Cricket Cove by T. L. Haddix Read Free Book Online

he’d killed himself, for leaving them in such a mess, for dying in such a violent way without regard for whichever son found him.
    Logan himself wasn’t so harsh on the old man. He understood that Steve had loved his wife too deeply, too much, to go on without her. Their father had died the same day their mother had. It had just taken his body eight years to catch up.
    So with that knowledge planted firmly in his mind, Logan had sworn to never let himself be vulnerable to any woman the way his father had been. He’d had a string of relationships through the years that were superficial, lightly affectionate. If they showed any danger of becoming too deep, Logan backed out fast. He wasn’t promiscuous, and he didn’t treat sex lightly, but he had never been in any danger of becoming seriously involved with any of the women whose beds he’d shared.
    He knew Amelia would be different. Contrary to his words weeks earlier, he knew she had substance. She was a dangerous package—physically, emotionally, in every way. He resented that she was so lighthearted because she made him want to be free, to not be weighed down by the past and his memories. She was the kind of woman a man could build a life with, could grow old with and still feel young. Soothing and warm and indescribably sexy all rolled into one small, perfect package. She made him want things he had no business wanting.
    She was his worst nightmare, the perfect trap, and the attraction he felt for her wasn’t something he could slake with a casual friends-with-benefits relationship. Even if she wasn’t his brother’s best friend and his own soon-to-be sister-in-law, Logan would have run far and fast from the temptation that was Amelia Campbell. Because while no other woman had ever tempted him to let himself be caught, she did. And if he let her catch him and he lost her? He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand the loss. He’d be left a shell of a man, just like his father had been. And God forbid if they had children. The thought of going through what his father had made him shudder.
    On top of that, if he got close enough to her to satisfy the physical urges she stirred in him but then pulled back, it could devastate her. He didn’t want to do that, and not just because of Archer. But because he didn’t want to hurt her. And that scared him most of all.

Chapter Five

    S aturday dawned bright and clear. The temperatures were even warmer than usual, as though God had given his own blessing to the day.
    All the weeks of planning were coming together now, and Amelia felt like a swarm of butterflies were racing around her stomach. When Emma and Zanny had walked in earlier, the peaceful stillness and joy that radiated from Emma was beyond anything Amelia had ever seen from her sister, with the exception of when Sydney was born.
    Rachel finished pinning Amelia’s hair up in a complicated twist and then started on Sarah’s hair as Amelia left to do one final check of the church. Before long, she would have to go back to the basement and get dressed in her muted-purple silk bridesmaid’s dress. Then it would be time to do Emma up. But for now, she wanted to make sure the groomsmen didn’t need anything. She went to the room behind the altar and tapped on the door.
    “Are you all decent in there?” she called.
    “For the most part,” Ben answered with a cheeky grin as he opened the door to admit her. He was wearing everything except his jacket, even his tie. “And we’re all dressed. Again, for the most part. Logan’s having issues, though. Did you bring a needle and thread, by chance?”
    She held up the small basket she carried. “Needle, thread, and half a dozen other goodies. What’s the problem?”
    “Three buttons came off his shirt.”
    “How in the world did you manage that?” she asked as she crossed the room to stand in front of him. She shoved her reaction to seeing him in just his T-shirt and dress pants aside and took the shirt he handed