Saving Home

“You’re sure?” Alex asked in a lowered voice, regarding her uncertainly. “You’re not going to lead him through the back entrance down to the beach, are you?”

“Don’t tempt me.” There wasn’t even a glimmer of a smile on her lips. Stepping away, she crossed directly in front of Logan and said, “Let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, falling in behind her. “Nice tree,” he commented as they passed the Christmas tree.

“Thank you!” Alex called.

Since she was the one he’d found on the ladder, putting the finishing touches on the oversize Christmas tree, he’d meant the comment for the firebrand who was leading him.

“Did you do all the decorating?” he asked. “Or are you the kind who delegates?”

Andy spared him one uninterested glance before looking straight ahead again. “You don’t have to make small talk.”

“I was just curious.”

“I guess a lot of questions aren’t being answered today,” she snapped.

He laughed in response, despite the fact that he could tell his amusement didn’t sit well with Andy. But at the moment, there was nothing she could do about it.

The door to her father’s office was closed. She knocked on it lightly. “Dad? Are you there?” When there was no reply, she knocked again, just as lightly as before. Still no answer.

The young woman turned and said, “Looks like you’re out of luck after all, MacArthur. He’s not in.”

She turned on her heel. He remained in front of the door.

“Where else would he be?” Logan asked.

If looks could kill, present company would have been reduced to a pile of smoldering embers. “I’m sorry, he didn’t file his itinerary with me this morning so I really haven’t a clue. Seems like you’re going to have to leave your card with me, after all.”

Oh, no. I’m not making it that easy for you, Logan thought. “I have a feeling if I did that, it might just inspire you to test out your shredder.”

“We don’t have a shredder,” she informed him. “But now that you mention it, that is something to think about.” Again she moved away from the door—and again, Logan didn’t follow.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll just sit in your father’s office,” he nodded at the door, “and wait for him there.”

She did not want this man in her father’s office, hovering about like some vulture waiting for its prey to die so it could start eating.

“No telling how long you’ll have to wait,” she warned him.

“I don’t mind,” Logan told her flatly. “I’m being well compensated for my time.”

Andy struggled to keep her temper in check, something that ordinarily wasn’t a problem for her.

But she absolutely hated not knowing why he was here. There was something about this man and his perfectly groomed exterior that made her nervous, as if something was going to happen, something that she wouldn’t be able to fix.

People with nothing to hide were far more open than he was being. Granted, he’d said he was a lawyer and lawyers were closemouthed unless they were on the floor of a courtroom, grandstanding and thrilling to the sound of their own voices. At least that was how they were portrayed on TV, which was the closest she’d come to seeing a lawyer before this.

But this was about her father, and whatever affected Richard Roman affected them all. They were a family that didn’t keep secrets from one another. That wasn’t what they were all about.

Obviously this man didn’t understand that simple concept.

She tried to approach the problem from a basic, practical perspective, hoping that would finally sink in. “Well, I can’t just leave you alone in my father’s office.”

Logan nodded and for one brief, shining moment, Andy thought she was finally going to get rid of the man. But then he said, “You could stay with me, make sure I didn’t make off with anything.”

“What I’m worried about,” she replied, doing her best to inject an eerie stillness in her voice that she hoped he recognized as the calm that came just before a huge storm, “is that you’re going to say something to upset my father. My father has enough to deal with these days.”

“Oh? Like what?” Logan asked, a bit too innocently in her opinion.

She gave him an answer steeped in practicality and logic. Something she felt would appeal to the man. “This is one of our busiest times of the year and my father prides himself on always making sure everyone who stays here has an exceptionally good time. That’s not nearly as easy as it sounds.”

“I’m sure it’s not.” He was nothing if not sympathetic sounding.

Andy saw his attitude as something else. “Do you get bonuses for patronizing people? Or is that just an extra you throw in?” she wanted to know.

The woman was clearly imagining things, but he wasn’t going to call her out on it. He had an endless supply of patience and he dug deep into it right now.

“I wasn’t aware I was being patronizing.”

“Well, now you know,” Andy informed him with finality.

“I do apologize,” Logan told her, trying to suppress his amusement. He couldn’t help himself. With her tough attitude, this very young woman should be working in the military. Or teaching self-defense somewhere, anyway.

As hard as he tried to choke back a smile, she must’ve sensed something in his expression. He watched her bristle. Uh-oh.

Andy found his smile unsettling, which in itself annoyed her to no end. Given half a chance, she would have liked to wipe it off the man’s chiseled face.

“If you’re really serious about apologizing,” she said, “just leave.”

From the way he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, she could tell that was not about to happen. “I’m afraid I can’t,” he responded. “Not without first seeing your father.”

This was getting her nowhere. They were going around in circles and he looked as if he was enjoying the process.

“I could have our head of security make you go,” she threatened him.

It was an empty threat because there was no head of security, although in a pinch, she felt she could turn to Silvio. Their longtime gardener was well versed in things that a gardener had no business knowing. But then, Silvio hadn’t always been a gardener. The life he’d led before being forced to flee his native country was very different from his life here at the inn.

“He could try,” Logan told her in a mild voice. The expression on his handsome face told her that a mere head of security—even if one existed—couldn’t remove him from the premises.

Maybe it was because she felt so edgy, or maybe it was because she was struggling with those momentary twinges of envy, feeling the odd woman out. She really didn’t know. But whatever was behind her reaction to this man and his mysterious need to communicate only with her father, Andy felt her normally large supply of patience swiftly evaporating.

“Why won’t you tell us what business you have with my father?” she demanded.

“Because the business is with your father,” he underscored firmly without so much as raising his voice. “After I’ve discussed it with him, if your father chooses to include you in the matter, that’s his call to make and his business. My orders are to speak directly—and only—to him.”

“My father doesn’t keep secrets from his family,” she informed him.

“You’re very fortunate. Not all families are like that,” he added with what Andy felt was a momentary break in the cool, calm facade she’d been dealing with. “However, it doesn’t change a thing.”