hadnât gone over it at the field office. And the reason they hadnât gone over it at the field office was because Sam had hustled Logan out of there before Pennington had had a chance to give her the rest of the particulars. Sam didnât much care for the rest of the particulars, even if they were part of a bogus history designed to snare a crook. Still, he knew she was going to have to be filled in on them. They did have to keep their stories straight if they were going to pull this thing off. Nevertheless, he wished someone had consulted him before working up their phony backgrounds.
âWe canât have kids becauseâ¦â He sighed, resignedhimself to it, and just plunged in. âOur cover story goes that youâre actually my second wife, and I tried to have kids with my first, but couldnât. When wife number one and I looked into the matter, it was discovered that Iâmâ¦infertile,â he said, trying not to stumble over that last word. Then, when he realized what he had said, he hurried on to clarify, âBecause the guy Iâm pretending to be is infertile. Me, personally, I have absolutely no problem in that regard. None whatsoever. Thatâs a negatory on that. Nada. Nil. Zilch. Zero. No worries at all on that score.â
He wasnât sure, but he thought Logan smiled at that. And okay, maybe, just maybe, heâd gone a little overboard on the reassurances. But a guy really couldnât be too adamant about making something like that totally, completely, profoundly clear.
âReally,â she said. âYouâve fathered a number of little Joneses, have you?â
He hooked his hands into the pockets of his trousers and rocked back on his heels. âWell, none that Iâm aware of,â he said, hoping he didnât sound too smug.
âAhâ¦yeah,â she replied, not sounding too impressed.
He dropped his hands back to his sides. âIt was just a joke, Logan,â he told her.
âA small one, huh?â she asked.
He opened his mouth to tell her that no, as a matter of fact, it wasnât a small one at all, and that he had absolutely no problem in that regard, eitherânone whatsoever, thatâs a negatory on that, nada, nil, zilch, zero, no worries at all on that scoreâthen realized she was talking about the joke, and not hisâ Well, that she was talking about the joke. In fact, she was the one joking now. At least, Sam thought she was joking. He hoped so.Because he really didnât have any problem in that regard. None whatsoever. That was a negatory on that. Honest.
âAccording to our cover story,â he said, returning to the case and wondering why they kept veering off it, âthe fact that Iâthe guy Iâm pretending to be, I meanâwas diagnosed as infertile was part of what led to the dissolution of my first marriage. My first wife decided to find a guy who could provide her with the children she so badly wanted,â he added, trying not to choke on the words because they were so laughable when compared to the developments in his own marriage. His own former marriage, he hastily corrected himself. And the words were only laughable to a casual observer, he further amended. Unfortunately, he hadnât been casually observing when his then-wife told him she was pregnant by another man. No, laughter had been about the last reaction Sam had had to that particular news.
âSo I have no trouble getting pregnant,â Logan deduced from his explanation. âOr, at least, the woman Iâm pretending to be has no trouble getting pregnant,â she clarified. And then her smile returned. âNot that I, myself, have any problem in that regard, mind you,â she said. âNone whatsoever. Thatâs a negatory on that. Nada. Nil. Zilch. Zero. No worries at all on that score.â
âMothered a number of little Logans, have you?â Sam quipped, smiling in spite of