7

LOGAN

That’s not too tight is it?”

Claire smiled as Logan snapped on her seat belt. They were in the cockpit of the plane he’d rented and were about to take off. “It’s fine, thanks. You smell good.”

He chuckled. “Thanks.”

Maybe she should not have said that, but it was the truth. Besides, they were friends. Good friends. Otherwise she wouldn’t be here with him. And good friends could say anything to each other.

“I appreciate your trust in me, Claire.”

She glanced over at him. “My trust?”

“Yes. Not once have you questioned my ability to fly this thing.”

She smiled again as she looked at the controls. “Well, it does look rather complicated; however, I figure any man with the ability to take a handicapped child and make it possible for him to become the captain of his baseball team sixteen years later, well, that man is just shy of being a genius.”

Logan threw his head back and laughed. She settled in her seat, enjoying the sound. She needed to hear somebody laugh, even if she was having a hard time doing it herself these days. But she had to admit, Logan had gotten several chuckles out of her over the past few days.

Yesterday they had gone shopping together to purchase what they’d need for their Grand Canyon trip. Hiking boots, rugged clothing, water bottles, backpacks, hats—they bought it all. Since it was late September, they didn’t expect the weather—or the tourists--to be a real problem. But it was better to be safe, just in case.

Last night, at her kitchen table, they had excitedly mapped out their destinations. His job would be to get them from place to place. Hers would be to make sure they had a sufficient roof over their heads when they got there. She had spent most of the night booking reservations at various lodges, reserving a car at each point, and checking out various eating places near where they would be staying.

She glanced over at Logan. He had shown up on her doorstep looking good in his jeans and t-shirt, and she couldn’t resist thinking that those aviator sunglasses made him look pretty darn sexy. The only problem was that the lenses were so dark, she couldn’t tell when he was looking at her. Why that concerned her, she wasn’t sure. But then, it really didn’t concern her as much as it made her curious. She could have sworn that more than once, she’d caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn’t noticing. What was that about?

She recalled her last conversation with Asia, and how she had planned to introduce Logan to a female pilot. Would he have enjoyed this trip with Susan more than with her? The other woman knew how to fly a plane, too. She was tempted to ask him, but he might wonder why. The last thing she wanted was to give him any ideas that she considered him anything other than a friend. He might take her concern about Susan as jealousy, and that wasn’t the case at all. She didn’t want him to get mixed up with just anyone, no matter how compatible Asia thought he and this other woman were.

She continued to watch him. He was flipping pages on a clipboard and she couldn’t help but study his hands. They were big, strong, and caring. He was caring. She’d read all about the many charitable surgeries he’d performed over the last few years. For the first time ever, she had been driven to go on the internet and Google him, and not only was his bio impressive but some of the testimonies from his patients had touched her heart. It seemed the Stewarts weren’t the only ones who’d been blessed by his kindness. But then, wasn’t he helping her out, right now? It had definitely been thoughtful of him to ask her along, to allow her to intrude on his vacation because he felt she needed to get away. And OMG, she really did.

He glanced over at her and this time, he was the one who caught her staring. Logan smiled. “Ready for take-off?”

“Yes. All systems a go,” she said playfully. “Where to, Captain?”

“First stop, the Grand Canyon. All amenities taken care of?”

“Yes, sir. The rental vehicle is waiting at the airport and our accommodations are at the Skyway Canyon Lodge. Everything’s all set,” she said.

“Then let’s get this baby in the air and enjoy the view.”

“Definitely,” she said. For some reason, she had a feeling that the view inside the cockpit would be as hard to resist as the one outside the window.

She was checking him out. Logan was sure of it. Although she, too, was wearing sunglasses, hers weren’t quite as dark as his and he could see behind the lenses. What he saw was female interest, and the thought that she had started to notice him as more than a friend made his heartbeat in his chest pound.

“It’s so beautiful up here, Logan.”

He glanced over at her and saw the look of awe in her features. “Yes, it is.”

“As many times as I’ve flown, I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s like I was cheated, sitting in the cabin instead of the cockpit. I doubt I’ll be able to fly again without remembering how this feel. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He knew what she meant. Piloting a plane always gave him a particular high, one he could only share with his brothers who also had their pilot’s licenses. It was something they’d done as a team with the intention of going in together and buying a Cessna. So far, they hadn’t done that. Maybe it was something they needed to revisit.

“How long have you been flying?”

He glanced over at Claire. She said he smelled good, but so did she. But then, she always smelled good. “For about nine years now. Lance, Lyle and I took classes together from a friend in Gary one summer when we were all home together.”

“You guys did that a lot, didn’t you? Return home periodically to check on your dad.”

“Yes. We did the drop-in visits, but we also made it a priority to come home at the same time every summer and spend an entire month with him. We considered it family time. We owe him so much. For years, he was our rock. He still is.”

“Do you ever hear from your mother?”

He flinched, instantly wishing he hadn’t. However, whenever he thought of the hurt and pain Edwina Montgomery had caused his family, he couldn’t help but react. He doubted he would ever forgive her for what she’d put Carrie through. “No, and I’m glad none of us do. Our lives are better off without her in them. I could never understand how any one woman could be so heartless.”

Needing to change the subject he said, “I talked to Lance this morning. He said you’d talked to Asia the other day, so he was aware that we would be taking this trip together.”

“Asia finally broke down and called me. A day before the week I asked for, mind you. She tried to encourage me to come to Paradise. She even used Leland as bait. I almost faltered, but decided I’d rather join you on this adventure. When I go to Paradise, I need to be ready to deal with my sister. Marriage has made her think she’s the oldest now.”

Logan laughed. “Must be a Paradise Island thing. Every once in a while, Lance acts the same way.”

“What about Lyle?”

Logan shook his head. “So far, Lyle is still Lyle. He has no problem staying in his lane as the middle brother. And speaking of children, Carrie texted me this morning. The doctor confirmed she’s having twins.”

“Twins! Oh, Logan, that’s wonderful.”

“Evidently she and Connor think so, thank goodness.” He adjusted one of the controls before saying, “She also mentioned that Pop met some woman who invited him to dinner Sunday.”

“Anything wrong with that?”

Logan smiled. “Not in my book. Trust me, if there was, Carrie would find out. She’s very protective when it comes to Dad. I’m happy for him. He deserves to meet a nice lady. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been invited to dinners at ladies’ homes before, but according to Pop, they were looking for something he wasn’t ready to give.”

“Which was?”

“A commitment. Now, though, I think he might be ready. All his kids are married off.”

“You’re not married off,” she said.

“Not yet. I guess he figures I will be in a year or so.”

“Why? Does he anticipate you will embark on a whirlwind romance or something?”

Maybe he just knows that I’m finally doing the smart thing and going after the only woman I’ve ever wanted, he thought. “I’m not sure what Pop thinks, but as long as he’s concentrating on himself and not me, it’s all good.”

He checked his watch. “We’ve got a couple of hours to go. Did you want to take a nap?”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll stay awake and see everything. You never know when I might decide to learn to fly one of these things. I wouldn’t want you to keep flying by yourself all the time.”

Logan wondered if Claire realized what she’d just hinted at? That though this was her first time flying with him, it might not be the last. He liked the way her mind was working.

“So, how did I do with the accommodations?” Claire asked as they rolled their luggage into their room at the Skyway Canyon Lodge. Since they were sharing the cost, she figured this type of setup would work for them. It was a two-bedroom bungalow-style suite with a hot tub on each patio. Upon opening the door, you immediately walked into a huge living room with a brick fireplace. Then there was a large kitchen and eating area, and in a split concept, each bedroom had a private bath. This was more cost effective than getting separate lodgings. And it had an added bonus of having a high gate all around it. She’d read that there was plenty of wildlife roaming about freely in the area, since it was so close to a national park. The last thing she wanted was to open her door and be confronted with a bear or wolf.

“You did great. This is a nice place.”

“Thanks. I figured we would eat out in their guest dining room. I saw the menu that was posted. Today’s special is smothered pork chops.”

“Sounds delicious.”

“What time did you want to go to dinner?”

He grinned as he glanced over at her. “Hungry again already?”

She smiled, shaking her head. Once they’d gotten the rental car from the airport, they had stopped at a café for lunch. The burgers and fries had been quite filling. “Nope, but I’d like to take a nap before dinner.”

“So would I.” He checked his watch. “It’s three o’clock now. How about if we meet back here in two hours,” he suggested.

That sounded good to her. “Fine. I think I’m going to take a few minutes first to make reservations for our next stop.” They would spend five days here, which included touring The Wave and Antelope Canyon. She couldn’t wait for their adventure to begin.

The sound of the phone woke Logan from his nap. Flipping to his side, he reached for it and clicked on, recognizing the ring tone. “Lyle, what’s going on?”

“I understand you’re hitting the friendly skies with Claire.”

Logan rubbed his hand down his face to wipe sleep from his eyes. “Yes, that’s right.”

“I hope you guys plan to make a pit stop in Texas. Monique and I would love to see you.”

Logan raised a brow. “You guys are back? Lance said you’d taken a trip to Johannesburg and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks.”

“That was the original plan, but it was changed when Monique got sick.”

Logan eased up in bed. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine now. It was just a severe bout of morning sickness.”

Logan blinked. “Morning sickness? Are you saying Monique is pregnant?”

“Yes!” Lyle said, his voice filled with excitement. “Can you believe it? I’m going to be a dad.”

Yes, Logan could believe it. Jeremiah Montgomery had raised some awesome boys. Granted, Lance had gone a little off the deep end with his pro-playa platform, but those days were over for his younger brother. He was a father now. And if Lance could be a father, anyone could.

“You’ll make a great dad. Have you told Pop and Carrie yet?”

“Yes, I talked to them earlier today. They’re both thrilled. For a man who thought he would never have grandkids, Dad’s getting more than he probably bargained for. After I talked to Dad and Carrie, I called Lance. He’s the one who told me where you were and who you were with. I like Claire a lot. I hope things work out for you.”

“Thanks.”

“How is she dealing with the loss of her friends? I’m sure it’s still rather difficult for her.”

“It is. I went with her to the memorial services a couple of days ago. She barely got through it. I wished she would just break down and let it out. She did once.” He recalled the way she’d cried in his arms the first day he’d arrived in DC.

“I guess you heard Carrie and Connor’s news,” Logan said, deciding to change the subject.

“Yes. I’m happy for them. And I’m guessing you heard about the woman Dad met on the side of the road, the one who invited him to dinner.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. But not sure why Carrie is making such a big deal of it. Women have been inviting Dad to dinner for years. Remember all those ladies from his church?”

“Maybe that’s what’s different. He’s known those ladies from church forever. And they’ve been making moves on him for just as long. The fact that Pop hasn’t made any moves back indicates he isn’t interested in any of them. Carrie thinks the fact that this woman is someone he doesn’t know is a game changer. He told Carrie he’s anxious to get to know her.”

Logan talked to Lyle a few moments longer. His brother had just gotten married in April and for Monique to be pregnant already meant they had been anxious to start a family. Logan knew the feeling. He was ready, too. But first, he had to acquire a wife.

He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. In a little while, he would get up, get dressed and meet Claire for dinner. He wasn’t sure at what point she would realize there was a purpose behind his request that she join him on this adventure. When she did, he hoped she would be just as excited about the possibilities as he was.

Deciding there was no way he would fall back asleep, Logan eased from the bed and decided to try out the hot tub on the patio.