by Kristi Gold
“I don’t need a walk.”
“You’ll want to take this one whether you need it or not.”
She tapped her chin and pretended to think. “Let me guess. You’ve arranged for an intimate dinner to be catered at a roadside park.”
“Not hardly.”
“A picnic beneath the halogen light set to the sights and sounds of eighteen-wheelers, complete with the smell of diesel fuel?”
He braced a hand on the top of the door. “You can sit there and crack jokes, or you can come and see your surprise.”
She saluted like a practiced soldier. “Whatever you say, Your Excellency.”
Hannah exited the car with Logan’s assistance and followed behind him, completely confused over where he could be taking her. Then she saw the familiar silver SUV, the sweet, recognizable face pressed against the back window, and it all began to make sense.
Gina came around from the driver’s side, opened the door and released a squealing redhead dressed in white sneakers, floral blue shorts and matching shirt, and of course the tiara planted on her head. “Mama!”
Hannah kneeled down and nearly fell over backward due to her daughter’s voracious hug. “I missed you so much, sweetie!” she said as she showered Cassie’s cheeks with kisses. “But what are you doing here?”
The little girl reared back, wiped her wet face and displayed her snaggletoothed grin. “It’s an early Mother’s Day gift. Gina told me I’m gonna spend the weekend with you and the prince!”
“And it was all His Royal Hotness’s idea,” her best friend said as she approached carrying Cassie’s suitcase and booster seat.
Hannah straightened and turned to Logan. “How did you manage to make this happen without my knowledge?”
He streaked a hand over his nape. “It took some work and some sneaking around. I had to steal your phone when you weren’t looking so I could get Gina’s number.”
“Then he called and asked me to bring Cassie halfway,” she added. “Now here we are and Frank’s at home with a crying son and a pouting daughter who’s mourning the temporary loss of her best gal pal.”
Only a short while ago, Logan had claimed he couldn’t be the kind of man she needed, and then he did something so wonderfully considerate and totally unselfish to prove himself wrong, wrong, wrong. “This is a very welcome surprise, Mr. Whittaker. Thank you very much.”
He took the bag and seat from Gina. “You’re very welcome.”
Cassie tugged on Logan’s shirt sleeve to garner his attention. “I’m hungry, Prince Logan.”
“Then we should probably get on the road so we can get the queen something to eat.” His follow-up bow brought back Cassie’s vibrant grin.
Hannah took the suitcase from Logan’s grasp. “If you don’t mind getting her settled into the car, I’ll be along in a minute right after I receive a full report from Gina.” She then set her attention on her daughter. “And Cassie, stay close to Logan when you’re crossing the parking lot.”
“You can count on that,” he said with all the determination of a man who believed he’d failed to protect his own little girl.
When Cassie slid her hand into Logan’s hand, Hannah saw the flash of emotion in his eyes and she could picture how many memories had assaulted him in that moment. After they walked away—the cowboy attorney with the slow, easy gait, and the bouncing queen wannabe—she turned back to her friend. “Your Hotness? Really?”
Gina shrugged. “Seemed pretty appropriate to me.”
“You know, I’d be mad at you over that comment if I didn’t so appreciate everything you’ve done. Not only this evening, but over the past two weeks.”
“The question is, Hannah, was it worth it? Did you finally find what you were looking for?”
She shook her head. “I still don’t know who my father might be, and I’ve accepted the fact I might never know.”
Gina rolled her eyes. “I don’t mean only the thing with your long-lost dad. I’m referring to you and the lawyer. Do you see a future with him in it?”
Sadly, she didn’t. “He’s not the kind to settle down, Gina. He’s a remarkable man who’s been through a lot, but he’s closed himself off emotionally. And that’s okay. I didn’t expect anything to come of it anyway.”
Her friend nailed her with a glare. “You did it, didn’t you?”
This time Hannah rolled her eyes. “We had this discussion at least three times last week and once this week. Yes, we did it. Often.”
“I’m not talking about the sex,” Gina said. “You’ve gone and fallen in love with him, haven’t you? And don’t hand me any bull because I can read it all over your face, you ninny.”
Hannah’s hackles came to attention. “I am not a ninny, and I didn’t fall in love with him.” Much.
“You lie like a cheap rug.”
“You’re too meddlesome for my own good.” Hannah hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “My daughter is waiting for me.”
Gina held up both hands, palms forward, as if in surrender. “Fine. Go with your daughter and the hunk. But when you get home tomorrow, we’re going to have a long talk about the virtues of emotionally safe sex.”
That worked for Hannah, and after that talk, she could very well need to have a long, long cry.
* * *
By the time they arrived home, Logan had been steeped in so many recollections, he’d begun to feel the burn of regret. Watching Cassie at the café ordering a kid’s meal and coloring on the menu, he remembered Gracie at every turn. And he missed her. God, did he miss her.
The ache grew worse when he carried a sleeping Cassie up the stairs and to the second surprise of the evening.
“You can put her in my bed,” Hannah said from behind him.
That wasn’t a part of the plan. “She’ll sleep better in here.” He opened the door to the room he’d kept as a tribute to his own daughter.
Hannah gaped when she saw the double bed covered by a white comforter imprinted with pink slippers to match the décor. “When did you do this?” she whispered as she turned down the covers.
He laid Cassie carefully on the sheets, her thumb planted firmly in her mouth, her eyes still closed against the light coming from the lamp on the nightstand. “I’ll tell you in a minute.”
After Hannah pulled off her daughter’s shoes, then gave her a kiss on the cheek, they walked back into the hall.
Logan closed the door and turned to her. “The owner of a furniture store in town happens to be a client. I arranged to have the bed delivered right after we got on the road tonight.”
“And the bedspread?”
“I bought it yesterday during lunch.” Another gesture that had rocked him to the core.
Hannah folded her arms beneath her breasts. “I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, because I do appreciate your consideration. But my question is, why would you buy a bed when we’re only going to be here one night?”
“I thought maybe you’d agree to stay another night.”
She sighed. “I need to get home and resume my job search.”
He started to grasp at hopeless straws. “Maybe you and Cassie could visit now and then when you have the chance. I could teach her to ride Lucy.”
“What would be the point in that, Logan? You’ve already established this relationship isn’t going to go anywhere. So why would I get my daughter’s hopes up and lead her to believe there could be more between us?”
She evidently wanted him to say there could be more, and he couldn’t in good conscience promise her that. “I guess you’re right.”
“Yes, I am right. Now that we’ve cleared that up, I’m going to get ready for bed and I’ll see you in the morning.”
He shouldn’t be surprised by her curt dismissal, since he’d made it perfectly clear earlier that he cou
ldn’t be the man in her life, but he hadn’t expected this rejection to twist his gut in knots. However, despite his wounded male pride, he still could provide the information she’d sought from the beginning. “Marlene Lassiter wants us to have lunch at the Big Blue ranch tomorrow.”
She frowned. “I really planned to get on the road early.”
“Can you wait to leave until later?” he asked, trying hard not to sound like a desperate idiot. “The ranch is a great place for a kid to play. Cassie would enjoy it.” He’d learned long ago if you wanted to melt a good mom’s heart, you only had to mention her kids.
He realized the ploy had worked when she said, “I guess a few extra hours won’t matter. Besides, I might grab the opportunity to ask Marlene a few questions about J.D., if you don’t think I’d be overstepping my bounds.”
She had no idea that’s exactly what Marlene intended to do—answer all her questions—and he couldn’t help but feel guilty over not being forthcoming with what he knew. “Actually, it’s a real good idea. Since you haven’t signed the nondisclosure, I’m sure she’d be willing to tell you what she knows.”
“Provided she actually knows something.”
Little did she know, tomorrow she would not only learn about her real father, she would also discover she had a brother. “You might be surprised.”
“Probably not,” she said. “But I guess I’ll find out.”
When she started away, he caught her hand and pulled her into his arms. She allowed it for only a moment before she tugged out of his hold and said, “Sleep well, Logan.”
For the first time in several days, Hannah retired to her own bedroom, and Logan left for his, without even a kiss good-night.
Sleep well? No way. Not with the prospect of letting her go hanging over his head. But he still had another day in her presence. He would make it his goal to show her and her daughter a good time, and try one more time to convince himself why he didn’t deserve her.
Nine
When Marlene Lassiter showed her into a private study at the main house for an after-lunch chat, Hannah could barely contain her curiosity. She wondered if perhaps the woman might hand her the third degree about her relationship with Logan. If so, Marlene would be encountering a major dead end with that one. Truth was, after today, the relationship would be null and void.
“Have a seat, dear,” Marlene said as she gestured to one of two brown leather chairs before she crossed the room, nervously tugging at the back hem of her white cotton blouse that covered her black slacks.
After Marlene paused at what appeared to be a bar, Hannah took a seat and conducted a quick visual search of the room. The office was rustic and large, like the rest of the Lassiter family homestead, with bookcases flanking another stone fireplace. That fireplace was much smaller in scale than the one in the great room, where they’d left Logan watching some animated film with Cassie, who’d adhered herself to his side like kid glue. He’d spent most of the morning keeping her entertained by letting her climb up to her castle—in this case, huge round bales of hay—under his watchful eye. If he’d minded the make-believe, or the recollections the interaction had most surely produced, he hadn’t let on. He’d just patiently played the knight to the imaginary queen, wielding an invisible sword while sporting a sadness in his eyes that couldn’t be concealed, at least not from Hannah.
“How big is this place?” she asked when Marlene bent down and opened the door to the built-in beverage refrigerator.
“Eight bedrooms, at least ten baths, I think because I always lose count, and around 11,000 square feet.”
She’d known the glorified log cabin was huge when they’d driven through the gates of the Big Blue, but not that huge. “You have enough room to establish your own commune.”
Marlene smiled over one shoulder. “Would you like a glass of wine, dear?”
Hannah normally didn’t drink in the middle of the day, but it was well after noon, so what the heck? “Sure, but just a little. I have to head home this evening.”
“I’ll pour just enough to take the edge off.”
Hannah wanted to ask why on earth she should be edgy, yet when Marlene returned with the drinks, looking as solemn as a preacher, she assumed she would soon find out.
She accepted the wine and said, “Thanks,” then took a quick sip. The stuff was so dry it did little to wet her parched throat.
Marlene took a larger drink then held the glass’s stem in a tight-fisted grasp, looking as if she could snap it in two. “You might be wondering why I asked you in here, Hannah.”
That was a colossal understatement. “I assume it has something to do with Logan.”
“Actually, no, it doesn’t. It has to do with—”
“Mom, are you in there?”
Marlene sent her an apologetic look before responding to the summons. “Yes, Chance, I’m here.”
The door opened wide to a six-foot-plus, brown-haired, athletically built man wearing a chambray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, worn leather boots and faded jeans. “Just wondering if the coals are still hot on the grill.”
“Yes, they are,” Marlene said. “And Chance, this is Logan’s new girl, Hannah. Hannah, this is my son, Chance, and if he doesn’t learn to wipe his boots better at the back door, I’m going to ban him from the house.”
Hannah wanted to correct her on the “Logan’s girl” thing, but when Chance Lassiter turned his gaze on her, she was practically struck mute. She met eyes the exact same color of green as hers, and although his hair was a light shade of brown, the resemblance was uncanny. Not proof positive she could be a Lassiter, but pretty darn close.
She had enough wherewithal to set the glass down on the coffee table and offer her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Chance.”
He leaned over and gave her hand a hearty shake. “Pleasure’s all mine,” he said before regarding his mother again. “Did you have burgers or steak?”
Marlene shrugged. “Steaks, of course. What I always have when we have guests. I saved you one in the fridge to cook to your liking. Two flips on the grill and it’s done.” She turned her attention back to Hannah. “Chance owns and runs the whole ranching operation, including developing the cattle breeding program. He raises the best Black Angus in the country, but I hope you know that after sampling our steaks.”
Fortunately she hadn’t been formally introduced to the cows before she’d literally had them for lunch. “Unequivocally the best.”
Chance grinned with pride. “We aim to please. So now I’m going to leave you ladies to your girl talk while I go grab a bite. I take it that little redheaded girl napping on the sofa beside Logan belongs to you, Hannah.”
Clearly Cassie had finally wound down, a very good thing for the poor lawyer. “Yes, she’s all mine, and she’s quite a live wire.”
“She’s as pretty as her mama,” he said. “Logan is one lucky guy. Think I’ll go tell him that before I grab a bite and get back to riding the range.”
Chance Lassiter could talk until he was blue in the face, but luck had nothing to do with their inevitable parting a few hours from now.
After Chance closed the door behind him, Hannah smiled at Marlene. “He seems to be a great guy. Is he your only child?”
“Yes, he is. And he’s done very well considering he lost his father when he was only eight. I believe you were around six years old at the time.”
How would she possibly know that? Unless... “Marlene, has Logan mentioned anything to you about why I’m here in Cheyenne?”
She momentarily looked away. “Yes, he has, but don’t hold that against him because he was only trying to help.”
Logan’s determination to come to her aid only impressed Hannah more. “Then you know about the annuity J.D. bequeathed to me?”
“I do, although no one else in t
he family knows about it.”
“And the nondisclosure I have to sign to accept it?”
“J.D. added that clause to protect me.”
And that made no sense to Hannah. “Why would he feel the need to protect you?”
Marlene downed the rest of her wine and set the glass aside on the end table positioned between the chairs. “Because my husband, Charles, was your father.”
Hannah’s mind reeled from the shocking revelation, jarring loose a host of unanswered questions. “And you knew about this for how long?”
“Charles came to me and told me about his brief affair with Ruth a few days after he ended it,” she said. “Both of us learned about the pregnancy two weeks after you were born.”
She didn’t know whether to apologize to Marlene for her mother’s transgressions, or scold her for not saying something sooner. “And you’re absolutely sure Charles was my father?”
“I demanded a paternity test, and when it confirmed he was without a doubt your dad, Charles insisted on being a part of your life.”
Hannah took a moment to let that sink in. “Apparently that never happened since I don’t remember any man claiming to be my father spending time with me.”
Marlene fished a photo from the pocket of her slacks and handed it to her. “You were two years old when this was taken.”
She could only stare at the lanky yet handsome cowboy seated on a park bench, a smiling little girl on his lap. She didn’t recognize him, but she positively recognized herself. “I have no memories of this or him.” And she hated that fact with a passion.
“That’s because your mother quit allowing visits when Charles refused to leave me for her.”
Her fury returned with the force of an exploding grenade. “She used me as a pawn?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Marlene said. “If Charles wouldn’t give in to her demands, then she wouldn’t let him see his daughter.”
Hannah wasn’t sure she could emotionally handle much more, but she had to ask. “And he didn’t think to fight for me?”