Chapter 6
Logan
There were indeed reindeer at the Christmas carnival. At least half a dozen from what Logan could see through the crowd, almost half a block away. Main Street was closed off to traffic, and it was packed with people, vendors, and enough decorations to put the North Pole itself to shame.
“I’m so excited!” Grandma Charlotte clapped her mitten-clad hands together as they strolled along downtown.
She’d lit up brighter than a Town Square Christmas tree when he told her about the reindeer petting zoo last night over takeout from Warren’s Sea Shack.
Now, she set her sights on the designated petting zoo at the end of the block next to the city auditorium with the enthusiasm of a kid unleashed in an amusement park.
Logan set his sights on Haylee Evans.
She stood outside the reindeer enclosure, laughing so hard her head was thrown back.
Her long auburn hair cascaded down her back, almost to her hips.
Her red stocking hat tumbled from her head, landing in the snow.
She was beautiful on any given day, but when she laughed like this, with her whole being, her beauty stole the very breath from him.
“I can’t believe this whole festival was happening right under our noses,” Grandma Charlotte said, pulling him from his forbidden thoughts. “We should get out more.”
He could not fall for Dylan’s ex-girlfriend. Especially now that he knew she was the mother of his late best friend’s child. It was a line they couldn’t cross, even if the idea had trespassed through his mind more than once since their lunch yesterday.
She was single.
He was single.
He liked her.
He liked her a lot for someone he barely knew, and he couldn’t remember the last time a woman captured his attention with so little effort.
He’d be reporting to his Reserve post hardly more than a hundred miles north. He could live anywhere since he was no longer regular Army—a detail he had yet to share with Grandma Charlotte. Maybe his commanding officer would entertain him living a little bit south. Cut that distance down by half.
Stop. This can’t happen and you know it.
“Apparently, it’s quite the annual event in this town,” Logan said. “They have a thing for festivals, I’m told.”
He spotted Melly a few feet from her mother.
Her sparkly green gloved hands gripped the fence as she bounced up and down in line.
Her pigtails bounced too. Haylee waited with a woman he didn’t recognize—likely the best friend she mentioned.
If this friend were anything like Haylee’s sisters, he was in for it.
And oddly, he wasn’t upset about that at all.
None of this made any sense. Shouldn’t he be upset with Haylee for keeping Melly a secret from everyone?
He didn’t even know the reason.
And yet, he knew deep in his gut that when she revealed that truth to him, it wouldn’t matter.
He was already drawn in, the craving to know her growing stronger by the hour. The desire to get on the road waning.
“How did we not see any flyers? Or did we just miss them?” Grandma Charlotte mused.
“I didn’t see any,” Logan said, to prove he was listening and not distracted by Haylee’s radiant smile.
“What is it?” Grandma Charlotte asked, studying him. “Oh, that’s her, isn’t it?”
“That’s her,” he admitted, his pulse jumping as they grew closer. Logan rarely felt anxious. He was the go-with-the-flow type who could converse with anyone. He approached every situation openly, choosing to lean in with curiosity before any other emotion took hold and caused unwanted issues.
But with Haylee, he felt . . . nervous.
“Oh, Logan,” Grandma Charlotte said, as though she could see right through him.
He cleared his throat, tossing his glance across the street to a group of carolers singing “Joy to the World.” It was a pointless distraction as his gaze slipped right back to Haylee, as though he were a magnet unable to resist the pull.
“She’s pretty.”
He made a noncommittal sound of acknowledgment as he focused on a food truck selling hot cocoa and cupcakes. But the intended diversion only made him curious whether she liked marshmallows in her hot chocolate. Or maybe peppermint? Yeah, he bet if he kissed her, she’d taste like peppermint.
“Logan?”
“Yep?”
“Who’s that little girl?”
The question sobered him, like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head.
He inhaled deeply as he returned focus to the reason for this meeting.
The internal debate warred on inside. He glanced Haylee’s way, mostly decided.
Though he promised to keep her secret, did Grandma Charlotte count?
The moment she saw those startling blue eyes—in about forty-five seconds, if they kept up this pace—she’d know about Melly.
So really, if he didn’t warn her not to say something, wouldn’t that be worse?
“Logan?”
“She’s Dylan’s daughter.”
“Come again?” Grandma Charlotte said, yanking him to a stop. Unfortunately, Haylee’s gaze snagged on him then and she waved. His heart jumped into his throat.
“I just found out,” he explained, forcing a smile and waving back despite the twisting feeling in his stomach. “And . . . no one else knows.”
“Oh, boy,” Grandma Charlotte said, blowing out a breath. “No wonder she doesn’t want to read that letter.”
“She’ll read it,” Logan said. “Soon. And then we can hit the road and start checking off those bucket list items.”
“Let’s start with the reindeer, and go from there, okay?” She patted his arm before whisking off toward the petting zoo enclosure, leaving him to catch up.
Instead of heading toward the end of the long line, she made a beeline for Haylee.
“Logan, right?” Haylee’s friend asked as he approached, eyes twinkling with mischief. As though he’d already been a topic of conversation before joining them.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?” she cooed approvingly. She looked at Haylee.
“Do you think I could get Josh to say, Yes ma’am?
” She looked back to Logan before Haylee could answer.
“Josh is my husband. He’s . . . around somewhere.
I think they have a hunting booth inside.
I might not see him until they shut the place down. ”
He bent down to retrieve the fallen red stocking hat as the friend chattered on. He handed the soft, fuzzy hat to Haylee, snagging his gaze on hers. His pulse tripped at the half smile she offered him in thanks before her attention returned to Grandma Charlotte’s introduction.
Grandma Charlotte, however, kept stealing side glances at the bouncing little girl glued to the fence—the one hoping to summon a reindeer to her.
He should’ve given Grandma Charlotte more warning—Haylee too.
“I hope you’re enjoying your stay in Sunset Ridge,” Haylee said to his grandma, seemingly oblivious to the dots the woman was connecting.
“Oh, yes. I’m so excited we’re in town for this Christmas carnival.
Honestly, we had no idea it was even happening.
Guess we need to stop hibernating in our cabin.
” She directed that last part at Logan. “I could’ve missed out on petting a real-life reindeer.
I’m from Phoenix, you see. Not a lot of reindeer in my parts. ”
“I suppose not.” Haylee lightly chuckled.
“How long are you in town?” the friend asked.
Grandma Charlotte glanced at Logan, her hazel eyes sparkling in a way that made him nervous in a completely different way than how he felt nervous about Haylee.
Sweet, unassuming Grandma Charlotte could be a wild card when she wanted to be.
“I don’t know if we’ve finalized our schedule.
Our host said we’re welcome to stay in our cabin through Christmas if we want. ”
“I thought you were heading to the North Pole?” Haylee asked, the surprise betraying her with her pinkening cheeks.
“Santa Claus is there year-round, from what I hear,” Grandma Charlotte said.
“He is,” the friend confirmed. “I’m Jamie, by the way.”
“Maybe that trip can wait for another time?” Grandma Charlotte said to Logan. “My grandson just got stationed up here, so I’ll be back again, I’m certain.”
“You should wait to travel,” Jamie insisted, flashing some kind of conspiratorial look at Haylee he pretended not to notice.
“The roads are unpredictable this time of year. There’re only two routes to the North Pole from here, one really that makes sense, and if you run into a closed road on account of a snowstorm in the mountains, you’ll be forced to turn around. Not worth the risk, if you ask me.”
Logan hadn’t considered the driving conditions. It was something Dylan would surely have warned him about. He braced. But the familiar gut punch wasn’t quite so . . . forceful. Huh.
“There’s so much to do around here,” Jamie chattered on, tugging on Grandma Charlotte’s arm. Whether she intentionally pulled his grandma to the side or it was just a result of her excitement, Logan was grateful to have a sliver of privacy with Haylee.
“You got a new coat, I see,” Haylee said warmly. As though she might actually be happy to see him instead of dreading this.
Ever since lunch yesterday, he worried that he’d asked too much by requesting to meet Melly.
He expected a text asking for more time before this introduction happened.
Instead, she texted him the directions to her parents’ house so Jasper could have a play date.
It wasn’t exactly an offer of friendship, but it did feel like an olive branch.
She gave him a weak smile before turning her focus to her daughter.
“Melly?”
“What, Mommy?” the little girl asked without looking back. Though no reindeer had approached the fence, she seemed determined to wear them down with sheer willpower.
“Can you come here for a second?”
“But that one is coming over!” she protested, pointing to a reindeer ten feet away that was slowly walking off from the little boy who was out of treats. He was heading toward Melly, but two steps later, he turned and sauntered off toward a kid with a handful of pellets.
“Melly,” Haylee said, this time more firmly.
The girl let out a disappointed sigh so heavy her entire body sagged. She released her vise grip on the welded wire fence and spun around. She briefly glanced at Logan, but then turned her attention to her mom. “But that one is coming over. I know it. After he eats his treats.”
“Melly,” Haylee said, crouching to eye level with her daughter. “Do you remember what we talked about last night? About your dad?”
Grandma Charlotte and Jamie froze, their heads snapping in attention. But Haylee ignored them as she patiently waited for Melly to think.
“You said Daddy is in heaven.”
“Yes, he is.” Haylee cleared her throat and swallowed. Logan yearned to touch her in a simple offering of support. But instead, he shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “Do you remember what else I told you?”
“That Daddy was in the Army.”
“Yes, he was.”
“Can we go see the reindeer now?”
“Soon, baby. But first, I want you to meet someone.”
Melly looked at Logan then, as though she knew he was the one waiting to meet her.
Those startling blue eyes nearly knocked him back, like a forceful blow to the chest. It was like looking at a ghost. He fought through the urge to turn and run, and faced the overwhelm head on.
Dylan would want him to see this through, the same way he promised to stay in town until Haylee read his letter.
“Melly, this is Captain Logan Riley.”
“Captain?” Melly repeated. “Like a pirate?”
Logan’s tension evaporated in the single puff of air that escaped the prison of his lungs, and he laughed.
“This is Daddy’s best friend. He’s in the Army, like your daddy was.”
“Where’s your uniform?” Melly challenged.
He smiled. It was the first thing he imagined a young Dylan would question, too. “I’m off duty right now, so I can wear normal clothes.”
“You’re sure you’re not a pirate?”
“I’m sure.”
“Are you here to pet the reindeer?” Melly asked.
“Is that okay?” Logan asked.
Melly seemed to mull this over for a few seconds as she glanced over her shoulder. The reindeer she’d been trained on a few moments earlier was sauntering to the opposite corner of the enclosure, toward another kid feeding pellets to his buddy.
“Yeah,” Melly finally said.
Logan released the breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding and smiled. Crazy that a six-year-old could hold him hostage with such a simple decision. But he wanted Melly to like him, and not only because she was Dylan’s daughter.
But because she was Haylee’s daughter.
“Looks like we’re up, kids,” Grandma Charlotte announced. “Let’s go pet some reindeer!”