Free Cricket Cove by T. L. Haddix Page B

starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost. Come on in. Grab some food, something to drink. Everyone else is here. I’ll take your coat.”
    Logan handed it over. The air smelled wonderful, a mix of pine needles, cinnamon, and savory food. “Thanks. This place got decorated. I feel a little like I’ve walked into a living Christmas card, but it’s nice.” There were at least twice as many decorations as there had been a week earlier.
    Owen grinned. “I’m surrounded by women who love Christmas. I’ve learned to just go with it.”
    Logan smiled. “No Charlie Brown tree here, huh?”
    “Not even close. Oh, and you might want to watch out for the mistletoe. I’m not sure which of my elves is responsible for it, but it’s caused quite a few laughs so far. And I think maybe an engagement.”
    “Who?” Logan hated that his mind immediately flew to Amelia.
    “Burke and Michelle.” Michelle was Owen’s niece by marriage, Jack’s daughter.
    Logan did smile about that. “No kidding?”
    Sydney came running down the hall just then, dressed in an elf costume. She squealed when she saw him and made a beeline for them. “Uncle Logan! Merry Christmas party!”
    “Merry Christmas party to you.”
    She grabbed his hands and tugged. “C’mon. You gotta get some fudge. And maybe some peanut candy. And some eggnog. You do like eggnog, don’t you?” she asked when he grimaced.
    “Uh, not really. Sorry, kiddo.”
    Her jaw dropped and she looked to Owen, who shrugged. “That means more for you.”
    She giggled. “It does. Bye.” And just like that, she was gone.
    Owen looked after her fondly. “That’s my girl. Hit and run.”
    “She’s a pistol, that’s for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing just how ragged she runs Archer when she’s a teenager.”
    Owen clapped his shoulder. “Just like any brother should. It’s good to have you in town. I know he’s relieved.”
    “It’s nice to be close by,” Logan admitted. When Rachel came through the dining room door, dressed in a costume not unlike the one Sydney had been wearing, he laughed outright. “You weren’t kidding about the elves, I see.”
    She stopped a few feet away at the foot of the stairs, hands on her hips. “You watch yourself, buddy. You’re a member of this family now, which means your name gets dropped into the costume pool. This could be you next year.”
    “Costume pool?”
    “We take turns,” Owen explained. “Whoever’s name gets pulled is exempt the next year but everyone gets put in the pot. This year, Rachel and Sydney were chosen. Last year it was Amelia and Ben.”
    Rachel’s grin was wicked. “Ask Emma to show you the pictures. Poor Benny. He’ll never live that down.”
    “Are you disparaging the elf costumes again?” Amelia asked as she came into the room, dashing through the door ahead of a tall, dark-haired man who was a little too handsome for Logan’s comfort. “Logan.”
    “Amelia.” He had to remind himself to breathe. She was dressed in a muted wine-red dress that hid none of her curves, and her hair was pinned back away from her face, cascading down her back in shiny curls. He clenched his fists and reminded himself she wasn’t for him.
    “Chicken,” the stranger teased, stopping in the doorway itself and sending a sly glance up to the mistletoe adorning it. “I’ll catch you two yet.”
    “You can just keep trying, Walker,” Rachel said.
    He grinned. “‘Determination’ is my middle name.”
    “Really? I thought it was ‘stubborn,’” Amelia shot back.
    “Logan Gibson, this is Caleb Walker. He’s a cousin of sorts from down in Laurel County,” Owen said, introducing the two of them. “I don’t think you’ve met.”
    “No, we haven’t.” Logan nodded in the other man’s direction. “Cousin, you say?”
    “Trent, Eli’s son? He and his wife took me in when I was a teenager. There’s no blood tie but they let me hang around.”
    “Trent’s my age,” Owen clarified. “Well,