expertise, but I’d say we need some trees with sturdy branches or planking in here to simulate a hang-up. And you and I can talk equipment … how we can get it down to bare minimums, where we place the pouch, and then how we modify it all.”
Logan dangled beside her, smiling.
“What?” she asked, irritated by his smug look.
“You’re buying into my project. Taking ownership. I like it.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t have much choice now, do I?”
“Nope,” he said, grinning even more widely.
“I can give you three to five hours a week, tops. I’ve got a regular job to hold down too, you know.”
“That’s fine. Can you clear your desk a little so we can start next week?”
“Probably,” she said. “Why don’t you come to my office, and I’ll show you some of the metal samples that might work for this project. I say we make it work in whatever size is easiest to develop, then concentrate on making it as small as possible.”
“Okay,” he said, grinning again.
Reyne tried to push away her irritation but failed. “Listen, Logan, I don’t need you gloating over all of this.”
His face fell. “Oh, I’m not gloating. I’m just glad to have a partner in this research. It really will save lives.”
Reyne considered his words and then nodded. “Okay. Then let’s get on with it. Show me what you have so far.”
Logan pushed two more buttons, and the winches let them descend slowly.
Reyne unbuckled herself and walked with him to a worktable covered with various straps and climbing equipment. After they talked awhile, Logan fetched a gas can, filled it from a huge tank outside, and came back to her. “I’ll carry it to your truck for you if you’ll go salvage-yard hunting with me next Saturday,” he said, trying again.
She took the can from him and smiled sassily back into his eyes. “No need. I can manage quite well on my own,” she said. “And I already told you. I have plans for Saturday.” With that, she turned and walked toward the door. As she was leaving, Logan’s voice called to her.
“We’ll see about Saturday. I haven’t given up. Give me half a chance, Reyne Oldre, and I’ll give you better things to do on the weekend as well as during the workweek!”
Shaking her head with a stifled grin, she walked out into the sunshine.
As the door closed behind her, Mike Moser called over to Logan. “So, what do you owe me, buddy?”
“You owe
me
ten,” he said. “But I owe you twenty. I got under the hood of the truck, but I made no headway on the dating highway.”
Mike and three other guys hooted in laughter. Logan soon learned that Reyne Oldre, although widely admired, had let few men near her. She was friendly enough, just never open to anything more than that.
“Until me,” he said with bravado, straddling a chair backward and looking them all over. “I’ll get her to give me a second look soon enough.”
“Oh yeah?” Mike challenged. He pulled up a chair to the table and brought out a deck of cards, expertly shuffling. “From what you told me, you’re fighting an uphill battle. You captured her R&D money. Now you think you can get her interested in you?”
“Better than that. Let’s make our bet more interesting,” Logan said quietly. “Give me until the end of the summer to marry thatwoman. You can give her fifty bucks at our wedding dance, or I’ll give you a hundred as you walk out the door for the winter.”
The guys hooted and hollered, the sounds echoing in the rafters above them. “You’re on,” Mike said, shaking Logan’s hand. “Easiest money I’ve ever made, my friend. Easiest money I’ve ever made.”
C HAPTER S EVEN
R eyne frowned as she drove up to the Tanners’ on Saturday afternoon, wondering who was there besides herself and the Morgans. She did not recognize the other car.
Her attention was drawn away from the house by the horses in the adjoining field, who were prancing about like circus performers. Reyne laughed out loud as
Logan dangled beside her, smiling.
“What?” she asked, irritated by his smug look.
“You’re buying into my project. Taking ownership. I like it.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t have much choice now, do I?”
“Nope,” he said, grinning even more widely.
“I can give you three to five hours a week, tops. I’ve got a regular job to hold down too, you know.”
“That’s fine. Can you clear your desk a little so we can start next week?”
“Probably,” she said. “Why don’t you come to my office, and I’ll show you some of the metal samples that might work for this project. I say we make it work in whatever size is easiest to develop, then concentrate on making it as small as possible.”
“Okay,” he said, grinning again.
Reyne tried to push away her irritation but failed. “Listen, Logan, I don’t need you gloating over all of this.”
His face fell. “Oh, I’m not gloating. I’m just glad to have a partner in this research. It really will save lives.”
Reyne considered his words and then nodded. “Okay. Then let’s get on with it. Show me what you have so far.”
Logan pushed two more buttons, and the winches let them descend slowly.
Reyne unbuckled herself and walked with him to a worktable covered with various straps and climbing equipment. After they talked awhile, Logan fetched a gas can, filled it from a huge tank outside, and came back to her. “I’ll carry it to your truck for you if you’ll go salvage-yard hunting with me next Saturday,” he said, trying again.
She took the can from him and smiled sassily back into his eyes. “No need. I can manage quite well on my own,” she said. “And I already told you. I have plans for Saturday.” With that, she turned and walked toward the door. As she was leaving, Logan’s voice called to her.
“We’ll see about Saturday. I haven’t given up. Give me half a chance, Reyne Oldre, and I’ll give you better things to do on the weekend as well as during the workweek!”
Shaking her head with a stifled grin, she walked out into the sunshine.
As the door closed behind her, Mike Moser called over to Logan. “So, what do you owe me, buddy?”
“You owe
me
ten,” he said. “But I owe you twenty. I got under the hood of the truck, but I made no headway on the dating highway.”
Mike and three other guys hooted in laughter. Logan soon learned that Reyne Oldre, although widely admired, had let few men near her. She was friendly enough, just never open to anything more than that.
“Until me,” he said with bravado, straddling a chair backward and looking them all over. “I’ll get her to give me a second look soon enough.”
“Oh yeah?” Mike challenged. He pulled up a chair to the table and brought out a deck of cards, expertly shuffling. “From what you told me, you’re fighting an uphill battle. You captured her R&D money. Now you think you can get her interested in you?”
“Better than that. Let’s make our bet more interesting,” Logan said quietly. “Give me until the end of the summer to marry thatwoman. You can give her fifty bucks at our wedding dance, or I’ll give you a hundred as you walk out the door for the winter.”
The guys hooted and hollered, the sounds echoing in the rafters above them. “You’re on,” Mike said, shaking Logan’s hand. “Easiest money I’ve ever made, my friend. Easiest money I’ve ever made.”
C HAPTER S EVEN
R eyne frowned as she drove up to the Tanners’ on Saturday afternoon, wondering who was there besides herself and the Morgans. She did not recognize the other car.
Her attention was drawn away from the house by the horses in the adjoining field, who were prancing about like circus performers. Reyne laughed out loud as
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