Abbie reached for a breadstick and tore it in half. “Yeah. Something.”
Chapter 8
Logan
With his pledge to answer another question, Logan knew Abbie wouldn’t stray far after dinner. She’d taken Gibbs back to the cottage with the promise to meet him at the fire pit in ten minutes. But they wouldn’t be staying home tonight. No more backyard small talk. If Abbie wanted some real meat for her article, she had to start playing by his rules.
He paced in the kitchen as he waited for Erin to put Izzy to bed. The little girl was beside herself with excitement for tomorrow’s horse camp.
He’d given it all a lot of thought and was determined to win Abbie back. At first, the idea struck him as crazy; coming back to Starlight had only been about the rodeo and finding closure. But with Abbie back in his life, even briefly, he hadn’t been able to put to bed the desire that they belonged together. That he would pull out all the stops this week to help her see that.
Once he accomplished what he needed to this season, he would retire. He could promise her that. Right now, it may not be enough, but maybe in a few days, she might change her mind.
If after the week was over, she didn’t want to rebuild what they lost and start their life together, he would walk away for good.
“I think she’s finally down.” Erin let her words out with a huff of exhaustion. “For now.”
“I hope it’s okay that I’m going tomorrow,” he said. Erin seemed okay with it at dinner, but she’d been distracted. “Izzy was pretty insistent.”
“Yeah, she gets that from me, I suspect.” Erin folded her arms and leaned against the door jamb, sizing him up. Assessing. Making him feel small and vulnerable. “I’m not thrilled about it,” she said. “But I think you two need closure. Abbs does for sure.”
He bowed his head because there was warning in her unsaid words. It didn’t change his resolve any, but Erin didn’t need to know that yet. “I don’t want to hurt her, Erin. I never wanted that.”
“But you did. You—” Her phone buzzed against the granite countertop, and in a step she swiped it up, leaving the rest unsaid. Whatever Cliff was up to tonight, it had his wife on edge. Logan replayed the conversations he had with his friend earlier today, but nothing lent any clues as to what might be happening.
Now out in the back yard, Erin’s words hung with him as he waited for Abbie to emerge from the cottage. He’d loved Abbie Bennington more than life itself. He’d never wanted to hurt her. Somehow, he’d help her understand why he left. That was the plan tonight anyway.
The fluffy chocolate dog shot through the door first and made a beeline for the back door of the house. The soft lug reminded him of a giant teddy bear, if bears had floppy ears. Logan shook his head. He’d always loved dogs, and they’d talked about getting one that could play with Gus once they were married and had a house together. But he never pictured Abbie adopting one that would grow to the size of a miniature pony. In a few months, Gibbs would swallow up half the cottage interior.
Wiping sweaty palms against his jeans, he stepped outside to meet them halfway.
“Why can’t I find anything online about your place in Albany?” Abbie asked when she was within earshot. She’d changed since dinner, dressed down in a pair of jeans, flowy tank top, and a pair of sandals. He found he liked this casual look a lot more than her professional attire.
Gibbs rushed him then, and Logan had to crouch down to prevent the dog from colliding into his legs and knocking him down. He rubbed Gibbs in greeting. “Because you’re the first one who knows about it.”
She fiddled with a pen before finally placing it behind her ear. “You’re telling me no one in that town has leaked anything? Ever?”
“I’m not exactly a movie star,” Logan said. “Folks around there are nice. They respect privacy.” Unlike the little town of Starlight, eager for an invasive interview. The newspaper hadn’t been the only media outlet hungry for a story.
“Do they even know your real name down there?”
Logan smirked as he got back to his feet. Gibbs seemed satisfied enough with the attention, so he plopped down and leaned against Logan’s legs. “That sounds like another question, and considering I just gave you a freebie . . .”
Abbie let out a sigh, relenting a lot easier than with her previous attempts. “What do I have to do?”
“Come with me.”
“It’s close to sunset.” She glanced toward the unlit fire pit. “Where are we going?”
He winked, then headed for the gate. His truck was parked on the other side, near the garage. He hoped she’d follow. Hoped the enticement of another question was enough for her to trust him. “You’ll see.”
“Logan.”
He ignored the warning hanging in her tone, and kept walking. “Gibbs can come too.”
“He’ll shed all over your truck.”
Yes, he would. But that was a price he was willing to pay. Besides, the furry giant was growing on him. He almost asked what Gibbs thought about the water, but he didn’t want to tip Abbie off while she still had a chance to escape. This had to work.
