20
I hear whispering asI try to open my eyes and look around. I feel water dripping on my forehead and jump up in a panic.
I hear laughter and my eyes finally focus. Megan and Collin stand over me with a wet paper towel letting it drip on me from above.
“Y’all do know there are perfectly made beds upstairs, right?” Collin asks me with a smirk and Megan giggles.
I look around remembering we fell asleep on the floor with the baby calf last night. I smile when I see Logan curled up in a blanket next to me with the calf. He is snuggling with her and my heart melts into a puddle. I look back at them, “Mama didn’t make it and we didn’t think little girl would either, but she looks a lot better this morning.” I stand up and the calf stirs trying her best to get out from Logan’s hold, but his arms keep her down. She makes a little “moo” sound, and it startles Logan awake. We all laugh, and the calf jumps up to walk around.
“Now that’s another personality of yours that I love.” I wink at him. He gives me a halfway sleepy grin and Collin takes the calf outside.
“What is all of this?” Megan says looking at all my papers on the kitchen counter and I start to have had an internal panic. I did not want her to see these until we know how Margaret is doing.
“Um,” I start running a hand in my hair, “It”s my plan but I don’t want you bothered with it until Margaret is better. I’m going to need help with the bloodlines and semen samples since I don’t know them like you do.” I search her face and she smiles. A tear comes into her eye. I walk over to her and ask, “Megan, what”s wrong?”
She wipes the tear away and smiles at the paperwork, “Part of the reason Collin and I came home this morning was to get clothes and the other reason was to give you this.” She hands me some papers she had folded in her pocket. I look at her, slowly taking them from her and she turns to Logan, “Come in here Logan, this pertains to you, too.” I hear Logan approach the kitchen.
She hands me a document.
“Megan...” I tear up and I cannot look at her or I know I will start crying.
“I can”t accept this.” I shake my head. “This is too much; you have been too good to me. We can wait.” I go to hand her the paper back and she shoves my hand away.
“Grandma’s diagnosis is confirmed,” a tear slides down her face, “She will be going into the nursing home with Grandpa. She has early signs of Alzheimer’s.” She pauses, and another tear slides down her cheek. She turns to me, and a tear falls down mine. She grabs my hands, “Nothing is random, Ivy.” She smiles at Logan who I am sure is where she heard that line from, “and I know, now, why you were sent our way. I need to take care of my grandparents while I’m able. They took me and Collin in as their own. It’s the least we can do.” We are both bawling our eyes out now and I nod my head, finally understanding and accepting what she is asking of me.
Turning to Logan, I give him the papers. His eyes scan over them and then his eyes turn wide. He looks to me and then to Megan.
“Meg-I-Uh” he begins, and I swear his voice broke, “What does this mean?” he asks, searching both of our faces.
Megan takes a deep breath, “It means I can”t be here, but the farm has to go on. I need people here who can run the farm like it deserves to be ran. Life has to go on. There are lives on this farm who depend on us,” another tear slides down her cheek, “Grandma had everything signed over to me when she noticed the signs a few weeks ago. I have temporarily put it into your names. I want to sign the breeding program over to you, as Ivy’s partner. I’m making her the primary on everything, but you know these animals and their bloodlines better than any of us and you care about them.” She gestures to the pallet on the living room floor.
“I trust y’all to take this to the next level.” She puts her arm around me, and I can feel the tears stream down my face.
Logan’s eyes twinkle as tears pool in the corners of them. “Just until you come back, because it’s rightfully yours.” Logan says sternly.
Megan nods, “We can cross that bridge later. I don’t know how long I’ll be away. I’m moving into an apartment near the nursing home, so the house is for you both to use. Collin will be coming back and forth as he needs to, but he will be staying with me, for the most part. We will take turns going back and forth checking in and taking care of both of them.” Another tear falls down her face.
I give her a big bear hug and Logan grabs a pen and signs the paper. Megan and I sign where our signatures are needed, and Logan hands the paper back to Megan to take it to the lawyer”s office.
Megan turns to me, “Grandma is still hooked on this Maggie girl, but I don’t remember having a sibling or cousin.” She shrugs and I run out of the room. I return with the notebooks I found at the top of Margaret’s closet. “I think these will explain it.” I give her the box. “I read through a couple, but I think it’s only right for you and Collin to read the rest.” She smiles as she takes the box from me.
“Y’all don’t know how much you both mean to me and our family.” She smiles and hugs us both as she walks out the door. We step out on the porch and Collin is walking back from the barn, “I put the calf in a stall. It used the bathroom like normal and took a bottle of regular milk from me. It seems perfectly healthy.” He runs up the porch and hugs us. “Thank you both for all you’ve done. You know you’re family.” He pulls back and I can see a tear in his eye that makes me tear up. I”m not used to seeing Collin so serious. He is normally the jokester of the group. I rub his shoulder and he turns to walk off the porch, heading to the truck with Megan.
Logan wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. I cannot imagine the way they are feeling right now. We stand and watch as they drive out of sight.
“Time for chores.” Logan says, smacking my ass and running off to the barn. I chase after him.
Under different circumstances, this life with him is something I could get used to.
***
Logan and I finishedall the chores for the day and decided we deserved a night out. We agree on Hilltop. We thought it would be nice to go out on an actual date tonight since all seems calm at the farm. Megan asks that we refrain from visiting them at the nursing home for a while. Margaret is not taking the transition well and Jefferey has not had any good days lately.
I stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom putting lipstick on and brushing through my hair. Hey, I look like a girl tonight, I thought. A nice change from someone who looks like she plays in horse shit all day long.
Megan told me to look through her closet if I ever needed anything, so I grabbed the crop top I wore my first night to Hilltop and a pair of bootcut jeans. I am really starting to like these jeans the more I wear them. I hear Logan come in the front door and I know he is downstairs. I refrain from letting him wait on me, so I do one last look in the mirror and turn the light off to go downstairs to meet him.
“Wow.” Logan says as he sees me at the top of the stairs, “We can totally skip the bar and stay inside tonight.” He says, meeting me at the bottom of the stairs. He wraps his hand around the side of my neck and pulls me in for a kiss.
He knows what that does to me and I have to catch my breath. “Stop.” I say, playfully slapping him on the chest. “I deserve a night out like a lady!” I smirk at him and wink.
“You haven’t acted like a lady since the moment we met. Why change it up tonight?” He laughs and I give him a side eye. He is right, I am far from it. Since the night he met me, I’ve been able to hold my own. I have even proved his original assumption wrong about being able to handle farm life. If I have learned anything about being in Maple, it’s that you have to learn to dodge those curve balls. I smile at the memory of where that came from.
We both get in the truck and “Livin’ on Love” by Alan Jackson is playing on the radio as we pull out of the driveway heading towards Hilltop. I smile as I look at him. Jeans, a button up and his brown hair all tussled around on the top of his head. Messy, but hot messy. He glances at me out of the side of his eye and catches me staring at him. He puts his hand on my thigh- high on my thigh, I might add.
“Be careful,” I say smirking at him, “those thighs may clamp that hand off if you get too high.” I smile happy with myself with that statement.
“Oh, Sweetheart, I’m hoping they clamp around my head later tonight.” Logan replies as he glides his hand higher on my thigh and digs his fingertips into my jeans. My lady parts instantly heat up and my nipples harden. Damn this instant reaction to him.
Maybe we should skip the bar and stay at home. Fuck being a lady.
***
The bar is so populartonight that we had to park at Nana’s to even get a parking place. Logan jumps out of the truck and comes around to open my door and grabs my hand. We jog across the street and make our way to the front of Hilltop.
We see a few people we know from town, and I smile and wave at them while Logan shakes hands with a few guys he knows.
“Want a drink?” Logan asks me and I nod. “Michelob Ultra?”
He smirks at me, remembering the beer I poured on him. I shake my head with a laugh. While he walks over to the bar, I find a seat at a free table and sit down. I look around and cannot believe how crowded the place is. The smell of cigar smoke is heavier than I remember, and I cough as a guy walks past me puffing on his.
“Just don’t pour this one on me, tonight.” Logan says with a grin and sits the beer in front of me with a plate of nachos. I smile up at him and pick one up to eat it, “You remembered?” I laugh and I do not hesitate to dive into them.
“I remember that Collin was right.” He stares at me as if he is unsure if he needed to say it. My eyebrow cocks in question and he smirks at me again. “You don’t play about your food.” I giggle and shrug my shoulders.
He slowly goes to grab a bite of nachos and eyes me for approval. I laugh loudly and take a sip of my beer, nodding at him.
“Logan!” a male”s voice says, coming up to our table, “What’s it been man? Five years?” Logan gets up and hugs the guy. “Good to see you Cane, what are you doing here?” he asks the guy.
“Night out with the girlfriend. We were just passing through. Big sale going on down the road.” He points to a girl who is standing at the bar talking to the bartender and I roll my eyes.
Rylee.
“And who is this?” the guy asks, looking at me like he is undressing me. He makes me extremely uncomfortable.
Logan slides an arm around me, sensing my unease and says, “This is my girlfriend, Ivy.” I look up at him because it’s a shock to hear those words. I mean I knew we were a thing but hearing those words makes it official. I smile up at him. The guy is looking at him in shock and says, “Wow, man. She’s beautiful.” He winks at me.
“Hey baby!” Rylee says, coming into view and her eyes widen when she sees me.
“Babe,” Cane starts as he turns to me and Logan, “Do you remember Logan? And this is his girlfriend, Ivy.” He points at me.
She puts on her best fake smile and says, “Oh, hey! It’s so nice to meet you, Ivy.” For a moment I don’t say a word, and Logan doesn’t take his eyes off of me.
“Oh, cut the shit.” I decide to say to her, and Cane looks at me surprised. “She knows who I am. We met about a month ago at the farm she works at. She missed out on a hefty chunk of change due to cussing me as soon as I got there.” I smirk at them. “Isn’t that right?” I smile at her.
“I’m terribly sorry for that.” She says and I can tell it hurts her to say those words, “It was a misunderstanding, and it won’t ever happen again.” she gives me a genuine smile. “I would love to work with you in the future.” She reaches out her hand for me to shake.
I stare at it and back at Logan, “We will let you know but for now, we will pass. Excuse me, but I need to talk to Ivy.” He says, pulling us away from the main floor area down a dark hall.
“Logan, Wh-“ And before I can finish my sentence, his lips are on me pulling my leg up around his waist. He unbuttons my pants and slides his hand down my panties and my breath hitches.
“What a good girl you are being so wet for me.” He kisses me hard, and I moan into his mouth. He holds me under my ass as I wrap my legs around his waist, holding myself around his neck. Opening the door to a bathroom with his spare hand, he walks us inside and closes the door behind us, locking it.
Sitting me on the sink, he pulls his shirt off and his dark eyes hold mine, “I want you right now, Ivy.” I nod in agreement and pull my pants and panties off. He watches me with fire in his eyes as he undoes his jeans and pushes them down just far enough for his dick to spring out. The veins that run the long shaft are thumping hard with desire and it makes me more wet just looking at it.
Grabbing my hips and pulling me to the edge of the sink, he takes me in one big thrust. I scream out his name and he kisses me. I bite his bottom lip and he growls. He is thrusting in and out of me hard and fast. I lean my head back as my eyes roll back in my head on the edge of my orgasm but needing more to push me over the edge. As if Logan is reading my mind, he takes his thumb and presses it over my clit, circling. That is all I needed to release and my toes curl as I moan his name as loud as I can. The reaction my pussy has, clamping tightly around his dick, causes him to release inside me. Finishing, we both stand there, kissing and breathing sighs of satisfaction, before he pulls out.
“Not that I am complaining, but what was that about?” I say, staring into his eyes, still breathless. “It turns me on seeing you stand up for yourself.” He says, brushing the hair out of my face and kissing my forehead. I smile. “And here I was thinking I was just bitchy for pouring my beer on you the night we met. Who knew it would’ve twisted something primal in you?” I pull my jeans back up and Logan puts his shirt back on and buttons his jeans.
He walks over to me and grabs my chin and rubs his thumb on my cheek, “Even that night, I wanted to bend you over the table and fuck you.” I gasp and he laughs, kissing me again softly.