Chapter Nine

 	“Catch!”  Simon’s voice caught her attention, and Logan turned her head to see
what he wanted.  At that moment a grapefruit came flying in her direction and she
fumbled to catch it before it hit the floor.  Seconds later a second followed it and she let
out a shriek of laughter. 
	“Simon!”  she scolded, as she placed the fruit in the grocery basket, giving a
wary glance over her shoulder to make sure there were no more surprises coming her
way. 
	“What?”  he looked at her with brows raised, looking completely innocent.  “You
don’t like grapefruit?”
	Logan rolled her eyes, but still laughed.  “Not when they nearly hit me in the
head!”
	He shrugged and grinned at her, which made her even more infuriated with him.  
“Not into flying fruit, hmm?” he said, looking around in exaggerated thoughtfulness. 
“What about lettuce?”
	She just managed to catch the head of lettuce as if flew past her, and tucked it
safely into the cart. “Simon! “  she said, through gritted teeth, glaring at him.  “You’re
going to get us thrown out of here. People are looking!”
	He looked around and shrugged.  “You’re not much fun, McCoy,” he said, but
she spotted the glint in his eyes and the upward curl of the corner of his lips and she
couldn’t help but smile back at him.
	“Just don’t throw the produce around, Okay?” she said, and he pretended to look
disappointed as he nodded his agreement. Then they turned the corner and Logan
looked around her.  There were canned goods on one side of the aisle and frozen food
on the other.  “On second thought, make that don’t throw any groceries around!”  she
said, and Simon burst out laughing. 
	“Alright, McCoy, I’ll behave myself.”  Then he gave her a sideways glance. “But it
felt good to laugh about something, didn’t it?”
	Logan smiled at him.  Bless his soul, he’d been trying to cheer her up and get her
mind off things!  She’d been so preoccupied when they’d set out to shop,  She  realized
now, that she must have had quite a scowl burrowed into her face.  
	“I guess I was a little uptight,” she offered, and he pretended to laugh.
	“A little?”
	“Oh Simon, I wasn’t that bad!” she insisted, laughing off his comment.  But then
she paused and gave him a questioning look. “Was I?”
	He screwed up his face and shrugged.  “Let’s just say, you needed to start
thinking about other things for a while.”  Then he clapped his hands together and rubbed
them in anticipation.  “So, what are we going to do today?  It’s a beautiful day out there,
why stay cooped up inside worrying about things when we could be out enjoying
ourselves.  You’re still on leave from your job, and I don’t have another project for a
while, so let’s consider ourselves on vacation!  Fill our days with fun stuff. What do you
say?”  He held up a basket that was on display on a table they happened to be walking
past.  “We can pack a picnic and get out of the city for the day.”
	She laughed and screwed up her nose at him.  “Simon, we’re in the middle of a
desert here, remember?”
	He grinned at her.  This was one of his better ideas, he thought. Getting out often and 
keeping busy would both keep her out of harms way if those thugs returned, 
and help him keep his hands off her! 
        “You pick the food, leave the destination to me, Okay?”
	She looked leery, but eventually she gave in and turned her attention to adding
items to the cart that could be taken on a picnic.  Surprisingly, she found herself eager to
impress, and picked up a few extras on her way down the aisles, and soon found herself
smiling and humming to herself.  Simon wandered along beside her, casually gathering
things of his own, placing them in the cart, and making idle conversation about what they
did or did not need to buy.  He had just placed something in the cart and announced he
was going in search of a particular seasoning he liked to use when he cooked, when
Logan heard a familiar voice at her side.
	“Logan McCoy!  Where have you been?  And who is that?”
	Logan turned toward the other woman.  Although Candace Green wasn’t exactly
her friend, they were co-workers and Logan usually got along well enough with her. 
They often shared their lunch breaks together, and Candace was friendly enough, but
Logan also knew that the girl liked to talk.  Not only did she like to talk a person’s ear off,
but she liked to talk about people.  Not that she ever gossiped in a malicious manner,
she just liked to share what she knew — with everyone.  It wouldn’t be long before
everyone at the department store knew Candace had seen Logan buying groceries with
a tall, dark, and handsome man.
	“Hi, Candace,” Logan smiled at her, hoping it took Simon an unhumanly long
time to find what he was looking for. 
	“I heard you were on a leave of absence,” Candace was saying.  “They said you
were in the canyon taking pictures.  Does this mean you’ll be back to work sooner than
we thought?”
	“Not exactly, Candace,” Logan said, glancing over her shoulder.  “I’m still on
leave.  I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Things aren’t completed yet.”
	Candace followed the direction of Logan’s gaze, and leaned in a little closer. 
“And who’s the good looking guy?”  Her eyebrows lifted playfully.
	“Simon’s just — just a friend of mine, that’s all.”
“Buying groceries together, huh?  Things must be pretty serious!”  Candace winked and
Logan wanted to crawl under the grocery cart, for Simon appeared around the corner at
that precise moment.  Candace giggled, and straightened up, looking from Logan to
Simon in anticipation of an introduction.
	“Hello,” Candace said, still giggling, when Simon reached the cart, and Logan
reminded herself that Candace Green was an extrovert.  If someone didn’t provide her
with an introduction, she would obtain one on her own.  And right at that moment the girl
held out her hand and smiled.  “I’m Candace Green.  I’m a friend of Logan’s.”  Still
grinning, she shrugged indifferently. “Well, we work together.  And you are?”
	Simon politely shook the girl’s hand, while noticing out of the corner of his eye
that Logan seemed to be scowling and rolling her eyes.  “The name’s Simon,” was all he
said, and released the girl’s hand.  Candace stood for a few seconds waiting for more,
but when there was none, she continued.
“Logan hasn’t mentioned you before, Simon.”
“No, I don’t imagine she has,” he said, still smiling politely.  Then he turned to
Logan.  “Are we finished then?”
	“Well, it was nice meeting you,” Candace said, looking slightly put out at having
found out nothing about the man putting groceries in Logan’s cart.  The scene was
suddenly extremely funny to Logan, and it was all she could do not to laugh as the other
girl turned and walked away, with a couple of backward glances.  It wasn’t until she was
completely out of sight that Logan finally let out the snicker she had been holding back.
	“What’s that for?” Simon asked, a brow raised. 
	She shook her head.  “She won’t stop guessing who you are for days, I’m sure.”
	Simon smiled.  “I like to keep a woman guessing,” he said, then catching her
raised eyebrow and inquisitive look he added, “especially when what she’s guessing
about is none of her business.  Now, shall we go?  We’ve got a whole day to fill up with
exciting activities.”
	An hour later, the groceries put away and the picnic packed, and both their
camera bags stowed in the back of the SUV,  they were heading north up the I-17 out of
the city.  Before long,  Sun City was behind them, and the open road ahead. 
	“So, where are we going?” Logan asked, but Simon shook his head.
	“How long have you lived in Phoenix?” he asked, in a calm, just making
conversation tone of voice.
	“A couple of years,” she said, wondering why he was asking.
	He smiled and cast her a sideways glance as he turned off the highway onto
another road. “Don’t get out much, do you?”
	“Well, I — umm — I — well, no, not really.  I don’t get out of the city much, if
that’s what you mean.”
	He just nodded, and turned his attention back to the road.  Logan pouted and
turned to look out the side window just as Simon turned the SUV off the road and pulled
into a driveway. 
	"We're here," he said, grinning at her like a child with a secret. 
	"We're where?" she asked, looknig around her.  They were, apparently, parked
in front of someone's house.   Logan looked at Simon, her confusion showing on her
face.  He'd said they were going on a picnic, but he'd taken her visiting?
	"Come on," he coaxed, as he opened her door for her. "You get the basket, I'll
get the camera bags."
	"Simon?" she called, as he disappeared around the back of the vehicle.  She felt
like she was back in the canyon running to keep up with him.  As she reached his side, a
man came towards them from the house, and for a moment Logan wondered if they
were going to get in trouble for being there.  There was, of course, no worry, for as the
man approached them his friendly smile could be clearly seen.
	"Simon Crestwater!" the man said.   He was a short man, not much taller than
Logan was herself.  He was also much older, with grey in his hair and moustache, and
deeply carved wrinkles giving character to his bronzed face.  He gave a look of
appreciation as he raised a hand to pat Simon on the shoulder.  "It's been a long time,
hasn't it?"
	"It sure has," Simon agreed, then the man turned to look at Logan, and she was
almost certain she saw him wink at Simon first. 
	"And who's this pretty little thing?"
	Logan blushed despite herself while Simon reached into the back of the SUV
and pulled out the basket, handing it to her.  "Carlos, this is Logan McCoy."  He looked
at Logan and nodded his head towards Carlos.  "Carlos and I did a photoshoot together,
a few years ago. "
	It shouldn't have surprised her.  Nothing about Simon Crestwater should ever
surprised her.  He travelled the world; there was no reason why he shouldn't know
people everywhere he'd been.  To think that the Shellington's were the only people he
knew in all of Arizona had been silly on her part. And she also realized that whatever he
had planned for the rest of the day would likely be something out of the ordinary, and
that shouldn't surprise her either.
	"Everything ready?" Simon was saying, and Carlos, beaming from ear to ear,
was nodding profusely. 
	"Everything is all set, Boss," Carlos said. 
	It seemed to amuse both of them that Logan was staring at them in confusion,
feeling completely out of the loop.  Carlos took her gently by the elbow and led her along
beside Simon as they began to walk towards a large, weathered old building several
hundred feet from the house.  He never stopped smiling, and never stopped nodding,
and kept up a steady stream of conversation as they walked.  He even had Logan
laughing as she looked from one man to the other, and when they rounded the corner of
the building, she was intent on the expression on the old man's face.  It wasn't until he
stopped talking and nudged her elbow, that she turned a curious look towards Simon.
	"Here we are,' Simon said, and motioned in front of them.  Slowly she turned to
look, and her jaw dropped.  She suddenly found herself staring at a giant hot air balloon
hovering over a basket that was tethered to the ground. 
	"Simon!"  she exclaimed, gripping his arm in excitement. "What's this all about?"
	"This," her said, smiling down at her, "is our picnic spot.  What better place to
have a picnic than floating above the world?"
	Logan looked at Carlos again, and the old man was nodding once again. 
"Come, I'll help you in," he said, and the next thing Logan knew she was being ushered
toward the basket.   The balloon, a bright array of red and orange and yellow, loomed
above her as Carlos helped her over the side of what he called the cockpit.  Then he
handed her the picnic basket, with a grin and a comment of 'mustn't forget this' and
stepped aside to let Simon climb in. 
	"Is Carlos coming?" Logan asked, when the old man began untying the ropes
that held the balloon to the ground.  
	"He'll be here.  I don't have my pilot's license."  As he spoke, the old man hopped
over the side, pulling the last of the ropes loose and the balloon began to lift. 
	"You need a license to fly one of these?"
	Simon nodded.  "You need a Balloon Pilot Certificate.  Carlos is actually a flight
examiner.  He teaches people to fly balloons and tests them for their certificates.  We're
flying with one of Arizona's best."
	The photoshoot Simon and Carlos had been on, it turned out, had been all about
balloons, and Carlos had taken them up on several flights.  Simon had photographed
both balloons, and the scene beneath them, and right now he pointed to the desert
below.
	"Got your camera ready?" he asked her. She looked over the edge and gasped
in awe.  She felt like she was floating over the desert, nothing but the sky above them
and the earth below, suspended  on the wind.  Without a word, she collected her camera
and started shooting.  She had never seen the desert from above like this.
	And she had never seen a balloon from below like this either, she thought, and
turned her lens upward, taking a picture up into the inside of the balloon above her.
Then it occurred to her that Simon, who had been taking pictures alongside her, was just
leaning against the wall of the basket and watching her.  Feeling silly that the man
whose work she had admired for so long was watching her with her camera, she
blushed.
	"You must find it amusing, watching an amateur like me with a camera," she
said, turning her camera awkwardly in her hands. 
	"Amateur?"  He sounded surprised. Then he took  her chin in his thumb and
finger and lifted her head so he could look into her eyes. "On the contrary!   I was just
thinking what an amazing shot that was going to be."
	She giggled nervously.  "Oh, you're just saying that.  I'm just a wannabe.  You're
the best there is!"
	He shook his head. "McCoy, you sell yourself short. You don't need to idolize the
likes of me, you are a master in your own right.  I don't think I've ever seen such
enthusiasm, such passion for the camera. "
	She blushed even more, but he stopped her from looking away.  He held her
gaze with a clouded one of his own for several seconds, until the sound of Carlos talking
to them brought them back to reality.  Quickly Logan turned her attention back to her
camera while Simon went to talk to their pilot.  She was glad Carlos was there, Logan
told herself.  It wasn't a good idea to be alone with Simon Crestwater these days!
	They had their picnic in the sky, and Logan felt like she was in heaven.  When at
last it was time to land, she had to admit that she'd never had such a good time in her
life.  Even the landing was exciting.  
	Of course, balloon travel was completely dependant on the wind. Logan hadn't
given any thought to the fact that one couldn’t just turn around and go back home at the
end of the flight. She discovered that Carlos' three sons, Ricardo, Luis, and Jorge,  had
been following them in a truck on the ground, called the chase truck, and when their
father slowly lowered the balloon back to earth they were there ready to meet them and
recover the balloon after it landed. 
	Simon handed the picnic basket and camera bags over the side of the basket
then climbed out himself, turning to reach for Logan once he was on the ground.  He
lifted her almost effortlessly, and she laughed as he swung her over the edge.  This
whole afternoon had been so exhilarating. When he slid her downwards and her feet
touched the ground she still felt like she was floating, and let out a little giggle, waiting for
him to let her go. 
	But Simon didn't let her go.  Instead, he slid his arms around her further, drawing
her up against him, and gazed down into her eyes. She felt powerless, glued to the spot,
unable to move, as she looked up into his dark eyes.  It was the moment up in the
balloon all over again, and she held her breath as she saw his eyes move to her lips.
Then she could no longer see anything, as he lowered his head, touching his lips to hers
in a soft and gentle kiss that felt like it had been born on the wind they had been floating
on. 
	Her own arms slid up his chest and found themselves locked around his neck, as
her lips betrayed her and kissed him back eagerly.  She heard him take in a sharp
breath, then his kiss deepened. One hand entangled itself in her hair while the other slid
lower, pressing her body against his, leaving her no doubt about the physical effect she
was having on him.
	This is playing with fire, she thought, but continued to meet his kiss with a depth
of passion she had never felt before. She could have kissed him forever if not for the
loud and deliberate coughing that eventually penetrated her thoughts.  When their lips
parted she looked around her, blushing to find a captive audience at their sides.  Carlos
and all of his sons were standing around watching them.  She clutched at Simon's collar
and buried her face in his shirt front with a groan.  
        As if she hadn’t been embarrassed enough, the younger men started to clap and
cheer, while Carlos reprimanded them profusely, telling them to leave the poor girl alone
while waving his hands around in the air trying to get his sons to direct their attention to
the task of deflating the balloon.   Eventually they dispersed, but not before one of the
sons walked past them and gave Simon an animated pat on the shoulder.
	“Don’t you pay them boys no mind,”  Carlos said, coming up alongside her as
she sat on the back of the truck watching Simon and the others pack away the balloon. 
“They were just having some fun at Simon’s expense, and never gave no thought to a
lady’s feelings.  They didn’t mean nothing by it.”
	Logan smiled and gave the old man a warm hug.  In the short time since she’d
met him she’d grown to like this man very much.  He had a kind heart, and she was
begining to think that, like the Shellingtons, anyone that Simon Crestwater allowed into
his close circle of friends would be special in that way.  Even the sons, who were
working together like a well oiled machine, were accepted by Simon as he took their
father's place  in the team with ease.
	“I’m sure they didn’t,”  she said, her arms still resting on the old man’s shoulder. 
“And I must thank you for a wonderful day.  It was breathtaking, like nothing I’ve ever
experienced in my life!”
	Carlos beamed back at her and straightened his shoulders in pride.  “Anything
for a friend,” he said.  “And any friend of Simon’s is a friend of Carlos Losada!”
	She turned to watch the men working, and Carlos started talking about his sons,
pointing them out by name, and telling tales about each one in turn.  “Ricardo is the
oldest,” he began. “He and his wife Salina have given me two wonderful grandchildren. 
They live close and the kids come by to play all the time.  It’s good having little ones
running around the place again.  Ricardo was always the more serious of the three.  His
brothers Jorge — that’s him with the white shirt — and Luis, were always competing.  All
done in fun, mind you.  It used to drive my Maria crazy, bless her soul, but oh how they
made her laugh too.”
	As she looked at them, it was hard for Logan to imagine any of the Losada men
being considered serious.  Although they performed their task with skill and precision,
they never stopped laughing and joking with each other, and Simon was right in there
with them.  
	“Simon is a good man,” Carlos said, and she turned to face him once again, a
little surprised by the tone in his voice.  He was nodding, and smiling, and in his eyes
she saw the look of one who thought he knew more than anyone had told him.  “A better
man than even he believes he is.”
	And with that, the old man kissed her on the cheek, and announced that it was
time he went to help his sons.  As she watched him walk away she was left wondering
just what his last words had meant.