A Soldier's Christmas (5 page)

Logan followed Emma as her warm hand
squeezed his. He was relieved to see that her family had left two chairs
together for him and Emma. Her family already gave them strange looks with how
‘attached’ they were, having only just met in person, so he wasn’t sure it would
have gone down too well if he’d dragged her onto his lap to keep her close.

From the moment she’d opened the door, his
heart had beat wildly in his chest with emotion that he’d never felt before. He
certainly hadn’t expected Emma to recognize him, but she had, and that filled
him with joy. Just like the emotion behind her greeting filled him with hope,
and he’d known that he’d made the right decision to come and see her.

What surprised him was his own response to
her. He’d never in his life been one to cling to someone but, with Emma, he
couldn’t let her go.

His beautiful girl was even more beautiful
than he imagined—there was a slim, wild beauty about her
.
Emma’s thick auburn hair hung in long
graceful curves over her shoulders, her facial bones were delicately carved,
and her full mouth gave him plenty of ideas. It gave him ideas that he was too
overwhelmed to even contemplate, especially since he sat with her family in the
kitchen.

He glanced at Emma, and smiled, wishing
they were alone so he could tell her what it meant to him to finally be with
her. He had manners though and would sit with her family for a short time
before he took his leave with Emma.

The B&B where he stayed would have to
do because he had a feeling that if they stayed at Emma’s home, they’d
constantly have someone listening or trying to interfere.

He smiled at Martha when she placed a cup
of coffee on the table in front of him, not wanting to alienate her. After all,
she was Emma’s mom.

“Thank you.” He reached for it, and warmed
his hand around the cup without taking a drink.

Martha sat opposite, and asked, “Have you
been back in the States long, Logan?”

Emma squeezed his hand as she clung to him.
He couldn’t complain though, because he clung just as tightly.

“No, ma’am. Just four nights, two of which
have been spent in town.” Logan offered a nervous smile to Emma.

“You’ve been in town for two nights?” Emma
frowned.

“The first night, I arrived late. Then the
weather was bad yesterday...but, I did get a glimpse of you at work,” he
admitted.

Emma froze and faced him. “The handsome man
that Betty told me about.”

He grinned. “Probably. I wanted to make
sure you were okay. Your letters suddenly stopped, and I worried about you.”

“Oh,” Bree started while she sniffed into a
Kleenex, and continued, “That is so sweet. And please ignore my tears. Someone
only has to say hello to me and I’ll burst into tears at the moment. But...honestly,
the fact that you’d come to see Emma as soon as you got back is beautiful.
She’s been upset about you.”

“Bree?” Emma moaned, looking overcome with
emotion.

Logan let go of Emma’s hand and wrapped an
arm around her shoulders instead. She snuggled against his chest while he held
her tightly.

Bree rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me
started. It’s the truth.” She faced Logan. “Since your letters stopped, she’s been
really worried...I want to see my sister smile again.”

He dipped his head, and placed a kiss to
the top of Emma’s head. “I’m sorry you worried, Emma.” He cupped her beautiful
face in his hands. “I promise you that I never stopped writing.”

Emma nodded. “Neither did I.” She slipped
her hand into his and kissed his palm. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Gabe cleared his throat, and asked the
question that Logan thought would have come from her mom, “I don’t get the
connection you guys have. I mean, this is the first time you’ve met, and it’s
as though you’ve known each other for years, as though you’ve been in a
relationship…” He trailed off as he waved his hands in front of him.

Logan placed his hand on his thigh with
Emma’s fingers intertwined with his, and answered, his gaze unwavering from
Emma, “I don’t get it either.” He smiled. “Emma’s special, and she gave me
something to look forward to on mail day.”

“Until they stopped,” Emma whispered.

A lone tear slipped down Emma’s cheek, so
he reached out and used his thumb to wipe it away. “Don’t think about that
now.”

He wanted to say so much more to her, but
not in front of her family. What he had to say was for Emma and her alone,
although, he did wonder what had happened to the letters. Now that he knew that
she hadn’t stopped writing to him, it would be niggling at the back of his mind
until he knew what had happened to them.

A very small part of him wondered whether
her family had anything to do with it. Could they have destroyed Emma’s to him,
and gotten to Emma’s mail before she had? He didn’t want to think that,
considering they were her family, but it was the only possibility that he could
think of.

“You know what?” Emma jumped up, and
startled him out of his thoughts. “We’re going out.” She grinned down at him.
“Right now.”

Logan tried to tamp down his happiness, but
it was hard as he let Emma tug him up from the chair.

“Emma, he hasn’t finished his coffee yet,”
Martha started, “and while we’ve been in here the snow has begun again.”

Logan’s heart sank at her words because he
sure as hell didn’t want to be stranded at the house with her family. He’d love
to be stranded in town with Emma, though.

Emma let go of his hand and looked out of
the kitchen window. The slump of her shoulders told him that Martha hadn’t been
exaggerating.

Could he get through in his truck? He
joined Emma at the window and realized that the snow had only just started.
Should he risk it with Emma in the truck with him?

He decided to ignore Martha because he
really wasn’t sure that she approved of him with her daughter, and turned to
face Gabe. “If I left now with Emma, will we be okay getting to town? My truck
has brand new tires and chains.”

Gabe looked uncomfortable, but stepped to
join them at the window.

“I think you need to let Emma stay where
it’s safe and warm,” Martha stated.

“Mom, stop.” Bree shuffled over to her
husband. “It’s only just started. I know it can change quickly, but, Logan, I
think you’ll both be just fine if you left now.” She smiled.

“Why don’t you both stay for dinner at
least?” Martha tried again to get them to stay.

“I’ll probably get snowed in here if we do
that.” That wasn’t an option, and he hoped Emma was on the same page as he was.

“Mom, we won’t be here for dinner.” Emma
turned to him and quickly kissed his cheek, grinning at his surprise, and
added, “Give me a minute to go and grab my purse and boots from my room. Then
we can leave.” She dashed out of the room, leaving him to face her family.

“What are your intentions?” Gabe asked him
before he could think of something to say.

He laughed because the question had been
unexpected, although it shouldn’t have been. “My intentions are no one’s
business but mine and Emma’s.”

Gabe frowned.

“But I will, hopefully, put your mind at
ease by saying that I have no intention of hurting Emma.” Logan sighed, and
left it at that.

He knew her family meant well, but the
adrenaline high he’d been on since he’d arrived had left him drained, and he was
more than ready to be on the road.

“I’m ready.”

Logan found his girl and started to laugh.
Emma only had one boot on, and that wasn’t even fastened. Her purse looked
heavy and she was seconds away from dropping everything in a heap on the floor.
So he rushed forward and took everything from her.

He placed them down on the table and helped
her into her coat before he pushed her down into a chair. Logan grinned while
he crouched down and fastened her boots onto her feet. “You ready?”

“Yes.”

Logan took her hand and kept her close
while they said their goodbyes to her family. Bree and her husband smiled, but
Martha didn’t seem happy that her daughter was going off with him.

They hadn’t exchanged words while getting
into Logan’s truck. The silence was comfortable and it gave Emma pause to
think. Her mom hadn’t been her usual warm self, and she seemed to be against
her going off with Logan. Something had been going on with her mom for a time,
and Emma had only just realized it. But what? Her mom was usually the most
welcoming of people, and she’d go out of her way to help anyone. In fact, her
mom had been trying to marry her off to Seth, despite how quickly their
relationship had cooled. Now another eligible bachelor had come into town and
she was cold to him. What the heck had changed?

“Are you sure that you want to come with
me?” Logan asked as he started his truck and left it idling while he watched
her.

Emma turned to smile at him and felt her
eyes fill with tears. She blinked them away but more appeared.

Logan unclipped his seatbelt and moved
closer, his hands cupped her face as he gently placed a sweet kiss to her lips.
He smiled softly at her, and dipped his head again. The kisses were light as
butterflies as pleasure took flight in her belly. They were only brief touches
to her lips, but she felt joy at being with him. He was the one person who made
her feel whole.

“Emma?”

“Mmm.”

His smile split his face. “We need to go.”

“I know.” She cleared her throat. “I can’t
believe that you’re really here. That I’m sitting in a truck with you while you
touch me, kiss me.”

“I’m struggling with the same emotion,
but,” he looked out of the truck window, “unless we go now, we’re going to be
snowed in here.”

Emma groaned. “I don’t want that. Let’s go
and get snowed in at your B&B instead.” She quickly kissed his lips before
settling back into her seat.

Logan laughed, and fastened his seatbelt as
he pulled away from her home.

Emma couldn’t take her eyes from him and
watched as his hands flexed on the wheel. His eyes were bright as he
concentrated on the road in front of him while the snow whirled around the
truck in large, thick flurries. She hadn’t lied about wanting to be snowed in
with Logan.

“Talk to me, Emma. Tell me how you’ve been.”
Logan quickly glanced at her before his concentration turned back to the road.

Emma paused and tried to think of something
to say, but her mind was as blank as the landscape outside the truck. She
admitted, “I thought if we ever met that I’d have so much to say to you, but
the reality is that I’m so overwhelmed to be sitting here with you that nothing
comes to mind.” She chuckled. “Oh, it will, and you probably won’t be able to
shut me up so enjoy the silence for now.”

Logan smiled. “I know what you mean. I
still can’t get over that you recognized me. It was a bad photograph that I
sent you.”

Reaching out, Emma placed her hand on his
thigh and smiled when he flexed against her touch. She kept her hand on him.
“It was your eyes that did it. I’d recognize you anywhere because of them. I
felt like it was me that you were focused on when the image was taken.” She
shrugged, and did what she’d wanted to do since he’d climbed into his truck—laid
her head on his shoulder.

He sighed in pleasure. “If the weather
wasn’t so bad, I’d wrap my arm around you.”

“I know. You can do that once we get into
town.” She stared out of the window and wondered how he knew where he was
going. She lived there and couldn’t make anything out, which is when she
thought about her brother. “You know, we might bump into my brother in town.
Travis went to pick something up for Dad’s truck. He might get snowed in out
there.”

“Is your brother going to be as suspicious
as the rest of your family?” He groaned. “Of course he is. He’s your brother,
and he’s going to hate having a guy around you.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. He was okay when I
dated Seth, but then again, he knew Seth. Everyone did.” She hated how things had
ended with Seth because it wasn’t really like her to hurt anyone, and she knew
that she’d hurt him. She sighed heavily and snuggled into Logan’s arm.

“A heavy sigh?” He noticed. “What happened
between you and Seth? You briefly mentioned him, but never really talked about
him. I’m not going to lie though, it was a relief that your letters weren’t
filled with another man when I wanted to be…” he trailed off as though he’d
said too much.

“To be what?” Emma thought she knew what
he’d been about to admit, but she really wanted to hear him say the words.

Her head lifted and her gaze caressed his
face. She noticed the slight blush that had crept onto his cheeks. “Tell me,
Logan,” she whispered.

There was a comfortable silence between
them when he confirmed, “I wanted to be your guy, Emma.”

She felt close to tears again, and was
annoyed with herself for acting like a broken faucet. “I wish we were in town
so I could hold you, and see your eyes when I admit that I think part of the
reason for my failed relationship with Seth was because of you. From the first
exchange of our letters, I felt a connection with you that I’ve never felt with
anyone before, and when that disappeared six months ago, it broke my heart.”

Emma softly cried into his sleeve as they drove
in silence for the rest of the trip into town—both lost in their own
thoughts.

By the time Logan pulled up to the B&B,
the snow was so thick that she didn’t want to get out of the truck. They were
in their own cocoon while the winter storm swirled around them. But they
couldn’t stay in the truck all night, as much as Emma didn’t want to face Adele
and her interrogation. Greg would just smile if he was around, but Adele
wouldn’t let up and give them the privacy they craved.

Logan cut the engine and turned to look at
her, his eyes were hot and seemed to look deep inside her as he rested his
forehead against hers. “We need to go inside,” he winced, “and probably get
past Adele.” He smiled. “I want you in my room. Not for sex,” his smile
widened, “but because I want, and need, to hold you and have you where I can
see you. I need that to make this feel real so I know I’m not dreaming.”

She heard what he said, but her brain kept
repeating ‘not for sex’ and couldn’t get past that or what the thoughts did to
her body.

Emma unclipped her seatbelt, and his,
before she climbed astride him. His surprise was clear in his eyes and merged
with the delight already there. Logan yanked his gloves off and cupped her face
in his cool hands as she settled down on his lap. She smiled at the evidence
beneath her. “Not for sex, huh?” She grinned, and wiggled around on him.

Logan groaned and moved one hand to her hip
to hold her still. “Well, I’m not opposed to sex with you, but what we have is
so much deeper than a sexual relationship. I might not have had sex for a hell
of a long time, but I didn’t want you to think that sex was all I’m interested
in with you.”

She shook her head and caressed his jaw, running
her fingers over his lips. Her breath escaped when he opened his mouth and
sucked her fingers inside.

“Logan,” she moaned.

He took hold of her wrist and pulled her
fingers from his wet mouth. He placed a kiss in her palm and closed her hand
around it.

“Let’s go and face the first hurdle, then
we’ll be warm and alone.”

“I’m looking forward to that. Just us,
Logan.”

“Just us, babe.” He kissed her on the nose,
opened his door and pulled them both out into the snowstorm. Logan kept her
hand in his, grabbed her purse from the truck, and guided her across the
street.

As soon as Logan pushed her inside the
doors of the B&B, Emma looked up and met the startled gaze of Adele. Her
look soon turned to interest and then she walked toward them. Emma inwardly
sighed and turned her body into Logan’s.

He had no problem showing his affection for
her, and helped her out of her jacket, hat, and gloves before he took his own off,
and then grabbed her hand—their fingers entwined.

“Emma?”

Emma plastered a smile on her face, and
turned to Adele.

“Hi, Adele. How are you?” she asked politely.

“I’m well, thank you, Emma,” Adele
answered, but her eyes were glued to their joined hands. “You know each other?”
she asked, finally looking at them.

“Yes, we do.” Logan took charge because she
had no idea what to say to get her and Logan out of the reception area and up
to his room.

She wasn’t embarrassed at being seen in the
B&B with Logan, or the fact that she was headed upstairs to share his room,
she just didn’t want to be rude to Adele in order to get upstairs.

“If you’ll excuse us,” Logan tugged her to
the stairs, “we have a lot to discuss.” He didn’t wait for a response, and had
her halfway up the stairs before she knew anything about it.

She giggled. “That was sneaky.”

“Shush, she might follow us yet.” Logan
tugged Emma along to his room, opened the door, and shoved her inside.

Emma didn’t feel nervous with being locked
away in a room with Logan, although a small part of her wondered at that.
Shouldn’t she be nervous? Instead of thinking too hard, she deposited her
outdoor gear on the coat rack, and kicked her boots off, as did Logan, before
she finally turned and faced him.

As he stood beside her, she took in the
tempting, attractive physique of the man who she’d yet to admit held her heart.
His muscles rippled under his black shirt and quickened her pulse. Her eyes
traveled downward while she admired the strength of his legs. On her way back
up his body, she noticed the growing bulge behind his zipper, and the
quickening of his breathing as their eyes met.