the same antics if he had one. “It does.”
Together they continued to paddle in sync as the canoe coasted along the east loop of the lake. Their peace was broken by a loud shriek overhead.
Logan pointed upward. “A red-tailed hawk.” It soared down from a tall tree after its prey. “Time for a fish dinner,” he said, laughing. “Plenty of them here. Did you know this lake has been here for almost ten thousand years?”
“Really?” Shelby wondered how much the area had changed after all that time. How wild it must have been before the tourists descended upon it. “And the flocks of white pelicans?”
“I’m not sure,” Logan said. “Good question. I’ll have to look it up.”
They glided silently across the water, the sun beating on their shoulders.
“There's my spot up ahead," Logan said. "Let’s paddle over.” He pointed to a tree sheltered in a sandy cove. Tall reeds floated in the water as they glided around them toward their destination.
With the temperature rising, Shelby welcomed the shade. And the company. A few boats slipped by in the distance, but otherwise they were completely alone. Just her and Logan. Like a dream. Then her mind kicked in. Would she know what to talk about? What if he tried to kiss her again? Relax, she told herself. Logan had been nothing but kind. She was a very good swimmer if she needed to dive for it…the thought made her laugh.
Logan, muscles springing into action, jumped out first into the shallow water and pulled the canoe the rest of the way to shore. He reached out his hand to help Shelby to the sand, and then grabbed the cooler.
“Nice place,” Shelby said, wading ashore carrying the towels. She chose a cool spot and spread the towels out like a picnic blanket.
“How about a cool drink?” Logan asked, opening the cooler.
Shelby was impressed as she watched him pull out icy drinks and sandwiches. “Did you make these yourself?" she said.
"Well, I had a little help,” he said. “I told my mom I was hoping to go canoeing later and she offered. You have your pick of assorted iced tea and flavored waters. My mother’s favorites.”
“Iced tea is great,” Shelby said. She chose a chicken salad sandwich on a French roll and took a bite. “Delicious!”
“My mom is an excellent chef. She makes most things from scratch.” He patted his firm stomach. “We never go hungry.”
She knew Logan was joking, but there had been times Shelby had feared just that. Going hungry. Dana made very few attempts to cook. Leftovers from her waitress jobs when she was working sustained them many nights. And an occasional special trip to a fast food place. The contrast of her life and Logan’s struck hard. A shadow crossed her heart at the glaring contrast of her life and Logan’s.
"It's a relief to have the rest of the day off,” Logan said. "I was glad I could arrange it so I could be there to help you too. I know how important the dog park is to you."
Shelby was impressed again. He was trying, and she could try, too.
“I appreciated you showing up. And of course, the flowers.”
“I’m not done yet,” he said with a wink.
Her heart flipped. He was going to all this trouble for her. There was no other reason than that he liked her.
After they finished lunch, Logan went back to the canoe and retrieved his guitar. "I'm not the best,” he said, “but I can carry a tune. Maybe you’ll join me."
Shelby smiled. "I can't wait to hear you. Me, not so much.”
He tuned the strings and began to sing one of Shelby’s favorite Bruno Mars songs, “Just the Way You Are.” She could hardly look in his eyes, almost golden in the sun, staring at her as he strummed the guitar and sang lyrics about not wanting to change a thing about her. Logan had a beautiful melodic voice, and like everything else about him, it was amazing, like the song said.
Shelby hummed along, trying to act cool when she felt just the opposite. "You're really good," she said. "You could do that professionally."
"It’s not something I want to do for work,” Logan said. "It's for fun and for my friends. But thank you."
Logan laid down the guitar and put his arm around Shelby. "Are we okay?"
She melted into him. "More than okay."
He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. She responded back, allowing the kiss to linger.
“You’re very special, Shelby,” he