The Long Road Home Read online

  He shucked off his sweatshirt and shivered. "Put this on. It'll keep you warm."

  Her mouth opened and shut before she accepted the item. Pulling the garment over her head, she allowed the oversized shirt to fall down to hip level.

  Sniffing the sleeve, she smiled widely. "Smells like you."

  The thought of her covered in his scent stirred up feelings and emotions he preferred to avoid. For now. Later, if things continued to progress, he would look more closely at the effects this small brunette had on him. But one thing was for certain. No woman in recent memory cared enough to give him such a gift without requesting something in return.

  Gwen's hands found his back and began working their magic after dragging the coverlet over his exposed body, shielding him from the cold and allowing her to massage his body underneath. She had to rely on tactile sensation alone, but the obstacle didn't limit her ability in the least. Stroke after stroke, his body relaxed under her tender care, knots and stress dissipated as she skillfully turned his muscles into putty.

  "Where did you get all these muscles? You must have eaten your brussel sprouts as a kid."

  He snorted. "Nasty things. But Mom did make sure we had plenty of vegetables."

  "Whatever you did, it worked. Definitely some very nice muscles. Strong and defined. Very nice," she purred, sending another shockwave to his rapidly filling erection.

  If he didn't get his mind tuned differently, he'd be writhing in discomfort way too soon. "Blame Army Ranger training more than vegetables."

  "I've heard about basic training from my brother. He talks about running with his gear, obstacle courses, rope climbing, marches. Says it's pretty physically demanding."

  Thankful for a neutral topic, Logan agreed. "It only gets harder. Ranger training still incorporates the basics but adds in more. Survival training, Airborne School, five mile runs in less than forty minutes, ten mile marches, combat water survival. Then you head to the mountains, and you learn what exhaustion really is. Once you get to patrols and war simulation, they cut your MREs as well."

  "They don't feed you?" She paused for a moment on a gasp. "That's just cruel and inhumane."

  He rolled just enough to glance at her face. Angry flares flashed in her chocolate-colored eyes. The corners of his lips twitched. The thought of her getting all worked up because of some tough training measures, which he'd volunteered for, amused him as well as sent a wave of tender happiness washing over him.

  "We still received at least one meal per day. All part of Ranger training, Gwen. If it wasn't tough, everyone could achieve the highest levels, and we'd be too soft to withstand war."

  She resumed to her task. "Still, I hate the thought of you going hungry." Her voice told him a few things, mostly that she cared more than she'd admit.

  Settling back in, he smiled to himself. Gwen was just what he needed right now. Accepting, caring, humorous. He couldn't remember when he'd had more fun during an ice storm in his life. Biting back a moan, he soaked up the pleasure as she found a particularly tight area.

  "Andrew didn't tell me anything about food limitations." She snorted. "Like he tells me much. I'm always the last to know. Heck, I didn't hear he slept with Natalie Wilson until two months after the event. He's dang good at keeping secrets, especially when it comes to his first sexual experience."

  Logan smirked, his face hidden in the couch. "Uh, Gwen. Most guys don't make a big production about their first time. We prefer people to assume we're old hands at sex."

  "Hmmmmm."

  His curiosity piqued. "Do women make a big deal of their first time? Go home and crow to their friends? Or keep their mouths shut lest someone think them ruined?"

  "Hardly. I don't think we're still living in the age of being ruined over a sexual encounter. On the other hand, I've never known a woman that went around telling everyone she just had sex. Perhaps indiscretion is the new norm?"

  "I, for sure, don't know."

  She paused a long moment, her hands gliding over his skin. "Still, Andrew should have told me if they were going to send him home half starved."

  "Maybe he didn't want you to worry?" He didn't tell his family everything, either. Some things they just didn't need to fret about. Not to mention the rules of silence drilled in to each soldier by their commanders. National security depended upon closed mouths.

  "Oh, probably. Even though he's younger, he looked out for me. That's just the kind of guy he is."

  "Sounds like it. My little sister, on the other hand, followed me everywhere. Nosey as could be. I couldn't keep any sort of secret from my parents because Maria would be all too quick to blab." He chuckled. "Nothing got past her."

  "Still doesn't?" Her voice lightened back into a teasing mode.

  "Probably not. If you want to know the latest gossip, just ask Maria. She knows everyone and everything."

  Gwen snorted. "No bringing your girlfriend home for some necking with Maria around, huh?"

  "As if." He shook his head. "I had to get crafty."

  "Uh huh." She moved to his lower back, rubbing with her palms in circular motions, then using her thumbs to lightly dig in along the spine for a deeper massage. Each time, she stopped just short of his rear.

  "Are you going to rub my butt?" The opportunity to yank her chain proved too good to let it slip.

  "Ummm. No. If you need a butt massage, you'll have to get one of those chair vibrators I've seen advertised on TV. You sit and your butt sings with joy." She quoted the advertising slogan.

  He chuckled. "Sings with joy?"

  "That's what the advertising company claims. I've never tried it, so I wouldn't know."

  "A late Christmas present?" He yawned the question.

  "I think I'll pass."

  Closing his eyes, he released a tired and contented sigh. Stretching his arms above his head, he turned his face toward the couch as she widened the area, shifting now and again to explore his full back, shoulders, neck, and arms. Tranquility and peace carried him away to a blissful state of total relaxation.

  He tensed momentarily when she returned to working on his left hamstring but soon lulled back into a light doze, comfortable and content with Gwen's massage. She wiggled closer, started rubbing ingrained tension from his shoulders, and he promptly drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 12

  Gwen quietly stood, grabbed her makeshift stool, and returned the item where she'd found it. Returning to the couch, she lightly tugged the comforter over Logan, making sure all the bare skin of his back was covered, protecting him from the sharp chill in the room. Deciding he appeared comfortable for now, she walked across the room and sat down in the sole recliner. Dark had descended, the lavender candle providing the only light left. Enough to throw a flickering shadow across the room.

  Her gaze automatically returned to the blond-haired lump on the couch. How am I going to walk away from this? From him?

  She held no fantasies of the world stopping and Logan carrying her off to his castle to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, the real world, though on the back burner for now, would rear its ugly head sooner rather than later. His parents were flying in tomorrow, and she needed to get back home. If she couldn't spend the rest of the holiday with her family in Nebraska or with Logan, then she might as well go back to work. No sense in spending her remaining vacation time sitting at home alone, bored, and wishing for the impossible.

  Logan sighed in his sleep, dragging her attention back to him. The man she knew four years ago had changed, grown up, and stepped into the role of a hero. His injury didn't detract from his looks, his abilities, not in the least. But she knew he still struggled to adapt, to learn to live with his prosthesis and what limitations came along with being an amputee. She read his face when she touched his cramping stump. A healthy dose of fear and worry had flashed as if he prepared himself for her rejection or crude comments. He never had to fret about such a thing happening, not with her. For she saw him as she had in dance class, the most handsome man she'
d ever met, on the inside and out.

  He briefly spoke of rehab at Walter Reed, then clammed up after her offer of a place to stay during his outpatient treatment. Sure, his mother called and interrupted them, but the fact he didn't return directly to the subject stung. Did he think she would turn her back? Walk out and never want to see him again?

  Grabbing a throw from the chair, she tossed it over herself, tucking the covers around her shivering body. In all honesty, she would love to return to the oversized couch, stretch out over Logan, and rest her head back on his chest while his steady heartbeat lulled her to sleep. She could get used to cuddling with Logan. Sliding under the covers of his bed, snuggling up, then sharing their body heat in an age-old way to stay warm. One thing could lead to another until they both threw off their clothes, allowing her to explore every delicious inch of him. Touch. Taste. Love.

  Love? Whoa Nelly. Talk about putting the cart before the horse. As much as she might want to have a relationship with Logan, she had no clue how he felt. Sure, he had offered shelter during the storm. He had always been considerate to her like that when they were in college together. But things had changed. They both had lives, lived in different cities. Even if they wanted to give being a couple a try, they had some hurdles to cross.

  First of all, although she'd dated a handful of men, none of them kept her interest long, and certainly none of them enticed her into more intimacy than a few kisses. She carried an old-fashioned attitude, believed sex should be with someone she loved and who returned her feelings wholly. Heck, in all honesty, she had compared all men to Logan over the years as he served as her standard for everything she wanted in a man. When everyone else fell short, she'd simply remained a virgin, waiting for love with the right man.

  Gwen puffed out a breath. She'd had a crush on Logan since the first day of ballroom dancing, dreamed about him falling in love with her, how they could stay together until she graduated, then move somewhere nice to spend the rest of their lives together. Like most fantasies, her bubble burst when he'd left and never returned. Now fate had dropped him into her life once more, and she didn't know what to do. Her head warned her of impending heartache if she put all her eggs in Logan's basket. On the other hand, her heart implored her to take a shot. After all, few people received second chances in life. A third opportunity just wouldn't happen.

  Tired and uncertain, she closed her eyes, and listened to the soft breathing coming from the couch a few feet away. Slowly, sleep claimed her, leading her into dreams of marriage, kids, and a tall, broad-shouldered husband with blond hair who answered to the name Logan.

  Chapter 13

  Logan blinked, then spent a moment trying to orient himself. Lavender assailed his olfactory senses as the small flame cast shadows across part of the living room. He'd actually slept well and without nightmares, which plagued him now and again. A respite he gladly took.

  His body quaked in an effort to produce warmth even as goose bumps prickled his skin. Brrrrrr. Despite the heavy comforter, he felt like a human Popsicle. Stretching, he found his chest bare.

  Gwen. He'd given his sweatshirt to Gwen to keep her warm as she gave him a rub down.

  Sitting up, he searched the room, finding her curled up in the old recliner, a throw tucked around her small frame. If the furnace worked, she might have enough covers. However, with the power out and the apartment the temperature of the North Pole, he figured she'd be more than chilled.

  He still couldn't believe she'd accepted his disability so readily, even jumping in and massaging his thigh when the muscle spasm hit. If anything, he had expected her to be leery, hesitant, even a bit put off. Boy, did she prove him wrong. Big time. Her actions had gone deeper than his flesh or even the thick mass underneath, all the way to a soft spot inside. He could be a whole man to her, without fear of rejection, scorn, or disappointment.

  She's leaving tomorrow.

  Somewhat crestfallen, he kicked his groggy mind into motion. Not ready to lose the woman who put humor back in his life, added spice to his dreams, and set a fire to his blood, he considered ways to bond them closer as well as establish a link that remained strong even after she returned home.

  Her offer of lodging during his rehab.

  A small smile appeared on his face. She'd already given him the answer; he'd just shoved the idea aside too hastily. Grasping onto newfound determination, he focused on the present.

  Pushing the comforter aside, he rubbed his arms briskly, then grabbed a flashlight. No sense in sitting around freezing half to death when a more comfortable option existed. He just had to get her to spoon with him in bed, under a large pile of covers, and allow their combined body heat to keep them snug. A shiver coursed through his body.

  After I get another sweatshirt on. With efficiency from tons of practice, he replaced his prosthesis, making sure the apparatus fit just right. Confident, he stood up, checked his balance, then headed toward the bedroom with flashlight in hand. In the closet, he found a warm yet soft black sweatshirt, plucked it off the hanger, and quickly dressed. Leaving the light on the bed, he returned to the living room, following the dim illumination from the still burning candle. Switching a second light on, he stuffed the smaller flashlight in his sweats pocket, blew out the candle, then headed over to the recliner.

  Gingerly, he slipped his arms under Gwen's shoulders and knees, pulled her into a cradle hold, then stood up. With a small adjustment, he started toward the bedroom with his prize in hand.

  "Logan?" she murmured sleepily. Her eyes blinked open.

  "Shhhh. Right here. I'm taking you somewhere warmer."

  "Florida?"

  He chuckled and nuzzled her crown. "Not that far." Entering the room, he deposited her in the center of his king-sized bed, covering her with the blankets, then tucking them around her. Turning, he started to leave.

  "Wait." She sat up.

  Pausing, he twisted around, the minimal light throwing just enough illumination across the room in order to see her face.

  "We can share. No sense in you being cold when we can be warm together."

  He grinned, touched by her concern. For a flash, he considered confessing his plan for the same outcome but quickly opted instead to let her believe snuggling was her idea. "Sounds good to me. I'll be right back." Ambling into the living room, he checked to make sure the candle had extinguished, grabbed up the warm bedspread, and returned to the bedroom. Tossing the blanket over Gwen, he climbed on the bed, removed his prosthesis, and scurried under the covers.

  She scooted over until her body lay flush with his, close enough he felt her shiver.

  "Let's get you warm." Rolling to his side, he encouraged her to do the same, his front to her back. As soon as she turned, he wrapped an arm around her middle and tucked her against his larger body. Once she fiddled with their pillow, she relaxed into him.

  He heard her sigh of contentment. Rubbing his cheek against hers, he kissed her temple. "Sleep well, Gwen."

  "I will now that you're here." Her breathing evened out as her body eased into the rhythms of sleep.

  Her words replayed through his head. Enfolding her in his embrace, he found a smile on his face and a spark in his heart. I can get used to this. With that thought, he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 14

  A cold nose pressed against his chest woke him from a comfortable nap. He would have ignored the icy appendage except it rubbed back and forth at the base of his neck before finally stilling once more. The chill wouldn't be so bad except for her skin butted up against an area where the thick cotton of his sweatshirt pulled down just enough to allow the icy caress. His entire body shivered.

  Cracking his eyes open, he found Gwen snuggled tightly against him, her face to his upper chest, her hands bundled between them, as if trying to capture every ounce of body heat to prevent frostbite. Shifting, he wrapped her more fully in his embrace, nudging her closer to his large body while tucking the heavy layer of blankets to form a cocoon. He momentarily consider
ed yanking the material over both their heads, but immediately discarded the idea. He preferred to sleep with his face uncovered, even in the cold. If Gwen felt the same, he didn't want to disturb her or send her into a wave of panic if she possessed a claustrophobic tendency.

  The temperature of the room had to hover just above absolute zero, telling him the power remained off. If he tried, he would bet he could actually see his breath in the air. Not that he cared to test his hypothesis since the affirmation would only cause the air to feel that much colder in his mind.

  Glancing down, he studied the little brunette treasure wrapped in his arms. Her chest moved in and out evenly, her warm breath momentarily warming a tiny spot on his shirt. What a surprise she'd been. Despite an ice storm of the decade, no power, frigid temperatures, and the fact her holiday plans had been ruined, she'd put smiles on his face. Her spirit never dented through an ordeal that would test the nerves of even the most optimistic person. Happiness, fun, intelligence, and compassion all rolled into a pretty little package. Who just happened to be in his bed, in his arms, and dressed in enough clothes to tromp outside and make snowmen.

  The irony hitched up his lips. Maybe next time we could lose the clothes. The thought intrigued him.

  Gwen wouldn't be a one-night stand or even a temporary fling mutually satisfied to simply enjoy one another's company in bed, then move on their merry way. No. She would expect and demand commitment, companionship, and probably love.

  Love.

  He sighed wistfully. While way too early to tell deeper feelings from gratefulness, something told him Gwen had already burrowed her way into his life, well on her way to his heart. Her easy acceptance of his disability meant the heavens to him right now, endearing him all the more. More than likely a large percentage of women would scoff or show him the dreaded pity, leaving only a few who would still see him as a man and good enough to stand by their side. Gwen stood in that category.