Logan's Leap (5 page)

Logan
sat down in front of the television to wait for the police chief to call him
back. When his phone rang, he snatched it up quickly off the arm of the chair.
It was Jackson.

“Hey
man. I have good news and bad news.”

“Oh
boy.” He didn’t like the sound of that. “Go ahead Jack, give it to me.”

“Well,
the good news is that they caught Reginald before he left the state. The bad
news is that ‘Daddy’ and his high-powered attorneys got him out. However, a
group of park rangers drove him out to the airport and witnessed him get on a
plane to Alaska. He has to check in regularly and be back here for court when
needed. If he comes after her, we’ll know it.”

“They
couldn’t keep him there?”

“No
man. He didn’t technically assault me, he just attempted to. I should have let
the son of a bitch hit me a few times then we could get him. At this point,
he’ll probably get off with a slap on the wrist.”

“Well,
it’s bought us some time until we can figure out how to get him off her back
permanently.”

“Are
you going to let her stay there or are you going to ship her to us?”

“She
just gave birth, man. She’ll stay put, at least for a little while.”

“Okay.
If you need anything, just holler.”

“Will
do. Bye Jack.”

Just
as he hung up, his other cousin, the chief, called. Logan told him the whole
story and promised to get him a copy of the file that Jayna had on Reginald,
just in case he decided to do something stupid, like leave Alaska and head back
to the lower forty-eight states.

After
a quick call to PI James, to tell him where he could find Reginald, he went
into the bedroom, stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed. It had been
a long day and he had a lot to think about.

How
could one woman, and now one baby, upend his life so much? He didn’t get warm
and fuzzy feelings. He hadn’t since he was a kid. But he felt so…protective
of…drawn to…Jayna and CJ. He had learned to not let pretty faces haunt him, but
every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Hell, since he’d been home, he swore
he heard her sweet voice at least a dozen times. He actually wished he could
hear it right now. The question was…Why? He picked up his phone and scrolled
through the contacts. His finger came to rest on her name. Should he call and
check on her?

Deciding
not to, he put the phone on his nightstand after turning the volume all the way
up.

When
his mind started to wander places he didn’t want it to, he got up and walked
over to his bookshelf. Maybe reading would get his mind off of things. He chose
a book and fell back onto the bed just as the ringtone he’d set for Jayna
sounded from the nightstand. His breathing quickened and he sat up, staring at
the device. “Damn it! Stop enchanting me, woman!” he muttered, reaching for the
phone.

“Hello.”

“Logan,
it’s Jayna.”

“Hey
Sleeping Beauty, shouldn’t you actually be sleeping?” He heard her sweet
chuckle before she spoke again.

“I
can’t sleep. I’m scared. I…I had a dream that he found us and tried to kill the
baby…and you.”

“Hey.
Everything’s going to be okay. I actually have some good news. I probably
should have called and told you earlier, but I didn’t want to disturb mother
and son bonding time.”

“Good
news?” she asked skeptically. Was it even possible? “What kind of good news?”

“Reginald
is back in Alaska. He ran afoul of the law when he attacked my cousin. He has
to stay put until trial.”

“Which
cousin?” Jayna asked with a worried tone.

“Jackson.
But don’t worry he’s fine.”

“So…I’m
safe for now?” she asked, unbelievingly.

“Unless
he decides to be stupid. But I have a friend of the family keeping an eye on
him.” Logan then heard sniffling coming over the line. “What’s wrong, Jayna?”

"Reginald’s
middle name is stupid. We are nowhere near safe. He has unlimited resources,
Logan. He’ll find a way.”

He
sighed. “Damn it. That’s not what I wanted to hear. I thought we’d have plenty
of time to get you and CJ squared away.”

“If
it was just me,” she murmured. “I could change my identity and disappear
forever. Logan could you…”

“No!”
he interrupted. “Don’t even go there. You couldn’t give him up any more now
than I could take him from you.”

“He’s
my heart,” she whispered. “But he’ll never be safe with me.”

“I’ll
do everything in my power to make sure that you are both safe. Together."

“Why
Logan? Why are you helping us? You could just put me out on the street, or send
me back to Jack and Deb. You don’t even really know us.”

“I
have to,” he said softly. “What kind of monster wouldn’t help someone in need?”

“I
guess I’ve only known monsters.”

Logan
cringed at the thought of what she must have gone through. “I’m so sorry.”

“So
what’s next?” Jayna asked, the determination coming back into her voice. “I
guess we can always hope Reginald uses his brain for once.”

Logan
chuckled. “I don’t think that is the best idea. Do me a favor. Think about what
kind of resources he has at his disposal and tomorrow I’ll compile a list so we
can give it to the PI. Then we’ll go from there.”

“Okay,”
she agreed. "Thank you for everything, Logan.”

“You’re
welcome. And Jayna?”

“Yeah?”

“Tell
CJ…well, tell him I said hi.”

“I
will, Logan. Goodnight.”

Disconnecting
the call, he plugged the phone into the charger. When he lie back down on the
pillow and closed his eyes, Jayna’s face loomed above him and her lips came
down on his in a sweet kiss. His eyes flew open and he leapt from the bed. “God
damn it! Where the hell did that come from?” He walked out to the kitchen, not
sure what he was doing. Finally, he settled on a glass of water then went back
to bed. The sooner he got things settled for Jayna and CJ, the better it would
be. The thought of never seeing them again actually kind of made him sad. But
it shouldn’t, he’d only known her for all of a couple of days. When they left,
his life would return to normal. And he couldn’t wait.

He
crawled under the covers and rolled onto his side. Thoughts of the enchanting
Jayna McIntyre would have to stay away. Tomorrow would be a busy day and he
needed to sleep.

Chapter 5

Logan’s
alarm rang at seven a.m. and he struggled out of bed. Thoughts of Jayna had
stayed out of his mind, but dreams of trying to find his way in a blinding
snowstorm had haunted him for most of the night.

He
needed to go down to work before picking Jayna up at eleven. But a shower and a
shave were at the top of his agenda. The hot water barely touched his tense
muscles so he turned it off and stepped out into the humid room. As the steam
cloud cleared away, the mirror in front of him slowly revealed his haggard
face. He hadn’t looked this bad since he’d been trapped for forty-eight hours
in a snowstorm only to come home to find out his dad had died.

Lathering
up over the sink, he grimaced at his reflection and started to shave some of
the gruffness away. He began to feel a bit better, but his eyes still held a
look of exhaustion. Grunting in disgust, he turned away from the sink. That was
enough dwelling on his appearance, it was time to go down to the store and work
himself into oblivion for a few hours.

Logan’s
assistant manager came in at ten-thirty so he prepared to leave. When he had
called the hospital that morning, they told him that Jayna and CJ would
definitely be ready to leave by eleven.

Climbing
into the van he borrowed from his head cashier, he started the engine and
headed toward the hospital.  About halfway there he made a U-turn and stopped
in front of the multipurpose hardware store. He couldn’t bring the baby home
without a damn car seat. His mind had been elsewhere the night before.

When
old lady Holmes came out of the back to wait on him, he tried very hard to hide
the relief in his voice. She couldn’t see half an inch in front of her face so
she would never know who was buying a car seat and a bassinet, if she could
even see what the products were.

When
he finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, it was a quarter
to eleven. He called Jayna’s phone and told her he would be in once he had the
car seat installed. A half-hour later he walked into her room. She was sitting
in a wheelchair with CJ in her arms and a hospital volunteer stood by to push
them out to the van. Once mom and baby were buckled in safely, Logan got behind
the wheel. “So, how are you feeling?” he asked, looking at her.

“I’m
sore as hell, but happy. CJ is such a wonderful baby.

“Is
that true, kiddo?” he asked, turning to look back at the sleeping child. CJ
suddenly let out a cry then quieted again.

“Okay,
okay,” Logan chuckled. “I’ll just shut up and drive.” A squeal sounded from the
backseat as he pulled out of the parking lot.

**********

Two
well-dressed men strode purposely into the admitting office of the hospital in
Harper’s Rock.

“May
I help you gentlemen?” the dark haired clerk asked with a smile.

The
taller of the two men stepped forward. “Yes ma’am I certainly hope you can help
me. I am looking for my client’s missing daughter.” He pulled a business card
out of his suit pocket. “I’m wondering if you could tell me if she has been
here.”

The
other man stepped up next to his friend. “There is great concern for this
woman’s safety as she is heavily pregnant. Her name is Jayna McIntyre.”

The
clerk put her pen down and removed her glasses. “I’m sorry gentlemen, I would
love to help you but I can’t release any patient information without a court
order. You know, HIPAA regulations and all.”

“Yes
I certainly understand,” the shorter man said. “Thank you for your time.” The
two gentlemen turned and walked from the room.

“She’s
been here, Frank,” the taller man said.

“I
got the same impression, Joe,” Frank replied. “Just from the way she said it.”

“Now
we just have to find out when,” Joe replied.

They
walked down the hall and the smell coming from the cafeteria assaulted their
noses. Frank turned to his partner. “Damn that smells good and it’s lunch
time.  Let’s grab a bite to eat.”

Joe
just nodded and they walked through the double doors marked as the cafeteria.
They grabbed trays and silverware and stepped into line behind a pair of young
nurses. A smile came across Joe’s face as he tuned into what the young women
were saying.

“Can
you believe how adorable the Harper baby is?” one of the nurses asked her
friend.

“I
thought the last name was McIntyre?” the other questioned.

“No,
no, it can’t be, Agnes. It was Mr. and Mrs. Harper.”

“Honey,
Logan Harper isn’t married. That man won’t give the time of day to any woman in
this town, or anywhere else for that matter.”

“But…but...the
paperwork she filled out said they were married.”

“It
was wrong then, Betty.”

The
two women walked away with their food, but Joe and Frank had heard enough. They
hadn’t quite heard the man’s name, but they would eat and then call their boss.

**********

Logan
helped Jayna up the back stairs and carried CJ in his carrier. Once they were
settled on the couch he ran back downstairs to grab the stuff from the van and
return the keys to his cashier.

Walking
into the apartment he was stopped in his tracks by the sight before him. Jayna
was lying on the couch, dozing while CJ suckled off and on at her breast in his
sleep. The vision of mother and son together in sleep, was somehow calming?
Life affirming? Logan was starting to have thoughts and feelings that he’d
never allowed before. It had been easy to turn them off and tuck them away. But
now…he felt anger building in his chest so he headed to the bedroom. Putting
together a bassinet with foreign language instructions should be a good way to
get rid of his frustrations.

A
half-hour later, as he was forcing the last tab A into the last slot B, he was
even more frustrated than before. But the bassinet was together and sturdy.

“Thank
you,” came a soft voice from the bedroom doorway. “I feel like I’m taking advantage
of you.”

Logan
looked up from the cradle and smiled. “Don’t even think like that. You’re not
taking advantage of anyone.”

“But
the car seat,” she murmured. “And the bassinet…”

“It’s
only money, Jayna. Thanks to my Grandma Olive’s investments and a settlement
from the coal mines, none of the Harpers will ever hurt for money.”

“That
may be, but…”

“No
buts, Miss McIntyre. Ask anyone who knows me. I only do what I want to do and
right now I want to help you and CJ. End of story.”

Jayna
had met very few people with such a big heart. She just didn’t understand why
he wasn’t surrounded by friends and a family of his own. Someone or something
had blocked his heart and she wondered if she would ever find out who or what
it was. “Could you take CJ? I need to use the bathroom.”

“Yeah.
Come here little man.” Logan cradled the tiny boy in his arms as Jayna shut
herself in the on suite. “Do you want to try your new bed?” But CJ never made
it into the bassinet. His little blue eyes opened and latched onto Logan’s. He
was captivated and he couldn’t look away. “Hey there. I don’t think we’ve been
properly introduced.” CJ cooed and stuck his tongue out then pulled it back in.
“I’m Logan. I’m your mama’s friend.” CJ just stared at him, his little brow
kind of furrowed. “Oh, you know Mama. She’s the one with the boobies.” A little
burp and a toot ripped through the baby resulting in a smile that appeared on
his face at just the right time. Logan laughed and pulled the little boy close
to plant a gentle kiss on his forehead. “I think that’s how I feel about your
mama’s boobies too. The smile part, not the gas.”

“Are
you two conspiring to take over the world?” Jayna asked as she stepped into the
room. “I see your heads together.”

“Oh
man CJ. She figured us out,” Logan said with a chuckle as he laid the boy in
the bassinet. Turning to Jayna, he took her hand, resisting the urge to drop it
when a jolt flowed through his body. “Are you still hungry? You didn’t get
lunch at the hospital.”

“I’m
starving. Is there a Chinese takeout restaurant in this town?”

“Absolutely.
I’ll call for delivery. I think your son needs his diaper changed.”

“Oh,
you’ll get a turn,” she chuckled. “Soon I’m sure.”

They
headed to the living room where Logan sat down on the couch and handed Jayna
the diaper bag the hospital had given her. As she returned to the bedroom, he
dialed the local restaurant to order their food. When he hung up, he decided to
call James and ask how keeping an eye on Reginald was going.

“Hey
buddy, what’s up?”

“How's
our friend Reggie doing?”

“Truthfully
Logan, I’m not a hundred percent sure.”

Logan
sat forward on the couch abruptly. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“The
place is booked solid. I haven’t been able to get someone on the inside yet.
Departing guests do tell us there is a mean looking mother fucker walking
around calling himself the boss.”

“But
you don’t’ know for sure that he’s still there?”

“Sorry
man. We have someone going in as an employee on Monday, but that’s the best I
can do for now.”

Logan
sighed and tightened his grip on the arm of the couch. “They have private
planes,” he said pulling the list Jayna had given him out of his pocket.
"Unlimited vehicles, employees who will do anything short of murder, bank
accounts scattered across the world. He could be in my store as we speak."

“Hold
on Logan. I’ve got something coming in." Paper shuffled and a keyboard
clicked. “Okay, one of my guys got through on the phone. When he asked for
Reginald, he was transferred directly to him. The voice matched as far as we
could tell.”

“Okay,”
Logan said, only partially relieved. “Keep me updated.” Hanging up the phone,
he raised his head and met Jayna’s eyes.

“What’s
going on?” she asked, her voice shaky.

“Don’t
worry, you’re safe,” he said motioning her over to sit next to him. “We just
realized that there are too many holes that the slimy bastard could crawl
through. So, we’re tightening up ship. I don’t want you going anywhere alone.
If you need fresh air, you can go to the loading dock doors but only when one
of my guys is there."

“Okay,”
she agreed quietly. A knock sounded on the door and she jumped.

“Hey,
it’s just the food. You’re safe here,” he said, looking into her eyes. Their
faces were only an inch apart and they leaned in simultaneously, their lips
joining for a gentle, comforting kiss.

At
the second knock they moved apart and Logan rushed to grab his wallet to get
their food from the delivery guy. As they worked together to prepare plates of
their favorite Chinese dishes, Logan snuck a peak at Jayna. “I’m so sorry about
the kiss. It never should have happened. I usually don’t allow myself to do
stuff like that.”

She
looked up at him. “It’s okay. I kissed you too.”

“I
feel like I took advantage of you. You just had a baby for cripes sake!”

“I
think you’re angrier that you did something you don’t allow yourself to do than
you are that you kissed a woman who just gave birth,” she said lightly, a smile
forming on her lips.

Logan
looked at her, an eyebrow quirked. “Well, first of all, you are probably right
and second of all, you really are a smart ass.”

“I
thought we’d already established that,” she chuckled, taking her plate to the
dining room table. “So, why don’t you get involved with women?”

Logan
set his plate on the table and sat down. “It’s just not for me. The whole wife,
family, minivan thing just wouldn’t work for me.”

“So
you just stay away from women, or you just don’t kiss them?”

“I’m
a man, Jayna. Women are a temptations so I just steer clear of them. It’s that
simple.”

“Well
good luck with that,” she chuckled. “I wish Reginald was more like you. I would
never have gotten close enough to him to end up in this mess.”

“How
long were you together?” he asked quietly. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Four
years,” she murmured. “It was great at first but then he changed. When I
finally got the courage to leave, he was smacking me around on a daily basis.”

“I’m
sorry,” he said, grabbing her hand. “No one should have to go through that.”

"I
should have left him sooner,” she whispered through tears. “But then I wouldn’t
have CJ.”

At
just that moment a cry came from the bedroom. “He knows we were talking about
him,” Logan chuckled. “I’ll get him. You keep eating.”

**********

 “Goodnight
Logan,” Jayna mumbled sleepily. CJ was asleep in the bassinet next to the bed.

“Goodnight
Jayna, call me if you need anything.” He wasn’t even sure if she’d heard him.
The pain pills the doctor had given her were finally starting to work.