Blame it on Texas

by Scott, Tori

  "No, she went to Austin for the weekend. I brought Katie out to see Blue. Is he down at the barn?"

  Katie slipped her hand into his and he squeezed hers gently.

  Jake rubbed a hand around the back of his neck, then slipped his hands in his back pocket and rocked back on his heels. "No. I had to give him away. He wouldn't stay here, kept going back to Charlie's place."

  Logan looked down at Katie and saw tears welling in her eyes. Damn. "Who did you give him to? I'll take Katie there."

  Jake cocked his head to one side. "He's at Charlie's. I gave him to the new owner, since that's where he seemed to spend most of his time."

  Logan looked down at Katie and smiled. "He shouldn't be too hard to find then. You ready to go meet the new owner?"

  Katie nodded and grinned back at him. "I hope they won't mind."

  Jake laughed and ruffled Katie's hair. "Somehow I don't think they'll mind at all."

  Megan packed the last of her clothes into her suitcase and looked around the bedroom. She would miss this room with its high ceilings and large windows. She figured two more days would be enough to get all of her belongings into storage, then she'd be ready to go back to Dallas. She could only hope Logan would be glad to see her.

  She'd thought about him every single day. But she had no way of knowing if he'd thought about her at all. Carol seemed to think he missed her. At least she knew he'd read the diary. Whether or not it had had any affect on him, she wouldn't know until she saw him again.

  She couldn't move on with her life until she knew how he felt. If he didn't want her, didn't love her, she'd come back and get on with her life. If he did, she'd sell the house back to Carol and move back to Dallas.

  When the doorbell rang, it took her by surprise. No one had mentioned dropping by. It was probably Jake. He stopped by once a week or so to see if she needed help with anything, but she suspected he came mostly for news of Carol. He always managed to bring the conversation around to her eventually. She wished he'd make up his mind about what he wanted, then do it.

  With a smile of welcome on her face, she opened the door.

  It felt strange to ring the doorbell of the house he'd called home for most of his life. Logan noticed the new owner had planted Cannas in the front flower bed. The bright red and yellow flowers made the front of the house more welcoming. The front door sported a wreath adorned with flowers and tiny birdhouses. Feminine touches, he thought. The new owner must be married.

  He turned when the door opened, prepared to introduce himself. Before he could say a word, Katie squealed, "Megan!" and ran headlong into her arms.

  The sight of Megan hit him like a sledgehammer against concrete. His entire body vibrated, his nerves hummed, his breath rushed out in a whoosh. He was too stunned to move. All he could do was watch as she wrapped her arms around Katie, tears springing to her eyes, then spilling over onto her cheeks.

  That's when he knew he loved her.

  What a damned fool he'd been. He'd thought it was only attraction, lust, that kept him from sending her back to Dallas when he'd had the chance. He'd thought it was the aggravation of her walking away without saying goodbye that had kept her on his mind for the last few weeks. He knew he had feelings for her, but he hadn't been willing to admit, even to himself, what those feelings meant.

  He'd missed her. Missed her mischievous grin, her smart mouth, her spunky personality. When she looked over the top of Katie's head and smiled at him, it nearly brought him to his knees. He'd have given her the world at that moment, if she'd asked him to.

  "Hello, Logan." Her voice was husky, a little shaky.

  He had to clear his throat before any sound would come out. "Megan."

  She wiped her eyes with the back of one slender hand, then stepped back and pulled Katie into the house. "Come in."

  He stepped over the threshold and saw the boxes and rolls of packing tape. "I guess you're moving in, huh?"

  She looked up and their gazes locked. "No, I'm moving out."

  "I don't understand. I assumed you were the one who bought the farm when you answered the door. Are you just staying here until the new owners move in?" More confused than ever, Logan watched the expressions flit across her face. Pain, wariness, something else he couldn't identify.

  Megan shrugged and turned away. "Something like that. What are you doing here?"

  Katie looked from one adult to the other, obviously feeling the undercurrents but unsure exactly what was going on. Then she looked up at Megan. "Dad brought me to see Blue. We didn't know you'd be here, but I'm so glad you are." She hugged Megan, then ran to the back door and opened it, calling Blue as she stepped outside.

  Megan crossed the living room and stepped into the kitchen. Logan followed her, a million questions running through his mind. He didn't know where to start, but he knew he needed answers.

  He stopped in the doorway and watched as she nervously ran a hand through her hair, then opened a cabinet and took out the cookie jar. She set it on the table and opened the refrigerator and got out a jug of milk. "Megan, why are you living here? And why did you leave without telling me goodbye?"

  She whirled around, nearly dropping the milk. She quickly set it on the table and took three glasses and a plate from the cabinet. When she had everything on the table, she looked up, then her gaze skittered away toward the back door.

  "Katie will stay out there with Blue until I make her come in," Logan said. "We have plenty of time to talk."

  Megan nodded and gestured to a chair. "Sit down. I made chocolate-chip cookies this morning."

  He pulled a chair away from the table and spun it around, then sat facing the back, his arms across the top. Megan smiled, remembering the way he'd done that the night she'd met him. She'd been as tongue-tied then as she was now. How could she tell him everything that was in her heart without sending him running back to Dallas?

  She opted to start with small-talk. "Did you see the progress they've made in town? Everyone's been working hard to rebuild. People come every day from as far away as Abilene to help out. I've learned to swing a pretty mean hammer myself."

  Logan arched a brow and leaned back. "You've been helping in town? How long have you been here?"

  Megan ducked her head. "Since the day after you got back to Dallas."

  "I see," he said quietly. "I guess that means you don't want to be in the same town with me." He started to stand, but she placed a hand on his arm to keep him where he was.

  "I was hurt, and angry. Frustrated. But I've had plenty of time to think."

  "About what?"

  She took a trembling breath and he could tell she was nervous about something. For a moment he wondered if she was the reason Carol and Jake weren't seeing each other, but he dismissed the idea as soon as it formed. He'd seen them together too many times, and Jake had always had eyes only for Carol.

  Megan met his gaze and sat up a little straighter. "About me, about us. About what I want, what I need."

  He smiled, knowing exactly how she felt. "That's a lot of thinking. Did you come to any conclusions?"

  She nodded. "Some. The rest depends on you."

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Logan leaned forward, keeping his gaze on hers. "I tried to find you, you know."

  "You did?"

  "Yes. I even stooped to eavesdropping, hoping to hear where you'd gone. But Carol never let anything slip. I thought you were still in Dallas until you called that night. When I tried the call return, I got a recording saying it was out of the area. I figured you'd found a small town near Dallas that you liked and moved there. I never dreamed you had come back here."

  She lifted her chin and her jaw tightened. "I know how much you hate Morris Springs, but I love it. I have friends here now."

  Logan shook his head. "I don't hate Morris Springs. Not anymore."

  She looked skeptical. "You don't?"

  "No. I'm sure you know about the diary. I finally read it. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but
it explained so many things I never understood. I never knew my mother had a heart condition. I don't know why Dad never talked about it, but I think maybe he was glad I'd gotten away from the farm and made my own way."

  Megan nodded. "He was proud of you."

  "I realize that now, but I couldn't see it when I was so loaded down with guilt. I think I remembered only bits and pieces from my childhood, and events ran together in my mind until they'd become something entirely different from the actuality."

  She reached out and took his hand in hers. "I think I've done the same thing. I have bits and pieces of memories that I'm not sure are the whole truth." She looked thoughtful as she absently rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand. "I probably need to talk to my parents, see if I can make sense of those snatches of memory."

  "Megan, Katie thinks we only came out to see Blue, but I had another reason."

  "Oh? What?"

  "I need to know who bought the farm. I was going to go to the courthouse to see if the records had been filed yet, but I'm hoping you can tell me."

  She looked a little uncomfortable at that thought. "Why?"

  "Because I want to see if I can buy it back."

  That was the last thing Megan expected him to say. Would he get mad when he found out she owned part of his inheritance? Of course, she'd sell it back to him if he asked her to, but she hoped…. "Why do you want to buy it? Are you going to keep it in trust for Katie?"

  She was a little taken aback by the earnest look on his face. "No. I want to live here. I want Katie to grow up here. I want to be a part of the community. I want to come home."

  "Oh." Tears, hot and thick, burned the back of her eyes. "Are you sure? If you're not, you'll break her heart again."

  "Oh, yeah. I'm sure. This is where we belong. I don't think I want to farm the land, but I'd like to keep a few of the cows, and I'd like to get Blue back for Katie. Would you please tell me who owns it now?"

  Megan scooted her chair back and stood. "Come with me. There's something you need to see."

  ***

  She led him out the back door and he looked around.

  Where an old metal storage shed had stood, there was a long, low building made of wood. Four doors opened into fenced yards. Another fence ran around the back of the pens.

  It took him a minute to realize what it was. "Dog pens?"

  She bit her lip and nodded.

  Realization dawned and he turned to face her. "You bought it, didn't you? Did you build all this by yourself?"

  "No, Jake helped me. And Tommy and Danny helped on the weekend."

  "But you said you were moving. I don't understand."

  She took his hand and held it within both of hers. "I decided to sell the house back to Carol and move back to Dallas. I know she wants to come back to be with Jake, but she couldn't because of Katie. I was going to see if you still needed a wife to help you with Katie, and ask if I could have the job."

  Logan groaned and pulled her into his arms. He'd wanted to do that since the moment he saw her standing in the doorway, but he wasn't sure if she'd let him. "I don't need a wife, Megan."

  "Oh." She tried to pull away, but he held on tight and refused to let her go.

  "Don't jump to conclusions. I said I didn't need a wife, not that I didn't want one."

  She leaned back against his arms, her eyes searching his face. "What do you mean?"

  He leaned down until his eyes were level with hers. "I wanted to wait until I'd bought the farm back before I asked this, but…Megan, will you marry me?"

  She opened her mouth to answer, but he stopped her with a kiss. "Before you answer, you need to know I intend to live on this farm until I die. I'll be underfoot all the time because I'm moving my business out here so I can work from home. And I want to fill this house with kids. Can you live with that?"

  Megan threw her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a long, blood-boiling kiss. "Yes, Logan. On all points. There's just one little matter we need to clear up."

  Logan tried but he couldn't think of anything he'd left out. "What matter is that?"

  She smiled up at him, her eyes mischievous. "There are three little words every woman wants to hear when the man she loves asks her to marry him."

  His heart swelled when he realized she loved him too.

  "Oh, God, Megan. I love you more than three words could ever cover. I don't want to live my life without you."

  "I love you, too, Logan. So much that my dreams meant nothing without you. Together we'll make new dreams. But I hope you don't mind becoming a grandfather in a few weeks."

  "What? But, but…"

  Megan laughed and pointed to Katie and the three dogs dancing around her in the pasture. "Blue is going to be a daddy soon. That makes you a grandfather. Sort of."

  Logan leaned back and laughed so hard he thought they could probably hear him in Morris Springs. "I have a feeling life with you is going to be one surprise after another."

  "You can only hope, Logan. You can only hope."

  EPILOGUE

  Megan clutched Logan's hand in hers, her nerves strung tighter than an over-tuned guitar. Blue had performed beautifully, but so had most of the others. There was something about him that set him apart, though. At least to her. He held his head with a regal bearing, as though he knew how important he was.

  Champion or not, he would always be a winner to her. She placed her free hand on top of Blue's head as they waited for the first place announcement. As the judge stepped to the microphone, she bit her bottom lip to stop the trembling.

  "The first place ribbon goes to…Tanner's Blue Moon."

  Katie squealed and hugged Blue, then Megan led him to the center of the ring to receive the award. Two years of training, six litters of puppies, a thriving veterinary practice, and now a blue ribbon. And not one of those things meant as much to her as the man grinning from the sidelines with a baby on his hip, or the children they shared.

  She attached the ribbon to Blue's collar and they made one last jog around the ring to thunderous applause. She looked up into the stands as she passed by and saw a number of faces she knew and loved. Jake, Nancy, and Jean sat together in one section.

  Nancy and Jean had moved to Morris Springs two months ago when they'd completed their contracts in Dallas. They shared a small house in town and had set up a practice together in a storefront office on the town square. It still amazed Megan how easily the two had settled into country life.

  Nancy had traded her short shorts and strappy sandals for blue jeans and cowboy boots. She filled in at the hospital when a nurse needed a vacation or an epidemic of flu left them short handed.

  Jean had left her shy, insecure personality behind for good. She could toss back shots with the best of the honkytonk crowd and had even coaxed some of the couples into marriage counseling when needed.

  Jake had become Logan's best friend. They helped each other out when a job required another pair of hands. They fished together, played cards, and helped each other when there was work to be done on their homes or farms.

  Jake's eyes had never quite lost the sadness, though, when, like now, he watched Carol from beneath the brim of his cowboy hat.

  Carol stood and cheered at the other end of the stands. She still avoided Jake whenever she came to visit. It broke Megan's heart to see the pain in her eyes when she ran into him in town. She prayed that some way, some how, the two would find their way back to each other. They were meant to be together.

  Tommy and Danny, Danny's family, and Randy Marin stood in a row, yelling and whistling as Blue passed by. Randy's handsome face was marred by a long scar, and he used a cane to get around, but he told Megan often how grateful he was to be alive.

  Doc and his wife waved to her from the front row. Megan would never be able to repay him for all he'd done for her, patiently teaching her the things she hadn't learned in school.

  As she approached her husband at the end of the circle, her chest tightened. Just the sight
of him was still enough to make her heart race. He stood with his arm around Katie, who now held the baby they'd named Charlie for his grandfather.

  Katie had matured a lot over the last two years, growing more beautiful every day. Boys were beginning to drop by the house on a regular basis, something that made Logan nervous. Katie enjoyed every minute of the attention, but she didn't take them too seriously.

  Megan handed Blue's leash to Logan when she reached him and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

  He leaned back, his eyes searching her face. "What on earth for? You did this on your own."

  She shook her head. "No Without you, I would have given up on my dreams. You're my strength, my heart. I love you, Logan."

  He gathered her in for a kiss, which brought another round of whistles and cheers from the crowd. He laughed and put an arm around her shoulders. "Are you ready for your victory party?"

  It was her turn to pull back and stare. "What victory party?"

  "The one that's waiting for you at the Prairie Dog Café. We can't take Blue, but there's a big steak waiting at home with his name on it."

  They turned toward the car, with Katie behind them talking to the baby as she walked along. "You see, Charlie. I told you Blue was special."

  ***

  Cheers went up as Megan and Logan stepped into the Prairie Dog Café and Logan grinned at the blush that spread across her cheeks. She was still having trouble getting used to the enthusiasm the people of Morris Springs exhibited in everything from football games to politics.

  He'd learned that they played as hard as they worked, and they were as loyal as friends could be.

  When he'd bought one of the buildings in town to house his business, the men had turned out to help him renovate it, refusing to accept payment for their labor. He'd spent many hours helping them rebuild the town, and they helped him in return.

  When Jerry's trial had come up, they'd traveled to the courthouse in the next town for the trial and stood with him for moral support when the verdict was read. And they'd cheered when Jerry was taken away to spend the next ten years behind bars.