“It’s just...life is so short, you know? I thought Adam and I had all the time in the world and then he was gone. Just like that. Don’t wait too long. Take care.”
Before he could respond, she’d ended the call. Logan dropped his phone and started pacing.
He’d learned to keep a tight leash on his feelings and emotions ever since his dad had died. In his line of work, this had always worked to his advantage.
Giving in to feelings and emotions was messy, as he’d discovered since he’d laid eyes on Charlie. It distracted him from his work and made him miserable, and hell to live with, as Anna had pointed out several times. This madness had to stop right here.
Dating other women obviously wasn’t going to help him get over this craziness, but he had more than enough work to keep himself occupied until these feelings and emotions had subsided.
But Brooke’s words kept replaying over and over in his mind: life is so short.
CHAPTER 15
Monday morning arrived slightly cloudy. Gloomily, Charlie looked out of the window while she grabbed her bag from the table close by. They’d just finished breakfast and Lindsay was waiting for her downstairs. The day suited her mood and she hated feeling this way.
Ever since Logan had walked into her life, she’d been miserable. She’d known, right from the minute she’d seen his perfectly knotted tie, to be precise, she was not his type. Why then, did she fall for him anyway?
For the past week she’d felt tired, she was nauseous, she had no appetite, and after lunch she had a hard time keeping her eyes open.
Fed up with herself and her glum thoughts, she stomped down the stairs.
Lindsay raised her eyebrows. “Still in a mood, I see?”
Charlie immediately felt horrible. Ever since Lindsay had received the message from Mark, her sister had been on edge. At least Lindsay had a valid reason for not being herself. She, on the other hand, was wallowing in self-pity because she’d been so stupid as to fall in love with someone totally unsuitable.
She hugged Brooke. “I’m sorry. I’ve been a pain this whole weekend. Please don’t mind me. But I’m going to get over Logan Johnson, if it’s the last damn thing I do.”
“That’s the Charlie I know.” Lindsay laughed. “And I love the way you look, by the way.”
Charlie threw her hair over her shoulder, jingled her bangles, and laughed. “This is me—weird and—”
“Wonderful.” Lindsay interrupted her sternly.
“I don’t know about that, but this is me. Anyway, I’ve always known I shouldn’t fall in love.”
Lindsay laid a hand on her arm. “If the right man comes along, he’ll want you, not your womb,” she said. “If he really loves you, he won’t mind not having kids. At least, that’s what I hear. I have yet to meet a man who isn’t only interested in his own needs.”
Gavin appeared from the kitchen. “What about me?”
“You don’t count—you’re family,” Lindsay said. “And some woman will be very lucky to have you.”
Gavin grimaced. “I’ve had it with relationships—way too much maintenance. I’m going for a run. See you later today?”
“Yes, shall we go to the bar?” Lindsay asked. “The usual crowd will probably all be there.”
“It’s Monday. Don’t you have self-defense class late afternoon?” Gavin asked.
“Blake cancelled—he’s apparently away for the rest of the month, maybe two, he said,” said Lindsay. “So fortunately, I don’t have to suffer through another session with him soon.”
“I don’t know why you’re so irritated with him.” Charlie giggled. “He knows what he’s doing.”
“That may be true, but he...I don’t know, he just rubs me up the wrong way. Anyway, the cancelled class also means we can go out earlier!”
Gavin nodded. “Great. It will be nice to see your friends again.”
Lindsay grabbed Charlie’s arm. “Why don’t we walk? It’s cloudy but no rain is predicted and if it does decide to rain, Gavin can pick us up.”
“Okay, maybe the exercise will be good for my mood.” Charlie smiled.
Outside, Charlie locked the house while Gavin did some stretch exercises.
“Okay, I’m off!” Gavin called and with a wave, he started jogging in the opposite direction of where she and Lindsay were headed.
Lindsay quickly looked up and down the street. “Come on, grumpy, inhale some fresh air,” she teased, and laughing, they started to cross the street.
They were in the middle of the street, Lindsay a step ahead of her, when the screeching sound of tires made both them turn their heads. A small, white car was coming toward them, fast.
For a moment Charlie was frozen on the spot. And then she realized—the car was going to hit Lindsay. Calling out, she dashed forward and pushed Lindsay out of the way.
Something struck Charlie against her side, hard. Swaying, she stared after the car as it sped away. Behind her, footsteps were approaching.
“Charlie! Linds!” It was Gavin.
Everything was going to be all right; Gavin was here. Maybe if she could just lie down for a minute...
By nine o’clock Monday morning, Logan had a splitting headache. When he’d arrived at six that morning, the headache was still faint, but over the past three hours, it had been getting worse and worse. It was probably because of his lack of sleep. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in...the hell if he knew.
His phone rang. It was his mother. He threw his phone in one of the drawers of his desk. This was one call he was going to ignore. The last thing he needed today was his mother nagging him about something.
Seconds later, the phone on his desk rang. It was Anna’s extension. He grabbed the phone, while looking for pain tablets in his drawer. “What?”
“Your mother is on the line. She says you’re not answering your phone and I know you’re in your office.” Anna quickly closed the door, and minutes later the phone on his desk rang.
“Damn it, I don’t want to talk to my mother!” he answered the phone while rifling through his drawers. They were usually neat and tidy and he knew exactly where everything was—what the hell had happened here?
“Why?”
He sat back in his chair. Anna had put the phone through to his mother anyway.
“Hi, Mom. I’m...busy.”
“Oh. Okay. I wanted to tell you about what happened this morning, but if you’re too busy, I won’t bother you.” And before he could ask her what she was talking about, she’d ended the call.
Damn it to hell. He grabbed the phone again and dialed Anna’s number. “Where the hell is the bottle with painkillers?”
She didn’t answer him but hung up the phone noisily in his ear. He was still staring at the handset when she entered his office with a bottle of water in her hand. Without even looking at him, she marched toward his desk, opened the top drawer, and took out the bottle of pills. She put both the pills and the water in front of him.
“Thank you.”
She marched back to his door and only when she’d opened it, did she turn back. “You are no fun to work for any longer. I’m leaving for the day.”
“I’m sorry, Anna. It’s just been...” He threw his hands up in the air.
“Your mother wanted to tell you what happened to Charlie this morning, but you didn’t give her a chance.”
A cold hand clamped around his throat. He got up. “What happened to Charlie?”
Anna sniffed, turned around, and left, closing the door behind her.
Damn women. He patted his pockets. Where the hell was his phone? It took another few seconds before he remembered he’d put it in a drawer. Charlie.
What happened? And why couldn’t his mother just tell him straight away? His fingers weren’t very steady as he dialed his mother’s phone number.
She answered on the third ring. “Yes?” she asked coolly.
“Charlie?” he got out, struggling to breathe.
“Minutes ago, you did
n’t want to talk to me,” she said.
“Mom, please? What happened to Charlie?”
She sniffed. “We’re all so upset, I wanted to let you know and then you were...”
“Mom!” he nearly yelled. “What happened?”
“Come to think of it, why would you be interested in anything that happened to Charlie? She told you she loved you and you left!”
“Mother, so help me...” He inhaled deeply, trying to stay calm. “What. Happened?”
“She was hit by a car. She and Lindsay were crossing the street...”
But Logan wasn’t listening any longer. Charlie. Hit by a car. He had to get to her.
“I’ll see you later, Mom,” he said and ended the call.
Sheer terror threatened to cut off his oxygen intake, but he inhaled deeply and pulled his laptop closer. During a crisis, he was at his best. Usually. But the crisis had never been Charlie in an accident. His brain was sluggish, taking way too long to function properly.
What was he supposed to do? Plane ticket. Car. He had to get to Charlie. Nothing else mattered now.
Anna knocked and opened the door. “They’re ready for you in the conference room.”
Without taking his eyes off of the computer, he shook his head. “Please shift the meeting to... Or better yet, ask Peter to take the lead on this one. I’ll probably be gone for the rest of the week.”
“You spoke to your mother?”
He nodded, searching for flights.
“Go and pack your things; I’ll book the ticket and car and email the details to you,” Anna said. “There’s usually a flight just after one. I’ll see if there is still a seat available on that one.”
He looked up. Anna was actually smiling.
“What the hell is so funny?” Gnashing his teeth, he got up and grabbed his car keys.
“You, are, my dear.” She chuckled. “You are.”
But he didn’t have time to wonder why Anna thought he was funny; he had to get to Charlie.
“Lindsay, relax.” Charlie tried to calm down her sister. She was sitting on the bed in the doctor’s rooms. “I am not going to the hospital, I’m totally fine. And what’s more—the doctor agrees with me.”
“You fainted!” Lindsay cried out. “Right there in the middle of the street. I’ve never seen you do that before.”
“Well, I’ve never nearly been hit by a car before, either,” Charlie muttered. The doctor had just left her to get dressed and had allowed Lindsay to join her. Charlie lifted her top to show Lindsay the bruise.
Lindsay inhaled sharply. “Just look at that!” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I’ll make you a mixture of myrrh, helichrysum, frankincense, and fractionated coconut oil, when we get to the shop. That should help with the bruising.” She sniffed.
“It’s not nearly as bad as it looks. I was probably hit by the side mirror of the car.”
“You could’ve been killed.” Lindsay sniffed. “We both could have been killed. Do you think it was him? Mark? I can’t believe that freaking man is still out to ruin my life!”
“I didn’t see the driver’s face. Everything happened so fast. But he probably paid someone else to do this. He has the money to do that.”
Charlie closed her eyes for a moment. The last hour had been a blur. Gavin had heard the noise and had rushed back, worried about them. He’d been in time to see the car speeding away, but he’d missed how Charlie had been hit.
He’d immediately phoned Eleanor, and she and Brooke had been kind enough to make arrangements for them to see the local doctor. Both Eleanor and Brooke had been waiting here at the doctor’s rooms when they’d arrived. Brooke had also phoned the police; Gavin was probably talking to them at the moment.
“I hope the police can at least find out if he was behind this. But what did the doctor say about you?” Lindsay asked.
“I’m fine. The bruise will be sore for a few days, but it’ll fade. He wanted to do all sorts of blood tests, as well, but I told him I’m fine, it’s not necessary.”
Lindsay frowned. “Blood tests? Why? Because you fainted?”
Charlie shrugged and straightened her top. “I don’t know, but please stop worrying. I’m telling you, I’m fine. Let’s go. Maybe the police can tell us something.”
It was only when she took Lindsay’s arm, she realized her sister was shivering badly. “Oh, Linds,” she murmured, hugging her. “He is not going to get near you, I promise.”
She took Lindsay’s hands in hers. “Look at me?” She waited for Lindsay to look her in the eye. “Inhale, exhale. And repeat.”
Within moments, Lindsay was calmer. “Thank you, sis. I’m just so upset that after all this time, he can still make me feel this way—useless and afraid.”
“Well, you’re not,” Charlie said. “Come on, I want to get back to work if the police don’t have any more questions. Thank goodness Lilly was able to move the appointments for this morning—I feel so bad about that. Wouldn’t you rather stay home with Gavin this afternoon? Lilly can look after the shop.”
But Lindsay shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I have so much work—precisely what I need right now. Lilly, bless her heart, has been taking care of everything this morning.”
The doctor stopped her before they left. “I really think we should run a few tests, though. People don’t just faint for no reason. Whenever you feel up to it, just let me know.”
“Thanks, Doctor, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
CHAPTER 16
By four o’clock, Charlie felt nauseous and her whole body ached. She tried to smile as she said goodbye to her last client, but she was so tired, she couldn’t really care if she wasn’t her usual pleasant self.
By the time she and Lindsay had arrived at work after lunch, everyone in the small town had heard about what had happened. Throughout the afternoon, people arrived with flowers, food, and all sorts of gifts. Even the mayor looked in to tell them he would make sure the perpetrator was caught.
She was so touched by everyone’s concern, but with all the interruptions, her sessions took longer than usual. She’d asked Lilly to move the appointments for the last two people she was supposed to see to tomorrow. All she could think of now was to rest.
As she left, Lindsay looked out of her shop. “You okay? You look very pale.”
“I’m fine, but I think I need to go and lie down. Gavin is picking me up. Will you be okay?”
“Of course. Lilly is still here. I’m just mixing another batch of the night cream, then I’ll also be home. Shouldn’t you go back to the doctor, Charlie? You’re really very pale.”
“No, don’t worry about me. I just need a breather. It’s been quite a day! I’ll see you later. I’ll ask Gavin to pick up something for dinner.”
It was five o’clock in the afternoon when Logan reached Alisson. In the distance, the mountains rose high above the sky, usually a comforting presence, but today he barely noticed it.
He was frantic to see Charlie. He’d been trying to get hold of his mother and Brooke since before the flight, but they weren’t answering their phones. So he still didn’t know what had really happened. The only thing he was sure about was that Charlie had been in some kind of accident and he had to get to her as soon as possible.
During the nearly two-hour flight to Bozeman, images of everything that had happened between Charlie and him, had replayed over and over in his mind’s eye. Charlie laughing, Charlie teasing him, Charlie with her arms around him, Charlie’s face when they’d made love, Charlie telling him she loved him. Charlie telling him he’d hurt her.
And one searing question was driving him insane—what if Charlie was badly hurt or worse? What if...? He couldn’t even think about it, let alone say the word.
Contemplating a world without her in it was inconceivable.
As he drove down the street in the direction of Charlie’s house, he became aware of how tense he was. He wasn’t even sure where she was, but hopefully someone at her house would kno
w.
Her brother would probably try to throw him out, but even if he had to fight his way to get to her. He had to see Charlie today.
A commotion downstairs woke Charlie up. Combing her hair back with her fingers, she sat up in her bed. What on earth...?
She could make out Gavin and Lindsay’s voices but there was a third voice... Surely Mark Taylor wouldn’t have the audacity to knock on her door, would he? She moved to get out of bed when her door flew open and in strode Logan. Her heart just about jumped out of her body.
Stunned, she stared at him. Logan was here. In her room. He looked different, somehow. What...? It took her a few moments to register what it was—his tie was hanging loosely around his neck and his hair was standing on end. The only time she’d seen him like that was...her heart sighed. Was when they’d made love.
“Logan...”
But before she could say anything else, a fuming Gavin appeared with Lindsay hot on his heels. “Who the hell do you think you are?” Gavin snarled, grabbing Logan’s arm. “You cannot just storm into my sister’s house and into her bedroom. You left, remember?”
Logan’s eyes raked over her before he turned to Gavin and Lindsay. “I need a moment with Charlie, please?”
Gavin crossed his arms. “Anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of us.”
Charlie got up quickly, but the whole room tilted. She quickly grabbed hold of the cupboard in front of her to steady herself.
“Look what you made her do!” Gavin bellowed.
“Gavin!” Charlie called out. “Please? Just... I’ll be fine. I’ll call you if I need you.”
Gavin shoved his finger under Logan’s nose. “You do anything to make her cry again, so help me—”
“Gavin, please?” Charlie tried again.
But Gavin wasn’t finished yet. “You damn well—”
Lindsay fortunately stepped in and saved the moment. “Come on, Gav,” Lindsay said softly, pulling their brother out of the room. “You’re not helping.” She gave Charlie a worried frown.
Charlie shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
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