Chapter 11
Haylee
Haylee woke to the end credits rolling for It’s a Wonderful Life.
She was tucked into the warmth of Logan’s chest on the couch, her belly filled with pancakes and sugar cookies.
No doubt she’d been lulled into a sugar coma shortly after finishing the tree, because she didn’t remember most of the movie.
Logan’s arm hung around her back, his hand resting on her arm, as though she fell asleep in his embrace all the time.
As though they were a real couple.
The only things missing were Melly and their pups.
The room was illuminated by the lights on the fully decorated tree, casting a soft pink glow over them.
Logan, true to his nature, gave up on decorating after they hung the garland together.
But she caught him periodically stealing glances at her as she covered the tree in ornaments.
She’d blame it on her overactive imagination, except each time she caught him looking, he smiled or winked at her. As though he wanted her to catch him.
She couldn’t be imagining this attraction between them, could she? They had to keep up appearances for the couple who believed they were married, but this seemed like more than a show for their captive audience.
Logan wouldn’t be all that far away from Sunset Ridge when he reported to his post—something she still wanted to ask him about since he told Susan he’s a Reservist now. Did that change where he could live?
Maybe they could be more than friends.
Maybe . . .
“Let’s get you to bed,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.
Maybe there was a future here.
She glanced up at him then, wishing he’d press those soft, capable lips to her mouth next. Or maybe he was waiting for her permission. Should she be the one to close the distance?
“Well kids, I should get to bed. There’ll be guests checking out bright and early,” Susan said, popping up from her chair.
George was no longer in the living room, leaving Haylee to assume he retired for the night sometime after she passed out.
“There’re extra blankets in the hall closet, but I suspect Dasher will keep you overheated.
He’s already passed out on your bed. I’d apologize, but you were warned. ”
“Thank you, Susan. Truly,” Logan said.
“Roads should be cleared by daylight,” she said. “There’s a crew working overnight to get them open.”
“Does this happen a lot?” he asked.
Susan gave him a funny look, and Haylee realized their cover was about to be blown.
“He’s not a born-and-raised Alaskan like me,” she explained.
“Alaska seems to suit you, though,” Susan mused, gathering empty plates and cups.
“Avalanches happen a lot in the winter. Most of the ones that impact travel are minor. Crews usually have them cleared in an hour or two. But once in a while, Mother Nature likes to throw a bigger party. All will be well by daylight. You’ll see. ”
Logan stood first, taking his warmth with him, and offered her a hand.
He tugged her to her feet, right into his chest. She didn’t even try to fight the inevitable impact that enveloped her right back in his inviting heat.
She liked it here, her small, curvy frame perfectly molded against his strong, muscular body.
It made her feel safe and protected in a way she never thought she wanted, much less needed.
“Let’s go see if my pancake fart theory is correct.”
“Such a romantic, Captain Riley.”
Susan chuckled as she disappeared into the kitchen.
All sixty-two pounds of Dasher, as predicted, was sprawled out in the middle of a queen-sized bed pushed into the corner of a very small room.
They’d stacked the empty ornament boxes in the far corner earlier so Susan could access them more easily after the holidays, but that didn’t leave a lot of floor space for moving around, let alone sleeping.
“Jasper does this,” Logan said, nodding at the pup. “Hogs the bed.”
“Allie’s more of the curl-up-in-a-ball snuggler,” Allie admitted. “She sleeps right next to Melly, which just pushes Melly closer to me. It’s a miracle she hasn’t busted a rib with those cute little murder feet of hers.”
“Melly sleeps with you?” he asked, no judgment in his tone.
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “But as long as she has Allie with her, she’s better at sleeping in her own bed. The apartment’s just new to her, that’s all.”
“Gotcha.”
Logan slipped into the hall and returned with a blanket tucked under his arm. He pushed the door closed—Susan reassured them Dasher wouldn’t stir from his slumber until daylight broke—and unfolded the quilt.
“You’re not sleeping on the floor,” she said, crawling over the top of the Golden Retriever who was currently sleeping upside down, all fours in the air. She shimmied beneath the covers in the sliver of space between the dog and the wall that remained.
“Really, it’s fine.”
“It’s cold down there,” Haylee protested. “And hard.”
He couldn’t argue that, as a chilly draft swirled around his ankles. But he’d slept in worse conditions.
“I once slept on a rocky, sloped hillside without a sleeping pad. Really, I’ll be fine.”
“And what if Susan finds you down there? You’ll blow our cover.”
“I think it’s a little late for her to kick us out.”
“Just get in the bed,” Haylee insisted. “We have a sixty-pound barrier between us if you’re worried about . . . things.”
“Things?”
She tossed a pillow at him, which he easily caught. He tossed it back onto the bed, and the folded quilt toward Haylee’s feet. He wore that half smile that made those butterflies arise from their slumber. Then again, those butterflies hadn’t slept a wink since Logan showed up at her door last week.
“Captain Riley, get in this bed now. That’s an order.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her before tugging down the covers on the opposite side of Dasher. The dog groaned, readjusted, and started to snore all before Logan could get under the covers.
Once he was settled, he tugged on the lamp chain and cloaked the room in darkness.
Though Haylee’s body was bone-tired, her busy brain had yet to get the memo. But she didn’t want to think about the meeting with the Webbers anymore. Maybe not ever again. She craved a distraction, so she focused instead on the number of growing questions she had about Logan.
“So, you’re in the Reserves now?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
In the grand scheme of things, being Army Reserve wasn’t a huge difference than being regular Army.
Logan would still report to a post near Anchorage in uniform.
But being a Reservist gave him more freedom—something she knew because Dylan explained the difference to her when they were still together.
When Haylee was trying to figure out what the future looked like with a man who planned to stay in until he was forced into retirement.
“I haven’t told Grandma Charlotte.”
Haylee lifted, turning on her side and propping herself up by the elbow. “Why not?”
“It’s . . . complicated.”
“I don’t know if you’ve met me, but I’m basically the definition of complicated.”
He chuckled, that low, sexy sound that made those butterflies a little obnoxious. They weren’t planning to sleep, either.
“I’m going to tell her, before she heads back home. But that means I also have to explain why I chose Alaska instead of Phoenix.”
“You think she’ll be upset?”
Dasher turned again, pressing his back into her body. Susan was right. The dog was a heat source all his own, and Haylee was grateful for it in the chilled room. She stroked the pup’s neck with the back of her fingers as she waited for Logan to answer.
“She thinks I was given orders for Alaska, and that’s entirely different than seeking an assignment here.”
“You’re worried about her.”
“She’s the only family I have left. Until family dinner at your parents’ place, I think I took that for granted.”
“You want to move back to Arizona?” Haylee asked, fighting to keep the shreds of disappointment out of her tone.
She knew all too well how important family was.
How important it was to keep them close.
She’d never have survived raising Melly without her family.
Her daughter grew up surrounded by love. She wouldn’t change that for the world.
But she would miss Logan if he left. More than she wanted to admit.
“I don’t know if I can get my orders changed now,” he said. “But I thought about at least asking, you know?”
“Does Grandma Charlotte want you closer?”
“She’s a pretty independent woman. Which is to say she’s stubborn. She wouldn’t tell me if she wanted me closer or not. But I’m her only grandkid. She and my mom were the only children as well. I think Gramps would want me to look out for her.”
“Too bad you can’t both move to Sunset Ridge.” Her eyes widened when she realized she’d said the quiet part out loud. Oops.
“Not the worst idea I’ve heard.”
Her pulse doubled at his response. It was the way he said those words, as though he were flirting with her again. It was . . . nice. Nice to feel as though a man saw her as something other than a young single mom who was a few degrees short of being a complete hot mess.
“I get it, though. Family’s important.”
“My dad was never around,” Logan said.
Haylee stilled, afraid if she breathed wrong, he’d clam up and refuse to expound.
For as much as he shut down whenever she asked about his dad, she was desperate to know the story.
Then again, the more time she spent around him, the more she seemed desperate to know anything and everything about this mysterious Army soldier.
“I met him, a few times,” Logan said. “But he always made me feel like I was an inconvenience to be around for the hour or two he’d give me. I didn’t realize it when I was really young, but about the time I got to be Melly’s age, I wised up. I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore.”
“You told him that at six years old?”
“I think I was seven.”
“What did he say to that?”
“He looked right at me, shrugged, and said, ‘Well, kid, have a good life, then,’ and left. I never saw him again.”
“That’s terrible.” She reached over Dasher, resting her hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Logan.”
“I understand why you didn’t want to tell Dylan about Melly. Especially after he so clearly told you he didn’t want kids in his future. It’s so much worse to know your father and know he doesn’t care you exist than it is to not know him at all.”
Logan turned on his side, reaching his hand to hers. Their fingers interlocked, and that familiar zing shot through her entire being.
“Dylan wouldn’t have been like that,” he continued. “But I understand your fear that he could’ve been.”
She yearned to crawl to Logan and nestle herself against him, but the sleeping Golden wasn’t having it. She tightened her grip on his hand instead, their palms pressing together.
“After that letter came back unopened, my only priority was to protect Melly in any way I could. That’s why I didn’t tell anyone, not even my best friend. If no one knew, no one could threaten her happiness.”
“It had to be a heavy burden to carry.”
“It was.” A rogue tear rolled down her cheek, landing on her pillow as a yawn assaulted her. “But that’s behind me now. I’ll make sure Melly knows her dad was a hero.”
“That means a lot.”
Haylee softly stroked Dasher’s neck with her free hand, enjoying the silence but not ready to drift off to sleep just yet. She wanted to prolong this moment with Logan a little while longer before reality returned tomorrow morning.
“Oh, hey. I talked to Melly on FaceTime earlier, when you were playing Mr. Plow Man. She made me promise I’d invite you to decorate Christmas cookies with us.
She’s also still convinced you’re secretly a pirate.
She wanted me to check your coat pockets for gold coins.
So maybe don’t keep anything important in your jacket around her. ”
Logan chuckled again. “When is this cookie-decorating event taking place?”
Her heart warmed a little more at the way he sounded genuinely interested. It was still foreign, a man seemingly eager and engaged in the things that were important to her. Maybe Ed wasn’t completely off his rocker this Christmas after all.
“Tomorrow after dinner,” Haylee said. “At . . . my place.”
“You’re okay with that?” he asked, stroking the side of her hand with his thumb in a leisurely, soothing rhythm.
“I want you there, Logan.”
“Okay. Then, I’ll be there.”
With that gentle declaration, her eyelids grew heavy and sleep overtook her.