Cricket Cove

by Haddix, T. L.

  “So since you sent out a query letter, I’m assuming that means you’ve written a book. What’s it about, Alex?”

  She gasped, this time with genuine surprise. “You know my pen name? How?”

  “Emma. And it might surprise you to know that I follow your columns.”

  “Huh. Okay.” He could tell he’d flustered her. “That, um, that does surprise me. And yes, I’ve written a book. Two and a half, as a matter of fact. I’m finishing up the third of a trilogy now. Daddy always said if you go into the venture of writing with more than one book and pitch it, you have a better chance of getting a publishing contract.”

  Logan shook his head, marveling. “When do you sleep? As far as I know, writing a book isn’t as simple as just typing up a few pages and sending it off.”

  She laughed softly, and the sound was like a punch to his gut. “It is not that simple, no. I sleep when I can. And it’s taken me three years to write two books. This third one has gone much faster, or had been going. I’ve hit a block thanks to all the shenanigans lately.”

  “That has to just add to your frustration,” Logan told her quietly. “And as someone who was part of the shenanigans, I’m sorry.”

  She was quiet for a minute. “I believe you.”

  The words felt like a benediction to Logan, and he closed his eyes against the emotions they wrought. “Thank you.”

  “That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook completely, Sarge. So don’t get too comfortable.”

  His laugh turned into a groan as he stretched his legs out. The water was getting cold, and he knew he had to get out soon. “Can you hang on a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  He laid the phone on the toilet seat and unplugged the drain, then tried to stand as quietly as possible. He didn’t want her hearing him grunting like an old man. The water sluiced down his body, and he grabbed a towel off the rack above the toilet to wrap around his waist. Once he was out and dried off, he picked the phone back up.

  “Okay, I’m back. Sorry about that.”

  She cleared her throat. “Um, was that sound I just heard you getting out of the bathtub, by any chance?”

  Logan paused on his way to the bedroom. “Maybe?”

  “So you’re walking around with all your dangly bits swinging in the wind?”

  The laughter caught him by surprise, nearly choking him. He had to hold the phone away from him to keep from hurting her ears. He bent double, and soon he had tears streaming down his cheeks as he laughed. He finally managed to regain enough control to continue the conversation.

  “Dangly bits? Dangly bits? I don’t know how to answer that.”

  Amelia was laughing on the other end of the line. “I would love to have seen your face. Oh, Logan. It was too good to pass up.”

  “Well, we are practically engaged and all,” he replied. “I suppose the question wasn’t that out of line. Though I didn’t know you were that interested in my dangly bits.”

  She coughed. “I am a sex-crazed virgin, you know. And there is that whole engagement to consider. There ought to be a few benefits.”

  Logan dropped the towel and stretched out on his back across the bed. “I am at your service, madam. It’s good to hear you laugh.”

  “It’s good to laugh. At my service, hmmm? What would you do if I showed up on your doorstep in a couple of hours, dressed in a trench coat?”

  This time his groan was entirely due to the hot desire her words stirred up. “Woman, you try it. What with this storm system that’s moving in, we might be stuck here for days together. And we damned sure wouldn’t be playing pinochle.”

  “Mmmm, I wish I were brave enough to do it. I should go, I suppose, now that I’ve offended your sensibilities.”

  Logan didn’t want the call to end. “I don’t feel offended enough. You need to stay on the line a while longer,” he told her, his voice low. “Besides, you never did tell me what your books are about.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were enjoying this conversation.”

  “I am.”

  She gave a soft sigh. “You’re trouble, you know.”

  “I do know that. You’re trouble, too.” Despite their teasing from earlier, the tone shifted and grew serious. “You scare the crap out of me.”

  “All the more reason for me to hang up now. Will you write me?”

  “You don’t think that’s just as dangerous as the phone calls?” he asked.

  She answered quietly. “I think it’s more dangerous. I want you to write despite that. Guess that makes me crazy, huh?”

  “No. At least no crazier than I am, because I’m going to do it.”

  “Yeah?”

  His response was solemn. “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll hang up so you can write me. Goodnight, Logan.”

  “Goodnight, Amelia.”

  He lay on the bed for a long time, staring up at the ceiling as his thoughts raced around in circles. If she’d been in Perry County tonight, Logan would have gone to her. To hell with upsetting Archer, he would have gone to see her. It took every bit of willpower he had to not call her back and beg her to come home.

  When the chill in the air finally got to him, he stirred and threw some flannel pants on. He turned the TV on to catch the early news for the latest word on the winter weather heading into the area, but he had to struggle to focus. After seeing what he’d needed to, he turned the TV off and rested his head in his hands.

  He was in trouble. He was in big trouble, and he knew it to the depths of his soul. If Owen Campbell showed up on his doorstep with a gun and told Logan to keep away from his daughter, Logan didn’t think he could. If Archer begged him to walk away, he wouldn’t be able to. He wanted her, both physically and emotionally, too much. But she wanted things he didn’t. He could almost get his mind around the idea of marriage to Amelia. He couldn’t get past the idea of having children with her, and he knew that was a sticking point.

  “So maybe you let her decide. Maybe you’re reading things incorrectly. Maybe it isn’t your place to decide.” Resolved, he picked up his favorite pen and a notepad and started writing.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  In Laurel County, Amelia was pacing back and forth in the living room when her grandmother came in. Eliza frowned, and Amelia shook her head. She’d just hung up the phone and she felt like she was coming out of her skin.

  “I need you to talk me out of doing something I shouldn’t,” Amelia told her. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lip as she continued to pace.

  “Okay, that sounds ominous enough.” Eliza perched on the arm of the couch. “Tell me what it is I’m stopping you from doing.”

  “Going to Logan.” Chin up, Amelia stopped and watched her grandmother. “I want to go to him so badly I can’t stand it, Nonny. And I know I shouldn’t.”

  She held Eliza’s gaze as long as she could before embarrassment set in. With a frustrated growl, she sat down beside Eliza. “This is ridiculous.”

  Eliza ran her hand down Amelia’s hair. “It is ridiculous. If it’s tearing you up this much, why not go?”

  Amelia was incredulous. “Nonny, you aren’t helping.”

  With a soft laugh, her grandmother hugged her. “You’re young. You obviously have feelings for the man, and if the way he sounded was any indication, he isn’t indifferent to you, either. Aren’t you on birth control?”

  “Yes.” Amelia had gone out with a guy back in the summer whom she’d thought had promise, and not wanting to take any chances, she’d gone to her doctor and started taking the shot. After a month and the fourth date when he’d finally kissed her more than just goodnight, it had been apparent there was no spark between them. She’d kept up with the shots, though, getting her latest one right after Archer and Emma’s wedding
.

  She could hardly believe her grandmother was advising her to have an affair. “So I should what? Just show up on his doorstep the night before a major snowstorm, possibly get stuck with a man who doesn’t want me there? I’m not even supposed to be in Perry County.”

  “If I were you, yes. I’d go. The storm isn’t supposed to hit until around dawn. It’s only just nine now. If he doesn’t want you there, at least you know, and you can move on. And you’d have time to turn around and come back here. You’re a night owl, so I don’t worry about you being on the roads that late, at least not as much as I would if you didn’t stay up so late. Sneak into town, see what happens.”

  Amelia shook her head and stood. “I must be hallucinating.” She was actually considering it. She looked at her grandmother, whose expression was calm. “What if he turns me away? I don’t know if I could handle that.”

  Eliza stood and came to her, framing Amelia’s face with her soft palms. “What if he doesn’t turn you away?”

  Amelia swallowed hard. “I’m almost more afraid of that,” she whispered. She turned her face in to her grandmother’s hand, nuzzling, and Eliza pulled her close for a hug.

  “Be the brave girl that I know you are, and go to the man,” Eliza whispered. “I’ll eat my birthday hat if I’m wrong about him.”

  “Okay. I’ll hold you to that, you know,” she teased as she drew back. She wiped her eyes. “I don’t know what to wear.”

  “Something comfortable. Don’t try too hard. Just let it happen. And pack a bag just in case you do get stuck there with him. Will you call me once you get there?”

  Amelia nodded. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

  She headed upstairs to pack, passing Eli in the hallway. As much as the logical side of her questioned what she was doing, her gut told her she needed to do this. Good, bad, or ugly, she needed to follow through and see what happened.

  Downstairs, Eli made his way into the living room, disbelief on his face. “Did I hear correctly? You just told her to go knocking on Logan’s door in the dead of night?”

  Eliza shrugged. “I just have the strongest feeling that she needs to. Do you think I’m wrong?”

  He blew out a breath as he folded her into his arms and then placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I trust your instincts. I just hate to see her go so late.”

  “She’ll be okay. If we could refrain from mentioning this to anyone in the family, though…” She patted his chest. “I’d rather not let them know about it just yet. Not until she sees how it’s going to go.”

  Eli smiled down at her. “Your granddaughters get their feistiness straight from you, don’t they?”

  She tilted her head to the side and looked up at him flirtatiously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.”

  He laughed and hugged her tight. “I’m sure you don’t.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Logan had just started drifting into sleep, the driving rain that was falling lulling him into a relaxed state of mind, when he heard a vehicle pull up in the driveway down below. He was instantly awake, his body rigid with caution as he waited to hear what happened next. After a full minute he heard a door close. He grabbed his glasses as he got out of bed and headed for the living room. He didn’t turn on any lights, preferring to have the element of surprise on his side if it came to that.

  A soft knock sounded, barely audible over the sound of the rain. Heart pounding, Logan eased to the door and lifted the curtain that covered the three diagonally placed windows. When he saw who his visitor was, he shook his head even as he undid the deadbolt and bottom lock. “I must still be asleep.”

  But no, when he swung the door open wide and unlatched the storm door, Amelia was still standing on the other side. He flipped the switch that turned the lights on over the kitchen island, let her in, and stood back as she stepped inside.

  Dressed in a sweater that came down past her hips, her legs encased in leggings, she was dripping wet. She was also gazing up at him warily, biting her lip as she shivered, her hands clenched together in front of her chest.

  Logan whipped his T-shirt over his head. “Where’s your coat?” he asked as he started gently blotting the rain from her face.

  “In the car. I, uh, I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by and say hello.”

  Once her face was dry, he ran the shirt over her hair. “No trench coat?” he teased. He still couldn’t believe she was standing in front of him.

  Amelia’s cheeks turned rosy. “I don’t own a trench coat. Sorry.”

  “Damn. Well, thanks for stopping by.” She laughed and he touched her cheek with a gentle finger. “Not that I’m complaining, but what in the world are you doing here?”

  She closed her eyes as she tried to answer, but Logan could see she was struggling. He slid his hand around her face and threaded his fingers into her hair, stepping close enough to her that he could feel her breath on his bare chest.

  “Dare I take your presence to mean that you aren’t just here to share a cup of coffee and play pinochle?” he whispered.

  “I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never done anything like it before. I just… I couldn’t stand the idea of not being here. I know it was incredibly impetuous of me to just show up here like this.”

  Logan placed a hand on the door behind her and let his weight rest against her, pressing her back into the surface. “I’m not complaining. But you do realize there’s this blizzard bearing down on us, and you might be stuck here for a few days, right?”

  Her hands finally unclenched and settled lightly on his chest as she gave a tiny smile. “It would definitely be the most memorable birthday sleepover I’ve ever had.”

  He couldn’t resist any longer and ducked his head to kiss her softly. He didn’t try to take the kiss deep but kept it light. “If you want to walk out of here, now is the time.”

  “I don’t want to walk out of here, but thank you for offering.” She pressed her hands flat against his chest. “I don’t expect wild declarations of love with roses and candles, Logan. But I want to spend the night… I want to be with you. Once we get unfrozen from the storm, I don’t know where that will leave us, but I’m willing to take the risk.”

  Logan didn’t know what to think. He understood her caution, given their history. But for the first time in his life, it appeared he wanted more from a relationship than the woman he was with. He had to be honest with her.

  “You don’t know how much it means to me that you’ve shown up here tonight. And I have no intention of sending you back out there,” he said, gesturing toward the door with his chin. “But you need to understand that this won’t just be a fling for me. I don’t know where we’ll end up, either, but this isn’t just sex.”

  She studied his face carefully. “Okay. I can accept that.”

  “Did you bring an overnight bag?”

  “It’s in the car. I can go get it.”

  Logan shook his head. “No. Let me have your keys and I’ll get it. And I’ll move your car into the garage. As much as I’m glad you’re here, you are supposed to be several counties away right now for your own protection. It would probably behoove us to take a few precautions, don’t you think?”

  She smiled and gave him her keys. “That’s probably a good idea, yes. I need to call Nonny and let her know I arrived safely. Do you mind if use the phone?”

  He kissed her in response. “I’ll be right back.” He slipped his shoes on and used the interior staircase to go down to the garage. The second garage bay was empty since he’d given Archer their father’s car as a wedding gift, and he pulled Amelia’s little sports coupe inside next to his.

  Once the car was parked, he went to the open garage door and stood, watching the rain come down in sheets. The air was several degrees cooler than it had been when he ha
d gone out on the porch earlier, but it was still warmer than usual for January. He didn’t know if that was good or bad. If the storm didn’t materialize, he didn’t know what that would mean for Amelia’s visit.

  Logan had never been a big fan of snow, but as he went back upstairs, he prayed they got at least a foot or two this time.

  Chapter Thirty

  The whole drive up from Laurel County, Amelia questioned what she was doing. She had almost turned around and gone back to Eli’s half a dozen times. Logan would be none the wiser, and there’d be no risk to her emotions, her ego. Somehow she’d found the courage to keep going.

  When she pulled into the driveway, she almost chickened out again. But she got out of the car and climbed the steps to knock on his door. She’d seen her hand come down five times in rapid succession, almost as though it belonged to someone else. The rain soaked through her clothes as she waited for him to respond, even though the landing she was on was sheltered by a small roof.

  And then he’d opened the door. Shock and disbelief on his face, he let her in as though he thought she was a ghost. When he’d pulled his shirt off and so gently taken care of her, her insides had melted.

  After he went downstairs, she exchanged the wet sweater for his T-shirt and made the phone call.

  Now, having assured Nonny she was safe, Amelia found herself standing in front of the kitchen counter while she waited for Logan to come back up from the garage. She was very much afraid she was going to be sick. The sudden need for the facilities hit her, and she hurried into the bathroom to pee. She had just finished washing her hands when the lights went out.

  “Are you kidding me?” she asked the dark room, fumbling for the hand towel. While her night vision was much better than the average human’s, with no windows in the bathroom to let in ambient light, she was flying blind.