Less-than-Innocent Invitation

by Shirley Rogers

  “Can you at least ask Lucas if I can talk to him?”

  “That I’ll do. Stay here until I get back. There are a lot of hands around here who would notice anything suspicious in my absence.” It was an order. He could tell she didn’t like it, but if it kept her safe, that was what mattered.

  Melissa didn’t think anyone was after her, but she could tell she’d never convince Logan of that. Giving in, she said, “All right. I’ll see you in a little while.” Without waiting for a response, she shut the door, then headed for the house.

  As Logan pulled out of the yard, he caught a glimpse of her in his rearview mirror as she disappeared inside. He hadn’t meant to be curt, but hell, he was worried for her safety. Couldn’t she see that?

  If something happened to her while she was here, he’d never get over it. Maybe he couldn’t protect her in Houston, but here in Royal he could. Whether she liked it or not.

  Houston.

  Logan knew that the more information she gathered, the closer the time came when she’d be leaving. Having her talk to Lucas at a later date would buy him a few more days with her.

  But she didn’t have to know that, did she?

  Trying to put thoughts of Melissa out of his mind, Logan crossed the cattle guard and drove up the dirt road toward Lucas’s house. The large brick-and-frame structure only hinted at the wealth of the family living inside. Stopping the truck, he cut the engine, got out and went to the door.

  He hoped the Windcrofts and Devlins could find a peaceable solution. But if the past was anything to go by, he had his doubts.

  As Melissa worked on her story in her room, her cell phone rang. She glanced at her watch before answering, surprised to find thirty minutes had passed. She frowned when her producer’s name flashed on her caller ID.

  “Hi, Daniel, what’s up?”

  “How’s the story out there coming along?”

  “There have been some new developments.”

  “Great. You can fill me in when you get back. I’ve got some news for you,” he said, his voice excited. “Your promotion has come through. We’re ready to put you on the air.”

  “What?” Melissa’s pulse quickened.

  “I want you to wrap up your work there and get back here by tomorrow.”

  His words caught her by surprise. Instead of the elation she’d expected at reaching her goal, panic swept through her. “Wait a minute. What are you talking about?”

  “We’re putting you on the air this weekend. You and Rick need to leave for Houston right away to be back here no later than tomorrow afternoon,” he ordered.

  “Tomorrow?” Stunned, she stared at her notes. “But I’m still looking into Jessamine Golden’s legend. As a matter of fact, there’s been a murder in town and there’s a possible connection to Jessamine’s map.”

  “Don’t worry about that.”

  “I’ve put a lot into this story, Daniel,” she said desperately. “It’s only fair that I finish covering it.”

  “The story’s all yours. You can keep updated on the investigation through phone calls from here. If need be, we can send someone else there to do your leg work.”

  A beep sounded from her phone, and she groaned when she realized the battery was low. “Look, Daniel, my phone’s going to die. Let me call you back.”

  “Don’t bother. Explain to Rick what’s up and you two get back here stat. And congratulations!”

  “Daniel—” Melissa stared at her phone in disbelief when it lost the connection. Her promotion had come through. By the weekend she’d be on the air as a news anchor. She’d have everything she wanted, everything she’d worked for.

  But if that was true, why did she feel so miserable?

  She set her phone in its cradle to charge, then sat back against the headboard of the bed. As she always known it would, the time had come for her to leave. Now, every single minute she could be with Logan counted. She wanted him here with her, wanted to spend her last evening with him in bed.

  Touching him.

  Kissing him.

  Making love with him.

  Except he wasn’t here.

  But she knew where he was. She’d go to the Devlin ranch. Logan had taken the ranch truck, but the keys to his pickup were on the foyer table. All she needed were the directions. Melissa hurried out of her bedroom to find Norah.

  A few minutes later, Melissa drove away from the ranch. On the way to the Devlin’s, she kept an eye out for Logan, hoping she’d see him and be able to flag him down. He’d been far enough ahead of her to have possibly finished his business and be heading home.

  Seeing the name of the road Norah had given her, Melissa turned off the main highway. She bumped along, then spotted a chimney standing alone on a hill signaling the entrance to the Devlin ranch.

  As she turned right at a post with an iron D-V brand on it, she heard a sharp crack and something exploded through the passenger window of the truck. Screaming, she slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel to the right. The truck lurched to the side of the road, nearly running into a ditch. Ducking, she pressed her face against the seat.

  Someone was shooting at her!

  The metallic taste of fear coated her throat. “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!” Her heart slammed against her rib cage.

  Were they still out there? Would they approach the truck to make sure she was dead? Logan had told her to stay home. Why hadn’t she listened to him?

  Oh, God, she was going to die here. And if she didn’t, Logan was going to kill her when he saw her. Her hand shook as she frantically searched through her purse. Where was her damn cell phone! She groaned, remembering she’d left it at the ranch, charging.

  Think, Melissa, think!

  Looking around the inside of the cab she saw Logan’s CB radio.

  Thank God!

  She turned it on and the radio squawked to life. Grabbing the handset, she pressed the side button and shouted, “I don’t know if anyone’s out there, but I need help! Someone’s shooting at me.” Releasing the button, she fought for calm as she listened to see if anyone had heard her. Though there hadn’t been any more shots, she wasn’t about to stick her head up and risk becoming a target.

  Her ears still humming from the sound of the bullet piercing the glass, she looked up. The window on the passenger side had a spider-web effect, with a hole the size of a bottle cap in the glass.

  When the radio remained silent, she tried again. “Help! This is Melissa Mason. I’m in Logan Voss’s truck at the entrance to Lucas Devlin’s ranch. Someone shot at the passenger window. I need help!”

  “Melissa?”

  “Yes!” Oh, God. “Hello, can you hear me?” She wasn’t sure who was speaking, but she knew she’d heard his voice before. “Who is this?”

  “Melissa, this is Mark Hartman. I’m with Jake Thorne.”

  “Thank God.” They were Logan’s friends. She could trust them. “Don’t lose me,” she begged.

  “I’m not going to lose you, Melissa,” Mark stated, his voice composed and encouraging. “But I need you to calm down and tell me where you are again. This time slowly.”

  Her nerves shattered, Melissa bit her lip as she tried to collect herself. “Mark, I’m in Logan’s truck at the entrance to Lucas Devlin’s ranch. Someone shot at me,” she said, her voice trembling.

  “Are you hurt?” Mark asked.

  “N-no. I’m just scared.”

  “Okay. Now listen to me, Melissa. Jake and I aren’t far from you. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Stay down until we get to you. Understand?”

  “Y-yes. I will. Hurry, please!” Clutching the microphone in her hand, she prayed they’d get to her quickly.

  As Logan walked out of Lucas’s home, he ran into Tom Morgan who lived in a guest house on the property. “Your uncle insisted your family has nothing to do with the trouble out at the Windcroft farm,” Logan told Tom.

  “That’s pretty much what I expected him to say. Thanks for coming out, though.”

  “I h
ope things will quiet down.” He started for his pickup. “I need to be heading back. Melissa’s waiting for me.” At least she’d stayed at home. With her determination to get a story, he’d half expected her to show up at the Devlin’s ranch. With a sigh, Logan opened his door.

  “N-no. I’m just scared,” a voice cried out on his radio.

  “Okay. Now listen to me, Melissa. Jake and I aren’t far from you. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Stay down until we get to you. Understand?”

  Logan froze. Melissa? That couldn’t be possible. She was back at the house waiting for him.

  “Y-yes. I will. Hurry, please!”

  “God, that’s Melissa!” Logan shouted. Jumping into the truck, he snatched up the microphone. “Melissa, this is Logan. Where are you?”

  “Logan!” Melissa screamed, her voice raw with fear. “I’m at the entrance to the Devlin ranch. I’m in your truck. Someone shot at me. The passenger window’s shattered.”

  He muttered an oath. “Are you all right?” he demanded, his chest feeling as if it might explode.

  “Yes, I’m just scared. I wasn’t hurt.”

  Logan turned the key and the engine roared to life. “I’ll be right there, sweetheart. Stay put and stay down!”

  “Please hurry,” she whispered, her teeth chattering as icy fear traveled down her spine.

  “I’m going with you,” Tom said, dashing around to the other side of Logan’s pickup. He’d barely made it inside before Logan floored it. Rocks and dirt flew in their wake as the vehicle bolted down the dirt road.

  “Logan, this is Mark,” his friend said over the CB. “Jake and I are about five minutes away.”

  “Thanks, guys. I’m closer, maybe two minutes from her. I’ll meet you. Keep an eye out for anyone suspicious on your way.” He turned his attention to Melissa. “Sweetheart, can you hear me?”

  “Yes, Logan. I can hear you.”

  “I’m almost there.” The vehicle rounded a curve practically on two wheels. Logan spotted his pickup parked at an angle off the dirt road. “I can see you now. Have you heard any more shots?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll be there in seconds,” he promised. He’d never heard her sound so terrified.

  As he came out of the turn, he stomped on the accelerator. The tires kicked up clouds of dust as it shot down the road toward her. When they got close enough, Logan slammed on the brakes and jerked the pickup to a stop. Jumping out, he raced toward her, Tom hot on his heels. He yanked open the door, then reached inside and gathered Melissa into his arms.

  “Melissa, sweetheart, are you okay?” Logan’s body sheltered hers as he held her tight against him.

  Relieved to be in Logan’s arms, Melissa clung to him. “Yes,” she said breathlessly, her body trembling.

  Another vehicle pulled up. Mark and Jake hopped out and ran toward them.

  “Is she all right?” Jake asked.

  “I think so,” Logan called back.

  “Stay low while we check around,” Mark told them.

  Logan held Melissa and calmed her as Jake, Mark and Tom, armed with rifles, investigated the surrounding area.

  Melissa stayed by Logan’s side as she repeated her story, explaining the shot had come as she was turning onto the dirt road.

  Searching Melissa’s face, Logan kissed her. “God, I was scared to death when I heard you on the radio. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

  Burrowing closer to him, she whispered, “No, but I’m glad you were nearby.”

  “What were you doing out here? I thought I told you to wait at the house for me?” He silently berated himself for leaving her behind. If he hadn’t, this wouldn’t have happened.

  She met his gaze and the intensity of it shocked her. “I know you did. I just wanted to tell you that Daniel called. He wants me to—”

  His muscles tensed. Her job. “You risked your life for a story.”

  She searched his tight expression. “No, Logan, it’s not like that. I’ve faced difficult situations in the past, but I—”

  “So this is nothing new,” he cut in, annoyance creeping into his tone. “You put yourself in danger all the time.” He knew her job was demanding, but the awareness she’d almost been killed twice—both in relation to him—made him shake with alarm.

  Melissa stared at him in silence, thinking it was best if she left as soon as possible. Logan would never have to know that she’d been coming for him.

  He didn’t love her. His disparaging tone told her that. Her last-minute attempt to be with him was only putting off the inevitable. Logan wasn’t going to ask her to stay.

  Taking a breath, she said, “Some stories are more risky than others.” Melissa didn’t know where the strength to say the words came from. “I’ve been in some pretty tough circumstances before, but I’ve never been shot at.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t that bother you?”

  “Yes, it does,” she admitted. “I try not to think about it. It’s a risk every reporter takes.”

  He set her away from him. “But the risk doesn’t stop you from investigating?”

  She shook her head, her words coming harder than she’d planned. “I do what I’m assigned. I don’t always get to pick and choose. I’ve worked for a long time to earn a promotion. This story is my ticket.”

  “Your work is that important to you, isn’t it?” he asked.

  She looked him straight in the eyes, knowing that without Logan, her work was all she had. “Yes, it is. As a matter of fact, Daniel wants me back in Houston tomorrow. My promotion came through. I’m going to be a news anchor beginning this weekend.”

  “I see.” His lips compressing, Logan felt as though he was being ripped open. She’d been waiting for this call. It was time for her to leave Royal.

  And him.

  Someone cleared his throat and they both turned to see Mark, Jake and Tom standing behind them. Logan felt his face flame with heat as he took in the speculative looks on their faces. “Did you find anything?” he asked, hoping to stave off comments about what they’d heard.

  “No. It appears the shot came from across the road in those woods,” Jake said, pointing in that direction.

  “Whoever it was is long gone,” Mark added.

  “Why would they have shot at me?” Melissa asked. “I don’t know anything.”

  Tom shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m not sure they were shooting at you. Since it was Logan’s vehicle, whoever did this might have thought he was driving,” he suggested. “They might have done this to scare Logan off.”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “We’re trying to settle things between the Devlins and the Windcrofts. It looks like someone is doing their best to make sure that doesn’t happen. The reason is still a mystery.” Jake looked at Logan. “What did Lucas have to say?”

  “He claims his family isn’t responsible for anything happening at the Windcrofts’ and he’d like nothing better than to see the feud between the two families settled for good.”

  “Did he know anything about the map?” Mark asked.

  “Only that it had been stolen. He doesn’t believe a Devlin had anything to do with it.”

  Melissa looked away from Logan. “So you still don’t know who took the map?” she asked Mark.

  “No, but we’re showing the picture around. We’ll find the woman who took it.”

  Though interested in learning the details, Melissa found her mind couldn’t focus. All she wanted to do was return home with Logan and curl up in the safety of his arms. Instead, she had to face reality and pack.

  She extended her hand, her fingers still trembling. “Thank you so much for coming to my aid. I really appreciate it.”

  Mark briefly shook her hand. “No problem, Melissa. We’re glad you’re okay.” He shot a look at Logan. “You have this under control, buddy?” he asked.

  Logan glowered at them. “Yeah. Tom—”

  “I’ll drive this truck to my place, Logan,” Tom said, readin
g his thoughts. “You can get it tomorrow. I’ll also call Gavin and report what happened.”

  “Thanks.” Hustling Melissa to his ranch truck, Logan helped her inside, then climbed behind the wheel, started the engine and stepped on the accelerator, flying past Mark and Jake who were just getting into Mark’s vehicle.

  Twelve

  Frustrated that he hadn’t protected Melissa, that she’d almost been shot, Logan kept his mouth shut on the way to the Wild Spur. Though he’d never let himself truly believe they could have a life together, the idea had taken shape in the back of his mind.

  He’d been dreaming. But loving her, his heart had hoped. How could he ask her to give up what she loved, what she’d worked so hard to achieve? He understood what drove her to pursue her career. His entire life had been devoted to the ranch. Without it, he’d feel empty.

  The trouble was, without Melissa, the ranch didn’t go far in filling the hole in his heart. He glanced at her. She sat beside him with her hands clasped in her lap, her face pale. He wanted to be angry with her, wanted to shake her and tell her no job was worth her life.

  You don’t have that right.

  No, he didn’t.

  They were lovers. Nothing more.

  Since her return to Royal, she’d made it perfectly clear her life, job and future were in Houston.

  You love her.

  Yeah, he did. But he wasn’t part of her equation, was he? He wrestled with telling her how much she meant to him, telling her that he couldn’t live without her.

  Asking her to stay.

  Begging her to marry him. To live with him here. To have his children. He could easily imagine her with their child in her arms. A little girl with her mother’s beautiful green eyes.

  God, how could she even think of leaving? They’d lost many years of being together, loving each other, sharing ups and downs—endless nights of making love.

  Over the past few weeks, they’d recaptured part of their past, but it hadn’t changed the present course of their lives. He toyed briefly with the idea of combining their worlds, but in his heart he knew that would never work. She didn’t belong here on the Wild Spur any more than he belonged in Houston. And he couldn’t operate his ranch long-distance. He had no right to hold on to his dreams and ask her to let go of hers.