Darling Jenny (20 page)

'And just how do you know they're engaged?'

'I'm not deaf and blind,' she retorted angrily. 'Besides, I saw Logan in the jewellery shop when he bought the ring and I heard Sheila telling Logan yesterday how well you took the news.'

'You saw Logan buy the ring?' He stared at her thoughtfully.

'Yes,' Jennifer said in irritation. 'I don't have to have something spelled out for me in black and white.'

'I see that,' Dirk mocked. 'Well, here you are at the airport. Are you leaving or not?'

'Yes, of course.' She was startled by his sudden abruptness.

'I don't think either one of us wants any fond good-byes, so unless you need some help with the suitcase, I'll just say my "so long" here.' Dirk smiled warty and sympathetically.

'Yes, that's fine with me, too.' Now that it was time to get out of the car, Jennifer wasn't at all sure she wanted to go. She reached over and kissed Dirk lightly on the cheek. 'I wish you the best of everything, Dirk.'

'You, too, Jenny. Bye.'

She waved bravely as the car pulled away. The wind whipped and whistled around her, tugging her coat and taunting her face, as if it was making fun of the tears that trembled in her eyes. Jennifer had never felt so all alone before. Resolutely, she turned to enter the airport, only to discover once inside that the only flight out of Jackson wasn't until after four that afternoon. Five hours to wait! Why hadn't she checked the schedules? In her desperate flight to get away from Logan, it had never occurred to her once to check the times of the outgoing planes.

Resigning herself to a long wait, Jennifer purchased her ticket. She wandered through the small building for half an hour
before finally stopping to gaze out the window at the empty runway. She felt like the hare, running, then waiting, running and waiting, all the time the tortoise was slowly winning the race. A draught suddenly blew around her legs, and she glanced up idly to find its source. In petrified stillness, she watched Logan walk through the door and stride towards her, anger and irritation in every moment of his body.

'You didn't lose much time in clearing out, did you?' He growled when he finally stopped in front of her.

'I must have lost some or you wouldn't have caught up with me,' she replied bitterly, turning her face away from his to stare again out the window.

'Dirk called me soon after Sheila got one of the men to bring me back to the house. He told me some wild story about Sheila and me being engaged. Would you like to explain it to me?' Logan asked, making an effort to control his temper.

'Explain it?' Jennifer exclaimed incredulously. 'Good heavens, what is there to explain? I know you haven't given her the ring yet, at least I didn't see it on her finger this morning, but I know you're going to marry her.'

He scowled at her puzzledly for a minute, his eyes searching her intently.

'I'm not going to marry Sheila.' He shook his head as he spoke, a gleam appearing in his eyes. His hand disappeared into his pocket to reappear holding the black velvet box. He handed it to her.

Now it was Jennifer's turn to look puzzled. A dimple appeared briefly in one cheek as Logan brought a cigarette to his lips and busied himself with lighting it. Hesitantly Jennifer flipped open the lid of the box. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the brilliant jade stone surrounded by a circlet of diamonds. Her hands began to shake as Logan retrieved the box.

'I don't understand,' she mumbled, gazing bewilderedly into his mocking eyes.

'It's very simple, Jenny Glenn. Sheila is going to marry Dirk. There was never even the slightest possibility that it would be any other way,' he finished calmly, exhaling a puff of smoke to drift between them.

'But I heard the jeweller…he called it an engagement ring,' Jennifer struggled.

'It is.'

Jennifer covered her mouth with her hand. Her mind was jumping to conclusions that couldn't possibly be true.

'Yesterday, that private conversation between Sheila and Dirk…she said he took the news so easily," she persisted.

'The news was that Sheila isn't going to give up managing the hotel, at least, not until they get on their feet financially,' Logan explained. 'Aren't you going to ask who the ring is for?'

'It's jade,' she said as he removed it from its box.

'Jadeite,' he corrected. At her gasp of surprise, he smiled broadly. 'There are two gems that are commonly known as jade. One is jadeite and the other is nephrite. The gem called jadeite is mined here in Wyoming. A very beautiful stone, don't you think?'

'My necklace?' Jennifer asked breathlessly, her eyes beginning to glow at each word.

'As I told you, it's jadeite. An exact match in colour and texture to this engagement ring.'

'Logan, who is that ring for?'

'All Taylor wives wear jade rings. I'm surprised you didn't notice my mother's. I believe, until Christmas, Mother thought the jade necklace would be my gift to Sheila,' Logan said. 'I've had an inscription engraved inside the ring,' handing the ring to Jennifer so that she could read it. Inside the wide gold band were the words 'Cedant Arma Togae'.

'What does it mean?' she asked cautiously.

'"Let Arms Yield to the Gown"—it's the state motto of Wyoming,' Logan told her. 'Except in this case, I think you are the one who must yield and stop torturing me with the no-good from Minnesota.'

'Are you really asking me to marry you? Logan, I couldn't stand it if this was all a joke,' her voice broke with a sob as she gazed into his eyes, trying to find the answer.

'I'm asking you to admit once and for all that you love me,' he said earnestly, his hands resting so lightly on her shoulders as if touching her skin would burn him. 'I want to hear you say that.'

'I love you, Logan,' she whispered. 'I love you so much I could die.'

'I was positive you did last night,' Logan smiled, drawing her firmly into his arms. 'What happened last night? One minute you were in my arms kissing me so completely that I thought you were handing me your heart, and the next minute you were spitting at me like a cat!'

'I thought…' Jennifer blushed, hiding her face from his eyes, 'I thought you only wanted me. That's' what you said,' she cried as he groaned and crushed her tighter against him.

'You crazy idiot! I do want you, because I love you. Because I've been crazy with love for you from the moment you stepped off that plane and into my heart. But you erected a wall so high between us that I never thought I'd cross it. It was worth it, my darling. It was worth every agonizing minute of it just to hold you like this.' He spoke concisely, lifting her chin up so that he could look into her face as she heard his words.

'Oh, Logan, I've been such a fool, haven't I?' The corners of her mouth drooped sadly. 'From the first I thought you were nothing but a playboy, then later I was sure you were in love with Sheila.'

'There's never been anyone else for me but you, my silly red-head, darling Jenny,' said Logan, kissing her so thoroughly that when he was done, there was only blissful wonder on her face. 'And very soon to be Jenny Glenn Taylor.'

Jennifer gazed at him, knowing she could never express the rapture in her heart. Instead she whispered as she raised her lips to his, 'Very, very soon.'