by JJ Ellis
“Oooh! I’m so excited for her! I hope I get to see them soon.”
Logan paused for a moment when he heard her telling Jack about the baby. “I hope so too, because that will mean her trouble is over.”
“Tell her I’m thinking about her, will you.”
“I will Deb, when I see her tomorrow.” If he didn’t think that Reginald would find her, he’d ask Deb to come up for a few days to visit.
“Hey Logan?”
“Yeah.”
“What did she name him?”
“Charles Joseph. I call him CJ.”
Deb chuckled. “I like that. Here’s Jack.”
“Hey cousin. What’s on your mind?” Jackson asked as he came back on the line.
“I’m trying to figure out what to do about Jayna. Why is she so adamant about not calling the authorities?”
Jack sighed and Logan heard a chair slide along the floor. “He told her that if law enforcement got involved, he would kill the baby and then her so she would have to watch him die.”
“Oh Jesus! This is one sick mother fucker we’re dealing with, isn’t it?”
“Yeah Logan, he’s really bad news. He’s the privileged son of a billionaire. He was given the Heart of Alaska Resort to run after his daddy bought it from our family friend Dirk Peterson ten years ago. He can do pretty much anything he likes and no one cares.”
“Or at least he thinks he can,” Logan spat out. “I think his carefree days might be about to run out.”
“Wow,” Jackson chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything close to an emotion in your voice in years.”
“Shut up, Jack. I have to go. There’s a PI in Denver I need to talk to.”
“Bye, cousin. Keep us updated.”
Logan stood up and started to pace. As much as he didn’t want to betray Jayna’s fragile trust, he just had to at least let the authorities know what was going on in case Reginald Sanders did show up in town. It was time to call his cousin Mark Harper.
“Can I please speak to Chief Harper?”
“May I ask who’s calling, sir?” asked the young receptionist.
“This is his cousin, Logan.”
“Hold please, Logan.” A few minutes later, the receptionist came back on the line. “Can I give him a message? There was an incident out at the old mill he has to take care of.”
“Uh, yeah sure. Just tell him I called about a very important matter.”
“Will do Logan. I haven’t see you around in a while. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah Marcy, things are great.”
“I’ll have the chief call as soon as he’s in.”
“Thanks Marcy.” He wasn’t about to get into a conversation with her. She’d been chasing him since high school and she didn’t seem to get the hint that he was uncatchable.
Logan went into the bedroom to find the file on Reginald Sanders. When he had finished reading through it, he called his friend James in Denver.
They went over the man’s file, and James and his father Marcus decided to take the case. They would find Reginald and keep track of him until they could find a way to get rid of the threat.
Logan sat down in front of the television to wait for the police chief to call him back. When his phone rang, he snatched it up quickly off the arm of the chair. It was Jackson.
“Hey man. I have good news and bad news.”
“Oh boy.” He didn’t like the sound of that. “Go ahead Jack, give it to me.”
“Well, the good news is that they caught Reginald before he left the state. The bad news is that ‘Daddy’ and his high-powered attorneys got him out. However, a group of park rangers drove him out to the airport and witnessed him get on a plane to Alaska. He has to check in regularly and be back here for court when needed. If he comes after her, we’ll know it.”
“They couldn’t keep him there?”
“No man. He didn’t technically assault me, he just attempted to. I should have let the son of a bitch hit me a few times then we could get him. At this point, he’ll probably get off with a slap on the wrist.”
“Well, it’s bought us some time until we can figure out how to get him off her back permanently.”
“Are you going to let her stay there or are you going to ship her to us?”
“She just gave birth, man. She’ll stay put, at least for a little while.”
“Okay. If you need anything, just holler.”
“Will do. Bye Jack.”
Just as he hung up, his other cousin, the chief, called. Logan told him the whole story and promised to get him a copy of the file that Jayna had on Reginald, just in case he decided to do something stupid, like leave Alaska and head back to the lower forty-eight states.
After a quick call to PI James, to tell him where he could find Reginald, he went into the bedroom, stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed. It had been a long day and he had a lot to think about.
How could one woman, and now one baby, upend his life so much? He didn’t get warm and fuzzy feelings. He hadn’t since he was a kid. But he felt so…protective of…drawn to…Jayna and CJ. He had learned to not let pretty faces haunt him, but every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Hell, since he’d been home, he swore he heard her sweet voice at least a dozen times. He actually wished he could hear it right now. The question was…Why? He picked up his phone and scrolled through the contacts. His finger came to rest on her name. Should he call and check on her?
Deciding not to, he put the phone on his nightstand after turning the volume all the way up.
When his mind started to wander places he didn’t want it to, he got up and walked over to his bookshelf. Maybe reading would get his mind off of things. He chose a book and fell back onto the bed just as the ringtone he’d set for Jayna sounded from the nightstand. His breathing quickened and he sat up, staring at the device. “Damn it! Stop enchanting me, woman!” he muttered, reaching for the phone.
“Hello.”
“Logan, it’s Jayna.”
“Hey Sleeping Beauty, shouldn’t you actually be sleeping?” He heard her sweet chuckle before she spoke again.
“I can’t sleep. I’m scared. I…I had a dream that he found us and tried to kill the baby…and you.”
“Hey. Everything’s going to be okay. I actually have some good news. I probably should have called and told you earlier, but I didn’t want to disturb mother and son bonding time.”
“Good news?” she asked skeptically. Was it even possible? “What kind of good news?”
“Reginald is back in Alaska. He ran afoul of the law when he attacked my cousin. He has to stay put until trial.”
“Which cousin?” Jayna asked with a worried tone.
“Jackson. But don’t worry he’s fine.”
“So…I’m safe for now?” she asked, unbelievingly.
“Unless he decides to be stupid. But I have a friend of the family keeping an eye on him.” Logan then heard sniffling coming over the line. “What’s wrong, Jayna?”
"Reginald’s middle name is stupid. We are nowhere near safe. He has unlimited resources, Logan. He’ll find a way.”
He sighed. “Damn it. That’s not what I wanted to hear. I thought we’d have plenty of time to get you and CJ squared away.”
“If it was just me,” she murmured. “I could change my identity and disappear forever. Logan could you…”
“No!” he interrupted. “Don’t even go there. You couldn’t give him up any more now than I could take him from you.”
“He’s my heart,” she whispered. “But he’ll never be safe with me.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that you are both safe. Together."
“Why Logan? Why are you helping us? You could just put me out on the street, or send me back to Jack and Deb. You don’t even really know us.”
“I have to,” he said softly. “What kind of monster wouldn’t help someone in need?”
“I guess I’ve only known monsters.”
<
br /> Logan cringed at the thought of what she must have gone through. “I’m so sorry.”
“So what’s next?” Jayna asked, the determination coming back into her voice. “I guess we can always hope Reginald uses his brain for once.”
Logan chuckled. “I don’t think that is the best idea. Do me a favor. Think about what kind of resources he has at his disposal and tomorrow I’ll compile a list so we can give it to the PI. Then we’ll go from there.”
“Okay,” she agreed. "Thank you for everything, Logan.”
“You’re welcome. And Jayna?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell CJ…well, tell him I said hi.”
“I will, Logan. Goodnight.”
Disconnecting the call, he plugged the phone into the charger. When he lie back down on the pillow and closed his eyes, Jayna’s face loomed above him and her lips came down on his in a sweet kiss. His eyes flew open and he leapt from the bed. “God damn it! Where the hell did that come from?” He walked out to the kitchen, not sure what he was doing. Finally, he settled on a glass of water then went back to bed. The sooner he got things settled for Jayna and CJ, the better it would be. The thought of never seeing them again actually kind of made him sad. But it shouldn’t, he’d only known her for all of a couple of days. When they left, his life would return to normal. And he couldn’t wait.
He crawled under the covers and rolled onto his side. Thoughts of the enchanting Jayna McIntyre would have to stay away. Tomorrow would be a busy day and he needed to sleep.
Chapter 5
Logan’s alarm rang at seven a.m. and he struggled out of bed. Thoughts of Jayna had stayed out of his mind, but dreams of trying to find his way in a blinding snowstorm had haunted him for most of the night.
He needed to go down to work before picking Jayna up at eleven. But a shower and a shave were at the top of his agenda. The hot water barely touched his tense muscles so he turned it off and stepped out into the humid room. As the steam cloud cleared away, the mirror in front of him slowly revealed his haggard face. He hadn’t looked this bad since he’d been trapped for forty-eight hours in a snowstorm only to come home to find out his dad had died.
Lathering up over the sink, he grimaced at his reflection and started to shave some of the gruffness away. He began to feel a bit better, but his eyes still held a look of exhaustion. Grunting in disgust, he turned away from the sink. That was enough dwelling on his appearance, it was time to go down to the store and work himself into oblivion for a few hours.
Logan’s assistant manager came in at ten-thirty so he prepared to leave. When he had called the hospital that morning, they told him that Jayna and CJ would definitely be ready to leave by eleven.
Climbing into the van he borrowed from his head cashier, he started the engine and headed toward the hospital. About halfway there he made a U-turn and stopped in front of the multipurpose hardware store. He couldn’t bring the baby home without a damn car seat. His mind had been elsewhere the night before.
When old lady Holmes came out of the back to wait on him, he tried very hard to hide the relief in his voice. She couldn’t see half an inch in front of her face so she would never know who was buying a car seat and a bassinet, if she could even see what the products were.
When he finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, it was a quarter to eleven. He called Jayna’s phone and told her he would be in once he had the car seat installed. A half-hour later he walked into her room. She was sitting in a wheelchair with CJ in her arms and a hospital volunteer stood by to push them out to the van. Once mom and baby were buckled in safely, Logan got behind the wheel. “So, how are you feeling?” he asked, looking at her.
“I’m sore as hell, but happy. CJ is such a wonderful baby.
“Is that true, kiddo?” he asked, turning to look back at the sleeping child. CJ suddenly let out a cry then quieted again.
“Okay, okay,” Logan chuckled. “I’ll just shut up and drive.” A squeal sounded from the backseat as he pulled out of the parking lot.
**********
Two well-dressed men strode purposely into the admitting office of the hospital in Harper’s Rock.
“May I help you gentlemen?” the dark haired clerk asked with a smile.
The taller of the two men stepped forward. “Yes ma’am I certainly hope you can help me. I am looking for my client’s missing daughter.” He pulled a business card out of his suit pocket. “I’m wondering if you could tell me if she has been here.”
The other man stepped up next to his friend. “There is great concern for this woman’s safety as she is heavily pregnant. Her name is Jayna McIntyre.”
The clerk put her pen down and removed her glasses. “I’m sorry gentlemen, I would love to help you but I can’t release any patient information without a court order. You know, HIPAA regulations and all.”
“Yes I certainly understand,” the shorter man said. “Thank you for your time.” The two gentlemen turned and walked from the room.
“She’s been here, Frank,” the taller man said.
“I got the same impression, Joe,” Frank replied. “Just from the way she said it.”
“Now we just have to find out when,” Joe replied.
They walked down the hall and the smell coming from the cafeteria assaulted their noses. Frank turned to his partner. “Damn that smells good and it’s lunch time. Let’s grab a bite to eat.”
Joe just nodded and they walked through the double doors marked as the cafeteria. They grabbed trays and silverware and stepped into line behind a pair of young nurses. A smile came across Joe’s face as he tuned into what the young women were saying.
“Can you believe how adorable the Harper baby is?” one of the nurses asked her friend.
“I thought the last name was McIntyre?” the other questioned.
“No, no, it can’t be, Agnes. It was Mr. and Mrs. Harper.”
“Honey, Logan Harper isn’t married. That man won’t give the time of day to any woman in this town, or anywhere else for that matter.”
“But…but...the paperwork she filled out said they were married.”
“It was wrong then, Betty.”
The two women walked away with their food, but Joe and Frank had heard enough. They hadn’t quite heard the man’s name, but they would eat and then call their boss.
**********
Logan helped Jayna up the back stairs and carried CJ in his carrier. Once they were settled on the couch he ran back downstairs to grab the stuff from the van and return the keys to his cashier.
Walking into the apartment he was stopped in his tracks by the sight before him. Jayna was lying on the couch, dozing while CJ suckled off and on at her breast in his sleep. The vision of mother and son together in sleep, was somehow calming? Life affirming? Logan was starting to have thoughts and feelings that he’d never allowed before. It had been easy to turn them off and tuck them away. But now…he felt anger building in his chest so he headed to the bedroom. Putting together a bassinet with foreign language instructions should be a good way to get rid of his frustrations.
A half-hour later, as he was forcing the last tab A into the last slot B, he was even more frustrated than before. But the bassinet was together and sturdy.
“Thank you,” came a soft voice from the bedroom doorway. “I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”
Logan looked up from the cradle and smiled. “Don’t even think like that. You’re not taking advantage of anyone.”
“But the car seat,” she murmured. “And the bassinet…”
“It’s only money, Jayna. Thanks to my Grandma Olive’s investments and a settlement from the coal mines, none of the Harpers will ever hurt for money.”
“That may be, but…”
“No buts, Miss McIntyre. Ask anyone who knows me. I only do what I want to do and right now I want to help you and CJ. End of story.”
Jayna had met very few people with such a big heart. She just didn’t understand why he wasn’
t surrounded by friends and a family of his own. Someone or something had blocked his heart and she wondered if she would ever find out who or what it was. “Could you take CJ? I need to use the bathroom.”
“Yeah. Come here little man.” Logan cradled the tiny boy in his arms as Jayna shut herself in the on suite. “Do you want to try your new bed?” But CJ never made it into the bassinet. His little blue eyes opened and latched onto Logan’s. He was captivated and he couldn’t look away. “Hey there. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.” CJ cooed and stuck his tongue out then pulled it back in. “I’m Logan. I’m your mama’s friend.” CJ just stared at him, his little brow kind of furrowed. “Oh, you know Mama. She’s the one with the boobies.” A little burp and a toot ripped through the baby resulting in a smile that appeared on his face at just the right time. Logan laughed and pulled the little boy close to plant a gentle kiss on his forehead. “I think that’s how I feel about your mama’s boobies too. The smile part, not the gas.”
“Are you two conspiring to take over the world?” Jayna asked as she stepped into the room. “I see your heads together.”
“Oh man CJ. She figured us out,” Logan said with a chuckle as he laid the boy in the bassinet. Turning to Jayna, he took her hand, resisting the urge to drop it when a jolt flowed through his body. “Are you still hungry? You didn’t get lunch at the hospital.”
“I’m starving. Is there a Chinese takeout restaurant in this town?”
“Absolutely. I’ll call for delivery. I think your son needs his diaper changed.”
“Oh, you’ll get a turn,” she chuckled. “Soon I’m sure.”
They headed to the living room where Logan sat down on the couch and handed Jayna the diaper bag the hospital had given her. As she returned to the bedroom, he dialed the local restaurant to order their food. When he hung up, he decided to call James and ask how keeping an eye on Reginald was going.
“Hey buddy, what’s up?”
“How's our friend Reggie doing?”
“Truthfully Logan, I’m not a hundred percent sure.”
Logan sat forward on the couch abruptly. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”