Chapter Nine

Logan strode off the porch ready to deck the drunk that had found his way onto their property. The guy better have insurance because he’d totaled Jenna’s little car.

When the driver finally exited, Logan stared in shock.

Dillon Hatcher, Cole’s brother, stood there looking like a country singer, complete with rhinestones down his red shirt. He rubbed one hand over his face and strode toward him. “Shit. I don’t know what that was.”

He frowned. “What what was? Are you drunk, Dillon?”

His cousin stopped and scowled at him. “No, I’m not drunk. I’m fucking pissed, but I’m not drunk.”

Logan gestured toward Jenna’s car, every protective instinct in him wanting to deck his younger cousin. “Explain. And do it fast.”

“I didn’t do that on purpose. There was some kind of small boulder in the middle of the driveway and as I approached, it suddenly started to move. It had to be one of those desert tortoises, so I swerved to avoid it.” Dillon looked directly at the smashed-in car. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“You avoided a tortoise?” Jenna’s voice behind Logan had him turning toward her, but then he saw the so called “tortoise” and his anger disappeared. He pointed to the opposite side of the yard from the accident. “Is that your tortoise?”

Dillon turned toward Butterball, who sat near the corral looking at them all and shaking.

“Holy shit. Is that a dog?”

“Butterball!” Jenna ran over and crouched down to soothe the poor thing.

When he turned back to look at Dillon, the man’s face was white.

“Hey, no harm done. The dog’s okay and the car can be replaced. You do have insurance right?”

Dillon nodded absently. “I can’t believe she made me so angry I totaled someone’s car and almost killed that woman’s pet.”

Ah, Dillon had been speeding out here. “Who got you so pissed?”

Dillon finally looked at him. “My mom.”

Knowing his Aunt Bev, Dillon was probably in the right, though it didn’t excuse the mess he’d made. “Why don’t you go inside with Gram and Trace? You’re probably going to be sore tomorrow after your sudden stop.”

Dillon nodded and headed for the waiting arms of their grandmother. She may be hard as nails sometimes, but she knew when to just be Gram.

Logan strode over to Jenna. “Is he alright?”

She looked up at him with watery eyes. “Yes, he is. I checked him all over. He’s just shaken from his near miss. He must have fallen asleep out here. I should have looked for him after dinner. I didn’t even give him anything to eat yet.”

He crouched down next to her. “If he was really hungry, he would have barked. Don’t blame yourself. This is Dillon’s fault, not yours.”

“It’s just that—I was going to—I mean I posted—Darn it. I was trying to give him away. But now I know I can’t. He’s already grown on me.” Her voice was filled with hurt, as if her own heart betrayed her by loving Butterball.

He grinned. “Of course, you did. Who could resist that face?” He opened his palm toward the dog’s pushed-in, long-jowled face and stifled a laugh.

Luckily, his ploy worked, and Jenna smiled. “I see your point.” She gave Butterball a hug then stood. “How am I going to get home now? I have Whisper’s truck at my house, but I need to call this in to my insurance company. From the look of it, there’s no way I can get my insurance card out of my glove compartment.”

He opened his mouth to invite her to stay, but had the sinking feeling that Dillon wouldn’t be leaving before morning and he couldn’t go to his brother’s since Lacey and Cole already had guests. As much as Logan wanted it, he couldn’t suggest it. “I can take you two home.”

“Thank you.” She bent over and patted Butterball again, as if reassuring herself he was still alive. “I’ll see if my bag of tricks is still in one piece. That would not only be expensive to replace, but would take a couple days.”

He followed her to the car but kept her away from it. If anything shifted, he didn’t want it to shift on her. Opening the back door on the driver’s side carefully, he pulled out her bag.

Butterball tried to get in, proving he was more than ready to go home. Luckily, Jenna held him back.

“Is that it?”

“No, my purse was on the front seat.”

He opened the driver side door. With only the porch light from the house, he couldn’t see much, so he felt round with his hand. He stepped away and closed the door. “I’m afraid that’s not coming out tonight.

“Great. If I drive without a license and get stopped, I’ll be fined.”

“Tell you what. I’ll come get you tomorrow and bring you where you need to go.”

Her eyes widened, then turned mischievous. “I thought you had a cattle drive or something.”

He chuckled. “Anything that needs to get done in the morning, Trace and Dillon can handle. I’m one-handed lately, so not as much help anyway.”

She looked at her car one more time and sighed. “Okay. Let’s go.”

He escorted her to his truck and quickly had her and Butterball loaded in. As he sat in the driver’s seat, he couldn’t help but think how much more he would enjoy this ride with his present companion compared to the ride into the city earlier with Kylie. He held out little hope that she wasn’t Charlotte’s mom, but he had to be sure. Besides, it stalled the inevitable—sharing Charlotte.

As he drove them down the dirt road toward the Carefree Highway, he glanced at Jenna, who was deep in thought. He hadn’t minded sharing his time with Charlotte tonight with her. In fact, when she looped her arm around his waist and kissed his child, it had felt so right that it caught him off guard.

Last year when Charlotte first came into his life, he bemoaned the fact that he was a single dad, but when Kylie showed up, he was ready to fight tooth and nail to keep it that way. So why was having Jenna with him and Charlotte suddenly so palatable?

“Take a left here. It’s a dirt road.”

That was no surprise. Any farm or ranch in the desert had a dirt road out to it. Only the small developments off the highway and the roads in the center of town were paved. It was still the wild west out here.

He turned onto the road and flicked on his high beams. Like Last Chance, there was nothing in the way of neighbors. After a couple miles, the road simply ended in front of an old log farmhouse and barn. Both were weathered with age, even a couple shutters hanging by a single hinge, but the place looked like an old west homestead. “Wow.”

Jenna squirmed in the seat next to him as he pulled to a stop. “I know. I just don’t have the mo—time to fix the place up. It would take hiring the right people and being here while they worked and with my practice, it’s just not a priority.”

He’d be a complete idiot if he didn’t recognize the defensiveness in her voice, but he prided himself on his intelligence. “This place is great. You’re lucky.”

Her hand on the door handle stilled. “Lucky?”

“Yes. You have this all to yourself out here. Sure it needs a little work, but talk about room to spread out. It’s like living in a piece of history.”

She studied him, probably trying to judge if he was joking.

“Just looking at this place in my headlights gives me an itch to get to work. Would you mind if I came out here during the day later this week to look around?”

Jenna’s mouth opened then shut again. Finally, she simply nodded.

He smiled then jumped out of the truck and opened her door. She stepped out before turning to grab her bag. He took it from her and opened his arm toward the house. It really was a great structure. The single-story log home was unusual this far south. He’d only seen these in Prescott and farther north. At first glance, it looked relatively small, but he could see it stretched back toward a dark hill.

Jenna ducked under his arm and opened the back door of his cab. Butterball sat up and wagged his tail at her. She picked up the short-legged beast and put him on the ground. “He’s heavier than he looks.” Her new dog trotted forward and led them along a path lined with rocks to the front porch. “Watch the second step. It’s broken on the left.”

He skipped the step all together. If he broke it more, she would be mortified. “How did you find this place?”

She stopped to look back at him. “I didn’t. My parents did. This is where I grew up. I bought it from my dad so he could move to Sedona.”

Now his itch to return in the daylight doubled. He wanted to explore this place, to imagine Jenna playing in the yard. Did she wear pigtails?

“Oh, fudge. My keys are in my purse.” She turned to look at him. “And no, I don’t have a key hidden outside here. I thought about that, but then Javelinas came by and dug up the yard so I never got around to it.”

He could understand having a problem with the wild pigs of the desert. “How about a window?”

She didn’t look hopeful. “Living alone, I’m pretty good at locking up tight at night, but it’s worth a shot.”

By the light of his phone, they walked around the house, looking for an unlocked window. When they came to the back, Logan squinted into the darkness. “Is this a courtyard?”

Jenna stepped over the start of a wall about two logs high. “It was supposed to be, but my dad never finished it. It’s been like this for over twenty years.”

Excitement built in him. The potential of the place called to him and he had to tamp it back down. This wasn’t his place.

“I think I found one.” At Jenna’s voice, he strode forward onto another porch.

She pointed toward the latch on the window with his phone. “Is that unlocked. I’m too short to be sure.”

He looked at the latch in the light and grinned. “It is. Now we just need to get the screen out. What room is this in?”

“It’s the kitchen. I like to open the window when I wash the dishes.” She turned and gave Butterball a look. “I have a few more dishes to wash with him around, but I’m really glad he’s here. I hope your cousin will be okay.”

He shrugged. “He’s tough, like the rest of us. Now let’s see if we can get this screen off.” Putting down her medical bag, he pushed his sling out of the way, and used his left hand on one side, while he bowed the aluminum to release the latch. The screen popped outward. After some twisting and turning, he pulled it off and opened the window with his good arm. He studied the small window frame. “Can you fit through that? I know I can’t.”

She sized up the window. “I think I can. You’re hurt anyway. I wouldn’t expect you to climb in there even if it was big enough.” She walked up to the window. “I’m going to need a boost.”

He started to bend over to cup his hands when his ribs reminded him to return his arm to his sling. Without a second thought, he got down on one knee. “Step right here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me.” Though he said it off-handedly, he could see she took it a lot deeper, which had him anxious to meet her expectations. “I won’t let you down. I promise.”

Jenna didn’t say anything. Instead, she put her foot on his thigh and hoisted herself up and through the window. As soon she was through, Butterball rose on his hind legs and put his paw on Logan’s thigh. He chuckled. “No boy, we’re going around to the front door.”

Jenna spoke from inside. “Hold on. I’ll open the back door and turn on a light.”

He coaxed the dog down and rose. Picking up her veterinarian bag, he turned to face the darkened courtyard. Light flooded the area.

Damn. The log home was shaped like a U without the last wall being finished. The entire inside of it was porch with an empty area in the middle. What a great place for kids to grow up. He could almost imagine Jenna and her sister playing there.

“Thank you for bringing me home.” Her voice from the door indicated it was time to leave.

Logan walked toward her and she ushered him inside. The warm wood of the rounded logs made it homey, even if he was only in an entryway. Across from him was the front door.

He set her bag down and closed the door after Butterball waddled in. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow. What time do you need to be at work?”

She looked so uncomfortable with him being there. Where was his confident Dr. Jenna? Was she really that ashamed of such a unique home?

“My first appointment is at eight, but you don’t have to do that. I’ll drive Whisper’s truck in. If I go the speed limit, there should be no reason for me to be stopped. Maybe you could call me when I can get my purse?” She had her arms crossed over her chest and didn’t quite look him in the eye.

He stepped closer. “I can do better than that. I’ll deliver your purse to you.” He tipped her head up to look at him. “It will give me an excuse to see you tomorrow.”

Her eyes widened. “You need an excuse?”

He smirked. “I don’t, but in case you were thinking of avoiding me, I want a legit reason in your mind to see you.”

She relaxed at that, and her hands came up to rest on his shoulders. “Thank you. I’d like that.”

Logan lowered his head and gave her a goodnight kiss. He meant it to be short, but the second he tasted her, he couldn’t resist and with his good arm, pulled her against him, wanting more than ever to make love to her again. If only he could stay.

A loud fart spoiled the moment and he pulled away as a strong smell followed.

“Butterball, really?” Jenna stepped away from the dog and him. “I’m sorry. He does that once in a while. I need to figure out what food is making him gassy.”

He laughed as he waved the air in front of him and stepped to the front door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Leaving the house quickly, he strode to his truck, a new excitement building inside. He had no idea why or what it was about, but it felt good. For the first time in a long time, he dared to hope his luck was changing.

When he arrived home, he found his Gram waiting in the kitchen for him. Since she was usually in bed watching television by now, he immediately went to the fridge and pulled out a beer. “Is Dillon alright?” He unscrewed the cap and threw it in the trash, then leaned his ass against the counter.

“He’ll be sore tomorrow. He called his insurance company and they’re sending someone out. He said he almost hit Dr. Jenna’s dog.”

He took a swallow of beer, not sure he wanted to comment on that.

“Dillon will be staying upstairs in the other bedroom that actually has a bed. Your grandfather left the other one inhabitable. Still, you’ll need to make some room in the bathroom for him.”

Great. Looked like his time alone upstairs was over. “I will. What happened?”

Gram sighed, her brow lowered in confusion. “Your Aunt Beverly has gone too far this time. I’m not sure if she’ll ever get her boys back now.”

His Aunt had been determined to marry off one of her boys to a wealthy, well-known Arizona family since they were toddlers. Now that they were men, her efforts had quadrupled. It was one of the reasons Cole had joined his grandparents on Last Chance.

Now it looked like she’d alienated Dillon, too. “I’m glad our mom has been so much more reasonable. She can’t even complain that she doesn’t have grandchildren yet. I should take Charlotte down there next weekend.” He took another swallow.

His grandmother fixed him with that look that he dreaded. Dammit, what did he do now?

Gram pointed to the seat across from her. “We need to talk, Logan.”

Hell, he didn’t like the sound of this. Bringing his beer with him, he took the seat she indicated. “What do we need to talk about?”

“Dr. Jenna to start.” She fixed him with a serious stare that made him want to fidget in his chair.

“Okay.”

“What are you doing? Is this a serious thing or do you plan to sleep with her and move on because I’ll tell you right now, I don’t approve of that.” Though his grandmother had taken down her hair to get ready for bed, it didn’t soften her features at all as she zeroed in on her point.

“It’s not like that. I like Jenna. We are just taking it one day at a time. It suits both of us.” Even though his gut said Jenna would like something more concrete, she’d agreed, so he’d go with that.

“She’s a good, hard-working woman and deserves the same in a man.” He opened his mouth to argue, but she gave him the raised eyebrow and he closed his mouth. “I’ll give you the hard-working, but your morals are questionable. Either you make up your mind about Dr. Jenna or you let her go. She doesn’t need someone messing up her life after all she’s done to be successful despite her—her childhood.”

Jenna’s childhood wasn’t all roses? That was the first he’d heard of that. “What do you mean, Gram?”

“It’s not my place to tell tales out of school. Maybe she hasn’t told you because she doesn’t trust you. That’s a sign.”

He didn’t like the punch to the gut his grandmother’s statement threw at him. Jenna didn’t trust him. Hell. He took a gulp of beer.

“Now when are these DNA results supposed to come back?”

Putting his beer bottle back on the table, he glanced at the calendar hanging on the refrigerator. “The day after tomorrow. I paid for expedited delivery. They’ll come here. I think I can go online as well, but they don’t make that available until the day after.”

“Then you have a couple days to decide how you want to handle Kylie in your life. Something Dr. Jenna will want to know, I’m sure.”

“Whoa, I don’t know yet that Kylie will need to be in my life. That’s the whole point of the DNA test.”

His grandmother looked at him like he was an idiot. “Logan, what possible reason would a stranger have for finding where you live to be a mother to your daughter?”

He looked away. Absolutely none, unless she was some psycho who lost her baby and wanted to be a mother to his. He shook his head to dispel that particular movie plot from his brain. “Right, but I don’t want her in Charlotte’s life. She has a criminal past and even now she’s working at a fast food restaurant and can’t write past the fourth-grade level.”

Gram’s eyebrows rose. “That doesn’t mean she won’t be a wonderful mother to Charlotte.”

“But I don’t want to share her.” The words were out of his mouth before he could take them back. It sounded like he was a little kid who didn’t want to share his toys, but it was far more than that. “I want Charlotte to have a perfect life.”

For the first time in months, his grandmother’s eyes softened while looking at him. She reached across the table and patted his hand. “I know you do, but life isn’t perfect.” She pulled her hand back. “I think you should consider having Kylie move closer. I’d say take the extra bedroom upstairs, but Dillon will be staying for a while.”

Every muscle in his body screamed against that suggestion and he rose. “No. I won’t have her under the same roof.”

“You don’t have to, but you need to come to terms with the fact that Charlotte deserves to know her mother. There is a bond between a child and a parent, you know that, and a mother and daughter’s bond can be very strong. Why do you think the courts give custody to the mother a majority of the time?”

Fear of losing his daughter sliced through his heart. “No. That’s why I have a lawyer. I won’t give up custody of Charlotte. What’s wrong with you? I thought you loved Charlotte. If you can’t handle taking care of her while I’m working, I’ll find someone who can.”

Gram’s eyes turned calculating. “You mean like Dr. Jenna? Or do you mean Kylie?”

He grabbed up his beer bottle and strode out of the kitchen.

“Logan Williams come back here!”

He ignored his grandmother’s command and stormed out onto the porch and down the steps. He couldn’t believe what she suggested. Give Charlotte into the care of Kylie? The woman who dropped her child off on his doorstep in the middle of a winter night?

Gram’s betrayal hit him hard, and he swallowed the rest of his beer in one chug. He didn’t care what anyone thought. He would never allow Kylie to have Charlotte.

~~*~~

Jenna unlocked her front door and rushed in. “Come on Butterball, we don’t have much time.” Since the dog was in no hurry, she left the door open and dropped her medical bag on the bench below the three coat hooks on the wall. The hooks were rarely used except during the dead of winter when she needed a light jacket, but when she and her sister were little, the hooks were used for their book bags.

Rushing into the kitchen, she washed her hands before pulling out a large pot and filling it with water. Setting it on the 19th century wood stove replica that actually heated with gas, she turned it on high.

She stepped to the cabinets and took out a box of penne pasta. Moving to the ice box replica refrigerator, she hoped her homemade sauce was completely defrosted. She opened the door and pulled it out, along with a bottle of wine. In the limited time she’d spent with Logan, she’s only seen him drink beer and water. Did he even like wine?

“Fine time to be thinking about that, right, BB?” She raised her brows at him as he lumbered into the kitchen. She walked to the entry to close the door, but hesitated. The sky was spitting a pretty pink glow across her valley, the sunset barely beginning as the sun passed behind the hill at the back of her house.

Finally, she shut the door and returned to the kitchen. Taking out another pot, she poured her sauce into it, the sound of a hard chunk hitting the bottom made her groan. She glanced at the clock. Logan was due in less than thirty minutes.

Darn it. She still needed to tidy up, feed the dog and shower. There was no way she’d be ready in time. She looked at Butterball. “You want your dinner, too, don’t you?”

He lifted his head up at her and appeared to smile. She grinned in return. It was just impossible not to when he did that. “Logan will just have to wait for dinner, but you will get yours now.”

She pulled Butterball’s food out from the lower cabinet. She wasn’t going to panic because she was late. Mrs. Thompson’s kitty’s surgery had been more complicated than expected. Connie had volunteered to stay to watch over the elderly cat, which had been a blessing or Jenna would have had to cancel dinner.

Once Butterball was happy, she turned off the stove and headed down the hall to her bedroom. It still looked masculine from when her father had it, but she liked it. She hadn’t done any redecorating since he’d sold her the house. It just wasn’t a priority. What would Logan think about it?

Taking off her clothes, she threw them in the wash and took a step toward the bathroom when her phone rang. She didn’t have time to talk, but if it was Connie, she had to answer.

Picking up her phone, she recognized the number. “Hello, Logan.”

“Hi, I’m not going to make it tonight. I’m sorry.” His voice sounded too polite. Not like him.

“Is everything okay?”

A couple of seconds of silence gave her the answer. Did it have to do with why he didn’t drop off her purse at the office and sent Whisper by with it instead?

“Yes, it’s fine. I just have no one here to watch Charlotte. Gram had to run up to Prescott this afternoon and she isn’t back yet. Dillon is here, but…”

But he didn’t trust his cousin with his daughter. “Do you want to bring her over with you?”

“No.” The reply was quick and definite. As if he realized that, he continued. “I don’t want to keep her up past her bedtime.”

“I understand.” She did. What she didn’t understand is the new tone of his voice. “We can do it another time.”

“Thanks for understanding. Bye.”

Huh? No, “I’ll call you tomorrow” or “How about this weekend”? Just “bye”? She sat on her bed, staring at the phone as if it could tell her what went on in Logan’s head. The man would drive her crazy if she kept her focus on him. Setting her phone back on the bed, she stepped into the shower.

As she dried off, her phone rang again. Did Annette come home in time after all? Grabbing up the phone, she answered. “Hello?”

“Sorry Jenna, but I think you need to come here. Snowy isn’t doing so well.”

Fudge. “Okay, I’m on my way.”

Hanging up, she quickly dressed and headed to the kitchen. Butterball, having finished his dinner, sat at the door to go outside.

“Well BB, it looks like we’re going back to work.” She opened the door to let him do his business, then walked into the kitchen. Throwing the pot of sauce into the fridge, she hoped Connie would pick up dinner for her.

Grabbing up her bag, she walked out, locked the door and headed for Whisper’s truck. She was lucky Whisper didn’t mind her using it until she could get the insurance money. She really should buy her own truck, but she doubted she could swing the payments with only her car’s value for a down payment. She’d be better off buying a used car and having no payments.

“Come, Butterball.” She slapped her hand against her thigh. Her inherited dog waddled toward her as fast as he could go, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. “I’ll get you some more water at the office.”

As if he understood, Butterball lapped his lips, closed his mouth and sat on the ground in front of the truck. It was far too high for him to jump, so she lifted him into the cab and hopped in after him. She’d hoped it would be a long night…but not this way.