Second Chance at Love (The MacKenna Born & Bred Trilogy) Read online

  They were able to see Raelyn in Recovery, but only one of them was admitted at a time. Brooke and Karissa insisted that Paul go first, and he wasted no time. They were so relieved that their mother's surgery had been a success, and they were also happy for their father, who seemed to have a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

  Because Raelyn had a private room, Paul was able to stay. The staff would accommodate him with a cot to sleep on in Raelyn's room, and he would be able to use the bathroom facilities in her room, as well, so that he would be able to shower. They'd also given him a meal card. With all of that taken care of, he could concentrate on just being with Raelyn over the next few days and helping her to begin the recovery process.

  Brooke and Karissa commuted back and forth to the hospital every day to spend time with their mother. Karissa decided to stay at her parents' house to keep Brooke company. In the evenings, they would have dinner, watch television, listen to music. A few times a week, Brooke would spend time texting or talking to Ashley. Brooke would run, and had even gotten Karissa to run with her a time or two. Brooke would also ride. It was one of the things that brought tremendous joy to her life. It always had been.

  She'd been riding for almost as long as she could walk. She'd competed as a girl, and had continued to compete right up until she'd gone away to college. She'd shown all over the West, and had earned herself a solid reputation as a skilled equestrian.

  Karissa had taken the week off from work, popping into the shop only a few times throughout the week to check on things. Between her two assistants, they were handling the shop. Brooke and Karissa had been going back and forth to the hospital for four days. As anticipated, Raelyn was discharged from the hospital on Friday. After her seemingly long and tiring stay in the hospital, she was happy to be home. She would have a rough couple of weeks, but she would begin to heal and gradually feel stronger. She just needed to take it easy for a while.

  Both Brooke and Karissa had spent the weekend at home with their parents, helping their mother to settle in. On Monday morning, Karissa left for work from her parents' house at 7:45. She had a ten minute drive into town, and didn't need to open the shop until10:00, but she wanted some time beforehand to go over invoicing and inventory. She also needed to order supplies. She hadn't had time the week before to get that kind of stuff done, and the quiet time she would have before she opened would be perfect.

  April 2005

  They sat in the soft, thick grass, Logan leaning back against the trunk of a huge sycamore, one leg slightly bent and the other extended. Brooke sat comfortably between his legs, her hand resting on his well-muscled thigh and the back of her head nestled against the front of his shoulder, her dark mass of hair spreading over it like a fan.

  It was a warm spring day, and they were content to just sit beneath the shade of the tree, together. They'd met for lunch and still had some time to kill before their next classes began. Brooke had biology and then calculus, back to back. She knew that Logan had only one more class after lunch on Fridays ~ Physics, followed by tennis practice. Brooke shuddered at the thought of his physics class. She'd stick to her own math and sciences, thank you very much.

  She was pre-Med and had already been accepted into Harvard Medical School. She knew without a doubt that she wanted to go into medicine since she was eight years old, just as Logan had always known that he would pursue a graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering.

  Coincidentally, her love of medicine began around the same time she and Logan were caught playing doctor in her bedroom one summer day. Her parents had bought her the doctor play set she'd been asking for as a birthday gift that June, complete with a medical bag filled with tools and implements, a stethoscope and a white lab coat. Logan swore her in by reading the Hippocratic oath that was printed on a card inside the box. Of course, it was a scaled down version that an eight-year-old could read, but that was fine with Brooke, who was in heaven.

  As a doctor would, she instructed him to lay back on the exam table, or the bed in their case, and be perfectly still. He was a horrible patient. He was fidgety and impatient and complained the entire time she was examining him. But he lay there, in nothing but his underwear, while she examined him from head to toe. When she pressed on his stomach, he couldn't stop himself. The gas was expelled in a loud whoosh. Her eyes widened at the sound, and then narrowed when the smell filled the air. She squealed, and Logan just lay there with his arms behind his head and a smirk on his little face.

  “Eww, you're so gross,” Brooke exclaimed, her shrieky little girl voice filling the room.

  “That's what you get for pressing on my stomach,” Logan said. “And you better be quiet before our moms catch us in here. We'll be in big trouble. Everyone knows the rules ~ no kids in the house while the parents are outside.” His eyes, as big as saucers, were completely serious.

  “Fine, but you better not fart again,” she warned.

  “Fine, I won't, if you don't press on my stomach again,” he retorted.

  “Just lay back and be quiet,” she whispered. He obeyed.

  “Okay, Mr. MacKenna, now tell me again where it hurts,” Brooke directed.

  Logan let out an impatient breath. “I already told you.”

  She glared at him. “Tell me again.” She enunciated each word.

  Reluctantly, he pointed to his chest. “It hurts here,” he said.

  “Alright, let me listen to your heart.” She brought the stethoscope up to his chest and laid it over the area of his heart, moving it this way and that. “Hmm. Just as I suspected,” she said, shaking her head. “This is very bad.”

  Logan swallowed hard, his eyes wide. “What?” he asked.

  She turned toward her bag, rummaging through it, and came up with a scalpel. She held it up in front of him. “You're gonna need surgery.”

  He screamed, and she broke into fits of giggles, trying to catch her breath.

  “Shh! They'll hear---” Her warning was broken off as the door swung open suddenly.

  Diana and Raelyn stood there, hands on hips, first confused, then clearly annoyed. Raelyn spoke first. “What in God's name are the two of you doing in here?” Then it was Diana's turn. “Logan Matthew MacKenna, why aren't you wearing any clothes?”

  “It's all Brooke's fault, mom,” he stammered, while jumping up from the bed and trying to put on the clothes that she scooped up and dumped into his arms. “Brooke wanted me to be her patient, and then she said I need surgery and she tried to cut me open.”

  “Oh, don't be such a tattletale, and a baby. I was only joking.” Brooke said to Logan. In the way that kids do, he stuck his tongue out at her.

  “Both of you, outside now,” Raelyn said, pointing toward the door. “We'll have to think about what your punishment is going to be.”

  “And you can forget about going to the movies tomorrow,” Diana added.

  But, but – he'd been planning on seeing the new Steven Spielberg movie for weeks.

  “Aww, man,” he whined, and followed Brooke down the stairs.

  “Keep it up, mister, and you'll be grounded for a week,” his mother threatened.

  He thought about missing Hook and what his punishment might be, and swore to never play with Brooke again. Ever.

  The smile on Brooke's face fascinated him. She was so beautiful that it sometimes took his breath away.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, nuzzling her neck.

  She smiled because she couldn't help herself, and looked up at him. “Oh, about the summer when we were eight and I got that medical play set for my birthday and we played doctor in my bedroom.”

  She knew he had to remember because he carried on for a month about how he missed seeing some movie he'd wanted to see, and it was all Brooke's fault. Him not playing with her only lasted until the next day, by the way.

  “Yeah, and I missed Hook thanks to you,” he teased. Yep, still holding onto that, are ya? she thought, smiling.

  “Thanks to me, huh? I seem to remem
ber that you were the one screaming like a girl, which tipped our moms off that we were up there.”

  He laughed, the memory becoming quite clear in his mind. “I can't believe you still remember that,” he said.

  “Of course I do. I remember everything that happened when we were kids. Don't you?”

  “Yeah, pretty much,” he answered, a smile tugging at his lips. “Including you kissing me in the bouncy house when we were six.”

  She stared at him, her mouth agape. “What are you talking about? You kissed me!” she argued.

  “Nope. That's not how I remember it, babe.” Amusement danced in his eyes.

  “And how, pray tell, do you think you remember it?” She was becoming thoroughly entertained now.

  “If memory serves correctly, you fell down, and after I helped you up, you laid one on me.”

  She laughed at his recollection of the event. “I seem to recall that you knocked me down in the bouncy house, and after I got to my feet, which wasn't an easy task considering the incredible bounciness and all, you kissed me smack on the lips.”

  He chuckled, and wrapped his arms tightly around her. “Okay, have it your way,” he teased.

  “Mhmm...” She still had a smile on her face. He never failed to make her laugh. That was just one of the many things she loved about him.

  They fell quiet for a minute, enjoying the closeness.

  “Sometimes I wonder what our kids are going to be like. You know, what they'll look like, what their little personalities will be like.” She looked at him, their eyes locking. “Do you ever think about that?”

  “Of course I do.” He'd thought about it many times, and he'd come to the conclusion that he loved the thought of having children with Brooke. There wasn't another woman on Earth he would want to share that with. He watched as she absently played with the sparkling diamond engagement ring on her wedding finger. He'd placed it there the summer before when he'd proposed to her.

  He was crazy in love with Brooke, and had been for most of his life. One day they would be married and start a family and all of their dreams would come true. Today, though, his goal was simply to ace his physics exam. He'd been up late studying the night before, and was confident that he was prepared.

  The movement and noise level of students in the distance told them it was about that time. Logan glanced at his watch. 12:52. They had eight minutes to make it to their next class. They stood, grabbing their backpacks, which were leaning against the side of the tree trunk. Logan threw his over his shoulder, and then pulled Brooke in close to him. He kissed her, thoroughly, a lip-tingling kiss that made her heart race. Still, after all this time. She smiled up at him.

  “I love you, Brooke.” He meant it with everything he had. He couldn't imagine his life without her.

  “I love you.” She reached up to kiss him once more.

  “See you later, babe.”

  “Don't forget that we have Ben's party tonight,” she said, referring to their mutual friend who was hosting an end-of-the-year party that night at his family's vacation house on the bluff.

  He smiled. “I'll pick you up at 7:00,” he called out as he strode off in the direction of his class. She waved as she headed to her own.

  Brooke had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity. She glanced at her wristwatch. It had only been half an hour. It was 7:30 and Logan still wasn't there to pick her up. With every minute that passed, she became increasingly more worried. It wasn't like him to be late, and it certainly wasn't like him not to call if he was going to be. He was the most responsible, most considerate person she'd ever known. She'd called and texted him already, but he hadn't answered either. No, definitely not like Logan, she thought.

  Jacqueline, Brooke's best friend and roommate, had already left for the party with her boyfriend, Ian. They'd offered to give her a ride over with them, but Brooke had insisted on waiting for Logan. Jacqueline reminded Brooke that she was staying at Ian's place that night because they were leaving early the next morning to go to his parents' house for the weekend. Brooke assured her that she would see them at the party, eventually.

  She glanced at her wristwatch again. 7:40. She scooped up her handbag and her keys. Maybe something was wrong. She'd just head over to Logan's dorm room first. Maybe he'd fallen asleep and forgot to set the alarm. Maybe he was sick and wasn't able to call her. All of these thoughts ran through her mind as she slid behind the wheel of her car and drove the short distance to Stone Hall, where Logan's dorm was located.

  When she pulled into a vacant parking space, she noticed Logan's car parked two spaces over. If his car was here, then he must still be here, she thought, heading upstairs to his room. She knocked, but there was no answer. She knocked again, and again, nothing. She pulled the key out from her purse and unlocked the door. Opening it wide, she slipped inside.

  She called his name, but there was only a dull silence. She made her way down the long hall, the closet to the right and the bathroom to the left. The bathroom door was left open and she stopped briefly, peering inside. A slightly damp towel was thrown over a bar that hung on the wall, indicating that he had showered, but based on the fact that the towel was only a bit damp and the smells of soap and deodorant and aftershave were very faint, Brooke determined that it had been a while since Logan had been there.

  She scanned the room. She spotted his backpack and tennis racquet sitting on a chair in the far corner. A few articles of clothing were scattered here and there. And on the center of the bed was his cell phone, beeping periodically to alert him that he had a voice mail. She picked it up, punching in the password, and scrolled through his missed calls. Yep, there they were, the two missed calls from her. And the text message she'd sent, unopened.

  So he'd forgotten his cell phone, and that's why he hadn't answered her. She knew there had to be some logical explanation. Alright, that made perfect sense. But what didn't make any sense at all was the fact that he was gone, and she had no idea where he could be. And whose car had he left in?

  Had something happened to him? A million thoughts began running through her mind. Did he have an accident and was unable to call? No, if that were the case, someone would have called her. The police, the hospital, one of his idiotic friends. Unless he was unconscious and wasn't able to respond, and his friends weren't around. She had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Okay, calm down, she told herself. You don't know what's going on, so don't assume the worst. She knew one thing. She wasn't going to sit around and wait for him to show up. She was going to go find him.

  When she pulled into the huge circular drive in front of Ben's family's house, it was already packed. The place was lit up like Christmas, and people were everywhere.

  She ran into Jacqueline and Ian inside. They hadn't seen Logan. She stood there for a minute talking, telling them what she had discovered at his dorm room.

  Sleazy Jennifer strolled by, looking extra slutty in a skin-tight dress that was two sizes too small and hugged every curve.

  “Look at her,” Jacqueline said, disapproval dripping from her words. “She's such a whore. I wonder who she's gonna bang tonight. Some poor, unsuspecting soul, no doubt. Someone should clue her in that she should buy clothes that actually fit her. Her huge tits are practically hanging out all over the place.”

  Jacqueline eyed her, her contempt evident. Jennifer had always been a slut, and had slept with pretty much every guy in their graduating class. And probably some of the females, too, Jacqueline thought, snickering to herself. She'd hit on Ian in the past, and Logan a handful of times. She was currently hanging all over one of the football players, and making a spectacle of herself.

  At precisely that moment, Logan walked into the room, followed by Adam. Brooke heard him before she saw him, and she couldn't believe her ears. She could have sworn she heard him slur his words. When he spotted Brooke, he made a bee line for her.

  “Hey, Brooke baby,” he said, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her close. The smell as
saulted her senses.

  “You smell like a brewery,” she said, scrunching her nose.

  “Awe, come on, babe. I don't smell that bad,” he replied, trying to kiss her. She pushed off of his chest.

  She was pissed. Utterly and completely pissed. She'd spent the past couple of hours worried sick about him and he'd been out drinking? He had some damn nerve.

  “Are you serious right now?”

  “What?” he wanted to know, looking down at her like he had no clue at all why she would be so steaming mad.

  “I waited for you, Logan, for forty minutes. And when you didn't show up, I came looking for you. I was worried sick that something had happened to you.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “And then you show up here drunk off your ass and act like everything's fine.” Her eyes were shooting daggers.

  “I'm not drunk yet. Just buzzed,” he told her, matter-of-factly. The death glare she aimed at him told him she wasn't amused. “I'm sorry. I should have called you. But Adam stopped in just as I was getting out of the shower and asked me if I wanted to go to the bar for a couple of drinks with a few of the guys. It was still early, and honestly, I didn't see the harm in it.”

  “Oh, you didn't see the harm in it,” she said, sarcastically. And to make matters worse, you conveniently forgot all about me.”

  “I didn't forget about you. I just lost track of the time, that's all. But I'm here now,” he said, with a grin on his face.

  She snorted. “And that's supposed to make it all better? You're an asshole, Logan.”

  It took his dull mind a few seconds to register the fact that Brooke had just called him an asshole. Brooke hardly ever cursed.

  “What's your problem? You're making a huge deal out of nothing. Christ, I said I was sorry for not picking you up. And then you insult me by calling me an asshole?” He glared at her. “Why are you being such a bitch?”

  “Bitch? Bitch?” she yelled. “Go to hell, Logan,” she tossed back, her voice cracking a little as she tried to hold back the tears.