Counting On It (Hearts for Ransom Book 1)

by Evans, Georgia

  “Any interesting stories about your job? I bet you get all kinds of people in the ER.” That was a safe topic and he really did want to know more about her.

  “We do get all kinds of people. Some of them use the ER as their family physician, which is just plain wrong. There are too many people who need the real emergency room services.” She clasped his hand tighter. “And when there’s a full moon, every nut in the county comes out. I had a woman come in and tell me she was in labor.” Just the image of the overweight woman bending and carrying on, still brought on a smile. “She wasn’t even pregnant. She just had a healthy appetite. She thought she’d just check into the hospital like you would a hotel and be waited on hand and foot.”

  “I bet you’re good with people like that.”

  “Thank you.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “I had plenty of practice dealing with a nut when I was in school.”

  “Em, about that. I don’t know why I was always fixated on you—except your life seemed so perfect, and you were always the best person in our class.” He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Maybe I was just jealous.”

  Emily looked at their joined hands. “Abby says our years of torture and argument were foreplay.”

  An eyebrow raised, he considered that. “I don’t know if she’s right, but I sure would like the end result if she is.”

  She swatted his arm. “You’re bad.”

  “How do you know? We’ve never…”

  “Okay, Mr. One Track Mind. Tell me about your business. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the first advertisement in the paper.”

  He shrugged. “Not much to tell. I flipped a few houses and built up enough capital to start Taylor Construction. Like I told you, Mom’s house was our first stick-built construction project. Business grew until I could afford to hire more help. I have four full-time employees and stay in the black, so I can’t complain.”

  “Are houses the only structures you build?” She knew another company had done the construction work on the new addition to the hospital.

  “Yep.” He smiled at her. “Believe it or not, even in today’s housing market, we’re plenty busy.”

  “What do you do in your free time?” A horrible thought struck her. He might have a girlfriend--or girlfriends—and here they were, fooling around.

  “I don’t have much free time, but when I do, I usually spend it with Mom.”

  “No girlfriends?” If there were, she was out of there.

  He looked at her with surprise on his face. “Do you really think I’d be…kissing you like I have been if there were somebody else in the picture?” He shook his head. “How do I know you don’t have a boyfriend?”

  “Because I haven’t even had time to date.”

  “So, we’ve established that we’re both single. Right?” he asked.

  “Right.” She looked at him. “So, what do you think about our government right now?”

  They finished their walk, talking about their differing views with regard to various laws. He laughed when she told him she’d never carry a concealed weapon because if she shot somebody, she’d just end up patching them up in the emergency room—if she hit them. She thought it was funny when he told her he’d bury a lead-lined, steel case in the ground to hide his guns before he’d give them up. After all, the criminals weren’t going to say, “Well, gee, if that’s the law, I can’t have this gun anymore.”

  They both enjoyed their walk so much that neither of them was happy when they came back to the trailhead.

  Too soon, they were in front of her camper. “Want to come back later?” She suddenly felt self-conscious.

  More than she knew. “I’d better not. Abby’s inside, and I can’t let myself get carried away outside again.”

  Feeling disappointed, but understanding, she nodded. “Okay. Then I’ll see you around tomorrow.”

  “You’re not getting away that easily.” He leaned down and began to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him. She hesitated for a second, but then got caught up in her feelings and kissed him back. They were both breathing heavily when they reluctantly pulled apart a few minutes later.

  “I’d better get back to Trevor.”

  “So I’ll see you tomorrow?” Her eyes met his in the oncoming twilight.

  He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. “I’m counting on it.”

  “Okay.”

  He gave her yet another brief kiss before turning and walking away.

  With her fingers on her lips and her heart still beating fast, she let herself in. Abby looked up from the book she was reading.

  “Did you and Logan enjoy your walk?” Her eyebrows were hidden beneath her bangs.

  “How did you know we went for a walk?” She hadn’t seen Abby when they left.

  “I was on my way back from the group activity when I saw you coming out of the woods.” She gave Emily a sly look. “Anything interesting happen in those woods?”

  Emily smiled at her. “No. He kept it PG this time. I think he really respects me and cares what the other men might think.”

  Abby returned her smile. “I’ll bet he does, Em.”

  Emily hoped so. She was afraid she was falling for the bane of her existence.

  Chapter 17

  “So, how’s it going?” Aaron asked Emily.

  “I think it’s a success so far.” She smiled happily. It was Thursday, and like magic, Logan had appeared at twilight the night before to take her for their walk. He had once more been very gentle and romantic, respecting the fact that they weren’t in a private place.

  “How’s Sara?”

  Aaron’s smile was brighter than it had been in a long time. “She’s feeling good. So far, the chemo isn’t making her sick like they told us it might. I think we might really beat this thing, Em.”

  Emily knew the ups and downs of cancer treatment and was pretty sure Sara wouldn’t always feel “good”. But she wasn’t going to take anything away from Aaron. He should enjoy the good days when he could. Maybe they would help see him through the bad ones. “I’m happy for both of you.”

  “I hear from a little bird named Abby that you and your archenemy might not be at each other’s throats anymore—at least not unless you’re kissing them.” He smiled gleefully.

  “Abby has a big mouth.” Emily smiled in spite of herself. “I don’t know what’s happening, Aaron. It’s like the annoying Logan I’ve always known has been replaced by the kindest and most considerate man I’ve ever met. You know what he did for Trevor. And he’s been so careful not to put me in any compromising situations that would give the other guys…ideas about me.”

  “I told you he’d have changed since you’re both adults,” he reminded her.

  “I know it. Feel free to say ‘I told you so’ to your heart’s content.” She gave him a quick hug. “I can’t remember ever being so happy that you were right and I was wrong.”

  “I’m glad, but I don’t think your being happy has as much to do with me being right as it does Logan himself.”

  “I guess that’s true.” She felt like she’d been walking on clouds the past two days. Emily felt appreciated and special—like a treasure.

  “Well, I have to get going so I can finish my run before we go to the hospital. They’re trying an afternoon schedule for a while to see how she tolerates that. I’ll stop in tomorrow and see how you’re doing.”

  “And let me know how Sara’s doing.” She cared deeply for both of them.

  Emily watched as Aaron jogged away. She wondered where Abby was for a few seconds before she remembered they had all gone fishing. She’d bet her last dollar that there was a note in the camper telling her Abby had gone along to “help”. At least it looked like Brody was just as interested in her as she was in him.

  She decided to walk over to the tents and see if everything was in order. When she got there, she was surprised to see Bo sitting alone on a picnic table.

  “Don’t tell me Set
h didn’t want to go fishing.” Abby had told Emily about the kickball incident and her subsequent talk with Bo.

  “I don’t know how to help him, Emily.” The big man looked near tears. “Abby told me to show him a good time while he’s here, but he doesn’t wanna do anything. He just wants to stay in the tent. I feel like a bully if I tell him he has to participate because he’ll just say ‘yes, sir’ and do what I tell him. It makes me sick.”

  “Let me try. Maybe it’ll be different if a woman asks him.” She figured it couldn’t hurt.

  “That’s a good idea. Will you see if maybe the three of us could go for a walk on one of those trails? Everybody else left on the bus to go fishing, but I think something smaller might help him anyway.” Bo’s eyes lit up with hope.

  “Sure.” Emily walked to the tent on site seventy-two and rattled the zipper. “Seth, it’s Miss Scott. Can I come in for a few minutes, please?”

  A muffled “yes, ma’am” came from inside.

  She carefully unzipped the door and stepped through. She couldn’t even see the smaller than average boy at first, but then she realized the wadded up sleeping bag was Seth curled up tightly inside it.

  “Seth, will you please come with Bo and me? We’re just going for a short walk in the woods. It’ll just be the three of us.” Emily didn’t want to sound too bossy, remembering Bo’s comments.

  A head covered with red hair slowly peaked out of the sleeping bag. “Just you and Bo?” Emily smiled as brightly as she could. “Yes. Everybody else is gone. It’s a really nice day outside, you know. Too nice to stay in here all covered up in that hot sleeping bag.”

  He slowly crept out from under the top of it. At least he hadn’t been zipped in the insulated bag.

  “I hafta put my shoes on.” His voice sounded a little stronger.

  “Okay.” She smiled again. “I’ll wait outside with Bo. I can’t wait to show you the Sweet Gum Trail. It’s really nice.”

  He actually returned her smile, although his was shaky.

  She backed out of the tent and returned to Bo. “He’s coming. I think he even smiled at me,” she told him in a soft voice.

  “Thank you.” The big man cleared his throat. “I never thought of trying somethin’ like this. It’s a good idea.”

  Before Emily could answer him, Seth stepped out of the tent and turned to zip it closed. He walked over to them, his eyes never leaving the ground in front of him.

  “You know, Seth, when we’re on the trail I’ll need you to help us watch for the signs. Some of the other trails lead off of Sweet Gum, and if we don’t watch out, we’re liable to take off on the wrong one.” Emily had just pulled that out of her hat. “Will you help me, please?”

  Slowly, Seth’s gaze rose until he was looking into Emily’s eyes. “Bo needs your help, too. He’s so tall he’d have to squat down to read the signs. He’d look like this.” She squatted down and began trying to walk.

  Suddenly, a soft giggle emanated from the boy. “I wanna see Bo walk like that.”

  He had barely stopped speaking before Bo was on his feet “squat-walking” around in circles.

  Emily thought of the sight they must make—two adults walking like this while a teenager watched them—and laughed. Seth was laughing! She and Bo joined in, and it was a happy trio that finally made it to the trailhead.

  “Thank you,” Bo said so quietly that only Emily could hear. Her heart swelled when she saw Seth looking at the big man with admiration in his eyes—not fear. “Seth, do you think I could walk beside you? Miss Scott is a trail hog.” Bo snorted.

  Giggling, Seth scooted to one side so Bo could move up and walk beside him. Emily happily trailed behind the two new friends. If Seth realized that Bo would try and move mountains for him, he’d see he never had to be afraid of anything while the man was around.

  Her thoughts sobered. In just a little over a week, Seth wouldn’t have Bo to protect him anymore. Pastor Rhinehart had told Abby there was an active investigation on Seth’s dad, and his mom was in rehab for illegal substance abuse. Abby had informed him that wasn’t good enough and she made a few telephone calls. Maybe things would be better for Seth after he got home. She could only hope.

  Chapter 18

  “Emily, I need to talk to you.” Aaron had walked into the Rec building and caught her once more doing laundry. It was awfully early for his Friday run.

  “Is something wrong with Sara?” Her heart began to race.

  “No,” he assured her. “Come over here and sit down.”

  Her legs suddenly felt like rubber, so she did as he told her. “Mom and Dad are okay, aren’t they?”

  “I haven’t heard any differently. This isn’t about them.” Why did he look so serious and…angry?

  “Aaron, you’re scaring me. Please just tell me.”

  “Yesterday, while Sara was getting her chemo, I saw some copies of the Razor sitting on the table, so I thought I’d take a look and see how the articles about the boys were coming along.”

  She realized he was holding a few newspapers. “Are they bad?” She couldn’t imagine how they could be. The men had all been going above and beyond as far as she could tell.

  “It’s not the boys. Just look for yourself.” He handed her the newspapers.

  There, on the front page, was a picture of Pastor Rhinehart and Kaleb pitching their tent. Then farther down, on the side, a smaller headline read, “Lovers Put Kids First”. There was another picture. At first she didn’t recognize it, but then she knew. It was Logan and her—the night they had kissed—and more. Oh, no. Were there more pictures? Had the photographer watched them the entire time? Her face grew warm.

  “Look at the other two,” Aaron gently suggested.

  With shaking hands, she looked at the second paper. Again, at the top was a large photo, this time of Jesse and Austin. Somehow, the photographer had caught them not glaring daggers at each other. She didn’t want to look any further, but there, on the side again, was another picture. Her face was hard to see because of the angle from which it was taken, but it was Logan kissing her at the trailhead.

  She quickly flipped to the last paper. This one had a picture of them kissing in front of her motor home. She scanned the article. It was about lovers giving up their time together just so they could help the boys. These photographs were of “stolen moments”.

  “This is going to infuriate Logan,” she told Aaron.

  Aaron gave her a strange look. “Are you sure?”

  She didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s just…don’t those last two photographs almost look posed? Like he knew they were being taken?” She could hear the skepticism in his voice.

  “No way.” She was sure Logan didn’t know. “The photographer is just good at capturing images from the right angle. That’s all.”

  What were the men and boys doing? She had to show these to Logan right away. Surely, he’d know she didn’t have anything to do with it.

  “Aaron, the guys are having a lawn darts tournament. Do you have time to take Logan’s place with Trevor, just long enough for me to show these to him?” She was already on her way to the door.

  “I’m in no hurry.” She refused to think about what the sad look on Aaron’s face meant.

  They walked to the horseshoe pits, where rings had been laid down and the guys were tossing weighted lawn darts at them. It didn’t take her long to find Logan and Trevor standing off to the side, next to Bo and Seth. They were too interested in the contest with Jesse and Austin versus Colton and Andy for her to get Logan’s attention. Aaron trailed after her as she walked around the pits and circled behind Logan.

  “I have to talk to you,” she murmured in his ear. “Aaron will take your place.”

  He looked at her with confusion on his face, then at Aaron. “Trevor, this is Miss Scott’s friend Aaron. He’s going to be your partner for just a little while. Okay?”

  “Sure.” It was a good thing Trevor was such an easygoing b
oy.

  Emily silently led Logan back to the Rec building, where they’d have a little privacy. The photographer had seemed interested enough in the tournament, so the two of them should be safe.

  As soon as they got inside the building, she turned to him and held up the papers. “I’m really sorry. I don’t know how or why, but you’ve got to see these pictures.”

  Logan finally saw the newspapers she was carrying. It was over. Time to pay the piper. Maybe she’d understand.

  Emily saw the look on his face and knew. “You’ve already seen the photographs. Aaron was right. You posed us for them.” Her voice was flat.

  “Listen to me, Em. Please.” He only had one shot here. “I knew about the pictures, but what we did—my feelings—they’re not fake. I mean, I had to let them take our picture or Haynes was going to pull the plug on the team. Just because he told me to romance you doesn’t mean I didn’t already want to. Please, Emily. I didn’t have a choice.”

  Emily had listened to every single word he said. “You let them take our picture and romanced me because if you didn’t, your sponsor was going to stop supporting your team?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” He could see the anger building in her eyes. “That wasn’t the only reason I did it. I really think we have…”

  “We have a joke, you obnoxious, hypocritical sorry excuse for a man! You played me. Good one, Logan. I think this may even beat the time you flushed my car keys down the toilet.” She had to yell, or she was going to cry, and she’d be hung upside down in a tree before he’d see her cry. “You’d better hope your photographer friend took extras, or there won’t be enough for our ‘love story’ to play out during the next week. Because the day you kiss me again will be the day Andy out there understands the Pythagorean Theorem. It isn’t going to happen.”

  She threw the papers at him and turned to go back to her laundry in the dryers.

  He was at her side. “All right. I played you, Em, but please…I think…I…Em, this feels like something real. Don’t shut me out.”