The Rancher’s Royal Bride (BBW Romance - Billionaire Brothers 4) (7 page)

“Everything okay?” His glance swept all three of them, finally resting on Ellie’s face.

She nodded, unable to speak for a moment.

Her father stood. “Thank you for taking care of her, Logan.” He held out his hand.

“No problem.” Logan shook Nicholas Sterling’s hand. “Should you be out of hospital? Ellie was concerned when she couldn’t get through to you this morning.”

Her father shrugged. “The doctors didn’t give me too much grief about it. And I wanted to see Ellie as soon as possible and tell her the danger had passed. I received confirmation this morning from a contact in Mulzonia. Apparently, Gregor is satisfied now he’s got the throne and will no longer be a threat.” He paused. “But I guess you already know that.”

Logan gave a noncommittal shrug
.
“
Yeah.” He hesitated. “So what are your plans now?”

Ellie looked at Logan, then her father, before swinging her gaze to her mother. She hadn’t even thought about what would happen next. Now that Dad seemed okay, there was no longer a threat hanging over her, and she’d met her long lost mother, everything was over. Wasn’t it?

She could return to her apartment in Virginia and try to enjoy what was left of her vacation, before returning to work.

And never see Logan again.

Disappointment flooded through her. She and Logan had barely gotten to know each other, and now it looked like she’d be leaving.

She didn’t want to leave. Not yet.

“I guess I’ll catch a flight home. And make an appointment with my doctor,” her father added reluctantly. “Katerina? What are your plans?”

Ellie was surprised to see a faint blush steal over her mother’s cheeks. “I would like to get to know my daughter better.” She looked into Ellie’s eyes. “If she’ll allow me to.”

Ellie found herself nodding. Although she was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she had a mother who’d given her up in order to serve her country and who had just abdicated the throne,
and
was possibly still in love with her father, Ellie realized she
would
like to know her mother better, too.

“Ellie’s welcome to stay here as long as she wants,” Logan said quietly.

Ellie snapped her head around, studying the expression on his face. The offer seemed genuine. Did Logan merely feel sorry for her, or was it possible that he felt something for her?
Don’t get your hopes up. He’s just being a friend.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “Maybe I could stay a few more days?”

A smile etched his face. “Sure.”

Only the sound of her father clearing his throat brought her attention back to the matter at hand.

“Well, it looks like everything’s settled.” Her dad turned to her mother. “Are you staying locally, Katerina?”

“Yes. At the inn at Elk View Corner.”

“That’s not too far from here,” Logan said.

“No, and it is quite a charming drive,” her mother agreed.

“I’ll follow you out.” Her father stood next to Katerina. “Perhaps we could have another cup of coffee at the inn and discuss …”

“Yes, I’d like that.” Her mother smiled up at him.

Ellie watched her parents’ exchange. Was it possible that they were rekindling their feelings for each other? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On one hand, she’d be happy, because what child, no matter their age, doesn’t want their parents to be together? On the other hand, this was all so new, so raw, that she didn’t think she could entertain thoughts about a romance between her parents. Not yet, anyway.

She hugged her father one last time, then turned to her mother. They both stepped awkwardly toward each other, then her mother kissed her on the cheek. “Tomorrow, Ellie? May I see you?”

“Okay,” Ellie murmured aware that Logan stood behind her.

He said goodbye to her parents and they walked them out to their vehicles. Ellie waved as first her mother, then her father’s cab drove back down the driveway.

“Well.” Ellie turned to Logan. “I guess that was my parents.”

“Yeah.” The expression on his face was close to the emotions swirling inside her: relief, hope, bemusement. “I guess so.”

The rest of Ellie’s vacation on the ranch seemed to breeze by
.
She saw her mother a few more times, and each time her feelings of betrayal and anger slowly started to fade as she grew to know Katerina. Besides their coloring, Ellie discovered they had a lot in common. Her mother enjoyed painting and sketching as well, although she confessed she’d had no formal training. She’d admired Ellie’s quick sketches of the ranch and the horses, and they’d spent an enjoyable afternoon sketching the scenery.

Their laugh was similar, too. The first time Ellie heard her mother laugh, she would have described it as silvery bells. When she told her mother what a pretty laugh she had, Katerina informed her with a smile that Ellie’s laugh sounded just like hers.

When she wasn’t spending time with her mother, or doing ranch chores, Ellie went horse-back riding with Logan. Although they hadn’t kissed again, and sometimes she wondered if they ever would, she enjoyed the time they spent together. She appreciated his quiet strength and knew she would miss him when she returned home. More than miss him.

What would have happened if her mother hadn’t turned up? Would Logan have invited her to stay longer at the ranch when it turned out the danger had passed? Or would he have waved goodbye to her and gone back to his quiet life? Alone.

Ellie would always wonder if something could have developed between her and Logan.
If he liked curves.

When she’d first arrived at the ranch, she couldn’t wait to go home. Now, she didn’t want to leave. At all. But she knew she had to. She had a job to return to
,
for a start. Her father lived a short distance away from her apartment, and now she had a mother she was slowly getting to know.

Since meeting Ellie, Katerina had rented a luxury apartment in Virginia, sight unseen, almost equi-distance between Ellie and her father. She planned to move in shortly after Ellie returned home. Ellie wasn’t sure if her parents had actually seen each other again since that emotional day, but every time she saw her mother, Katerina usually mentioned her father in conversation

She guessed she’d just have to ask her dad about it when she arrived home later that day. Her mother had offered to drive her to the airport, but Logan had already informed her that he would be the one taking her to catch her plane.

After breakfast, Logan carried her suitcase to the SUV. “Ready?”

“Ready,” she confirmed, her eyes sweeping over the old farmhouse. She’d already said goodbye to Salt and Pepper earlier that morning.

Logan ushered her inside the vehicle, then looked over at her before he started the engine. “You’re welcome here any time.”

“Thanks.” A soft smile touched her lips. Things had definitely changed between them in the last two weeks. She doubted he would have said that on the first day she arrived. Now, he seemed just as reluctant to see her leave as she was. Or was it just her imagination?

They didn’t talk much on the way to the airport. Ellie looked out the window, wondering if she would come back one day. Although she and Logan had become friends, she suspected that was all he felt toward her.
Too bad she couldn’t say the same.
She ached for him to take her into his arms and kiss her once more, to touch her, flirt with her, but Logan kept his eyes on the road, his driving sure and steady.

Over the last few nights, she’d started dreaming about him. Naughty dreams. But, she guessed, that’s all they would ever be. Just night-time fantasies. Besides, he probably wasn’t into curvy girls.

Once they arrived at the airport, Logan stayed by her side while she checked in. “Call me when you get home.”

She looked at him in surprise.

“I want to make sure you had a safe flight.”

“Okay,” she replied, touched at his thoughtfulness. Over the last two weeks, he didn’t seem nearly as gruff and grumpy as he had been when they’d first met. She didn’t know if it was because of everything that had transpired with her parents, or if he just took a while to open up to people. Whatever the reason, she liked the result.

He drew her to him. For one crazy moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. Her heartbeat accelerated from anticipation, and just from standing this close to him. His hands lightly touched her waist, and she could feel the heat of his touch through the fabric of her clothes.

She held her breath, his dark brown eyes smoky with an emotion she couldn’t quite name.

“Don’t forget to call me when you get home.”

“I won’t,” she murmured, wishing she had the courage to touch his face. They hadn’t had a moment like this since that kiss eons ago. Telling herself not to get carried away, she kept her hands at her sides.

“I guess you better go in.” Reluctance crossed his face and appeared at odds with his words.

“I guess so,” she echoed, not wanting to be the first one to break the moment.

“Go.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stepped back.

Ellie picked up the handle of her suitcase. Why did this suddenly seem one of the hardest things she’d ever done?

“Goodbye.” She stared at him for one more moment, then turned toward the departure lounge.

“Goodbye.” His voice sounded gruff once more.

***

It had been a wrench to see her go. It still amazed him how she’d handled the whole situation with her mother. With grace and maturity. Just being around Ellie made him feel lighter inside. When she’d first arrived, he’d still felt burned out from his career as a SEAL. Now, he found himself looking at life from a slightly different perspective. And he liked it.

But she didn’t need him anymore. The situation had been resolved.

His gut clenched. He didn’t want to say goodbye.

***

Ellie spent the next couple of days settling back into her old life. She had dinner with her parents, and although it was strange to see her dad and her newly found mother together, it also gave her a warm glow.

When she was at the office, concentrating on a complex design task, she still found her mind drifting back to the ranch, especially the time she spent with Logan after she met her mother. Those last few days in Wyoming had taken on a whole new quality compared to when she’d first arrived. And she realized that although it had only been two days, she missed Logan already.

The night she’d arrived home, she’d called Logan, as instructed. To her surprise, he’d seemed in a talkative mood. When they finally ended the call, she wished they’d talked even longer.

The next day, Logan texted her. Just to say hello.

Ellie returned his text.

That night, he called her. She relaxed on the sofa, holding the phone in one hand, and started twisting her hair with her other hand, before she realized what she was doing. Dropping the fingers touching her hair, she still enjoyed her call with Logan, although she was glad he hadn’t seen her act like that.

From her limited past experience, she knew that was a sign she had feelings for him.

She just wished she knew if Logan returned those feelings.

He must feel something for her, even if it was just on a friendship level. Otherwise, why had he called her two days in a row? But if he did have feelings for her that ran deeper than friendship, then why hadn’t he made a move on her? Besides that kiss when the PI turned up at the ranch.

Ellie decided to try and put it all out of her mind for a couple of hours at least, while she focused on finishing the painting of Salt and Pepper. She’d sketched the two horses at the ranch, and now she was home, had decided to turn that sketch into a painting. And it was coming along quite nicely.

The following day, she hung the finished painting of Salt and Pepper in her living room. Stepping back, she admired her work, wishing, not for the first time, that she could make a living from her painting, rather than work a day job as a cover designer and illustrator and paint on the side.

The phone rang, interrupting her musing. It was Logan.

Ellie curled up on the sofa once more, his deep rumbly voice making her feel as if he were sitting next to her and not nearly two thousand miles away in Wyoming. Pulling out her sketchpad from behind a cushion as she listened to him, she gazed at the portrait she’d drawn of Logan the night she arrived home. If she couldn’t be at the ranch, this was the next best thing.

Until the following day.

Ellie woke up gradually, squinting her eyes against the sunlight seeping in around the edges of the lavender curtains. Saturday. She stretched luxuriously. Freedom. She would go horse-back riding at the stables nearby, then relax with a book. Tomorrow, she was meeting her parents for brunch.

It was still strange to think of herself as having two parents now. A mother and a father. The raw wound deep inside at her mother giving her up for the sake of Mulzonia was slowly healing. Tomorrow when she spoke to Logan, she’d tell him about having brunch with her parents.

She and Logan had continued to text and call each other all week. In fact, it had become the highlight of her day. And he always seemed to call around the same time, every day, seven p.m. Even if he’d texted her earlier, he’d never missed an evening call.

Smiling, Ellie thought maybe
she
should call
him
tonight.

The doorbell rang. Ellie frowned, and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. Eighty-thirty. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Perhaps it was her father. Or her mother?

Padding down the hall, she looked through the peephole in the front door. She gasped, one hand touching her ample chest. It couldn’t be.

“Logan?” She winced at her squeaky
tone.

“Hi.” His deep voice came through the door, loud and clear.

She took another look through the peephole. He wore jeans, a long sleeved pale blue cotton shirt, and a dark jacket. Had it only been a week since she’d left the ranch? Suddenly, it seemed so much longer.

“What are you doing here?”

“Offer me a cup of coffee and I’ll tell you.”

Ellie bit her lip. Was Logan
flirting
with her? Through her front door?

Through the peephole, she saw one of her elderly neighbors pass Logan, looking at him askance. He nodded and smiled at the gray haired woman, but she walked past him with a loud sniff.

Ellie couldn’t leave him on the doorstep any longer. Fumbling with the bolt, she opened the door. “Come in.”

His gaze swept over her, resting on her cleavage covered by a green cotton t-shirt that finished just above her knee. A blush rose to her cheeks. She’d been so flustered by his appearance at her door, that she’d forgotten she was in her nightshirt.

“Let me get changed,” she mumbled, turning and nearly running to her bedroom. Although she and Logan had shared the same house for two weeks, he’d never seen her in her night-time attire before
or without a bra.
What had he thought?

After tugging on a pair of slacks that skimmed her belly, a flatteringly cut blouse, and a pair of flats, she cleaned her teeth and brushed her hair. Checking her strawberry-blonde hair looked as good as she could make it - had she really opened the door without checking if she’d had bed hair? - she headed to the living room.

“Hi.” She smiled at Logan shyly, still barely able to believe he was actually here. In her apartment. And had seen her in her old cotton t-shirt, her curves naked underneath. She willed herself not to blush again.

“How about that cup of coffee?” he finally said, his eyes seeming to take in every detail of her now suitably clothed appearance.

“What are you doing here?” She’d already asked him that question
before she was dressed,
but he hadn’t given her an answer. Her gaze drifted over him. He looked so tall, so … yummy. Had he really come to see her?

“I thought I’d look you up while I was in town,” he replied easily.

He stood so close to her. If she reached out a hand, it would make contact with his chest. His hard, firm chest. Although she‘d never seen him bare-chested, that’s how she imagined it.

“At eight-thirty a.m?” She hoped he didn’t notice her breathless tone.

“We got up earlier than that at the ranch.” He grinned.

She returned his smile, remembering their shared breakfasts in the old-fashioned kitchen. “I’m afraid I’ve only got instant. I don’t have a fancy coffee machine.”

“Instant’s fine.”

He closely followed her into the small kitchen, his body heat stirring the delicate hairs at the nape of her neck. Although he was now in the city, his scent remained the same, reminding her of Wyoming - horses, sweet smelling hay and soap.

She was conscious of his presence behind her as she switched on the electric kettle and spooned coffee granules into two blue and white striped mugs.

“Can I help?” His murmur of assistance was close to her ear.

She stilled for a moment, wishing she could lean back into his warm strength, and feel his arms around her, but she resisted the urge.

“The milk’s in the refrigerator,” she replied, glad her voice sounded steady.

“Got it.”

She heard him step back from her and breathed a tiny sigh of relief - or was it regret?

By the time he returned to her side a few seconds later, she’d recovered her equilibrium - mostly, anyway.

Ellie made the coffee, and they sat down in the lounge. She sat across from him in an old but comfortable apricot armchair, watching him sip his coffee from the matching sofa opposite. By the time she’d drank half her coffee, it was as if they hadn’t spent the last week apart.

He made her laugh by describing the antics of Salt and Pepper when he took Pepper out for a ride and left Salt behind.

“They miss you,” he finished, looking at her with hooded eyes.

“I miss them.” She took a hasty sip of her coffee, hoping he didn’t think by her admission that she was angling for an invitation back to his ranch. But if he extended one to her, she’d snap it up on the spot.

Logan looked around the room with interest, his gaze resting on the completed painting of his horses. “Did you paint this?”

She flushed with pleasure at the admiration in his tone. “Yes. I finished it a couple of days ago
.
It’s from the sketch I did at the ranch.”

“You’re very talented. Why aren’t you painting full time?”

She shrugged. “It takes time to get established, and meanwhile, I need to eat, unless I want to live at home with Dad for the rest of my life. When I graduated college, I wanted to be independent, so working in the art department of a publisher’s seemed to be a good compromise.”

“And now?” He looked at her keenly.

She wrinkled her nose. “It’s my goal to paint full time one day.”

“Got any more paintings I could look at?”

She smiled. “They’re in the studio. I’ll show you.”

Ellie couldn’t help being aware of Logan as he followed her down the short hall to the room she called her studio. In essence, it was a small second bedroom, but the light was good and it allowed her to keep her all her artwork in the one place.

“Here.” She started flipping through a bunch of completed paintings. “Have a look.”

She watched as Logan pulled out one painting and then another. Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking from the serious expression on his face. Did he like them? Or, despite his compliment about the portrait of Salt and Pepper, did he think she was wasting her time?

He put back the last painting and turned to her. “These are good.”

“Thanks.” Pleasure burst through her. “One day I’d love to have a show at a gallery.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“I need a body of work first.” She was pleased Logan was taking an interest in her work, but she’d already thought through the pros and cons of trying to get started as an artist as well as having a full time job, and had decided that right now, slow and steady was the best strategy.

“I’d say you’ve got one.” He gestured to the paintings he’d just viewed.

“I need more than that. I paint in my spare time, but sometimes, when I come home from work, all I want to do is relax on the sofa.”

His eyes crinkled at the corner. “I hear you.”

They looked at each other for a long moment. Ellie couldn’t help wondering if he’d come all this way just to see her.
Don’t be silly.

“So what are your plans today?” Logan asked.

“Well, I was going horse-back riding, but I can cancel. If you’ve got time, I could show you some of the sights.” Although she enjoyed her weekly time at the stables, she’d much rather spend today with Logan. And even though it was a treat for her to go horse-back riding once per week, Logan got to do it every day at the ranch.

“Horse-back riding sounds great.” His lips tilted up into a smile.

Horse-back riding
was
great. With Logan. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself back at the ranch, riding Salt while Logan rode Pepper.

And afterwards, she took him to a small café for lunch that was popular with locals. As he inhaled his plump juicy burger on a fresh home-made bun, she couldn’t help thinking what a wonderful day it had been - and it was only lunch-time.

After lunch she took him to the United States Botanical Gardens. Although she enjoyed spending today with him, she couldn’t help wondering what his real reason was for being here.

“How long are you staying in town for?” she asked as they strolled along a winding path in the middle of the gardens, peeking up at him from beneath lowered lashes.

“I’m flying home tomorrow night.” He took her hand in his warm, sure grip as the path narrowed, and didn’t relinquish it once the path widened again.

Her pulse quickened at the contact.
Finally.
Perhaps he
had
come all this way just to see her.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” His tone sounded casual, but she wondered if his question was as equally casual.

“I’m having brunch with Dad … and my mother.” Although she and Katerina were getting on well, it still seemed strange after all these years to refer to her as Mom. Especially in conversation.

She hesitated for a split-second. “Would you like to join us? I’m sure they‘d like to see you again.”

“I wouldn’t be intruding?” He stopped in the middle of the path and looked down at her, his eyes gleaming with interest
.

“I’m sure.” And she knew as soon as she uttered the breathless reply, that she
was
sure.

“Okay. I’d like that.”

***

He more than liked being asked to brunch with her parents. But he didn’t want to rush things. Ever since she’d left the ranch he couldn’t stop thinking about her. It had been more difficult than he’d expected to take her to the airport and watch her board her flight.

Calling her every day and hearing her voice had helped. But yesterday, he’d found himself booking a last-minute flight to Virginia and asking his neighbor to keep an eye on the livestock for the weekend.

He’d just had to see her.

He still couldn’t get over the sight of her in her cotton t-shirt
and nothing else
when she’d opened the door to him. Although they’d lived in the same house for two weeks, she’d always been fully clothed.

Just seeing her in the thin cotton covering
without a bra
had made his pulse rocket, and made another part of his anatomy rock-hard. But was it too soon to tell her he’d come to Virginia for the weekend just to see her? From their phone conversations, it hadn’t sounded as if she had any fancy plans for the weekend, although he hadn’t known about Sunday brunch with her parents.

He’d told himself on the flight over that if she’d gone away somewhere for the weekend, he didn’t have anyone to blame but himself. After all, he hadn’t told her he was coming to see her.

But now he had seen her, he didn’t know how he was going to fly home tomorrow.