“Then it’s official,” she murmured. “No more pretending.”
“You know, you’ve said all along we could pretend with everyone else, but not each other. Things shouldn’t be all that different.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she agreed. “Though, with everything going on with Gram, I think we should start slow, take each day as it comes, and keep this just between us.”
Sounded good, until the last bit registered. “Just between us?”
“Yes.”
Wait…so it was fine for friends to know about their fake relationship, but when things took a turn in the other direction, she wanted to keep it secret?
He stiffened, and she leaned back in his arms to look up at him. “If everyone knew, they’d be watching every move we make.”
“They watch every move we make now. What would be the difference?”
“Oh, come on. The knowing grins. The wink-wink comments.” She shook her head. “Trust me, it’s better for them to think we’re still acting.”
Logan gave a combination shrug and nod. She had a point, but still…good reason or not, he couldn’t help thinking there was more to her wanting to keep things quiet than she would say.
Warm, soft hands on both sides of his face directed his gaze down to hers. “Don’t go reading anything into this, okay? I just think it’ll be easier this way.”
It wasn’t that he wanted to run out and shout the news from the rooftops. He was good with taking it slow, because it gave him time to work on farm issues. More than ever he needed to pull a Hail Mary out of somewhere. But despite that, the secret part gave life to a little niggle of doubt deep inside his chest.
Her hazel gaze held his as she waited for his answer. He set aside his reservations and focused on the here and now, and the beautiful woman in his arms.
“Okay.”
“Good.” Her lips curved into a smile as she pulled him down for a quick kiss. He followed when she started to pull away, sliding his tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened to his deep exploration. He could so easily become addicted to kissing her—likely already was.
When he eased his fingers beneath the hem of her sweater, she grabbed his hands and stepped back with a soft groan. “I should probably get back to the house.”
“Do I still get dinner?”
“Sure. I’ll cover it for your drive home.”
He laughed, but that’s exactly what she did with the plate of spaghetti and meatballs before pushing him out the door. At the last moment, she fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him in for one last kiss.
“Thanks for…talking…earlier.”
He grinned against her lips, his doubt all but erased. “Thanks for making me.”
Chapter 13
‡
Late Friday afternoon, Logan parked his truck halfway between the library and the pharmacy. Before he used the computer at the library, he needed something to take care of the headache jack hammering in his head. It wasn’t because of the extreme heat of the unusually long Indian Summer, though that certainly didn’t help.
After striking out of options with the bank, he’d swallowed his pride and consulted with Tara’s husband, Westin Carter, Redemption’s resident financial wizard. Unfortunately, there was no magic left in his wand for the poor, and it was thanks to the lack of hope the guy offered that Logan was reduced to grabbing a bottled water and bottle of pain reliever so he could down three gel caps before he even hit the pharmacy registers.
Not that Wes hadn’t been nice, and respectful, and surprisingly non-judgmental when all the bleak facts were laid on the table. He truly had tried to find some way to help, but one had to have money to make money—especially if they needed to make a boatload in as fast as one week.
His lower than next-to-nil chances of keeping the farm weren’t the only thing bothering him. After the roller coaster of Wednesday night with Joy ended on a high note of expectation, he hadn’t caught more than a glimpse of her around the ranch the past two days. He’d been busy raking the fields in preparation of baling the final crop of hay on Saturday before a cold front brought rain again. She’d been busy with her grandmother.
They’d barely had time to exchange smiles across the yard, let alone steal a single kiss. Withdrawal had allowed that little niggle of doubt too much wiggle room.
Was she really so busy, or was she avoiding him? She hadn’t called at all. Neither had he, but that was because he didn’t want to wake up the household when he got in from his own chores so late each night. At his place, she didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone, which made him wonder if she’d second guessed their decision to give whatever was between them a shot.
Had she regretted it right away, and that was why she wanted to keep it a secret? Getting right down to brass tacks, was he just not good enough for her?