him, Allie and Adam are climbing into Adam’s car, off on their quest to find my dad.
Logan shuts my door, and moments later he’s in his own seat, slamming his door and starting the car, and then we’re pulling out of Bick’s driveway, heading to the hospital.
CHAPTER TEN
I lean forward, wincing as Logan slides my favorite pillow behind my back, then pulls a comfortable old quilt over my legs. I’m not sure I noticed, until now, just how much this couch sinks when I lay down on it.
“That better?”
“Uh-huh.” I settle back into the cushions, wiggling around so that the Velcro on my new brace doesn’t rub on my shoulder blades. Thanks to a few X-rays, I now know that I have a broken collarbone. Six weeks of this ugly brace and I should be good as new. “Um, Logan?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry about my dad freaking out on you.”
Logan sighs, taking a seat at the other end of the couch and pulling my feet onto his lap. “You heard that?”
“You didn’t close the door when you stepped out into the hall.”
“Oh,” Logan says. “It’s okay, though. He didn’t say anythingI wasn’t thinking. I should have protected you, and I put you in harm’s way. He was just worried.”
“Scared,” I correct. Even though I couldn’t see my dad’s face when he talked to Logan, I could hear his voice. And it sounded like he was barely holding it together.
“Of?” Logan asks, lightly rubbing the sole of my sock-clad foot. I’m suddenly glad I’m not wearing embarrassing mismatched or holey socks.
“Losing me,” I say, staring at his fingers on my feet so that I don’t have to meet his eyes. “Like he did my mom.”
“I thought your mom died from a fall?”
I nod. “She did, but it could have been anything. See, my dad is like me. Not super adventurous, you know? My mom, she was different, always trying new things, never sitting still.” I chew on my lip, fighting the rising pressure in my chest. “After my mom died, I could tell he was relieved that I became more like him. That he wouldn’t have to worry about me the way he did about her.”
“You can’t live in fear,” Logan says. “You could die from crossing the street or eating a bad cantaloupe.”
“I know. That’s why I appreciate what you’re doing for me. My dad will come around.”
The conversation falls away, and I close my eyes for a moment, concentrating on the small circles Logan is rubbing on the bottom of my feet. When I finally open them, I’m surprised to see the droplets of rain streaking down the windows.
“So much for our sunny day, huh?” I say, nodding towardthe window. Dark clouds have moved in since I left Bick’s house three hours ago.
Logan slides out from under my feet and walks to the window, staring out for a long moment. “What is with this town? Every time I turn around, it’s stormy.”
“October’s always like that. It’s the Cascades. They trap the clouds here instead of letting them move over to Eastern Washington.”
“Oh,” he says. He finally turns back to me. “I should probably get going. Can I get you anything else? Water maybe?”
“Nah, I’m okay. I just took some pain pills so they’ll kick in soon.”
Logan walks to the coffee table and pushes it closer, then arranges the remotes so they’re all within reach. Or they would be, if my arm wasn’t in a sling. I don’t point this out to him, because I find the gesture to be totally sweet.
“You think your dad will actually remember to check on you like he said? I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“He’s just out in the barns. I know where he’s at if I need him.”
Logan nods and goes back to the window. A moment later, headlights splash across the wall. “Allie’s here,” he says.
“Really?”
I start to sit up, then wince again as my shoulder screams in protest.
“Yeah. She texted you a
Logan shuts my door, and moments later he’s in his own seat, slamming his door and starting the car, and then we’re pulling out of Bick’s driveway, heading to the hospital.
CHAPTER TEN
I lean forward, wincing as Logan slides my favorite pillow behind my back, then pulls a comfortable old quilt over my legs. I’m not sure I noticed, until now, just how much this couch sinks when I lay down on it.
“That better?”
“Uh-huh.” I settle back into the cushions, wiggling around so that the Velcro on my new brace doesn’t rub on my shoulder blades. Thanks to a few X-rays, I now know that I have a broken collarbone. Six weeks of this ugly brace and I should be good as new. “Um, Logan?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry about my dad freaking out on you.”
Logan sighs, taking a seat at the other end of the couch and pulling my feet onto his lap. “You heard that?”
“You didn’t close the door when you stepped out into the hall.”
“Oh,” Logan says. “It’s okay, though. He didn’t say anythingI wasn’t thinking. I should have protected you, and I put you in harm’s way. He was just worried.”
“Scared,” I correct. Even though I couldn’t see my dad’s face when he talked to Logan, I could hear his voice. And it sounded like he was barely holding it together.
“Of?” Logan asks, lightly rubbing the sole of my sock-clad foot. I’m suddenly glad I’m not wearing embarrassing mismatched or holey socks.
“Losing me,” I say, staring at his fingers on my feet so that I don’t have to meet his eyes. “Like he did my mom.”
“I thought your mom died from a fall?”
I nod. “She did, but it could have been anything. See, my dad is like me. Not super adventurous, you know? My mom, she was different, always trying new things, never sitting still.” I chew on my lip, fighting the rising pressure in my chest. “After my mom died, I could tell he was relieved that I became more like him. That he wouldn’t have to worry about me the way he did about her.”
“You can’t live in fear,” Logan says. “You could die from crossing the street or eating a bad cantaloupe.”
“I know. That’s why I appreciate what you’re doing for me. My dad will come around.”
The conversation falls away, and I close my eyes for a moment, concentrating on the small circles Logan is rubbing on the bottom of my feet. When I finally open them, I’m surprised to see the droplets of rain streaking down the windows.
“So much for our sunny day, huh?” I say, nodding towardthe window. Dark clouds have moved in since I left Bick’s house three hours ago.
Logan slides out from under my feet and walks to the window, staring out for a long moment. “What is with this town? Every time I turn around, it’s stormy.”
“October’s always like that. It’s the Cascades. They trap the clouds here instead of letting them move over to Eastern Washington.”
“Oh,” he says. He finally turns back to me. “I should probably get going. Can I get you anything else? Water maybe?”
“Nah, I’m okay. I just took some pain pills so they’ll kick in soon.”
Logan walks to the coffee table and pushes it closer, then arranges the remotes so they’re all within reach. Or they would be, if my arm wasn’t in a sling. I don’t point this out to him, because I find the gesture to be totally sweet.
“You think your dad will actually remember to check on you like he said? I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“He’s just out in the barns. I know where he’s at if I need him.”
Logan nods and goes back to the window. A moment later, headlights splash across the wall. “Allie’s here,” he says.
“Really?”
I start to sit up, then wince again as my shoulder screams in protest.
“Yeah. She texted you a
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