by Renee Ryan
Without looking at Megan directly—how could he with some of what he had to say?—Logan ran through Mattie’s revelations in a quick, rapid-fire staccato. He finished with the final piece of evidence that cleared Megan of any crime. “Mattie found her lying on a small divan with a pillow under her head and a blanket tucked neatly around her legs.”
“Logan,” Trey began. “We still don’t know—”
Logan lifted his hand to stop Trey from continuing and instead focused on Megan for the first time since he’d started his tale.
She wasn’t looking at him, though. Her gaze darted around the jail cell and she’d gone completely still. A series of complicated emotions ran across her face, while her breathing quickened to quick, short gasps.
Was she on the verge of remembering something important?
Logan wanted to physically pull the hidden memories free for her. If only he knew how. There had to be a way. But then she moved her head from side to side, sighed heavily, and let her shoulders drop at a dejected angle.
At the sight of her obvious despair, Logan wanted to offer her whatever comfort he could. He wanted to tell her matters weren’t as hopeless as they seemed. That with prayer, time and God’s help everything would turn out well for them.
He opened his mouth to tell her all that, but Trey’s voice stopped him. “I’m afraid none of this changes Megan’s situation.”
Logan’s jaw flexed with the heat of renewed fury. “On the contrary. Everything has changed.” He spoke slowly, carefully, keeping his tone even. “It’s clear someone else entered the room and killed Kincaid. Nothing else explains how Mattie found her.”
“Mattie being the operative word here,” Trey said, regret filling his eyes. “Consider your source.”
“I have.” Realizing his shooting hand had started shaking—from anger—Logan wiped his palm against his thigh. “I’ve interrogated Mattie Silks more times than I care to count. I know when she’s lying. Perhaps for the first time in her life, the woman is telling the truth.”
Well versed in Logan and Mattie’s turbulent history, Trey faltered. “I’ll want to check Mattie’s story myself,” Trey said in way of concession.
“Suit yourself, but we both know Megan is innocent.” Logan smiled at her as he said the words.
She smiled back. And for that single moment in time, everything seemed to stop and pause. Everything felt right between them.
Then Trey ruined the moment. Again. “Logan, you should think about this one thing. You’re basing your entire decision about Megan’s innocence on information Mattie didn’t divulge last night. Why cooperate now?” he asked. “And with you, of all people?”
“Because she’s Mattie Silks. We both know she reveals what she wants, when she wants, to whomever she wants. I believe in her own, twisted way, Mattie’s been protecting Megan all along.” Like a mother would.
The realization didn’t sit well with Logan. He didn’t like the idea that a woman like Mattie Silks might actually think of Megan as a daughter. It was yet another reason to get her out of town quickly.
“I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said,” Trey admitted. “But for Megan’s sake, I won’t allow you to act in haste.”
“Megan is innocent,” Logan reiterated. “And the primary witness to a murder. That puts her under my protection now.”
“I’m aware witness protection is under your jurisdiction,” Trey said through snarled lips. “I’m not going to fight you on that. What do you have to say about this, Shane? Is Megan capable of making a journey like Logan is suggesting?”
Shane nodded. “Yes, as long as he makes frequent stops.” He turned to speak to Logan directly. “You must allow her to rest whenever necessary.”
“I have no intention of pushing her beyond reason.”
“Of course not,” Shane acknowledged. “Didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”
“She’ll also need a chaperone for the trip,” Trey pointed out, in a tone more like a father than a lawman.
“I know that, too.” In fact, Logan had already begun working up a list of chaperones in his mind.
He knew of several suitable women he trusted implicitly, all of them connected with Charity House. He didn’t see a problem with asking any of the ladies to accompany him and Megan to his family’s ranch, until his gaze met hers.
There was something in her eyes he couldn’t quite define. That look, it was the same one she’d given him earlier, as though she was…afraid?
Was she afraid of him?
Surely not. Something else had to be causing her worry.
“Megan, I’m confident we can find you a suitable chaperone, one we can both agree on.”
His words seemed to upset her more, so much so that tears gathered in her eyes.
Tears!
Megan was going to cry.
No, Lord. Please, no.
Logan could stand anything but that. Unlike his brother, Hunter, he’d always been powerless in the face of female tears. Even as a boy, Logan’s baby sisters had wrapped him around their little fingers with nothing more than a whimper. It hadn’t taken the little darlings long to learn how to use that particular weapon mercilessly against him.
But with Megan, her tears were different. They’d always been…terrifying. Gut-wrenching.
“Please, sweetheart, don’t cry.” Hoping to avoid the inevitable, he took her hands in his and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “We’ll get married instead. Before we leave.”
She gasped at his blunt delivery, her eyes wide with shock.
You’re botching this, Logan.
He softened his voice, took a deep breath and tried again. “Megan, I want to marry you.” At the sight of her skepticism, he added with more force, “I do.”
“You two can’t get married right now,” Trey and Shane said at the exact same moment, their voices melding into one, cruel sentence.
Paying no heed to either man, Logan gripped Megan’s hands a bit tighter and stared into her eyes. His mind traveled back to the time when her guardian had told him to wait until she was older, until he could provide for her properly.
For five years, he’d followed another man’s advice. He’d worked hard to prove himself as a lawman, moving up the ranks until he was no longer someone’s deputy but a U.S. Marshal in his own right.
What good had come from that route? Megan was in trouble. Her life was at risk. And where there had once been love and affection between them, strain and tension now reigned.
“Megan.” He raised one of her hands to his lips. “Will you marry me?”
Her eyes continued filling, the tears wiggling to the very edges of her lashes.
One lone tear escaped. Another soon followed.
He stopped the third with the pad of his thumb. “We’ve always planned to marry,” he reminded her. “It’s what we promised one another before I left for San Francisco.”
Another tear slipped free.
He swallowed. Hard.
This wasn’t how his marriage proposal was supposed to go. He’d had a plan, a good one that included dinner at a fancy restaurant and the ring he had tucked away in his pocket. He’d prepared a heartfelt declaration and even toyed with the idea of picking a bouquet of her favorite flowers to start off the evening on the right note.
But nothing in the last twelve hours had gone as planned. Logan wasn’t supposed to find his future bride in jail. He wasn’t supposed to feel uncertainty and confusion growing between them. And he certainly wasn’t supposed to make her cry.
He trapped another rogue tear with his fingertip.
“It won’t be a grand wedding, there’s no time for that, but we’ll be together, like we planned.” Wasn’t that what mattered? “What do you say, Megan? Will you marry me?
She blinked up at him, sorrow shimmering inside her gaze. But, if he wasn’t mistaken, the desire to say yes to his proposal was swimming in her eyes, as well.
Hope swelled in his heart.
Then
Shane cleared his throat. “Logan, give her a moment to think,” he said softly. “She’s been through an ordeal. She deserves a bit of time to consider your proposal.”
Logan was in no mood for a lecture, but he knew Shane was right.
What if she says no? He swallowed back a jolt of apprehension. Lord, release me from this doubt. Whatever happens next, however she responds, help me to trust it is for the best. Not the end, but the beginning.
“If this is all too sudden for you,” he added in a surprisingly steady voice. “We can wait to be married until you’re completely ready.”
She cocked her head at a slight angle, a sense of wonder evident in her gaze. “You’d still marry me, even if I said no now?”
“Yes.” He smiled at her and satisfaction filled him when she returned the gesture.
“I’ve always wanted to marry you,” he said. “From the first moment I laid eyes on you I knew you were the one for me. I love you, Megan.” It was the truth, his defining truth these last five years.
It was also the right thing to say.
Her expression cleared and she flung herself back into his arms. Right where she belonged.
“Yes, Logan.” She choked back a sob. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”
Praise God, he thought. Something was finally going their way.
Chapter Seven
Half fearing Logan would vanish if she released her hold on him, Megan clung longer than was proper.
But, oh, Logan loved her. He loved her. And he was going to marry her. Today.
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and breathed in his warm, masculine scent. How she’d missed him. How she’d longed for his strength. His kindness. His patience.
Although she didn’t want to rely on anyone, not even Logan, not completely, she couldn’t help but give in to her joy now.
For this one, brief moment in time, it was easy for Megan to believe God’s promise in Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
She tightened her grip on his shoulders, only half aware the other two men were leaving the building, giving her and Logan a moment alone with one another.
Megan sighed. All her dreams were coming true at last. Her plans for the future were no longer vague and shadowy. There would be no more waiting. No more wondering “when” or “if.” No more serving other people’s purposes, but those of her own family.
The one she would build with Logan.
Megan should be happy.
And yet…
She was tempted to hold a part of herself back, like always, even after Logan’s bold declaration of love in front of a highly unlikely audience—her doctor and the town sheriff.
Confusion and sadness tumbled through her. Surely, this bleak feeling in the pit of her stomach was caused by her memory loss and not some ridiculous fear that Logan would leave her like her father had left her mother. Like her mother had in turn abandoned her to the care of others.
No, this doubt had to be caused by recent events. She’d been through a terrible trauma.
Or so everyone kept telling her.
The thought brought no relief. Only more sadness. She dug her fingers into Logan’s shoulders, reminding herself this was Logan. Logan, the man who’d remained constant these past five years. The man who had returned to her, just as he’d promised. As though sensing her shift in mood, he pulled slightly away and stared into her eyes. She quickly lowered her head, away from all that consideration staring back at her.
He gently lifted her chin with his finger. “Megan?” Concern filled his voice. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Rather than answering his question, she bolted back into his arms, letting the strength of his body erase her sudden melancholy.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said in a rushed tone, her voice catching on the words. “It’s just…everything has happened so fast. I’m a bit overwhelmed. That’s all.”
“Of course.” He released a slow exhale of air. “I suspect that’s only natural.”
Why did he have to be so agreeable, so kind? So understanding?
Frowning at the unexpected jolt of frustration at him—at her—at them both—Megan stepped back again. With a slight shake in her hands, she pressed her fingertips to her temples and tried to rub out the ache behind her eyes.
“Do you want me to stay with you awhile longer?” Logan asked, worry still evident in his voice. “Time is short. But not that short. I can wait to start making plans for our wedding if there’s something you want to discuss first?”
He was giving her a chance to change her mind. Instead of feeling grateful for his thoughtfulness, panic clogged in her throat. Did he want her to change her mind?
“No. I…” Her throat grew tighter. She wanted to push him away from her. At the same time, she wanted to pull him close and never let him go. What was wrong with her? “I want you to start making our wedding plans. As soon as possible, please.”
He held very still. “You’re sure?”
Was she? Of course she was. But her hands started shaking harder and the dark, hazy feeling that hovered just out of reach threatened to consume her all over again.
Her life might be simpler if she relied only on her own strength, but that wasn’t God’s plan for His children. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow…
She wanted that kind of unity with Logan.
Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Megan laced her fingers together and set them in front of her. They fell directly across the bloodstains at her waist. She had to get out of this dress. At once.
“Please, Logan, I don’t want to wait any longer to get married. But I need to prepare a few things on my own, without you here. I need…”
A friend, she thought a little desperately, someone to help her dress for the wedding ceremony. To share a few words of wisdom that would alleviate her worries about this hasty marriage.
As if in answer to her silent wish, the outer door swung open with a flourish. The scent of jasmine floated on the air while the sound of rustling material and soft footsteps echoed off the walls.
Megan turned her head in time to see Bella, Dr. Shane’s wife and one of Megan’s dearest friends, approaching. With her honey-gold hair, amber eyes and aristocratic features, Bella O’Toole Bartlett was the most beautiful woman Megan had ever met. She was also a ferocious and loyal friend. Exactly the person Megan needed right now.
Arms full of what looked like expensive dresses made of shiny silk and lace, Bella half glided, half waddled into the jail cell. Despite being eight months with child, she was all grace and style. No longer touted as the international opera sensation of her generation, the woman still knew how to make an entrance.
“Oh, Megan, my dear,” Bella said in her breathy, British accent. “I’ve been beside myself with worry. It’s just not right, you, all alone and trapped in this hideous jail cell.” She drew in a dramatic pull of air. “Well, I’m here now. We’ll get you changed and feeling like new in no time. I’ve brought several dresses with me. You can choose the one you like best.”
Barely glancing in Logan’s direction, she shoved the bundle of silk and lace at him. Ignoring how he fumbled to keep one of the dresses from falling to the floor, Bella tugged Megan into a fierce hug.
“Shane told me what happened last night at Mattie’s.” She rubbed Megan’s back as if she were one of the smaller children at Charity House. “What an ordeal you’ve suffered.”
Megan relaxed under her friend’s sympathetic care, then glanced over at Logan. He stared back at her, wide-eyed, blinking rapidly and so adorably handsome in his confusion. Clearly, he had no idea what to make of Shane’s wife. Bella had that particular impact on people.
He bobbled the dresses in his arms again, crumpling the bulk of them against his broad chest in an effort to secure his hold. He should look ridicul
ous, standing there with all that silk and lace tumbling around him.
He stole her breath away. This man, this dear, dear man, would soon be her husband.
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. Megan sighed in satisfaction.
Bella let out an answering sound deep in her throat, then stepped back. “Let’s have a look at you.” She gripped Megan’s shoulders, scowled at the wound on her throat, then searched her face for…what?
Megan shifted under her friend’s scrutiny, putting far too much weight on her tender ankle. She gasped at the sharp pain shooting up her leg.
Logan was instantly by her side, but the dresses in his arms made it impossible for him to reach out to her.
No matter. The fact that he’d moved that quickly was enough to tell her how deeply he cared. Maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible to rely on him. Just a little.
Megan had to fight to keep from bursting into tears, whether from happiness or confusion she couldn’t say. Her emotions were so raw, so close to the surface. One moment she was happy, the next she was confused. Would she ever feel like herself again?
She didn’t have long to ponder the question before Bella released her and moved to stand directly in front of Logan. “You must be Megan’s fiancé, Logan.”
He blinked several more times, obviously thrown off by the censure in her tone. “Yes. I’m Logan Mitchell. And you—” he cleared his throat “—must be Shane’s wife, Bella. He said you were coming to help Megan change her clothing.”
“And here I am,” she said, continuing to eye Logan with her face bunched into an uncharacteristic glare.
At the sight of the two squaring off, a moment of desperation spread through Megan. What was her friend about to say to Logan? Bella had never pretended to agree with Megan’s decision to wait for his return. She’d gone so far as to encourage Megan to leave Denver altogether and travel abroad so she could study her art.
Megan had resisted.
What was wrong with not wanting to leave Denver? What was wrong with desiring a simple life with Logan, and producing a handful of children together?