Satin Sheets and Strawberries (18 page)

He came to the fork in the patch and bore right. He heard her gentle singing before he spotted her. She was sitting in the grass with Caer’s head resting in her lap. Today she was dressed in the same fairy outfit she had worn the day he arrived at Fairyland. Logan stopped and studied the bent head and crooked wings. There was a slight catch in her voice as she softly sang a lullaby. With a start of surprise he realized she was crying.

He shifted his weight and jammed his fists into the pockets of his pants. He wanted to go and comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be all right. But was it? Why couldn’t she say good-bye? It was only a three-day business trip. He raised a brow as Caer gently nudged Kelli and turned toward him.

Kelli glanced over her shoulder and flushed. Logan stood there looking formidable in his gray business suit with his hands jammed in his pockets. She quickly swiped at the tears that had been rolling down her cheeks and stroked Caer. The swan looked between the two people, got to her feet, and waddled back toward her nest.

Kelli smoothed down her skirt as she stood up and nervously faced Logan.

"Why?"

"I’m a coward."

He was taken aback by her honesty. "About what?"

"Saying good-bye." She looked at the hurt in his eyes and tried to explain. "I’ve only said goodbye to one person in my life, and he never came back."

"Ben."

"Yes, Ben. At the end, we both knew he was going to die. When I said my first good-bye to a man who was dying, I promised myself I would never say good-bye to anyone I loved. I love you more than life." She looked at him tearfully. "How could I say good-bye to you?"

Logan wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Moisture filled his eyes as she trembled against him. His voice was husky as he asked, "Didn’t you ever say good-bye to anyone at the foster homes?" "Only to the ones who didn’t matter. If you formed a friendship with other foster children, they separated you fast. I made a friend once. Her name was Laura, and we were eight. We went everywhere together, we were inseparable. One day at school they called me to the office. A social worker was waiting for me. My bags were packed and in her car. They took me to another home in a different county."

"And you never saw Laura again?"

Kelli shook her head and blew her nose in the handkerchief Logan handed her. "So much for good-byes."

"What kind of social service system is that?" Rage boiled in him for the injustice a sensitive child like Kelli had suffered.

"The system is changing for the better. Today the social workers don’t shuffle children through different houses. They feel it’s beneficial for a child to make some attachments. They realize in many cases the foster parents and foster brothers and sisters are the only family they’ll know."

Logan wiped at a smear of mascara she had missed. "I’m not going."

"Yes you are." She straightened his tie and patted his chest. "I can handle three days. I just can’t say the words. They get stuck"—she gestured to her throat—"right here."

His smile was filled with love and understanding. "There won’t be any more good-byes between us. I’ll be back before you can say Rumpelstiltskin."

Kelli threw her arms around his neck.

He groaned and pulled her against his chest as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. He could feel the outline of her breasts pressing into the front of his shirt. Desire built and swirled in his stomach as he broke the kiss. "If I don’t go now, I’m going to miss my flight."

"I’ll walk you to the car."

"No, I want to imagine you standing surrounded by the trees with the pond in the background." He shook his head ruefully. "Lord, for the next three days I’m going to have erotic fantasies about a woman who wears wings."

"I think I’ll picture you wearing strawberries."

He reached for her again. She clung to his shoulders for support until her knees became steady. With a tentative step backward she whispered, "Godspeed."

Logan lifted a brow. "Why Godspeed?"

"Why not?"

He chuckled and said, "Set your clocks for eight o’clock Saturday night. We have a date."

"I’ll be waiting."

Reluctantly, he walked back toward his car. Turning twice he waved to the solitary figure standing in the bright morning sun.

#

Kelli smiled gratefully at Caer as she waddled away from her nest to share a quiet moment with a human. The swan laid her head back into Kelli’s lap and hissed softly. Logan had just left and already she was lonesome.

With trembling fingers Kelli softly stroked the bird’s sleek neck. What would happen to the swans and their babies? Could they survive the cold winter when the pond froze and food was scarce? She made a mental note to ask Logan if they could find a home that had a pond. Maybe she could take them with her. She was already planning on taking Tinkerbell, how much more trouble could a swan family be? She wasn’t sure about the cats. They seemed more at home outside wandering the woods. And she knew they preferred hunting over cat food.

What about the drama club? How would they perform their plays without a theater? Maybe she could donate that parcel of land to the school as a memorial to Ben. At the thought of Ben, tears gathered in her eyes. He loved this land and had passed that love on to Kelli. When he died and left a mountain of debts and back taxes, she had vowed to save the land.

She had kept her vow and saved it from foreclosure, only to lose it now to love. She wondered how she could sell the only home she’d ever known. And she wondered how could she not. She loved Logan to the bottom of her soul, and she understood his need to support his family. And he had to do that away from here. Still, he was proud of all that she’d accomplished. She’d supported herself for a long time. Now she would move on to a new phase in her life. She liked the idea of being cherished and loved by a man who wasn’t afraid of responsibilities. She wanted to be able to spend time at home with her babies. She wanted to be a good wife and mother. If all that meant giving up Fairyland and moving, she’d do it without one word of regret.

A headache started to throb in her temples as she realized how much still had to be done.

#

Logan glanced at the clouds outside the window as the stewardess took away his uneaten lunch. He closed his eyes and pictured Kelli standing so alone by the pond as he walked away. She was a solitary fairy. She was beautiful with her golden hair coiled on top of her head, braided with rose-colored ribbons. Shimmering wings sparkled in the morning light and her lips were swollen and moist from his kisses. It had taken every ounce of willpower to walk to his car and drive away.

He shifted his weight uncomfortably in the luxury-seat in the first class section of the plane. How was he going to manage three days without her if he couldn’t even close his eyes without seeing her?

He forced himself to concentrate on the upcoming interview. He opened his briefcase and pulled out the latest company report. He read the first paragraph twice without remembering what he had just read. He pulled a pad and pen from the case and jotted down a list of things that would have to be done if he got the job.

The first item was to contact a real estate agent. He really should do that while he was there, just to get an idea of what was available. He figured he’d need about twenty acres, and the property better have a pond. Angus and Caer were going to have babies any day, so it should be a large pond. How difficult was it going to be to move an entire swan family? Would they survive in Utah? He made a note to call the local zoo to check on the best way to transport swans.

He wrote down Tinkerbell’s name and then put a question mark next to the word "cats." They would need a large house with plenty of room for a growing family, and a guest cottage for his aunt and uncle.

With a sigh he read the growing list. He had just described Fairyland. What he needed was Fairyland transported across country. A headache started to throb in his temple at the list of things that would have to be done.

Kelli answered the phone on the fifth ring. "Hello?"

"Did I wake you?"

Happiness lifted her voice. "Logan!"

"Who else would be calling you at this hour?" She glanced at the kitchen clock. "No one has ever called me before at one o’clock in the morning."

"Good. Besides, it’s only eleven on this end." His voice deepened to a husky whisper. "Miss me?"

"Immensely."

Logan paused and cursed the beige phone in his hand. He remembered the ad campaign, "reach out and touch somebody." He wondered if he could sue for false advertising. "How are Ruth and Henry?"

"Everybody’s fine here. Ruth baked some brownies and Josh stopped by." She chuckled. "The man must be psychic; no one told him Ruth was baking his favorite. We played a game of checkers and he beat me."

"Is he that good?"

"No. I was that bad tonight. I couldn’t concentrate." She wrapped her finger in the coil of the phone cord. "How has it gone so far?"

"Great. The top echelon wined and dined me while they grilled my socks off."

"What about your skivvies?"

"No, they left them alone."

Kelli laughed. "I meant, did you wear your good-luck ones?"

"The purple horseshoes did the trick. I dazzled them with my brilliance and convinced them they couldn’t survive without me. Tomorrow they are taking me for the grand tour of the plant and field operations."

"Does that mean you got the job?"

"No, but I’ve got a good feeling about it. I’ll wear the shamrocks just in case." He shrugged out of his suit jacket and removed his tie. "I’d better let you get some sleep."

"Okay, you be careful and knock them dead tomorrow." She smiled into the receiver.

"I will." He paused and said, "Kelli?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for being there."

Her sweet laughter crossed the lines, gently wrapping around his heart. "Where else would I be but home?"

"I love you, good night," he whispered.

"I love you too, Logan. Good night and Godspeed."

Logan stared at the silent phone for a moment before replacing it in its cradle. Where else would she be but home? He unbuttoned his white shirt as he walked over to the huge plate-glass window and stared east.

With a heavy sigh, he turned and started to unpack his suitcase. As he lifted out a pair of pants a newspaper clipping fluttered to the bed. Curious, he picked it and scanned the headline. He dropped the pants back into the suitcase. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed and read the article. His eyes lit up when he was done. The newspaper was from Pittsburgh and it was dated six months earlier. Excitement raced through him as he reread the piece.

Slowly lowering the crinkled page, he looked toward the window. "Well, I’ll be damned."

#

Kelli tugged at Titania’s wings and straightened the flowers in her headpiece. "There, all set. Just don’t sit down."

Titania turned around and hugged her. "Thanks, Kelli. What would we do without you?"

The smile on Kelli’s face slipped. "You would manage just fine." She glanced around the hectic backstage. "I have to find your court fairies. I promised them I’d do some last-minute alterations."

Ruth’s gaze followed Kelli as she disappeared in the group of teenagers. Scowling, she bent and continued hemming Helena’s gown. "You can stop worrying your hands, child, the skirt’s finished."

Smiling, Helena looked down. "Thanks, Ruth. You’re a lifesaver."

Ruth’s reply was lost as someone across the floor wailed in distress. She glanced over to see the papier-mâché head of the donkey snag the sleeve of Hippolyta’s gown. Ruth chuckled as the crowd of students parted and Hippolyta came running toward her. "Ruth, please, you’ve got to help me. That jackass tore my sleeve."

Lovingly, Ruth bent over and selected a yellow thread, to match the gown. She blinked back tears of happiness. Lord, she had never felt so needed in her entire life. "Calm down, child. I’ll have it fixed in a minute."

Kelli glanced over at the commotion and grinned. Ruth had handled it all like a champ. Every year the backstage jitters created total chaos, especially on opening night. Last year when Kelli had acted as wardrobe mistress, she’d safety-pinned everything.

She heard a collective, appreciative sigh from the fairy court as Puck arrived. Kyle Alman, the student heartthrob, was playing Puck, the mischief maker. His costume consisted of a holly leaf headpiece, silvery wings, and one very large diaper-styled garment. Kelli hid her smile and silently agreed with the fairy court. The seventeen-year-old youth would be devastating in ten years’ time.

The thought of devastating males made her glance at her watch. Fifteen minutes till seven, that was quarter to five in Utah. What was Logan doing this minute? Did he get the job? Was he eating properly? With a shake of her head, she turned her attention back to the group of giggling fairies.

#

The Chinese lanterns blazed, signaling intermission. In her front row seat, Kelli stood up. "You two stay here," she said to Ruth and Henry. "I’ll bring you back something from the refreshment tables. I don’t want to see you get trampled by this crowd." She worked her way into the aisle and was swallowed up by the horde of bodies rushing toward the concession stand.

Logan shifted the pack strapped to his back and searched the crowd. Where was she? With growing frustration he pushed against the flow of bodies, inspecting every scrap of red for the woman he had come home to. The seats were nearly empty when he spotted Ruth and Henry sitting in the front row. He hurried down the aisle. "Where’s Kelli?"

"Logan! What are you doing here?" cried Ruth. "I’ll explain later. Where’s Kelli?"

"She went to get us something to drink, son," said Henry. "Are we moving to Utah?"

He kissed his aunt’s cheek and grasped Henry’s hand. "Hell, no. We’re staying here." Logan straightened and stared at the confusion at the rear of the theater. "You two enjoy the rest of the play. I’ve got to find Kelli."