She breathed a sigh of relief as Tara and Jenny’s conversation filtered in from the porch while she went to check on the book club members in the living room. Millie Swanson and a couple of the other ladies requested more tea, so she refilled the hot water carafe for them before loading the serving tray with dirty cake dishes to take back to the kitchen.
When she passed through the archway, she nearly dropped them all at the sight of Logan stepping inside from the porch. Recovering her composure despite the rattle of plates and silverware in her hands, she strode over to set the tray on the counter, then crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned back against the sink to glare at him.
He looked uncomfortable as hell, which was good, because that’s exactly how she felt.
“What do you want?” She kept her voice low so it wouldn’t carry to either the living room, or through the screen door where her friends now sat silent as little church mice.
“Al left a message for me to stop by, but I didn’t see him outside.”
“He’s in his office.”
Logan glanced toward the voices coming from the living room before gesturing toward her grandpa’s office door on the opposite side of the kitchen. “Do you mind?”
“Why do you think I told you where he was?” God, she hated that he turned her into a snippy bitch.
She noticed his jaw clench as he started across the floor. Sweet Pea lumbered in from the living room, right into his path. He paused to lean down and scratch the pot bellied pig behind the ears. She grunted her appreciation, and her grandma swiveled in her seat toward the noise.
The moment she smiled at the sight of Logan, Joy panicked.
“Shoot.” She lunged forward to drag him upright and push him toward the back of the kitchen. “Go. Get outta here,” she whispered.
The frown forming on his forehead became a grimace when he turned and saw the reason she’d shoved him on his way. One look at her grandma, and he hurried toward her grandfather’s office.
“Logan,” Gram called out. “Hold on.”
Logan not Luke. That was a good sign. Joy’s tension dropped a notch.
The correct name made him hesitate and cast her a questioning glance. She waved him on his way, but it was too late. Grandma was already at the kitchen archway.
“Logan,” she admonished. “Don’t go running off before I have a chance to introduce you to the ladies. Come in here.”
He gave Joy a desperate do I have to? look. She lifted her hands palm up, not sure what to say or do.
“Sorry, June,” he began, sidling toward his escape. “Al’s waiting for me. I should—”
“Stop right there, young man.” Grandma put her fists on her hips and glowered. “Do not deny me the pleasure of introducing my granddaughter’s fiancé to all my friends.”
Dead silence fell in the other room at the sound of her raised voice.
Oh boy, here we go.
Completely blocking out the half-dozen avid expressions in the living room, Joy went to her grandma’s side and took hold of her hand. “Gram, we’ve been over this,” she said very softly. “Logan and I are not engaged.”
“June’s off her rocker for good now,” Edna Persky stage-whispered.
Her heart squeezed—especially when her grandma blinked, and the familiar confusion took over her expression. “What? But…of course you are.”
“No—”
A large hand slid around her waist, and Joy suddenly found herself snugged tight against Logan’s side.
“You found us out, June,” he said, his tone surprisingly gentle. “Can’t keep nothing from you.”
Astonished, Joy jerked her gaze up to his face. What happened to hell no? His fingers tightened on her hip as his mouth stretched in what was probably supposed to be a smile.
Good one, Logan. Real natural looking, she thought sarcastically.
Then she turned back to her grandma to see her beaming at the two of them. “I knew it.”
The pure happiness shining from those faded blue eyes swelled Joy’s heart with emotion. It had been months since she’d seen that expression.
She buried her face against Logan’s chest until she could swallow past the lump in her throat and blink away the sting of tears. Beneath her cheek, she noticed the thump of his heart felt a bit like he’d just run a couple miles.
“Did we hear that correctly?” Millie Swanson trilled from her prime seat on the couch. “You two are engaged?”
Joy took a deep breath and turned to face the music. It had been her idea after all.
Gram bestowed her radiant grin upon the book club. “Yes, you did. My granddaughter is finally getting married, and I get to help plan the wedding.”
She could’ve done without the emphasis on finally, but her grandmother’s happiness was well worth the little spike of embarrassment.
“Where’s the ring?” Edna demanded.
Crap. She stared at her bare left hand flattened against Logan’s tan, button-down shirt. “I…um…”
“Hush, Edna.”
Thank you, Millie.
“The boy can’t pay his mortgage. How would he afford a ring?”
Logan’s grip tightened on Joy’s hip again.
Shut up, Millie.
She glanced up to see the muscle pulsing in his clenched jaw.
“Well, she can’t buy her own,” Edna shot back. “It don’t work that way.”
Shut up both of you! Joy leaned into Logan’s embrace and slid her hand down across his stomach to wrap both arms around his lean waist. Wow. Nothing but muscle.
Looking Edna right in the eye, she said, “He gave me a ring. It’s beautiful, too, but I took it off to do barn chores this morning.”
Her two and a half-carat engagement ring from Luke was buried in the bottom of her jewelry box upstairs, so it wasn’t like she wouldn’t be able to back up the story.
“Ooh, can we see it?” Mrs. Langhart asked, genuine enthusiasm in her smile.
“Ah—”
A couple of loud hand claps from behind them cut her off. Joy swung her gaze back to see Tara and Jenny taking in the entire scene from the kitchen archway. Oh, boy, was she going to have some explaining to do.
Tara lowered her arms and gave Joy a shark-like grin before saying, “Ladies, would you look at the time? Those thunderstorms Channel 5 forecasted will be rolling in before you know it.”
The reminder of impending bad weather set off a flurry of exclamations and activity. No one wanted to be caught in the rain.
Joy shot her friends a quick, grateful smile. She eased out of Logan’s embrace with a pat on his chest, avoiding his gaze as she advised quietly, “You should go while the gettin’s good.” And because Edna watched them like bugs squirming under a magnifying glass, she added with a stiff smile, “I’ll see you later, h-honey.”
Good God, that was going to need as much work as Logan’s smile.
She stepped back and turned around to start clearing the rest of the dishes when a large, calloused hand clamped around her wrist. In one smooth motion, her fake fiancé spun her into his arms, dipped her backward, and covered her mouth with his. Her surprised gasp gave him instant access, and his tongue stroked hers once, twice, three times, before he withdrew.
To be fair, she kissed him back—even gave a soft sound of protest when his lips left hers.
When he didn’t set her on her feet right away, she opened her eyes to find his nose an inch from hers as he smiled at her—this one completely natural, and alarmingly breathtaking.
“That ought to sell it, don’t you think, sweetheart?”
“Ah, yeah,” she whispered as he pulled her upright with dramatic flair that left her completely off-balance. He gave her a wink and a slap on the ass, and strode away.
Joy gripped the back of the chair next to her, staring after him in amazement. Who the hell was that guy?
“Hypothetical my ass.” Tara moved into her line of vision. “You are so not getting out of this explanation.”
/> Chapter 6
‡
Logan’s gaze shifted from the smoothed out yellow notepad paper on his dresser, to the ring laying in his palm. Abruptly, he fisted his hand and shoved the jeweled silver band in his pocket.
In for a penny…
He strode downstairs, out the door, and through the rain to his truck. An absent swipe of his hand brushed the water from his hair before he reached for the gear shift. On the drive back to the Dolinski’s, he wondered how the hell he’d gone from saying barely two words to Joy all summer, to being engaged to her, kissing her in front of Gossip Central, and then slapping her on the ass on his way out in a matter of days?
June—that’s how.
When her grandmother’s face clouded with confusion in front of everyone, and that old biddy Edna made the comment about being off her rocker, he didn’t have the heart to let her flounder. He’d seen the emotional toll the dementia took on her when awareness sparked. He’d heard the pain in Joy’s voice as she tried to smooth over the situation.
He could pretend for a little while if it kept that happy smile on June’s face. He’d deal with the whispers about him behind his back—and to his face. He was used to Edna Persky and her sister Millie Swanson looking down on his family, so they were nothing new. After the sale, he wouldn’t be around long enough afterward for their barbs to matter anymore, and at least the ruse would spare June.
Turning into the driveway, he recalled the dazed expression on Joy’s face when she’d opened her eyes after the kiss. Yeah, okay, if he wanted to be completely honest with himself, compassion for her grandmother only explained the half of it. His ego was to blame for the other half of his rash decision.
After stewing all night over her ‘I just wanted you to say yes’ comment, no way could he let her get away with using that excuse to explain her enthusiastic response in his hayloft. She didn’t want to be attracted to him, but she was, and he was going to exploit that passion for all it was worth.
When he’d finished his talk with Al about an upcoming horse adoption and left ten minutes ago, he’d spotted Joy’s turquoise sweater as she dashed through the rain to the barn. Betting she was still inside, he parked near the open double doors. After a glance toward the house, he ducked through the downpour at a jog to avoid getting too chilled. The storm had brought a drop in temperature, and he hadn’t grabbed a jacket.
The orange tabby cat named Whiskers ignored him as she licked a paw to wash behind her ear while her four kittens scampered out of sight at the stomp of his boots. Another swipe through his hair left it damp as he scanned the stalls for Joy’s red curls.
“Hey—you still in here?” he called, raising his voice to be heard above the rain drumming on the tin roof and the occasional low rumble of thunder outside.
Chester and Buster stuck their heads over their stall doors and whickered a welcome. In the stall next to the Palomino, Joy’s black mare, Grace, barely spared him a glance as her ear twitched. He reached out to stroke Buster’s blond nose while checking the other side of the barn.
“Joy?”
He was about to return to his truck when he heard a faint, “Up here.”
After a final rub for Buster, Logan turned around and made his way to the ladder. His pulse skipped a beat as he climbed into the hayloft, but he ignored that little leap of anticipation, and strolled across the dusty floor.
Joy sat on the hay near the open loft doors, one knee drawn up as she leaned against the bales stacked behind her. With his approach, she pulled a spoon from her mouth and stuck it back in the small tub of ice cream in her hand. Her hazel gaze watched as he hopped up beside her, scooted back against the hay, and mirrored her pose. Almost immediately, the heat of her body next to his seeped through his clothes.
He took a discreet breath to calm his over-excited heartbeat. The situation was too uncertain, considering, far as he knew, girls ate ice cream straight from the tub to drown their sorrows after a break up, not an engagement announcement.
When she didn’t speak, he reached over and took the spoon to scoop up a bite of the melting green goo. “I figured we should talk,” he said after licking the spoon.
“You mean get our story straight after you blindsided me in front of everyone back there?”
“Something like that.” The ice cream was good—mint with a swirl of smooth, chocolate fudge—but he could think of something else he’d rather taste. As he reached to put the spoon back, he noticed the large rock on her left hand ring finger.
The sight of it annoyed the hell of him, and he shoved the spoon into the container a bit harder than necessary.
She tossed him a frown.
He nodded toward the ring. “That from Luke?”
When she turned her hand to look at the diamond, she almost spilled the melted ice cream all over her jeans. Quickly righting the tub, she muttered, “Yeah.”
“Well, you can take it off.”
His brusk words earned him a sharp glance, then she thunked the ice cream tub down between them and reached for the ring. “Fine time now to change your mind after—”
“I didn’t change my mind.” He dug into his pocket. “I just don’t want you wearing the ring from a guy who cheated on you and having people think it came from me.”
“Oh.” Annoyance dissipated, and after a moment, she tugged the diamond from her finger. Holding it in front of her, she eyed the solitaire with a frown. “After the comments earlier, don’t you think I should probably wear something?”
“Here.” He extended his hand, the silver ring with emeralds and diamonds held between his thumb and forefinger. No way he was putting it on for her.
Her eyes widened as she lifted her gaze to his. “Where did you get that?”
“It was my mother’s. Don’t lose it.”
She stared for a moment longer, then tucked her ring in her pocket before carefully taking his. She slid it on, then held her hand out in front of her, fingers held up in the way women did when admiring jewelry.
“It’s beautiful. And it fits just right, so I won’t lose it,” she added with a touch of sarcasm.
He picked up the ice cream and ate another bite. Anything to get his mind off the fact that his mother’s engagement ring was a perfect fit for his fake fiancée. After the next bite, he offered Joy the spoon again.
“Oh, no, I’ve had enough, thanks.” She rubbed her palms on her jeans, then tucked her hands between her thighs, hiding the ring. “I suppose you want to talk about the money, too. I can have Wes draw up a contract—”
“No.”
“We can trust him not to say anything. Though I did have to explain to Tara and Jen—”
“There isn’t going to be a contract.”
Her eyebrows rose as she leaned the tiniest bit away from him. “You’re just going to trust me to pay that much money? I mean, you can, but—”
“No, I don’t want the money.”
Now she frowned. “But the farm—”
“We do this my way, or we don’t do it at all.” Logan dug through the soupy parts to find what was left of the chocolate. “No money, or no deal.”
“Then what do you get out of it?” She shifted, and color infused her cheeks as she faced him with one leg bent at the knee and the other dangling over the side of the hay stack. “Because when I said I kissed you to get you to say yes that did not mean I’m going to sleep with you.”
“I didn’t expect you to. It’s a bit insulting that you think I would.” He did not admit out loud that he’d hoped, because hopes and expectations were completely different.
“Just making sure we’re clear,” she said in a firm voice.
Clearly, either way, it was a foolish idea. “Yep.”
“Good. So, then why do this if you don’t want the money? Especially when we both know you need it.”
Unlike the money, the stinging reminder was something he didn’t need.
“It’s for June, okay?” Now he shoved the spoon in the tub and set it aside.
“She’s always been nice to my family, no matter what we were going through. And I’m not blind, you know. I see how the idea of you happy makes her happy.”
“This isn’t about me being happy. It’s about her thinking you’re Luke, and loving that she now gets to plan the wedding since she never got to plan my dad and mom’s. Or mine the first time.”
He wasn’t so sure it was only the wedding planning.
A particularly loud rumble of thunder drew her attention to the rain pouring down outside the open loft doors. The breeze was cool, but she wore a sweater, and he was hot just sitting next to her. He studied her profile, thinking about how he’d misjudged her all this time. Maybe their physical attraction could lead to something more—
Whoa. Dangerous road, man. Back it up.
“Do I really look that much like him?”
“Luke?” Joy darted him a glance. “Oh, no, not at all.”
Good. Because no matter how dangerous the turns, the thought of her thinking of that guy when she kissed him bugged the shit out of him.
She shifted to lean back against the hay again. “I mean, you both have darker hair and are really good-look…ing, but the rest is all in Gram’s head.”
Clearly, the middle part escaped before her brain caught up with her mouth. The color creeping into her cheeks confirmed the slip-up, and he managed to contain his grin as he asked, “You think I’m good-looking?”
“That was a statement of fact, not an opinion.”
Sure. Okay. He let it slide for now since he wasn’t in the habit of fishing for compliments, even if they were from a most unexpected source.
“So, what happened with this guy?”
She plucked a piece of hay and avoided his gaze. “Sounds like you already know what happened.”
He shrugged. “That was just the second-hand rumor around town.”
“Well, it was true.” She leaned her head back before tilting it toward him with a rueful half-smile. “What they didn’t know—what no one knows—is he also stole a whole bunch of money from me. I did actually pay for my own engagement ring, about five times over.”
He shook his finger at her and mimicked Edna. “That’s not how it’s done.”
Say You'll Marry Me (Welcome to Redemption #10) Page 5