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He studied her from across the truck’s dark cab, the glow of the hospital entrance lights illuminating her pretty face. “That could be a while,” he said softly.
She nodded. “I know.”
“Does Jack?”
“You know Daddy,” she said. “He doesn’t let much keep him down for long. He’s already chomping at the bit to get back to the nursery.”
“Being away from there for any amount of time has got to be real hard on him,” Logan agreed. Working at the nursery day in and day out helped to keep the older man’s loneliness at bay. Jack had admitted as much to Logan one morning over coffee not long after one of Hope’s rare visits home. Logan understood. Putting his time and energy into his landscaping business left far less time to dwell on his own loneliness.
“It’ll drive him crazy,” Hope said, bringing Logan back to the present. “I’m hoping that not only will it motivate Daddy to think twice next time before taking himself off his prescribed medication, but that it will also push him to work hard in therapy so he can get back to doing what he loves. In the meantime, I’ll be staying in Braxton to see that he does just that and to see to the running of the nursery.”
Jack’s recovery could take weeks, months even, before he was physically back to the point he was at prior to his stroke. That meant there would be no avoiding seeing Hope again and again. Was he ready for that? Not that it mattered, he decided. It was what it was.
“Won’t they miss you at work?” he asked, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she hadn’t thought things out completely and would need to get back to San Diego sooner rather than later.
“I’ve got vacation time as well as personal time built up that I can use during my stay here. If I need more, I’ll just take time off without pay,” she told him. “Hopefully, I can remember everything Daddy taught me about running the nursery. It’s been a while.”
“Just like riding a bike,” Logan said as he pulled out onto the main street. “I can lend you a hand for the next couple of weeks,” he said without thinking. The last thing he wanted to do was spend time doing something that would bring back memories he’d just as soon forget. Memories of when he’d first started working at Hope’s Garden for Jack and the time he’d spent getting to know Hope as the two of them worked side by side. Laughing together. Sharing hopes and dreams. Their first kiss.
“You have your own business to see to,” she countered, her response giving him the out he needed.
He nodded. “I do. But I just had a landscaping job that was scheduled for next week get pushed back to early April,” Logan heard himself offering, despite his reservations. He was doing this for Jack. Putting his issues with Hope aside for his friend’s sake. “I can help cover for you while your daddy’s in the hospital. That’ll free you up to spend more time with him while he’s there. Once he comes home, we can take turns looking after him and the nursery.”
“I should refuse your offer,” she said, glancing his way.
“But you won’t,” he said knowingly.
“I can’t,” she answered honestly. “But I wanna pay you for your time.”
He shook his head, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. “Not gonna happen. Jack’s my friend. I’m offering to lend a hand because of that.”
“You win,” Hope said with a sigh. “I have to focus on getting Daddy better right now. So whatever it takes, I’m willing to do it.”
He hadn’t won. If he had, the past nine years would have been a whole lot different. And winning wasn’t having a woman agree to keep you underfoot because she didn’t have any other choice.
He’d known when he’d made the offer that Hope would be a hard sell. Even Carter had tried to talk him out of spending any more time with her than he had to. But his momma raised him to be a good Christian. To help those in need. Just as his brother had helped Audra when she’d first arrived in Braxton.
Only in Logan’s case, there would be no happy ending. As soon as Jack recovered, Hope would return to the life she’d built for herself in San Diego. And he’d be left dealing with questions he knew going in that he’d never have the answers to.
“Logan...”
He glanced her way.
“I never really had the chance to tell you during the funeral services how very heartbroken I was over the loss of your momma and daddy. And Isabel, as well.”
That was because Hope had been in such an all-fire hurry to put distance between himself and her. There had been a quick hug followed by a teary-eyed “take care of yourself,” and then she was gone.
“You came,” he told her, his gaze returning to the road ahead. “That’s all that mattered. Momma would have been touched that you made the trip home for her service.”
“I loved her,” she said sadly, and he didn’t doubt her words in the least.
His momma had done her best to fill in for the friend she had lost far too soon, taking eleven-year-old Hope with her to teas and shopping and to get her hair done. All those things a mother and daughter would have done together. His momma had done those things, not only because of the love she’d had for the friend she’d lost, but because she’d just plain enjoyed spending time with Hope. She’d never had any daughters of her own to share those special moments with. Just three big, strapping boys who preferred camping, riding horses and long hikes in the woods.
“I loved both of your parents,” Hope added with a sniffle.
“I know you did.” It was him she couldn’t find it in her to love.
Silence fell between them the rest of the way to Hope’s Garden. The only sound came from the purr of the truck’s engine and the rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers as they pushed away the heavy rain.
When they turned onto the road that led to the nursery and Jack’s place just beyond, Hope sat up, her attention focused on the building ahead. “There are lights on in the office,” she said worriedly.
“I know,” he said, pulling up in front of the brightly lit building. Its warm glow filtered into the cab of the truck. “I was in such a hurry to get to the hospital this morning after the ambulance took Jack away that I forgot to shut them off. I did, however, remember to hang the Closed sign on the door and lock up before I left.” Cutting the engine, he undid his seat belt and reached into the front pocket of his jeans, pulling out Jack’s key ring. “You’ll be needing these.”
“He still has this?” she said, a bit misty-eyed as she ran her fingers over the pink daisy key ring, the colorful paint long since worn away along its edges. She lifted her gaze to meet his. “I gave him this for Christmas when I was in eighth grade.”
Logan eyed the key-laden piece. “Reckon it meant a lot to him for him to still be carrying it around.”
She laughed softly. “I probably should’ve bought him a cowboy boot key chain or something a little more manly. But I was big on flowers and anything and everything pink back then. I remember drawing pink flowers all over my school folders.”
“Back then?” he said with a snort as he reached for the handle on the driver’s door panel. “It went well beyond eighth grade. I seem to recall you doodling flowers all over my book covers when we were in high school.” His gaze shifted her way to find Hope biting back a grin. “Funny to you, little darlin’,” he said with a grin of his own. “Not so funny when you’re a teenage boy wanting to come across as rough and tough on the football field and your teammates are calling you ‘Pretty Posey Cooper.’”
A giggle erupted from her lips. “You never told me that.”
“And make myself come across as less than manly in your eyes as well as my teammates? Not a chance.”
“Oh, Logan, I’m sorry.”
“They were only having fun with me,” he replied. “Truth be told, it improved my game. In an effort to prove myself more than just a ‘Pretty Posey,’ I broke the high school’s record for total receiving yards our junior year.”
“I had no idea I was the reason behind that impressive achievement,” she said, her tone teasing.
She was behind so many things that had been good in his life. Yanking up the collar of his jacket, he said, “I’ll grab your suitcase.” Tugging the brim of his hat lower over his brow to shield his face from the driving rain, Logan stepped out into the downpour. After grabbing her suitcase from the back of the truck’s extended cab, he hurried around to help Hope get down, but by the time he reached her she was already stepping onto the puddled ground below.
Squealing as the cold rain poured down on her, she made a sprint for the front door of the large cedar-sided building, her laughter trailing after her as she left him behind.
Logan followed at a fast jog, suitcase in hand, a grin sliding across his face. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed hearing Hope’s laughter until that moment. “Afraid you’re gonna melt?” he asked with a chuckle as he stepped beneath the temporary shelter of the roof’s overhang.
She flashed him an impish smile. “Daddy does call me Sugar, you know.” Then she turned, hurrying to insert the key into the lock on the door as a gust of wind sent sheets of cold rain past them.
“Stands to reason, then, why you’re in such an all-fire hurry to get out of this here downpour,” he said. He nearly covered her hand with his own to help steady it, but held back from doing so. He didn’t want to remember what it felt like to have her hand in his, something that had once been so natural. As soon as the lock clicked, he reached past her to turn the knob, giving the door a gentle shove open. “Let’s get you inside, little darlin’. Can’t have you melting into a puddle of sugary sweetness at my feet.”
Before he could follow her inside, she turned, her petite form blocking his way. “Thank you for the ride.”
“Thank you for the ride?” He looked down at her questioningly. “That sounds like you’re sending me off.”
“I am,” she said, unable to meet his gaze. “There’s really no need for you to stick around tonight. All I need to do is close out the register and then I’ll head to the house.”
His brow tugged upward. “You’re asking me to leave you here to walk home in the rain?”
“It’s not like it’s a long walk,” she countered.
She had the right of it. Jack’s house sat in a thin copse of pines a few hundred yards behind the main nursery building. “Maybe so,” he grumbled, “but I don’t like the thought of leaving you here to walk home alone in the dark. In the pouring rain to boot.”
“Daddy keeps a handful of umbrellas in his office for customers to borrow on rainy days if they need one.”
His concerned refused to budge. At the same time, a tiny voice inside Logan was telling him to back off. That Hope was a big girl. One who was more than capable of making her own decisions in life. Even if they weren’t always ones he agreed with. “Reckon I’ll be on my way, then. Sleep well,” he said with a tip of his hat.
“You, too, Logan.” The door closed between them, shutting him out yet again. At least this time it was only a door. Not miles and miles of God’s green earth.
Lowering his head, he moved in quickened strides to his truck before he did something foolish like turn around and go back to insist that he escort Hope home. He’d thought he was finally moving past the unrequited feelings he had for her. That time and distance had given him a better grip on his apparently misguided emotions. But he’d been nowhere near prepared for his heart’s reaction to spending time with her again. Laughing with her again. Now all he could do was pray.
For Jack to regain his good health. And for himself, knowing there would be no escaping the pain of seeing Hope again, of spending time with her, and knowing her heart would never ever be his.
Chapter Three (#ulink_21e0f20b-daaa-5225-917a-5c7ef7d0d6e6)
“Morning.”
Logan’s gaze shifted from the plants he’d been watering to find Hope standing in the doorway of the greenhouse. She looked refreshed. More relaxed than she had the day before at the hospital. She wore a sweater beneath an open camel-colored jean jacket. Dark brown leather boots peeped out from beneath the bottoms of her jeans. The long, curling tendrils of her unbound hair looked like a slow-burning fire under the red-gold rays of sunrise.
“Morning,” he replied, trying to ignore the sudden thudding of his heart.
“You’re here early.”
“Habit,” he replied as he shut off the hose’s nozzle and turned to face her. “Better to start early in my line of work,” he explained. “So I’m usually up with the roosters.”
“But the nursery doesn’t open for business for another couple of hours,” she said as she moved past him to walk along two rows of plant-filled tables laden with newly emerging tulips and daffodils. “You could have slept in.”
He stood watching her, unable to keep from drinking in the sight of her. “Appears I’m not the only early bird around here.”
Reaching out she ran a finger over the droplets of water clinging to a slender green-and-yellow striped leaf of a variegated flax lily. “It appears I had the same idea as you.” Letting her hand fall away, she turned to face him. “Watering the plants. Then afterward, before I set out for the hospital, I thought I’d finish tidying up Daddy’s office and go through the orders for this coming week.”
“You were cleaning his office last night?” After he’d dropped her off more exhausted than not?
“I swept up the broken planter and soil, even repotted the aloe plant with the hope I might be able to save it.”
Her words had guilt tugging at his gut. “I’m real sorry you had to do that. I should have at least swept that up before I left for the hospital.” Truth was he’d forgotten all about the upturned plant. His focus had been on Jack.
“It’s all right,” she assured him with a smile. “I’d rather Daddy have had someone he knew with him at the hospital than concern myself with a little dirt on the floor. Besides, I grew up with a nursery in my front yard. Sweeping up soil spills is one of my many talents.”
“Speaking of which, I have bags of topsoil to put out.” He set the hose on the floor by his feet. He’d finish watering later, after Hope had gone.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m chasing you away?”
“I have work to do,” he grumbled.
“I see,” she replied, her scrutinizing gaze fixed upon him.
He sighed. “I’m supposed to be seeing to the nursery during the day so you can spend time with your daddy at the hospital. Or have you changed your mind?” Like you did with us?
“Boy, it’s starting to sound like a certain someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Hope teased in the same playful tone she used to use with him when they were teens and he’d had a bad day. It had worked back then. Now it only served to make matters worse.
“With due cause,” he replied. “I’m worried about Jack.”
“We both are,” she agreed. “But there’s something else bothering you.”
He released a frustrated sigh. “Look, I’m trying to respect your wishes.”
Confusion lit her pretty face. “My wishes?”
“That our paths cross as little as possible.” And from the way his heart had reacted to the sight of her standing in the greenhouse doorway that morning, respecting her wishes seemed like the smartest plan.
Hope folded her arms in front of her. “I thought we both agreed we were mature enough to put the past behind us while I’m here.” Then added, “For Daddy’s sake.”
She had a point. But then she hadn’t been forced to lock away her feelings for him. She didn’t have any. So this situation they found themselves in wasn’t anywhere near as hard for her as it was for him.
“Judging by that frown on your face, I’m guessing that you’re having second thoughts about offering to fill in here while Daddy’s down. I’ll understand if you wanna withdraw your offer.”
Doing so would probably be the wisest thing to do, but he’d made the offer to help out and intended to see it through. “Don’t read something into it that’s not there. I said I’d lend a hand and I’m gonna do just that.”
“Then you don’t have a problem with my helping you water the plants?” she asked. While the built-in, overhead sprinkler lines took care of most of the watering in the greenhouses, the various potted plants that lined the inner walls of the glass buildings needed to be hand-watered. “I mean it’s not like we’ve never worked together before.”
There had been a time he would have welcomed this opportunity to spend some time alone with Hope. But he was older and wiser, and he wasn’t about to let her get under his skin ever again. Because that was what a smart man would do.
Logan motioned to the hose he’d left lying on the ground. “You wanna water? Spray away. Like I told you, I’ve got other things I can be doing here.” Turning, he strode toward the open door.
A few steps away from making his exit, Logan felt the cold, wet spray of water hit him square in the back and travel downward. He froze, unable to believe that Hope had just squirted him with the garden hose. No, soaked him clean through was more like it.
Soft, feminine giggles behind him had him pivoting to face her. Raising an arm to shield his face from the water’s relentless spray, he said, “You’re playing with fire.”
Another giggle. “Then I reckon it’s a good thing I’ve got myself a mighty powerful garden hose to keep that fire from getting out of control.”
“Too late,” he said with a warning grin as he charged into the water’s cold, wet, arcing stream.
Hope gave a loud shriek as she spun around to flee, dragging the hose behind her.
Three long strides and Logan managed to step on the hose, easily jarring it loose from her grasp. Reeling it in, he took hold of the still-spraying nozzle and aimed it in the direction of Hope’s fleeing form. A stream of water went up and over the top of Hope’s head, raining down on her. It wasn’t a direct hit, one guaranteed to leave her as drenched as he was, but he made certain it was close enough to have her ducking.
“Logan!” she shrieked, arms folded over her head.
This time he was the one chuckling. “You ready to call a truce?” he asked as he shifted the hose’s aim to the plants on the table beside her.
“Yes,” she sputtered as she turned to face him. Water clung to the spiraling strands of her hair like a heavy morning dew. Coppery curls hung in sagging wet tendrils to frame her face.
A memory came rushing back from the past. One that had been very much like this moment. He and Hope in this very same greenhouse, both armed with hoses. Both soaked clean through by the end of their water play. Both falling in love. Or so he had thought.
I don’t love you.
Logan shut off the nozzle’s spray and tossed it onto the ground beside him. “You can take it from here. I’ve got work to do.” That said, he walked out of the greenhouse.
