Magic Kiss (Hope Falls Book 11) by Melanie Shawn Read Free Book Online Page B

down—numb!—for so long she wasn’t sure that she could handle this onslaught of hyper-awareness.
    But what was her alternative? Ready or not, willing or not, her body was responding to the knowledge that she was going to see Logan Dorsey…whether she liked it or not. So, she made an executive decision right then and there that she wasn’t going to fight it. She was going to go with it—in the name of research. Of course.

Chapter 5
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    “T hen we saw a bear. A bear! Justin’s little brother, Noah, said that he saw one yesterday, but I didn’t believe him,” Drew explained with enthusiasm. The kid had been talking nonstop since Logan had picked him up an hour ago.
    Emma had been grounded in Dallas due to a thunderstorm. When she’d called this morning to let them know, Drew had filled her in on how he’d met Karina and Ryan and asked if he could participate in the Junior Ranger Program at Mountain Ridge. She’d asked to talk to Logan, wanting to get some more information on what she was agreeing to. After several questions and a Google search, she’d consented. Then there had been several e-mails sent between Logan, Emma, and Amanda, including one with an attachment of a permission slip and a copy of Drew’s medical insurance.
    When it was all said and done, he realized she probably had to go through all of those hoops all the time. On a daily basis. By herself. It was obvious by what a great kid Drew was that she was doing a damn good job at it too.
    “Justin asked if I was going to be able to come back tomorrow,” Drew said in rapid-fire, anticipation radiating off his body.
    “Your mom should be here any time. I’m not sure what her plans are.”
    Logan flipped the burgers on the grill. An idea had been rattling around in his head all day to ask Emma if Drew could stay in Hope Falls for a week or two, but he didn’t want to tell Drew. The last thing he would ever want to do was disappoint the kid. Drew was having fun there, and Logan had been falling short on his godfather duties the past five years. At least, of the face-to-face variety.
    Every month, without fail, he sent a check. It was intended to help with expenses, but Emma never used it for their day-to-day life. When Logan had insisted on helping, she’d opened an account for Drew’s college fund. Every month, he sent a check, and every month, she sent back a copy of the bank statement showing the increased balance.
    He’d promised Andrew that he’d take care of Emma and Drew, so when he’d gotten out of the Marines, Logan’s first stop had been Seattle. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t what had happened. From the first time he’d met Emma, he’d thought she was attractive, but that had been it. She was Andrew’s wife, the mother of his best friend’s child. Logan’s mind had never gone past that.
    But then he’d gone to check on them and something had flipped in an instant—like a light switch going from the off position to on—when she’d opened the door that uncharacteristically sunny day in Seattle five years ago. She was wearing cut-off shorts and a white tank top. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head, and her face was scrubbed clean.
    At his earlier-than-scheduled arrival, she immediately began apologizing for her appearance, telling him that she’d been writing and the time had gotten away from her. Logan stood on her porch, completely speechless. All he could think was that she was an angel. That she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. His eyes locked on her full, pink lips as they moved rapidly while she talked, and he had to stop himself from pulling her into his arms and pressing his lips to hers.
    During the years he’d known her before that day, he’d never given her appearance more than a passing thought. To Logan, all Emma had been was simply the woman who made his best friend happy. That day, though, everything changed. He didn’t see Andrew’s wife