends. A controlled environment is a good place to start, or so they told me. They didn’t, however, tell Flint, my ride. He decided to take off ahead of the pack and it took every ounce of my strength to get him to stop. After that, the trail master tied him to his horse to make sure he behaved.”
“But you still got on a horse again?”
“On a beach in Mexico. I rode a really sweet mare and by the end of the ride, I’d trusted her enough to actually gallop.” She closed her eyes and immersed herself in the memories. “The wind was blowing through my hair and the sun was on my face and I remember feeling the ocean spray on my feet. It was incredible.”