by Imani King
“You seem surprised,” he observed.
“Yes,” she said sheepishly. “Well, you can’t blame me. You say ain’t and ma’am real cowboy-like.”
He didn’t take offense, instead he laughed at her poor mimic of his drawl.
“Why did you decide to become a ranch hand, Logan?” she asked him seriously. “You could be anything you wanted to be; why a ranch hand?”
His look also turned serious and he stared into her face for the longest time. “That is another story for another day. Remind me to tell you when we find another time out like this again.”
Ari sensed a real story behind the answer to her question, but wisely, she decided not to pry. She remembered that day at the stream when he found her. He’d asked for her name and she’d all but told him to mind his own damned business even though he had been trying to help her.
She could as well do the same for him.
Chapter Nine
It had been a little over six months since he found Ari—or rather, since she found him.
Logan could tell she was really blossoming. Her work ethic had earned her great praise and respect from everyone, and her fleeting smile was completely gone, nourished under the influence of the people and work at Westbrooke Ranch. Her demeanor had taken a turn from paranoid to enthusiastic and she carried herself with more confidence. She had a smile for everyone now and Logan was almost jealous whenever any of the guys smiled right back at her.
“Your rose is flourishing,” Everett had said one afternoon when Ari brought them lunch.
“That she is,” he had replied, not even bothering to remark on Everett’s choice of words. He’d watched the gentle sway of her hips as she walked away from them. She then waved at a teenage cowhand and smiled at Faye whom she met at the door. As far as Logan was concerned, Ari was nothing short of beautiful, like a rose and he wanted to make her his.
Nothing ever held his attention like Ari did and he certainly hadn’t felt this protective towards anyone.
Firmly, Logan pulled an iron door over the thought and concentrated on stealing glances at Ari as they all ate at the dinner table. It was another monthly dinner and this time, they had Lyle and Andy join them. The table was lively. Andy and Faye were speaking in hushed tones while Amber brought Val up to date about the development of her unborn baby and her husband listened on their conversation with a proud smile on his face. Lyle and Everett seemed to be enjoying a conversation about the coming harvest. Logan on his part did not bother to join any of the conversation. He was happy simply looking at Ari whenever he thought she wouldn’t notice.
He was beside her at the dinner table and every now and then, their thighs or shoulders would touch. Well, sometimes he intentionally initiated the touch and he was glad at the results he got. She didn’t flinch or look distressed. She was now used to him, his touch.
It was a good start.
In fact, Ari had developed greatly from the flighty little woman he met at the stream. He even imagined she had a bit more flesh on her. The little imp in her was truly out and everyone simply adored her. Even now at the dinner table, she was up to her neck in mischief. Heads bent together, she and Khloe were speaking in rapid, hushed tones. They looked like school girls who were up to no good.
He felt proud of her. She had won the loyalty and friendship of everyone in the family all on her own.
Not even the weight of her pending divorce had succeeded in weighing her down. Of course, she’d asked to be kept informed about her husband’s reaction to the divorce conditions and the lawyer had called to inform her that Dan Jackson was being stubborn, but he was handling it. Ari hadn’t bothered to ask how the lawyer was handling it. She simply seemed glad to let the lawyer do his work, so she could focus on her new life.
She was also taking on her new life with enthusiasm and energy which was good for her.
For him.
She was a natural at getting things done on the ranch and Val had begun to defer more tasks to her. These days, she’d started to go to town for supplies. Sometimes, Logan took her in the Volvo and other times, she went with one of the girls. A few times, she’d gone alone. The first time she went, he’d been skeptical about her going to town alone. He was worried that her husband could still find her.
“I’m not going to live my life in hiding,” she had told him stubbornly. “If Dan has anything to say to me, he can now say it to my lawyer. I’m done with him!”
He couldn’t protest anymore so he’d grudgingly let her go and she had gone and done a fine job on her own. In fact, she kept getting better by the day. His respect for her kept soaring up to the sky.
What’s left is for her to see him.
With her past experience, he knew that trust and love wouldn’t come easy, but he was willing to follow Everett’s advice and wait. Plus, he could see his patience paying off in every unhindered smile she gave him. She had all but forgotten about their kissing episode and it was good for them both. For now, he was simply satisfied with the fact that she acted freer with him now, asking him questions, involving him in conversations and all. He was willing to let her decide.
As if she somehow knew he was thinking about her, Ari suddenly looked at him and with a smile, said, “Logan, Khloe and I’ve been arguing and I think I may need your opinion on this,” she said in a loud voice that carried round the table.
“Oh? What’s that?” he asked, sensing mischief in the air.
“You see, I’m of the opinion that men who are unable to declare their feelings to a woman are cowards, but Khloe seems to think otherwise. She says there might be a reason for this. What reason could that be? Since I’m not a man, I decided to ask you!”
The table fell silent. Somehow, Logan knew the statement was well planned and rehearsed by both ladies, but it didn’t make the impact of Ari’s words less for it. All eyes on the table were on him now; the men especially. They seemed interested in knowing how he would answer this one. Logan could see his friend, Everett, shift uneasily in his chair. Logan himself felt like scratching on his jaw, too. Ari was looking at him expectantly, so he had to give a reply.
To do that, he had to clear his throat several times.
“I’d say you’re both right,” he said slowly. Thinking things up under what seemed like a thousand pair of eyes but really was only nine wasn’t as easy as one might have thought. “On one hand, some men are really cowards when it comes to matters of the heart. I mean, they feel so inferior and shy away from the responsibility of another person. In the end, a better deserving man rides in to steal the lady right from under their noses while they come up with one excuse after another. By the time they realize they’d lost a diamond while collecting stones, she is long gone.”
Logan tried not to glance at Everett while he said this. There was a time that he had teased Everett that some man might to come riding into the ranch one day and steal Khloe away. Of course, they both knew that Khloe had her heart bent on marrying Everett but Logan could bet that Everett remembered the conversation clearly. Especially, since he could feel him glaring all the way from across the table right now.
“I told you so!” Ari started to say to Khloe but the Westbrooke middle daughter’s eyes were now openly fixed on Everett. Her eyes were misty and there was an accusation in them.
Logan winced as the sound of chair scrapping against the tiled floor suddenly filled the air. Without a word, Everett walked out.
Khloe shared a dismayed look with Ari before fleeing after him.
“Way to go, stud,” Lyle told Logan and the old man stood up to go too.
Andy did the same and Faye followed.
“Oh, look at the time!” Amber exclaimed in an unnecessarily high voice. “Darling, we should head home now.”
And just like that, Amber and Graham disappeared too.
Logan could only be grateful that everyone already had their fill of the meal, else he wouldn’t forgive himself for opening his big mouth and wasting good food. As it was, he fe
lt guilty enough for disbanding the party in such manner. He wondered if Everett would ever forgive him. He wondered if he hadn’t irreparably disrupted things between Khloe and his friend now.
“You sure know how to put things succinctly, don’t you?”
Logan looked up at Val from beneath his eyes.
She was smiling.
He wondered what it was she found to smile about. “She asked,” Logan replied, casting an accusing glance at Ari.
To his amazement, the little trouble-maker was smiling, too.
Logan shook his head. Had he missed something? “Why are you both smiling?” he asked.
Val stood and began to clear the table. Ari stood to join her but the older woman shook her head. “You can pack the rest later. For now, you might want to answer his question,” she told Ari and then turned to him. “And you might want to tell her of the other side to your answer. I wish those dumb love birds stayed to hear it, but as it is, you can still tell Ari. It should be useful one way or the other.” And with that, Val left them at the table.
Logan watched until she disappeared into the kitchen. He didn’t understand a whit of what she just said. He turned to stare at Ari.
Her smile widened. “Can’t you just get it? You have just helped Everett and Khloe along the way,” she said. When he continued to look bemused, she sighed, “Like Val just said; you put things succinctly. I couldn’t have thought of a better answer myself. And your answer hit Everett at the right point enough for him to stalk out of the room.”
“And that helps them, how?” Logan was still confused.
“This is how it goes. Khloe wanted to be sure that Everett feels something for her. She has been beating herself over it the whole week. She said if she could only know that, she’d let him take all the time in the world. Well, I wanted to help her find out. You see, I say your answer opened Everett’s eyes to what could become the reality. It shows that Everett really does care. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be so affected by your innocent answer, would he? And that’s all the evidence that Khloe needed.”
Twisted logic though it seemed, Logan couldn’t help but agree with Ari. Obviously, Val was in the same lane with her too. “But Khloe looked damn sad before running after Everett just now,” he observed.
“That’s because she loves him and worries that he’s upset. That’s why I like the way it turned out really. Their real emotion should come through, especially Everett’s, I hope. You get my point now?”
Logan nodded. He fell back in his chair and watched the woman before him. While he was unaware, Ari Jackson had become an astute, insightful woman full of wisdom and goodwill for her friends. Or had she always been this way, but it was all suppressed due to her previous life with her husband? Logan admired and respected Ari’s intelligence and he couldn’t help but fall in love more.
“So tell me the other side to it,” she urged.
Logan had to shake his head to clear off the drooling expression he was sure was plastered on his face. “What?” he asked.
“You did say we were both right,” she quipped.
“Oh, that’s right,” Logan said. It was now him and Ari at the table. In the beginning, he had wanted to answer Ari’s question in the most detached way possible. Then now since it was both of them only, he decided to bring this answer a little closer to home. “On the other hand,” he began, leaning over a little bit so he could stare directly into her eyes. He noticed her pulse quickened in her throat and he felt an insane desire to lap up at it with his tongue. “Really, some men are the strongest even when they don’t tell their women they love them.”
Ari raised quiet brows at him but didn’t say a word.
He took that as a good sign. “Yes, indeed. Sometimes, the timing just isn’t right and should the man say a word, he wouldn’t be received well at all. At other times, there isn’t enough evidence on the part of the lady involved to assure him that his love isn’t one-sided. In any case, he might be biding his time, waiting for her, waiting for the slightest sign that his love could be returned.”
With bated breath, Logan watched different emotions play across Ari’s face. Understanding warred with desire. Logan couldn’t blame her; she was still fresh from her ordeal. It was too soon. He was willing to wait, however; he was only trying out his luck at the moment. He wasn’t looking for instant results.
“Well, there is that,” she allowed slowly. “I guess its different strokes for different folks, huh?”
“Exactly,” he said.
They were now staring into each other.
Logan could continue to stare into those eyes of hers forever. Her lips were lush and the light from the chandelier above made her look like an angel. If he leaned just a little bit further, he could just touch her lips with his. He would take her in his arms and tell her that like Khloe, he was willing to wait for her.
As if she could read his mind, she flew out of her seat as if some insect got her bum. “I should…um…clear the table,” she said.
“And I should help you do the dishes,” he said, standing up too.
She grabbed the nearest dishes closest to her. The abrupt movement caused her hair to loosen and fall across her face, forming a curtain over her head. He reached over to pack some plates too, but at the same time, she raised her head to flip her hair backwards, her head collided with his jaw.
“Ouch!” he let out at the unexpected invasion.
“Oh, I am sorry!” she cried, dropping the dishes on the table and grabbing his jaw.
“It’s not really painful,” he tried to reassure her. “I was more surprised than hurt.”
“Still, you should probably get some ice on it.”
She whipped around to go into the kitchen but he held her hand to his jaw. “I’m fine Ari, really.” Her fingers were soothing to his skin and he didn’t want to lose the touch just yet.
She searched his eyes as if to confirm that he was okay. Their gaze held. Her hands moved across his jaw slowly, tracing its line and he knew it was without conscious thought. He closed his eyes briefly, savoring the pleasure of her warm fingers on his skin. His lips tingled and she dragged in a ragged breath. He sighed heavily, wondering if it would be so bad if he just dipped his head to take a sip of those luscious lips of hers. Just a sip and he could die a happy man right now.
“I should go now,” he heard himself say. His eyes were still closed and her fingers were still against his jaw.
“Oh, yeah, you should,” she said in a faraway voice.
He opened his eyes and saw the struggle in hers. She looked like she didn’t know what to do with him. He decided to make this easy for her. He took a step back.
“I’ll just see you off to the bunkhouse,” she said, smiling wanly as if she still had no idea what she was saying. Her hands slowly left him.
Logan missed her touch immediately. He nodded and together, they walked outside. They didn’t find anybody outside of the house.
“I hope Khloe and Everett are okay,” Ari said quietly.
“They will be. Everett is a gentleman at all times,” Logan said just as quietly. “It is Faye I’m worried about. She behaves rashly sometimes. Andy is younger and still very much attached to Lyle. I don’t think it will work out.”
Ari’s laughter rang through the night air. “Exactly her mom’s opinion, but good luck telling her that.”
Logan felt glad the cheerfulness was back in her voice. What happened in the house would go down the drain of one of those forgotten moments with them.
Logan sighed. “It’s fast becoming a love triangle at Westbrooke Ranch.”
“It is, isn’t it?” she agreed. “I think everyone thinks all the ladies on the ranch should just hook up with the available men and get it over and done with. I’m beginning to think someone is going to suggest Val get in the shack with Lyle, too!”
The mere thought sent Logan into laughter. He just couldn’t imagine Val with old school Lyle. The bossy owner of Westbrooke Ranch would drive him
nuts in a day. “Now, that would be a sight to see.”
They were now in front of the bunkhouse. There were no lights on and he guessed Everett wasn’t back yet. He and Khloe must have gone someplace else. He turned to Ari with a smile. His breath caught in his throat because of the picture he saw. The moonlight had done wonders for her and she practically glowed beneath it. She seemed like a Nubian fairy and he remembered thinking she could only be a mermaid when he first saw her.
“You’re a beautiful woman, you know?” he murmured. Without thought, his fingers curled around a loose tendril of her hair and began to play with it.
“Why thanks,” she said somewhat shakily.
“And hardworking and intelligent; any man would be lucky to have you.”
She laughed a little. “It’s a pity Dan didn’t think so.”
“Dan is a fool,” he said feelingly.
“I agree and I can’t wait for the divorce to be final.”
“What are your plans for when it does?” he asked. “Plan on leaving? Finding a home for yourself?”
She shook her head at him. “Home is on Westbrooke Ranch, at the moment, Logan. Everyone I care about is here. I am staying…at least until Val says she doesn’t want me around anymore.”
Logan liked to think he was a crucial part of ‘everyone she loves’. He smiled and tugged at her hair. “Val isn’t going to send you off; you’re becoming indispensable to her.”
“Then, I’m going to be around for a long time.”
She was smiling up at him and that smile did wonders for his senses. Smiling back, he whispered, “I am glad.”
“Me too.”
He had no idea who moved first but he was willing to gamble it was him who did. Suddenly, their lips were touching, clinging to one another. Her lips were soft and pliant beneath his and she made a little sound of relief that weakened him at the knees. She was so small that he had to lean all the way down for the kiss but he didn’t mind. It was pure heaven.
