Logan drove fast and well, and Karena admired the shiny newness of his red Buick Skylark, wondering longingly if she would ever be able to afford such sporty elegance. Probably not, with Danny's college fund to think about.
As the minutes and the miles sped past, however, her thoughts became anxious twinges about the ordeal ahead. She really didn't want to meet Logan's sister. She crossed her arms apprehensively on her chest.
Once, he turned his head and gave her a reassuring wink, but it didn't help the nervousness accelerating within her.
Why hadn't she put on jeans instead of these dumb shorts? And her hair. She hadn't had a chance to comb her hair, and now the wind—women always noticed how a person looked.
Logan pulled into a long driveway and drew up in front of an old, well kept two story farmhouse, painted white with green trim. A huge German shepherd came charging at the car, ears flat, barking ferociously until the twins scrambled out of the back seat and hollered in unison, "Quiet, Teddy." The dog instantly dissolved into a wriggling, ludicrous heap of affection.
"Hey, Danny, c'mon down to the barn, I'll show you the milking machines," Alex urged, and all three youngsters pelted off before Karena was able to make herself climb out of the car.
The familiar sense of painful shyness, of not knowing what to say or do, spilled over her as she hesitantly climbed the wooden steps with Logan close beside her.
It was worse than Karena expected. She'd imagined Betsy as a homemaker. The smartly dressed woman in the navy business suit who opened the door looked as if she'd just stepped from the pages of Dress for Success. Her hair was dark, like Logan's, and cut in a carelessly casual style. Subtly clever makeup, chunky accessories and navy hose gave her a chic, pulled-together look.
Karena was agonizingly conscious of her shorts, her rumpled T-shirt, her wildly dishevelled hair.
"Karena Carlson, my sister, Betsy Gardom," Logan introduced, giving Betsy a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm so glad you came over. It's great to meet a champion. The children said on the phone that you'd won in the logging events. You've got to tell me more about it. It's good of you to trust us with your son. We'll care for Danny tonight as if he were our own." Conversation obviously wasn't a problem with Betsy.
Stiffly, Karena held out her hand and felt Betsy's warm handclasp. Then they were inside and Betsy was chatting about the festival, and Logan was smoothly filling in the blank spaces Karena knew should have been her cues in the conversation. Betsy was totally at ease, the kind of woman who exudes friendliness and animation, who always knows exactly what to say.
The kind Karena most dreaded being around.
"Come this way, don't mind the clutter, I've just come home from a meeting. Let's sit in the kitchen. I always like kitchens best, don't you?" Betsy chattered on.
To Karena, sitting down in the cinnamon scented yellow room with its children's drawings on the refrigerator, Betsy was the epitome of everything she'd always wanted to be, and wasn't.
Well groomed, confident, self-assured.
She could feel the wave of insecurity such women had always given her roll up from her very toes and encompass her in tongue tied idiocy.
She sipped her coffee, stiffly refused the warm cinnamon buns Betsy proffered, and wondered when they could leave.
"Betsy's an investment counselor," Logan dropped helpfully into the pool of silence, obviously aware that Karena needed help. "She runs a business out of this maelstrom of kids and pets," he added proudly.
Karena nodded and smiled stiffly, and couldn't think of a single thing to say.
After what seemed an eternity, Cliff arrived from the barn, a big framed, slow moving giant of a man. He herded the children into the washroom off the porch, teasing them and making them all laugh. He nodded and smiled an amiable welcome at Karena, and the loving bond between him and Betsy was almost tangible as he ruffled his wife's hair on his way past the table.
"You'll stay for supper with us, of course?" he asked Logan, and Karena refused too quickly, too abruptly, and then felt ungrateful and more awkward than ever.
Logan's eyes were often on her during the next half hour, and she wondered miserably what he thought of her social ineptitude, but whenever she met his glance, he just gave her a slow, reassuring smile that warmed her for a moment.
The only time she totally relaxed was when Betsy carried the pink wrapped bundle of new baby into the room.
"This is Nicole. Karena, hold her for me while I mix up some pablum, will you? Her uncle Logan's terrified she'll break if he touches her." Karena drew in the nostalgic, wonderful aroma that surrounded the tiny creature wriggling inside the blanket, feeling awkward at first, but then automatically cradling the baby closer in her arms.
"She's such a beautiful baby," she breathed softly. Karena was able to exchange a mother's conspirational smile with Betsy, and the painful shyness she felt eased slightly for the next ten minutes, enough so she was able to give reasonably intelligent answers to Betsy's questions about the festival and her part in it.
Then, blessedly, it was time to go and she handed the baby reluctantly to Betsy.
Of course, Danny stayed. The entire family was welcoming and eager to have him. Her son waved nonchalantly as she drove off with Logan, and Karena felt suddenly bereft. They were so seldom apart, she and Danny.
He'd stopped kissing her in public several months ago, and she usually settled for ruffling his hair, but she hadn't even had a chance to do that today.
She felt a wave of sudden loneliness, an urgent burning homesickness for the little clearing where their cabin sat, for the chubby little boy who a few short years ago used to scream if she moved out of his sight. She longed for the silence and the sense of peace and belonging she always had in the deep woods, the sense of herself as whole and competent.
She was startled when Logan's voice cut into her reverie.
"I'm afraid they're a noisy lot, Betsy and Cliff and the kids." Karena had been exceptionally quiet during the visit, and he wanted her to know that he thought he understood exactly how she felt.
"It always takes me an entire day to adjust to the chaos each time I visit, so I'm not surprised if you found it a bit overwhelming at first."
Karena glanced over at him in amazement. Hadn't he realized that the problem wasn't the Gardoms at all, but her?
"It wasn't them, Logan. I'm not very good socially. In fact, I'm a total disaster. I always have been." She stumbled a little over the words, trying to explain. "I'm twenty nine years old, and yet I've never really learned how to get along with people. I'm a born loner, or so my son tells me." She gave a deprecating little laugh, and then hurriedly changed the subject. "How many acres does your brother-in-law farm?"
For the rest of the short trip, they talked of cattle and hay and egg production. When Logan pulled the car into a parking spot near the festival, Karena said quickly, "Thank you for everything, Logan. You've been very kind. I'm late so I'll have to hurry and change."
She had the car door half open when Logan touched her arm. "Will you have dinner with me later, after your event?"
She shook her head decisively, pale cap of curls bobbing, but he couldn't read the expression in her smoky eyes.
"No, I'm afraid I can't do that. I have some shopping I need to do before we go back. Danny doesn't think so, but he needs some new jeans and shirts."
He'd half expected her answer, and yet he felt let down.
"Then I'll pick you up at nine tomorrow morning for our picnic." He waited tensely for her confirmation.
She seemed undecided, but finally she nodded.
"Isn't nine pretty early for a picnic?" She half turned to look uncertainly at him, but he shook his head firmly.
"All the picnics I arrange start then. But if you'd planned to sleep in tomorrow morning, I could always come fifteen minutes later?”
His teasing brought the hoped for effect, the smile that warmed the gray gaze and brought animated beauty to the lines of her f
ace.
"Sleeping in, to a log scaler, means getting up at six instead of four," she replied with alacrity.
As she climbed out of the car, he couldn't resist admiring her shapely legs and slender hips. The strong attraction he felt for her was out of his control. It had been from the first instant he'd laid eyes on her.
She leaned over and stuck her head back into the car, and he swiftly adjusted his gaze.
"Thanks again. See you in the morning."
Thoughtfully, he watched her athletic form until she disappeared into the crowd. She didn't turn and wave the way he'd hoped she might.
He wanted to press the dinner invitation, but he sensed that it was better to give her the space she seemed to need tonight so he started the car.
Karena. She was unique. It was crazy, but to him she seemed like a half wild thing from the depths of the forest, gently timid, easily frightened, wary of men. Captivatingly beautiful, and yet elusive.
He drove slowly to the farm through the early evening dusk, wondering what it would be like to gain her trust, lure her out from wherever she was hiding. He tried to imagine the life she and Danny lived in the forest but he was unable to picture it in his mind. Then he remembered the moose calf, Mort, and he grinned and shook his head in wonder.
A beautiful log scaler who lived in the bush with a baby moose and a half-grown son.
She was different than anyone he'd ever met before.
Chapter Three
As he drove through the summer dusk, Logan concentrated on his plans for the next day. He'd pack a good size lunch, he resolved, because he intended to extend his hours with Karena as long as he possibly could.
And if he were going to spend Saturday evening making sandwiches, then maybe Betsy and Cliff would like to go to a movie. They didn't get out alone often, and he'd enjoy an evening with just the kids, now that Karena had turned him down.
Probably good for his ego, being turned down. Certainly it hadn't happened with the women he dated at the college. Bernice, for instance, was more apt to ask him out, which sometimes annoyed him but he'd never admit it to a living soul. Women's groups would chew him up at such a sign of chauvinism.
There was a lot to be said for being the pursuer. You had to go about it with extreme caution in Karena's case.
He stopped at a small shopping center to buy the makings for a picnic lunch and a treat for the kids. Twenty minutes later, he tossed the packages into the car but placed the bottle of white wine he'd chosen for the picnic carefully on the seat beside him.
He wheeled out of the parking lot and sang softly with the radio all the way back to the farm. He felt as if he could conquer the world.
In the morning, Karena woke before dawn, rolling over to glance automatically at the other twin bed before she remembered where Danny was. The first faint rays of morning were just creeping past the motel's regulation beige draperies at the window, and for a while she lay sleepily, going over in her mind the curious events of the previous day.
She'd won her heats easily during the evening events, and when the exhilaration of winning began to fade she found herself regretting that she'd refused Logan's invitation to dinner.
It would have been fun to celebrate a little with Logan Baxter. She couldn't seem to get the handsome forester off her mind.
Later she'd driven to the shopping center, picked out jeans and underwear for Danny, and then she ordered fried chicken at a fast food outlet in the mall. The constant, buzzing noise of people all around made her feel tired and edgy, and she left most of her dinner untouched.
Hurrying out she'd passed a store that specialized in leisure and sports clothing, and on a sale rack by the entrance was a soft blue cotton knit jumpsuit.
Ten minutes later she climbed dazedly into her truck, the jumpsuit in a bag along with a pair of flat, fashionable leather sandals. She sat behind the wheel for a while, wondering what exactly had taken hold of her back there. She hated shopping, and normally made most of her own clothing, except for the sturdy jeans and work shirts she ordered from the Sears catalog, yet she'd thoroughly enjoyed trying on the jumpsuit, and even finding the shoes that suited it.
And what had possessed her to buy the scented dusting powder and cologne? She'd better darn well win the all around championships after that shopping binge.
But she felt a purely feminine thrill of anticipation as she bounced out of bed and hurried into the shower. There'd be lots of time to get dressed and have breakfast in the coffee shop before Logan arrived.
By eight thirty, she'd put on the jumpsuit, looked at her strange self, taken it off and put on her cotton jeans, taken them off and put the jumpsuit back on.
Enough. She was acting crazy. She finally hurried over to the coffee shop, bolted down a light breakfast and raced back to the motel in case he came early.
Then she realized the whole place smelled of lily of the valley. Throwing the door open to air it out, she nearly knocked Logan off the step just as he raised his hand to knock.
"Darn, I'm sorry, good morning," she blurted, watching the expression on his face alter from surprise to pleasure as he gazed at her.
"Good morning," he finally managed, adding on an expelled breath, "God, you look absolutely beautiful."
She'd read that there was only one correct response to a compliment, and so she made it, feeling her cheeks crease in an irrepressible smile of pleasure.
"Thank you."
Her smile was mirrored on his face, and both of them knew right then that it was going to be a great day.
This morning he was wearing khaki shorts and a white, short-sleeved knit shirt. With one hasty glance, she took in his tall, well-muscled body, his long, strong legs dusted with dark hair. He had worn looking Adidas on his feet, and white socks. There was a clean, trim look about him, as if he'd taken special care shaving and dressing.
"It's going to be sunny and hot today, I heard on the radio on my way over," he announced. "By the way, your son was out at six this morning, learning all about cows and milking machines. He said to tell you hi, and he hoped you won your heats last night."
"The way he acted yesterday, I figured he'd be applying to the juvenile court to get himself adopted by Cliff and Betsy this morning." She realized too late that her remark must sound bitter and resentful. "That sounds awful. I don't mean it that way. I guess it's just tough admitting he doesn't need me as much as he used to," she added remorsefully.'
Logan shot her a perceptive glance and said, "Kids are funny sometimes. I babysat last night while Cliff and Betsy went to a show, and Danny went on and on about you, about how hard you work and how good you are at your job. He's awfully proud of you."
Logan didn't add that his own well placed questions had resulted in a wealth of fascinating detail about Danny's mother. It hadn't been prying, exactly, he reassured himself guiltily. It was more like—well, research.
"He didn't really, did he?" Karena felt both embarrassed and pleased at that information, and then she realized that she and Logan were conducting this entire conversation outside the door of the motel, where people in the other units could hear everything they said.
"Come on in while I get my purse," she suggested, and Logan followed her into the room. It still smelled faintly of her orgy with dusting powder and cologne.
Logan had to duck slightly when he came in the low doorway, and she wondered for a giddy moment what she was doing with this tall, sophisticated, studious looking man, but then as she grabbed her purse from the dresser, she caught a glimpse of herself and her confidence rose. Excitement had put color under the tan on her cheeks.
"I sure like that blue thing you're wearing," he remarked, and she couldn't help smiling happily at him, gratified at the compliment and the admiring look on his face.
Logan couldn't stop looking at her. Her short, shiny curls were like a living halo all around her well shaped head, and she had a tiny bit of makeup on today, just enough to make her soft eyes look huge, her mouth moist and peta
l pink. The jumpsuit skimmed over her slender shape loosely, but it still clearly outlined her perfectly rounded breasts, tiny waist and narrow hips. It was the sort of outfit only a woman with an excellent figure would dare wear, he concluded. And Karena had an absolutely excellent figure.
"You look so young, it's hard to imagine you've got a son as old as Danny. You must have been a child bride," he remarked, still devouring her with his eyes as she scooped up the keys to the motel room and moved past him toward the door, suddenly a bit self-conscious and aware of being entirely alone with him.
"I'm going to be thirty next June, and I was seventeen when I married. It was a long time ago." Briskly, she led the way out the door and down the motel steps.
He handed her into the car with the naturally chivalrous manners that she remembered from the previous day, making her feel like a lady.
She craned around to look in the rear, and there were several large brown bags resting on the back seat, along with a plaid blanket.
A thrill of anticipation about the day ahead ran down from her scalp to her toes, a giddy, youthful, carefree happiness that was new to her.
Logan steered competently through the early morning bustle of the small city, and then they were on the highway heading south. He drove with the easy grace of a man who enjoyed good machinery.
He shifted his gaze from the highway to her for a moment.
"I've never met a woman who's a log scaler, or one who chooses to live in the woods. Danny described your place for me, and he mentioned that you don't have any close neighbors except for one friend called Gabe." He hadn't been able to determine exactly how old Gabe was, or what his relationship was with Karena, but Danny had said Gabe lived in a small cabin situated on Karena's five acres of land. Logan had immediately been ferociously jealous, and he'd wondered all night about this mysterious "friend."
Now he asked with a total lack of subtlety, "Have you known Gabe long?"
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