“Dad and I fish…” She couldn’t stop the tears. “I’m sorry, Logan. I don’t want to spoil our night.”
He pulled into an empty parking lot and left the engine idling. “Come here.”
She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned toward him. He put his arms around her and held her as close as he could with the gearshift between them.
“Em, we don’t have to go out on a date. I make a mean pot of spaghetti, and you haven’t seen my house yet.” He hadn’t thought about it being too soon for her to do this.
She drew back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Are you sure? I know you planned on going…”
“I planned on spending the evening with you. I don’t care where we are.” He used his fingers to catch a stray tear, then kissed her. “The only thing is, we’ll be alone at my house. After I give you the grand tour, we will not…I repeat not…visit the bedroom again.” He gave her another kiss. “I meant what I said about taking this slow and waiting. Okay?”
She nodded and fell a little more in love with him than she already was.
“I meant it when I said my feelings for you won’t change, too,” she softly told him. “I hope you believe me.”
“Oh, Emily, I’m counting on it.” And praying for it. “Buckle up. We’ll be at my place in a few minutes.”
After she was safely strapped in and they were on the road again, she asked him, “Did you build your house?”
He looked at her in surprise. “Of course. Did you think I’d want to live in a house somebody else designed and built?”
A short while later, Emily was astonished when he pulled into the driveway of a house that looked like pictures in her childhood storybooks. It was two-storied and had white siding, with shutters on the windows. He parked in front of a two-car garage that was attached to the house by a breezeway.
“Wow, Logan. This is so…not what I expected.” She slowly got out of the car once he had opened the door.
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking at his house. “What did you expect?”
“I expected a…I don’t know—something for a bachelor. This looks like a house built for a…family.” She could easily envision children running and playing in the large backyard.
Logan had never thought about it like that. He had just built the house he wanted. “Maybe I’ve always wanted a family,” he decided.
“Like I had.” Emily felt tears burn her eyes. “You thought my family was perfect. Now I don’t have…”
“Shhhh.” He took her in his arms. “You did have a perfect family, and they’ll always be with you—in here.” He tapped her chest over her heart. “Whose turn was it to ask a question?”
“Yours,” she said as he led her to the back door of the house.
“Good. What do you see yourself doing in ten years?” He hoped it would include him.
She had honestly never thought that far ahead, always working from day to day at the hospital. She looked at his big backyard and lit exterior of the house and knew. “I want to be married and have a child.”
“Just one?” He unlocked the door and opened it.
“Maybe two or three,” she admitted as he reached in and flipped a switch that lit up the room they were entering.
“This is my mudroom.” She looked at the industrial-sized sink, washer and dryer, and shower stall. A rug under the sink held what must have been his work boots, and another pair of rubber boots, probably for fishing.
“So you strip down in here and take a shower before you go into the house?” She really shouldn’t be picturing that.
“Depends on how dirty I am.” He walked into the next room and turned a dial, increasing the brightness of the lights. “This is the kitchen.”
Emily froze in the doorway, unable to believe her eyes. It was her dream kitchen. An electric range and dishwasher were among the cabinets with the sink. A built-in pantry covered the opposite wall, and her biggest wish of all—an island with a butcher block top—set in the middle of the room. She didn’t want him to think she was just saying it to impress him, but she had to tell him.
“Logan, this kitchen is perfect. If I could sit down and make a floor plan of my ideal kitchen, it would look exactly like this one.”
He grinned at her. She liked his house. “I’m glad you to hear you say that,” he told her before pulling her into his arms for a long, slow kiss. He turned and led her by the hand into the next room. They had walked by a small trendy kitchen table with chairs, but her eyes popped wide open when she saw his dining room. A cherry wood table and chairs took up the center, with a buffet against one wall, and an arched doorway on the opposite one.
Before she could say anything, he pulled her through the next door into a foyer. The front door to the house and what appeared to be a walk-in coat closet were the only things occupying the space.
“And here’s the living room.” As he turned the dial, the lights came on in the largest living room Emily had ever seen. He had it sectioned off with a work area—a large wooden desk and antique-looking filing cabinet—and a living area, complete with two, yes two overstuffed couches, a recliner, a rocking chair, and one rocker-recliner. A large coffee table, and end tables that matched the wood of his desk and filing cabinet were placed among the furniture. A flat-screen television was mounted on the far wall. He had taken an enormous space and made it cozy and welcoming.
“I’m impressed, Logan. This is beautiful.”
“Come around here.” She followed him around a small section of the wall she hadn’t even noticed was offset from the rest, and there was a cherry wood staircase. “After you,” he told her, turning on a light.
Once at the top of the stairs, she instinctively walked to the door on her left. When he turned on the light, she saw that it was the master bedroom—Logan’s bedroom, and it was also a huge room. A giant king-size bed and matching wooden furniture didn’t come close to taking up all the floor space. The most comfortable looking chair Emily thought she had ever seen sat in the corner, a packed bookshelf running along the wall next to it, and a reading lamp beside it. She could picture Logan sitting there enjoying a book.
He took her over and showed her a large bathroom with a sunken Jacuzzi and another shower stall, then in the other corner of the bedroom was the largest walk-in closet Emily had ever seen. Logan’s clothes didn’t take up but a fraction of its space.
She reluctantly let him lead her back to the landing, and to one of the three doors there. It opened into a bedroom with what she guessed to be a queen-sized bed and matching furniture. The walk-in closet wasn’t nearly as big as his, but it had more than enough room for Emily’s entire wardrobe.
The next door was a full bathroom, and again, he had made good use of space. The shower stall set opposite the sunken tub, and a double sink with lit mirrors above it covered one wall.
The third room was another bedroom, identical to the one they had just left, except it stood empty.
He led her back to the landing and then started down the stairs. At the foot of the stairs, he showed her another door, which she had totally missed. It was another full bathroom, much like the one upstairs between the bedrooms.
Once they were back in the living room, he spread out his arms. “So, what do you think?”
She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He immediately closed his arms and held her tightly.
“It’s perfect,” she said softly, before kissing him.
She initiated this kiss, and he let her control it. They were both shaking when she finally pulled her lips away from his.
“Spaghetti, Emily.” He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. “I’m going to cook spaghetti before I forget all my good intentions and the reasons why I can’t take you up to my bed and make love to you until we both forget our own names.”
The second option sounded just about perfect to her, but he was right. She walked back into the kitchen with him.
“My turn,” she told hi
m as he set about preparing their dinner.
“Shoot.”
“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
He stopped with the pan half in the sink and stared at her. “I hope and pray I’m wherever you are.”
Her heart sped up and was beating so hard she figured he could probably hear it.
“You can’t say stuff like that to me, and tell me we can’t make love, so you’d better just be quiet and cook our dinner.” Unless he wanted her to do her best to seduce him.
“I do love you, Em.” He smiled at her before he filled the pot with water.
She sighed. “I know you don’t think I’m in control of all my faculties, but one thing I am sure of—I love you, too.”
He set the pan on the stove and turned the burner on. “Six months, Emily. If you can still tell me that in six months, I’ll move mountains to be with you.”
“Six months?” She wanted to scream. “Why so long?”
He walked over to her and framed her face with his hands. “We’ve waited seven years. If this is real for you now, it’ll still be real for you in six months. And it will be worth the wait. You can count on it.”
“Sometimes, I think you hope I fall out of love with you.”
He gave her a quick kiss. “I’m not usually a praying man, Emily, but I’m praying like crazy that you don’t.” He released her, then turned back to his cupboards. “Do you like garlic bread?”
“I’ll only eat it if you do. You won’t kiss me anymore if I have garlic breath.” She giggled.
“Well, I can’t have spaghetti without it, so we’ll have to hope we cancel each other’s breath out.”
She sat on one of the kitchen chairs and watched him as he prepared their dinner. Her heart felt like it was going to burst. Six months. It felt like an eternity. But what he had said was true. It…they would be worth the wait.
Chapter 29
“About ready to call it a night, Boss?”
Logan looked up from his desk to see Mason in the open doorway to his office. He hadn’t even heard him climb into the small site supervisor trailer.
“As much as I’d like to, we’re so far behind we may not make our deadline. I need to get these plans changed since Mrs. H. wants that extra closet now.” Their clients, the Hoppers, had been very specific about their expectations, and Logan had personally assured them Taylor’s would meet them.
Mason walked on into the office and sank onto the chair facing Logan’s desk. “How’s Emily?”
“She’s doing much better than I thought she would.” He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “We’re together at her place or mine whenever I can get away from here.”
“Still no dates?”
Logan frowned. “We’re dating, Mason. She just can’t handle being out and around a bunch of people right now. It’s too soon. A simple little thing reminds of her parents, and she loses it. I’m not going to put her in the position of possibly having a breakdown in public.” They had even spent the Fourth of July at his house watching fireworks on television.
“What about a small get-together at my place?” Mason asked.
He thought for a moment. “Not one of your wild parties?”
“Nope. Just Coop, Colton, and me with our ladies. Bo and Liz already had other plans.” Those were the four Slammers who worked for Logan, and they always had a good time when they got together.
“When?”
Mason smiled victoriously. “Saturday evening at six. We’re doing pizza, and you’d better bring your pennies.” So, they were planning on poker.
“No promises, but I’ll see if Em feels up to giving it a try.” If he were honest with himself, it would be nice to get out and interact with other people. Emily’s feelings and needs came first, though.
“Good.” Mason stood up. “If there’s nothing I can do, I’m outta here.”
Logan waved him off. “Leave. You’ve put in a twelve-hour day as it is.”
His friend hesitated and gave him a concerned look. “Logan, I hope I’m not out of line here, but I have to tell you something.”
“What’s that?” He hoped his employees weren’t complaining about the long hours. They had to get this house finished.
“This is your friend speaking, okay?” Logan nodded, feeling wary. “Please don’t get so caught up in making sure Emily’s okay, that you forget to make sure you’re okay.” He paused for a moment and then went on. “You’ve been working what? Fifteen-sixteen hour days? And you said it yourself—when you’re not here, you’re with her. Just…I think you need a little down time.”
“She needs me, Mason.” Logan looked steadily at his friend. “I want to be there for her.”
Mason held up his hands. “I’m just sayin’ Logan. You won’t be able to help her if you get yourself worn out.” He started to leave. “Think about it,” he tossed over his shoulder as he walked out the door.
The blueprints Logan had been working on became a jumbled collection of lines when he returned his gaze to them. As hard as he tried to focus, they just wouldn’t make sense. He hadn’t said anything to Mason, but they hadn’t been making sense to him when Mason first walked in. Logan was tired—to the bone. But Emily needed him, and he needed her.
Making a decision, he grabbed a heavy straightedge and placed it across the blueprints. He made short order of shutting things down and locking up the trailer. About thirty minutes later, he pulled up in front of Emily’s house.
“Did I forget we had plans?” she asked when she opened the door.
Logan looked at the woman he loved, standing there in a pair of faded denim shorts and baggy t-shirt—no shoes. She was gorgeous.
“Emily, I need to sleep with you.” He walked past her into the house.
She closed the door and followed him into the living room. “I don’t understand, Logan. I thought we were waiting. You want to be sure of how I feel…” Not that she was complaining, but what had suddenly brought this on?
“No, Em, you don’t understand.” It was then that she realized just how exhausted he looked. “I think about you all the time. I’ve been putting in these long days of work, and I’m only getting half of what I should get done finished. At night, when I’m in bed, I…I miss you. I need to sleep, Emily. Can I just sleep with you tonight? Just one good night’s sleep?”
It had taken her days to get used to not sleeping in his arms, but looking at his bloodshot eyes and thinking of how much he meant to her, she could no more deny him than she could stop breathing.
“Do you want something to eat first?” She had already eaten dinner, but he looked like he had driven straight there from work.
“No. I just want to hold you and sleep,” he answered honestly.
It wasn’t even nine o’clock, but Emily didn’t care. “Come on, then.” She shut off the lights as she led him to the bedroom. She stood as he wordlessly stripped to his boxers and T-shirt and crawled between the sheets of her queen-size bed. Pulling off her own shorts, she lay down and found her way to the familiar place in his arms. He was softly snoring before she had barely gotten situated.
Lying there, snuggled tightly in his arms, she felt like her world had righted itself on its axis. She turned her head and softly kissed his cheek before she let herself drift with his rhythmic breathing.
Chapter 30
“Are you sure I’m dressed okay?” Emily looked skeptically at her blue and white striped T-shirt, stone-washed jeans, and tennis shoes.
“It’s not a formal party, Em,” Logan reassured her, pulling her in for a quick hug. He was wearing a green t-shirt with his faded carpenter jeans and high-tops. “Did you get some pennies?”
“Ten rolls. Is that enough?” She turned and frowned at him when he laughed. “What’s so funny?”
“You must either plan on betting big or losing a lot.”
“We’ll see how it goes. I’ll probably lose the shirt off my back.” She was going to have a lot of fun at this party.
Logan
pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. “No clothing of any kind off of you tonight, Emily. This isn’t strip poker.” He hoped his friends took it easy on her.
“What’s strip poker?” she asked innocently.
He waited while she picked up her purse and led the way out of her house. “I’d explain it, but I’d just as soon show you someday—in private.”
Once they were in his car and on their way, Emily wanted to play their game. It had been awhile. “I think it’s my turn for a question.”
“I think it’s mine, but I’ll let you have this one.”
“What are your best and worst memories from high school?” She had always wondered how his mind worked back then.
“Sneaky, Em. You have to stop combining questions. It’s cheating.”
“Answer, please.”
“It’s easy, really. My best memory is probably one of your worst, but it’s the day I put the frog down the back of your shirt. For a few seconds before you started screaming and jumping around, you looked at me—really looked at me. I didn’t think you’d ever really seen me before.” His best memory involved her?
“I hated that frog,” she informed him, “and you’re right. I did see you—I believe it’s called glaring.” She shook her head and smiled.
“My worst memory is the day I saw your keys disappear down that toilet. I never meant to actually flush them, you know. Joe had just cleaned the bathroom, so the water was clean. I just planned on grossing you out. I hated that your dad had to take off work and bring you your extra key.”
She thought of the man who raised her. “Dad would have killed you, you know.”
“That’s my question.” He glanced at her. “Why didn’t you tell him what I did?”
She considered her answer carefully, not wanting to insult him. He had gotten defensive at the campground when he talked about where and how he’d grown up. “I guess because I didn’t want to see you get in trouble. I saw you get in trouble for a lot of stuff you didn’t do.”
Counting On It (Hearts for Ransom Book 1) Page 15