AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In the time the Andersons have spent on our ranch, I haven’t spoken to Logan’s dad much. The specifics of why they came to stay with us have gotten fuzzy, but when Dad said an old colleague reached out for help, we banded together to offer them sanctuary.
Next thing I knew, Silas, his wife Anna, and Logan were living in the house out on our pasture—and since then, our fathers have been more and more elusive, talking business and spending late nights in Dad’s office.
Logan considers me for a beat before finally answering, “I don’t know what I want, sunshine, and believe me, fighting with him does me no good.”
My heart skips at the nickname he’s given me, but it aches for his tumultuous relationship with Silas. Their arguments have been more and more frequent lately.
“He’s sacrificed so much to get us here. I feel obligated to follow through, and I don’t know… It’s fucked up, but I almost don’t want to go because he wants me to.”
“It’s not fucked up to want to make your own decisions, Logan.”
He turns serious, stewing over whatever thoughts are bouncing inside his head. “My dad’s not a bad guy.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
“He just wants what’s best for me.” He pauses, seemingly unsure if he should elaborate.
I’m hard-pressed to agree, though I don’t tell him that.
After their fights, Logan remains silent for days. And the only way to cure his mood is to escape. He’ll beg me to go jumping off cliffs or explore different parts of town, searching for a fix that will numb his mind until he’s back in Silas’s good graces.
And that’s exactly what I do. I show him the magic of Augustine, taking him with me to visit childhood friends and locals who are like family to me. They feed him traditional Topican foods and care for him in ways he’s never known, and in that time, he slowly comes back to me.
“He’s a hardass, but it’s because we came so close to losing everything. He doesn’t want us to live like that again, and I can’t fault him for that. His punishments are only harsh because he wants to see me succeed. Wants me to make him proud.”
The rehearsed manner in which he speaks stirs up a feeling of protectiveness like I’m donning invisible armor, readying myself to fight.
But Logan doesn’t need me to fight his battles. He needs friendship, and I want to be the one he turns to for it.
I slap his arm before hopping to my feet. “Come on. Let’s go for a swim.”
He takes my hand, so small compared to his, and stands to his full six-and-a-half-foot height. That easy grin of his makes me sway when he says, “Only if you can keep up.”
Our gazes lock for half a second before I bolt.
Grass and twigs snap beneath my bare feet, but he’s hot on my heels, brewing an endless supply of adrenaline that pushes my body forward. A balmy breeze glides across my face and arms. It whips through my hair and under my dress as I race into the forest, and I’m smiling like an idiot, high on excitement.
“Slowpoke!” he shouts, shoving me when we break through a line of brush, heading straight for a clearing where an enormous native tree arches over a turquoise pond.
He smiles over his shoulder, gloating in victory when I halt beside him in front of the pond. “Knew you couldn’t beat me.”
With my hands braced on my knees, I try to catch my breath. “Cheater.”
I glance up at the tree house my cousin Marcus has been working on. This is the first summer in years my cousins haven’t visited the ranch, and I miss them like crazy, but it’s kind of nice having Logan to keep me company.
“Better get used to seeing my back because I’m about to outswing you,” he says, nodding at the tire swing hanging from the thickest tree branch.
“All right, then. Let’s do this.” My competitive nature flares to life, and I secretly enjoy that he smiles in challenge, unintimidated.
I shirk off my dress, balling it up before tossing it at his chest.
He catches it easily, holding the garment close with a strange expression on his face.
“What? You’ve never seen a chick in a swimsuit before?”
Logan quickly shifts his gaze to the crystalline water. I watch his Adam’s apple bob before he stutters, “N-no.”
“No?” I ask skeptically.
