A Bride for Logan by Barbara Goss (readict .TXT) 📕

“Alan, let’s go,” Logan said. He pulled Emma to the front door.

“Wait!” Emma cried. “You two go ahead. I’d like to stay here for a few more days.”

Logan tugged on her hand. “Emma, come on.”

The three of them stood in front of the barn while Tim and Rachel stood in the doorway of the house, watching.

“Listen,” Emma said, “it’s a long ride to Hunter’s Grove and I don’t think riding double will be comfortable for such a long ride or good for the horse. You two go, come back with another horse, and we’ll ride home together.”

Logan went into the barn and saddled his horse. Alan did the same.

Emma followed them. “Please, Logan.”

He sighed. “You’re right about riding double. It would work for a few miles but not for hours.” He mounted his horse. “I’ll be back for you tomorrow or the following day. I don’t think you should become too fond of Mrs. Bradley because you won’t be seeing her again.”

Chapter Sixteen

Emma tried to comfort Rachel while she cried. “Logan will get over it.”

“No, he won’t. I didn't understand how much I’d hurt him,” Rachel sobbed.

Tim stood on her other side. “I’m sorry I slipped and called you by name after you specifically told me not to.”

Rachel patted his cheek. “It’s not your fault, darling. People who deceive always get caught.” She dabbed at her tears. “I had no idea the scars he carried because of me.”

“Scars?” Emma asked.

“He confided in me yesterday that the reason he didn’t tell you how he felt was because he feared you'd reject him. I asked him why he'd feel that way, and he said it was because his mother had rejected him.” Rachel started crying all over again.

Tim hugged his wife. “I’m sorry you had to make that choice. It’s my fault, and I should be the one to make it right. I’ll go and talk to Logan.”

“No!” Rachel cried. “Let’s leave him alone. Let him work things out on his own.”

“I could talk to him,” Emma offered.

Rachel nodded. “You’re the only one that could talk to him about this. Not right away, but sometime, when you think the time is right.”

“I’ll try.” Emma patted Rachel’s back. “Will you be all right?”

Rachel nodded and stood. “Before he left, Logan told me about how your marriage came about.

“I’m glad. I hated having to pretend, but it wasn’t my secret alone to tell.”

“Come—let’s work in the garden. That always helps keep my mind occupied.”

Emma truly felt sorry for Rachel, but she felt even more sympathy for Logan. He feared rejection from her, too. What would she have done if he’d told her he loved her? She was fond of him, but not in love—at least, she didn’t think she was. Maybe she'd have told him she needed more time to know her feelings. There were many things she liked about Logan, but did she love him? What was love? Her heart felt sore when she thought about Logan having been abandoned as a child, but her heart also ached for Rachel. What she’d done had been wrong, but Emma still felt bad for her. She’d made the wrong choice, but then again, maybe that’s where the saying, madly in love, had come.

Rachel had washed and pressed the dress Emma had worn when she'd arrived. Now all there was to do was wait for Logan's return. It had been two days, he still hadn’t come for her, and she worried about him.

While she and Rachel worked in the vegetable garden, Emma asked “What is love and how do you know if you’re in love?” Emma was hoping it would help her to sort out her feelings.

Rachel put her trowel down and turned to Emma. “That’s a tough question. It’s like being asked to explain what God looks like. You know He’s there, but you can’t describe Him.”

“How did you know you were in love with Tim?”

“Well,” Rachel tapped her chin, “I missed Tim terribly when I hadn't seen him for a while. I thought about him all the time, too. Love is sharing a connection with someone and forming a bond. It means being concerned with his well-being before your own.”

Emma pulled at a weed before asking, “What about the physical part of love? I mean, goosebumps and sexual attraction—do they tell you if you’re in love?”

Rachel smiled. “Not necessarily. I don’t know about goosebumps; I've never had them. I think—and this is just my opinion—that sexual attraction is infatuation and not really love. When you love someone, it isn’t just about making love for sexual gratification. It’s wanting to become one with the person you love, to give all of yourself to the person because you love him.”

Emma nodded. “That makes sense since men visit places like saloons to romance women, but they aren’t in love with them.”

“Sometimes, you can stop loving someone. I loved Henry when I married him, but his coldness and neglect caused my love to die. I was young and…well, there's still no excuse for my actions.”

“Were you madly in love with Tim?”

 “We were both madly in love and still are. Through the years, the madness slowly turned to gentleness.” Rachel picked up her trowel. “Do you think you could be in love with Logan?”

Emma shrugged. “That’s just it—I don’t know. I care about him and feel horrible about his childhood and the scars he carries. I find myself thinking about him more, lately. I need to find out in case he proclaims his love for me.”

“Let me ask you a question, Emma: if I offered you two thousand dollars never to see Logan again, would you take the money?”

Emma thought about the question for several minutes. “No, I wouldn’t.”

Emma was