“I promise I’ll take good care of it,” Vanessa says.
I chuckle. “Relax, it’s just a house.” I fish the keys from my pocket and hand them to her. “All yours.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll grab your clothes and walk you to your sister’s,” I tell her.
Chapter 3
Vanessa
“I can’t believe I’ll be living in this serene neighborhood,” I gush as Logan walks me home. Along the street are mature towering trees that give the area a permanent breeze. “The sound of silence and the smells of nature. It’s like being in the woods.” Some of the houses are completely obscured by the trees.
“That’s one of the things that drew me to the house. After a day spent fighting fires, I always look forward to coming home to a serene environment,” Logan says.
I steal a glance at him and meet his gaze on me. A click of attraction goes through me as I stare into his baby blue eyes. No matter one’s taste in men, most women would agree that Logan is smoking hot. I swallow and look away. He’s taken, and even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t touch him with a stick. My focus right now is on raising my daughter and making a success out of my business. Sexy men are a dime a dozen and they were still going to be around when my life felt more secure.
“I used to think my professional life was tough especially right after nursing school when I worked in the ER. That lasted until I start comparing notes with Ace,” I tell him.
“It’s not always so bad. We can go weeks without a major incidence then something happens that haunts you for months,” he says. “But we knew what we were getting into when we signed up for the job.”
I have a feeling that Logan and I are going to be good friends and I’m pleased about that. The only guy friends I have are family. If you ignore the sexiness he oozes, Logan is a pretty solid guy and a gentleman as well. He insisted on carrying the duffel bag with my wet clothes in it and he made sure my shoes were completely dry.
His girlfriend is a very lucky woman indeed.
He walks me up to the front gate of my sister’s house and then hands me the duffel bag.
“I’ll give you the bag and the clothes when I move in on Saturday,” I tell him as we face each other.
Logan is very tall and I have to tilt my neck to look at his face. It’s not wrong to feast on a man with your eyes as long as you don’t cross the line I tell myself as my gaze drops to his broad, muscular chest, accentuated by the stretch of t-shirt across it.
“No problem,” he says. “I hope you’ll enjoy living at the cottage.”
“I will,” I tell him cheerfully. “And so will Ivy.”
A puzzled expression comes over his sexy features. How can a man’s face be so beautifully made?
“Ivy?” he says.
I slap my forehead. I didn’t mention Ivy in all that time, what with being soaked with water and then changing clothes afterward. “Yes, I forgot to tell you about my daughter. Her name is Ivy and she’s six months old. She’s like a little explorer now that she has learned how to crawl.”
I notice the change in his features. The playful look is gone and a wariness comes into his eyes.
“A baby?” he says.
“Yes, is that a problem?” I ask, unease coming over me. Does he have a problem with babies? That doesn’t make sense. Everybody loves babies.
“No, of course not.”
Relief surges through me. I’ve started thinking of the cottage as home. I even have the key in my pocket for goodness’s sake. “Great.” I take a step back. “Thanks for everything and see you on Saturday.”
He waves and turns away. I’m so happy I feel like hopping to the front door. I can’t wait to tell Lexi about my new home.
I find her in seated at the kitchen island with the laptop in front of her. “Blessedly quiet,” she says. “They’re all down for a nap. Pour yourself some coffee, I just made a fresh pot.”
“I’m good, thanks. I just had some at Logan’s.”
Lexi raises an eyebrow. “Sounds cozy.”
I bark out a laugh. “Not so cozy if you hear the whole story.” I start at the beginning with how I knocked at his front door and when no one answered, I went around to the back and got myself drenched in water.
Lexi almost chokes on her coffee. I regale her with the rest of the story. She laughs. “That explains the clothes. For a second, I thought my memory was beginning to fail me,” Lexi says. “I’m glad it ended well though. So, what did you think of him? Eye candy huh?”