Chapter 40

CHAPTER 40

“ I thought you said the leech was leaving,” Shane said on his way to the bathroom, making her frown as she looked up from the rusted hinges that she was hoping to salvage only to end up stumbling out of the way so that Logan, who was glaring at her through silver eyes for some reason, could take over.

“These all need to be replaced,” Logan said with a heavy sigh, shaking his head in disgust before turning that glare on her.

Blinking, Jill asked, “May I help you?”

“What else?” he demanded only to gesture for her to get on with it a minute later when she could only frown in confusion. “With the house. What else needs to be fixed?”

“Everything?” Jill guessed since she hadn’t exactly had a chance to take a look around yet.

After the children woke up yesterday, they’d ventured downstairs in search of the kitchen only to get distracted by the backyard. When she spotted Caleb and Emma pressing their small faces against the window, releasing wistful sighs as they stared at the rope swing hung from an old oak tree, Jill decided that they could find the kitchen later.

Six hours, a broken swing, and two mud puddles later, she’d finally managed to get the children back inside with Shane’s help, promises that they could play outside again tonight, and pizza. Once they managed to get them inside, they’d started the long process of getting them fed and cleaned before calling it a night.

And this morning…

She just wanted to see Logan one last time.

Sighing heavily, Logan shook his head in disgust as he grabbed two notepads off the stack of coloring books by the closet door along with a small box of crayons and handed them to Emma and Caleb. At their questioning looks, Logan said, “We’re going to need a list.”

Nodding, Caleb flipped open his notepad and grabbed a green crayon as he said, “I’m very helpful.”

“I know you are, mīn swēte sunu,” Logan murmured with a fond smile for the little boy who’d demanded extra kisses this morning.

“I really am,” Caleb assured him with a firm nod as Logan reached over and admittedly left her confused when he took her hand in his.

“What are you doing?” Jill couldn’t help but wonder as she watched Logan entwine his fingers with hers.

“Ensuring that you don’t wander off,” Logan said, giving her hand a gentle tug that had her following him into the hallway.

“I see…” Jill murmured, forced to bite back a smile and cleared her throat. “And the reason why you’re still here?”

“You really didn’t leave me with much of a choice,” Logan said as he absently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb as he gestured to the light fixtures lining the walls. “The lights need to be replaced.”

Nodding, Caleb and Emma made a quick note before looking back up at Logan, who was taking everything in from the ceiling to the worn carpet lining the floor as he made his way down the hallway towards the stairs.

“What exactly did I do?” Jill asked, watching as Logan pointed to the banister.

With another nod, the twins immediately made note of it. As soon as they were done, Logan led them downstairs. “Your list of demands,” Logan drawled, pausing along the way to point at what was left of the wainscoting lining the walls.

“You mean my checklist?” Jill asked, blinking up at the large man who was confusing the hell out of her.

“I took it as a list of demands that needed to be met in order to avoid a violent ending,” Logan drawled, making her lips twitch.

“And, umm,” Jill said, forced to pause so that she could clear her throat, “you got all that from a checklist?”

“It was implied,” Logan said, his thumb moving absently back and forth over the back of her hand, sending tendrils of warmth over her skin as her thoughts went to last night and-

It was probably for the best if she didn’t think about last night, Jill decided as Logan led her down a long hallway to her right with the twins dutifully following them, making notes of their own along the way. Knowing that he wasn’t going to tell her why he was still here, she decided to ask another question that she’d been curious about.

“How exactly did you find this place?” Jill asked as they paused along the way to peek into rooms so that Logan could point out things that needed to be fixed to the children while she noted that every single window was covered with the same black shades as the ones back at the penthouse.

“I called in a favor,” Logan said while they made their way down the long hallway until they came to a large dining room.

“When?” Jill asked as she took in the dining room table big enough to feed an army.

“A few weeks ago,” Logan said as Caleb and Emma rushed past them and sat down at the table.

“And this favor?” Jill asked as she took in the high vault ceiling lined with wood beams before taking in the dulled hardwood floors and cracked walls.

“I needed a house on Pack property, so I called the Alpha of the Ironthorne Pack and offered him enough money to conveniently forget to inform the Sentinel Council that they sold the house,” Logan explained as they made their way to the other side of the large room.

“Which is the real reason why the Sentinels won’t step foot in this town,” Jill said as everything started to make sense now. As long as a Pack followed the rules, the Council couldn’t step foot on Pack territory without permission.

“Not unless they’re given a reason to,” Logan said as they reached the small alcove at the end of the room.

“Ensuring the children’s safety,” Jill thought out loud as she glanced over her shoulder to find the twins scrambling off the chairs.

“And yours,” Logan said softly, drawing her attention to find him watching her through silver eyes.

When her gaze dropped to his lips, Jill cleared her throat and forced herself to look away. “Tell me about this house.”

“It was built in 1691 by Marcus Ironthorne for his Pack after they were nearly wiped out in Ireland,” Logan said, giving her hand a gentle tug as he finished pulling her through the small tunnel and into a huge kitchen overlooking the backyard.

“What happened?” Jill asked, taking in the fireplace big enough to stand in to her left before taking in the kitchen island, the large table in the middle of the room, the stove that looked like something out of the fifties, and the outdated cabinets lining the back wall with a brand-new stainless-steel refrigerator in the corner.

“Marcus fell in love with a human and the village turned on them,” Logan said, continuing to gently caress the back of her hand as he led her to the doorway on the other side of the large kitchen. “After he recovered, he moved to the colonies, determined to rebuild his Pack and began taking in strays.”

“When’s the last time that they were here?” Jill asked as they made their way down a small hallway.

“A little over fifty years ago. He’s updated the wiring and plumbing, replaced the roof and, of course, added a few things over the years,” Logan said as he opened the door at the end of the long hallway, revealing an indoor pool.

“Oh, my God…” Jill said, taking in the cobblestone patio surrounding the pool, the large fireplace to her left and-

“I need to get in my undies,” Caleb said on a reverent whisper.

“I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait,” Logan said, gently caressing the back of her hand one last time before he released it so that he could pick Caleb up.

“But I need to swim,” Caleb mumbled sadly as he laid his head on Logan’s shoulder with a heartfelt sigh.

“I thought you were helping me,” Logan said, kissing the top of the little boy’s head before he could demand it.

“I’m very helpful,” Caleb said, nodding solemnly against Logan’s shoulder.

“I know you are, mīn swēte sunu,” Logan said, only to have his lips twitch when Caleb immediately followed that up with, “Kissy!”

Dutifully kissing Caleb’s forehead, Logan held his hand out to Emma, which, of course, had Jill releasing a pitying sigh and mimicking the move, knowing that Emma would rather hang out with her. When Emma only frowned as she glanced between their hands, Jill asked, “You want to be my little helper for the day, Emma?”

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Emma reached over and-

“You traitor!” Jill gasped in mock outrage when Emma grabbed hold of Logan’s hand as he released a satisfied sigh and walked away, leaving her standing there with no choice but to glare at the large bastard that was coming between her and her little BFFs.