give them anything they wanted, and fool that I am, I said yes.” She remembered the joy on their faces. “They wanted me to use all my saved vacation time and days off to come here so they could go on their cruise. They’d been trying to get me to take a vacation for over two years, and they really wanted to visit the Caribbean. I guess, in their eyes it was a win-win situation.”
“So, you’re here because they tricked you?” He chuckled.
She frowned. “I don’t like being tricked. I don’t like games. It’s only because they’re my parents that I can live with it. Otherwise, I’d have been out the door.”
Logan’s stomach rolled. If… when she found out about the pictures in the paper, any chance they might have would be gone—even if they did discover that they wanted to be together. Look how long she had been angry with him over the crap he pulled in high school. She’d only just seemed to get past that. Earlier, it had been all he could do not to strip off his shirt and use it as a blanket so he could make love to her right there on the path. He remembered the photographer just in time.
Nope. She wouldn’t forgive him for this. Even if he weren't faking his feelings, which he was beginning to realize he wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter.
“Any interesting stories about your job? I bet you get all kinds of people in the ER.” That was a safe topic and he really did want to know more about her.
“We do get all kinds of people. Some of them use the ER as their family physician, which is just plain wrong. There are too many people who need the real emergency room services.” She clasped his hand tighter. “And when there’s a full moon, every nut in the county comes out. I had a woman come in and tell me she was in labor.” Just the image of the overweight woman bending and carrying on, still brought on a smile. “She wasn’t even pregnant. She just had a healthy appetite. She thought she’d just check into the hospital like you would a hotel and be waited on hand and foot.”
“I bet you’re good with people like that.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “I had plenty of practice dealing with a nut when I was in school.”
“Em, about that. I don’t know why I was always fixated on you—except your life seemed so perfect, and you were always the best person in our class.” He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Maybe I was just jealous.”
Emily looked at their joined hands. “Abby says our years of torture and argument were foreplay.”
An eyebrow raised, he considered that. “I don’t know if she’s right, but I sure would like the end result if she is.”
She swatted his arm. “You’re bad.”
“How do you know? We’ve never…”
“Okay, Mr. One Track Mind. Tell me about your business. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the first advertisement in the paper.”
He shrugged. “Not much to tell. I flipped a few houses and built up enough capital to start Taylor Construction. Like I told you, Mom’s house was our first stick-built construction project. Business grew until I could afford to hire more help. I have four full-time employees and stay in the black, so I can’t complain.”
“Are houses the only structures you build?” She knew another company had done the construction work on the new addition to the hospital.
“Yep.” He smiled at her. “Believe it or not, even in today’s housing market, we’re plenty busy.”
“What do you do in your free time?” A horrible thought struck her. He might have a girlfriend--or girlfriends—and here they were, fooling around.
“I don’t have much free time, but when I do, I usually spend it with Mom.”
“No girlfriends?” If there were, she was out of there.
He looked at her with surprise on his face. “Do you really think I’d be…kissing you like I have been if there were somebody else in the picture?” He shook his head. “How do I know you don’t have a
“So, you’re here because they tricked you?” He chuckled.
She frowned. “I don’t like being tricked. I don’t like games. It’s only because they’re my parents that I can live with it. Otherwise, I’d have been out the door.”
Logan’s stomach rolled. If… when she found out about the pictures in the paper, any chance they might have would be gone—even if they did discover that they wanted to be together. Look how long she had been angry with him over the crap he pulled in high school. She’d only just seemed to get past that. Earlier, it had been all he could do not to strip off his shirt and use it as a blanket so he could make love to her right there on the path. He remembered the photographer just in time.
Nope. She wouldn’t forgive him for this. Even if he weren't faking his feelings, which he was beginning to realize he wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter.
“Any interesting stories about your job? I bet you get all kinds of people in the ER.” That was a safe topic and he really did want to know more about her.
“We do get all kinds of people. Some of them use the ER as their family physician, which is just plain wrong. There are too many people who need the real emergency room services.” She clasped his hand tighter. “And when there’s a full moon, every nut in the county comes out. I had a woman come in and tell me she was in labor.” Just the image of the overweight woman bending and carrying on, still brought on a smile. “She wasn’t even pregnant. She just had a healthy appetite. She thought she’d just check into the hospital like you would a hotel and be waited on hand and foot.”
“I bet you’re good with people like that.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “I had plenty of practice dealing with a nut when I was in school.”
“Em, about that. I don’t know why I was always fixated on you—except your life seemed so perfect, and you were always the best person in our class.” He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Maybe I was just jealous.”
Emily looked at their joined hands. “Abby says our years of torture and argument were foreplay.”
An eyebrow raised, he considered that. “I don’t know if she’s right, but I sure would like the end result if she is.”
She swatted his arm. “You’re bad.”
“How do you know? We’ve never…”
“Okay, Mr. One Track Mind. Tell me about your business. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the first advertisement in the paper.”
He shrugged. “Not much to tell. I flipped a few houses and built up enough capital to start Taylor Construction. Like I told you, Mom’s house was our first stick-built construction project. Business grew until I could afford to hire more help. I have four full-time employees and stay in the black, so I can’t complain.”
“Are houses the only structures you build?” She knew another company had done the construction work on the new addition to the hospital.
“Yep.” He smiled at her. “Believe it or not, even in today’s housing market, we’re plenty busy.”
“What do you do in your free time?” A horrible thought struck her. He might have a girlfriend--or girlfriends—and here they were, fooling around.
“I don’t have much free time, but when I do, I usually spend it with Mom.”
“No girlfriends?” If there were, she was out of there.
He looked at her with surprise on his face. “Do you really think I’d be…kissing you like I have been if there were somebody else in the picture?” He shook his head. “How do I know you don’t have a
Similar Books
