Logan's Leap

by JJ Ellis

  “You sound bitter, Logan,” she observed. “I figured you would be annoyed by it but not bitter.”

  “I don’t sound bitter,” he pouted, then changed the subject. “I hope you don’t mind staying in a hotel suite for a while.”

  “You seem to forget that I spent most of my life in hotels. First with my mother who worked in them and then when she died, I worked in them myself. Hotels are the only kind of home I know.”

  Logan nodded and concentrated on the curves in the road while Jayna looked out the window, daydreaming. CJ began to cry just after they had passed a rest area so Logan pulled into the median and headed back. While he unstrapped the baby and took him into the restroom to change his diaper, Jayna visited the woman’s restroom and took a drink from the water fountain. She was waiting on a bench outside when Logan and CJ joined her.

  “I think he’s hungry. He kept trying to feed off of me,” Logan quipped. “I kept telling him I don’t have the right equipment.”

  “Aww, my baby wants some milk?” she asked as she reached for him. As she started to feed CJ, Logan settled down beside them. “We’re not too far from Billings now,” he said to make conversation. “Maybe forty-five minutes.”

  “Okay,” Jayna said softly looking down at her baby boy. “I’m so glad he’s never going to remember any of this. Constant moving around and running is becoming a pain in the ass.”

  “At least you’ll feel at home at the hotel,” Logan said, jabbing at her arm with his elbow. This earned him a smile. The one sweet smile that made his knees week for the first time in his life.

  “So, what hotel are we staying at?” she asked as she switched CJ to the other side.

  “It’s an inn run by…an old friend of mine,” he told her. “A quaint little place with the best luxury suites in town.”

  Jayna watched him while he talked. Something strange passed over his face when he talked about the owner of the inn. She wondered if it was the woman he’d told her about. The one he’d gone to for sex when he needed it. It would be interesting to meet a female version of her rescuer. She couldn’t imagine not wanting love to be a part of her life, but obviously this woman and Logan were, or had been, two peas in a pod. “If you’ll burp him we can get back on the road.”

  “Sure. Come here little man, he said, taking the baby and putting him against his shoulder.

  ***********

  Frank was playing a hand held video game and Joe was watching television as they lie in their beds. “Maybe we should go to the bar,” Joe suggested. “I’m bored out of my mind."

  “If the boss finds out, we’d be in big trouble,” Frank said, his eyes never leaving his game. “Just chill out. Take a nap or something.”

  Joe’s phone buzzed and he looked at it. With a sigh, he answered. “Hey Boss, what’s up?”

  “I had an idea. You were able to get her new number from the manager’s phone, right?”

  “Yeah, Reggie,” he said, clicking it onto speaker phone.

  “Good. I want you to give the little whore some unwanted attention. A few phone calls, some threats – let’s make her so scared that she does something stupid.”

  “She’s using her card boss. You should be able to trace her from that shouldn’t you. I don’t think this is necessary,” Joe said quietly.

  “Don’t you fucking tell me what’s necessary, you little shit!” Reggie raged. “She withdrew the last of her money this morning in Nebraska. I won’t be able to trace her that way anymore."

  “We’ll do it Boss. Joe's just a little tired today.”

  “You’d better. I’m not in the mood to take shit from anyone.” The line went dead.

  Joe put his phone away and leaned back against the wall. His boss was really losing it. He had realized that they had all missed something very important. Jayna had gone off the radar for days, not spending any of her money and now all of a sudden she was using it again. Something wasn’t right with that scenario. He had a suspicion that they were being tricked. He would now bet money that Logan Harper and Jayna were together. He was also pretty sure that they were no longer at the cabin.

  It was now decision time. He actually kind of liked the woman and the boss was getting really sloppy. Sloppy enough to put them all in jail. He finally decided that for the time being, he would go with the flow, but he was also going to start protecting his own ass from whatever mistakes Reggie was about to make. What was it about Miss McIntyre that had made Reginald Sanders go from spoiled rich kid to crazy ass lunatic?

  **********

  Logan and Jayna pulled into a parking spot at the inn. “What the fuck…” he mumbled as he looked around. “Julia believed in love less than I did and now…”

  “She owns a lovers' retreat inn,” Jayna finished, a laugh sitting at the edge of her words.

  “Yeah." He opened his door and stepped out of the vehicle. He couldn’t imagine that the next few days would be fun, but at least they had CJ as a barrier. He unstrapped the little boy and lifted him out of the car. Jayna was already on her way to the Inn’s entrance. They caught up quickly and the three stepped inside together.

  “Can I help you?” a young woman asked from behind the front desk.

  “I’m here to see Julia. My name is Logan Harper.”

  “Logan! I’ve been waiting for you,” came a voice from the back office. A woman with dark hair and purple highlights walked out and went straight over to him. “It’s so good to see you.” They embraced warmly.

  “You haven’t changed a bit,” he said with a smile.

  “I wouldn’t say that yet,” she said with a smirk as she turned and hollered into the back room. A man, carrying a one-year-old child, came out. He smiled at Julia and kissed her cheek. “Logan Harper, I would like you to meet my husband Bradley and my daughter Madison.”

  Logan stared, mouth agape as he shook the other man’s hand. “What the hell?” he murmured quietly.

  Julia smiled big. “Sometimes when love hits, you can’t ignore it. Do you mind explaining what’s going on here?” she asked pointing to Jayna and CJ.

  “Is there some place we could talk privately?” he asked.

  Julia and Bradly ushered them through the back office and into their apartment. Logan and Jayna gave the bare minimum of information about their situation while Madison tried to get CJ’s attention.

  “We didn’t realize that this is a lovers' retreat,” Jayna said quietly. “I don’t want CJ to bother anyone.”

  “Nonsense,” Bradley said with a smile. “We have Madison around here all the time. Besides, the rooms are pretty much soundproof.”

  “Thank you,” Jayna said returning his smile. “Could I go lie down now? I’m getting tired and I think CJ is getting hungry.”

  “Of course,” Julia said disappearing into the office. She came back with a key, followed by the girl from the front desk. “Jeanie will show you to your room.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Bradley said. “I need to check the shower in the room next door.”

  Everyone moved to the door and Julia grabbed Logan’s arm to stall him. “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on between you and the beautiful Miss Jayna?”

  Logan looked up from the ground and into her eyes. “I don’t know what you mean. There is nothing going on. I’m helping her out for my cousin and his wife. End of story.”

  “You just can’t see what’s happening yet,” she snickered. “Big bad Logan Harper is falling head over heels in love. You’ve joined me on the dark side.”

  “I always knew you were full of shit,” he said. “I thought love could never touch you.”

  “I was wrong,” she admitted seriously. “And so were you. Mark my words. You even love that baby. When I first saw you holding him I could have sworn he was yours.”

  “Like I said, full of shit,” he teased with a smile as he dropped a kiss on her cheek. “I’m glad you’re happy though.”

  “Thanks, you big dork. Now go get settled in. Oh, and by the way
, you’re going to be in one of the honeymoon suites. We only had that room available since the other empty one has plumbing problems.”

  Logan looked hard at his old friend. The innocence on her face made him laugh. “You’re still a pain in my ass.” He left the room and headed to where he saw Bradley and Madison.

  ***********

  Logan turned around just before he reached the room Bradley had pointed him to. He ran to the SUV and grabbed a few of the important things they would need then walked back to the room.

  Sticking they key card into the slot, he pushed the door open and came to a sudden stop. “What the hell,” he whispered as he took in the sight before him. The room was all red, the heart-shaped bed was covered in red satin, and the Jacuzzi was ready to go. There were complimentary bottles of champagne and sparkling cider in an ice bucket that was decorated with hearts. Hell, the damn carpet even had hearts on it. It was the most gaudy, yet still oddly romantic, room he’d ever laid eyes on.

  Jayna was curled up on the bed sound asleep with CJ suckling at the breast. His groin tightened at the sight of her curvy backside and he felt a strange sensation in his chest as he watched her sleep. It all had to be an illusion, caused by all of that love talk from Julia.

  CJ’s fussing broke him out of his reverie and he walked over to the bed and picked him up to burp him. Sitting down in an easy chair, he let his body finally relax as he patted the baby’s back. His mind wandered to his conversation with Julia and his eyes flew open. He pulled CJ off of his shoulder and looked at him. The baby gave him a gassy grin. “Oh Jeez,” he whispered. “I do love you, you little snot. You wormed your way into my heart.” How in God’s name had he let that happen? “You’re my little man and I’m going to miss you when you’re gone."

  CJ cooed then burped, another cute as hell gassy grin appearing on his face. Logan pulled him close and cradled him. He held on as tight as he dared. “Look at your mama, kiddo. She’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. I wish I could love her but I’m scared. Love destroys…” He looked at CJ’s face. “I guess the only thing that loving you could destroy is my heart,” he whispered. “But it’s already dead. Loving your mom on the other hand…it could destroy everything I am.

  “But what are you really Logan. You’ve been nothing but a shell of a man your whole life.” Logan closed his eyes against the words. He wasn’t sure if it was his subconscious speaking or his late brother Ben. He sometimes thought they were one and the same.

  Chapter 9

  Logan and Jayna went to dinner with Julia, Madison and Bradley at their favorite local diner. Meal time was filled with talk about the past.

  “So Logan, do you still photocopy your ass and hand out the flyers all over town?” Julia asked with a smirk.

  Jayna’s head snapped up. “Oh, you didn’t…”

  Everyone at the table watched as Logan started to blush and looked down at his plate. “I only did it that one time,” he said softly. “My cousin Jackson kind of put me up to it. He did the exact same thing in Boulder City on the same day.”

  Jayna was laughing and Julia joined in. “You should have seen Evelyn’s reaction when she found out. Logan was grounded for a month, but Mrs. Harper was trying so hard not to laugh the whole time she was punishing him.”

  “I thought you were a good kid,” Jayna teased. “I can’t imagine you having done something like that. Still, from what I’ve heard about your cousin…”

  “So Jayna, did you do anything crazy when you were a teenager?” Bradley asked. “I myself was an angel. My wife on the other hand was always into some kind of trouble.”

  “My childhood was relatively calm,” she lamented. “My dad left without a word when I was ten and Mom and I lived in the hotel where she worked until she passed away when I was eighteen. I was kind of a loner.”

  “I’m sorry,” Logan said, putting a comforting hand on her arm.

  “It’s okay,” she smiled. “So, did you and Julia hang out in school?”

  Julia was first to answer. “Logan and I hated each other until junior year. That’s when we discovered we were kindred spirits.”

  “Yeah, I was hesitant to hang out with her at first though,” Logan said. “She was the biggest troublemaker in town.”

  “And you were the good guy next door,” Julia said with a smirk. “If everybody had only known the true you.”

  “We don’t talk about that around here,” Logan joked.

  Jayna looked at him with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Someday, if she was still around, she would make him talk.

  **********

  When they arrived back at the hotel, Jayna quickly changed into pajamas and laid down on the bed holding CJ tightly in her arms.

  “You’re sad,” Logan guessed, sitting down next to her.

  “Kind of, I guess.”

  “What is it?” he asked, taking her hand in his.

  “All of the usual crap. I’m tired of being scared, hell, I’m just plain tired. I almost wish I could make a routine for him.”

  “And what else?” he asked.

  “The dream I had about my dad…I guess I never really stopped missing him. We were really close when I was a little girl.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help. Have you ever tried to find him?”

  “Yeah. I found out he passed away a couple of years ago.”

  Logan leaned in and lifted her chin with his finger. His lips met hers gently, moving slowly to entice her to grant him access. Just as she gave in and their tongues began the familiar fight for dominance, his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number but decided to answer it anyway.

  “Hello.”

  “Well, well, hello there lover boy,” came a man’s voice over the line. He quickly put it on speaker phone so Jayna could hear. “Who is this?”

  “That’s not important,” the man said. “What’s important is that you give a message to your slut girlfriend. Her real boyfriend isn’t too happy with her. He has some harsh plans for her when he finds her.”

  “Who the hell is this?” Logan demanded. “He will never touch her.”

  The man on the other end laughed with evil glee. “She obviously hasn’t told you what our boss is capable of. You might want to have her fill you in.”

  “You son of a bitch!” he snarled into the phone.

  “Shut up lover boy. Just make sure she knows we’re after her and if she gives our boss too much trouble, she’ll never see her baby again.” The line went dead and Logan tossed the phone away from him. He was furious and shaking.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I should have made sure you didn’t hear that.”

  Jayna looked up at him, her eyes angry and steady. “Don’t ever hide anything from me where Reggie is concerned! Promise me, Logan.”

  “I promise,” he finally agreed, looking back at her. “He’s just trying to scare you, I’m sure of it.

  “I know,” she said. “And he’s good at it.”

  “I wish I could take your fear away,” he said softly, gathering her and CJ into his arms. “This tells me he’s getting sloppy. It’s just a matter of time.”

  “I sure hope so,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “We need to get the bassinet from the car soon. I think it’s time to put CJ to bed.”

  “Do you want me to go now?” he asked.

  “I guess you should. But I like it when you hold us.”

  “I’ll hold you when I get back,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll only be a minute.”

  Jayna had CJ changed and ready for bed when he came back with the bassinet. CJ was crying uncontrollably and Jayna was visibly upset and pacing.

  “What’s wrong, little man?” Logan asked as he took him from his mother. “Do you have a bubble or something? Oh Jayna, he’s burning up.”

  “He’s had that little cough all day. I didn’t think anything of it. Do you think he has a cold?”

  “Yeah, could be. Maybe we sho
uld take his temperature.”

  Over the next few hours, CJ cried and coughed more and his temperature rose to a level that neither felt comfortable with.

  “I think we should take him to the ER,” Jayna said, unable to hide the panic in her voice. “I’m scared.”

  “I know,” Logan comforted, squeezing her hand. He was scared too. “Get him ready and I’ll go warm up the car and ask Julia where the hospital is.”

  Jayna dressed the baby quickly and grabbed the diaper bag. She had him hooked in and was sitting next to him when Logan got in the driver’s seat. “I don’t come to this side of town much so I wasn’t sure how to get to the hospital from here. It’s not far.”

  “Okay,” Jayna murmured as the tears started to fall. Five minutes into the trip, she was in full panic mode. “Logan hurry. I think he’s not breathing well.”

  “We’re here,” he said as they pulled into the parking lot. “You get him inside and I’ll park and meet you there.”

  Jayna took CJ, car seat and all, and ran into the emergency room. A nurse at the desk looked up and smiled. “Can I help you?”

  “My baby. He sick. He’s having trouble breathing and has a high fever." Another nurse came around the counter to assess CJ and she rushed them back to the triage area while calling out orders.

  A doctor followed them in and Logan was shown in shortly after that. X-rays, oxygen, and blood tests were ordered.

  Logan and Jayna looked on in misery as CJ went through hell over the next few hours. He was poked, prodded, strapped down and bounced from place to place. His only comfort came from the few times they were able to hold him between procedures.

  Jayna was sitting by his side, holding his hand when the doctor came in with the test results. As the older gentleman spoke, she didn’t look away from her sweet little man with the tubes in his nose and mouth and bandages from where the blood had been drawn.

  “Ms. McIntyre, Mr. Harper, it seems your son has RSV.”

  Logan was too confused to even correct the doctor about his relationship to CJ. “What does that mean, doctor?”