“I’m not just spending time with you to get in your pants. I actually like being around you a lot. You’re sweet and funny and strong. I don’t know many women who would try to tear out and install windows by themselves.” Hesmiled.
“It didn’t seem so hard to do until I cutmyself.”
“When do you need to go back to work?” heasked.
“Right now. I’ve hardly touched thehouse.”
“No, I mean, when do you need to return toIdaho?”
“I’m off until January 2. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to sell the place,”shesaid.
“I’ll make a deal with you. Stay with me, just for a few more days. Let me help you clean up the house and get rid of what’s left ofthebarn.”
“I need to sell the horses too,”shesaid.
“I’ll talk to Mack and see if we can buy them from you. If not, we can find someone to sellthemto.”
“I still have to clean out my father’sstuff.”
“I can help you withthattoo.”
He stepped forward and opened his arms. She wrapped her hands around his waist and lay her head on his chest. She could get used to being in his arms. If she wasn’t careful, she’d fall in lovewithhim.
* * *
As Logan helpedher unpack towering piles of boxes from her father’s old bedroom, he couldn’t help sneaking glances at her profile. When she’d said she didn’t believe that love existed, his bear demanded that he show her what love felt like. He couldn’t imagine going through life feeling so unloved. He didn’t have much time left before she planned on leaving, but he would do whatever it took to convince her that loveexisted.
“Oh, wow,”shesaid.
He looked over to where she sat cross-legged on the floor. She held a yellowed, torn sheet of paper up to thelight.
“What is it?” heasked.
“The first words I everwrote.”
“You’rekidding.”
He set an unopened box on the ground and carefully picked a path through the other piles. When he reached her side, he cleared out a space next to her and sat. He took the paper from her hand and squinted at the faded pencil marks. He could just make out the words, “I love you,Daddy.”
“I can’t believe he kept it,”shesaid.
“He must have cherished it. What else is inthatbox?”
After rifling through it, she pulled out another faded paper and handed it to him. “My firstreportcard.”
“All A’s,” he said. “You were smarteventhen.”
“I had to be or else he’d getthebelt.”
“I’m sorry he couldn’t love you the way a parent is supposed to love their child.” He laid the paper back in the box and tookherhand.
“Why do you think he hated me so much?” sheasked.
The child-like quality of her voice tore at his soul. No child should ever have to feel like their parents didn’tlovethem.
“Some parents just aren’t capable of love,”hesaid.
“Butwhy?”
