Dark Journey Home (45 page)

“Sounds good, Logan.  We have ridden a long ways.  Time
flies, when you’re enjoying yourself.”  She then added, “I’ve told you a lot of
myself, now it’s your turn.”

“Alright, not much to tell though.”  He began, “But
let’s find that lake first.”

The sun had pushed the clouds away, and was shining
brightly by the time Logan led the way through a thick forest of tall lodgepole
pines, then out onto the banks of ‘Blue Lake’, which is what it was referred to
by the cowhands.

Olivia gazed appreciatively at the calm blue waters of
the small lake, as Logan removed the saddles from their horses and then led
them to the water to drink, after which he ground-hitched both horses. 

Spreading a tarp on the wet grass, then motioning to
Olivia, Logan proceeded to unwrap the lunch that Maria had packed for them. 
The beef sandwiches were delicious, along with a thermos full of cool sun tea. 
After Olivia had brushed the last crumb from her lap, she said, “Alright, Logan, now I would like to hear the story of your life.” 

He grinned sheepishly, “Well, first of all, I lied
when I said there wasn’t much to tell, so telling my life story just may take
up the rest of the afternoon, and I kind of like sitting here with you anyway. 
However,” he added, “on second thought, we don’t want Sheriff Denton getting up
a posse of tough cowhands with rifles to search for you either, so I’ll try to
make it as brief as possible.” 

He laughed as Olivia scolded, “Don’t try getting out
of telling me your story, Logan Wakefield, and the idea of you being scared of
a posse of tough cowhands, even with rifles, is extremely far-fetched.  Anyway
our Sheriff Denton is surely back in Coyote Springs by now, nor would he need a
posse to follow our trail.”

“Actually, he was still at the ranch when we left.  I
believe he wanted to talk to your Uncle Claude, but he didn’t say why.  I know
he spent the night in the bunkhouse, possibly because of the rain.”

“Oh.  I wonder what he wanted to discuss with Uncle.”

“He didn’t say, so it must not have been too
important.” 

“So?”  Olivia raised her pert little chin a little, as
she looked at him questioningly, then asked.  “So, you grew up in Wyoming?  Then what?” 

“Yes, on my pa’s small horse ranch.  I learned just
about all there is to know about the wild bunch and began breaking mustangs at
a very young age.”  Logan took off his black Stetson, and set it down next to
his long muscular legs, which were now stretched out on the tarp, boots, spurs
and all.  He then unbuckled his gun belt, which he was in the habit of wearing
once again, and laid it carefully next to the Stetson. 

Olivia tucked her riding skirt around her ankles, then
listened, as Logan began talking of his childhood in Wyoming.  “My folks were
always easy-going with me, though I must have been a normal, active youngster. 
The ranch kept us pretty busy, not much time to get into mischief.  I did
manage my share of it.”

“Your share of the work or the mischief?”  Olivia’s
eyes twinkled, as she asked. 

Logan
’s innocent
expression betrayed his answer, “Oh, definitely the work, with only a bit of normal
boyhood pranks mixed in……that is, now and again.”  He answered.  Logan’s thick wavy black hair had grown long, down past his collar, and wavy locks had
fallen across his forehead, so he now pushed the thick strands back as he
talked. 

Olivia thought he had never looked more devastatingly
handsome as he did this moment, though she made herself look over at the blue
lake as she listened to the story of Logan’s life, from boyhood through his
experiences as a young ranch hand on various ranches, then on to the gold
fields of Alaska, where, after much hard work there, he had been fortunate.  He
then planned his own cattle ranch and had looked forward to purchasing a small
herd on his way back to Wyoming.  Logan paused then, as it all came back to
him, and his animated expression quickly changed to one of deep regret as he
remembered that night, so long ago, along the docks of the Seattle waterfront. 

Olivia looked back at him, as he stopped talking, and,
seeing his expression, she gently offered, “I suppose there are some instances
in your life that you’d rather not relive.  I’ll understand, Logan, if you
don’t want to remember those years.” 

“Yes.”  He said, after a few moments.  “Yes, you are
right, and I believe those years are best not remembered.  They were the
darkest years of my life.  Stolen years.”  He then grinned, and on a lighter
note said, as he gazed at Olivia, “Then again, maybe my journey through those
years brought me to the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.”

His grin grew deeper, as he gazed at her, and Olivia
flustered, “Oh…….Logan, maybe we should be getting back.  It is rather late,
you know.” 

“Of course, I hadn’t meant to talk away the rest of
the afternoon.”  He agreed. 

When the horses had been saddled, Olivia didn’t resist
as Logan walked over, obviously to help her mount, however, instead of helping
her onto the pinto, he took her into his arms.  “Cold?”  He asked. 

“Oh…..a….little.”  She replied quietly, startled by
his abrupt actions.  He bent his dark head to her, as his lips brushed lightly
against hers, then running his hands up and down her back, making her skin
tingle, he asked, “Better?”

“Y…..yes, much better.”  She breathed.

“Thanks for today, Olivia.”  He said, his voice husky. 
“I will always remember this day.”

“Oh, Logan.”  She breathed, as she gazed up at him,
and softly said, “Thank you for today too.  But won’t there be many other days
like this?” 

“I………would like to hope so.”  He hesitantly answered,
“Though I have learned to live one day at a time.  Plans have a way of not working
out.” 

“Oh.”  She pulled away from his arms and quickly
mounted the pinto.  Logan was a hard man to understand. 

The long ride back to the ranch yard was a quiet one,
each one deep in thought.  Olivia wondering why Logan had kissed her, then acted
like it was a one-time occurrence, and Logan quietly chastising himself for
giving into temptation, and, along with her many other qualities, Olivia certainly
was a temptation to him.  He knew it could never work.  They were still worlds
apart.

As they slowly rode into the ranch yard, Logan offered, “I’m sorry, Olivia, and I hope you will forgive me.” 

“What?  Whatever for?”  Puzzled, she glanced over at
him. 

“Well…..back up there……at the lake.”  He grumbled,
took off his hat, smoothed back his hair, then slamming the hat back on his
head, he added, “I should have known better.”

When Olivia realized that Logan was apologizing for
kissing her, she covered her surprise by agreeing with him.  “Oh….that.  Of
course, it meant nothing at all.  Apology accepted.”  Chin up, posture
straight, Olivia quickly rode ahead of Logan, to the stable where Luke, the
stablehand, met her, and took the reins as she dismounted.

Logan
sat his horse
for a moment, gazing thoughtfully after her, as she stalked off towards the
hacienda, her back as straight as a corral post, then into the courtyard, while
she tried her best not to burst into tears.  Olivia stayed in her room through
supper, claiming a headache.  Maria brought her a tray later, which she barely
touched, then, after attempting to pry information from her, Maria quietly left
the room.  Amelia, then her Uncle Claude, had no more response than Maria did,
only the excuse of a headache, however each one of them quietly figured the
‘headache’ was actually one tall, black-haired, green-eyed hombre, who had had
supper with the cowhands, then quietly gone to his room.  Olivia fell into a
troubled sleep hours later; cheeks streaked with dried tears, and dried rose
petals clutched in her hand.

Morning came, and Olivia appeared late for breakfast. 
Logan was again notably absent from the table.  Olivia glanced at the vacant
chair, which he usually occupied, then quickly looked away, and began dishing
up a small portion of food onto her plate.  As she stirred sugar into her cup
of tea, Maria watched, and then exclaimed, “Do you miss Consuelo’s cooking
already, Señorita Olivia?”

“Oh, no.”  Olivia answered.  “I……..I’m just not that
hungry.” 

“He’s gone, Olivia.”  Amelia said, with a note of
regret in her voice.  “He left before dawn, without a word to anyone.” 

“What?  Who?  What are you saying, Amelia?”  Though
Olivia already knew the answer. 

Claude broke in, “No, Amelia, my love, the lad, Logan,
spoke to me early this morning.  Sheriff Denton had stayed over again and he
and Logan rode into town together this morning.  Logan told me he would return
in a few days to see if we are going to Wyoming with him.  Then he will head on
up the trail right after that, with us or without. 

“Sheriff Denton spent most of yesterday riding around,
with some of the boys, hunting strays and a mountain lion, cougar that is,
which had been spotted the day before.  They wanted to see if it was still in
the area.  Must have left though, because they saw no further sign of it.  Only
a few tracks heading west.  Those critters travel fast, and can make over sixty
miles in one day, so hopefully it’s far from here by now.”

Olivia had listened intently, though with no comment,
then only picked at the food on her plate.  After breakfast, she walked out
into the courtyard and, picking up the shears next to a rosebush, she began
trimming some of the dried petals, thinking of the ones she’d left under her
pillow earlier.  After a while, she moved over to the potted geranium plants
and began trimming.  Maria then joined her.  “Do you wish to talk, Olivia?” 
She spoke gently, as she took a seat on the stone bench near her friend. 

“What is there to say, Maria?”  Olivia answered with a
question, as she snipped a dried leaf from the plant, then moved over to
another potted plant. 

“First of all, Señorita,” Maria began, “you picked at
the breakfast I cooked and ate no supper last night.  You either don’t like my
cooking or you are ill.  Which is it?”

Olivia heaved a deep sigh, set the trimming shears on
the edge of a planter, and walked over to sit next to Maria.  Taking her
friend’s hand, she began, “My friend, Maria, what would I do without you?  Of
course I love your cooking. I’m so sorry I haven’t felt like eating, but I
would have had to choke it down.  I promise to do better at lunch.  Heavens,
who could I talk to, if not you?  Amelia would not understand.” 

“Señorita Amelia understands much more than you know,
though she is going in the wrong direction and not helping matters any, with
her contrary remarks.”  Maria stated firmly, then, “Alright Olivia.  Let’s see
if we can figure out just what is wrong.  I know your situation has to do with Señor
Logan.  Is the Señor playing games with your affections?  If so, I will have my
Ricardo knock some sense into the hombre!” 

Olivia suddenly giggled, and realized she had needed
Maria’s humor.  “Heavens, Maria, have I been that obvious?”  She asked, “I
hadn’t realized my feelings were affecting everyone so, and will try to do
better.  Oh……and, please, ‘No’, do not have Ricardo do anything.  Absolutely
not!  It’s just that……..men are so hard to figure out.”  She sobered, as she
thought a moment, then asked, “Seriously, Maria, why would Logan Wakefield…….well…….kiss me, then immediately act like it was only a one-time thing and
would not happen again, and he felt it had been a mistake?” 

“Not good for the ego, is it, Olivia?”  Maria offered.

“Certainly not, and I believe I will not let it happen
again.”

“The kiss or his regret?”  Maria asked. 

“Definitely the kiss, though I actually did like it, maybe
too much, but if I resist next time, he will have nothing to regret.”  Olivia
sighed.  “I guess he is only grateful for the care I gave him when he was
recovering from his illness aboard the Silver Princess.  I merely mistook his
gratitude for…….something more.  I’ve been acting like a teenage girl, over
nothing.  I should know better.  You know, come to think of it, that’s exactly
what Logan said, that he should have known better.  I guess he meant the kiss.” 
Olivia shook her head, “Oh, Maria, why do I let that man bother me so much?”