Choices (12 page)
Authors: Teresa Federici
Logan jerked his head up at her scream and saw the grizzly charging toward her. He grabbed his rifle, which he had leaned against the side of the truck. He ran, harder than he had ever ran in his life, and when he thought he was close enough he dropped to one knee, bringing the rifle up at the same time. The crack of the powerful weapon echoed throughout the valley and Logan watched as the bear stumbled, then fell, sliding through the snow to stop bare inches from Abby’s feet, where she lay on the ground..
“Abby, get back!” He screamed as he got back up and ran to where she was laying. He reached her as she stood up and shoved her back, behind him, then unloaded another round into the bear. It jumped once, then was still. He prodded it with his gun, just to be sure, then turned around to Abby. Her face was pale, and she looked like she was barely breathing. He set the rifle down and pulled her into his embrace, his arms wrapping around her protectively. She let out a moan and clutched his back, burrowing into him. He held her that way for a while, waiting for his heart to stop racing. He could have lost her, just like that. In an instant. He wasn’t stupid, he knew the bears were going to be coming out of hibernation, and he had left her unprotected. God, if he had lost her…
“Abby.” He whispered, pulling her arms from his back. He looked down at her and her face was still pale, her eyes slightly glazed. He cupped her face and brought his mouth down on hers in a hard kiss, his fear driving his passion. She responded almost immediately, kissing him back with passion as if he were a lifeline and she had to grab hold and never let
go. He ran his tongue over her lips and they parted for him, and he delved his tongue inside that warm part of her, their tongues mating in a frenzied dance. She grasped the front of his shirt and pulled herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him back more deeply, then twined her arms around his neck.
Abby couldn’t think, could barely breathe. He had saved her. And now he was kissing her as if he couldn’t let her go, and she was right where she wanted to be. Damn his reticence, damn Steve, damn it all. This was right, and no one, even Logan, could convince her otherwise.
Logan came back to his senses slowly, breaking the kiss. He brought his arms back around to her back, running his mouth over her hair. He took a deep breath, and his surroundings to come back to him. He turned them around, so he was facing the bear, and nudged it again with his toe. It was well and truly dead, his first shot an almost impossible brain shot. His second shot had severed the spine at the base of the thick skull. The bear wasn’t huge, and it was scrawny from hibernation, but it still could’ve killed her.
He rested his cheek on the top of her head, and just held her. He wasn’t going to let her go. If he had to fight, and go against everything that he believed in, he wouldn’t let her walk out of his life. He felt her breathing even out, and her heart slow it’s frantic pace.
“This is how I get all my dates to kiss me.” He tried for some humor. She laughed shakily, and pulled back to lean in his arms.
“Don’t you dare apologize to me, because I swear Logan MacKinnon, I will kick you.”
He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. He brought his mouth a whisper from hers and said softly, “I will never apologize to you again.” He smothered her laugh with his mouth, and kissed her softly, the feel of his mouth on hers sent shivers down her spine and a pleasurable pain into her stomach. This time, she had her sense more about her, and let herself enjoy the feel of his firm lips on hers, and the play of their tongues. She gently bit his lower lip, and he groaned with the pleasure of it. He ran his hands down her back and placed them under her hips, pulling her against him so she would feel his want for her. Abby gasped at the hard ridge of him pressed against her stomach, and she pressed harder against him, reveling in his need.
He pulled away, knowing if that they continued, he’d have her down in the snow, with a grizzly bear carcass bearing witness. That’s not how he wanted this to play out. Abby looked at him uncertainly, wondering if he was going to withdraw emotionally also, but he just grinned down at her, brushing a strand of her hair back behind her ear.
“How about dinner tonight, but this time in your cabin?” he asked, praying that she wouldn’t refuse him.
“Do we have to wait that long?”
He laughed and spun her around, lifting her feet off the ground.
“We’re gonna do this right, not on the snow or in the truck.”
Abby eyed the truck, thinking it would be just fine.
Abby heard the knock on her front door, and her stomach clenched.
She finished touching up her makeup, and ran down the stairs, trying not to think of the evening ahead. If anyone had seen her right now, they’d think she was a young girl on her first date, not a 33 year old woman.
They had gotten back from the pasture, and everyone had crowded around, having heard the gun shots. Ben had, in fact, been heading out to the pasture they had been working in and they had met him coming in the other direction in his pick-up. Logan had filled them in on what had happened with the bear, and then Logan went inside to call Montana Fish and Game to report it.
“Any grizzly shot on private property has to be reported.” Ben explained to Abby, although she had already known that.
Kassey pulled Abby off to the side and looked at her questioningly.
“You don’t look like a woman that was rushed by a hungry bear.”
Abby smiled, and shook her head, looking down at her feet.
Kassey nodded knowingly, and said, “He’s changed his mind now that he realized he could lose you.”
“You know Kassey, you’re real spooky sometimes. Are you clairvoyant?”
“No, I just know how to read what’s in front of my face. You’re both like open books right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if even Jake could guess what’s going to happen once the sun sets.”
Abby sighed, looking at Logan as he came back out of the house. Whether or not it was the fact that she just faced death, or just th
e knowledge that he had finally relented, but he was even more beautiful to her now, and she found herself wishing the sun was would set faster.
Now the sun was set, and Logan was here. She had come home and gotten ready, put two steaks in the microwave to thaw, and then had called Joyce to fill her in.
“I did it.” was all she said when Joyce had picked up after the first ring.
“You did what?” Joyce asked, and Abby could hear the busy newsroom in the background.
“I sold the townhouse and decided to move back to Montana.”
“What? Where? Are you moving back in with your parents?” Joyce’s voice was incredulous.
“I don’t know yet, but I thought about moving to Bozeman. With the University there, it’s pretty metropolitan.” She hoped that she wouldn’t have to move to Bozeman. She wanted to stay right here, with Logan.
“What’s the rush? Did you meet someone?” Joyce went on, laughing.
“Actually, I did.”
Silence on the other end.
“Joyce? You there?” Abby fidgeted, wondering what Joyce would say.
“I’m here. I don’t think I heard you right.”
Abby sighed, and leaned back against the wall in the kitchen.
“You asked if I met someone, and I told you that I did.”
“I was kidding! Is he cute? What’s he do? How’d you meet him?” Joyce exclaimed.
Abby grinned, relieved. She had thought for a moment Joyce would tell her she was wrong, was moving too fast.
“He owns the ranch I’m staying at so that’s what he does and how I met him. Is he cute? Joyce, he is way beyond cute. He’s tall, a foot taller than me, has the most amazing gray eyes, black hair, oh wait, let me upload a picture of him. I took it yesterday when we were out fixing fences.” She ran over to the desk in back and plugged her camera into the computer. She uploaded the picture of him, the best one of the many shots she had taken. He was leaning against the tailgate of his truck, his legs crossed at the ankles, arms across his chest. He was smiling slightly, his hat a little low on his forehead.
“You’re fixing fences? My, my, I knew you grew up on a farm, but I thought you had lost all those tendencies long ago.”
“It was a ranch, not a farm, and I had a great time. There, I just sent you an e-mail.”, she said, clicking the send button.
“What’s the difference? Farm, ranch, it’s all the same.”
“You grow things on a farm, raise animals on a ranch.” Abby explained.
“What if you do both?”
Abby laughed, “Then it’s a franch I guess. Did you open your e-mail yet?”
“Yeah. Oh wow, he’s hot. He looks like that guy, Kyle Something-or-other.”
“Who’s Kyle Something-or-other?” Abby asked, walking back into the kitchen and getting the steaks out of the microwave.
“You know, he was in that T.V. series, about the newspaper that came a day early.”
“Nope, never heard of it.”
“He was in the last two episodes of
Gray’s Anatomy. He got blown up.”
“I lived with a surgeon, Joyce, I don’t watch T.V. shows about them.”
“Your lack of entertainment knowledge astounds me.”
“And your obsession with it amazes me. I know who won the first Survivor.” Abby pointed out defensively.
“That was like, 7 seasons ago. Anyway, he’s hot, you sleep with him yet?”
Abby’s mouth dropped opened. “No!”
“Why not? Look at him! I would’ve by now.”
Abby smiled at Joyce’s candor, but refrained from telling her that’s exactly what she was planning on doing tonight.
“You aren’t into ranchers, remember? He raises beef cattle.”
“Oh God, don’t ruin it for me. So, what’s stopping you? It’s not the memory of Steve, is it?” Joyce snorted, “because it sure as hell hasn’t stopped Steve. He’s already stepping out on the woman he left you for.”
“How the hell do you know these things?” Abby bristled, feeling a flush of anger. Joyce heard her voice change, and apologized.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. You’ve made your decision, so enjoy yourself with the hot cowboy Abby, you deserve some fun in your life. God knows you haven’t had any of that lately.”
“I know. Let me go, I have to finish getting dinner ready.”
“Dinner for one or two?”
Abby smiled, “Two.”
Now, as she ran to the door, Joyce’s’ words came back to her to give her a boost; she was officially legally separated. She could do as she pleased with who she pleased, as long as she didn’t get married. That stopped her in her tracks. Married? Was she already going there? Her marriage was barely cold in the ground and that’s what pops in her head? No, she told herself, you’re just enjoying yourself. Ok, so the feelings were there, but she didn’t even want to think about marriage until she was 80. Steve had ruled her life, telling her what to do, and when to do it. He had taken her dream away of being a lawyer, and kept her as a trophy. She didn’t think Logan would do that to her, but she hadn’t thought that of Steve either, so her judgment of men was suspect.
She calmed herself, and opened the door. And melted.
He was standing on the porch, wearing his usual blue jeans and boots, but he had on a white t-shirt and black leather blazer. His head was bare, his black hair slightly damp and wavy, and she wanted to reach up and run her hands through that thick, inky thatch. He smiled down at her, and raised a hand to her face, gliding his knuckles across her cheek, and she felt her blood start to sizzle.
“Hi Abby.” He said, his voice a gentle caress to her senses.
“Hey.” She raised her hand to his, and brought it down to link with hers. “Come in. Dinner’s ready.” He walked in behind her, kicking the door shut with his foot. He swung her around and pulled her into his arms, his mouth coming down on hers. Abby felt herself swept up in his arms, and then he was bounding up the stairs with her, his mouth moving on hers, their tongues imitating the dance they were about to begin.
“But the food-“Abby protested weakly and Logan growled. “To hell with the food. I’ve waited too long for this.” He strode into her bedroom and laid her down on the bed. He stripped off his jacket and came down on top of her, his hands braced on either side of her head. He wasn’t about to wait to have dinner and sit across the table from her, imagining all the things he planned on doing to her, all the things he had thought about doing with her for the past week and a half. He stared down into her eyes, and finally let himself get lost in their green depths.
