If they got another chance.
“Logan, listen...” Rachel began.
She had that steely look in her eyes. It was the same one her brother got when he was about to close a deal. Logan held up a finger to her lips.
“Don’t say anything more about last night,” he begged. They’d come this far. He didn’t want to ruin it. There was so much he needed to show her. “Let’s table the conversation for now. Please. For me.”
Sadness washed over her face as she searched his eyes. With a reluctant sigh, she bit her bottom lip and nodded. “All right, if that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want.” He swallowed, glad he’d avoided that disaster. If Rachel had told him that she didn’t want to be with him anymore, he was pretty sure his insides would turn to ash. He couldn’t let her go, yet. Not without showing her exactly who he was.
“Do you mind if I close my eyes for a minute?” Rachel asked as the plane leveled out in the air. “I’m afraid I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“Sure,” he said, his eyes searching her face for some hint of what was going on inside of her. She hadn’t said much since they’d left Michael’s office. This wasn’t the Rachel he was used to. She was normally so forthcoming with all her opinions. He hoped to see that Rachel again. Soon.
“Thank you.” She settled down in the white leather chair, closing her eyes and resting her head on the back.
Logan watched the lines smooth from her forehead and her breathing relax. Her lips parted slightly and she fell quickly into a deep sleep. He couldn’t help but marvel at her beauty, inside and out. There was something so profound, so innate that attracted him to her. He wished he could hold her against his chest while she slept, whispering reassurances into her ear. She was a beautiful soul. It wasn’t her fault she’d been hurt.
Ten minutes into the flight, her head fell on his shoulder and she moaned in her sleep. Logan adjusted his height to make her more comfortable. She muttered her thanks and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment.
At long last, they began their descent toward the airport. Rachel didn’t wake up until the wheels hit the ground. Her eyes fluttered open and for one wonderful moment, she smiled groggily up at him.
“Are we here?”
“Yes. We made good time.”
She blinked and then everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours seemed to hit her at once. She sat up with a gasp, dropping her hands from his arm and giving him a guilty look.
“Sorry about that,” she whispered.
He wanted to tell her he didn’t mind. In fact, he loved having her near, but it still wasn’t the time for that. Instead, he sat in silence as she looked out the window and scanned the small tarmac.
“Where are we?” she asked, her forehead wrinkling.
He grinned. “Somewhere I love.”
The plane rolled to a stop and the flight attendant lowered the staircase. Logan offered Rachel his hand and helped her down the stairs. As they placed their feet on solid ground, a rusty old blue pickup rolled up. It beeped its horn three times and then came to a squeaky stop. The driver’s side door popped open and out stepped a man with grizzled salt and pepper hair, gray scruff covering his weathered chin, and intense blue eyes that beamed with happiness.
“Welcome to Colorado,” he yelled holding out his arms.
A dog hopped out of the cab behind him and bayed its excitement. It rushed toward them, its wagging tail whipping them both around their legs. Rachel shot Logan a puzzled look and then bent down to pet the slobbering dog sniffing at her yellow heels.
“Oh, don’t mind old Red. He’s just a bucket of slobber and fleas we picked up from the shelter five years ago,” the man from the pickup said as he approached them. He held out a hand toward Logan. “It’s good to see you again, son.”
Logan grinned, feeling warmth spread throughout his chest. He was home.
Chapter Fourteen
Rachel rode in the front of the tiny rusted out Toyota, squished between Logan and his father. She kept mostly silent and listened to them catch up. Logan’s father had introduced himself as Ned Madison. He was easy-going and quick to smile. It was clear to see Logan had gotten a lot of his good looks and charm from his father.
“And this, young lady, is our home,” Ned announced, pulling off the road onto a gravel drive and shooting her a smile.
The road curved sharply to the left between a grove of tall pine trees. Rachel leaned toward the windshield, eager to get a look at the home Logan had purchased for his parents. When it finally came into view, it took her breath away.
A pristine glassy lake reflected the vivid blue sky above and the mountains in the distance. Thick forest lined the entire shore, except for a small patch where a majestic looking A-frame log home stood with an evergreen tin roof and a wraparound porch. Rachel had never seen anything so fabulous. It was like looking at a picture in a magazine. She could only imagine how much money he’d dropped on it.
A plump blonde woman in a cream chunky sweater stood waving at them from the door. She beamed as they pulled up, running to meet them.