Her Dakota Man (Book 1 - Dakota Hearts) Read Online Free PDF

afternoon sky.
    Logan stopped midway through tossing wood in the pile. He used the back of his hand to wipe sweat off his forehead, leaving a streak of dirt in its place. Memories invaded Poppy's mind once again, as they always did when she was with Logan. He wasn't that hot, sexy teenager she'd spent just about every waking minute with as a kid. He was a handsome grown man who worked hard and his chiseled muscles beneath his shirt showed just how much.
    She’d never been able to erase the member of what it felt like to be in Logan McKinnon’s arms. She knew just how strong his arms were when they were wrapped around her. Not as a lover. She’d never had that privilege, although she’d gone there many times in her adolescent dreams. But there were memories that she held dear and she revisited when the pain of them weren’t too hard to bear.
    She pulled herself from her memories, and wild childish dreams, and swallowed hard.
    “I just thought you might be getting hungry.”
    “You cook?”
    She made a face. “Not really. But I can figure out how to make a hamburger if you have some beef. I'm sure we can make a meal without your mother giving instruction. Unless your culinary skills have evolved beyond macaroni and cheese.”
    Logan cocked his head to one side, looking completely impish and adorable. “Keith and I actually eat over at my mom's a few times a week. She's busy at the shelter tonight. But…I can make macaroni and cheese…and spaghetti with bottled sauce.” He chuckled, showing the deep dimple that always marked his left cheek. She longed to brush her finger over the mark.
    “Good. Then we won't starve,” she said, laughing. “Thank God for your mother.”
    Logan thought a minute and shrugged. “I haven't been to the store. I don't think we have much in the cupboards. We might have animal crackers and cereal. I don’t even have cheese for grilled cheeses.”
    “I can run to the grocery store and see if there is anything still left on the shelves that hasn't been picked over. There was a ton of people in town earlier after the delivery truck arrived so there may not be much left.”
    “We may do better seeing if my mother has any leftovers from the meals she's preparing down at the shelter for all the displaced folks.”
    “I'm game if you are.”
    He eyed her as if he was teasing. “It won't be up to New York City restaurant standards. You’ll probably be eating off a paper plate.”
    Poppy let his comment slide despite feeling slighted. It would do no good to allow Logan to get under her skin more than he already had. “If your mom cooked it, I’ll love it. Always have.”
    His lips lifted to one side in a slow smile that had her knees weakening beneath the weight of her.
    He glanced back toward the house. “We can clean up now or later. Your call.”
    A hot bath was definitely in order to ease out the aches and tightness from all the lifting today. Her skin had scratches she couldn't see, but felt with every movement. Her hands had calluses that were about to break open. But all the fresh air and work had made her starving.
    “I have a feeling we won’t be any dirtier than anyone else who’s been outside all day. I've worked up an appetite. I have a feeling if I take a bath now all I’ll want to do is crawl into bed and sleep.”
    Their eyes locked for a good long moment. She wondered what it was that she'd said to cause the flare of light in Logan's eyes.
    When he said nothing, she added, “We can pick up Keith while we're at it so Hawk doesn't have to make another trip out here.
    Logan nodded. “We'll take my truck.”
    * * *
    As they drove into town, Poppy once again took in the devastation that hit Rudolph so badly over the last few weeks, glad that it was now dark and she could only see the damage under glaring lights from generators as people continued to work into the night. Riding through town a second time didn't make it any easier than it had this morning when she’d