Northern Fascination (7 page)

What the heck? “I asked you, didn’t I? And we both clearly remember you said no.”

“You seriously wanted me to go?”

“How many drinks did you have tonight?” Logan wasn’t weaving or bobbing and he didn’t sound incoherent, but he certainly wasn’t making any sense.

“I’m sober. I’m just… Do you know why I turned you down?”

Stick a fork in her. She was nearly done. It had been an emotional roller coaster of a day. “Look, Logan. It hurt my feelings at the time—I’m not crazy about rejection—so if it’s something awful, I’d rather you just kept it to yourself. I figured you turned me down because you didn’t like me. Plain and simple.”

“I turned you down because I thought you were asking me on a dare.”

“You thought I’d actually do something like that?” She couldn’t have hid the hurt in her voice even if she tried. She didn’t try. She stepped to the left, away from his arm. He had the good sense not to try to stop her. “Wow. I’d have preferred that you refused because you didn’t like me.”

“I didn’t know you, Jenna. You were pretty and popular and I saw your friend waiting over at the water fountain…”

“You thought I was one of those mean girls.” She was incredulous. “Really? Where did you ever get an idea like that? As corny as it sounds, I’ve always tried to treat people the way I want to be treated. For the most part, it’s worked out well.”

“I didn’t know.” He spoke quietly, a wealth of regret in his voice.

The way she saw it, she had two choices. She could get all hurt and clam up and let him go on his merry way, none the wiser as to what had actually happened on her end. Or…she could be honest. “Bethany was there for moral support. It took me two weeks to work up the nerve to ask you.”

“It did?”

“I went home and cried afterward.” She had to admit she hoped he felt bad about that.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry.” He did.
Good.

“I had such a thing for you.”

“You had a thing for me?”

What the heck? She’d just put it all out there. “Okay. Let’s just lay this out one time and be done with it. I had a terrible crush on you. I thought you were smart and good-looking and you seemed kind of nice even if you were aloof, but I liked that.” They turned to walk up to her front door. The porch light seemed very bright after the dark walk over. “I screwed up my courage and asked you to escort me. You turned me down because you thought I was the type of girl who would prank someone and then laugh at them.” They climbed the two stairs to the front porch. “End of story.”

He ran his hand over his head. “I was an idiot.”

“You won’t get any argument from me.” Tama peered at her through the window from inside the house. He was probably ready for his dinner. “Well, we’re here. Good night.”

“I could come in.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m tired. I need some time alone.”

“Okay.” He raised his hand as if to touch her face and then seemed to think better of it. He put his hand in his pocket. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

“You know where I work and have a good idea just how big the town is. It would be more difficult for you to avoid me than to see me tomorrow.”

“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” No, she wasn’t. “What I’m asking is, would you like to go out with me tomorrow night? I’m talking about a date.”

Was he only asking because he thought it would help his cause? She supposed she was as suspicious of his motives now as he’d been of hers back then. “It’s not going to make any difference in your chances of buying the town.”

“It’s not about me buying the town.”

She wanted to believe him. She wanted it so badly, she was afraid to let herself think it. But if she’d laid it on the line, so could he. “Then what’s it about?”

“Why does one person ask another person out?” He was echoing her own words back to her. “Because they want to spend time with them.”

It was crazy how happy his words made her. “Okay.”

“Okay, as in yes?

“Yes,” she said.

“Six? Here?”

“That’s fine. What are we doing? I need to know what to wear.”

“I don’t know yet.” He didn’t exactly smile but his eyes did. “Dress warm. Layer.”

He leaned down and pressed a sweet, safe kiss to her lips, that nonetheless set her heart pounding. His fingers lingered against her cheek for a moment. “Good night.”

He turned and walked down the stairs, the dark swallowing him.

Jenna opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. Tama greeted her, rubbing against her legs, loudly announcing it was his dinner time.

“I know. Give me a second or two.”

She leaned back against the door, her lips still tingling from his kiss, her legs slightly unsteady. She had a lot to sort through in her head, but there was one undeniable fact that didn’t need any sorting.

She was crazy about that man.

“I
HAVE TO GET HOME
,” Ellie said. “My parents will be worried about me if I’m gone much longer.”

“I don’t want you to go.” Nelson hadn’t planned to say it but the words spilled from inside him. Ellie looked startled. “I mean, I’ve enjoyed your company.”

Her smile seemed to move through him. “I’ve enjoyed your company, too. When I first heard your truck coming, I was annoyed. I wanted whoever it was to simply leave quickly. No one else has ever been here when I was here like this, but I’m glad you came. And I’m glad it was you.”

Her words wrapped around him like a warm blanket on a cold night.

“Me, too.”

She nodded. “I need to change in the tent. Will you please turn your back while I get out or would you rather get out first?”

“No. You go first.” He turned to face the lake’s opposite shore. “Go ahead and get out.”

The water rippled as she exited the lake and he heard the zipper.

“Thanks. You can turn back around now,” she said from inside the tent.

He settled back in the water, highly aware that just a few feet from him, Ellie was naked and drying off in the tent. Even though he spent his days among patients in various states of undress, it was arousing and enticing to know Ellie, with her lean golden body, was toweling herself dry just a few feet away.

For the first time in a long time, Nelson felt sexual desire. He hadn’t found anyone who awakened that side of him in years, but now, with the warm water lapping at him and images of Ellie dancing in his head, his sexuality was reawakening.

He’d seen her in a new light tonight. She’d looked like a water goddess with her hair streaming over her bare shoulders, the moonlight burnishing her skin to gold.

He heard her rustling in the tent. Her dog sat guard, waiting, watching Nelson. In a few minutes she unzipped the flap and emerged, her hair hanging down her back in a single plait.

“There’s an extra towel. I always bring one in case of an emergency. Your turn.” She presented her back, affording him privacy. The air felt bracingly frigid as he emerged from the warm lake. That certainly took care of his arousal.

Kneeling in the tent, Nelson dried off using the folded towel. Her scent seemed to hang in the air, a fresh clean smell of the woman herself, not lotions or perfume. Nelson pulled on his dry clothes and tied his hair back. His socks and boots went on last.

Ellie stood waiting, a serene smile on her face. How had he overlooked her beauty all this time? It was as if scales had fallen from his eyes.

“Do you need help getting everything packed up?”

“Thanks but I’ve got a system.” She knelt and leaned into the tent, gathering the wet towels and placing them in a bag. Within a couple of minutes she’d efficiently packed the tent away also. “Okay, so that’s it.”

Walking side by side, the dog trotting ahead, they made their way back to their respective vehicles.

Nelson stopped by her jeep and waited while she stored her tent in the back. “So, will you be here tomorrow night?”

“No. But I will the night after tomorrow.”

“Would you mind if I returned?”

“I’d like that.” She opened her driver’s door. “I’ll be here around the same time.”

“I’ll see you then.”

He stepped away so she could close her door. He made his way to his truck, feeling better than he’d felt in a long time.

He whistled under his breath. Perhaps he didn’t have the answers he’d sought, but his spirit felt lighter. After all, he had a date with a beautiful woman in two days time.

T
HE NEXT MORNING
, L
OGAN
wrapped up the last of his emails and logged off. He’d accomplished in two hours what would’ve taken all morning in the office. It was business as usual back in Atlanta. No surprises. No, everything that had shaken up his very routine life was right here. And she had a name. Jenna.

He poured a second cup of coffee from the in-room coffeemaker. With business out of the way, he allowed himself to think about last night. Actually, that was a joke. Jenna had been on his mind the entire time he’d been working. Usually he was good at compartmentalizing, but dammit, the woman wouldn’t stay out of his head.

He was still amazed that she’d had a thing for him back when they’d been kids. And, like a coward, he hadn’t admitted he’d had his own thing for her at the time. He, however hoped he’d rectify that mistake sometime today. Either in words—or in action.

More importantly, he knew there was definitely something between them now. He’d gone to sleep with her taste on his lips. He ached for her, longed for her with an intensity unlike anything he’d ever known before. She’d tasted like everything good in life.

Carrying his coffee cup, he crossed to the window overlooking Main Street. Headlights illuminated the white snow in the street and a team of sled dogs, locked into their traces, pulled a sled down the road the musher standing on the back traces encouraging them.

A pickup pulled to the front of the dry goods store. A bundled figure moved along the opposite sidewalk. Even without the bright pink hat and scarf, he would’ve recognized Jenna anywhere. He’d realized yesterday that a part of him still remembered the way she moved, her gait, the bounce in her step. Time hadn’t changed that and he’d never forgotten.

She paused and looked up. While it wasn’t as dark as last night, the town seemed to be wrapped in a twilight, dawn not quite emerging yet. As unlikely and as irrational as it seemed, he could’ve sworn her gaze scanned the distance and locked with his.

Desire shook him to the center of his being. It had been a long time since he’d wanted a woman the way he wanted her. Actually, the last time he’d wanted a woman this badly had been years ago…and it had still been Jenna. In the past twelve years, there hadn’t been anyone else who affected him the way she did.

She looked away and resumed walking. He found himself counting the hours until he could show up on her doorstep again. And then what? He knew all the businesses in town. Gus’s was the only restaurant. It was also the only bar. There was no movie theatre. No museum. As far as date options went, well, there weren’t many.

He heard the plane before he saw it. If everything was back on plan, his luggage should be onboard. And today he’d work at getting Merrilee onboard with the buyout. He’d known from the preliminary report that she was the key. If he persuaded her, everyone else in town would follow suit. But first he needed to get the proposal in front of her.

He headed downstairs, reaching the bottom stair at the same time Dalton came in the back door, Logan’s luggage in hand.

Dalton grinned at him. “Now that’s what I call timing.”

“I heard your plane coming in,” Logan said with a smile.

“Here you go. I’m sure it’ll be nice to change duds.”

“Thanks.” Logan grabbed the suitcase in his left hand and shook Dalton’s hand with his right. “I appreciate it.”

“All in a day’s work. Speaking of work…” Dalton turned to Merrilee. “I’m going to run a motor part over to Donna.” He headed for the door.

“The coffee’ll be here,” Merrilee called after him. She offered Logan a smile. “Good morning.” She nodded toward his suitcase. “Looks like your day just got a whole lot better.”

“That it did.”

“Unless you’re in a hurry, be sure to grab a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll or two.” They did smell damn good. “Lucky made them this morning. They’re not as good as Gus’s but since Gus isn’t here…” She turned her attention to the old man sitting in the rocking chair. “You want a cinnamon roll, Dwight?” she shouted. She glanced at Logan, “He’s mostly deaf.”

He’d learned last night, while hanging out at Gus’s, that the actual Gus was a Paris-trained chef named Augustina who’d taken refuge from a sadistic former fiancé in Good Riddance. Gus had returned to Manhattan but she and her new fiancé, not the sadistic stalker, were returning in December to get married. Gus sounded like quite a character, but then everyone in Good Riddance seemed to be one. Between Christmas, the Chrismoose festival, which he’d heard about from several people and the upcoming wedding, the place would be hopping in a couple of months. For such a tiny little town, it was amazing how much activity there was.

He placed his suitcase next to the stairs and poured another cup of coffee. Then he grabbed a cinnamon roll.

“Just go ahead and take two. They’re that good,” Merrilee said.

Suddenly hungry, he snagged another one and sat in the empty chair by her desk.

“I’m sure it was nice to see Jenna again after all this time,” Merrilee probed as he bit into the pastry. Butter, cinnamon, sugar and a plump juicy raisin combined with the fresh, yeasty roll was incredible. If Gus’s was actually better… He finished chewing and swallowed.

“Good, huh?”

“I’m glad I wasn’t here for Gus’s. And yes, it was good to see Jenna.” He took another bite, thinking. Desperate times called for desperate measures. “I could really use some advice, if you’ve got a minute. I asked Jenna out tonight but I don’t know where to go.”

“Is this a date?” Merrilee asked, a teasing glint in her eyes.

Logan felt like the luckiest guy in the world. Damn. He had a date with Jenna Rathburne. Finally. He knew he was grinning like a fool and quite frankly, he didn’t care. “Yes, it sure is.”

Merrilee tapped her pencil against her desk blotter. “Dating can be something of a challenge in Good Riddance. You’re sort of limited.” That was an understatement. “You have to be resourceful. And creative.”

He was so out of luck. “I’m a numbers kind of guy. Asking you for advice is the extent of my resourcefulness and creativity. But I want to make it really special. I sort of screwed something up—no, not sort of, I
did
screw up in a big way—and I’d like to make it up to her by doing something special.”

Merrilee laughed. “Let’s see. Karaoke isn’t until tomorrow night. Skye Shanahan’s teaching a CPR certification course over at the community center tonight but I don’t think that’s what you’d want to do on a date.”

“Not particularly.”

Merrilee brightened, snapping her fingers. “I’ve got it. You could always go on a picnic.”

Obviously it took a different breed of person to live out in the Alaskan bush. He didn’t want to come across as a wuss but… “I think I’m missing something. It’s not going to get above freezing today, much less tonight.”

“Innovation, Logan, innovation. I’ve got a basket tucked away somewhere. We’ll set you up with a blanket, a few candles and dinner from Gus’s. You and Jenna can have a picnic right there in her cabin.”

“That sounds good, but it will be obvious I didn’t come up with the idea on my own.”

“She won’t care whether you came up with it yourself. Not when you show up on her doorstep packing a romantic candlelight picnic. Trust me on this. I’m a woman.”

Merrilee knew Jenna and if she said that’s what he should do, then that’s what he intended to do. “I take it I can get the candles at the dry goods store?”

“Absolutely. While you’re there, you can nose around and see if there’s anything else that might strike your fancy. Teddy’ll help you pull together the food.”

There was still one thing that wasn’t making any sense. “Why would the two of you go to all of that trouble?”

“Why did you come here, Logan?”

“Well, as I explained yesterday—”

She waved her hand. “I know your company wants to buy us out. I’ve been waiting for someone to show up ever since your man scouted us out in July. But why you? This isn’t in your normal job description. For goodness sake, you’re the CFO. I checked out the company website. Why are you here instead of Mr. Fishcher?”

“I was due a vacation and I’ve always wanted some time in Alaska—”

“Logan, you’ve got the money to come up here any time you wanted to. Why didn’t you come in the summer when the days are long and there are a lot more interesting things to do?”

“This way, I was killing two birds with one stone. My company wants to make a deal and I wanted to look Jenna up.”

Merrilee’s gaze was shrewd. “She was sitting in your backyard for eleven years. Have you ever stopped to wonder why you waited until there was another country between the two of you?”

Damn. He hadn’t thought about it at all but the way she put it made him sound less than logical. “No. I…well…”

“It’s okay. You’ll figure it out.” The phone rang. “Excuse me.” She answered. “Uh-huh. Today? We were just there this morning. It’s not scheduled until tomorrow. What? They want today? Right.” Her smile couldn’t possibly get any bigger. “Fine. We’ll be there today, right after lunch. Yep, the going rate for a round-trip flight. Okay. Got it covered.” She hung up. “That’s a class act.”

“Was that the florist?”

“Uh-huh. You know that’s a pretty steep delivery fee you’re paying there. You could have saved yourself a ton of money waiting a day.”

“No, it’s already been too long.”

“Good enough then. We’ll get the flowers you ordered here today. And not that it matters, but did you come up with that idea on your own?”

“I did.”

She patted his arm. “That beats a picnic any day, hon. The two things together…well, you did good.” She settled back in her chair. “Now that we’ve talked about matters of the heart, let’s discuss business.”

Logan instantly switched gears. “Absolutely. I’m ready.”

Merrilee made the shift seamlessly as well. “Let me save you some time and aggravation. Quite simply, Good Riddance is not for sale. It doesn’t matter what you’re offering, it doesn’t matter where you propose we relocate, the buyout isn’t going to happen.”

“Would you at least take a look at the proposal?”

“Of course. Then you can say you gave it your best shot.”

“I don’t understand how you can turn down an offer when you don’t even know what it is.”

“There are two types of people in life, Logan. There are those who are convinced the grass is always greener on the other side. Then you’ve got others who know that whatever’s on the other side can’t possibly compare with how great things are now. Each and every one of us has our own trials and tribulations. I’m not going to pretend we’ve found paradise, but what we have found is darn close.