The two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing. Irritated, Logan scowled. What was he missing? Exactly what joke was on him? And why the hell was she cozied up to this dude? Without thinking, Logan deftly hooked an arm around her, pulled her to him, and tucked her up under his arm where she belonged.
Music flowed out of ceiling speakers. Jared smiled. “That’s Scott.”
Logan tightened his hold on Dani. If another iron-pumping jock walked into the room and called Dani his love, he was going to hurt someone.
Jared disappeared, returning with his arm around the shoulder of a slim man who reminded Logan of Clark Kent. For the first time since he’d walked in and found Dani in another man’s arms, Logan relaxed. Not that it was any of his business to whom she gave her affection. He just didn’t want to be around when it happened. The black-haired newcomer looked at them with interest. Realizing he still had her tucked into his side, Logan stepped away.
“Logan, this is Scott Parker. Scott, meet my friend, Logan Kincaid.”
An hour later, Logan stood at the door with Dani as Jared and Scott took their leave. He held a crying Regan in his arms. She had made it clear she didn’t want them to go.
“Don’t cry, pumpkin,” Logan said, bouncing her in his arms. “You’re going to see them tomorrow.”
“Here, give her to me. She played hard. She’s tired and hungry.”
He handed the baby over. “I like your friends.”
“Especially since they agreed to babysit tomorrow so you can take me for a ride on your motorcycle. I can’t believe I let you talk me into it.”
“I promise, you’re gonna love it.” He followed her into the kitchen. “After you feed her, we need to go to the Harley dealership and buy you a helmet.”
Dani held on to Logan for dear life. For the first ten minutes, she had kept her eyes squeezed shut. He’d elected to ride south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Pisgah Inn for lunch. Once on the parkway with its gentle curves and slow speed limit, she ventured to open her eyes and, surprisingly, began to enjoy the ride. She didn’t loosen her grip on Logan’s waist, however, but stayed pressed against his back so tightly their helmets kept bumping.
Even during the summer, it was chilly on a motorcycle at that altitude, and she was thankful for the jacket he had insisted on buying her along with the helmet. She also thought the black leather looked badass cool on her.
They rode past a lookout, and although she’d driven on the parkway before, she had to agree it was different on a bike. It was better. It was beautiful with the blue-tinged mountains rising above her—no car roof to block the view—and the many shades of green on the valley floor thousands of feet below. Taking in a deep breath, she inhaled the spicy scent of the spruce pines. As they came out of a curve, a waterfall appeared and she grinned in delight, craning her head to look at it until it disappeared from sight.
Heaven on earth, she decided.
She braved letting go of Logan with one arm and lifted the visor on her helmet so she could feel the cool wind on her face. For the first time since her stalker appeared, she felt free, even if it was only for a few hours. Laughter bubbled up and escaped.
Logan reached back and squeezed her knee. “Having fun?” he yelled over the roar of the bike and wind.
Yes. Yes, she was having fun. She nodded, bumped his helmet with hers, and realized he couldn’t see her. “Yes!”
He gave her knee one more squeeze, then put his hand back on the handlebar. At the next curve, she leaned with him, growing more confident and no longer resisting by trying to keep her body upright.
“There you go, you got it now,” he said.
Dani grinned big and wide. She was a certified biker chick.
Logan slowed the bike and pointed. A mother deer and her spotted fawn stood at the edge of the tree line staring back at them. Could this day get any better?
Her happiness with the day had been stolen. The pan-fried trout Dani had thought delicious an hour ago now set heavy in her stomach. After lunch, they’d sat in the rocking chairs on the deck behind the Pisgah Inn, at five-thousand-feet elevation, sipping coffee and marveling over the view of the vista spread before them. From the moment she’d thrown a leg over the bike and wrapped her arms around Logan’s waist, the day had been perfect.
Now it wasn’t.
Logan stared at the motorcycle, his hands fisted at his sides. Dani looked away from the two slashed tires and surveyed the parking lot. Her stalker was there, or had been. He must have followed them, must have watched them go into the restaurant. She wrapped her arms around her waist, a shiver passing through her.