Darcy

Logan Steele-induced orgasms weren’t going to throw me off track. I was on a mission. Lane knew this county better than anyone, which meant he was the perfect man to find an alternative site for Logan’s new business venture. “You agree that these two sites are the best?” I asked as we surveyed the plans and photographs spread across our huge mahogany table. I’d turned the dining room into a war room, much to Mrs. MacBee’s disdain.

“Yes. I agree. I would have said this one,” he said, pointing to my third choice. “But after seeing it, there’s far too much unspoiled land surrounding it. I don’t want to just move the problem somewhere else.”

“I agree. It’s definitely between these two, which are already sited near main roads. This one was already a half-constructed commercial site and you can hear the motorway— it’s so close that we’re not spoiling things. I’m going to talk to the planning office to see if I can get any information about how difficult it would be to get his plans through.”

“If Mr. Steele is good for his word, you might have won this fight. Both these sites are better than building on Badsley.”

“The only problem is he has to pony up to buy the land.”

“True. But he’ll save on this plot,” he said, pointing at my first choice. “The roads and utilities are already in place.”

“That’s what I’m thinking. I just wish I had time to figure out the different costings, but I don’t know any contractors who I could ask a favor of and I don’t want to miss our window of opportunity before the appeal is heard.” I wanted everything to be perfect when I presented him with the idea.

“He’ll have plenty of people who know that kind of thing, and he’ll already have costings for the development of Badsley,” Lane said. “There’s no point in you guessing those. He says he’ll do whatever is best for business, so hopefully when he sees your proposal he’ll want to run the numbers himself.”

That’s exactly what I hoped. Despite running the estate, I’d never run a business, as Logan had. I didn’t understand spreadsheets and financial models, but instinct told me that financially, our first choice of alternative site would make more sense for him than Badsley. I hoped I was right.

“Are you going to show him all this?”

“Yes. Today, I hope. He’s not been into London all week because of Mrs. Steele’s fall, so I thought I’d take advantage of him being in the area and take him to see the site myself.”

Although I’d heard from Logan every day this week, I’d not seen him since the night his grandmother had been taken into hospital. Every afternoon, I’d gone to Badsley to check on Mrs. Steele, but I’d deliberately picked the middle of the day when I knew Logan would be wrapped up with work so he wouldn’t think I was there to pester him, when I really wasn’t. Not that I didn’t want to see him, but I didn’t want it to look as if I were running after him. He had a life. I had a life. We weren’t teenagers.

My phone buzzed and I swiped up to see a message from Logan.

I definitely haven’t been thinking about you all week. I want to see you.

I would never have described Logan Steele as cute—but he had a side to him that hinted at it now and then.

I replied.

Good timing. Today at 3 pm. I’ll pick you up. Be ready.

My heart fluttered in my chest as I pulled up in front of Badsley House. This time, I was here to see Logan, although I’d come to see Mrs. Steele first.

“They’re beautiful, Darcy,” she said as I arranged the bouquet of different-colored roses I’d brought fresh from Woolton in a vase.

“When you’re feeling better, you must come up to the house for lunch. I think you’d love the rose garden.”

“That would be delightful. I’m sorry I had to cancel on your first invitation.” Mrs. Steele cocked her ear toward the open French windows. “Is that my grandson I hear thundering down the stairs?”

The corners of my mouth began to twitch. Had he heard me pull up? It was ten minutes before I said I’d collect him.

I placed the flowers on the wooden table and took a seat, picking up my cup of tea and focusing on the lawn, rather than who was about to arrive.

“Darcy,” Logan said, glancing at his grandmother. “I didn’t realize you were here.”

“She’s come every afternoon, though I keep telling her I’m perfectly fine.”

“You’re looking a lot better,” I said, smiling at her.

“It was very nice of her to check in on you.” Logan bent and kissed me on my cheek and it took everything I had not to close my eyes and breathe in his fresh, clean scent. “You’re early,” he said.

“No, I’m not. I came to see your grandmother first.” I turned to Mrs. Steele. “I’m taking him to see a site at three. Hopefully he’ll like it enough to abandon his plans to develop Badsley.”

“How resourceful of you,” Mrs. Steele said. “You two are all business. Perhaps you should stop off and have an early supper somewhere.” She glanced between us before taking a sip of her tea. “You know I think you work too hard, Logan. It would be good for you to have a little more time off.”

Logan chuckled. “I definitely think you’re fully recovered.” Did she try to set him up often?

“Well, you two should get going. I’ll be fine here with the nurse. Don’t hurry back.”

“Are you ready?” he asked me, his tone softening to an almost intimate hum.

I nodded and picked up my bag. “And we’ll arrange that lunch when you’re feeling up to it?” I asked Mrs. Steele.

“I look forward to it.”

Logan and I walked silently to the car, the crunch of the gravel and distant birdsong the only sounds between us.

“So we’re going to visit a site I’ve found,” I said as I slid into the driver’s seat.

“It’s good to see you,” he said as I pulled my door closed. “I didn’t realize this was a professional call, and a field trip at that.”

“You said you’d keep an open mind. It’s only a few minutes’ drive away.”

“My mind is perfectly open,” he said as I pulled out of the gates. “You look very pretty today.”

“I’m all business today.” I kept my eyes firmly on the road ahead. I might be focused on getting Logan to commit to a new site, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t put some thought into what I looked like. Standing in my dressing room this morning, it had hit me how much I liked Logan, so I’d done that thing where you made a ton of effort to not look like you were making any effort. Barely-there makeup that took me an hour. Forty minutes trying on six pairs of jeans to see my bottom from every angle. Not to mention my hair.

And he’d noticed, which I appreciated. But it scared me how much I liked him and that I wanted him to think I was pretty. I was always the practical, sensible girl. I’d never been swept off my feet or lost my head over a man. Logan awoke a part of me I didn’t recognize, or hadn’t seen in an awfully long time.

“All business,” he muttered under his breath. “But maybe dinner afterward.” Logan didn’t look so bad himself. He was tieless and wearing a white shirt that contrasted with his tanned skin, and his jacket and trousers gave him that casual look that only some men could pull off without looking like they were seventy and lived on a golf course. It had probably taken him ten minutes to get ready this morning and I’d bet money on the fact that he hadn’t given me a second thought.

“I guess that depends what kind of mood I’m in when we’re done.”

He chuckled. “I hope you’re not trying to blackmail me.”

“Whatever.” I grinned. Seeing his reaction to the site would tell me a lot—I’d know if he was just humoring me, telling me he’d keep an open mind. The site I was taking him to was a perfect solution, and one he should consider properly. If he didn’t, he wasn’t the man he told me he was.

As we pulled into the private road, I saw the real estate agent’s car up ahead. I wanted Logan to hear the great things about this site from someone impartial.

I pulled in next to Ivy’s blue SUV and snapped on the parking brake. “We’re here,” I announced, releasing my seat belt.

“I guessed,” he replied, grinning back.

Ivy walked toward us, her black curly hair bouncing with each step she took, a huge smile on her face. “Mr. Steele,” she said. “I didn’t realize you were the person Darcy was bringing for the site visit today.”

“You know each other?” I asked. Why on earth would Logan know Ivy? She was an established commercial real estate agent in the area, but she’d lived two villages away her entire life.

“Sure,” Ivy said. “I showed Mr. Steele and his assistant the site earlier in the week.” She turned to Logan. “I’m so pleased you liked it enough to come back. I thought it would take you longer to work through the financials, but I told you that having the utilities here already makes a big difference to the cost of the build, not to mention the time frames.”

So Logan had already been here. I paused and bit down on my bottom lip to stop myself from grinning. Had he really been looking at other sites, as he’d claimed?

He held out his arm for me as Ivy rattled off facts and figures. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been as attracted to a man as I was in that moment. He knew this place. He’d been true to his word and he wasn’t just waiting around for me to come up with different options—he was actively pursuing them.

“I sent the technical details that you requested to Malcolm.”

“Thank you. I know he’s working on the numbers and I’m going to go through them with him tomorrow.”

“The landowner was excited after your visit—I know he’s very keen to sell. Apparently, he applied to the local Parish Council to redevelop the site a little over a year ago, and they approved his plans but he just couldn’t raise the finance. Of course, your plans will be different, but I thought it was good to know that they want to see the land redeveloped.”

“The fact that there’s previously been industrial buildings on the site means the planning shouldn’t be an issue,” Logan said. “We had that confirmed. And we’ve done some environmental searches, and they set out what you said about the units here just being used as offices and retail warehousing, which means no cleanup costs.”

Logan sounded invested and I had to keep staring at the tarmacked ground to stop myself from grinning like an idiot.

“I hadn’t realized that Logan was already considering this site—I’m sorry if I’ve wasted your time, Ivy.”

“Not at all. I think it’s helpful to come back and see the place, envisage what you want to create. Did you say it was a hotel?”

“More of an exclusive club with a few rooms.” He looked out over the abandoned industrial units and over to the trees. “The entire place is very secluded,” he said.

“The owner was surprised he was given permission to build, but the council has set a precedent now, and at the moment, the place is an eyesore. It needs developing.”

Logan nodded as he continued to scan his surroundings. “What was the size again? Just under two hectares, wasn’t it?”

“Four point five nine acres.”

Logan chuckled and slid his hands into his pockets. He liked details and I figured he appreciated Ivy’s specificity. “It’s a good size. And the landowner’s motivated to sell?”

“Very,” she said. “He had an offer twenty-five percent below asking price last year, and I think he would take it if he was offered it again.”

“Good to know.”

“Would you like to walk the perimeter again?” she asked.

Shit, I hadn’t brought my wellies.

“I think we saw what we needed to last time.”

“You’ve already walked through the site.”

He fixed me with a stare. “Yup.”

“Well, thanks so much for making the time, Ivy.” We shook hands then Logan and I headed to the car in silence.

As soon as we were in the car, I expected him to declare business over with and demand some personal attention—which I was more than happy to provide—but before he slid into the passenger seat, he pulled his mobile from his jacket pocket.

“Do you mind if I make a quick call?” he asked, already dialing the number.

“That’s fine,” I replied, pulling out.

“Head to your place,” he said as he put the phone to his ear.

He was so bossy, but secretly I was relieved he didn’t want to go straight back to Badsley. I’d been looking forward to seeing him before our visit, and now my body was buzzing with need.

“Malcolm, I’ve just been to see the Planton site again—yeah, I was just passing and wanted to check out a few things. The agent was helpful. She told me the landlord had an offer at twenty-five percent below asking that he wished he’d taken. I know. Plug that into the sensitivity analysis. Yep. Good.” He hung up.

“So you’ve already seen the site,” I said, stating the obvious.

“It would seem so,” he replied.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I did. Ivy did.”

“I mean before.”

“I said I’d been looking at alternatives.”

I’d been looking for excuses not to like Logan. And I’d found plenty. But as I got to know him, they were all fading away and without them I would have to face up to how much I did like him. How much I wanted to explore what we had.

And I didn’t know whether to be scared or hopeful. Terrified or trusting.