by Linda Wisdom
“I told him he can’t date until he’s forty,” she whispered. “He isn’t all that interested in dating anyway. He hasn’t wanted to attend the dances they’ve had at school.”
“He was looking at her as if she was as good as, if not better, than the sundae he was eating,” he told her.
That was the last thing Lucy wanted to hear. Memories of the vision she’d had of an ice-cream-covered Logan were still too strong in her mind. She almost gulped the rest of her wine down.
“I’m not ready for him to date,” she croaked.
“I doubt he’ll be asking to borrow the car anytime soon,” Logan teased her. “I only noticed that Nick watched her with more interest than a kid normally has in a member of the opposite sex.”
“Which are things you would know about.”
“As a guy, yes. One day we tell the world that girls are evil, the next we realize they’re not so bad after all.”
“At least it’s Brooke.” She accepted the inevitable. “She’s very sweet and not boy-crazy the way a lot of the girls their age are. There are some girls in his school who put my teeth on edge. Too many of them are thirteen going on thirty.”
“He’s working a job that will weed the real ones out,” he said. “Girls first think that working around dogs and cats sounds cute until they realize that means cleaning out a lot of kennels. That doesn’t give them a very romantic picture.”
Lucy shuddered. “I really don’t like to think of the word romantic in conjunction with my son.”
“So what do you think of in conjunction with romantic?” He set his glass on the ground and picked up her foot then tugged her other one until her feet rested in his lap. He wrapped his hands around her toes, running his forefinger over the gold ring.
Lucy giggled and tried to jerk her feet out of his grip but he refused to release them.
“Ticklish, are we?” he murmured.
“I can’t even have a pedicure without going crazy,” she admitted, trying not to laugh as he gently manipulated her toes. A giggle escaped her lips and she pressed her fingertips against her mouth to hold it in.
The tiny lights framing the patio cover gave him enough illumination to see the helpless laughter dancing in her eyes.
“So where else are you ticklish, Lucy Donner?” he murmured, wrapping a hand around her ankle.
“I’ll never tell.”
Logan rubbed his thumb against the soft skin along the inside of her ankle. She didn’t try to pull away, but there was a tension in her body that told him it wouldn’t be difficult to find her other ticklish spots. He was eager to discover everything about her. He wanted to know how responsive she could be if he found just the right spot. The idea of searching for those spots was intriguing.
He kept his hand wrapped around her leg as he trailed it up to her knee. His fingers rubbed lightly against the sensitive area in the back. A soft, indrawn breath escaping her lips was his first alert.
“I guess you’re not ticklish there,” he murmured, looking up at her.
“No,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on his face.
“Or here.” He moved his fingers up another inch.
Lucy said nothing. She lowered her gaze to his hands. One rested warm against her thigh while the other was still wrapped around her toes.
“Maybe being ticklish is like the hiccups,” he murmured. “If you try shock treatment, it stops.”
Logan tried to gauge her expression. The faint light finally revealed the glint in her eyes.
He leaned over, grasped her around the waist and before she could utter anything more than a squeak of surprise, turned her around so that she was settled back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.
“There, that’s better,” he said in a low voice filled with contentment.
“It is nice,” she agreed.
Logan freed one hand long enough to reach down to grasp Lucy’s wineglass and bring it back up. He gently bumped it against her hand and she curled her fingers around the stem.
“You’ve got quite a setup out here,” he said.
“Thank you. I wanted Nick to have a kid-friendly place for his friends.”
“Yep, kids just love gazebos and windmills.”
Her shoulders shook with soft laughter. “No, those are for me just as the trees are.”
“Trees but no flowers?” Logan asked.
Lucy groaned loudly. “Oh, I had lots of flowers out here. There was only one problem. Luther thinks all flowers are a delicacy. When we moved in, I spent all afternoon planting flowers. By the time I finished, my back felt as if it was broken and I wasn’t sure I could ever walk upright again. The next morning I looked out the kitchen window to admire my efforts and screamed. Luther was in the middle of the flower-bed. By then he’d eaten more than half of the flowers. Tempting him with his favorite treats didn’t get him away from the flowers, neither did threats. So far, the trees have been safe. I guess they’re not as tasty as the flowers were.”
“The gazebo is a nice touch,” he remarked.
“It is, isn’t it?” She sounded proud of the small building. “It’s something I’ve always wanted. Our last yard wasn’t big enough to have one. I thought it would be nice to have a quiet place for reflection. You can’t see it from here, but a bench is attached along the inside wall. It’s perfect for stretching out.”
“Sounds like a great place to take an afternoon nap.” He rested his chin on top of her head. Strands of her hair teased by the evening breeze tickled his nostrils. A subtle powdery scent he guessed was expensive surrounded him.
Gossip in the area said that, thanks to settlements from the airline and the company that manufactured the airplane, along with the sale of her house, Lucy had been able to pay cash for this house. She’d wasted no time in landscaping the property. He knew the school Nick attended wasn’t cheap. And he understood that Lucy had put most of the balance of the settlement in the hands of a financial expert. He’d bet that even if Nick wouldn’t be eligible for scholarships to just about every university in the country, she had his college tuition put away. But Lucy didn’t act like someone who had come into a tidy fortune.
Logan made a nice living, but he knew that while his clinic and the property it sat on looked just fine on paper, his bank balance rarely did. It never mattered to him since he didn’t require a lot of money except to care for the shelter inhabitants. Donations and adoption fees helped pay for their upkeep.
At one time his business had almost been destroyed because his ex-wife wanted him to suffer. And he had suffered. It had taken him a while to recover. After that, he’d sworn he’d be a love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy. His own nature hadn’t allowed him to be that callous, but he still walked warily where the opposite sex was concerned.
Then he’d met Lucy Donner at a party, and he almost fell over his own two feet. She wasn’t beautiful in classical terms, and the first few times they were together weren’t stellar since she let him know she wasn’t interested. But there was a vibrancy about her that attracted her to him.
Tonight, he was content for the two of them just to sit here and enjoy the evening.
Well, almost content.
Logan grasped Lucy about the waist and turned her around. She squealed in surprise and would have dropped her glass if he hadn’t taken it from her and set it on the ground.
“I just realized that there’s no reason to let a pretty night like this go to waste,” he drawled.
She was wide-eyed. “There isn’t?”
“Nope,” he said almost cheerfully and then proved his point by bringing her down to him. He could taste the wine on her lips as he explored her mouth thoroughly.
Lucy gripped his shoulders for balance while Logan kept his hands at her waist. He’d already discovered the woman packed quite a wallop with her kisses, so he wanted to take it as slow as he could.
The minute her lips touched his he knew he was in trouble.
Lucy was all woman. The kind every
red-blooded man dreamed about. Except his dream was very real and very desirable.
She whispered his name and softened her grip on his shoulders, allowing her body to align itself with his. He moved one hand along her waist and up until his fingertips reached the lacy edge of her bra.
“Are you trying for first base?” she whispered, laughter lighting up her voice.
He grinned, thinking of a time when baseball terms gauged how far a boy got with a girl.
“Do I have a chance?”
She closed her eyes as she considered his question then opened them again. She wiggled her hips just enough to get his attention. “Maybe.”
Logan inched his fingers just under the lace edge and traced the rounded curve of her breast.
“Why, Doctor, what a gentle touch you have,” Lucy murmured, pressing butterfly kisses along his jaw line and up to his ear.
“Tames the savage beast.”
“I thought it was music that tamed the savage breast.”
Logan smiled at her tongue-in-cheek remark. “I was trying to be a gentleman.”
She fingered his shirt collar then ran her hand down his chest to his belt before lightly skating farther down then back up to flick her fingertip against his chin. “Gentlemen don’t let their attentions be known so blatantly.”
“I’m too busy figuring if I dare try for second base.”
Lucy shook her head in mock exasperation. “You men and your sports analogies.” She shifted a bit and framed his face with her hands. “This is what helps you get to second base.”
And then she kissed him in a way guaranteed to make him forget everything including his name, rank and serial number.
If he didn’t know any better he’d swear she’d said something about hot fudge sauce.
Logan didn’t think any woman had kissed him the way Lucy was kissing him.
He slid down the length of the glider until he lay flat against the cushions with Lucy a pleasurable weight on him. With one foot planted on the ground, she was able to fit very nicely in the cradle of his hips.
Fingers mapped out curves and angles. Mouths followed, sliding over bare skin to discover the spots that had one of them murmuring with pleasure. Logan’s shirt ended up on the ground with Lucy’s sweater drifting down after it.
“You’re not cold, are you?” he murmured against the hollow of her throat.
“Not at all.” Her words seemed to be imprinted on his skin.
The atmosphere was made for romance and seduction with the starry night overhead, the sensual sound of trickling water from the fountain and the feel of their bodies against each other.
Logan’s hand was warm against Lucy’s bare thigh when something that didn’t seem quite right asserted itself.
“Lucy?” He was having trouble thinking as she nibbled on his ear.
“Hmm?” Her soft voice vibrated pleasurably against the sensitive skin just behind his ear.
“Domino’s chewing a lot?”
She leaned back her head. “Uh.” It took a second for her to comprehend his question. “Yes.”
“I thought so. He’s working on my shoe.”
Logan groaned as Lucy shifted her body against his aroused one so she could lean over the side of the glider. “Domino, no! That’s not yours!” A soft whine told them the puppy took the scolding personally. Lucy turned back to Logan. Embarrassment covered her face instead of the desire that previously captured it. “I owe you a pair of shoes. Lately, he’s been convinced that any shoe he comes across is his. We have to make sure the closet doors are closed. I guess all his toys aren’t enough for him.”
“Just one of the hazards of dog ownership.” He started to rise up but she pushed him back down. She pulled one of the cushions away from the back and adjusted it behind his head and shoulders. “There. Isn’t that better?” She leaned back over and brought up one of the wineglasses. She glanced to one side. “Domino, go get one of your babies. We call his toys his babies,” she explained to Logan. Then her shoulders started shaking, not with cold but with amusement.
“Who needs a cold shower when you’ve got a dog?” Logan said.
“I’m sorry.” Her apology fell short with her laughter. “But if you could have seen his face when he realized he was caught…” She buried her face against his shoulder.
“Better him than Luther. Who knows what that devil cat would have done with his claws.” He winced as he imagined what could have happened.
Logan’s mirth joined hers. He wrapped his arms around her and gently rocked her against him.
Lucy finally raised her head then straightened up. “Our chaperone was making sure you didn’t go too far.”
“Better the dog than your son,” Logan said wryly.
Lucy picked up the other glass and handed it to Logan. She tapped his glass with hers.
“To our conscience.”
Logan lifted his glass to her and drank. “I’ll have my vengeance.” He grinned at the look of alarm crossing her face. “When you bring him in for his operation.”
“Don’t give away the surprise,” she playfully warned.
He stood up, grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet.
“Time for me to say good-night.” He kept one arm around her waist as they walked to the patio door with Domino following behind them.
They walked through the darkened house to the front door. Lucy flipped a switch to turn on the carriage lights set on either side of the door and walked with him to his car.
“I had a wonderful evening,” she told him as they stood by the driver’s door.
“I did, too.” He smiled. “I’d like to do it again.” He locked his hands at the small of her back.
“You wouldn’t have to feed Nick next time.”
“Or we could let him loose at an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
“A good way to test their promise,” she joked.
Logan’s smile softened as he looked down at her.
“I’m glad you were willing to give me a chance.”
“There’s something irresistible about a man beloved by kids and animals. Besides, I was starting to weaken,” she confessed.
“Whatever it was, I’m glad.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Good night, gorgeous.”
“Good night.” She stood back so he could get into his car.
“Go inside and lock the door,” he ordered, kissing her again, this time on the lips.
“You forget.” She glanced down at the bundle of fur sitting on her feet. “I have a ferocious guard dog.”
“Even when he’s adult size he won’t be ferocious. Good night, Lucy.” He was reluctant to drive away, but he knew it wasn’t the right time to think about spending the night even though her son wasn’t there.
He was relieved when she smiled and walked back to the front door. But she remained in the doorway with Domino cradled in her arms.
He drove off with the sight of Lucy reflected in his rearview mirror.
“Maybe I’ll bring Magnum next time. He should be able to handle both the pup and the devil cat with one paw tied behind his back.”
For a minute he was tempted to turn the car around and return to Lucy’s arms and perhaps an invitation to stay the night.
It took every ounce of self-control to stay on the road back to the clinic where an arrogant Malamute instead of a lovely woman would greet him.
It just wasn’t going to be the same.
Chapter Nine
It’s going to be our best reunion yet, fellow Rangers! Join us for dinner and dancing at the Sunset Canyon Clubhouse. Don’t be left out!
“Please leave me out,” Logan muttered, tossing the invitation toward his wastebasket just as Lucy walked into his tiny office. It fluttered to the floor instead. She stooped down and picked it up, not missing the bold lettering as she smoothed out the rumpled paper.
“Your high-school reunion. How neat!” she said. “You’re going, aren’t you?”
“I’ll seriously think about it when t
hey hold the fiftieth reunion.”
Still holding on to the invitation, she took the chair opposite him. “Why wait that long? I went to my reunion and had so much fun. Our class hunk didn’t do well once he was out of high school,” she confided with a saucy grin. “And gym class.”
“High school wasn’t exactly a fun time for me,” Logan admitted. “I was the loner who lived for weekends and vacations and high surf.”
“There must be people you might want to see.”
“I see the ones who matter to me.”
“I bet there are others you’re curious to see,” she said after studying him for several long minutes. “That’s why you won’t go. Tell you what: I’ll make you an offer you can’t resist. I’ll go with you,” she offered. “I will even get all tarted up if you want. I could speak with an accent and look exotic. Just don’t ask me to wear a dress that’s more Spandex than fabric. I have this thing about needing to breathe.”
Logan shook his head. “Why would you offer to do this?”
“Because you pretty much live in this clinic. You need to get out more. Or—” she paused for devilish effect “—I could talk to Abby and tell her you need to go.”
“I went to school with Brian, not Jeff.”
“And Abby,” she reminded him.
He made a face. “You’d actually sic her on me?”
“In a heartbeat.”
“You’ll have to call Abby, Lucy.” Gwen stood in the office doorway. “He won’t go.”
He sat back in his chair with his crossed feet propped on the desktop. He stared at Lucy, looking as if he was seriously considering her proposition.
“No spandex, huh? How about wearing a dress cut down to here with a hem up to there or lots of sequins?”
“Cut down to here will only work with a good push-up bra. I’ll do what I can if it means you’ll go.”
Gwen looked from one to the other with great interest. “I’ll want pictures,” she stated.
Logan kept his gaze locked on Lucy’s. She didn’t bat an eyelash under his regard.
“Why are you trying to organize my social life?” he asked.
“You can’t organize something that doesn’t exist. I told you. Besides, this way I can see if all reunions are alike. The old cliques banding together again, some of the jocks talking about their glory days and many of the nerds now millionaires.” She reached for the phone. “Or I can call Abby.”
