A/N – Okay my lovely readers, I'm planning to have one more chapter after this one, and then this story will be done! I may revisit this series later when I wrap up some of the other stories though since I do love this version of them. This story was definitely much heavier on mysteries than any of my others, and I think next time I'd stick to something simpler. I know several readers have mentioned wanting to read more about Mac and Dick's wedding, so perhaps a third story would focus more on them and their friends again and less about solving cases.
Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I really do appreciate every review I get and really love everyone who has stuck through this monster of a story!
Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.
Chapter 28 – Cowboy Up
Veronica awoke to the sound of laughter. She originally thought that it was coming from within their bedroom, but then quickly realized that the sound was actually coming from down the hall. She had expected to find Abby close by, but when Veronica rolled over she saw that Logan and Abby had already gotten up. She was the only one still in bed. She could clearly hear Abby giggling, and it sounded like it was coming from one of the guest rooms rather than downstairs. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 7am.
As Veronica started to sit up, Logan walked back into the room. He had already showered and was mostly dressed for work. He hadn't put on a tie or jacket yet, but did have a pair of dress slacks and a button down shirt on, which contrasted a bit with the pink and black polka-dot apron he was wearing. She raised an eyebrow and gave him a questioning look. "Nice ensemble," she teased.
He gave her a smile and winked. "Tomorrow it will be just this," he said as he tugged on the apron strings. "Unless I forget to pack it. Then I guess I'll have to be super careful when I fry the bacon."
"We wouldn't want any naked cooking accidents," she purred as she sat up on her knees and moved closer to the edge of the bed.
"No... those would be bad," he agreed with a sly smile as he walked to the edge of the bed and leaned down a bit to kiss her. He wrapped his hands loosely around her waist as they finished kissing. "So, do chocolate chip pancakes sound good to you?"
"Of course... sending Abby off with her favorite, I see."
He gave her a knowing smile and nodded. "I have the batter all prepared and thought I'd see if you wanted to shower before you join us. Abby's been up for about an hour tormenting Charlie, and I don't think I can put her off much longer."
Veronica nodded and kissed him again. "Go cook your pancakes, Betty. I'll be down in ten."
He chuckled at her and kissed her again before he turned to head back to the door.
When Veronica made it downstairs a short while later, Charlie and Abby were down in the kitchen as well. Abby was telling Charlie all about her trip to the aquarium with 'Papa Mars' and Alicia. Veronica noticed the stuffed leopard shark was sitting on the kitchen counter.
Logan gave her a quick glance over his shoulder as he finished up a batch of pancakes. "There's fresh coffee in the pot," Logan told her with a tender smile before he turned back toward the stove.
Veronica grabbed a mug out of a cabinet and poured coffee into it. "Refill?" she asked, noticing Charlie's cup was about empty. He gave her a grateful smile and nodded. It looked like jet lag was starting to catch up to him. Abby continued to tell Charlie about the aquarium while Veronica helped Logan carry the food to the kitchen table where he'd already placed plates and silverware, as well as toppings for the pancakes.
"So are you two planning to be around for Thanksgiving or going on some holiday vacation?" Charlie asked as he grabbed a pancake and started pouring syrup on it.
Veronica hadn't really thought much about Thanksgiving with everything that had been going on recently. Holiday vacation... She wondered how often Logan was gone during the holidays in the past with Alexis. They certainly had taken lots of trips together and, with work, holidays seemed like the likely time they would have gone.
Logan had an uncertain expression on his face as he shook his head in reply to Charlie's question. "I don't think we have any specific plans. I figured Veronica would probably want to spend the holiday here with her family though," Logan answered as he looked hesitantly at Veronica.
"Yeah, I hadn't really thought much about it either, but spending it with family… both of ours… sounds really good."
Logan gave her a tender smile and nodded. "We'll definitely let you and Cassie know what we decide to do," Logan said to Charlie as he reached under the table and gave Veronica's knee a slight squeeze.
Unfortunately, both Veronica and Logan needed to leave shortly after breakfast, so they couldn't stick around for more leisurely family time. Abby gave Veronica a big hug goodbye and told her that it was really fun staying with them. While the time she had been there had been anything but normal, Veronica was glad that she'd still gotten the chance to spend some time with her too. Charlie also gave Veronica a friendly hug and told her that he hoped to see a lot more of both of them now that he was back in California. Veronica returned the sentiment before saying goodbye to everyone and heading to the Sheriff's station.
Once Veronica made it to the office, she started working on the Fitzpatrick case files again. She let Leo know about her plan to take the next day off to spend a long weekend at Logan's beach house. Leo whole-heartedly agreed that they both deserved a break away from all the craziness that had engulfed their lives in the last two weeks.
Veronica was going through the latest case file when she heard a light tapping at her door. She glanced up and smiled as she recognized the two pairs of eyes staring back at her.
"It's been a long time, Veronica," Debbie said as Veronica nodded and stood up from her desk to go over and give her a hug. Troy was standing next to her with a baseball cap partly hiding his face, but Veronica could still make out a number of bruises that hadn't faded yet.
"It's so good to see you," Veronica said after hugging Debbie. "And I'm sure Troy's thrilled to have you back here too." Troy nodded in reply and wrapped his arm around Debbie's shoulder again, placing a light kiss on her temple.
"Yeah…" Debbie answered as she shot an affectionate smile at Troy. "I can't tell you how grateful I am that you rescued him," Debbie added as she slowly turned back toward Veronica.
"Well it was a joint effort… but you're welcome. So what brings you to the station? Official business?"
Both Troy and Debbie nodded in reply before Troy started to explain. "Yeah, with Liam behind bars, and a solid case being built against him, it seemed safe for Debbie to come back. Leo had her come in to look at some of the pictures of the identified victims that were recovered from the cemetery to see if she could pick out the one that she'd witnessed Liam stabbing."
"Any luck?" Veronica asked curiously.
Debbie nodded. "Yeah, I'll never forget that night, so it was pretty easy to identify him from the pictures."
"I take it you're both working with the DA on the case then?" Veronica asked next.
Troy nodded. "Yeah. We've talked a bit about the possibility of still needing protection, but at this point, Liam still doesn't know everything we have against him so it may not be as necessary. But, just to be cautious, the two of us are going to head out of town for a while. At least this time we get to go together. The DA will be in touch and when we get closer to trial, we'll be back to testify. The DA's worried that once Liam's lawyers hear about our testimony we could be in danger if word got back to some members of the Fitzpatrick gang. I've taken a leave from my job and let them know that when this case is over I'd like to do something else."
"So did you talk to Leo about joining us?" Veronica asked next.
"Yeah… he said he'd gladly work on getting approval to add another position on his team." Troy gave her a sly smile. "He was hoping he could get the Mayor to back him on the request too."
Veronica chuckled softly and nodded. "I may be able to apply a little leverage there too."
"Thanks again, Veronica," Debbie said as she leaned a little more into Troy. "For everything… even helping Casey figure out what really happened to me. I checked in with him this morning and he told me all about it. We're all really grateful to know someone like you."
Veronica realized that hearing Debbie's gratefulness helped to erase the guilt she'd felt for almost getting the Mooncalf Collective in trouble for having Debbie there all those years ago. She'd never meant for that case to end up like it had and wasn't sure how much of a negative impact it may have had on Debbie. "You really don't have to thank me. I was happy to help Casey and so relieved when we found out you were safe and alive. Now make sure the two of you stay safe so you can help us put Liam away… hopefully forever."
Both Debbie and Troy nodded in reply. "I guess this is goodbye for a while," Troy said as he dropped his arm from Debbie's shoulder and took a step forward to give Veronica a quick hug. "Much better than our first goodbye," he whispered quietly. She laughed softly as she patted him on the back for a moment before they stepped apart again.
"Keep her safe," Veronica said with a warm smile as she stepped over to hug Debbie too. Troy nodded and then wrapped his arm around Debbie's shoulder again when the two women had finished hugging goodbye.
"I definitely will," he replied as he gave Debbie a loving smile.
"And if there's anything I can do to help you two, just let me know," Veronica added as the couple walked toward the door. They nodded and then walked out of her office with a brief wave.
Veronica had barely taken a seat back at her desk when she heard another set of footsteps entering through her door.
"Bond," Mac said with a very happy expression.
"Good morning, Q. You look like you have some good news for me," Veronica responded excitedly.
"Yeah…" Mac's expression changed slightly as she glanced back over her shoulder. "Was that Troy I just passed on my way in?"
Veronica nodded in reply.
"Yikes… I know you said he'd gotten beaten pretty badly, but… yeesh."
Veronica cringed slightly and nodded again. "So, what have you got for me? Jewelry heist or our missing person?"
"The first one," Mac said as she pulled her laptop out of the bag that was slung over her shoulder. "Nothing new yet on the second one, but I'm still working on it."
"I can't wait to see what you've got for me given how excited you seemed to be when you walked in," Veronica said with a large smile as Mac turned on her laptop and then turned it toward Veronica. "It was almost the same expression Wallace makes when he smells snicker-doodles."
"Well it may not be as incriminating as we'd like, but hopefully it will help. I'm still just excited that I finally broke through his security code," Mac replied with a proud grin on her face.
Mac queued up the video as Veronica pulled one of the extra chairs around to the backside of her desk so they could both sit and watch it together. The video started with a pretty normal greeting between Stephanie and her boyfriend Jake, saying how they both missed each other and couldn't wait until Jake was able to come home for Christmas Break.
"So I got another visit from the sheriff deputies again," Stephanie said completely nonchalantly. Jake's expression became noticeably more alert and concerned at that. "They came to school and did a locker search."
Jake shook his head. "You didn't have anything you shouldn't have at school did you?"
Stephanie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Of course not. I would never bring anything to school that could get me in trouble. Like locker searches aren't a common thing at Neptune High with a quarter of the student body either dealing or buying." Veronica let out a sad sigh. Some things never do change, do they? Veronica was really hoping that taking Liam down would reduce some of the drug trafficking, but wasn't naïve enough to think others wouldn't try to take his place.
"Did your parents find out and freak like when they came to your house?"
Stephanie shook her head. "No… I don't think they even found out about it."
"You're not going to try to borrow anything for the winter formal, are you? I think that might be a bit too risky now."
Stephanie shrugged and gave him an uncertain look. "It's weeks away. Hopefully by then all of this will die down and they'll move on to some other case to work on."
"Well I think it's a bad idea, Steph," Jake said as he gave her a disapproving look.
"You're probably right," she replied with a thoughtful expression. "When I get over there with you next year, I can enjoy looking like a princess whenever I want."
"You always look like a princess to me," Jake replied with a loving smile.
The rest of the call was focused on Jake telling her about some things that had happened there since he last talked to her and definitely not related to the jewelry at all. Veronica was beaming as Mac ended the video.
"Even though she didn't admit to stealing the jewelry, I really think there might be enough here to implicate her. Especially if they recover any of the stolen property from Jake in France. Thank you so much, Mac," Veronica said excitedly as she gave her a quick hug. "If you send me the file, I'll forward it on to the investigators working the case in France and my insurance company contacts too. Of course if we could catch her borrowing something for winter formal, that would be even better!"
Mac nodded and typed on her computer for a moment. "Sent. So I heard you had another unexpected visitor yesterday?"
Veronica laughed and nodded. "Yeah… it was great to meet Charlie. Did you also hear we're headed to the beach house for a long weekend?"
Mac smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Logan called Dick earlier today to let him know you two would be out of town until Sunday… You know… that would be a perfect location for a private wedding ceremony… if you wanted a small private one, that is."
Veronica laughed and shook her head. "We aren't any rush to tie the knot… we don't have any secret we're trying to keep either," Veronica replied as she glanced at Mac's stomach and gave her a pointed look. "And speaking of secrets, I found out about the bet that you made Dick suggest to Logan."
Mac laughed and gave her an evil smirk. "What makes you think that was my idea? Maybe Dick came up with that all by himself."
"Right... you should know me better than that. And you should also know what sort of things I can do when I want to. You wouldn't want any secrets slipping out too soon, would you?" Veronica's tone matched her mostly playful warning expression.
"Okay… I get it… no more bugging you… or plotting against you... at least until after our nuptials and big announcement, but then all bets are off again," Mac replied with amusement. "Have an enjoyable long weekend and I'll see what I can find out on your missing person project."
Leo was out of the office when Mac left, so Veronica sent the video off to her contacts working on the case and then went back to looking through one of the Fitzpatrick case files. She would just talk with Leo when he returned about what strategy he thought they should take on the case taking into account the new evidence Mac had recorded for them. Veronica had only been working on the file for a few minutes when her cell phone rang. She smiled when she saw Logan's name show up on the display. "Got a minute?" he asked as she answered.
"For you, I've got three," she teased back.
Logan chuckled before he spoke again. "I was wondering, since we'll be out that direction, did you want to go riding again?"
"Of course!" Veronica replied excitedly. They hadn't made it back to the stable yet since their first trip there.
"I was thinking that if you wanted to get more comfortable riding, we could do some work in the arena first and then take the horses out on the beach."
"That sounds great," she replied with a fond smile. "Thanks for thinking of it. I really did enjoy riding the last time we went."
"Of course," Logan said in response. "I'll let you get back to work so I can call Jim and make the arrangements. Don't forget to pack your boots." She laughed softly at him before they said goodbye.
Veronica finally finished up at the station and headed home to pack for their trip to the beach house. Logan had been able to get off of work a bit earlier than she had and said he'd handle all the shopping for the food they'd take to the cabin. She was nearly finished packing when he made it home. "Don't forget your apron," Veronica teased as Logan started pulling clothes out of the closet to take with them. He laughed and pulled the apron out of the bag, flashing it in her direction before he tucked it back into where he'd already had it packed.
They decided to pick up a pizza at Cho's for dinner instead of worrying about cooking once they got there. It was torturous having to smell the delicious pizza throughout the entire drive to the beach house. Veronica was tempted several times to try to sneak a slice out of the box, but knew Logan would surely tease her about her lack of self-control later if she did.
"And here I thought you might devour me when we arrived, but I should have known I'd come in second to a Cho's special," Logan teased as Veronica opened the box on the counter and inhaled a deep breath. They'd brought in the other groceries and quickly put away anything that needed to go in the fridge or freezer so they could eat the pizza before it got too cold.
"Well I need to be sure I'll have enough energy for later," she replied coyly with a salacious wink.
"Mm hmm…" he responded a little skeptically. "Nice cover. Shall we sit out on the deck and enjoy the sunset?" Logan asked as he grabbed a bottle of wine he'd brought along and a couple of wine glasses. She nodded and grabbed plates, napkins and the pizza and then followed him out onto the deck.
They snuggled up together on one of the large lounge chairs and ate their pizza while they watched the sun slowly sinking closer to the horizon.
"Oh… I just remembered something… be right back," Logan said as he stood up and headed back inside.
Veronica took another bite of her pizza while she wondered what he went back inside to do. Logan returned a minute later carrying a book with a white cover and placed it on her lap. She smiled down at the book that had the black portrait of a man on the bottom half and red lettering at the top that read "Jack Maclean Secrets of a Superthief".
"So have you caught your superthief yet?" Logan asked as he took a seat next to her on the lounge chair again. They'd been discussing his day at City Hall on the drive to the house, and she hadn't gotten a chance to update him on her jewelry heist case yet.
"Not yet, but we are getting closer." She told him all about the video that Mac was able to intercept. "Leo and I talked with the investigators and insurance company and we are thinking about waiting until Neptune High's Winter Formal to see if we can catch Stephanie red-handed. I'd love to see the look on her face, but they may decide to get a warrant and search her boyfriend's apartment before then instead."
"Do you think the stolen jewelry is with him?" Logan asked curiously.
"That's my guess. I don't think he'd expect anyone to look there, but there is a chance that he took precautions when we searched Stephanie's house. We may just need to be a little patient with this one," Veronica explained thoughtfully.
Logan chuckled before he spoke. "Patience isn't always your strong suit, my dear." She playfully stuck her tongue out at him in response. "And maturity… did I mention that one?" he added with a smirk.
She narrowed her eyes at him for a second and then quickly stole a bite of the pizza slice he was holding. He laughed and shook his head at her. "So how's your other unofficial case going? Any luck on that one?"
Veronica shook her head. "Not yet. Mac's going to do a little digging for me on it too." She paused for a moment before she spoke again. "Can you think back to when you two were dating and if there was anything Emily mentioned that would give us a clue as to where she may have gone?"
Logan shook his head as he looked at her thoughtfully. "She talked a lot about living in L.A., but do you think she'd go somewhere that close to Neptune?"
"She could have. It is a big city and maybe it would be easy enough for her to vanish there. That wouldn't be my first thought though."
"Oh wait… I do remember her saying something once about a sister in Montana. We'd gone out for breakfast and I felt like biscuits and gravy that morning, and she made a comment about having those when she visited her sister in Montana."
"Hmm… well she doesn't have any biological siblings, but she was in foster care for awhile, so maybe there were some sisters there that she kept in touch with. Mac is helping me track down where the other kids are now. I found one in New York and one in Florida. I spoke to both of them, but no one in Montana yet. Both of the women I spoke to said Emily had never reached out to either of them once she left the foster home. Hopefully Mac will find more of them and maybe one will be in Montana."
They finished off their pizza and watched as the sun disappeared completely into the horizon. Logan had his arm wrapped around Veronica's shoulders and had started twirling some strands of her hair while she finished off her glass of wine. She sat the empty glass on the table next to the lounge chair and let out a soft moan as Logan started tenderly sucking on her neck right above her shoulder.
"Why haven't we made it back out here sooner?" Veronica asked with a breathy sigh as she tilted her head a bit more to give Logan better access to her neck.
"I guess we just got busy with you starting your new job, and then of course everything went crazy for a while. But now I get to enjoy my favorite place on earth with my favorite person in earth... my fiancé."
Veronica's lips turned up a bit more. She really did love hearing him call her that. She never would have guessed that the second time they'd come here that they'd be engaged already. "It's just so beautiful and peaceful here," she purred as he continued to place kisses on her neck.
"Mm hmm… and private too," Logan added as he slid his hand under the edge of her shirt and ran his warm fingers across her stomach.
She bit on her lip and took a deep breath. "There's that too," she said in a soft sensual voice. She pushed slightly away from him so that she could turn and straddle his lap. "I still think about you making love to me out here on the deck sometimes," she said coyly as she looked at him lustfully.
Logan took a deep breath as he ran his hands along her thighs. "Me too," he replied as he looked more intensely at her. Even with the limited lighting out on the deck since the sun had set, she could still see the desire and heat in his eyes which made her heat up in certain areas too.
"The memory is starting to fade slightly though," Veronica replied playfully with a sinful tone to her voice. "Maybe we need to have a refresher."
"If you insist," Logan replied as he leaned closer to her so he could start kissing up her neck again. His hands slowly traced a pattern back up her thighs, her sides, and then one went up into her hair while the other one went around her back, pulling her tightly against his body.
"I do insist," she moaned breathlessly as she rocked gently against him, earning a low moan from him as well. She loved having sex with him near the ocean and hearing the waves crashing down below while their bodies moved together in a similar undulating rhythm. He slowly removed her shirt and she felt herself shiver as the cool evening air hit her skin. He effortlessly changed their positions so that she was underneath him, with his body providing protection from the light breeze. She ran her fingers under his Henley while they continued to kiss and then pushed his shirt up, breaking the kiss so that he could take it off completely. Her body heated up even more as she felt his hot skin press against hers. He took his time, slowly placing kisses and light nips all along her shoulders and chest. He gave her a sly grin before he skillfully unhooked her bra in a single smooth motion. She arched up against his mouth as he closed his lips over her breast, thrusting her fingers into his hair and holding him firmly against her. After a few moments she let him move to the other side before he shifted up again to kiss her lips.
It didn't take long before they were both completely naked. They'd been so busy that week, and with Charlie's unexpected visit, they hadn't been this intimate since they celebrated their engagement on Sunday. Logan seemed to be taking his time and she was a bit impressed with his restraint. She loved all the moans and low growls he made as she took her turn exploring his body with her mouth when they'd switched positions and she was on top again. Her body was definitely not feeling any effect from the evening breeze with the heat rolling off of both of them now. While he'd been able to keep the pace slow and controlled when he was perched over the top of her, now that he was on the bottom, she was the one in control. She gave him a lascivious smile as she slid down on top of him and watched his eyes roll close as he took a deep breath. He laid still for a few minutes, obviously enjoying the tempo she as setting based on the way he moaned and bit slightly on his lower lip. He slowly opened his eyes part way and then sat up to kiss her as she continued to move with him.
"I love you so much, Veronica," he moaned breathlessly as he nuzzled his nose against her cheek.
"I love you too," she said softly as she bit gently at his bottom lip, causing him to suck in a quick breath before he captured her lips for a passionate kiss. His fingers were gently digging into her hips and she could tell he was trying to make this lasts as long as possible, but based on his breathing, she knew he wasn't going to make it much longer. She loved being able to make him completely lose control. She quickened her pace and felt his body become even more rigid, his fingers grasping at her with a little more pressure and his breathing becoming even more erratic. She heard him moan her name as his head fell against her shoulder. She tipped her head so she could nip at his ear, which caused him to gasp before a low moan escaped his lips. She knew she was right on the edge too and let herself surrender to the euphoric high she had been seeking, with him following right behind her.
He collapsed back on the lounge chair, pulling her down with him and wrapping his arms protectively around her. He was breathing too hard to talk, but placed a gentle kiss on her temple. A soft smile formed on her face before she placed a kiss on his chest. They rested like that for a while before Veronica finally tipped her head to look up at him. His eyes had been closed, but he slowly opened them and looked at her as she moved.
"That was amazing," he said with a blissful smile. She nodded slowly and leaned up to kiss him on the lips.
"New memory successfully created," she replied back with a sly smile.
He reached up and brushed some damp hair off her forehead. "And we have two more nights out here to see if we can top it," he replied with a salacious grin. She chuckled softly and nodded and then kissed him again.
Veronica woke up in the morning, to the sound of Logan breathing deeply right behind her. She was lying on her side and he was pressed up against her with one arm wrapped around her waist, while the other one was resting lower on her thigh. She hated to wake him up since he was sleeping so peacefully, but had forgotten to ask what time they were going riding and wanted to be sure they had time for breakfast before they needed to leave. They'd finally reluctantly pulled themselves off the lounge chair the night before and put on the minimum amount of clothes acceptable to finish putting the groceries away and get the rest of their things from the car. Then they'd crawled into bed and turned on a movie. Veronica had only made it about halfway through before she'd fallen asleep.
She reached down and entwined her fingers with his, which were resting on her thigh. She felt him move slightly and then she felt a slow warm kiss on her shoulder. "Good morning," Logan said sleepily as he nuzzled his head against her neck.
"Good morning," she replied softly as she brought their hands up to her lips and kissed the back of his hand. "What time do we get to go ride the horses?" she asked with a tone of excitement in her voice.
Logan chuckled softly and kissed her shoulder again. "A little excited about that?"
She nodded and then rolled over so she could face him. "Of course I am," she replied with a big grin.
He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "You're so cute when you're excited."
She shook her head and rolled her eyes slightly. "So…."
"Oh, right. Jim said around 10am would work, but if we are a little later, that's fine too."
"So you have plenty of time to make me breakfast," Veronica replied with a sly smile. "You did remember your apron, didn't you?"
A big grin spread across Logan's face and he nodded. She laughed and shook her head again and pushed slightly on his chest. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get to it, Betty Crocker."
He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. "Would you rather shower first and then eat?"
She shook her head slowly. "Nope… need to refuel before we enjoy the shower," she replied salaciously.
"Yes ma'am," Logan quickly replied as a lecherous expression crossed his face. He climbed out of bed and went over to the closet where he'd put their bags the night before. She smiled as she watched him pull the polka-dot apron out of his bag and put it on over the boxers he'd worn to bed. She laughed and he gave her a quick wink before he went back and held out his hand to pull her up from the bed. She'd put on a tank top and sleep shorts before they'd started to watch the movie and felt a little chilly in just that now, so she grabbed one of his long-sleeve button-down shirts that was on the top of his bag and slipped into that before she followed him out to the kitchen.
She helped him cut up some vegetables for omelets and then sat and drank coffee while she watched him cook. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of him with the apron on, cooking in just that and his boxers. "As much as I love having you drool over my half naked body, I think I might go and put some clothes on so we can sit out on the deck and eat. If you think it won't be too cold for you?" he asked when the omelets were finished.
"As long as the next item on our itinerary is a shower, I can agree to let you put some clothes on now," she teased with a playful smile.
"Always the benevolent one," Logan commented as he placed a kiss on her forehead and then turned back toward the bedroom again. Veronica carried their freshly refilled cups of coffee out on the deck and set them on the table before she took a moment to admire the view. She heard him come out a few minutes later and turned to give him a tender smile. He set the plates on the table near the coffee and then walked over to join her where she stood leaning against the deck rail, staring out at the Pacific. He put his arms on either side of her and placed a warm kiss at the juncture of her shoulder and neck.
"Mac said this would make a great place for a private wedding ceremony," Veronica said a bit wistfully as she stared back out at the water and leaned against his chest.
"Mm hmm… and then we could even just start our honeymoon here too," he said in a low husky voice as his lips grazed the edge of her ear.
"Well, I'd hope that you'd at least wait until the guests left."
"Guests?" Logan asked with a faux disappointed tone. "Why do there have to be guests? All those other people in the world always just complicate things, don't they?"
Veronica chuckled and nodded. "Well if you want to be the one to tell my dad that we got married and didn't invite him…"
Logan laughed softly and shook his head. "Nope," he relied, popping the 'P' loudly. "The deck is large enough to set up chairs for at least what, maybe 40 people I'd guess."
"Let's not get carried away there!" Veronica protested as she turned so she could face him with an amused smile on her face. "My dad and Alicia, plus Wallace, Cora and Darrell… Mac and Dick… Weevil and Carmen… Heather and Charlie, Cassie and Abby… I think that would be plenty, don't you?" she asked as she counted off on her fingers.
"You know all I really care about is you, me and someone to marry us… which doesn't have to be Dick of course. But those are the people who are most important to me too, so that sounds absolutely perfect. Any time you're ready, just let me know."
"Definitely not before Mac and Dick's wedding…" Veronica said thoughtfully. "Maybe we can start thinking about dates after that."
Logan nodded in reply and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "That sounds perfect. Shall we eat before the omelets get cold?" Veronica nodded and smiled and pulled him by the hand over to the table.
After they finished breakfast they took their time together in the luxurious shower. With Abby staying with them, and everything else that had been going on, they hadn't had many chances to actually shower together in the last couple of, so Veronica savored every minute they had together. Veronica had taken a bit longer in the bathroom after the shower, drying her hair and doing her make-up, while Logan dressed and said he'd meet her out on the deck.
Logan chuckled and gave Veronica a curious look when she finally made it out on to the deck. In addition to the boots he'd bought for her, she'd also picked up a distinctly western looking shirt that he hadn't seen on her yet.
"I see you're really dressing for the part today," he said with a teasing tone as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do I get a western accent all day too?"
"That'll cost ya extra, partner," Veronica responded in a Texas drawl as she batted her eyes at him.
Logan bit his lip and gave her a wicked grin. "Oh, you know I'd gladly pay."
Veronica laughed and shook her head at him. He leaned toward her and placed a kiss on her lips. "We'd better get going so we aren't late," he suggested. She gave him a quick wink and one more kiss before they headed back inside to go to the stable.
When they pulled up in front of the large barn at Windy Pines Stables, Jim was there to greet them again. After they quickly greeted each other, Logan and Veronica followed Jim into the barn. Veronica immediately spotted Rosy and Lightning waiting for them and saw that there was a woman riding a third horse in the arena. She had her curly auburn hair pulled back in a pony-tail and was going over jumps with the horse she was riding. Veronica couldn't help but notice how graceful both the horse and the rider were as they flew over the jumps that were set at various heights. When the woman spotted them, she gave them a quick smile and then turned the horse to head over in their direction.
"Hey Logan," the woman said as she approached them and then climbed down off the horse. "It's so good to see you again. I was bummed when Jim told me I'd missed you last time."
"Good to see you too, Marissa," Logan said as they exchanged a brief hug. "I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Veronica Mars." He gestured toward Veronica with a large grin.
"Fiancée, huh? Well congratulations," Marissa replied with a surprised grin as she reached out to shake Veronica's hand. "I'm sure you already know what a great guy you've got here."
Logan looked almost embarrassed while Veronica gave him a sly smile and told Marissa it was nice to meet her as well. Since they were going to spend a little time in the arena before going to ride on the beach, Marissa said she'd work with Veronica and give her a quick lesson. As Logan gave Veronica a boost to get up on Rosy, he gave Jim a knowing smile since the stirrups were already the right height this time.
"Didn't want to get a laziness lecture again," Jim said as he caught the glance causing Logan to chuckle and shake his head.
Marissa put Rosy on a long lead this time and walked Veronica out to an open section in the arena, explaining to her what she should do with her body to feel more comfortable in the saddle and then had her get used to a quicker pace. Veronica had been so focused on listening to Marissa and making sure she didn't fall off of Rosy, that at first she didn't notice that Logan and Lightning were doing the jumps. Marissa had stopped to remove the lead to have Veronica try it on her own.
"He's such a natural on horseback," Marissa commented as she patted Rosy on the neck and looked in Logan's direction as well. "Even the first lesson he took out here with Heather, he was just so comfortable and quick to pick up all the slightest nuances."
Veronica smiled and nodded. "Ever see him surf?" she asked Marissa, who shook her head in reply. "Almost the same thing... I remember some of his friends being so jealous of how quickly he took to it and how fast he exceeded even their abilities." The two women stood and watched him go through the full set of jumps before he caught them looking at him. He gave them a questioning look as he turned Lightning to start again.
"I suppose you'd better get back to practicing, rather than just ogling over your guy," Marissa teased as she stepped back away from Rosy and walked over to sit on the railing where she could watch Veronica ride on her own. Veronica certainly felt more comfortable this time, partly from having ridden Rosy before and partly from the advice Marissa had given her. She practiced on her own for a little while until Logan rode over on Lightning and kept pace next to her.
"You look a lot more comfortable on her than you did last time," he commented with a proud expression on his face. Veronica smiled and nodded in reply. "Next time maybe you'll be the one going over the jumps," he added, with a little wink. She laughed and shook her head. "Ready to head down to the beach?" he asked as he leaned down and patted Lightning's neck. Veronica nodded her head this time and reached down to pat Rosy's neck too.
They said a quick goodbye to Marissa and Jim and then headed down the path that led to the beach. Veronica enjoyed the scenery and experience even more this time since she wasn't worrying about falling off. They rode up the beach in the direction of Logan's beach house again. They'd planned on just returning the horses to the stable when they were finished, rather than Jim meeting them at the house this time, but Logan still asked if she wanted to take a little break when they got there. She agreed and they headed up the trail to the house. Logan found a large bucket in the garage to give the horses some water after they'd tied them up in a grassy spot by the house.
"They could probably use a little rest before we head back to the stable," Logan said with a suggestive look on his face. "I'm sure we could find something to do inside to kill a little time, don't you?"
Veronica laughed and nodded in reply. "I'm sure we could, cowboy," she said coyly as she reached for his hand and pulled him toward the house with her. She laughed and squealed as he scooped her up and carried her up the front steps to the house.
"Gotta practice for the honeymoon we'll have here later," he teased before he placed a deep kiss on her lips and carried her over the threshold, turning straight for the bedroom.
