Say You'll Marry Me (Welcome to Redemption #10)

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  Humor filled her smile at his horrible, shaky, old-lady voice.

  “I don’t blame you for not telling anyone,” he added a bit more seriously. “Did you at least get the money back?”

  “I didn’t press charges,” she admitted with a grimace.

  “Why the hell not?”

  “I just wanted to get out of town without drawing things out and having to face all our friends.”

  “Why? Did you cheat, too?”

  She cast him an offended look. “No I did not.”

  “Then why would you feel bad for what he did?”

  “Because it’s humiliating. I mean, I was so frickin’ naive. And I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing his face again—especially after catching him and his secretary.” She shuddered as if reliving the memory.

  “You saw them together?”

  “On his desk.”

  He cringed with her. “Ouch.”

  “Yeah. And when it came right down to it, most of our friends were really his friends, and I’ve heard what they say on that subject.”

  When she didn’t elaborate, he prompted, “What do they say?”

  “If she was any good, he wouldn’t have to get it somewhere else.”

  Logan laughed at the absurdity of the words. “People say stuff like that?”

  “Yes, they do.” Despite the blush in her cheeks, she looked like she was fighting her own smile. “I just told you, I’ve heard them.”

  “Well, they sound like idiots.”

  The grin broke free as she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

  “I’m serious,” he insisted. After a second of hesitation, he added, “In fact, I’d be happy to give you a whirl and provide testimony, if you’d like.”

  A burst of laughter made her shoulders shake. “Give me a whirl? What the hell am I, a Ferris wheel?”

  Relieved she’d taken the joke as he’d intended, he teased, “Oh, I’m willing to bet you’re a much better ride than a Ferris wheel.”

  Chapter 7

  ‡

  Joy gaped at Logan in shocked disbelief. Mischief brightened his brown eyes, and the smirk playing at the corners of his mouth made her pulse trip and stumble all over itself. “Okay, seriously, who the hell are you, and what happened to the Logan Walsh who was a jerk to me all summer?”

  “What do you mean I was a jerk? We didn’t even talk all summer.”

  “Exactly.”

  She raised her eyebrows in challenge, and he had the grace to look sheepish.

  “I suppose I might have been operating under the wrong assumption since you came home.”

  “Well, I knew you were an ass, but what did that make me?”

  “A lazy, spoiled princess.”

  “I am not.”

  “I can see that now,” he allowed. “But you were in high school.”

  “I didn’t even know you in high school,” she exclaimed.

  “Exactly.”

  She made a face at his parrot of her argument.

  “I’m only four years older than you, Joy. We were neighbors most of our life, and you didn’t even know who I was.”

  There was an undercurrent in his voice she couldn’t quite identify. It turned the conversation serious in a way she hadn’t expected after his brazen flirtation a moment ago. Not quite the former withdrawn Logan, this was a deeper version somewhere in between. He fit the guy who’d brought over his mother’s engagement ring because he didn’t want to be associated with the one from her cheating ex.

  “Just because we weren’t friends doesn’t mean I didn’t know who you were,” she defended. “We rode the bus together, remember? I even know you have a brother—Brent. And where is he, by the way? Why isn’t he around to help you with the farm?”

  A shadow passed over Logan’s face at the mention of his brother, and his hand fisted on his thigh. “We’re not talking about my brother now or any other time.”

  O-kay, sore subject. She gazed out at the rain for a moment before turning back. “You know, when you were sixteen and stopped riding the bus, I was twelve. When I was a freshman, you were a senior. We didn’t exactly run in the same circles back then.” Especially since she’d skipped a grade, making her a very young freshman.

  “No, we certainly did not,” Logan agreed.

  This time, she recognized the resentment in his voice and frowned. Wow. When she’d first asked him to pretend to be engaged, he’d really meant it when he said he didn’t like her. “How come it feels like I’ve been convicted without doing anything wrong? It’s not like I ever did anything to you, did I?”

  “No.” His gaze dropped, and his head angled away from her as he reached to brush his palm back and forth over the hay at his side.

  “Then I don’t get it.”

  A self-deprecating smile quirked up one side of his mouth as he let out a sound of frustration while tossing her a quick glance. “I’m going to try to explain this, and don’t you dare go reading anything into it, because I swear to God, it’s not like I’ve been carrying a torch for you all these years.”

  “Ooh, now you have me intrigued.” She grinned as she shifted to sit facing his profile again. “Continue.”

  His grimace looked as if he was preparing to have a tooth pulled. “It’s just…back then, you never gave me a second look, and I always figured it was because you had money, and I obviously didn’t.”

  “Money had nothing to do with it. You were four years older than me. Besides, from what I do remember, you never lacked a girlfriend.”

  “Yeah, well, for most of ’em I was nothing more than a way to pass the time. Fun, but even they recognized there wasn’t much of a future on a run-down farm teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.”

  “What about in college?”

  He tilted his head toward her. “Seriously?”

  Yeah, that had been a dumb question, she realized. He wouldn’t have been able to afford further schooling.

  “I learned welding in the Army and had a decent job in Minneapolis after I got out, but I came back to Redemption when my dad got sick. After he died, it’s been a downhill battle ever since.”

  “Then why do you stay?”

  “I swore to him I’d do what I could to keep the farm in the family. I’m the fifth generation.”

  Essentially a deathbed promise. She raised her eyebrows, the answer to his problem obvious. “Then take my money.”

  “Your money.” He shook his head rather decisively. “I owe way too much already, and there are some lines I refuse to cross. My dad would understand.”

  “Would he understand you jumping with both feet over the big bold line that leaves you homeless?”

  Logan’s stubborn expression didn’t budge, and she could tell that was a battle she wouldn’t win. For now, anyway. The urge to bring up his brother again was so strong she had to bite her tongue. Talking to him like this, and actually somewhat enjoying the conversation, was such an unexpected surprise, she didn’t want to rock the boat too much.

  “What are you going to do after the foreclosure sale goes through?”

  “I’ve got a couple weeks yet,” he said, his tone growing even more defensive. “It’s not like I’ve completely given up.”

  “But what if nothing works out?” she pressed.

  He met her gaze for a moment, then brushed some hay dust from his jeans. “My old boss in Minneapolis has a spot for me. I spoke to him last week.”

  Her stomach dipped at that news. “You’re gonna leave?”

  “It’s not like I have anything to keep me here.”

  “Um, I don’t know, other than the fact we’re supposed to be engaged?” When his gaze cut to hers, she lifted her palms and gave him a uh, hello? shrug.

  “Shit. I didn’t think of that earlier.”

  “You’re going to need to now. Gram could be like this for months before…well, before she doesn’t recognize any of us anymore. What’s she going to think if you just up and move to Minnesota?”

  His jaw
clenched in that way she was becoming familiar with, making her feel bad for guilting him when he was the one doing her the favor. Because he was right, other than that inconvenience, he didn’t have anything to stay for. His farm would be lost, his parents were both dead, and his brother God knows where.

  But still…

  “You have a job here,” she pointed out, bothered more than she would’ve expected at the thought of him going away. Heck, they’d only been semi-friendly for a few…well, hours, really. “Grandpa depends on your help.”

  His gaze met hers for a moment, then he scooted forward as if he was going to jump down and go. Instead, he sat on the edge of the stacked hay, a hand braced on each side as he surveyed the rain-soaked view outside. “Al and I talked a couple months ago, Joy. He knows I wasn’t planning to stick around.”

  So much for him not giving up. “But now—”

  Logan cut her off with a lift of his hand and a shake of his head. “I’ll figure something out. I won’t leave you hanging. For now, just leave it be.”

  Of course, she should leave it be. It was his life, his decision. By not taking the money, no matter what he said he’d do, he wouldn’t actually owe her a thing. And it wasn’t like what he did with his life mattered to her beyond taking care of Grandma.

  Except, it did matter.

  She hated that he’d given up on the farm—especially after having heard that song he was writing. The struggle he’d been having with the lyrics made sense now. He didn’t want to admit to himself how much the place meant to him. Clearly, the thought of not keeping his promise to his father bothered him, but pride refused to allow him to accept help.

  Though she didn’t understand why right now, she was going to figure it out. It would be her way of repaying the favor he was doing for her. Him not wanting to owe her just turned it around so she owed him. What better way than helping him keep his family’s heritage?

  In the silence, she shifted her gaze to his ring on her left hand. Twisting it back and forth on her finger, she admired the diamonds and emeralds while thinking of his family. He was right, she didn’t know much about them. His mother had died when Joy was about eight, and she didn’t even remember her name.

  Had the ring been given to his mother with love? Like the farm, it had to mean something to him, or she assumed he would’ve sold it already to pay bills.

  Logan dipped his head to look back at her, and she quickly covered her hand as she lifted her lashes.

  “I should get going,” he said. Then his gaze shifted away from her, to his boots. “But there is that story to get straight. Should anyone want to know.”

  “Oh, believe me, they will.”

  Joy slid off the hay to stand next to where he was sitting. If she pivoted to face him while stepping to her right, she’d end up right between his knees. He’d lift his head from whatever he found so interesting on the floor and they’d be perfectly lined up—

  “How did Luke ask?”

  The question caught her off guard. “Why. You want to use that?”

  “No. Anything but that.”

  He was still studying the floor boards, but his blatant disdain for Luke felt like he was sticking up for her in his own way. It put a little nugget of warmth right in the middle of her chest. “It was a fancy dinner at an expensive restaurant, with the ring in a champagne glass.”

  “That’s original,” Logan muttered.

  She pivoted, but did not take that step to her right. “Okay then, smartass, what’s our story? How did you ask?”

  “In the hayloft.” He glanced sideways at her, the hint of a smile on his lips echoed in his eyes. “During a thunderstorm.”

  “That’s right.” She smiled briefly. “With the ever-romantic, ‘Here. Don’t lose it.’”

  He laughed as he straightened and slid off the hay to stand beside her. “We’ll spice it up and tell everyone how you said I’m good-looking.”

  “No. Don’t.” She shook her head and kept shaking. “Do not let that go to your head.”

  “Really good-looking,” he reminded with a way-too-cute smirk.

  “Great. Your ego already ate it up.”

  “It’s okay, though. I think you’re pretty.”

  The surprise of Playful Logan was back. So far, she liked him best of all, especially when that smile warmed his eyes to the color of burnt caramel.

  She tilted her head to the side and fluttered her lashes with a pout. “Really pretty?”

  His hand rose to brush her hair back from her face, his gaze tracing over her features as his expression turned serious. “Beautiful.”

  The single word in his low voice made her stomach cartwheel. Her heart began to beat faster, and a warm tingle spread through her when his gaze focused on her mouth. As he leaned forward, she automatically began to close her eyes, more than ready for a replay of their first kiss.

  Sanity returned at the last moment. She planted her palm against his chest and pushed. He halted his advance, but didn’t retreat.

  “Um, it’s probably better if we limit…this…to only when we have to.”

  “Why? You scared?”

  She realized her hand was still pressed against his warm chest and she wanted to explore every hard muscle beneath her fingers. Snatching her hand back, she kept her gaze focused below his stubble-covered chin. “After our last time in the hayloft—yeah.”

  Satisfaction filled his smile. “So you did like the kiss.”

  Loved it. Wanna do it again.

  And again.

  And—

  He dipped his head to catch her eye. “To be clear, just because I kiss you doesn’t mean I’m gonna sleep with you.”

  She smiled, but it faded fast as she took in the really good-looking guy in front of her, who’d turned out to be pretty darn nice to boot. A cold wave of disappointment crashed over her. She stepped back, hugging her arms across her stomach to ward off the chill of her realization as well as the damp breeze coming in through the loft doors.

  “Doesn’t matter if I did like it, Logan, because none of this is real between us. We have to pretend for everyone else, but we can’t pretend with each other.”

  *

  Monday evening, Joy willed the butterflies in her stomach to stand down as she went to open the door for Logan. She hadn’t seen him since that almost-kiss the night before, and Grandma had insisted he join them for dinner.

  He’d showered and shaved, and his still-damp hair curled a bit at the ends. Instead of the usual work-worn denim and T-shirt, he wore newer jeans and an olive green Henley with the sleeves pushed halfway up his forearms. God, the man had nice forearms. Not to mention, the soft, waffled cotton of his shirt hugged the defined contours of his chest and torso, and the tanned column of his throat was exposed by the open top two buttons.

  Casual in a way her ex had never been, yet so damn rugged and sexy, she longed to press her face in the crook of his neck and inhale the hint of soap lingering in the air around him.

  Focus.

  Grandma.

  Dinner.

  Phony engagement.

  “Thanks for coming over.” She kept her voice low as Logan stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Just so you know, I explained everything to Grandpa.”

  His expression darkened as his gaze shifted toward the archway leading to the living room.

  “I had to,” Joy quickly explained. “Gram’s never invited you over for dinner before, so he wanted to know what was going on. I couldn’t lie to him when he knows we haven’t exactly been friends all summer.”

  “Am I here for dinner, or is Luke?”

  She checked over her shoulder to confirm they were still alone. “I don’t know for sure. Even though she’s been calling you Logan since the book club meeting, she still talks like you’re Luke sometimes.”

  “What does he do, by the way?”

  “He’s a lawyer for one of the big recording studios.”

  Logan’s jaw tensed at that news while his gaze flicke
d past her shoulder. His gaze returned to hers, and he leaned down as if to kiss her. When she shrank back in surprise, he hesitated mid-lean to give her a tight smile.

  “June’s watching.”

  “Oh…right.”

  God, this is awkward.

  After one last second of hesitation, she rose up to meet him halfway for a quick peck on the lips. The spark at just that brief contact made her lips tingle and set her back on her heels as his firm grip closed around her upper arms. Whirling around before he could pull her in, she led the way through the arch to the other room with a nervous laugh. “Wow, static electricity already.”

  “Not even close,” he murmured behind her.

  His hand rested at the small of her back as he matched his stride to hers and the warmth of his touch seeped through her sweater. Her heart skipped a beat when his touch slipped lower, until she realized he’d pulled away to move past her so he could give June a kiss on the cheek. As he told her how nice she looked, it was kind of cute watching her grandmother blush from the attention.

  But when he turned to her grandpa with a quiet hello and nod, Joy saw a stiffness between them that hadn’t been there before. It weighed on her as she served the two of them a beer, and poured small glasses of wine for herself and Grandma. From what she’d seen over the summer, they had a close rapport, and she really hoped this didn’t put their relationship in jeopardy.

  It took a little while for the tension to ease as they began dinner, and then, when Logan and her grandpa had relaxed into a conversation about the projected corn crop prices, Grandma sat back in her chair and gave them a puzzled look.

  “I didn’t realize you knew so much about farming,” she said to Logan. “I thought you grew up in Nashville?”

  Joy stiffened in her seat, but he reached out and covered her left hand.

  “My grandparents had a farm that I spent a lot of time at. I don’t get to talk about it much with my lawyer friends, but I feel right at home here with all of you.”

  “Oh, am I glad to hear that.” Gram held her napkin to her chest. “And once you two are married, I do hope you’ll visit more often.”

  “We will. Promise.”