dog stopped when he saw him and trotted over with his tail down, completely out of breath. Logan knelt to his level. “Where you going, boy? To the lodge? Where’s Edward? Does he need help?”
The dog turned his head in the direction he’d just come from. It didn’t take a detective to figure out that Blackie was looking for help. Logan grabbed the dog in his arms and deposited him in the cab of the truck as he finished his conversation with Luke.
“I’m not that far away from the stream. I’m heading there now. I’ve got the dog. Hopefully, he can lead me to both of them.”
Logan drove the truck off-road for three quarters of a mile over gopher holes and rough pasture lands that had been played out. He was headed to the old feed shack that faced a rocky stream that flowed into a pond. It was a perfect place for a young boy to play. Logan and his brothers used to go there after school to look for worms and water snakes.
When he spotted the shed, Logan shut down the engine and parked. He opened the door and the dog scurried over his lap and bounded from the cab racing toward the stream. Logan followed him.
Sophia came into his line of vision first. She sat on a big granite boulder, her leg elevated and her right shoe off. Something squeezed tight in Logan’s heart. He shook with profound relief. He’d never been so glad to see anyone in his life. He’d never experienced the kind of fear that threatened to swallow a man up whole and spit him out in small chunks. He’d never been so sure of anything in his life now, looking at Sophia Montrose and realizing that he’d almost let her slip through his fingers.
Edward approached him, his head downcast, a guilty look on his face.
“What happened, Edward?” he asked, still moving toward the boulder where Sophia sat immobilized.
“Ms. Sophia t-twisted her foot. She c-can’t walk.”
Logan made eye contact with Sophia. Her hair was a mess, her blouse was hanging loose around her skirt and her ankle was twice the size it should be. Raw deep emotion lodged in his throat.
“Why are you out here?” he asked the boy.
Edward shoved his head down again.
“It’s okay, Edward. Tell Logan about the notes,” Sophia said.
Logan blinked and his voice came out gruff and demanding. “Yeah, tell me about the notes.”
Edward stared at the ground. “I t-typed them t-to Ms. Sophia.”
Logan’s deep voice rose from his throat like a big boom.
“You did what?”
Edward’s body visibly shook.
“It’s okay, Logan,” Sophia rushed out, putting silent warning in her tone. “Edward explained it to me. He wasn’t trying to scare me. Just the opposite. He was feeling a little shy about wanting to be my friend. We’ve had a long talk this morning. I put two and two together today when I found another note along with the same purple wildflowers that he’d given his grandmother once. I decided to follow Edward out here so we could talk. But I didn’t expect to step into a gopher hole and twist my foot along the way.”
“Your grandmother is worried sick.” Logan tamped down his fury at the boy. It was clear that Sophia wanted to go easy on Edward. Her expression called for mercy and Logan would take heed. Even youngsters like Edward were smitten with Sophia. The rich old coot had it right.
It was hard not to love Sophia.
He was about to call Luke when his brother’s Chevy Silverado pulled up next to his truck. Luke and Constance got out and Constance ran over to Edward. The boy was nearly squeezed to death with a big grandmotherly hug. Edward gave her his explanation of what had happened and how he’d sent Blackie for help because he didn’t want to leave Sophia alone.
“Luke, take the boy and Constance back to the ranch, will you?” Logan said after all the apologies were made. Sophia made sure Edward’s actions were painted in a better light than he deserved, in Logan’s opinion. And Constance was happy enough to have her grandson back safely. She promised to make sure Edward understood the consequences of what he’d done. Logan thought the boy skated, but his concern now was for Sophia. “And call off the search.”
“Will do.” Luke glanced at Sophia’s injured foot and took a step toward her.
“Luke.” Logan gave his brother a firm warning. “I’ve got this.”
Luke’s gaze darted to Sophia. She sat regally on that boulder, doing a good job of concealing her physical pain with her arms crossed over her body and displeasure curling her mouth. “Sure thing, bro. You just let me know how that works out for you.”
Logan waited for Luke’s engine to roar to life, and the three of them were well on the road before he walked over to Sophia. She eyed him suspiciously and flinched a little when he leaned close to inspect her injured leg. He took it as a good sign that he still made her nervous and at this point; he’d take any crumb she offered.
He pushed his hat back on his head and lifted her ankle gently.
“Ow!”
“Did you hear a snap when you stepped in that gopher hole?” he asked.
“No.”
“Probably just sprained, then.”
She looked away. “Great.”
Logan finished his inspection of her leg and set it down with care.
“You were too easy on the boy.”
“It wasn’t his fault. He honestly had no idea that I’d be frightened by the notes he sent. He’s a shy boy who’s had a rough life and I think he wanted us to be friends.”
“The boy is smitten with you.” He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I get that. You have that effect on most men.”
“That’s not true.”
She was being argumentative, and considering that he was her ride back to the ranch, Logan had to give her credit for her feisty attitude. “Let’s say that you’re right and I’m wrong.”
“I am right,” she said with a curt nod as if the subject was closed.
Logan sat his butt down next to her on the boulder. He stretched out his long legs, his boots digging into the earth. The soft purr of the lazy stream flowing by and a few birds flitting from tree to tree filled the silence. “Okay, then it’s just me who thinks you’re a beautiful, smart, kindhearted, hardworking woman with a body that makes me want to cry, and those big—”
“Logan!”
Logan chuckled and the movement knocked his shoulder against hers. “Eyes, Sophia. I was going to say big eyes.”
Sophia didn’t crack a smile. Her face crumpled with confusion. “You’re not making any sense. You don’t think those things about me. You’ve let me know exactly what you think of me, and it doesn’t bear repeating.”
“I know I was scared half
