The Mighty Quinns: Logan (13 page)

“All right, then,” Sunny said. “It’s a deal. Forty-four thousand plus boarding for a week. Now, do you have a mobile? I left mine at home.”

He handed her his phone and she punched in the number for the stable office at Willimston Farm. When Ed answered, she drew a deep breath. “Ed, this is Sunny. I’m going to put you on the phone with a Mr. Crenshaw. I want you to make some travel arrangements to bring Logan’s filly back to Willimston. I’ve offered him forty-four thousand, which is probably more than we’d normally pay, but I don’t care. I’m going to give him another five thousand for board and airfare. Can you do that for me?”

“Sunny, what the hell are you—”

“Just do this for me. I’ve worked out all the details with my father. You know I’m right about this horse. I know you know.”

“All right. Let me talk to the man.”

Sunny smiled at Beck. “You have a check for me, right?”

He reached in his pocket and withdrew an envelope. “This is the easiest money I’ve ever made selling a horse.”

Sunny filled out her father’s check and exchanged it with him. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.” She handed him the phone. “Ed Perkins is our stable manager. He’ll help you make travel arrangements for Tally.”

“Are you going to train her to jump?” Crenshaw asked, nodding at the filly.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do.”

Sunny shook his hand and then turned and walked back to the campervan. She closed the trailer doors and stowed the ramp, then walked around to the passenger side. Logan was inside, still sitting behind the wheel, his hat pulled down low over his eyes. He looked over at her and she could see him fighting back tears.

“We’re done,” she said. She handed him the check. “Make sure it’s right before we leave.”

He opened the envelope and peered inside. “It’s right.”

“Then let’s go,” she said. “I’ll buy you dinner and we’ll rent a pricey hotel room. And then maybe, you and I will get a little bit stonkered.”

“All right,” he said. “That sounds perfect. I’m a rich man now. I can afford a few extra luxuries.”

“Oh, no, this is my treat,” she said. “We’re going to find a place that has room service, we’re going to take a nice long shower and then we’re going to order dinner. I’m going to spend my money before my daddy puts a stop on my bank card. And after dinner, we’re going to curl up in bed and I’m going to seduce you very, very slowly.”

He drew a ragged breath. “I really am glad you’re here with me, Sonny,” he said.

“Are you happy you didn’t desert me in Adelaide?”

He chuckled softly. “Yes. That was not my finest moment. I was just feeling a little...overwhelmed.”

“And what about now?” Sunny asked. “Does all this still scare you?”

Logan leaned back and closed his eyes. “Yeah, it does,” he said. “Right now, I’m the saddest I’ve been in a long time, but I’m happier than I can ever remember. Does that make sense?”

“No, but I’m sure you’ll figure it all out. Come on, let’s go.”

Logan started up the campervan and they drove out of the car park and onto the highway. Sunny held out her hand and he placed his palm against hers, weaving their fingers together. “It feels different,” he said. “Driving with the empty trailer.”

“Maybe you’ll let me drive again on the way home?”

“I think that can be arranged.”

Sunny tried to keep the conversation light as they drove into Perth and searched for a place to stay. He might feel sad now, but there would come a day when she’d give him everything he ever wanted and needed. For now, she’d look forward to that moment and not worry about anything else.

* * *

S
UNNY
SLIPPED
THE
KEY
CARD
into the lock and waited for the light as Logan looked over her shoulder. His hands spanned her waist as she opened the door to the room and he gently pushed her inside, dropping their bags on the floor along the way.

He’d been waiting for this since the moment they’d left the vet’s, and he stumbled with her toward the bed, his mouth searching for hers. Caught in a long, desperate kiss, they tore at each other’s clothes.

There was nothing to say that they couldn’t say with a touch or a sigh. He needed to be close to her, to possess her. It would reassure him that everything was still all right, because it suddenly felt as if the world was out of balance.

She worked at the button on the front of his jeans and when it was finally undone, Sunny smoothed her hand beneath the waistband of his underdaks. Wrapping her fingers around his shaft, she began to stroke him.

It was all Logan needed. There was a comfort in the intimacy, the way she knew his body and what made him ache with desire. This was what he had to keep, this feeling, this woman who had captured his heart. Horses would come and go, but he couldn’t afford to lose Sunny.

He cupped her face in his hands, molding her mouth to his, tasting deeply of her sweet lips. The need was overwhelming, and he wanted that perfect moment, when he buried himself deep inside her heat. That had become home to him.

Together, they stripped away the last of their clothes. When she stood naked in front of him, he drew her leg up along his hip, the tip of his shaft teasing at her entrance. He was already on the edge and Logan had to focus on the feel of her hair between his fingers, the sound of her sighs as he kissed her.

Everything he’d ever wanted was here in front of him. He’d always felt like home was a place, a house, a piece of property. But he now knew the truth of love. Home was wherever that one person was. That’s what had kept his parents together, through all the troubles.

He could be happy with her anywhere, even living out of the campervan. But he wanted to give her a life she could depend upon. He needed to know she’d be safe with him—forever.

Sunny wriggled against him, the warm flesh of her breasts pressed against his chest. When she slipped her arms around his neck, Logan grabbed her waist and pulled her up against him. With her legs wrapped around him, he pressed her back against the wall.

“Tell me what you want,” he murmured.

“You,” she breathed, gasping as he entered her. “It will always be you.”

She moaned as she sank down on top of him, burying him deep inside her. Logan held on to her hips, his self-control wavering. But this time, he didn’t want it to end. He needed this wave of sensation to continue on, an endless surge that could last a lifetime.

He’d never known passion like this, never known it was even possible to feel so deeply for a woman. Grabbing her hand, he kissed it then clasped it behind her as he began to move.

At first, the rhythm was slow and deep, but as he saw her dancing closer to her release, he knew she needed more. He drew away, nearly breaking the intimate contact, and then brought her down on him quickly.

Sunny gasped as he thrust again, his pace increasing until she writhed against him, her cries of pleasure echoing in his ears. And then, her body tensed and it was all over. Sunny dissolved into deep and powerful spasms, spasms that sent fresh waves of pleasure coursing through his body.

When she was sated, she opened her eyes and looked at him. And that was all it took for Logan to reach his own orgasm. He drove into her one last time and then let himself go, his body shuddering, his legs barely strong enough to keep them both upright.

“I think I might fall down,” he murmured.

“I don’t want to move right now.”

He slipped his hands beneath her backside, and he carried her over to the bed then gently set her down, stretching out beside her. Logan reached up and brushed a strand of flaxen hair from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear.

“Remember when you told me that we were just friends—friends with benefits?”

“Vaguely,” Sunny said. She smiled. “I don’t remember it all that clearly since I’d had a little too much wine, but I do recall throwing that wine bottle at you. Why do you bring it up?”

“What does that mean?”

“Friends with benefits?”

“I know what that means. What does it mean for us? Do we see each other when we can and then see other people on the side? Or are we kind of...together?”

“Why do we need to define it?” Sunny asked.

“Maybe I’m feeling insecure,” he said.

“You? I thought you were a rock.”

He pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes. “Don’t tease about this. I’m about to get serious here.”

“All right,” she said.

He heard a tremor in her voice and he opened his eyes. “I used to think that this would end after a few weeks and we’d both go on with our lives. But now, I realize that maybe this is a beginning for us.”

“You do?”

“I don’t have a lot to offer you, Sunny. And I’d like you to seriously consider the consequences of leaving your father’s house and taking up with me. Not that I wouldn’t love having you. In fact, having you with me would be like a dream come true. But living at the ranch would limit your chances to make your dreams come true.” He paused. “If you decide to stay at home, I’ll understand. It won’t change the way I feel. Ever.”

“How would it work?”

“We could see each other every now and then. I don’t expect any type of commitment and I’d understand if you didn’t want to, but if you did, I—”

“Yes,” she said.

“Yes? Yes to what?”

“Yes, to whatever you want.”

“Just like that?”

Sunny sighed. “Yes. I don’t want this to be over, either. You can come and visit, I can come and visit. Maybe we can think about the holiday idea again.”

“I’d like that,” he said.

She leaned into him and touched her lips to his. “Me, too.”

“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get home?” he asked.

“I’m going to ride Padma,” she said. “I haven’t ridden her since London. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I want to start training, but this time I’m going to really focus. And I’m thinking that I might want to start eventing. I used to do dressage, but I wasn’t patient enough to be good at it. But I’ve changed. I have more perspective now. And I feel I need to challenge myself more. The World championships are in France in two years and then the Olympics in four years in Rio. I could be ready. I could be better than I ever was.”

“I know you could,” Logan said.

“Do you?”

“Sunny, I think you could do just about anything you set your mind to. You got me to—” He stopped suddenly. He was about to tell her that he’d fallen hopelessly in love with her. How was it possible that those words had come so naturally that he could say them without even thinking?

Was he in love with Sunny?
Yes. Did he want to spend the rest of his life with her? Yes. Was he going to tell her that now? Logan drew a deep breath. Probably not the best time.

“What?” she asked.

Logan dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “You got me to haul you across the country just so you could get away for a week or two.”

Sunny laughed. “I did. And you almost threw me out on the road that first day. Aren’t you glad you kept me?”

“Yeah,” he conceded. “We’ve done all right together.”

She grew silent for a long moment, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on his chest. “I want you to know that you’ll be the only one.”

“The only one for what?” Logan asked.

“My only one. As long as you want, it’s just going to be you. In my bed.” She drew a deep breath. “There won’t be other men.”

Logan stared down at her face but she continued to trace patterns on his chest. “Are you—is that—practical?”

Her shoulders rose in a tiny shrug. “It’s the way I want it. What about you?” She risked a glance up. “Are you sure you want it that way?”

Her eyes were wide and questioning and he knew that this was probably the most important moment in their relationship so far. They were making a commitment to each other, vague as it might be. “Yes, that’s what I want, too.”

“Good,” Sunny said. “Then I guess we’re kind of...going together.”

“Going together,” he repeated. He wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, only that they’d just promised that they wouldn’t have sex with anyone else. As far as he was concerned, Logan wouldn’t have any trouble keeping that promise, since he hadn’t had much of a sex life since he moved to the ranch.

But Sunny was a different story. She’d have more opportunities. Men noticed women as beautiful as she was, and that kind of attention could turn to attraction...which could easily lead to seduction. After all, she’d seduced him, hadn’t she?

“There is one thing,” Logan said.

“What is that?”

“If you change your mind, I want you to tell me. Don’t avoid me if I ring you up. Don’t pretend that everything is all right. Just be straight with me and let me know you’ve moved on. Can you do that?”

“Don’t you trust me?” she asked.

“Of course I do. It’s not you I’m worried about. It’s all the other men in the world who will see you the way I do. As a beautiful, sexy, irresistible woman.”

“All right, I promise,” she said.

It was the best he could hope for, Logan mused. Until he had more to offer Sunny, he’d have to be satisfied. But he wasn’t going to fool himself. She’d move on, to someone more geographically available, someone with a bigger bank account, maybe even someone her father approved of. And that was all right by him.

Logan was lucky to have her at all. And he’d enjoy the time they had together for as long as it lasted.

8

S
UNNY
OPENED
HER
EYES
slowly, snuggling deeper into the expensive linens on the hotel bed. She loved waking up next to Logan. They’d been together just over a week and it already seemed like the most natural thing in the world to lie naked beside him. She moved to the middle of the bed, searching for the warmth of his body, but when she couldn’t find it, Sunny sat up and looked around the room.

He was standing at the window, looking down on the view of the river as the sun rose, his expression pensive. She studied him in silence, taking in his naked form, the long limbs muscled by hard work, the wide back and shoulders and narrow waist, so masculine, so perfect.

“Are you up already?” she asked softly.

He turned to look at her. “I wanted to call the ranch and make sure everything was all right. And to let Billy know we’d be on our way back today.”

“And everything isn’t all right?” she asked, watching him intently.

Logan shook his head. “Billy said there was a guy who stopped by the ranch who insisted on speaking with me. Something about official business. And when Billy said he could call me, the man said that he had to speak to me in person. He had to verify my identity. He said he had very important news about my family and an inheritance. He refused to tell him any more details.” Logan cursed softly. “I’m afraid that— No, I don’t even want to go there.”

“How long has it been since you’ve heard from your parents?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a year. I haven’t seen them since right after I bought the ranch. I tried to get them to come and stay with me, but they refused. I can’t keep track of them, it’s all but impossible. So instead, I just wait until they decide to contact me.”

“Do you think something has happened?”

He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, then let it out. “Yeah, I do.”

Sunny crawled out of bed and joined him at the window, slipping her arms around his waist and pressing her body against his. “Then you need to get home,” she said. “You need to get on a plane and go. You can fly back to Brisbane and take a bush plane the rest of the way. Do you have a landing strip near the ranch?”

“There’s one in town. Billy can come and pick me up.”

“Then that’s what you’ll do,” she said.

“Yeah. First, I have to find a place to cash this check. I don’t have enough on the bank card for a ticket and a bush plane. And then I’d need to fly back here to pick up the trailer and campervan. Unless I just sell them both.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll drive them back.”

He turned to face her, his fingers toying with a strand of hair that hung over her eyes. “You? Sunny, the drive was difficult for me. I can’t ask you to do that. Especially not alone.”

“I want to. I’m not ready to go home yet and I’d like to see a little bit more of the country. I might just continue on around and make one big circle. Hey, it could be an adventure.”

He chuckled softly. “I think you’ve had enough adventure.”

“I can do this, Logan. Trust me. I promise I’ll take my time. And I’ll be very careful.”

He considered her offer for a long moment and at first, she was certain he’d refuse. But Logan finally shrugged. “All right. But I want you to go home the way we came. You know the route and where to stop along the way. And I don’t like you pulling that trailer. I’m thinking you can leave it here and we can figure out a way to get it back. Or I’ll just sell it.”

Sunny hugged him tight, happy that he was allowing her to help him. He was a proud man, but not too proud to appear vulnerable to her. He trusted her and that meant more than anything to her. “Why don’t I call and get a ticket, and then you can take me out for some driving lessons before you leave.”

“I don’t like this,” Logan warned. “You should just fly home with me.”

“I don’t want to go home yet.”

“Then I should stay and we’ll drive back together,” he countered.

Sunny rolled her eyes. “Are you saying I’m not capable of taking care of myself?” she asked, feeling her temper rise.

Logan paused. “No?”

“Good answer,” she said. “Now, bring me your mobile and let’s make some travel arrangements. Then, we’ll have breakfast and I’ll drive you to the airport.”

Sunny spent the next half hour making arrangements for Logan to catch a Qantas flight that morning. She gave the agent her bank card info and carefully wrote down the itinerary on a hotel notepad. When she’d confirmed it all, she handed him back his mobile.

“You leave at ten. It’s a direct flight from Perth to Brisbane.”

“How will I get home from there?”

“I’m going to call my father’s pilot. He’s usually at my disposal, so he’ll fly you. You should be home before dark.”

He shook his head. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say. I’ll pay you back as soon as I get home.”

“You don’t have to say anything. You can pay me back when I see you the next time,” she said. “It’s not like I don’t know where to find you.” She paused. “Actually, I don’t really know where to find you.”

“I’ll draw you a map before I leave.” He reached up and smoothed his hand over her cheek. “You’re an amazing woman, Sunny Grant.”

“Watch me try to convince my father’s pilot to fly you out of Brisbane. Then you can tell me I’m amazing.”

Sunny sat cross-legged on the bed as she called the number for the small hangar at Brisbane. She usually flew on the company plane to her equestrian events, so she had the number memorized. Once the last leg of his trip was confirmed, she held out the mobile to Logan. He crawled onto the bed and pulled her down beside him.

Sunny leaned over and smoothed her fingers over his furrowed brow. “Don’t worry. It might not be anything. You don’t know.”

“I can feel it,” he said. “It’s like when my brother died. I got a phone call and my roommate answered. They wouldn’t say anything to him. They’d only talk to me.”

She drew his body close to hers. It was hard to know what to say. She’d never really lost anyone close to her. Though her parents were estranged, they were both still alive. And her grandparents were all gone before she turned five.

Running her hands through his hair, she placed a kiss on his lips. “I want you to ring me when you get home tonight,” she said.

“How?”

“I’ll keep your mobile.”

He nodded. “All right. And if you have any trouble along the way, you ring me.”

“All right.”

“I don’t want to leave you, Sunny. I don’t like the thought of you driving back through the Nullarbor all by yourself.”

“I’ve learned so much on this trip, but I think I need a little more time to myself. It will be good for me. I have the mobile and plenty of music to listen to. And I’ll be back before you know it.”

He drew another deep breath and then let it out slowly. “I thought we’d have another week together. I didn’t think it would end so quickly.”

Sunny stared into his pale blue eyes. She saw fear there, but she wasn’t sure what had caused it. Was it what awaited him at home or was it leaving her? “It’s not over,” she said. “We’ll see each other next week. I have to bring back your campervan and trailer. And I can see your ranch and check out your horses. And maybe hang about for a few days.”

“That makes me feel better,” he murmured.

“Now, we can either go out and get some breakfast or we can spend the next hour in bed. Which would you prefer?” Sunny asked.

“I’d rather lie here looking at you. Memorizing the color of your eyes and the way your nose wrinkles when you smile.”

Sunny kissed him and, gradually, their passion overwhelmed them. This time, when he entered her, it was a sweet, slow experience. It was as if he were savoring every moment, trying to commit it to memory.

She’d never expected to fall in love. When she’d driven off with Logan Quinn, it had been on a lark, just something to do with a few wasted weeks. But now, looking back on their time together, she realized that this trip had been a turning point for her.

She suddenly knew what she wanted out of life and she was ready to make it happen. Though she wasn’t sure how she planned to go about it, at least she knew. And though Sunny couldn’t figure out all the details right now, she had complete confidence that her life had changed for the better.

After they’d both found their release, they stayed in bed, talking softly about the experiences they’d shared on their road trip. It had become so easy between them and, though they’d had a few ups and downs, Sunny had never felt their disagreements threatened the bond that had formed between them.

It was odd to think that she had a boyfriend now. She’d never had an official boyfriend. There had been men in her life, but never any commitment on her part. But this time it was different. This time, she was determined to make it work.

* * *

T
HE
PICKUP
TRUCK
SENT
a plume of dust into the air behind them as they bumped along the narrow road to the ranch house. Billy had come to pick him up from the airstrip near town, and they’d passed the half-hour drive in a detailed interrogation, Logan asking the questions and Billy doing his best to answer them.

“I told him you’d be back late, but he said he’d hang around and wait,” Billy said. “When I left he was just sitting in his car reading a book.”

“And you’re sure he said it was about an inheritance?”

“I—I think so. I really can’t remember. He kind of scares the piss out of me. I think he might be from the government.”

“And he didn’t want to ring me? You’re sure of that?”

“Yes, that’s one thing I do remember. He said he had to talk to you in person.”

“Tell me again exactly what he asked,” Logan prodded.

“Mostly things about your family. He knew your dad’s name is Daniel and your mom’s Lizbeth. And he knew about your brother.”

A stab of fear shot through him, and Logan had to remind himself to breathe. What else could this be? It had to be some news about his parents. And the fact that the visitor was unwilling to tell him over the phone didn’t bode well.

Logan had always wondered how it would feel to be completely alone in the world. He knew the day would come when his parents weren’t around anymore, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. If it were his father, then his choice would be obvious. He’d bring his mother to live here at the ranch.

But if it was his mother, he knew his father would never want to settle down in one place for more than a few months.

“Maybe it’s not bad news,” Billy said. “Maybe...maybe some uncle you didn’t know has died and he’s leaving you a million dollars.”

“I don’t have an uncle,” he said. “My da was an only child.”

“Maybe you won the lotto and don’t know it,” Billy suggested.

Logan shook his head. Billy had always been an optimistic chap, always looking for the silver lining in every dark cloud. But this dark cloud refused to go away. “Do you think he’s still waiting?”

“I’d expect so,” Billy said. “This guy is really a bit of a pest. He’s not giving up easily.”

He’d spent the flight back thinking about Sunny. It had taken every ounce of his determination to leave her at the airport. But she hadn’t seemed sad to see him go. In truth, Logan sensed that she was looking forward to the last leg of her adventure. They’d stocked the campervan with food and supplies, she’d recharged the mobile and tested it out, and he’d filled the tank with petrol, warning her not to let it get down below a quarter tank.

Hell, he already missed her. He’d started missing her the moment he walked through the entrance doors at the airport. But it wasn’t just a sense of loss that he felt. It was more an emptiness inside of him, as if her presence in his life had become part of who he was.

Where was she right now? he wondered. If she’d left Perth directly after dropping him at the airport, she was probably close to her planned destination in Esperance on the southern coastline. Logan glanced at his watch. She’d promised to call once she stopped for the evening. He needed to hear the sound of her voice now more than ever.

“Did you have a good time?” Billy asked.

His words startled Logan out of his contemplation. “What?”

“A good time? Did you at least have a good time? You haven’t been on holiday in...well, since I’ve come to work here on the ranch. Did you—”

“Yeah,” Logan said. “I had a very nice time. The best.”

As they came into view of the house, Billy pointed in the direction of a dark sedan. “There it is. I told you he was persistent. That’s his car. And that’s him, there, sitting on the porch.”

Logan stopped the pickup truck and slowly got out. Billy followed close behind him. “You want me to back you up here?” he murmured.

“No, I think I’ll be good,” Logan said.

As he walked closer, the stranger stood and pasted a smile on his face. “Are you Logan Quinn?” he asked.

Logan stopped, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t like the look of this guy. Though he was trying to appear friendly, it was obvious he was nervous. “Billy said you wanted to talk to me.”

“I do,” he said. “I’ve been waiting around for a couple days now. That Billy. He’s a very loyal employee.”

“Can I help you with something, Mr....”

“Winthrop. Arthur Winthrop of the firm of Capley and Drummond in Brisbane. I’m representing Ian Stephens, who represents your great-aunt Aileen Quinn.” He paused. “The author.”

Logan frowned, the man’s words making no sense to him at all. “You’re not here about my parents?”

“Do you know where they are? I’ve been trying to locate them, as well. They’re also in line to receive a portion of Miss Quinn’s estate.”

“Then they’re all right?” Logan asked in relief. “My parents are all right? Nothing has happened?”

Arthur blinked. “Not that I know of. As I said, I haven’t been able to find them—”

Logan stepped back, shaking his head. “I don’t understand. I don’t have a great-aunt.”

“You do. She’s your grandfather’s sister and she lives in Ireland. The family was split apart many years ago. She’s quite a famous author and now that she’s aware of you, she’d like to meet you and to leave you part of her estate. She wants to bequeath you a million dollars, half of which you’ll get right now, the other half upon her passing.”