A wonderful smell of coffee and the muffled but insistent ring of his cell phone woke Logan the next morning. For a moment he had no idea where he was. Groping at the bedside table, he found his glasses -- funny, he didn't remember taking them off the night before -- but no phone. Finally he realized he fallen asleep fully dressed. The cell must still be in his pocket -- yes, there it was, dammit, it was wedged under his butt, still ringing -- he tugged at his jacket until it pulled free. But of course it was too late, and no message left.
Sighing, he moved to the chair and headed for the kitchen, where Sam and David sat drinking coffee. There was no sign of Max or Maria. David handed him a mug and said, "Heard about Max's little adventure last night."
Logan grinned. "Yeah, Max versus the great outdoors. She tell you about the cow?"
David laughed. "That was no cow, my friend. That was the bull. She's lucky she didn't get hurt."
The bull? No wonder Max had ended up in the creek. Logan shook his head. "Max can take care of herself. She, ah, she trained as a Navy SEAL for a while, you know." Now where had that crazy idea come from? He'd have to tell Max to back him up on it.
To change the subject, he said, "Did you check out the barn? Any sign of a visitor?"
"I always knew you were a smart guy," David grinned. "You were right on the money. A couple of loose nails on the door frame made it pretty easy to pull the whole plate right off without touching the lock. He must have been going in and out that way. We'll, he'll get a surprise tonight, because I've nailed it back in tight." David stood up. "You know, I wouldn't mind him sheltering in the barn, if it weren't for the smoking. Can't have that, though."
"Mystery solved, then."
"Thanks to you. So, now that you've cracked the case and made us all feel safe again, can I convince you to stay another night?"
Logan's telephone began to ring again and rather than answer David, he answered the phone. The static was bad and he didn't recognize the voice until he heard the words "case of oil." It was Frank at the garage! Good news. The oil awaited him. He dialed his own number. More good news. Bling was free and could pick it up. He dialed Max's number. Even more good news. Cindy was nursing a wicked hangover and would be at home until further notice. That gave him an idea.
Two more calls and it was all set. Bling would pick up the oil while Logan returned to Seattle, then together they would load the bike and the oil into Logan's car. Logan would then return in triumph to the farm with the bike, and spend whatever was left of the day enjoying Max's gratitude. Well, maybe "gratitude" was pushing it, but at least she wouldn't have any reason to stay cranky. They had worked well together in the night, but now that the adventure was over, she might just remember how badly the trip had started.
He snapped the phone shut and looked up to see David watching him. "You're not going to stay, are you?" he asked sternly.
"No, but I'm coming back," he said. Suddenly that didn't sound like such a bad idea.
------------------------------------------------
Rather than hang around the small kitchen bumping into cabinet doors and rolling over people's toes, he put his jacket on and went out on the porch to wait for Max to turn up.
He thought she was with Maria, but only a few minutes later her head appeared at the far end of the porch, over the railing. "Come here," she hissed. She was pointing at a spot in the dirt next to the porch. "Can you see that?" she asked as he craned his neck.
"No."
"Come down here then. I want you to see it."
"I don't want to come all the way down there. Show me again."
Max bent impatiently to the dirt. "See that? See the footprints?"
He did see impressions, but they didn't look much like footprints. "Are you sure?"
Max stood up, brushing her hands off. "Of course I'm sure. I learned this stuff along with my ABC's. Someone has been hanging around here." She tilted her head back. "Right below Maria's window, in fact."
Logan shrugged. "So that guy was checking out the house looking for some food. I wouldn't worry about it."
Max was unconvinced. "I want to take a little hike through the woods this afternoon. Can you man the house while I'm out?"
"No, I can't," he said, with a sinking feeling as Max began to frown. "I have to go back to town for something -- but then I'll --"
Too late. She was angry again. "You think just because I got knocked down by a cow that I don't know what I'm talking about! Fine. I'll handle this myself." In three seconds she was too far away to hear him call after her, so he didn't try. He pulled his car keys out of his jacket and went to the car.
----------------------
Back in Seattle, Cindy was cranky too, bleary-eyed and skeptical. "You sure you wanna do this?" she asked Logan, standing on the sidewalk outside her building in her winter coat and fuzzy pink slippers as Bling loaded the bike.
"Yes."
"I'm having second thoughts. I don't know if I want to sign off on this. Lettin' the bike out of my sight and all."
"Trust me. She wants the bike out there."
"Whatever." Cindy gave up, evidently too sleepy and cold to argue. "It's on you then. I'm goin' back to bed." Like Max, she turned her back on him and left.
Great.
-----------------------------------------
On the drive to the farm, he started to have second thoughts too. What if Max was gone for hours, maybe even until dark? He'd be sitting there all afternoon like a fool, waiting to surprise her, while she hiked through the woods thinking about what a jerk he was.
Or what if she took it the wrong way? This whole just-friends act was a tough one. At the beginning, right after her return to Seattle, he had gone too far in the "just" direction. The fight over that one had lasted for days, Max accusing him of caring more about work than about her. He knew he had hurt her feelings, risked the friendship and the partnership. It was just so damned hard for him to open up to her at all without letting her see way too much.
That was the mistake he was in the middle of making. Letting her see too much. For a crazy moment he considered turning back. All that stopped him was the fear that Cindy and her hangover wouldn't answer the phone again, and there he would be, stuck on Max's block all night, while Max sat awake in Sam and David's guest room thinking about what a jerk he was.
Great.
----------------------------------------------
By the time Max finally did turn up, David had unloaded the bike. It sat regally in the cold yard, the case of oil next to it. For a long moment Max stared. Logan practically stopped breathing.
Then she grinned.
For a minute he thought she was going to throw herself at him like a happy kid on Christmas morning. But she saved it for her baby, breaking open the carton right there on the spot, smiling to herself as she lovingly refilled the oil and inspected the bike for travel damage. "Hey, Maria, wanna go for a ride?" she shouted happily.
Logan watched her, forgotten but relieved. A satisified Max was always easier to live with than a disappointed, cranky, unpredictable Max. Maybe now she would admit that the farm concealed nothing more threatening than a bull and a hobo, and enjoy the rest of her trip instead of looking for assassins in the haystacks.
Sighing, he moved to the chair and headed for the kitchen, where Sam and David sat drinking coffee. There was no sign of Max or Maria. David handed him a mug and said, "Heard about Max's little adventure last night."
Logan grinned. "Yeah, Max versus the great outdoors. She tell you about the cow?"
David laughed. "That was no cow, my friend. That was the bull. She's lucky she didn't get hurt."
The bull? No wonder Max had ended up in the creek. Logan shook his head. "Max can take care of herself. She, ah, she trained as a Navy SEAL for a while, you know." Now where had that crazy idea come from? He'd have to tell Max to back him up on it.
To change the subject, he said, "Did you check out the barn? Any sign of a visitor?"
"I always knew you were a smart guy," David grinned. "You were right on the money. A couple of loose nails on the door frame made it pretty easy to pull the whole plate right off without touching the lock. He must have been going in and out that way. We'll, he'll get a surprise tonight, because I've nailed it back in tight." David stood up. "You know, I wouldn't mind him sheltering in the barn, if it weren't for the smoking. Can't have that, though."
"Mystery solved, then."
"Thanks to you. So, now that you've cracked the case and made us all feel safe again, can I convince you to stay another night?"
Logan's telephone began to ring again and rather than answer David, he answered the phone. The static was bad and he didn't recognize the voice until he heard the words "case of oil." It was Frank at the garage! Good news. The oil awaited him. He dialed his own number. More good news. Bling was free and could pick it up. He dialed Max's number. Even more good news. Cindy was nursing a wicked hangover and would be at home until further notice. That gave him an idea.
Two more calls and it was all set. Bling would pick up the oil while Logan returned to Seattle, then together they would load the bike and the oil into Logan's car. Logan would then return in triumph to the farm with the bike, and spend whatever was left of the day enjoying Max's gratitude. Well, maybe "gratitude" was pushing it, but at least she wouldn't have any reason to stay cranky. They had worked well together in the night, but now that the adventure was over, she might just remember how badly the trip had started.
He snapped the phone shut and looked up to see David watching him. "You're not going to stay, are you?" he asked sternly.
"No, but I'm coming back," he said. Suddenly that didn't sound like such a bad idea.
------------------------------------------------
Rather than hang around the small kitchen bumping into cabinet doors and rolling over people's toes, he put his jacket on and went out on the porch to wait for Max to turn up.
He thought she was with Maria, but only a few minutes later her head appeared at the far end of the porch, over the railing. "Come here," she hissed. She was pointing at a spot in the dirt next to the porch. "Can you see that?" she asked as he craned his neck.
"No."
"Come down here then. I want you to see it."
"I don't want to come all the way down there. Show me again."
Max bent impatiently to the dirt. "See that? See the footprints?"
He did see impressions, but they didn't look much like footprints. "Are you sure?"
Max stood up, brushing her hands off. "Of course I'm sure. I learned this stuff along with my ABC's. Someone has been hanging around here." She tilted her head back. "Right below Maria's window, in fact."
Logan shrugged. "So that guy was checking out the house looking for some food. I wouldn't worry about it."
Max was unconvinced. "I want to take a little hike through the woods this afternoon. Can you man the house while I'm out?"
"No, I can't," he said, with a sinking feeling as Max began to frown. "I have to go back to town for something -- but then I'll --"
Too late. She was angry again. "You think just because I got knocked down by a cow that I don't know what I'm talking about! Fine. I'll handle this myself." In three seconds she was too far away to hear him call after her, so he didn't try. He pulled his car keys out of his jacket and went to the car.
----------------------
Back in Seattle, Cindy was cranky too, bleary-eyed and skeptical. "You sure you wanna do this?" she asked Logan, standing on the sidewalk outside her building in her winter coat and fuzzy pink slippers as Bling loaded the bike.
"Yes."
"I'm having second thoughts. I don't know if I want to sign off on this. Lettin' the bike out of my sight and all."
"Trust me. She wants the bike out there."
"Whatever." Cindy gave up, evidently too sleepy and cold to argue. "It's on you then. I'm goin' back to bed." Like Max, she turned her back on him and left.
Great.
-----------------------------------------
On the drive to the farm, he started to have second thoughts too. What if Max was gone for hours, maybe even until dark? He'd be sitting there all afternoon like a fool, waiting to surprise her, while she hiked through the woods thinking about what a jerk he was.
Or what if she took it the wrong way? This whole just-friends act was a tough one. At the beginning, right after her return to Seattle, he had gone too far in the "just" direction. The fight over that one had lasted for days, Max accusing him of caring more about work than about her. He knew he had hurt her feelings, risked the friendship and the partnership. It was just so damned hard for him to open up to her at all without letting her see way too much.
That was the mistake he was in the middle of making. Letting her see too much. For a crazy moment he considered turning back. All that stopped him was the fear that Cindy and her hangover wouldn't answer the phone again, and there he would be, stuck on Max's block all night, while Max sat awake in Sam and David's guest room thinking about what a jerk he was.
Great.
----------------------------------------------
By the time Max finally did turn up, David had unloaded the bike. It sat regally in the cold yard, the case of oil next to it. For a long moment Max stared. Logan practically stopped breathing.
Then she grinned.
For a minute he thought she was going to throw herself at him like a happy kid on Christmas morning. But she saved it for her baby, breaking open the carton right there on the spot, smiling to herself as she lovingly refilled the oil and inspected the bike for travel damage. "Hey, Maria, wanna go for a ride?" she shouted happily.
Logan watched her, forgotten but relieved. A satisified Max was always easier to live with than a disappointed, cranky, unpredictable Max. Maybe now she would admit that the farm concealed nothing more threatening than a bull and a hobo, and enjoy the rest of her trip instead of looking for assassins in the haystacks.
