WindSwept Narrows: # 1 Samantha Elliott

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “Sam…they’re your parents,” he said as if that sentence explained it all.

  “And you’re my husband,” she said carefully. “You wear whatever makes you comfortable, Logan…but never stop being you because of my parents, please. I don’t know what you’re expecting…and while your dad is fun and smart and chatty, we both know your mom will never come around where any of us significant others is concerned. And that’s honestly okay…at least we know where we stand. I’m sorry for that, but…my parents are like your grandparents, Logan…only younger.”

  “You think I should change?” Logan met her laughing eyes, taking the palm she offered when she stood up, leading him toward the bedroom. His eyes immediately went to the closet, thinking she was going to pull out something for him to wear.

  Sam stood back, looking at him with a critical and shaking her head. She pushed the jacket off his shoulders, laying it neatly on the old fashioned wooden chair next to the closet. She dropped to her knee, glancing up.

  “Shoes,” she said simply, working hard to keep her expression serious. She tossed them toward the closet, shaking her head and removing the black socks, too. Her hands went up, loosening the knot on his tie, pulling it free and laying it over his jacket. Her frown was critical as she opened the buttons down the front of his shirt, opened his trousers and let them slide to the floor.

  Logan was seriously beginning to wonder where his brain had gone when he was down to his boxers.

  “Samantha…” He began slowly when he stepped out of his trousers and she laid them neatly on the chair.

  “Tut-tut…you’ll thank me for this,” she assured him, she took him to the bed and pushed him back on it, standing only long enough to remove her own jeans and panties. She crossed her arms over her front and peeled the tee shirt over her head, dropping it behind her. The bra followed quickly. Her name came out a strangled sound even as his lower body hardened.

  “Sam…” Logan wasn’t sure if it was meant as a protest or a plea.

  “I think you are in need of some serious de-stressing, Logan,” Sam lifted a foil packet from the nightstand even as she leaned forward, slowly trailing her mouth over his chest, onto his throat and jaw before taking his mouth in a long, sensuous kiss.

  “I think I married a seriously brilliant woman,” Logan put his hands on her waist, tipping her to her back and taking the packet from between her fingers. He quickly prepared himself, the urgent sensation coursing through him reciprocated in the beautiful green eyes. His fingers cupped her, drawing apart the soft petals, spreading the sweet dew and moving between her thighs. He gasped when her small palm wrapped around him, guiding him to the small, welcoming opening.

  Sam gave up trying to understand the power in their passion, her hips thrust upward to seat him even as he groaned against her mouth. The need for his touch, his kiss and the heated whisper over came her when his fingers stroked over her lower body. She tore her mouth from his, gulping in air when her muscles spasmed, her long legs wrapped tightly around Logan’s hips and holding him snuggly in place, trapping him while her body spiraled tautly around him. She held him close, fingers stroking over the sheen of moisture while their breathing slowly leveled off.

  He languidly lifted himself from her, his mouth cruising softly over her lips. She always had this effect on him. There was something incredible in her touch, her kiss. Something foreign to him that unleashed a raging deluge of passion within him. And when it was all over she always left an amazing well of contentment. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind he could conquer anything with her at his side.

  Her eyes were closed, but he knew she wasn’t asleep. He laid back at her side a few seconds later, his fingers up and tracing a line around the full lips formed in a sweet little smile.

  “I think simple jeans and a shirt will do nicely, Logan,” Sam captured his finger between her teeth, pushing herself up and striding into the closet, snatching her underwear from the floor on her way.

  Logan watched her step back into the bedroom, a short dress in her hands. She lifted it and let it fall down her arms and over her curves, the bright red flowers and green foliage suiting her well. The skirt was slightly flared and waved around her knees.

  “You’re wearing that and I’m supposed to show up in jeans?” Logan shrugged into his shirt, buttoning it slowly.

  “I like dresses,” Sam turned to look in the mirror. “I brought several of them from my house and will go get some more clothes and things tomorrow. Logan, you’re not really worried about meeting my parents, are you?”

  “I don’t know,” he pulled his slacks on, belting them slowly. “I want them to know I’ll always take care of you, always protect you and be there for you, Sam. I’ve never had experience with a girl’s parents before,” he admitted ruefully.

  Sam walked up to him, taking his palms in hers. “But together, we can handle anything,” she repeated his words softly.

  “Yeah…I heard that somewhere,” his grin was slow and confident. He turned her with a gentle swat. “Shoes, woman…don’t want to be late.”

  Sam found a pair of comfortable flat sandals, fitting them and striding to their front door. She slid her phone into the top of her dress and stepped into the early evening sunshine. A slice of giddiness took her and she twirled slowly, her face raised to the sun.

  Logan couldn’t stop the pure smile of enjoyment as he watched her, arms out and body turning slowly.

  “That’s my daughter,” came the lilting north eastern accent, a hint of amusement sparkling in the bright green eyes.

  Logan looked toward the approaching couple who exited the shiny black four door car. His gaze swept them both, taking in the colors and sparkling jewelry on the slender older redhead, a simple belted dress of red swirling around her knees. The man might have been a redhead at one time, but was now a comfortably short cropped amber, dressed much the same as Logan.

  “Mother!” Sam stopped spinning, wobbling and grateful when Logan gripped her waist tightly. “Thank you…” she waited for her head to catch up and went immediately to her mother.

  “Get used to it, Logan, my daughter is always spinning somewhere,” Elizabeth Elliott said with a living smile, unashamed as she appraised the tall, dark man from head to toe. “My darling daughter…he’s even more handsome than the photo’s you showed me.”

  Logan blushed. He ground his teeth and felt the heat flame in his cheeks.

  “You took photos?” He looked at Sam who pulled out her phone and shrugged and her father chuckled deeply.

  “That’s my Sam,” he said warmly.

  “Mother…Dad…this is my husband, Logan Sheffield,” Sam announced proudly, moving to tucked her arm in his. “Logan, Elizabeth and Morgan Elliott.”

  “Very pleased to meet you, my boy,” Morgan stepped forward, shaking Logan’s palm after his wife.

  “Samantha has immeasurable praise for you, Logan,” Elizabeth commented. “I personally wouldn’t care if you had a penny. The gleam and happiness I see in my daughter’s eyes…that is truly priceless.”

  “Mother,” it was Sam’s turn to blush, staring at her feet when Logan kissed her forehead. She sighed. She wouldn’t ask her mother to ever be anything else than what she was, she knew that from the bottom of her heart.

  “Well, it’s true,” Elizabeth twined her arm with Logan’s. “You do realize that in addition to inheriting her mother’s beauty, my daughter inherited her father’s financial genius.”

  “Do tell,” Logan slowed their pace, glancing at Sam curiously. “She’s neglected to mention that.”

  “Oh lord, the child began reading the financial pages when she was barely thirteen. Other girls were chasing boys, my daughter was sitting on her father’s knee asking questions about investing and stocks and portfolios…she’s tripled our yield in the last five years. It’s not something I’ve ever understood,” Elizabeth said with a wry smile.

  “Tripled?” Logan looked at Sam with one brow arched.

  �
��Oh please…it’s like playing monopoly,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Timing and location…it’s rather like an intricate game of gin.”

  “So…tell us about this massive business project you have going.”

  Sam took her father’s palm and led them toward the house and the wide open doors. She listened, smiling while Logan fielded the questions. She knew he was relaxed and okay when he caught her eye with a teasing wink. She felt heat strike her cheeks and wasn’t sure why flirting with your husband made her blush. But it was an oddly fun feeling.

  The four of them entered the main dining room, introductions made around the table.

  “This is a lovely home, Millicent…and you have exceptionally handsome grandsons,” Elizabeth said honestly.

  “Thank you, Elizabeth,” Millicent smiled happily. Color and vitality was what her home had needed for a very long time. “And now I have two absolutely beautiful granddaughters.”

  “Well, I can’t very well disagree with that,” Elizabeth said with a soft laugh. She paused on her way to an empty seat, smiling down at the new addition. “Well hello young man. You look quite handsome today.”

  “Uncle Ian said we were having company,” Mark answered, tugging on the bottom of his wildly flowered Hawaiian shirt. “So I put on my best shirt.”

  “And I have to agree, it is a positively stunning shirt. I love those colors,” Elizabeth told him warmly.

  “You have red hair like Sam,” he looked from one to the other. “Are you her mother?”

  “I am and my name is Elizabeth,” she extended her palm politely. “And that is Sam’s father, Morgan.”

  “Pleased to meet you, I’m Mark,” he followed the rituals he had observed, shaking her hand and going to shake Morgan’s. “Want to sit by me?”

  “Better watch out, Morgan, the kid has moves,” Logan teased lightly, ruffling his nephew’s hair.

  “I would like that very much, Mark. So where do we sit?” Elizabeth followed him with an arched brow and a nod.

  “It’s a buffet tonight,” Millicent told them all. “So please, help yourself. Trinity is positively in heaven at all these people to cook for,” she left her chair and began the procession.

  Chapter Twelve

  Anya and Sam were efficient shoppers. An hour after entering the mall, they exited with dresses to add to their collection and for the anniversary ball that coming weekend. Sam parked the Rover in front of the Forest Wing. Anya met her eyes and both of them frowned. The large two car garage to the east of the wing had a mid-sized moving van in front of it, Logan and Ian helping unload boxes and furniture into it.

  “Sometimes it’s just better not to ask,” Sam said, striding with Anya into the dining area for lunch, their packages set to the side of the door.

  “How was shopping girls?” Millicent asked, slicing carefully into the gravy covered sandwich.

  “Successful,” Anya announced happily. “Sam helped me find the right gowns for the ball. I still believe cargo pants and tee shirts are much simpler.” She joined the laughter around her, discovering that having a family was a very nice thing to be surrounded by.

  “I noticed neither of you wear jewelry, aside from the simple earrings,” Millicent saw the smile on Tom’s lips and cast a stern glance at him.

  “Mother always said it was her one failing,” Sam said with a loving chuckle. “I haven’t any jewelry, other than a few pairs of earrings.”

  “We can fix that after lunch,” Millicent announced firmly. “We’ll take your gowns to our rooms and find you perfect accessories for the ball. No, no protests, I insist. I’ll have a grand time helping, believe me.”

  “I think that would be a great idea, Gram,” Logan commented, dropping a kiss on Sam’s head before taking a plate and visiting the buffet. “The girls need to be decked out with some nice bling,” he winked at Ian as he came into the room. “I’m starving.”

  “What was all that?” Sam asked.

  “Stuff from Reno…we can go through it over time. Sort, donate…whatever. I needed my tux for the weekend and I knew it was in there somewhere,” Logan told her. “I’ll make arrangements to pack up your house and add the things to the garage. What will you do with the house?”

  “I hadn’t honestly thought about it,” Sam considered his question. “I’ll think of something, I’m sure.”

  Sam sat at the small desk, fingers moving over the keyboard as she read through some files, frowning. Logan was busy setting up his portion of the room, books and computer carried in from the outside.

  “Jeremy…Sam Elliott,” she said into the phone, leaning back and closing her eyes. “Jeremy…how are things?”

  “Sam! You know the whole of your network has been turned upside down,” came the slightly high pitched voice through the speaker. “When you get notoriety, you go all the way.”

  “It’s not like it was my idea, Jeremy, I am a little tired being blamed for something that idiot Strang did,” Sam declared petulantly. “Anyway…I am not now nor have I ever been, among the missing. But I do have a small project for you. I want to know all the financial statistics you can gather on a little coastal town for me,” Sam gave him the name and paused. “I want tourist data, too, if that’s available somewhere. I know if it’s out there, you’ll find it for me.”

  “Your confidence is appreciated, Sam. So where have you been?”

  “I got married,” she answered simply, her smile in her words. “I’ll also be having Kate get in touch with you for information so I can make everything I have joint.”

  “Married?” Shot the very surprise word through the speaker. “Seriously? Just like that? Out of the blue?”

  “Hey, you and I have been friends for a long time, Jeremy…I’m a decisive kind of girl.”

  “Well, yes, we have been friends a long time, Sam…I have at least a dozen friends who tried getting your attention through the years,” he recalled with a shaking head, pulling his notepad to the front and writing as he talked. “People were beginning to wonder…”

  “You know I don’t switch that way, Jeremy,” she chuckled. “I’m definitely into guys…at least into one guy. I’ll talk to you again. Bye,” she ended the conversation and tapped in another number. “Kate Fletcher, please.”

  “Sam? Where have you been? I really don’t like finding your picture on the front pages of the paper…it’s unnerves me,” Kate told her, ignoring the laughter from the other end. “Please tell me you weren’t off on some junket in a decidedly unfriendly place?”

  “I never left the city, Kate,” Sam assured her friend. “And I’m okay, honestly. But I’m afraid I have some work for you…and I already alerted Jeremy that you’d be in touch with him. I need to have all my holdings, etcetera made into joint accounts with the name Logan Sheffield.”

  “Sam…” Kate began carefully.

  “And yes, a new will…only thing changed on that will be the main beneficiary.” Sam could hear her friend thinking. “I married him, Kate,” she said softly. “You’ll be at the anniversary thing Friday and Saturday? You’ll meet him then, I promise you.”

  “Married…” Kate sat upright, staring at her phone. “I don’t…I’m engaged…Chloe is married…”

  “Congratulations…Dylan is perfect for you. He’s so calm and laid back,” Sam wasn’t sure where the information came from, but she knew it was accurate.

  “Thanks…married…wow…”

  “Plan on a girls night out?” Sam chuckled.

  “Oh hell no…last time I ended up being carted into the condo like a sack over Dylan’s shoulder,” Kate said with a happy laugh. “I had no idea how far down six foot four was until then.”

  “That would definitely get you dizzy. Just let me know when you need things signed, Kate and I’ll be there, okay?”

  “It’ll take some time, but I will…you sound happy, Sam,” she said with a nod.

  “I am…very…it’s a really good feeling.”

  “I can’t wait to meet him. I
’ll be in touch,” Kate broke the connection.

  Sam dressed carefully for the party, turning from one side to the other in the long dress. The straps were thin; the front revealing and the skirt fell in a pretty cascade of aqua marine. She had chosen several bangles for her wrists and a brilliant heart shaped emerald circled her throat. She applied some make up, satisfied with the effect and stepped into the heels. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the dressing room to see Logan standing before the mirror in the master bath, adjusting the black tie.

  “Wow,” Logan pushed the breath between his lips, his hand out and immediately filled with her smaller palm. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Sam felt her heart pounding and she wasn’t sure why. “You’re pretty nice looking too…” she reached out and gently adjusted his tie.

  “Did we decide if we’re double dating?”

  “We did and don’t try and pretend you forgot,” Sam chastised, dropping her phone into the small purse and slipping the slender beaded strap over her shoulder. “We’re picking up Anya and Ian, so get your jacket and let’s go.”

  “Bossy little thing,” he murmured through his grin, shrugging the black coat into place and checking his pockets. “Okay…let’s see what the night has to offer,” he offered his arm, gallantly leading her to the waiting SUV.

  Ian opened the back door of the SUV and lifted Anya to the seat. “Who’d a thought after all these years, I’d be double dating with my big brother.”

  “There’s still time for me to kick you to the curb,” Logan answered dryly, Ian’s laughter deep. “Anya, you’re looking quite lovely. Incase little brother forgot to tell you.”

  “Thank you, Logan, but Ian never fails to tell me how nice I look, even when I growl at him,” Anya told them, her smile soft and loving. “And we even have bling,” she lifted her wrist and jangled it slightly.

  Laughter went through the car, a warmth radiating through Sam when Logan reached over she took her hand once they were on the highway beaded across the bridge to the Lodge.