by CP Smith
I rolled my eyes. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Yep.” He popped the P like Jamie had. I laughed in spite of my embarrassment, moving around him without meeting his eyes. I knew I was ten shades of mortified and it would only get worse if I looked at him.
The bar was full for the second day in a row. If it kept up like this, we wouldn’t need a fundraiser to pay off Chance, which almost did more to calm my frayed nerves than Logan had.
I scanned the room for tables that needed to be bussed, and noted the sullen faces. Frank’s death had hit home with everyone. Ennis was family, and they were mourning the loss of one of their own.
Wondering if they’d figured out the cause of the fire, I searched the bar looking for Duke. He would know what happened to cause the mortuary to explode, but I didn’t see him, which was strange. It was lunchtime, and he always stopped by to check on me. It was routine. Ever since my father died, Duke had stepped into his shoes, which meant daily visits to keep tabs on me and the boys.
Duke had never married or had children of his own, but he’d taken the role of surrogate father seriously. He’d even put off retiring to stay close to us. I knew he’d been saving for years to move to a warmer climate where he could fish year round, but he’d refused to leave until Josh had graduated from high school. And thank God, he had. If it had been anyone else but Duke who’d arrested Josh the day before, they would have reported us to CPS. Duke being Duke, had locked him up to scare Josh and me. And it worked. Last night I’d gotten a solemn promise from Josh that he wouldn’t screw up again until he was over eighteen. That gave me three years to straighten out his head.
Rachel Moore approached the bar as I grabbed a towel to wipe down the surface. Logan moved in beside me, his hand running across my ass as he passed behind me, sending tiny shivers up my spine.
“Got an order for me?” I asked as Rachel approached.
For some reason she ignored me as if I hadn’t spoken and went straight to Logan, her hips swinging in overdrive as she walked. “Logan takes care of me,” she said, sliding up to the bar with a sultry smile. “Don’t you, honey?”
Rachel and I had gone to school together, but she was a class ahead of me. She was short but built, with blonde hair and big blue eyes. I’d hired her when her former boyfriend hit the road and never came back. She was a hard worker, but always on the hunt for her next conquest. I’d watched her over the past two years with something akin to fascination. She could work a room full of tourists and make more tips than I cleared for the house, when her hips were in high gear. I’d even high-fived her more times than I could count when she pulled in a huge tip, egging her on with, “Get’em, girl,” as she passed.
But now those hips were aimed toward Logan, and it shed a different light on her.
I turned my head to watch his reaction when he took the slip of paper from her. But he wasn’t looking at Rachel, he was looking at me. I wasn’t sure what he saw when he studied my expression. Trepidation, maybe, that what we were starting could be sidelined by a pair of swinging hips. Instead of taking her order though, he slid his arm around my waist and jerked me to him, lowering his head for a kiss.
I didn’t fight him. He’d already kissed me in front of everyone the day before, so I rose up and opened my mouth as catcalls and whistles erupted around the bar. When he released me, Rachel was heading away from us, her order laying on the bar top waiting to be filled.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“If you mean, I kissed you because I wanted to, then yes. If you mean, did I kiss you to kill two birds with one stone, the answer is still yes.”
I looked around for another woman coveting what was mine. “Two birds?”
Logan jerked his head toward the front of the bar, and I looked over his shoulder. Ty was leaning against the wall watching us. He didn’t seem pissed, just observant.
“Oh. I should probably talk to him.”
Logan stayed my arm as I went to move past him and walked us to the end of the bar for privacy. “I’ll talk to him.”
“That might set him off. He’s a lot like Jake. Punch first, talk later.”
“Even more reason for me to talk to him.”
“He would never hurt me, Logan. He’s been looking out for me since we were five.”
Logan looked over his shoulder at Ty then back at me, his jaw ticking for some reason. “Stay inside the bar. If he touches you in a way that’s less than brotherly, I’m not gonna like it.”
I blinked. Logan wasn’t just being protective; it was clear he was also jealous.
Women could be friends with men without it being sexual, but most men didn’t understand that. They’re wired differently than women. Ty had smothered me when we dated, and it drove me nuts, so I was curious if Logan’s jealousy would do the same.
I waited for the familiar annoyance to surface as he glared at Ty, but for some reason I found it reassuring instead of annoying. Was it possible when the right guy was jealous, it had the opposite effect?
I decided to test my theory.
“Is hugging off-limits?”
He looked away from Ty and his eyes flared with menace.
Not even a tickle of annoyance at his reaction.
Hmm.
“Handshake?”
He rolled his lips between his teeth.
This was kind of fun, in a purely scientific sort of way.
And hot.
Who knew?
“Can I pat his shoulder for comfort?”
In a flash, his hand came up and cupped the back of my head. He drew me in closer, then leaned down until his mouth was next to my ear. “I’ll make this simple so there is no confusion,” he mumbled, nipping my ear to get my attention. “I grew up in foster care with five sets of clothes to my name each year. All hand-me-downs. I joined the army the minute I graduated high school. They owned me and my every action. The only thing they didn’t own was my soul. All of it out of my control. A few short hours ago, you handed me the first thing that’s ever belonged solely to me. And since I don’t like to share what’s mine. Ever. Talk to him if it’s something you need to do, but don’t let him touch you. Are we clear?”
When he pulled back to see if I understood him, tears were streaming down my cheeks. He seemed surprised at first by my reaction, then his expression shifted from shock to one of warmth. He’d lost so much more than I’d thought, more than I ever had, and it gutted me hearing it. At that point I couldn’t control my reaction if I tried, thanks to all the turmoil in my life, so I face-planted into his chest and buried my fingers in his shirt to hold him close. I was such a bitch. I’d been teasing him when he was struggling, and I felt like crap. I’d had two loving parents and he’d had no one. I’d be possessive, too. In fact, just knowing Rachel had her eyes on him tweaked my own jealousy, so who could blame him for worrying about my former boyfriend?
Logan wrapped his arms around me instantly and held on while I tried to ward off another crying bout. I took a deep breath, tried clearing my throat, even bit the inside of my cheek to stop my reaction to all Logan had lost, but nothing seemed to work until a deep voice I knew as well as my own, teased, “When she’s done crying like a girl, we need to talk.”
_______________
Skylar broke from Logan’s embrace and wiped her face free of tears, sputtering, “Shut up, Ty, I’m not crying like a girl.”
She went from shuddering in his arms to pissed off in the blink of an eye, thanks to Ty ribbing her. He would have thanked the man if it hadn’t pissed him off. He’d been able to do what Logan hadn’t, and that burned in his gut.
Logan wrapped his arm around Skylar’s waist, turning her into his body, anchoring her to him, then ran his hand down to her ass and left it there so Ty would see.
“What do you need?” The question came out rough and angry. A warning to the competition.
Ty heard the threat and raised a brow before answering. “I need to talk to you. Duke seems
to be missing.”
“What do you mean Duke is missing?” At her outburst, Max immediately trotted over and leaned against her leg, expressing without words how much Duke meant to Skylar if her anxiety had spiked.
“We can’t locate him,” Ty answered. “He hasn’t reported in for duty and he’s not answering his phone.”
Logan noted Skylar was stroking Max’s head unconsciously, proving her anxiety was ramping up. After her panic attack the day before, he didn’t want her stressed again, so he searched the bar for a distraction and found customers waiting at the bar.
“He’s out fishing like he always—”
“Customers are piling up, baby. You handle the orders, and I’ll get the details.”
Skylar glanced at the bar and sighed. “But—”
Logan brushed a kiss across her lips to stop her arguing, then nudged her toward the customers. She looked back at him and Ty, concern battling with her need to handle business, then kept going.
Once she was gone, he looked at Ty and jerked his head toward the front door. Ty nodded he understood then turned and walked outside. Before following, he checked Skylar. She was filling a draft, but her brows were pulled tightly across her forehead. He hoped like hell this wasn’t another tragic loss for the James family, but he had a bad feeling in his gut. A man like Duke wouldn’t neglect his duties. Not after their talk the night before. If he were missing, there was good reason for it. He just prayed it wasn’t a deadly one.
Logan pushed through the door and looked for Ty. The air had turned colder, the blue skies grayer since the bar had opened. Snowflakes swirled on invisible threads, announcing the beginning of winter. A civilian would have worn a coat at the current temperature, but Logan was a product of the military. He’d been trained to ignore both the heat and the cold.
Ty leaned against the side of the bar and watched Logan approach. They’d avoided the topic of Skylar when they’d worked to rescue Frank that morning. Logan wouldn’t avoid it any longer after Skylar had responded to Ty instead of him. They needed the air cleared before moving on to Duke.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Logan stated as he walked up. “You need to accept it and move on. Skylar is mine now.”
Ty studied him a moment. “You can’t think or breathe when you’re around her, can you?”
Logan’s jaw twitched at the mere thought Ty felt the same about Skylar, but he answered truthfully. “It’s like she has both her hands wrapped tightly around my throat.”
Ty looked away and studied the horizon, then took a deep breath and let out a sigh that sounded a lot like relief. Logan puzzled over his reaction until Ty turned his head and held Logan’s hard stare. “Thank, Christ.”
Logan blinked, confused. “Come again?”
Ty grinned at his confusion and chuckled. “It’s exhausting playing bodyguard twenty-four seven.”
Logan scowled. “You wanna explain?”
“Daniel James, Skylar’s father, made me promise to take care of all three of them. Between my auto shop and trying to ward off drunk ranch hands most nights, I’m spread thin. I admit I was suspicious of you at first, guarded for good reason when you showed up out of nowhere, but you proved yourself this morning. I know a good man when I see him.”
Logan observed Ty for a moment to assess his truthfulness. Relief was written in every aspect of his body. He could see it in the way he held himself. The distrust he’d had for Logan was gone. The chip on his shoulder wasn’t visible like it had been the day before. Thinking about it briefly, he realized Ty had never professed love for Skylar, just that he was there to protect her. To protect her brothers. Logan had always trusted his instincts, but it seemed he’d missed the signs with Ty.
Clearly jealousy had clouded his judgement.
“You’re not in love with her.” A statement of fact not a question.
He shrugged. “I love her, but not in the way you think. She and her brothers are family. I’ll protect any of them with my life if I have to.”
“You know she thinks—”
“The whole town does, because I let them.” He chuckled at the inside joke. “It made it easier to keep randy ranch hands away if they thought I’d attack them in a jealous rage.”
Logan turned, leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms. “She’ll be thrilled to know this. She’s been defending you to me since word one.”
Ty nodded, mimicked Logan, crossing his arms over his chest. “She’s loyal. Likes to think the best of everyone, so that doesn’t surprise me. What we had was in high school. She left and I moved on, then her father became ill and she had to come home. She turned twenty-one before he died and took over the bar from him. He called me about a week before he died and made me promise to take care of her and the boys until they were ready to stand on their own two feet.”
Logan cocked his head and studied Ty. He’d given up years of his life to honor a man’s dying wish. He was a good man as well, that much was clear. The kind of man Logan respected. Any man who’d sacrificed his own life to take care of an ex, who’d rejected him, was the kind of man he’d consider a friend.
Logan stuck out his hand, ready to start over if Ty wanted. “Sergeant Logan Storm, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta.”
Ty’s brow rose and he took Logan’s hand. “You were Delta Force?”
“As of six months ago.”
“Were you with the unit that trains near the Bitterroot Valley?”
Logan chuckled. So much for their top secret training maneuvers. He ignored the question, though. Delta Force operators didn’t talk. He’d only broken the unwritten rule with Josh to gain his trust. “Tell me what’s going on with Duke?”
Ty didn’t blink at the change of topic. “Sheriff’s been trying to reach him about the fire, but he’s not answering. He fishes every morning before work. Sometimes at Ennis Lake, sometimes on the Madison River, but he’s never late for work because of it. Not once in twenty years. We’re looking for volunteers to help search for him and I figured a man with the ability to pin my fucking ass to the floor, before I could blink, would be a good man to have on a hunt.”
Eleven
We’re Family
KENZIE BREEZED INTO the bar like a force of nature around three, carrying file folders and a large to-go coffee. She was dressed in jeans and a hoodie, looking a decade younger than her twenty-nine years, wearing a huge smile on her face. If I hadn’t been so worried about Duke, I might have laughed. She seemed almost jovial.
I’d spent most of my life avoiding her because of Chance, so I only knew what I’d observed when she was in town. Those glimpses hadn’t been favorable, but my eyes had been opened in the past twenty-four hours. Underneath all the tight dresses and high heels was a broken woman putting on a brave face. That was clear when we’d huddled in my office for a few hours the day before. She’d been single-minded in her focus: beat her ex-husband at his own game and teach him a lesson about losing what he wanted most.
I’d barely been old enough to understand what was happening when she married my half brother at the age of sixteen, but I’d seen her in town before the wedding and she’d seemed cautious, almost withdrawn. It was obvious to anyone watching she was hesitant about the marriage. And it only got worse. The marriage changed her from a smiling teen to the sad-eyed, haute couture wearing warrior she was today.
Kenzie was six years my senior, but she’d always seemed much older. It hit me she’d been robbed of part of her youth because of Chance. That the cold woman she’d become after five years of marriage was a byproduct of that union, but not who she was deep down. The fancy clothes and constant flirting with men were armor she used to hide her pain. Chance had thrown her away like yesterday’s garbage—just like Justice had done to my mother. The only difference between them was, Chance hadn’t fought for custody of their son, Chace. And all things considered, it was a miracle.
Maybe growing up without my mother had left an impression on Chance after all?
/>
“I’ve been on the phone all morning,” she began before the door closed fully behind her. “You wouldn’t believe how many people are jumping at the chance to help out with the carnival. The minute I told them what was happening, they were rearranging their schedules and signing up. Lloyd Boggs even has a brother-in-law who is part owner of a traveling circus here in Montana. He’s gonna call and see if they can work out a deal. If we can get them to sign on board, we’ll be able to advertise in more counties and the draw will be twice as big.” She looked at the line of men warming the stools in front of me and grinned. “That means you old coots don’t have to worry about losing your drinking allowance.”
Each sour face in front of me grinned at that announcement and raised a glass to Kenzie, who was scouring the bar like she was looking for someone.
“Are you looking for someone?” I asked
“I need room to work,” she returned. “Jordan, Lacy, and Elizabeth are joining me for a powwow of sorts. We’re gonna knock out the details today so we can apply for the permit.”
She beamed at me then pointed to my largest table in the corner and moved that direction. I dried my hands on a towel then walked around the bar and headed in her way. We’d spent time brainstorming yesterday, but I hadn’t properly thanked her. I’d been too jealous to get the words out when I’d thought she and Logan had slept together, so I figured no time like the present.
She didn’t waste time organizing the table while I approached. Files were set out for each woman with color-coded tabs that looked professionally printed, along with markers and pens in every color. She even placed a plate of cookies in the middle of the table for refreshment.
Before I could open my mouth to apologize, she handed me a file with my name on it. I opened it, expecting to see a detailed outline of what we’d discussed the day before, but I found a contract in its place. Confused, I scanned the simple document twice, then sat down abruptly as my brain caught up to my eyes. It was a loan document for the full amount I owed Chance. There were no terms or interest rate, just a clear cut amount to be paid back within ninety days less what we earned from the carnival.
