by Debbie Mason
He recognized the blue-eyed, blond sisters, Arianna and Serena Bell. Arianna had dated his brother Connor. If Logan remembered correctly, it had ended badly for the pair. But it would’ve been more of a surprise if it had ended well. His brother didn’t exactly have the best track record with women, even back then.
“What were you thinking, Jenna? You nearly got yourself killed over…over that idiot.” Arianna flung out her hand in Tuxedo Guy’s direction.
“You see, her sister, she agrees with me. What Jenna did was stupido.”
Logan looked down at the woman beside him, surprised. He couldn’t recall hearing that Arianna and Serena had a sister. There wasn’t much of a family resemblance.
He looked up and caught Tuxedo Guy’s eyes on him, realizing then that the man had been addressing his remark to him. Obviously, he’d read Logan’s earlier what a jerk expression. He wondered if he should point out to Tuxedo Guy that Arianna had just called him an idiot, but it looked like she was about to handle that herself.
Arianna got in the guy’s face, stabbing him in the chest with a white-tipped fingernail. “Believing one word out of your mouth was stupid. Saying yes when you asked her to marry you was stupid. And we were stupid for letting her do it. But even more stupid was her taking off and nearly getting herself killed because you dumped her for our stepmother. She should’ve—”
A small, embarrassed groan pulled Logan’s attention back to the woman beside him. She looked like she wished the sidewalk would open up and swallow her whole. “You might want to take this somewhere else,” Logan suggested to Arianna, lifting a hand to indicate the growing crowd.
“Thanks for trying,” Jenna murmured when her sister ignored him and continued to tell Tuxedo Guy what should’ve been done to him. She was creative and kind of scary, and Logan thought his brother had gotten off lucky.
Serena stepped around Arianna to poke the guy’s shoulder. “We knew you were just a sleazy Casanova, Lorenzo. The only reason you were with Jenna was because of her company and a green card, and it’s on us that we didn’t step in before you broke her heart and stole Southern Belle out from under her. Because don’t think we haven’t figured out that you’re in this up to your big ears with Gwyneth.”
“You wanna get out of here?” Logan asked Jenna.
“You no-good, lying, cheating scum bucket! Taking advantage of a nice girl like her, and cheating on her with her stepmother!” a woman wearing a veil shrieked, brandishing a bottle of prosecco at Lorenzo.
“Do it! Hit him with it!” a bloodthirsty woman in the crowd shouted.
Jenna gave Logan a desperate nod. “Please, let’s leave.”
He took in the escalating situation, torn between wanting to get her out of there and keeping the peace. In the distance, he heard a siren and went down on one knee. “Okay. Just let me take care of this first.”
He lifted the now-dirty hem of her wedding dress and gently wrapped his fingers around her ankle, raising her foot to his knee. Her foot was as pretty and as soft and smooth as her shoulders. Her toenails were painted sky blue with a stripe of gold on each center.
“Look, it’s right out of a fairy tale. Cinderella and Prince Charming!” a woman yelled. Oohs and aahs were followed by the sound of pictures being taken on cell phones.
“If it doesn’t fit her, you can try it on me, gorgeous,” a woman yelled.
“No way. I saw him first. I should get to go before you,” her redheaded friend said.
“You have feet the size of flippers. Don’t waste his time—”
At the sound of a fight breaking out between the women, Logan bent his head and groaned. To think he’d come downtown to grab a beer with his brother in hopes of figuring out what was up with their mother.
He heard a strangled sound and looked up, worried that Jenna had reached the breaking point—he wouldn’t blame her if she had. Instead, she appeared to be holding back laughter and not tears. Her eyes were shiny, her full, red lips pressed tightly together.
He grinned at her. Any woman who could laugh moments after being thrown over for her stepmother was the woman for him. The thought took him aback. So much so that he felt the need to remind himself he didn’t do relationships. Not anymore. Or at least for a good long while. He liked his life simple and entanglement free. It allowed him to stay focused on his career.
The laughter in her eyes faded. His discomfort must’ve shown on his face. He slid the shoe onto her foot and smiled as he came to his feet, offering his hand. “All set?”
She hesitated and then gave him a small smile and shook her head. “It’s all right. I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thanks again for saving me from becoming roadkill.” She took his hand to shake it. “I think that makes me your slave for life, doesn’t it? So if there’s ever anything I can do to repay you, please let me know. I’m Jenna Bell, by the way.”
Whatever was making the citizens of Harmony Harbor crazy today must be contagious, because Logan suddenly had all kinds of dirty and creative thoughts about Jenna being his slave. He gave her hand a light squeeze as the sexy images burned into his brain. “Logan Gallagher. I keep people safe for a living, so don’t give it another thought.”
She glanced at her sisters, the woman in the veil, and the two wannabe Cinderellas who’d all backed Lorenzo against a storefront window. “You’re obviously very good at your job. I find people their one true love for a living.” She sighed, acknowledging the irony by raising a shoulder.
His eyes followed the movement. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He was a leg man, not a shoulder man. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. None of us can be on our game a hundred percent of the time.”
“I can be with everyone else, just not myself. I probably should save him from my sisters.”
He glanced at Lorenzo, who covered his face and shrieked like a girl. “Why would you want to do that?”
Her eyebrows drew together. “It feels like the right thing to do.”
His attraction began to make sense. He didn’t only protect people for a living; it’s who he was. Jenna brought out his protective instincts. She was obviously sweet and tenderhearted. She needed a keeper. He had to remind himself he wasn’t up for the job and nor did he want it. But just this once, he could save her from herself.
He put his hands on her shoulders and ducked to look into her green eyes. This close, he saw flecks of gold in her irises. Tiger eyes, only she was a kitten. “I’m calling my debt. Let your sisters take care of Lorenzo. And if you have joint property with the guy, hire a lawyer. My brother’s one. I’ll call him. He can advise you on your next steps.”
A patrol car pulled up to the sidewalk and an officer got out. “Ladies, let the man go.” He came around the hood of the car and walked to where the women had Lorenzo cornered. They didn’t move until the officer reached past them to grab the other man’s arm.
Lorenzo straightened his tux. “Grazie, Officer. I am in your debt.” His eyes narrowed on Logan and Jenna, and he headed their way.
Letting his hands fall from Jenna’s shoulders, Logan straightened. “Keep moving, buddy. The lady has no interest in talking to you.”
“Talk, it is not necessary. All I want is my dress and ring.”
Logan frowned, thinking he must’ve misunderstood. “You want her dress?”
“Sì, and my ring. It is a family heirloom to be worn only by my countess. I’m a count, you see.” He made an odd rolling motion with his right hand.
“Right, Count Dracula out to suck our family dry,” Serena quipped, pushing her hair from her face, looking a little worse for wear.
Logan felt guilty he hadn’t intervened earlier, even though Jenna had needed him more than her sisters. He’d seen Arianna and Serena in action at a beach party years before. They could take care of themselves. Which Arianna appeared ready to prove.
“You want your precious ring, you tell Stepmommy Dearest to give Jenna back her company. And as far as that dress goes, you�
��ll get it over my dead body. I made that dress for my sister, and I’ll be damned if Gwyneth wears an Arianna Bell original.”
Anger came alive in the man’s dark eyes, and Logan moved to stand in front of Jenna, which only seemed to further infuriate the guy. Then, with the skill of a consummate performer, Lorenzo replaced his anger with a conciliatory expression. Leaning to the side so he could see Jenna, he said, “I am sorry that, like Richard, I have hurt you, bella. But it is not Gwyneth’s fault that she makes men weak with desire. Your father’s last wish was that she live the life she has become accustomed to. Don’t let your sisters blacken your heart with their petty jealousy. Now be a good girl and give me my family’s ring.”
Logan wondered if Jenna was taken in by the guy and glanced over his shoulder. With her head bent, her shoulder-length hair hid her face as she tugged at the ring on her finger. His gut twisted in response to seeing a tear splash onto her thumb.
As though realizing what her sister meant to do, Arianna elbowed Lorenzo and then Logan out of the way. If he hadn’t wanted to move, she wouldn’t have been able to budge him. But there was part of Logan that didn’t want Jenna to give in to the guy and hoped Arianna could reason with her. He just wished she weren’t planning to do it on Main Street. Then again, what more damage could they do? They’d already aired their dirty laundry for all the town to hear. Poor Jenna; they’d be feasting on this for the next month at least.
“If you give the ring back to him, I’ll never speak to you again. Neither will Serena,” Arianna threatened her sister.
Jenna lifted her gaze. Logan briefly closed his eyes at the stark pain etched on her face before he intervened. “Come on, Arianna. Don’t you think your sister’s been through enough?”
“Evil witch, you will not encourage her to rob me,” Lorenzo said as he pushed past Arianna to grab Jenna’s hand.
Arianna stumbled, releasing a shocked cry. Between that and Jenna’s pained gasp, the cop, who’d been talking to Serena, finally looked their way. Logan righted Arianna and then lunged for Lorenzo. Wrapping his fingers around the other man’s wrist, Logan squeezed.
Lorenzo cried out, dropping Jenna’s hand to clutch his own. “Officer, arrest this man. My wrist, he broke it.”
“I’ll break more than your wrist,” Arianna said, and launched herself past Logan to take a swing at Lorenzo, who raised a fist. Logan put up his hand, stopping Lorenzo before he followed through. Like an enraged bull, the man bared his teeth and took a wild swing at Logan. At the last second, Logan decided it was probably best if the guy got in one punch. Lorenzo’s fist glanced off Logan’s jaw.
Satisfied that others had seen Lorenzo’s fist connect even if the cop hadn’t, Logan threw a left uppercut that landed with a satisfying crack. The guy would feel that for a day or more. Thinking he deserved at least a week of pain and suffering for what he’d done to Jenna, Logan drew back his arm to land another blow. Only Lorenzo surprised him. The other man’s eyes rolled back in his head. Before Logan could grab him, he crumpled in slow motion to the ground.
The lady in the veil, who’d been leaning against a lamppost drinking, zigzagged her way over. She looked down at Lorenzo and then up at Logan. “You’re a hero. The hero of jilted women everywhere. If I give you my ex-fiancé’s name, will you beat him up for me like you beat up Lorenzo for Jenna?”
The cop, who’d joined them to call an ambulance, looked up from where he’d crouched beside Lorenzo. His eyes narrowed. “Were you contracted to do this?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You were standing here the entire time. Flirting with Serena, I might add, instead of helping defuse the situation.” Noting the man’s wedding band, Logan shoved his fingers irritably through his hair. A married man wouldn’t appreciate being accused of flirting in public.
“Don’t use that tone with me, Gallagher. Oh yeah, I know who you are. Your daddy used to be the governor, and you boys thought you were all that. Now you’re a big deal with the Secret Service.” He made a whoopee gesture with his finger. “Too bad it’s not going to get you out of this.”
Logan tensed. As an agent, he couldn’t afford to be arrested. “What do you mean this?”
Jenna, who’d been looking down at Lorenzo in shock, glanced from Logan to the cop. Without saying a word, she bent down to half-drag her now groaning ex to the garbage can. She propped him against it, slowly straightening as if hoping to avoid notice, and then she slunk off down the sidewalk. Three stores over, she broke into a run.
The cop was too busy trying to remove his cuffs from his belt to notice she was gone. “You know exactly what I mean. You’re going down for this. Who knows? It might end up being murder one.”
“Am I dead? I’m not dead, am I?” Lorenzo asked from where he slumped against the garbage can cupping his bloody nose.
No one paid him any attention. They were focused on the cop. Logan was trying to figure out if the guy was actually serious and, if he was, who in the Gallagher family had done him wrong. Because there was something more going on here.
“Ryan, don’t be ridiculous. If you arrest him, you have to arrest all of us,” Serena said.
“Who said I’m not planning to?” The cop angled his head and said into the radio clipped to his shoulder, “Immediate backup required at 295 Main Street.”
Chapter Three
Clutching fistfuls of tulle in both hands, Jenna hiked up her wedding gown and took off at a run down the sidewalk. People stopped to turn and stare as she raced past them on her way to the corner of Main Street and South Shore Road.
Jenna glanced back to check on her sisters and found her attention captured by a man’s intent gaze. Ryan might not have noticed that she’d left the scene of the crime, but someone else had. Logan would though, wouldn’t he? Unlike Ryan, Logan was really, really good at what he did for a living.
The man was a true hero and not just because he’d rescued her from becoming a tulle-wrapped pancake. Only months before, while he’d been off duty, he’d foiled the kidnapping of a princess from a small European country on the border of France and Spain. He was a Secret Service agent and had been stationed in Europe for several years. And now, because of Jenna, his job might very well be on the line.
Determined to ensure that didn’t happen, she refocused her attention on her destination instead of on the handsome man being put in handcuffs by Ryan. She wasn’t about to let Logan be charged for assault just because he’d been trying to protect her from becoming roadkill and Arianna from getting punched in the nose.
She prayed Logan’s brother, Michael, was holding court at the Salty Dog like he did most Saturdays. A former assistant district attorney, Michael had gone back to practicing law in Harmony Harbor after he left the FBI four months before. It was a standing joke in town that he did so to keep his fiancée—and Jenna’s childhood best friend—Shay Angel out of trouble. Jenna prayed he could keep his brother out of trouble too.
A droplet of sweat splashed onto her lashes. Without thinking, she let go of her dress to lift her hand to her eye, rubbing it to stop the stinging. Midrub, she realized her mistake. It was too late. Her glass shoe got caught in the tulle, and she barely got her hands out in front of her to stop herself from landing face-first on the sidewalk. Her palms and chest broke her fall, knocking the wind out of her.
She was lying on the sidewalk gasping for air when she heard the sound of a siren. No, sirens. There was definitely more than one police car headed this way. As she struggled to her feet, two older gentlemen reached out to help her.
She forced her pained grimace into a smile. “Thanks so much,” she said, and then fisted her hands in her dress once again, this time hiking it to her knees.
Within two steps, she realized sprinting on what felt like a sprained ankle was out of the question and hobbled the rest of the way to the redbrick building on the corner of Main Street and South Shore Road.
“Thank you, sweet baby…” she began when she reached the door. Jesus didn’t make
it out of her mouth, and she didn’t make it through the front door. A tall man mowed her down as he came flying out of the Salty Dog. Lucky for Jenna, he had good reflexes and saved her from landing on her behind. It was Michael Gallagher.
“Sorry, Jenna. Are you okay?” he asked, giving her a cursory glance while carefully setting her out of his way.
“Yes, thank you. I’m fine, but—”
“I’ve gotta go. Tell Shay your drink’s on me.” He patted her shoulder and then went to hurry away.
“No, you don’t understand, Michael. Logan needs your help. He’s—”
Walking backward, he held up his phone. “I know. He texted me.” As two patrol cars turned onto Main Street with their sirens blaring and lights flashing, Michael rushed off.
Jenna was about to hobble after him when a hand closed around her bicep. “Oh, no you don’t, Cinderella. I’ve got orders to keep you out of the fray and to check your ankle. Come on.”
Jenna sent one last anxious glance over her shoulder before doing her best friend’s bidding. Shay Angel wasn’t someone you argued with. She kicked butts and took no names. Jenna wished she were more like Shay. The woman was fearless, a real-life superhero, just like Logan. The thought brought Jenna up short.
Leaning against the door to the pub, she held it open. “I know my sisters are just trying to protect me from Lorenzo, Shay. But I have to go back and say something in Logan’s defense or Ryan is going to railroad him. He has something against the Gallaghers.” She’d overheard him complaining to her sister one day about Aidan Gallagher, who was a detective with the HHPD. It had sounded like his hostility went deeper than professional rivalry. But at the time, Jenna had been swamped with worry over Serena’s involvement with the man and hadn’t paid much attention to his rant. Now she wished she had.
Shay turned, her long, dark ponytail swishing across the back of her black T-shirt. “What are you talking about? It wasn’t Serena or Arianna who told me to keep you away. It was Logan. Now get inside. You’re letting in the hot air.”
