His Surprise Return

Chapter 1

1

T he Lord sure does have a sense of humor , Logan West thought as he sat on the bench in front of the bus stop.

He couldn’t believe he was back in Frostford, Colorado, for the second time within the year. This time to help with some much-needed home repairs to Aunt Betty’s home. The woman that had raised him was getting older and had expressed the desire to fix up her old home and sell it for a while. Logan had always been too busy to come down to do the necessary repairs, but he’d just accepted a job in a new city, with just enough time to come to Frostford to do whatever was needed.

Logan peered up and down Main Street. The maple trees lining the sidewalks were green and full of life as they basked in the summer sun. A light breeze blew across his face bringing the scents of a nearby bakery. To a visitor, Frostford might seem a pleasant town. To Logan, it held nothing but bitter memories. He’d vowed to never come back to this place. With any luck, the next time he left, it would be for good.

When a bright-red, 1959 Cadillac Eldorado appeared at the top of the hill, a grin touched his lips. The woman behind the wheel was like a mother to him. Aunt Betty. She wasn’t really his aunt, wasn’t anyone’s aunt, but still insisted everyone in Frostford call her Aunt Betty. Once she was safely parked, she got out and rushed toward him, her movements surprisingly quick for a woman her age.

“Oh, Logan.” She pulled him to her and squeezed tight. “It’s been too long. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” he said. Logan tried to take a step back, but she didn’t release him right away, holding both of his shoulders as she searched his face.

“You look old.”

The earnestness of her tone made him laugh.

“Do I?” he asked. Logan assessed the woman in front of him. Though he hadn’t seen her since he left ten years ago, she remained unchanged. Sure, the smile lines at the corners of her eyes were more pronounced. Her hair had lost every bit of color, and now framed her face in a uniform white, but she was still Aunt Betty.

She’d always been there for him. The only one who’d refused to give up on him. Because of this, Logan was excited about the idea of her coming to sunny Florida with him after the house sold. That way, he could be the one who was there for her when she needed it the most. Logan wanted to take care of Aunt Betty through her golden years.

Aunt Betty let go of his shoulders. Free from her inspection, Logan quietly loaded his suitcases into the back seat. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to come home and help,” he said, unable to meet her eyes.

“I know.” Aunt Betty plopped into her seat and Logan followed suit.

“I didn’t mean to stay gone that long.”

“Of course you did.”

Logan stiffened at her frank response. She was right, he did mean to stay gone for as long as he had. There was no use in arguing.

Aunt Betty checked for cars in her rearview mirror and then pulled out onto the street. “I’ve been on God’s green Earth long enough to learn a thing or two. And one thing I know is you don’t skip out on Christmas and Thanksgiving year after year unless you’re trying to avoid some place.”

Or someone.

Logan turned his head toward the passing scenery. He watched the trees go by as they drove down once-familiar streets. Good Eats, the local diner, had several cars parked out front. Logan had spent his high school summers bringing Reubens to hungry customers. It looked like the lunch specials still brought in crowds. Two blocks past that, a woman walked out of the general store, her arms filled with bags of groceries. As they neared the edge of the downtown area, Logan was pleasantly surprised to see that even the comic store was still in business and still had posters of superheroes covering the windows.

Logan was so busy taking in his surroundings, he had almost forgotten what they were talking about when Aunt Betty softly said, “Though I am surprised that you didn’t come home when Jake was diagnosed.”

“I ... ” The words died on his lips. There was no good response to not showing up when your best friend was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. Or barely showing up for his funeral and leaving before anyone could say hi.

“He needed you.”

Logan nodded, but said nothing, knowing he was guilty.

“Erin was left taking care of him and their two children. She never once complained, but it was hard. Too much for one person to deal with.”

Another thing Logan knew too well. He had read each and every one of Jake’s emails and texts. He’d listened to every voicemail his best friend had sent. I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to Erin and the kids when I’m gone. You know her parents won’t help. I need to know someone is going to look after her. Logan just wasn’t able to be that person. He didn’t know how to be that person.

An ache formed in his chest. He lifted his hand to rub it away, but it didn’t do anything to soothe the pain. “Did you help her?” he asked quietly.

“Of course, I did.” Aunt Betty’s voice filled with disbelief. “I helped her the best I could, and so did the church. But we could only do so much. They needed someone else.” She gave him a pointed look. “Why didn’t you come back to Frostford?”

“It’s complicated,” he said. A poor response, but better than the truth.

How did he tell Aunt Betty that he’d left town in a hurry ten years ago because he’d been in love with Erin and hadn’t realized it until it was too late? The idea of sticking around and watching Erin and Jake live out their happily ever after had been impossible. He was too worried about causing a rift in their marriage because of his feelings. Logan didn’t want that. He would never want to break up a marriage or hurt a friend, no matter how heartbroken he’d been. Leaving had felt like the only option at the time.

Now he had established a life for himself outside of Frostford and had no reason to come back.

“Complicated ... ” Aunt Betty turned down the street that led to her house. It was a quiet road with large Victorian houses on either side. Families strolled down the sidewalks together, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. She took a deep breath through her nose and put on a patient smile. “Well, all that matters is you’re here now. I’m glad you’re back. ”

“I’m not staying,” Logan reminded her. With any luck, she’d be with him when he left for good this time.

“I know. I know.” Aunt Betty said. “Oh, by the way. I forgot to tell you that you’ll be sleeping in the guesthouse while you’re here helping me.”

Logan had been watching a little boy ride a scooter several yards in front of his mom and dad, and almost missed the words. His head snapped in Aunt Betty’s direction. “The guest house?” Why couldn’t he stay in his old bedroom?

“There’s a family living with me right now.”

“An entire family?” The fact that a family was living with Aunt Betty even as she prepared to sell sent up all kinds of red flags. Aunt Betty would never kick a family out of her home, not if she thought they needed her help. But Logan couldn’t think of any instance where a family would need to stay with her temporarily—unless they were looking to take advantage of her.

“They don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said. “Besides, it’s not just any family, it’s?—”

“You can’t take in every stray and wounded cat off the street. Remember what happened last time?” He sure did. They’d ended up stealing valuable antiques and at least half of her jewelry. He hadn’t been there to stop it, but he’d heard the pain in Aunt Betty’s voice when she told him. She’d filed a police report, but they’d never recovered the missing items. He didn’t want to see her go through that pain again.

“Stray cat? Oh, Logan. They are people made in God’s image, just like you and me. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t help them in their time of need?” She peeked over at him. “Didn’t I help you—give you a home and love—when you needed it most?”

Logan swallowed hard. She was the only one willing to take a chance on the rebellious boy who’d just lost both of his parents. “That was different. I was a child. These are freeloaders who?—”

Aunt Betty pulled the car over, just a few blocks shy of her house. “Now you listen to me, Logan West. I asked you to come back to Frostford, and as much as I’d like your help, I can find other people to make the repairs. Who I do, and don’t, allow to stay with me is my business, and that includes you, by the way.” She closed her eyes and lifted a hand to her temple. “Why don’t you get out of the car and walk the rest of the way to clear your head? I’ll leave your bags in the back seat and the front door unlocked. Come inside when you’re ready to be nice.”

Logan nearly laughed. Instead, he complied. It was like he was a kid again. As much as he wanted to argue, Aunt Betty made a good point. He was used to her tough-love attitude. Even now, she knew what he needed. Logan had been here for less than a day, and this town was already getting to him. He got out of the vehicle.

He stood stuck in his spot as he watched the red convertible disappear down the road. Was it too late to turn around and walk back to the bus stop? Not exactly, but he had promised Aunt Betty he would help. He wasn’t going to back down. It was the least he could do after all she’d done for him.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked down the sidewalk that led to Aunt Betty’s. The shade of the giant oaks kept him protected from the hot summer sun. As he looked around, he saw that not much had changed. The lawns were all perfectly manicured, the laughter of children playing filled the air, and Mr. Humphrey still took pride in his rose bushes.

The older man had lived across the street from Aunt Betty for as long as Logan could remember and was currently fussing over his prized blooms. Logan quickly turned his face and bent his head down in hopes of walking by and up Aunt Betty’s porch steps unnoticed.

“Logan? Logan West?” a deep voice called out.

Logan released a long sigh as he looked up. Mr. Humphrey was walking over and there was no avoiding him now.

The older man had more gray at his temples than the last time Logan had seen him, but everything else about him seemed the same, including a slight narrowing of his eyes as he took Logan in. Mr. Humphrey had always been vocal about Logan’s rebellious past, and it seemed that even years after Logan had put all of those antics to rest, the older man was still suspicious.

Logan dipped his chin in greeting and filled his voice with as much enthusiasm as possible. “Mr. Humphrey.”

“Logan West,” Mr. Humphrey repeated. “I thought that was you, but it’s been what, seven or eight years since you left Frostford?”

Logan rubbed the back of his neck. “Ten.”

Mr. Humphrey shook his head. “Ten years. That’s a long time. What brings you back?”

Logan hitched a thumb at the two-story house behind him. “Aunt Betty asked me to come down and help make some repairs.”

“Why now?” Mr. Humphrey asked, “Is she finally going to sell?”

Logan wasn’t sure what Aunt Betty had shared with her neighbors and didn’t want to break news she wasn’t ready to break, so he shrugged. “Not sure.”

Mr. Humphrey hooked his thumbs through his belt loops as he leaned back on his heels. “I can’t imagine Betty ever leaving.”

“I can’t either,” Logan said. Aunt Betty had lived in this house longer than Logan had been alive. She was deeply rooted in Frostford. As much as Logan was looking forward to having her near, it was hard to imagine her leaving this town.

Mr. Humphrey opened his mouth like he wanted to say more on the subject, but Logan quickly said, “Well, I’d better go ahead and get in there. No time like the present, am I right?”

He turned on his heels and walked up to the old house. Like everything else in Frostford, the house was exactly how he remembered—just a little older. The porch swing where he’d spent so many early mornings in the Word and just as many nights talking with his friends still hung from the ceiling. The urge to sit down and rock in it was overwhelming, but he resisted.

Logan didn’t bother knocking before he opened the front door. Even the inside was like some weird time capsule. The same rug graced the entryway, the same pictures of his high school graduation hung on the wall. He ran his hand along the faded wallpaper as he walked toward the noises in the kitchen.

Expecting to see Aunt Betty, he turned the corner, and found himself face-to-face with a woman with long, blond curls and freckles that covered the bridge of her nose. When her wide, pale-blue eyes met his, the air whooshed from his lungs. Logan was standing in front of Erin Carlisle—his best friend’s widow, and the reason he ran from town ten years ago.

“Logan?” Erin’s whispered voice cut through the silence of the kitchen.

She hadn’t seen the man who had called himself her and Jake’s best friend in years, and yet it had only taken her seconds to recognize him. The dark hair he kept cut short was a similar style to what he wore in high school. His frame was broad and muscular—so different from Jake’s in those final days—and his brown eyes were wide, as if he hadn’t expected to see Erin in Aunt Betty’s kitchen.

The glass measuring cup in her hand slipped from her fingers and hit the ground. The loud crash broke the moment. Afternoon sunlight sparkled off the shattered glass covering the tile floor. Erin would be finding small shards of glass for days, no matter how careful she was to clean it all. After a long day of baking pies, cakes, and cookies, she didn’t want to clean another mess. But if she didn’t do it, someone could get hurt.

She sighed as she bent to start scooping it into her apron. Seconds later, Logan crouched down in front of her, picking up the shards with one hand and placing them in his other. When their eyes met, Erin bit back the words she wanted to say.

Still, she couldn’t hold it all back. “What are you doing here?” she said, as anger replaced the initial shock of seeing him.

He lifted another piece of glass. “Aunt Betty asked me to come home and help her. What are you doing here?”

She lifted her chin. “I live here.”

“Mama, Mama,” Parker, her four-year-old son, screamed at the top of his lungs as he burst into the kitchen barefoot. “What was that sound?”

“Parker!” Erin’s voice came out in a loud shriek that had her son stopping in his tracks. She put her hand up and tried again, this time, her voice much softer. “ Stay there, sweetie. I dropped something, and glass is everywhere.”

“Who’s that guy?” he asked when his gaze found Logan crouched beside her.

Logan looked up at her son. “My name is L?—”

“What happened?” Samantha, Erin’s seven-year-old daughter, interrupted as she, too, entered the kitchen.

“Just a little mess,” Erin replied.

“Can I help clean it up?” Samantha asked.

“Not this time, honey.”

“But, Mo-om,” she whined.

“Listen, why don’t you grab a few cookies from that plate over there”—Erin pointed to a platter on the counter near the doorway of the kitchen, safe from the glass that littered the floor—“and you and Parker can eat them on the front porch. I’ll be out in a few minutes, okay?”

Her daughter continued to watch her, so Erin cleared her throat and used a tone of voice that left no room for argument. “Samantha Jane Carlisle, if you don’t grab those cookies and eat them with your brother right this minute, you’re in big trouble.”

Samantha jerked back before she grabbed a handful of chocolate chip cookies with one hand, her younger brother’s arm with the other, and disappeared down the hall toward the front door. Once Erin was satisfied that they were a safe distance away, she got back to work cleaning the floor with shaking hands .

Logan was back in Frostford. In his childhood home.

Her mind raced at what this meant for her and her children.

After Jake died, she’d lost everything and had spent the last year trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Thankfully, Aunt Betty had let her live in her home rent free while she got back on her feet. The plan was for Erin to save enough money to get a place for herself after losing the house she’d lived in with Jake. Somewhere along the line, Erin got it in her mind that this was the house she wanted to buy. When Aunt Betty had casually mentioned one night that she would eventually need to sell the house, Erin had started saving every penny she could. She wanted to be ready when the ‘for sale’ sign went up in the yard.

Seeing Logan made her wonder if all of that had been a pipe dream. Was Logan back because he planned to buy it? It was his childhood home, after all. He had more of a claim on it than Erin and her children.

That would mean moving on to Plan B. She had enough saved for an apartment—they wouldn’t be homeless—but Erin felt like the rug had been pulled out from her again. She wished she could close her eyes and Logan would leave, this time for good. It hurt too much to see him after all this time, and she worried that with his return, he was going to hurt her again.

Dread filled her veins, and she froze, unable to pick up another piece of glass. She looked up and realized Logan wasn’t cleaning anymore. Instead, he was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

“What?” she asked.

He shook his head. “That is the first time I ever heard someone threaten their kids if they didn’t eat cookies.”

Erin was worrying about where she was going to live, and this man was going to make a joke? Her temper flared. “Oh, yeah? And what do you know of parenting?”

Erin regretted the words instantly, even before she saw the flash of hurt that crossed his features. She was angry, but to bring up Logan’s parents was a cheap shot. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It just came out.”

Logan shook his head, but didn’t say anything, as he began gathering pieces of glass. Erin did the same. Once the large shards were cleaned up, she grabbed the broom from the walk-in pantry and started sweeping.

Erin was emptying the dustpan in the trash when Aunt Betty rushed into the kitchen. “Oh, there you are. I saw the kids on the porch swing eating cookies and was sure they snuck them while you weren’t looking.”

When Erin didn’t answer, the older woman’s eyes wandered to where Logan stood, his posture tight. The woman’s usually cheery face fell. “Well, this wasn’t exactly how I had hoped you would find out,” Aunt Betty said, more to herself than to either of them .

Erin wrapped her arms around her waist. This was it. Logan was back, and Aunt Betty was kicking her out. Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she tried to keep it together.

“How long do we have?” she asked at the same time that Logan muttered something that sounded an awful lot like, “You didn’t tell me it was Erin Carlisle ,” under his breath.

Logan stormed out of the kitchen toward the front door.

Erin had a hard time meeting Aunt Betty’s eyes and couldn’t force the words out again. The room felt too small, the air too heavy. “I’ve got to get these things to Good Eats. I’ll see you later,” she said.

She ignored Aunt Betty’s protests and the remaining dishes on the counter, as she loaded up her beat-up station wagon with desserts in record time and got her kids buckled in. She wasn’t sure what to do now that Logan West was living at Aunt Betty’s. All she knew was she had to get out of there.

Erin lingered at Good Eats long after delivering her desserts and treated the kids to an inexpensive dinner of hot dogs and fries. As the meal wore on, her initial shock subsided, but didn’t leave entirely. It was difficult seeing Logan after all these years. He’d disappeared right before her wedding, leaving an empty place where the best man should be. He hadn’t even bothered to come back when Jake died. She had so many questions that she wasn’t sure she’d actually be able to ask.

When she pulled up to the house an hour and a half later, the light in the guesthouse was on. She could see the silhouette of someone walking around inside through the curtains. It had to be Logan. At least she’d be able to get her kids inside without having to speak with the man who was the reason she’d be moving. She quickly ushered her children inside and upstairs to their rooms.

“Let’s get you under the covers and tucked in snug as a bug in a rug,” Erin said to Samantha and Parker after they finished brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed. She wrapped the covers tightly around their small bodies.

“Can we pray tonight?” Parker asked.

Erin looked out their bedroom window at the stars that shone in the early evening sky. It had been almost a year since she’d led the evening tradition with her children—not since Jake’s death—but she nodded, pushed the pain aside, and folded her hands in her lap.

Parker’s voice was timid as he spoke. “Dear God, thank you so much for Mama. She makes the best desserts in the whole world. And thank you that Daddy is in heaven and doesn’t feel any pain anymore. And thank you for Aunt Betty, who I know isn’t really my aunt, but lets us live with her anyway. Amen.”

“Amen,” Erin echoed .

Erin lifted her brows at Samantha. “Would you also like to pray tonight?”

Samantha shook her head. Like Erin, her daughter had stopped praying shortly after Jake’s death. She wondered if Samantha also struggled with the idea that God had abandoned them when they needed Him the most. The thought scared her, but how did she reassure her seven-year-old that God still loved them when she struggled with the same fears? She could only trust the Lord that they would find comfort in His arms and His perfect timing.

Erin kissed them both once more, said goodnight, and went back downstairs. When she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to find the counters spotless. All the dishes she’d left out were put away, the trash can had been emptied, and there wasn’t a thing left to do.

Erin’s eyes traveled around the room until she saw Aunt Betty sitting at the dining room table. The woman watched her with a small smile. Erin reluctantly walked over to where she sat and stood behind one of the wooden chairs. With Logan’s return, now wasn’t the time to become a burden. She should have stayed and cleaned before her delivery instead of letting Aunt Betty clean up her mess. “I would have taken care of it.”

“I know that. You haven’t left a mess of the kitchen since you moved in. ”

Erin looked down at the wooden floorboards. “I did today.”

“Even the best of us have our moments,” Aunt Betty said, her voice soft. “And I know you weren’t too happy to find out Logan is here.”

“It’s not that I’m not happy ... ”

Aunt Betty snorted.

“Fine. I might be a little unhappy,” she said and looked back up at Aunt Betty. She let out a long sigh. “I just wish I would have known he was coming. Is he moving in?”

Aunt Betty shook her head. “That boy has as little interest in moving to Frostford as you do moving away.”

So none. Not that it was a surprise. He hadn’t been here in a long time.

But she still worried about what his presence here meant. “Why is he here?” she asked, even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

“Because I asked him to be.”

Erin’s heart beat frantically in her chest. It was like watching two cars about to crash. She knew what was coming, and yet she held her breath in hopes that it might change the outcome. Her whispered voice was more statement of fact than question when she said, “Because you’re ready to sell.”

Aunt Betty nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know. ”

Erin raised her brows. That seemed hard to believe. Sugar-coating this now wouldn’t make it any less painful.

“I didn’t.” Aunt Betty held her hands out in front of her. “You have to understand I’ve been asking that boy to come help with repairs for years. This is the first time he said yes, and he gave me a week’s notice. I wasn’t sure how to tell you and then he was here, and it was too late to warn you.”

Silence hung between them before Erin was able to build up the courage to ask, “How long do we have?”

“I’m not sure.” Aunt Betty said. “I wish I could let you stay here forever. I do. But I’m getting older. I eventually need to think about what my future looks like. I asked Logan to help me sell the house, and I’m not sure how long that’ll take.”

“And then what? After he sells, what will you do?”

“I’ll probably move with him to Florida.”

“Florida?” Her voice was a high-pitched shrill. That was states away.

“He accepted a new job near the beach. He’s willing to buy a place that has a mother-in-law suite so he can take care of me. Plus, there are plenty of snowbirds for me to make friends with.”

Erin wanted to argue that Logan didn’t need to get involved. She could take care of the house. She could take care of Aunt Betty. There was no reason for the older woman to leave behind everything and everyone she knew because Logan wanted to move halfway across the country. But when she stopped to think about how Aunt Betty had worded everything, it didn’t sound like Logan was the one making all these plans. It sounded like it was Aunt Betty. Erin had learned a long time ago that there was no arguing with Aunt Betty when she’d made up her mind. She could only try to pivot.

“Would you consider letting me buy the house?”

Aunt Betty’s face lit up. “Of course, sweetie. I would love nothing more than for you to buy the house.” She paused. “I wish I could just give it to you, but it wouldn’t be fair to put that financial burden on Logan.”

“I know.” Erin didn’t think that was fair either, and didn’t expect Aunt Betty to do something like that. She just wasn’t sure if she’d be able to come up with enough for a down payment before Logan was ready to put it on the market. She just needed more time. Her mind raced as she thought about how she could come up with more money.

In the silence, Aunt Betty looked down at her watch. “I need my beauty rest, but I wanted to talk to you before going to bed. I didn’t want you to be caught off guard again.” She pushed herself up from the table and started down the hallway. “Good night.”

“Good night,” Erin said, still recovering from the emotional toll the night had taken.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Aunt Betty stopped in the doorway. “I wasn’t the one who cleaned up the kitchen tonight.”

There was only one other adult who lived here. “You don’t mean Logan did it, do you?”

“It wasn’t the maid,” Aunt Betty said, humor in her voice.

That meant Logan had cleaned the kitchen. She wanted to ask why, but Aunt Betty had already walked away, leaving Erin’s mind racing with what she was going to do. She wasn’t sure exactly what the plan would be, only that it couldn’t end with the house being sold to a complete stranger. She’d need to either convince Aunt Betty to stay in the house and let Erin take care of her, or somehow come up with enough money to buy the house herself before Logan finished fixing it up—all while trying to avoid Logan.

Erin wasn’t sure how she was going to do it, only that she had to.