Second Chance at Love (The MacKenna Born & Bred Trilogy) (13 page)

“Happy birthday, Brooke,” he said softly. “Go on, open it.”
She knelt down and lifted the lid off. She peered inside the box and let out a
startled cry when a little ball of fur suddenly leaped up at her. Brooke let
out a squeal of delight. Everyone else oohed and aahed. She picked up the
little ball and held it in her arms, rubbing her face against the soft fur.

“Well aren't you the most adorable little angel?” she said,
nuzzling the yellow lab pup. Her eyes met Logan's, who had been watching her
with anticipation.

“You gave me a puppy.” It wasn't a question, but a
statement, and Logan could hear the wonder in her voice. She kept her eyes
locked on his. “You gave me a puppy,” she said again, more softly this time.
She lifted the pup up in the air while it squirmed. “It's a girl,” she informed
them, a smile spread across her pretty face.

“She's eight weeks old,” Logan offered. “And she's already
had all of her shots. I've been working with her the past few days, trying to
teach her a few tricks,” he said, and was taken aback when he saw that tears
misted Brooke's eyes. Alarm filled him.

“What's wrong?” he asked, confused. “Is she not what you
would have chosen? We can take her back and you can pick out another one.”
Logan offered.

Brooke shook her head. She was taken back to the same date
nine years earlier when he'd surprised her with tickets for two to France. Yet
again, his thoughtfulness both amazed and humbled her.

“She's perfect,” she answered. “Absolutely perfect.” She
rubbed the excited pup's nose with her own. “Thank you, Logan,” Brooke said,
the happiness she felt showing all over her face. “I love her already.”

Brooke was having a great time. Dinner had been incredible.
She owed it all to Karissa. She'd been the most amazing hostess. After dinner,
they'd had cake and then opened gifts. Brooke loved everything, and couldn't
thank them all enough.

They'd moved the party outside to the deck afterward. That
had been hours before. Diana and Nicholas had left first, about an hour
earlier. Not long after, Raelyn and Paul had wished them all a goodnight and
headed up to bed. Chase had taken off shortly after that.

“Where did Chase take off to in such a hurry?” Karissa asked
Seth.

“Uh, he had a date,” Seth responded.

“With Cotton Candy?” Brooke teased.

“Nope,” Logan offered. “She's old news.”

“Already?” Karissa asked.

“I can't say I'm surprised,” Brooke commented. “Chase has
always had an appetite for the ladies, and has never stayed with one for longer
than it takes him to zip up his Levi's.”

“He's lookin'  for love,” Seth chimed in.

“Yeah, it's just too bad it's in all the wrong places,”
Karissa added. There was a round of laughter as they all were reminded of the
famed Johnny Lee song.

“If he's not careful, he's gonna find
something
in
all the wrong places,” Seth said. They laughed again, louder this time, at
Chase's expense.

The pup, who'd been sleeping peacefully in Brooke's lap,
woke and began to wriggle around. When Brooke made little cooing noises and
kissed her on her nose, she licked Brooke's hand happily and settled down
again. Logan reached over to scratch her ears. She was in doggie heaven. He
absently rubbed the pup's head, resting his arm against Brooke's leg as he did.
She pretended not to notice.

“Have you thought about what you're going to name her?” he
wanted to know.

“Yes, I have, as a matter of fact. I was thinking Xena.”

“Xena, as in Warrior Princess?” Logan liked it. “It suits
her,” he said quietly.

“Mhmm, I think so, too,” Brooke murmured. When their eyes
met, she said, “Thank you, so much, Logan.  I couldn't have asked for a more
wonderful gift.”

“It was my pleasure,” he said. “The moment I saw her, I knew
the two of you were meant for each other.” She watched him, remembering a time
when the two of them had been meant for each other. It's funny how things can
change in the blink of an eye, she thought.

“You ready to call it a night?” Seth said to Logan, standing
up.

She didn't know why she said it, or why on earth she would
do it to herself, but she needed a good swift kick in the ass, she thought. It
had just flown out of her mouth.

“If you want to stay a while longer, I can give you a ride
home when you're ready to go.” She looked at Logan, waiting expectantly for his
response. Seth shot Karissa a raised eyebrow. She lightly shrugged her
shoulders.

“I don't want to put you to any trouble.” Logan eyed her,
curiously.

“It's no trouble at all.”

Logan came back with, “Alright, if you're sure.” He didn't
know what he'd done to deserve it, but he'd take it.

“I guess that settles it,” Seth said, and kissed Brooke
goodnight.

“If you're giving out kisses, where's mine, bro?” Logan said
to Seth, wrestling his brother for one. Seth wrestled him back, and the two of
them laughed like they were kids again.

“Not a chance, bro,” Seth tossed out, and Logan chuckled.

When she was sure they were done with their silly
playfulness, Karissa spoke up. “I'll walk you out,” she offered. Seth nodded,
and together they began the short walk to the far drive where his truck was
parked.

“So, what's that all about?” He nodded toward the backyard
where Brooke and Logan still sat.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Karissa said. And it was.

He nodded and leaned back against the door of the truck,
obviously in no hurry to get going. A comfortable silence followed before
either of them spoke.

“So, have you given any thought to the out building, any new
ideas running through that overworked brain of yours?” He smiled, and Karissa
could have sworn she could hear the thudding of her own heart.

“Oh, you know there are.” She laughed, and the sound of it
carried on the air. It relaxed him.

“I'm going to try and free up some time in the next week or
two to at least get things rolling,” he told her. “I wish I could get on it
right now, Rissa, but this deadline is looming over my head and I've
encountered one problem after another,” he said. “I've been swamped.” He blew out
a breath.

“No worries, I understand,” she said softly. “You don't need
to explain, Seth. I know you'll get to it as soon as you can.”  He looked at
Karissa, really looked at her. In all the years he'd known her, he couldn't
remember a single time when she'd been angry or grumpy or impatient. She'd
never let her mood affect how she treated others. It was one of the things he
loved about her.

“You're an angel,” he said, quietly.

There was a brief silence before Seth spoke again. “So, what
do you think about the whole Logan/Brooke saga?”

The question caught her off guard. “I wasn't aware there
was
a Logan/Brooke saga.”

He watched her as she spoke, their eyes locking when she
looked up at him. “It may have been a long time ago, but those two aren't done
with each other. Not yet, anyway.” He said it with sheer certainty.

“What makes you say that?” She was curious to know what he
was thinking.

“You can just see it, feel it. The way they look at each
other. The way they act around each other.”

She laughed. “And how exactly do they act around each
other?”

“Like they're in heat.” The sexy smirk on his face made her
want to kiss him into oblivion. Not that she had the skills to kiss a man like
Seth into oblivion, or any man for that matter, but it was a nice fantasy.

“No, they don't,” Karissa managed to get out between
giggles. Seth smiled. She was adorable.

“Oh, yes they do,” he insisted. “You saw them at Locos last
weekend. The looks, the dancing thing.”

“What dancing thing?” The look he gave her, as if to say
'Seriously?' made her laugh.

“Jeez, for a minute there I thought they were gonna go at it
right there on the dance floor.” She was thoroughly amused by his account of
Brooke and Logan's sexual escapades. “He gave her a puppy, for Christ's sake.”

“And that means...what exactly?” Karissa was still
unconvinced.

“There are some things a guy just doesn't do unless he's one
hundred percent, head over heels, in love with a girl.” Seth looked so serious
at that moment. “And one of those things is to give her a puppy,” he stated
emphatically, as if that were his final word on the topic.

Karissa had to admit there was some logic to his argument.
“Maybe...,” she said softly, considering. “But for Logan's sake, I hope he's
not in love with Brooke. Nothing can come of it. She spent years getting over
him, and I know that she doesn't plan on having a relationship with him again.”

“I wouldn't bet on it, beautiful.” He looked down at her,
catching the sparkle in her blue eyes as the soft light from the lamp post
shone around them. “Funny thing about plans is that things don't always go
according to plan.”

“Don't I know it,” she said, thinking of her own plan, which
hadn't included falling in love with Seth MacKenna.

“Well, I'll let you get to bed,” he said, and bent down to
gently kiss her cheek. “Night, Rissa.”

“Night, Seth.” He sent her a wink as he opened the door of
the truck.

He slid behind the wheel and started the engine. It purred.
Well, at least she
thought
it was the engine. She wasn't so sure at the
moment. She waved as he drove slowly past her and down the drive. She stood
there a minute longer until he'd turned onto the road and headed toward home,
his tail lights growing smaller and smaller until they were out of sight.

What am I going to do about these feelings for him?
Karissa wondered. She hated not being in control of her emotions. Turning, she
walked back toward the house. She found Brooke and Logan on the deck where
she'd left them. Xena had woken up again. Brooke and Logan knelt down beside
her as Logan tried to teach her another trick. The pup didn't appear to be
interested, and rolled around on her back, enjoying the belly scratches she got
from the two of them.

“I thought you said you'd been teaching her some tricks,”
Brooke said to Logan. He shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I didn't say she was a star pupil.” Brooke laughed.

“I'm going up to bed,” Karissa said. “I'm exhausted.”

Brooke stood up, wrapping her sister up in a fierce hug.

“Happy Birthday, Brookie.”

“Thank you,” Brooke said. “For everything, Riss.” Karissa
smiled at her.

“You're so very welcome. I'm glad you had a good time
tonight.” Wishing Logan a goodnight, she headed into the house.

When Brooke turned around, she caught the mischievous smile
that formed on his very enticing lips.

“I'm glad you had a good time tonight, too....Brookie.”

She winced at his use of her childhood nickname. “Yeah, the
funny thing about nicknames is that they often stick.” She smiled at him in the
dim light. “But thankfully, Rissa is the only one who calls me that, and only
on occasion.” He wondered if she was remembering the many times he'd called her
that.

Logan thought about Brooke and Karissa and admired the bond
they shared. He had the same thing with his brothers. He was very much into
family, and keeping those relationships strong. He loved his family and would
do anything for them. That included Brooke and the entire Cates clan. They'd
been his family for as long as he could remember. When he and his brothers had
been kids, raising hell like boys do, they'd run to Raelyn when they'd
disobeyed their parents and had gotten hurt because they were afraid of what
the consequences would be if they'd gone home. She'd always fixed them up
before sending them on their way. He smiled at the childhood memory.

“What are you thinking about?” Brooke asked, amused by the
goofy smile on Logan's face.

“Oh, just about when we were kids, and all of our
escapades.” Brooke smiled too, remembering too well the mischief the MacKenna
boys would somehow get themselves into.