Blame it on Texas (13 page)

"Do you think Jake will get in trouble for beating him up?"

"I don't know. But if he does, I'll hire the best lawyer I can find to get him off. He saved me from killing the man."

Megan stared at him, shocked. "You think you could have killed him?"

Logan shrugged. "I don't know. If he had hurt Katie, I'm sure I could have. Since he didn't, I probably would have done exactly what Jake did if I'd gotten there first."

Megan changed the subject. "I was amazed at how many people came out to help in the middle of the night."

A warm glow spread through him as he thought about the reception they'd received at the Sheriff's office. "Yeah, that was something I didn't expect. But Morris Springs has always had a pretty good grapevine. If one person heard the call, they'd call someone else, who would call two more, and so on. In a town this size, it doesn't take long for word to get around." He grinned and shook his head. "I always hated that as a kid. You couldn't get away with anything."

Megan laughed and took a sip of her hot chocolate. "I grew up in Dallas, in a high rise apartment. Except for the summers I spent with my aunt and uncle, I could do just about anything I wanted to and no one knew or cared." Her expression sobered and her eyes reflected her sadness at the memory. "There were a lot of times I wished someone cared enough to catch me."

Logan wondered if Katie felt the same way. Maybe this trip, bus and all, had been a desperate bid for his attention, to let him know something was wrong at home. He needed to find out more about what her life had been like the last few months. Regardless, he wasn't letting her go again.

Megan drained her cup and stood. "We should try to catch a couple of hours' sleep. It's going to be a long, emotional day for all of us." She rinsed the cup and set it in the sink, then turned to go.

Logan stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Thank you, Megan."

"What for? I didn't do anything."

He stood and gripped her arms, pulling her against him. "Yes, you did. You were here." He lowered his head and took her mouth with his. He knew he should keep his distance. He should send her to bed to get some sleep. He should send her back to Dallas.

He didn't care. He reveled in the taste, in the feel of her as he deepened the kiss. She tasted of hot chocolate and a spicy tang that was hers alone. He ran his tongue along her lips, teasing them open.

His body was hard, and hurting. He needed her, needed to sink into her and release the tension that had built up over the last few days. Even with four other people in the house, he wanted to lay her back across the table and bury himself inside her, to forget the terror he'd been through over the past few hours.

Megan wrapped her arms around Logan's neck and held on for dear life. She'd never been kissed so thoroughly, with so much heat and passion. She reveled in the sensation of being devoured, possessed, entranced.

His body was rock hard against hers. She could feel his muscles flexing as he ground his pelvis against her stomach. She could feel the rigid line of his arousal firing her blood. She knew that if she and Logan ever made love, there would be no holding back. It would be hot, wild, and wonderful.

When it was over, her heart might shatter, but the rest of her would be whole.

Logan broke the kiss and stepped back long before Megan was ready. His hands dropped from her arms and he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Go get some sleep, Megan. Before the others wake up." Then he left the kitchen, leaving Megan with one hand against her mouth, trying to keep the warmth of his lips from fading away.

***

"We're not taking no for an answer." Nancy stood with her hands on her hips, her expression clearly stating she would brook no argument from anyone. "Jean and I will stay with Charlie, and the rest of you will go out to eat. Megan has to cook every meal for the next week, and she should get a night out first."

Jean nodded and added her two cents. "Carol deserves a break, too. And you all need to get away from the house for a while, do something pleasant for a change."

Katie looked doubtful. "But we can't leave Blue. He's still not feeling good."

Nancy glanced over at the dog, asleep on a soft blanket near the back door. "He's still so groggy he won't even know you're gone. We'll watch him carefully until you get back. If there's a problem, we'll call your dad's cell phone. How's that?"

Katie thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. But if he's hungry when he wakes up, you have to feed him something soft, like scrambled eggs. The vet said not to give him dog food until he's up on his feet."

Nancy smoothed a hand over Katie's hair, then gave her a hug. "I know, sweetie. We'll take good care of him, I promise."

Megan watched Logan's expressive face and knew the instant he gave in. He moved his gaze from Carol's quick smile to Katie's wide grin. "I take it you guys want to go out. Megan?"

"I think it sounds like a great idea. But what about Jake? We should invite him, too, shouldn't we? If we're going out to celebrate, we can't leave him out."

A blush bloomed across Carol's face, but she moved quickly toward the telephone. A questioning glance at Logan earned her a quick nod and she picked up the receiver and dialed.

"Where do you want to eat?" Logan asked Katie.

"The Prairie Dog Café." She looked at Megan. "They have the biggest chicken-fried steaks you've ever seen."

Half an hour later they settled into a booth at the Prairie Dog, Megan and Logan on one side of the table, Carol and Jake on the other, and Katie in a chair at the end. While Megan studied the menu, Logan and Carol chatted with the locals who stopped by to offer congratulations on Katie's safe return. Jake joined in the conversation and introduced the people Logan and Carol didn't know.

One burly man in overalls and a plaid shirt shook Logan's hand, then clapped him on the shoulder. "It sure is good to see you back home where you belong, Logan. I know your daddy must be about to bust with happiness. He's waited years for you to take over the farm."

"But, I'm not…"

"Yes sir, it's good to see a family keep the traditions going, helping each other out. Almost all of the kids who left looking for greener pastures have come back home. There's a whole new generation growing up here, working the home places just like their parents did."

"Jim, I'm only here for a little while, until we can convince Dad to sell the farm."

The big man laughed and cuffed Logan on the arm. "Yeah, that's what they all say. Then they realize this is where they belong, where they have a home. That city stuff gets old after a while, always worrying about getting mugged or robbed, worrying how to pay those credit card bills. You'll see. Once home, always home, that's what I always say." He ruffled Katie's hair and moved away, leaving Logan with a pensive expression on his face.

When the waitress stopped to take their order, Carol looked up. "Jenny! Oh my goodness, I haven't seen you in years." The two exchanged a hug, then chatted about old times for a minute before she took their orders.

Megan felt a pang of loneliness in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen any of her old high school friends, and couldn't think of a single one who would be so glad to see her.

Most of the mealtime conversation centered around old friends and childhood memories. Megan concentrated on her food, trying not to let on how left out she felt. She caught Jake's sympathetic glances from time to time, but she ignored him and let the conversation flow around her.

The more Logan and Carol talked about the past, the more Megan realized she had nothing in common with him. He deserved someone who shared those memories, someone who belonged in this town, who'd grown up here. He might think he belonged in Dallas, but he didn't. He was a part of this community, like it or not. Just like she wasn't.

But she really loved it here and she knew it was perfect for her. If Logan couldn't appreciate it, that didn't mean she couldn't. From the looks being exchanged between Carol and Jake, there seemed to be a distinct possibility that Carol might settle down here eventually, so Megan would have one friend, at least. And she'd get to know the others in time, to be accepted into the community.

With a sigh of contentment, she finished off the last of the chicken fried steak.

CHAPTER NINE

Logan stood on the porch with Katie and Megan, waving as Jake and Carol drove away. It had been hard to keep his mouth shut as Carol had hustled around getting ready to leave. He'd wanted to warn her about so many things. Muggers, taxi drivers, strange men, bums.

He'd opened his mouth a few times as new dangers occurred to him, then shut it again when he remembered what Megan had said about Carol being a grown woman. To him she was still his kid sister, and he couldn't help but worry.

God, it was hard to let go.

They stepped back into the house and the silence wrapped around him like a warm blanket. No Nancy to sharpen her claws on his ego. No Jean staying quietly in the background, watching his every move. No Carol raising her eyebrows and humming whenever he and Megan were in the same room.

Maybe the next week wouldn't be so bad after all. As long as he stayed outside, away from temptation.

"Hey, Katydid. You want to go with me to check on Big Mac?" There, he'd be outside, and he'd have Katie along to distract him from his thoughts.

Katie's eyes lit up and she raced for the back door. "Sure!"

Blue pulled himself to his feet and limped to Katie's side. His paw was still covered in a bandage that made it difficult for him to balance on his injured leg, but he seemed determined not to let Katie out of his sight.

Logan chuckled and grabbed her hat off the table on his way through the kitchen. "Here, put this on."

Katie rolled her eyes, but she settled the hat on her head and linked her arm through his, then reached down to pet Blue before she opened the door.

A backward glance gave Logan an enticing view of Megan's long, slender legs with just a hint of cheek peeking out from under the hem of her shorts as she bent down to check something in the oven.

Hoo-boy, this was going to be one long week.

***

The rich, heavy scent of tomato sauce and garlic reached Logan before he stepped on the back porch. He stopped, one foot on the step, and inhaled deeply. His stomach growled, reminding him he'd worked straight through lunch.

He'd sent Katie and Blue back after she'd watched the calf for a while, then he started working on the tractor. He'd only planned to do some basic maintenance, but the carburetor needed a good cleaning and adjustment, then he found other things that needed repair. A trip to town for parts had turned into a class reunion when he ran into several couples he knew in high school.

It amazed him how many people had stayed in that one-light town. He hadn't been able to get away fast enough. Still couldn't. But a number of his classmates had either never left, or had grown tired of city life and returned to raise their families.

He'd asked Jake why he had stayed, taking over his parents' farm when they passed away. His answer had been deceptively simple. "It's home," he'd said. "Where else would I want to be?"

That conversation stayed with Logan all through the night as he worked on a new game design. How long had it been since he'd had a "home?" His apartment was nothing more than a place to sleep after a long day at work. Even when he'd been married to Sue Ann, it was mostly a place to get dressed for an evening out, and a place to fight over his job and her flirting.

But that tomato sauce and garlic smelled like home to him.