AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Afterward, lying in bed with Sadie curled against his side, he wondered how much he was willing to give up. His job? His heart? What would it take to make what they’d shared enough not just for tonight, but for the future? And was he ready to go there?
20
SADIE WOKE UP and reached for Logan, patting the pillow beside her. Nothing. She opened one eye and saw a yellow Post-it. Sitting up, she read the note. “Gone to feed the herd. Coffee is in the kitchen. Don’t open the curtains or unlock the doors until I get back.” Sadie smiled, slipping out of bed to find her robe. Last night he’d confirmed something she had been afraid to admit due to all the ifs in the way. They’d tumbled into relationship territory. She’d known for a while her feelings for him ran beyond hot and heavy vacation sex. Somewhere between dinner in the bookstore and finding the reporter, this had stopped being a fling. For her, it came perilously close to love. What would it take for him to see that this was a real relationship, she wondered, one worth pursuing?
Filling her mug, Sadie heard her phone vibrate. She walked into the living room, still dark with the curtains drawn, and found her cell.
“Hi, Dad,” she said.
“If your offer is still on the table, I’d like to book a flight to Vermont,” he said gruffly. “I’d like to meet my granddaughter.”
“If you want, you can use my credit card to book the flight. Do you still have the number?”
There was a pause and Sadie feared she’d pushed too hard.
“I do,” he said.
“Book a flight. Stay for as long as you want. There’s a spare room in the guesthouse.”
“I don’t want to get in your way.”
“You won’t.” She couldn’t play strip Monopoly in the living room with Logan, but she’d manage. She wanted her father here. After last night, she was starting to feel as if she could do anything—pursue love, mend fences with her father and tell the world she was MJ Lane.
“If you’re sure,” her father said.
“I am, Daddy. And thank you for sending our wands.”
“You were always my little princesses. You and Laurel.” He laughed, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the tension between them drifted away. Not far, but a brief reprieve. “Good thing I saved them.”
“Yes. It meant a lot to us,” she said. “I can’t wait to see you, Daddy. I love you.”
“I love you, too, princess.”
Sadie ended the call and opened her laptop. Sipping her coffee, she logged into her bank account and transferred money to her father’s account. She didn’t want him worrying about missed income while he was visiting.
Her family would be together again. Maybe she could convince her father to move here. Instead of finding another job, he could help Laurel with the baby. That would allow her twin to start looking for another position. She knew being unemployed bothered Laurel, but the cost of child care would take most of what her sister would make. If her father moved here, and Sadie covered his living expenses, it would be a win-win. Maybe Lou would consider renting the guesthouse long-term. With two bedrooms, Sadie could make regular visits to see her family.
And Logan.
Except Logan wouldn’t be here. He’d be deployed with his team or in Tennessee, near his base.
Sadie stared out the window at the seemingly endless green fields. What if she met him halfway? Keeping what they had, moving it to the next level—it was about compromise. So, what was she willing to give up?
New York? Probably. She could write anywhere. Her career? No. An imaginary roadblock appeared on the fairy-tale road to happy-ever-after in her mind. And then there was the small issue of those pictures. She hadn’t heard from Anne-Marie yet. They might not be able to stop the story.
Still, after last night she had to wonder if there was a way around, a detour. She and Logan could discuss it together, she decided, when he returned from feeding the animals. They could brainstorm options. If he was ready to let her into his heart, if he was open
to a second chance at love, to borrow his aunt’s words, they could find a way to make this work. And after the way he’d made love to her last night, she suspected he might be close.
Sadie opened her email and scanned her inbox. A Google Alert notification for MJ Lane caught her attention. She clicked on the message and read the one-line description—Bestselling erotica author discovered in Vermont. Trying out new scenes? You be the judge.
No, no, no!
She moved her mouse over the link, took a deep breath and clicked. A tabloid’s homepage filled her screen. Picture after picture of her with Logan. That man with the camera—he hadn’t just been hiding outside her window, he’d been in town for days, long before she’d called in the tip to the paper. Someone had connected the dots between the redhead hiding her face and Sadie Bannerman, and found her here, in Vermont. He’d followed her. Everywhere. And not just her, Logan, too.
The top one—it was the most damning, and by far the most invasive breach of privacy. Sadie bit her lip. She’d told Logan she’d welcome the fame. She’d done everything she could to go after it and secure her movie deal. But this? She’d never imagined something like this would happen.
Staring at the image, she felt as if something had been stolen from her. The photographer must have hidden among the garbage bins in the side alley and climbed up on a crate or something to get the shot. That moment, when she’d stripped Logan down and demanded he hold on to the shelves while she knelt in front of him, that belonged to her, to them. But here it was, posted on the internet for the world to see. The caption below the shot read MJ Lane Blows Her Mystery Man Away.
