Blame it on Texas (7 page)

Megan nodded. "And we delivered a big, healthy bull calf."

"You did?" Carol's eyes were wide when she looked at Logan for confirmation. "Was that what happened to my shirt?" She grinned and shook her head. "It's a good thing it was an old one."

"Actually, Megan delivered the calf. I mostly just got in her way," Logan said with a wry grin.

"Good. Be sure to tell Dad. He's been upset today. I think he was worried about Bertha, afraid she'd lose the calf without him there to take care of things." After adding a jar of pickles and a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream to the table, Carol joined them.

"He's having a bad day? I'll go spend some time with him after lunch and see if there's anything I can do. Unless you need help with something else?" Megan looked at Logan.

"No. You go ahead. I'm going to do some computer work this afternoon. Thanks to you, I finished my chores a little early."

Megan grinned and turned her attention to her sandwich. "So, I turned out to be an okay helper, for a girl?"

"Yeah, for a city girl."

She figured that, coming from Logan, was high praise indeed.

***

Megan spent a couple of hours with Charlie, reassuring him that Bertha was fine and Logan was taking good care of the farm. Then she asked about the vaccination schedules and birth records for the herd. When she learned there were only three calves that needed shots, she decided she could handle the vaccinations by herself.

After Carol assured her that she wasn't needed in the house, Megan headed for the barn. She found the medications in the storeroom's refrigerator and took out the ones she needed. Then she picked up a sack of disposable needles from the shelf and headed for the pasture.

Blue appeared at her side as soon as she climbed through the barbed wire fence. "Hello, boy. Did you come to round up the calves for me?" She looked around for a good one to start with and decided to go for the smallest one, who was sleeping off by himself under a tree. As she approached, the calf stood up, bawled, and took off. Blue let out a low, menacing growl.

Megan looked up to see a bull headed her way, head lowered. "Oops." She started to back up when Logan yelled from behind her.

"Blue, head him off."

Blue took off toward the bull and nipped its nose. The bull stopped and glared at the dog, then lowered its head again. Blue moved around to its side, and when the bull turned to face him, he moved again until he had it facing the opposite direction.

"Megan, come here." Logan's voice was low, his voice tense with barely controlled fury and worry. She continued to back toward the fence, never taking her eyes off the bull. When she reached the fence, Logan separated the strands of barbed wire and held them while she climbed through.

"What in blue blazes do you think you're doing?"

Megan lifted her chin and looked him right in the eye, almost daring him to yell at her again.  "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to vaccinate the calves." For an intelligent man, he sure was dense.

"Don't you have any sense at all? When we need to vaccinate calves, we round them up and separate them from the herd. Then we run them through the squeeze chute. I don't know how they taught you to do it at A & M, but out here we have a healthy regard for our safety." His voice rose and his imperious tone set Megan's teeth on edge.

"I know how it's supposed to be done. But Charlie said there were only three, and it seemed silly to go to all that trouble."

Logan didn't say a word, just crossed his arms across his chest and glared at her.

Megan huffed out an exasperated breath and threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine. You round them up and take them to the barn. I'll meet you there."

"Not now, Megan. It would be dinner time before I got them rounded up. We'll do it in the morning." With that, he whistled for Blue, then turned and went back to the house, his rigid posture telling her he was still furious.

She watched him go, knowing he was right, but frustrated beyond reason that he'd once again managed to make her feel like a fool. Darn it. She'd spent seven years getting her degree. She knew what she was doing. She could have gotten out of the way in plenty of time. Probably.

CHAPTER FIVE

"You'd better plan to stay another night," Logan said tightly when she stepped into the kitchen.  "There's a big wreck on the highway through town. I just heard it on the scanner. It will take them a while to get it cleared." He didn't wait for a reply, just turned and went back to his office.

Megan looked at Carol and shrugged. "Fine with me, but doesn't he ever ask instead of issuing orders?"

"Nope. When he says jump, he expects everyone to ask how high. Most people do exactly that." Carol handed Megan a glass of tea and sat down at the table. "He's used to being in charge. He owns his own company and does very well. People listen to him and respect his decisions. He forgets that, out here, he isn't a hotshot entrepreneur. He's just Logan."

Megan dropped onto a chair and glared in the general direction of the study. "Well, I didn't spend the last seven years getting my degree just to have some man boss me around. If he's not careful, he may end up with a boot print on his butt."

Carol laughed out loud, her eyes twinkling. "I'd give just about anything to see that."

***

Logan disappeared into his office again as soon as the dinner dishes were cleared from the table. Katie was in Charlie's room watching television. Megan washed the table, then tossed the rag in the sink, still fuming over Logan's high-handed, bossy ways.

Carol put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and closed the door. "Are you too tired to take a walk?"

With Logan closed up in his office, Megan had nothing else to do. She felt a little guilty about spending so little time with Carol, too, since she'd agreed to stay on the pretext of visiting with her friend. "No. I'd love to."

They stepped out into the deepening twilight and Megan stopped to watch the last of the sunset. "It's so beautiful out here."

"It is, but I miss my friends. We'd planned a trip to New York City for next week. I'd already bought my plane ticket when Dad had his stroke. I hate having to miss it." Carol frowned, then shook her head. "Oh, well. It's too late to worry about it now."

"Would you go if you had someone to help take care of Katie and your father?"

"Of course. But I'm the one who insisted Logan stay here to help me out. It wouldn't be fair to him for me to leave him to deal with a stranger."

They walked along in silence for a few minutes, but Megan's mind was racing. She didn't have anything planned for the next couple of weeks. If she stayed, Carol could go on her trip. The hardest part would be convincing Logan.

When they reached the neighboring ranch, Carol looked wistfully up the long driveway before she turned around to head back to the farm.

Curious, Megan asked, "Who lives there? That's a gorgeous house."

"Yeah, it is. It belongs to Jake Reilly. His parents passed away a couple of years ago, within a month of each other, and he inherited the ranch. I haven't seen him since their funeral."

"Is he someone special?" From the look on Carol's face, Megan thought she might have been hoping to see him tonight, but there was no one moving about the property.

"He used to be. We lost touch after I left for A & M. He was engaged the last time I saw him. He's probably married by now." She looked back one last time and sighed, then squared her shoulders and set a brisk pace down the dirt road.

***

Logan still hadn't emerged from the office by the time Carol went to bed, so Megan knocked on the door. When he barked out permission for her to enter, she pushed the door open. He sat behind an old, scarred oak desk with a laptop open in front of him. One hand rubbed absently at his temple as he read the screen.

He looked up when she stepped into the room. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. I wondered if you had time to talk to me. If this isn't a good time, I can come back later."

He stretched, then linked his fingers behind his head and arched his back. "This is fine. Come on in and close the door." With a sigh he dropped his hands to the keyboard and made a few quick strokes. Then he closed the laptop and leaned back in his chair.

"I hope I'm not interrupting your work." All she needed was for him to be more irritated with her than he already was.

"No. I was just reading an email from my lawyer. He thinks I have a good chance of getting custody of Katie."

"That's wonderful."

"Yeah, it is. I've missed her terribly these last few months and this latest mess was the last straw. I can't believe her mother could be irresponsible enough to let her take off without even knowing where she was headed."

"Katie wasn't exactly honest with her, though."

"No, but when I found out Sue Ann's boyfriend was the one who bought Katie's ticket with her baby-sitting money, then dropped her off at the bus station without even making sure she got on the right bus, it made me even more determined to get custody. Her safety is at stake here."

Megan agreed completely. She'd been totally shocked when Katie had explained how she'd gotten on that bus.

"I'd better get off that subject before I get mad all over again. What did you want to talk to me about?" Logan leaned forward and gave her his complete attention.

Megan decided to get straight to the point while he seemed to be in a good mood. "Did you know Carol is giving up a trip to New York City with her friends to take care of you and your dad?"

He frowned and shook his head, then he winced and rubbed at his temple again. "She hasn't mentioned anything to me. When was she supposed to go?"

"Next week. She's already paid for her airline ticket, but she won't leave you here alone." Megan hoped Carol wouldn't resent her interference, but if Logan agreed, it would solve both of their problems. She'd get to stay, and Carol would get to go on her trip.

Maybe she should be asking herself why she wanted to stay so badly. Okay, she was attracted to Logan. Physically. But he was aggravating, stubborn, old-fashioned, opinionated, and he hated the very thing she wanted more than anything else.

So why did she want to get up and go rub his neck to try to relieve his headache? Why did she want to help him solve his problems? Why did she want so badly to prove herself to him? And why couldn't she get her mind off that kiss?

The questions were enough to give her a headache of her own.

Logan watched Megan's expressive face as she waited for his response. She had something on her mind beyond passing on information. And he had a feeling that something would mean more headaches for him. He suppressed a groan and the urge to bury his head in his hands. "So what do you want me to do about it?"

Megan looked up at him through her lashes, making his heart speed up. She really was pretty. Her skin had a freshly scrubbed glow, and freckles dusted the bridge of her nose.

"Well, I was thinking maybe I could stay until she got back. That way she could go and have a good time without worrying about things here."

Logan's headache intensified. That was exactly what he'd been afraid of. "No. Not a chance. I can take care of everything while she's gone. You need to get back to Dallas and do whatever it is you had planned for the summer."

"I don't have anything planned, not really. If I have my roommates send me some clothes, I can easily stay another week or two."