Satin Sheets and Strawberries (11 page)

Logan waited until the door swung shut. "You shouldn’t play with fire."

There was an innocent gleam in her eyes as she purred, "I thought it was bunnies I was playing with."

He pulled her chair out. "If your foot had gone any higher, it would have met Thumper."

A silent O formed on her lips. He pulled her up against him. "You still don’t understand what you do to me, do you?"

Kelli gazed into his desire-filled eyes and melted. She could feel the heat of him. His body was pressed against her and his strong arms held her. He might not love her, but he wanted her. Was it enough? Somehow she’d make it enough. Her arms encircled his neck, and she whispered his name. "Logan."

He was lost. He lowered his head and captured the lips that had spoken his name so softly. Heat pounded through his body as he plunged his tongue deep into her mouth. Lord, how he wanted this woman.

Kelli purred with satisfaction and pressed in closer. She felt his hands pull her hips against his hardening body and groaned when he broke the kiss. "Feel what you do to me. All you have to do is look at me and I get aroused." He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose and watched as she opened her passion-darkened eyes. "Kelli, what am I going to do with you?" He smiled ruefully. "Don’t answer that. I know what I would like to do, but it’s not going to happen." He gently lowered her arms and backed up a step. "Ruth and Henry are on the other side of that door. If they knew what I was thinking, they’d throw me out of here. They love you like a granddaughter."

"The feeling is mutual."

Logan tenderly ran his thumb over her moist, swollen lower lip and sighed. "They think you could walk on water if you wanted to. Don’t you see, you’re their savior. You were here when they needed someone. I wasn’t. You’re open, kind, and generous to a fault."

"Logan?"

He heard the bewilderment in her voice and quickly dropped his hand. "Don’t be generous with me, Kelli." He backed up to the coat rack and grabbed his coat. "I don’t deserve it."

She watched as he opened the door and stepped outside. "Logan, you’re wrong," she called. She felt filled with sadness as the door closed behind him. She wasn’t sure what had happened. Did he think she was being generous by melting into his arms? Was her generosity wrong?

Five minutes later Ruth found Kelli scouring the dishes and generally slopping water all over the place. Kelli looked furious.

"Where’s Logan."

She had heard Logan’s car pull out of the drive moments after he walked out. "He wanted to take a ride."

"Didn’t you want to go?"

"No, I’m almost finished with the painting. A couple more hours tonight and I’ll be done."

Ruth picked up a dish towel and started to dry the dishes. "That’s wonderful. Now you will have time to relax." Kelli muttered an appropriate response as she glared out the kitchen window. Sure, she’d relax. Just as soon as she murdered a certain someone who thought she was too generous with her body.

#

Kelli jerked up in bed and became instantly awake. A quick glance at the clock showed it was after two in the morning. What woke her? As another sound reached her ears, fear clutched at her heart. When Logan still hadn’t returned by twelve, she had gone to bed. The doors were unlocked as always; but even Logan couldn’t be making that much noise downstairs.

She slipped from her bed, nudged Tinkerbell awake, and reached into the closet for a weapon. The only thing she could find was a lacy pink parasol. She stepped out onto the landing and glanced into the darkened living room. Nothing.

Four steps later she was standing by Logan’s empty bed when she heard the sound of a chair falling over in the kitchen, followed by a bellow of pain. Good Lord, what was going on down there?

Kelli raised the parasol, shoved Tinkerbell in front of her, and quietly made her way downstairs. When she was halfway across the living room, she heard Josh laugh. She hurried the rest of the way, threw open the kitchen door, and stopped dead in her tracks.

Josh was leaning nonchalantly against the counter making instant coffee while Logan sat in the middle of the kitchen floor rubbing the back of his head.

"What is going on here?" she demanded.

Logan blinked at the three Kellis swirling in front of him and wisely kept his mouth shut. Josh reached for another cup and poured a coffee for Kelli. He placed Logan’s on the floor next to him and handed Kelli hers. "Guess who I brought home?"

Kelli gaped at Logan. "He’s drunk!"

"Sloshed to the gills."

"Tell me he didn’t wreck his car." Logan seemed to be in one piece, except that he kept rubbing the back of his head.

"You think I would let him drive?"

"You were with him?"

Josh walked over to the table and sat down. "Since eight o’clock."

Kelli grimaced as she watched Logan take a sip of his coffee. "Then why aren’t you drunk?"

"Haven’t you ever heard of a designated driver?"

"Yes, but Logan doesn’t seem like the type to plan to get wasted in some bar." With dawning horror she looked at Josh. "Tell me you didn’t take him to Bronco Bill’s." The look on his face told all. She groaned. "How could you, Josh? For Pete’s sake, he is Henry’s nephew."

"Dammit, Kelli. It started out harmless enough. I figured I’d spike a few of his drinks to loosen him up."

"Why?"

"I wanted to know what kind of man he was. After all, you were taking a bath with him the other day!"

"Maybe you should be checking out my morals instead?" she muttered. She glanced in sympathy toward Logan. "It looks like he had more than a few spiked drinks."

Logan finished his coffee and studied the two spinning Kellis. His vision was improving, but his hearing had a way to go. What were Josh and Kelli arguing about? What in the hell had been in those drinks?

"Well, once he started talking, it got real interesting."

Kelli slammed her half-full mug on the table. "What got interesting?"

"Sorry, love, it isn’t my place to tell you." Josh grinned.

"Tell me what?"

Josh rose to his feet and placed his and Kelli’s cups in the sink. "There are certain times in a man’s life when he’s entitled to get drunk."

Kelli rose to her feet and shouted, "Such as?"

"His bachelor party."

"Logan’s not getting married."

"Loss of a loved one."

"No one died, Josh, yet."

Josh heard the hostility in her voice, but he didn’t think she was as upset as she sounded. "How about shore leave?"

"Logan’s a geologist, not a sailor."

Logan wanted to agree with Kelli, to tell them he wasn’t a sailor, but didn’t want to call attention to himself. As long as she ranted and raved at Josh, he was safe. Logan didn’t want the full force of that temper turned on him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew Josh was the cause of him sitting on the kitchen floor. Revenge—namely having Kelli yell at the offender—was sweet.

"Listen, Kelli," Josh said, "I can’t tell you any more. It isn’t my business."

"You just can’t leave him sitting there."

"Come on, I’ll help you put him to bed. How he’s still conscious is beyond me. I’ve never seen anyone drink ten Bronco Bill specials and still stand."

She placed Logan’s arm across her shoulder and with Josh’s help managed to pull him to his feet. "He had ten of those death traps?" She looked at him in sympathy.

They successfully navigated the hazardous trip up the stairs. "He actually had eleven," Josh admitted.

Kelli issued a string of curses on Josh’s head, his future children’s, and into the seventh generation, as they maneuvered Logan into his room. With Josh’s help she managed to get Logan out of his clothes, except for a pair of white boxer shorts that boasted comical pink rabbits.

"I don’t know, Kelli. The man has strange taste in underwear."

Logan smiled as Kelli tenderly pulled up the comforter beneath his chin and tucked him securely into bed. He opened his eyes and focused on one wavy Kelli. "You got to peek after all."

She placed a kiss on his forehead. "Yes, Logan." She looked directly at Josh and sweetly said, "And tomorrow you get to kill Josh."

Logan muttered, "Good," as sleep overtook him.

Logan made the final adjustment on the carburetor of Kelli’s lawn tractor. He smiled in satisfaction. The ancient, rusty pile of bolts was purring like a kitten once again. Two days earlier Logan had thought Snippy had seen its last days. But Kelli had looked so crushed and anxious that Logan had promised to do what he could. Twenty hours and a small fortune later, Snippy was roaring to go.

With great care Logan closed the once shiny green hood and wiped his greasy hands on a rag. Test-run time. Time to put the smile back on Kelli’s face.

For the past four days they had been circling each other, acting friendly and polite but not really talking. When he had opened his eyes Tuesday morning, Logan saw Josh standing next to his bed with a tall drink in his hand.

"Which direction to the elephant graveyard?" Logan asked, gripping his throbbing head. Josh hid his smile and handed Logan the drink. "Drink this and I’ll promise within half an hour you will be back to normal."

"I’m not sure but I think you’re responsible for the chain saw in my head."

"Afraid so."

Logan pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the bed. "Then why in the hell would I drink anything you hand me?"

"Because if you don’t, my best friend will never speak to me again."

"Kelli?"

"Yeah, the little tyrant who is in the kitchen this very minute still ranting about doing unspeakable things to some of my favorite body parts."

A visible shudder shook Josh’s frame. Logan would have smiled, if his lips didn’t hurt so badly. He eyed the drink with a great deal of speculation. He couldn’t possibly feel worse. Logan raised the glass and downed it. "You realize that I owe you one?"

Josh smiled with understanding as he took the empty glass. "Paybacks, huh?"

Logan closed his eyes as his stomach rumbled against the concoction he had just swallowed. "When you’re least expecting it, I’ll be there. From the way I’m feeling, it won’t be a pretty sight."

Josh headed for the door with a full-blown grin plastered on his face. "I don’t have to worry. Kelli would never allow you to do something totally degrading to me."

"What does Kelli have to do with it?"

Josh winked knowingly. "Her opinion matters too much to you."

Logan raised an eyebrow.

"You’re in love with her," Josh explained. Logan had watched Josh stroll from his room and groaned. What had he said to make Josh think that?

As Logan climbed on the mower now, he was positive he’d never told Josh he was in love with Kelli. He still hadn’t figured out what his feelings for Kelli were. He respected and applauded her courage. He understood her desire for a family and sympathized with her feeling to be needed. The work she did for the drama club was admirable, and the time and energy she put into Fairyland was amazing. She had the body of a goddess, a face as fresh as the morning sun, and the most kissable lips he’d ever tasted. Every night, she plagued his dreams, stirred his body, and made his life hell. But was that love?Logan maneuvered the small tractor over the rough dirt path and headed toward where Kelli was raking.

Kelli heard the sounds of the approaching tractor and smiled. Logan had fixed Snippy and hadn’t even made a derogatory remark about its name. She dropped her rake on the ground and stretched. And thought.

Since the morning Josh had brought him home three sheets to the wind, Logan had been acting very helpful, friendly, and polite. She had expected the worst when Josh showed up to check on Logan; instead they became friends. Within an hour of Josh’s arrival, Logan was showered, dressed, and eating a hearty breakfast. Afterward he and Josh put on boots and unjammed the massive log from the creek. The friendliness continued after Josh left for work, with Logan insisting he was having fun clearing unwanted logs and branches.

That had set the pattern for the days that followed. Logan managed to show up every morning in the kitchen moments after her, always wishing her a pleasant morning and inquiring if there was anything special he could do to help around Fairyland. They both worked outside from sunup to dusk, only stopping briefly to grab a quick lunch. Dinner was a four-way conversation centered around Fairyland: What was done, what must be done, and what should be done. After the dishes were washed and Ruth and Henry headed toward their cottage, she and Logan cleaned the house. It was mutually agreed that Ruth wasn’t to know who was cleaning, and if she believed it was the fairies, no harm was done.

Saying good night to Logan was the hardest part of her day. Every evening he sat at her kitchen table with a preoccupied expression, perusing a stack of magazines. There hadn’t been any more stolen kisses or mention of bunny skivvies.

In short, life had been the pits.

Kelli sighed and picked up her rake as Logan came around the bend and waved. She saluted back and quickly stepped out of his way as he brought the tractor to a halt. His smile was contagious. "You did it. You fixed Snippy," she said.

"Of course. Did you doubt it?"

"Not for a moment." She lovingly placed her hand on the hood. "When can I try her out?"

Logan couldn’t resist the excitement twinkling in her gray eyes. His arms ached from not holding her and his body cried out for her warmth. His smile held the wistfulness of a man and the power of the devil as he slid back, and gently patted the seat in front of him. "Hop on up and well take her for a spin."

Kelli arched one fine golden brow, trying to look undecided. But the rhythm of her heart increased as she thought about being nestled so close against Logan. Was this his way of making an overture, or was he just being friendly? Come on, she told herself, this is your big chance. Climb on up there, and if all he wants to do is shift gears, you could accidentally drive him into the creek. "Isn’t it going to be a little crowded?"