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She bit her lip. “That’s a good idea.”
She needed to take a leap of faith to show Logan she trusted him, and then cross her fingers that he’d catch her if she fell. She loved him, but she’d been holding back out of fear. She’d been trying to protect herself, but if she wanted the future she’d always dreamed of, she couldn’t get it without risking her heart.
“I have an idea,” she said.
* * *
Logan had never been muchof a gamer, but that didn’t stop him from spending the entire day parked on Kyle’s sofa, playing a hand-to-hand combat game he couldn’t remember the name of. Hours passed, and he knew he should return home, but he wasn’t sure what to say to Gabby, or how she’d react to his presence. It had been crappy of him to walk out earlier when she must have been feeling bad already. Finally, early in the evening, Kyle paused the game, stood, and stretched.
“It’s time for you to go home,” he said.
Logan blinked in surprise. “Are you kicking me out?”
“No.” Kyle grinned. “Just nudging you along.”
It felt like being kicked out. He pocketed his phone and let Kyle steer him to the door.
“If you let me stay, I’ll cook dinner.”
Kyle’s grin widened. “Nice try, but you need to deal with what’s bothering you instead of trying to avoid it.”
“Isn’t that my decision?”
“You know the best thing about being your brother?” Kyle asked. “I can stick my nose into your business all I want and you can’t complain because you did the same to me.”
Logan couldn’t argue. It was true. But older brothers were supposed to protect their younger brothers.
“Fine.” He gave Kyle a quick hug. “Thanks for everything.” He turned to Charity, who was reading on the armchair. “You too.”
She raised her hand in acknowledgement but didn’t take her eyes off her book.
“No problem. Now go home.” Kyle’s tone was firm, and shockingly, Logan found himself wanting to obey. He waved goodbye and got into his car, intending to wait until Kyle had gone into the house before deciding on his next step, but Kyle didn’t budge. Eventually, Logan realized his brother was waiting for him to leave.
“Stubborn idiot,” he muttered as he pulled away.
He drove slowly, circling around the square, wondering whether to go to his apartment. Corinne was working at the bar and she’d given him clear instructions not to show his face. He was supposed to be looking after Gabby. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure whether Gabby would actually want to see him. He pulled over outside The Den and stared up at the dark top story. It didn’t look welcoming. He wanted to be with Gabby. However she reacted to him, he had to make sure she was okay. Logically, he knew that Shane would have called if she wasn’t, but she’d looked so small and tired in bed this morning.
He dragged his hand down his face. He shouldn’t have lost his temper with her. She’d been overwhelmed, and she’d drawn the wrong conclusion. That hurt, but she’d apologized, and next time, they’d both do better.
He maneuvered back onto the road and didn’t stop again until he was parked beside Shane’s car, outside the home he now shared with Gabby. One of the goats raised its head and bleated at him. Another eyeballed him with suspicion. Princess was still outside too. He wandered over to the palomino mare and rubbed her muzzle when she pushed it into his hand.
“Time to go in.” He walked her into the barn and slipped her a treat, then spent a few minutes brushing her. The movements were soothing, and she was good company. After a while, he felt calmer. “Bye, your highness.”
He let himself out of the barn and headed for the back door. The door was unlocked and he took off his shoes and left them at the end of the hall before moving deeper inside. He flicked the light on and bent to greet Thelma and Louise as they crowded around his ankles.
“Have you looked after my girl?” he asked. They both gave him doggy smiles.
He heard the front door open and close and hoped it was Shane leaving rather than Gabby making a run for it. He passed by the empty bathroom, but when he came to the dining area, he paused. The room was lit with a golden glow cast by a dozen candles, and the scent of freshly cooked pizza permeated the space. He looked around, surprised at how tidy it was, and his gaze landed on Gabby, who sat at the end of the table with a bouquet of white flowers clasped in front of her.
28
Gabby stoodand approached Logan slowly, unsure how he was going to react.
“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hey.” He scanned the candles once more, then his gaze settled on her face. “What’s this?”
She offered him the flowers. They weren’t much, but they were what the local florist had available on a Sunday afternoon. She was lucky the florist agreed to see her at all since they’d usually have been closed.
