Tempting Fate

by Meryl Sawyer

  "Then the guys in the chopper hurled the flash-bang. There was a lot of yelling and confusion. I managed to hide in the underbrush. I heard some guy trying to give orders to the soldiers in butchered Spanish."

  Hearing the door open, he turned his head. Pop walked in, saw Kelly was awake and smiled the way he had when Logan had kissed Kelly in front of everyone at the wedding.

  "Pop," Kelly cried in a voice that barely carried to Logan. The older man rushed to her side and took her hand. Kelly's eyes snapped shut, and her grandfather held one hand while Logan held the other.

  "I'm listening," she whispered when Logan didn't continue.

  "I knew the Israeli was one of those former Moussad agents who freelance. They're good, but they're out of their league in South America. One of the men with the Israeli was Enrique Thomasina, a soldier of fortune from Argentina.

  "I'd met him the only time I'd worked in Venezuela. He'd been guarding an oil executive who was kidnapped. You remember, I told you about that mission.

  "We got the man out alive. Thomasina owed me one. A bottle of expensive Glenlivet Scotch and the Levis was all it took to convince Thomasina to turn on the Israeli.

  "One of his men was a hothead. He shot the Israeli before I could find out who hired him. I left my ID and your ring on his body to buy myself time to get out of the country."

  * * *

  What is that sound? she wondered. Blip-blip. Blip-blip. A machine answered some disembodied voice. The metallic sound of blip-blip, blip-blip and gurgling noises.

  She cracked one eye a slit to check the source of the unusual sounds. The fuzzy, watercolor softness of drugs dimmed her mind. It took a moment for things to register.

  An IV. Drip, drip, dripping life-giving fluids. A heart monitor. Clicking away, spitting out information about her.

  Alive. Not six feet under, but still alive—and yes, breathing. Thank you, God. Thank you, Logan. She vaguely remembered him talking to her, telling about how he'd escaped. Where was he?

  She tried to sit up. Searing pain exploded, arcing through her shoulder into her chest, leaving her weak. Every inch of her body ached, even her toes.

  The door swung open and Logan strode in, "How do you feel, darling?"

  He moved the chair beside her bed closer and sat down. Whiskers bristled across his jaw, leaving a dark shadow that was echoed by the circles under his eyes. Streaks of gray still colored his hair, flaking off in places. He looked exhausted, ready to drop in an instant, yet she knew he had spent the night at her side.

  "Kelly, you had me scared to death. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you. "

  "You're alive. Thank God." The words croaked out of her dry mouth. She looked at the water bottle on the stand. He understood what she wanted and poured her a glass of water.

  "I'm a survivor," he told her as he gently put the straw between her lips.

  She gazed into the cobalt blue eyes she loved so much, past and present merging in a heartbeat. The look in his eyes gave her strength, the way he had so many times.

  "Benson is dead and Alyx is in jail. She confessed to poisoning Suzanne and hiring someone to kill me."

  Kelly stopped sipping the water. She didn't care about them. She wanted to know if he loved her and planned to stay with her.

  "Darling," he said, his expression serious, yet uncharacteristically tender. "Whatever possessed you to tackle me like that? You were almost killed."

  She whispered, "You're the only man I've ever met worth dying for."

  "Oh, Kelly." He set the glass aside. She could see how he felt in his eyes, but she wanted to hear it. "I don't know what to say. I'm no good with words."

  Say you love me. Say you're staying.

  "I've never met anyone like you," he said and she thought she detected a hint of moisture in his eyes. "I love you so much."

  The three little words—such powerful, meaningful words—made her heart swell with pleasure despite the pain. She knew he loved her. He'd proven it, but she still had needed to hear him say it.

  "Logan, you know I love you. I made a terrible mistake. I—"

  "Pop told me about Matthew. Those things happen. I never met a woman with your courage." He kissed her forehead and fondly gazed into her eyes. "I'm not sure when I first started to love you, but I knew for certain the night we went to dinner at the Stanfields. I tried to deny it, to pretend it was just sex, but it was much more than that."

  "I didn't expect to fall in love either," she replied.

  He stood up. "I have special surprise for you. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

  Don't go anywhere? She gazed at the machines that had turned her into a human octopus and chuckled despite the pain. A few minutes later, Logan came through the door, Rafi in his arms.

  "Mommy, Mommy," he cried, stretching his little arms out to her.

  Logan said something in Spanish, then gazed at her. "I explained that you can't hold him yet. I've taught him to say mami in English." He sat down beside her bed and balanced Rafi on his knee. "He can say Papa, too."

  Right on cue, Rafi said, "Papa." Then he pointed at Logan with his cute little index finger. "New Papa."

  Logan brushed the boy's hair with his fingertips, his touch soft and gentle. Loving. Like warm honey, Kelly's heart melted and her throat became tight. She blinked back tears. This was exactly what she had been praying for.

  "I don't know squat about being a father," he confessed.

  "I've never been a mother before."

  "We'll learn together, then. Pop will help us."

  Mist fogged her vision, she asked, "So you're staying?"

  Logan cradled Rafi in one arm and leaned closer to Kelly.

  "I willed myself out of Venezuela. One arm was useless. I had no pack to help me. But I made it—because I was determined to see you again.

  "No one has ever understood me the way you do. You were right when you said my own experiences made me believe you wouldn't be a good mother. And you were correct when you said I was living for danger."

  He moved closer and kissed her cheek. "But I meant what I said when we were waiting for the Silver Bullet. I hadn't called for a small helicopter just to see if I could make it out of the jungle alive."

  He winced as he lifted his bum arm, and she remembered being in the clearing near Snoopy Rock with him, his arm around her. Spasms had wracked it, but he hadn't given into the pain.

  "Hell, my arm is still worthless. I wanted the chopper because I honestly had no other way of getting you and Rafi out of there."

  "I know. It wasn't the Haas Factor. You were very noble."

  "Getting you two out of there was all that mattered to me."

  His voice was charged with stark emotion now. Rafi stopped playing with his watch and stared at Logan, obviously picking up on the distressed tone.

  "During the trek from hell, I did a lot of thinking. I've missed so much of life." Logan kissed the top of Rafi's head. "I'm not giving up anything more. I want a future with you. When you love a woman enough to die for her, your world changes. I've changed."

  "I'm so happy. You have no idea. When I thought you were dead, I—"

  "There is one thing you should know."

  The tight frown furrowing Logan's brow sent a fission of alarm through her. Oh, no. What could possibly be wrong? They were all together now.

  "I wasn't just winging it when I said the mumps settled in my testicles. I may not be able to father a child."

  "Oh, Logan, it doesn't matter to me."

  "You're sure?" he asked cautiously.

  "We love each other. That's what counts, isn't it?"

  "Yes, that's what is important." He offered her a shy smile. "I keep thinking of the orphanage in Elorza. There are so many children like Rafi who need a home."

  She gazed at the little boy who was now playing with the collar on Logan's shirt. "We could adopt another child."

  "I want a big family. Lots of kids running around everywhere. We'll adopt and"—he
flashed his devilish smile—"we'll keep trying for one of our own. Who knows? We've beaten tougher odds. We already have what counts—each other. And Rafi."

  The upwelling of emotion obliterated the pain as she gazed at the man she loved, holding the little boy who had stolen her heart with a single word: Mommy. Tears seeped out of her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

  "Papa, Papa," cried Rafi, seeing her tears and turning to Logan for help.

  "Tell him, I'm crying because I'm so happy. Explain that I love him … and I love you so much. These are happy tears."

  * * * * *