down and reached into the basket for a bottle of soda. He drank half the bottle before coming up for air. With a frown he stared across the pond at the pair of graceful swans and wondered how he had known exactly where to find Kelli . . .
Kelli woke slowly with the terrifying knowledge she wasn’t alone. Cautiously peeking out from behind her lashes, she breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Logan. The blond highlights in his brown hair gleamed in the afternoon sun and a frown marred his brow as he stared out across the pond.
A blush of embarrassment swept up her cheeks. She hated being caught sleeping. In a hurried movement she rose to a sitting position and yanked at her baggy sweater.
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
"I think that should be ‘Good afternoon.’"
He watched her try to hide a yawn behind her hand. "I hope you’re hungry."
"Hungry?"
With a lofty wave toward the basket, he announced, "Your lunch is served."
Bewilderment shone in her eyes as she glanced from Logan to the picnic basket. What was he up to now?
Logan read the confusion in her sleep-filled gray eyes and smiled his friendliest smile. "It’s a peace offering. No matter what my opinion is, you are part of the family now. I think we should at least get to know each other, and possibly become friends." With a little-boy smile tilting up the corners of his mouth, he said, "Come on. I even packed it myself."
Kelli hesitantly stood up, brushed off her backside, and tried to run her fingers through her tangled mane. "What’s in it?"
A twinkle of mischief shone in his eyes. "It’s a smorgasbord of American food."
She looked down at her muddy boots with disgust. She undid the zippers and pulled them off before sitting down on the blanket. "Didn’t they have American food in Sudan?"
"Sure, but by the time Mahmud finished cooking it, it didn’t taste American." Logan flipped up the lid of the hamper and pulled out a soda. "I didn’t know what foods you liked, so you are getting all of my favorites. If you don’t like something, you don’t have to eat it."
Kelli took the cold bottle of soda and read the label. "Your favorite soda is sarsaparilla?"
"Do you know how hard it is to find sarsaparilla in Khartoum?"
A sympathetic smile curved her lips. "I could imagine."
Logan returned her smile as he watched her relax and drink her soda. He leaned over and with a flourish produced two hoagies from the depths of the basket. "Your main course, madam."
Kelli’s taste buds stood up and cheered. Here was a man who knew the way to a woman’s heart. Logan watched as she slowly unwrapped her American hoagie, with the works, as if the answers to the universe were held inside the paper. He laughed as a full-blown grin lit up Kelli’s face. "What’s so funny?"
Kelli smiled at Logan and wondered how to answer. For a horrible moment she thought he was trying to seduce her with food. When she unwrapped the hoagie and spotted the mound of onions nestled between the meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, she knew her fears were unfounded. No man brought onions to a woman he was planning to seduce. She picked up the sandwich. "Nothing’s funny, I just love hoagies." Then she took a large bite. Satisfied with her answer, he picked up his sandwich and got down to the serious business of lunch.
Kelli wiped juice from the tomato from her chin and groaned. Logan had finished first, but she had put up a good fight. "I concede. When it comes to hoagies, you’re a bigger pig than I."
He had watched a small drop of juice roll down her chin and groaned. It would have been so easy to reach over and gently capture the moistness with his mouth. When she wiped the juice away with a paper napkin, frustration ravaged his body. He placed a friendly smile on his face and said, "Sorry. I didn’t mean for it to turn into a race."
Kelli finished off the rest of her soda, leaned back on her elbows, and watched Caer waddle toward her nest. "No need to apologize. I never
Kelli woke slowly with the terrifying knowledge she wasn’t alone. Cautiously peeking out from behind her lashes, she breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Logan. The blond highlights in his brown hair gleamed in the afternoon sun and a frown marred his brow as he stared out across the pond.
A blush of embarrassment swept up her cheeks. She hated being caught sleeping. In a hurried movement she rose to a sitting position and yanked at her baggy sweater.
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
"I think that should be ‘Good afternoon.’"
He watched her try to hide a yawn behind her hand. "I hope you’re hungry."
"Hungry?"
With a lofty wave toward the basket, he announced, "Your lunch is served."
Bewilderment shone in her eyes as she glanced from Logan to the picnic basket. What was he up to now?
Logan read the confusion in her sleep-filled gray eyes and smiled his friendliest smile. "It’s a peace offering. No matter what my opinion is, you are part of the family now. I think we should at least get to know each other, and possibly become friends." With a little-boy smile tilting up the corners of his mouth, he said, "Come on. I even packed it myself."
Kelli hesitantly stood up, brushed off her backside, and tried to run her fingers through her tangled mane. "What’s in it?"
A twinkle of mischief shone in his eyes. "It’s a smorgasbord of American food."
She looked down at her muddy boots with disgust. She undid the zippers and pulled them off before sitting down on the blanket. "Didn’t they have American food in Sudan?"
"Sure, but by the time Mahmud finished cooking it, it didn’t taste American." Logan flipped up the lid of the hamper and pulled out a soda. "I didn’t know what foods you liked, so you are getting all of my favorites. If you don’t like something, you don’t have to eat it."
Kelli took the cold bottle of soda and read the label. "Your favorite soda is sarsaparilla?"
"Do you know how hard it is to find sarsaparilla in Khartoum?"
A sympathetic smile curved her lips. "I could imagine."
Logan returned her smile as he watched her relax and drink her soda. He leaned over and with a flourish produced two hoagies from the depths of the basket. "Your main course, madam."
Kelli’s taste buds stood up and cheered. Here was a man who knew the way to a woman’s heart. Logan watched as she slowly unwrapped her American hoagie, with the works, as if the answers to the universe were held inside the paper. He laughed as a full-blown grin lit up Kelli’s face. "What’s so funny?"
Kelli smiled at Logan and wondered how to answer. For a horrible moment she thought he was trying to seduce her with food. When she unwrapped the hoagie and spotted the mound of onions nestled between the meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, she knew her fears were unfounded. No man brought onions to a woman he was planning to seduce. She picked up the sandwich. "Nothing’s funny, I just love hoagies." Then she took a large bite. Satisfied with her answer, he picked up his sandwich and got down to the serious business of lunch.
Kelli wiped juice from the tomato from her chin and groaned. Logan had finished first, but she had put up a good fight. "I concede. When it comes to hoagies, you’re a bigger pig than I."
He had watched a small drop of juice roll down her chin and groaned. It would have been so easy to reach over and gently capture the moistness with his mouth. When she wiped the juice away with a paper napkin, frustration ravaged his body. He placed a friendly smile on his face and said, "Sorry. I didn’t mean for it to turn into a race."
Kelli finished off the rest of her soda, leaned back on her elbows, and watched Caer waddle toward her nest. "No need to apologize. I never
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