Chapter 9

ChapterNine

Phew. That was close. Jeanie tiptoed behind Logan on their way to the back door to investigate. She was actually thankful to the ghost for interrupting what was sure to be a mistake. Logan had been about to kiss her, and she was totally about to let him. And then what?

Her imagination very helpfully filled in the ‘then what?’ with a pornographic slideshow of ideas. She shook her head free of the wildly inappropriate things she wanted to do to the grumpy farmer on her café floor. Now was not the time for that. She had an angry spirit at her back door.

‘What do we do?’ she whispered, nearly crashing into Logan’s back when he stopped suddenly.

The scratching stopped and then started up again, like fingernails on wood. Oh God, oh God, oh God. Was there really an angry ghost at her back door? WHY HAD HER AUNT NOT MENTIONED THIS PLACE WAS HAUNTED?! She needed to call her up and have a very stern chat with her later.

An unearthly cry emanated from behind the door and Jeanie buried her face in the back of Logan’s super-soft flannel shirt.

‘I don’t remember that yowling from last time. Do you think that means I’ve made them even angrier?’ she asked, her voice muffled from the fabric.

‘No, I don’t.’

She could feel the vibration of his voice on her face and nearly giggled at the sensation. But then she remembered she was scared and continued her cowering. So much for her new low-stress lifestyle. Her laid back small-town persona had flown right out the window. She’d be lucky if she didn’t die of a heart attack right here, right now.

Ugh, how embarrassing.

She heard the sound of metal on metal as Logan undid the chain lock on the door.

‘Don’t open it!’ she yelled into the very firm space between his shoulder blades. ‘We don’t know what to do yet! We need a plan, a ghost-removal plan. Oh, God, we should have been figuring this out instead of me blubbering on and on about my problems,’ she wailed, still speaking into Logan’s back.

Something brushed against her leg.

‘Gah!’ She nearly climbed Logan’s body – not the worst idea she’d ever had – until she realized the door was wide open and there was a pure white cat weaving its way in and out of Jeanie and Logan’s legs.

‘Well, there’s your ghost.’

Jeanie stepped back. ‘Wait. What?’ She stared at the cat and the cat stared back. ‘It’s ... it’s a cat.’

Logan chuckled. ‘It’s a cat.’

Jeanie’s face flushed hot, and she covered her eyes with her hands. ‘I am the world’s biggest idiot,’ she groaned, unable to look at the man she’d lured in here to help her. Her ghost was just a freaking cat! She would have preferred if an angry ghost was here to steal her immortal soul. At least then she would be vindicated in her concern.

‘I’m so sorry I made you do this,’ she said from behind her hands.

‘Jeanie...’

‘No, no, no. You don’t need to be all nice about it. First, I almost take your head off, and then I force you to help me by taking me to that nutty town meeting, and then, oh, God, and then I get the freaking mayor involved!’

Logan peeled her hands away from her face. ‘Hey. Stop that.’

Jeanie bit down on her bottom lip to prevent herself from more rambling.

‘The only person that makes me do anything is my nana and that’s only because she’s put up with my crap since I was five years old. Got it?’

Jeanie nodded. ‘I feel so dumb. It’s just a cat.’

Said cat let out a plaintive cry at her feet. They both looked down and apparently realized at the same time that Logan was still holding her wrists. He dropped them like her hands were on fire and took a step back, nearly colliding with the wall behind him.

‘We should probably get this guy something to eat. I’ve got cat food out in the truck.’

He was gone before Jeanie could ask why he kept cat food in his truck or what she should do with the cat in the meantime. She looked down at the scraggly white puffball.

‘You kind of made me look bad, ya know.’

The cat stared at her, its turquoise eyes wide. It was eerie in its intensity, like it could see into her soul. Maybe this cat was a ghost?! Or maybe Jeanie needed to lay off the candy and get to bed before she totally lost her mind.

‘Shouldn’t you blink more?’ she asked her new ghost-cat.

More staring, and then the cat stood and rubbed itself against Jeanie’s leg. Well, now what? Jeanie had never had a pet. Never had time for one. Growing up, she wasn’t allowed to have pets with fur or hair or feathers on account of her mother’s allergies. So, other than a few short-lived goldfish, Jeanie had never cared for another living thing in her entire life.

Unless you counted Marvin, which maybe she should, although that turned out really badly in the end.

She glanced back down at the cat, now suddenly convinced she’d end up killing the darn thing if Logan didn’t reappear very soon with that food. And then the cat started purring, the gentle vibration echoing up Jeanie’s leg. Well, that was kinda nice.

She stooped down and gave the little beast a scratch between the ears and the purring intensified. ‘Does this mean we’re friends now?’

‘It’s certainly a good sign,’ Logan’s amused voice told her from the doorway.

Jeanie smiled up at him. ‘We’re getting to know each other.’

Logan gave her the nod that meant he’d heard and acknowledged her, but had nothing to add to the conversation, something she’d never personally experienced. She always had something to add. Maybe she should try more nodding instead.

Logan made his way around her and the cat and rummaged in the drawers behind the counter. He found the can opener, and as soon as the can was open, Jeanie’s new friend suddenly had zero interest in head scratches. The cat beelined to the dish of food Logan set on the floor.

‘Hungry. No tags. Probably a stray,’ he said, leaning against the counter, arms across his wide chest.

‘You keep cat food in your truck?’

‘Of course.’

‘Of course...’

Logan ran a hand down his beard, his gaze still on the cat. ‘Never know when you might need it.’

‘Right,’ Jeanie said, biting down on a grin. This man was full of surprises. ‘Do you have a lot of cats on your farm?’

‘A few barn cats.’

‘And?’

Logan’s mouth hitched up in the corner. ‘Two goats, an alpaca, and half a dozen chickens.’

‘But I thought you were a produce farm?’

‘They’re rescues. They’re not there to work. Well, except for the chickens. They lay an egg or two when they feel like it.’

Seriously? He rescued animals, too? This guy was sure hiding a lot behind that beard and scowl. It made her really question her instincts, considering she initially thought he was a serial killer.

The cat finished eating and Logan sank into a squat to pet it. He was still in his socked feet, with the sleeves of his flannel shirt rolled up. His hair was rumpled from laying down and he spoke softly to the cat while he scratched between its ears. The whole scene was so domestic, so intimate, Jeanie had to look away. This was how it would be if he slept over; if they woke up together and came down for a cup of coffee before the day started. Jeanie wanted it so badly in that moment it took her breath away. The fantasy washed over her so quickly, she forgot to stop it. Is this what she’d been missing?

Soft, quiet moments in the early morning hours.

She wanted to hold onto it, but she didn’t know how. She’d never been able to before. Her life was fast and noisy, and she’d dived into it without really thinking. Life had just happened to her. For the past seven years, she’d managed to avoid thinking about what she wanted and now all she wanted was this man, petting this cat, and holding her against his strong body like he had before.

He’d almost kissed her. Her face flushed hot at the memory. He’d almost kissed her, and she’d wanted him to. Maybe he would try again...

‘I can give you the number for the vet I use,’ he said, interrupting her fantasy.

Huh?Vet for the cat. Her new cat. Right. Logan was not thinking about kissing her again, he was trying to help her with the stray animal that had apparently been tormenting her since she got here.

She cleared her throat, but her voice still came out strangely thick. ‘That would be great, thanks.’

Logan stood to his full height and ran a hand through his messy hair. The cat stared up at him, clearly already missing his touch.

Same, cat. Same.

‘I guess that settles that,’ he said, and Jeanie searched her mind frantically for some other reason to get him to stay, for some other reason to get back in his comforting embrace. But she had nothing, and Logan looked exhausted.

What was she going to do? Hold him hostage? Maybe? No, definitely not the New Jeanie she was shooting for.

‘Yep, all settled. Thank you for your help. I guess Mayor Kelly was right.’

Logan rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t encourage him.’ He turned and grabbed the notepad she kept next to the register. It was full of her little notes about who was who and who liked what. The margins were full of hearts and swirls and flowers. Little doodles she made during the slow times, not that there were many.

She watched as Logan’s eyes scanned the page. His lips tipped into a small smile before he turned the page and wrote the vet’s name and number.

‘She’s the best. She’ll get you all straightened out.’ He added his cell number to the bottom of the paper. ‘Just in case anyone throws up,’ he said and then strode over to their little nest on the floor. He tossed the pillows onto the nearest chair and knelt to put away the sleeping bags.

Jeanie stood leaning against the counter, finding herself unable to move to help him. It was like her body was on strike against anything that would get him out of here quicker. ‘Thanks again. I really appreciate it. All of it. Your help and being so nice to me and everything.’

He glanced over his shoulder at her, pausing in the middle of rolling up his sleeping bag. ‘I think maybe you’re not used to being treated right, Jeanie.’

His words landed hard. Damn.

Was it true? Had she gotten used to being treated poorly and taken advantage of? The nature of her job had been to make sure Marvin had everything he needed to do his job. But who made sure she had everything she needed?

She hadn’t had anyone to lean on in so long. She hadn’t slowed down long enough to lean, even if there had been someone there. When Jeanie looked back over the last seven years, her life was a blur of late nights at the office and early-morning coffee runs. Her last few relationships had been short-lived, and lately, few and far between, and her work friends were more acquaintances than friends. She certainly hadn’t felt comfortable calling any of them when she couldn’t even clean up her own vomit. Her mother probably would have driven the nine hours from Buffalo to Boston to help her, but that was insane, and Jeanie would never have asked her to.

Somehow in the frenzy of the last few years, Jeanie hadn’t even had time to realize she was lonely.

Logan went back to rolling up the bags, his movements precise and efficient. He wasted no time in getting his boots back on and grabbed his coat from over the back of his chair.

She would call him if she threw up and was too weak to move afterward, and he would come. She already knew that, but she didn’t know if she was comforted or terrified of this prospect. Logan was kind and sturdy and considerate. She could clearly see what he had to offer her. It was obvious.

But what did she have to offer in return? A pile of insecurities about running this café; an undercurrent of anxiety that she’d made the wrong choice moving here; too much chatter, not enough listening – and a tendency to jump to the worst-case scenario in all scenarios.

It wasn’t a great list.

And it also wasn’t who she wanted to be anymore.

So, the New Jeanie plan had a new level, a final tier in which she gets the handsome farmer.

Her new cat meowed loudly at her feet. She wasn’t there yet. First, she needed to get some sleep. Then she needed to figure out how to be a cat owner. Everything else would fall into place after that.

‘I’m gonna get going.’

While she’d stood there daydreaming, Logan had cleaned up their snack mess and filled a bowl of water for the cat. Shoot. Not off to a great start.

‘Okay, sounds good. Thanks again. And I’ll see you later.’ Jeanie winced. One of those goodbyes would have been sufficient.

‘Get some sleep.’ His voice was low as he brushed past her on his way to the back door.

Jeanie nodded. Much safer than saying what she was thinking and what she was thinking was that she would sleep much better if he stayed.