Logan's Woman (7 page)

Logan’s lips lifted on their own accord, even
as he got down to business with Ricky and making sure his injured
cow was taken care of. The fencing was going to be re-done and they
had planned that for tomorrow, but it was getting chilly and the
forecast had warned of showers. If they waited till tomorrow, they
would have to do it in the mud and that was a disaster waiting to
happen.

“Frank,” he called out, kicking up dust as he
jogged to meet his man. He wanted to get the job done in time to
take Claire out for lunch so they had to move quickly.

“Aye?” Frank looked up, spitting and rubbing
his hands on his roughly-worn jeans.

“We need to start on that fencing. It has to be
done before noon.”

Frank frowned, looking him over. “Have you gone
insane? Wasn’t we gonna do that tomorrow?”

“It might rain tomorrow and I have plans after
this,” he said shortly.

He didn’t appreciate Frank’s knowing look.
“With the blonde?” he asked, a cock-sure grin on his weathered
face.

Logan leveled him with a stare. “It’s just to
welcome her. She was staying at Gerry’s hotel and Darla suggested I
let her stay here instead.”

“All of these years, and you only
invite someone to this ranch because of
Darla
? Boy, I have a hard time
believin’
that
.”

Logan didn’t respond, but looked toward the
house.

The house that held the beautiful blonde. His
gut clenched as he thought of what she’d been through last night,
and what he’d done to her earlier this morning. She must think he
was a monster – which he was. Guilty, he got the men working on the
fence and tended to his cow.

It was half past eleven when they got done with
the fencing. It was quick work, but it was good. When he got on his
horse to ride back to the house, he got a knowing look from Frank.
He was dutifully ignored.

His shoulders were hot and his face was
dripping with sweat. It had gotten hot, the heat striking at ten.
His clothes were covered in mud and he looked like he’d had a mud
fight. He tried to get inside before Claire could see how dirty he
was, but was stopped when something struck him that there was
something…off.

As he got near the stables with a clear view at
his drive way, he knew what it was immediately.

“God damnit,” he growled, swinging his leg over
the saddle and tying the lead around a post. The horse went about
his business with the hay that was provided and Logan stormed over
to the red shiny convertible that had no reason to be in his
driveway.

It was too much to hope that he’d caught the
driver of that car before they went inside. It was empty and parked
and he wanted to run the damn thing into a pile of
rocks.

He stormed up the front of his steps, ready to
punch something.

“…
and he is
so
when –“

The door slamming opened stopped that
fakely-sweet voice from talking anymore.

Thin, blonde, petite, and filled
with ice. Madison Smith turned with a hand covering her mouth. She
was sitting in front of Claire with her bare legs crossed at the
ankles. Her heals were black and sleek and the skirt she wore chose
just
that
moment to
slide up her pale white thighs.

“Get out.”

Claire was sitting there, looking at the
ground, her hands folded in her lap. Whatever Madison had been
telling her, it obviously hadn’t been something she’d wanted to
hear.

Madison’s red pouty lips turned and she stood
to her feet. “Love, you are positively dirty! What were you doing
out there, playing with cows?” Her sparkling brown eyes were bright
and unassuming, as if she didn’t realize that what you had to do
when you owned a ranch.

“Pretty much. Now leave.”

Fury rode him and his fists clenched
at his side. She had to choose today to show up. She had to
choose
today
to
make his tight situation with Claire worse.

“I can’t just
leave
,” she said, laughing. She
sauntered over to him, her heels clacking on the tile. “I brought
us some lunch. Aren’t you hungry?”

Her hand lifted to touch him, and then her nose
crinkled with disgust. “Let’s get you into a bath,” she said,
daintily grabbing his hand and towing him towards his room. Claire
was still sitting there, this time her arms crossed over her chest.
Now that Madison’s attention wasn’t on her, she seemed to relax and
take a more casual pose.

She was also watching the scene. Any other
person might not have noticed the glances or the pose that
suggested she didn’t care, but Logan was trained enough to see
through it. What was she thinking about?

Not wanting her to get the wrong idea about him
and Madison, he pulled his hand away from Madison’s roughly. He
leaned down to whisper in her ear not-so-quietly, “Grab your
‘lunch’, and leave. I didn’t invite you out here and I can call the
sheriff. It’s called ‘trespassing’.”

She turned to look at him, an emotion flashing
through her eyes too quickly for him to decipher. “I just wanted to
welcome our new guest, Logan,” she said chidingly.

He closed his eyes briefly, then began dragging
her out. “Leave. If I see your car on my driveway one more time I’m
calling your father and the sheriff and you three can work it out.
Stay off of my ranch.” He didn’t add the nasty comments that he was
itching to.

Leading her towards the door a lot less gently
than he should have, he threw open the double-oak doors and pushed
her out. He was closing the door when she stuck her heeled foot
between then, holding the door open. “Logan,” she said deeply, her
voice low, seductive. Her perfectly done make-up was smokey around
her eyes. When she might have had an effect on him years ago, it
only brought out a strong feeling of disgust in him. “Why invite
her when you could have me so easily?” There was actual pain in her
voice, and he almost felt bad – before she looked over his shoulder
and at Claire.

The look she sent Claire had him leaning in
say, “Because unlike you, she isn’t a Barbie looking for money. Now
get off my property and tell your father I said hi.”

This time, he did close the door in her
face.

He stood there with his forehead against the
door, waiting till he heard the low rumble of her car. Only when he
couldn’t hear it anymore did he let out a breath and turn to
Claire, who was looking at him with pressed lips and still-crossed
arms.

“She was a very pleasant woman,” she said after
a tense silence.

Logan stared at her.

“She told me all about you and her,” Claire
added, leaning into the love couch even more. Her voice was
emotionless and he really didn’t know what to think about it.
“You’ve been together for several years now. The dog on the ranch –
I think his name is Ricky – was a gift from you to her on her
twenty-fifth birthday. Ah, let’s see…”

“Stop talking,” he commanded, taking off his
boots. Logan began walking to his room, stripping off his shirt and
undoing his belt. He didn’t care that Claire might be watching –
hell, let her stare all she wanted. He had nothing to hide from her
and the scars on his back weren’t leaving no matter what he did.
The sooner she saw them, the better. Because they were a part of
him and if he planned on taking her to his bed, then she’d better
get used to him.

He heard Claire behind him. Her steps were soft
and graceful.

“You designed the kitchen together,” she
continued, ignoring his order. “And I think there was something
about –“

He turned around furiously. “Claire,” he
snapped. “The only thing out of everything she’s told you that is
true is Ricky. I took him back from her when she almost killed him
because she couldn’t take care of him. Fuck, she even used him to
ruin my marriage.”

He paused, breathing heavily. Her eyes were
wide and but she didn’t back away from him.

“That
,” he
said, stabbing his finger in the direction of the backyard, where
Ricky probably was right now, “is the only thing that’s true. I’m
going to change and then I’m making lunch. Be ready in a half hour
to leave and I hope you can ride a horse.”

With that, he turned on his heel and strode to
his room.

Chapter 5

Claire went to her own room, shocked at what
had happened.

Logan had a temper. A really hot, sexy
temper.

His eyes had darkened to the point
of near black – reminding her of what had happened that morning.
Shivers coursed down her back and she had to stifle a dreamy sigh.
She hadn’t been scared of him; she knew that no matter what, he
would never physically harm her. She didn’t know
how
she knew that, but she
did. He had been a little rough with the blonde girl, Madison, but
he’d been angry at her – and it seemed as if they didn’t have the
best relationship, as much as she’d tried to tell Claire
that.

Claire started to get ready, heating up the
water in the shower.

Madison had shown up an hour before Logan had
come inside. She had heard the car pulled up and then someone
entering the house, and she’d gone downstairs. She hadn’t known to
either be alarmed or embarrassed when she’d seen the other blonde
woman, but she’d quickly realized what to think and say.

She was a classic wanna-be rich girl. Her hair
was all done up, her make-up perfectly placed, her dress from a
high-end designer – two years ago. She’d worn that same dress on
her aunt and uncle’s anniversary nearly three years ago. It had
cost her father a small fortune but it’d been a gift.

The heels were something that you could find at
Wal-Mart – Claire bet whoever had gotten those shoes hadn’t told
her where they’d gotten them, or she probably wouldn’t be wearing
them right now.

It had been had not to laugh at her when she’d
walked in haughtily and stared at her as if she were dirt on her
Wal-Mart-brand heels.

But she’d played along, the broken little
traveller girl who had no clue about anything around her. Madison
had started talking about Logan, then clothes and how grubby Claire
looked, and then Logan again. It was obvious the girl had a small
obsession with the man.

And it was also pretty obvious that
Logan wanted nothing to do with her.
That
was a relief to
Claire.

But with the relief had come worry. Why did she
even care? She’d known the man for two days, had fantasized about
him for a week, and now she was staying in his house. What did that
say to her?

A lot of fucked-up-ness. That’s
what.

She scrubbed a hand over her face. She’d never
been with a man, had never had a boyfriend, had never even talked
to a man as virile as Logan. Her father surrounded her with old men
and for a reason – she wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend. Ever
since her mother had died, he’d been set against her having no
boyfriend.

No boyfriend meant no pain. No boyfriend meant
a happy a happy Claire. No boyfriend meant a stress-free father. No
boyfriend meant to scandal.

And she’d never had a problem with it. She was
content to be a daddy-girl and a social butterfly, it was what
she’d grown up with and what she was used to. But now, seeing
Logan, feeling his touch and his kiss and hearing his voice, it
seemed as if her whole world was turned upside down.

She stripped off her clothing and stepped into
the shower. Maybe she should just tell Logan that they should wait
for lunch until he was calmer. While she found him incredibly sexy
when he was angry, she didn’t want the whole day to be ruined
because of his mood-set.

She finished showering and climbed out,
wrapping a towel around her body and – shit. Her suitcase hadn’t
been brought up. Groaning, she looked down at herself and could
have sighed.

It was still downstairs and her clothes were
dirty but…she had to get her suitcase. Wrapping the towel around
herself, she went into the main bedroom and dressed in just her
long, baggy gray shirt and the jeans. No bra and no panties – she
shuddered, feeling exposed. Her hair was damp so she wrapped it in
the towel.

She opened the door and a gust of cold air had
her skin chilling. Great, she thought, crossing her arms over her
chest and rushing to the kitchen, where she’d seen it
last.

It wasn’t there.

What the hell?

Praying that Logan was in a better mood and out
of the shower, she quickly ran to his room and knocked on the door.
“Uhm, Logan?” she called, knocking again.

Not out of the shower.

Just great –

The door opened.

“What’s wrong.” She heard his voice before she
saw him, and when she turned around she didn’t expect him to be so
–

Shirtless.

Completely shirtless.

Her face flamed and her throat ran dry. “My
ah…my…” She trailed off into silence, struggling not to stare at
his bare chest. She’d seen the scares on his back, but she wasn’t
prepared for what she saw on his chest now – and how it made her
react.