“They’re here,” Lucky whispered, seeming to know exactly what Logan had been thinking. He blinked hard as if blinking back tears and then shook it off. “No fat penguin balls today. I’m getting married.” He pointed to the trees in the backyard. “Right there.” He checked his watch. “In an hour or so.”
All in all, it was the perfect way to elope.
“Why don’t we go back in?” Lucky suggested. “I can tell some off-color jokes to get some of the crowd heading out. Of course, it might cause others to stay.”
“You should make some dick jokes,” Logan advised.
“Absolutely. Balls and dicks. My preferred way of going off-color.”
They’d reached the porch when the sunroom door opened, and Helene stepped out. She didn’t seem surprised to see them. Just the opposite. Of course, with all the windows in the sunroom, she had perhaps been watching them.
“Any chance we can talk?” she asked Logan.
This wasn’t the time or the place, but then that applied to all times and places when it came to Helene. It was probably best to talk to her in a public place, though, than have her come to his office. Which she would. It was clear she had something to get off her chest. Probably something to do with the Vickie-Chucky mess.
Lucky waited until Logan gave him the nod before he gave Helene a warning glance and then went inside. Logan appreciated the warning; it was good for his twin to have his back, but it wasn’t necessary. Logan no longer felt the punch of emotion, either good or bad, when he looked at Helene.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Helene said. “I wanted to let you know that I’ll be filing charges against Chucky, after all, since he didn’t go through with our bargain. Of course, he’ll probably just disappear.”
Probably. And that was the best-case scenario in this—that the man would disappear and take Vickie with him.
“I don’t like all the gossip it’ll create,” Helene went on. “I was just starting to restore my reputation, and here it’ll come out that I told Chucky where Reese was.”
“Are you trying to back out of filing charges against Chucky?”
Her hesitation let him know that she was. “I’ll do it. For you. I know you’re still upset with me, and this might help mend the rift between us.”
“No, I’m not upset, not anymore. I wish you only the best.”
And he meant it. Even more, Helene knew he meant it. But as for that rift, well, Logan figured her idea of rift-mending meant getting back together. That wasn’t going to happen.
Unlike him, there was plenty of emotion on her face. He saw the hurt and knew there was nothing that could be done about it. Nothing that he could do, anyway.
“Can we talk about what happened that night?” she asked.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Are we going to discuss clown noses?”
“No. God, no.” She shuddered. “All of that was just a fantasy. I couldn’t bring myself to ask you to dress up like a clown.”
“Then that should have been your cue to break up with me. Because if your boyfriend can’t fulfill your fantasies, then he shouldn’t be your boyfriend.”
Helene nodded, paused, nibbled on her bottom lip. “And now you have someone else in your life to fulfill your fantasies.”
“No clown stuff, though,” he said to add a light touch. It didn’t lighten anything, though, because it basically confirmed to Helene that Reese and he were indeed into some fantasy-fulfilling. Of course, right now the sex was enough of a fantasy.
“You don’t feel it’s too soon?” she asked.
“For what?” he asked right back.
Helene lifted her shoulder as if the answer were obvious. “To be involved with someone. I mean, I can’t even think of being with anyone else yet. After all, we were together for eight years.”
She seemed to be implying that this was some kind of rebound relationship between Reese and him. Was that what it was? Helene was right about it being soon, only four months now since the clown incident, but Logan wasn’t at all certain that it was too soon.
But that did get him thinking.
If it was too soon, then Reese would be the one to get hurt. Maybe that’s why she still seemed so hell-bent on leaving. And the problem with that? Logan couldn’t even guarantee her that she wouldn’t get a broken heart from this.
“No word about Chucky or Vickie?” Helene asked.
It took Logan a second to switch gears and remember that he was still having a conversation with Helene. “Nothing. You?”
“Nothing,” she repeated, then paused. “Have you seen Greg?”
Logan shook his head and caught a glimpse of Reese walking past one of the windows. She didn’t exactly look out at them, but he figured she’d seen them talking.
“I haven’t seen Greg, either,” Helene went on, “but I heard you hired Reese’s friend to replace him. I suppose she has a lot of office experience?”
“None whatsoever.”
Added to that, Jimena had a smart mouth, vile threats and dressed like a call girl. Still, she could handle Crazy Cat, and other than the threats, she hadn’t done too much to get on his bad side.
“I see,” Helene said, which was probably code for I can’t believe this shit. You hire someone with no experience. You sleep with a fry cook, one with a police record. And you haven’t been flossing regularly.
Logan decided to skip the code and go with a direct question. “Did you give Elrond one of your porcelain boob bookends?”
Clearly, she hadn’t been expecting that question. “Wh-what?”
“Porcelain boob bookend,” he repeated even though Logan doubted repetition was necessary in this case. “Because he had a boob identical to the one you gave me, and he also had a clown suit. I just figured that wasn’t a coincidence.”
Her mouth tightened a moment. “I didn’t sleep with him. Not after Greg decided he’d fulfill the fantasy for me.”
There it was again. Fantasies. And clown suits. No doubt lies, too. Logan was almost positive she wasn’t telling the truth about being with Elrond.
“I didn’t sleep with him,” Helene repeated, and this time she had a bite to her tone. “I’m not a whore.”
Logan shrugged. “Even if you’d had sex with both of them, it wouldn’t have made you a whore. Just a liar and a cheater.” There was no bitterness in his voice, but she probably would have preferred it if there had been. Because it would have meant he was still emotionally invested in her.
“There you are,” Jimena said, opening the back door. “Cassie and I were talking about litter boxes and cat, um, droppings, and then I looked up and saw you out here, with Helene.”
Logan scowled at her. “No threat necessary. Helene and I were just having a friendly chat, but we’re done now.”
“Good, because the party’s wrapping up, and I thought you’d want to say goodbye to the guests especially since three of them are business associates. One of which you have a meeting with in two days.”
That was code, too, for get your ass inside before you hurt Reese’s feelings.
Helene quickly picked up on the code because she got moving. Jimena would have followed her, but Logan stopped her by stepping in front of her.
“One question,” he said.
“Yes, I have been stockpiling cat shit,” Jimena answered right off.
He made sure his scowl deepened. “That wasn’t the question. I want to know if Reese packed to leave.”
Jimena suddenly didn’t look so smart-assed. “She’s always packed and ready to leave. Now, if you’re wanting to know if she will go, that I can’t say. You should ask her. Then you should ask her to stay.”
He already had. Apparently, he was a lot better with business deals than he was with Reese.
“By the way, should I bring Crazy Cat back
here since she belongs to Cassie and Lucky?” Jimena asked.
They already had Crazy Dog, five cats, two kids and another on the way. It seemed cruel to add another fur-critter, especially one with the worst temperament in the kitty kingdom. Still…
“Keep that cat at the office as long as you’re working for me. But when you leave, part of your clearing-out duties will be to bring the cat here, understand?”
Jimena nodded, turned, but then as quickly turned back around. “Is it okay if I have sex with your friend Jason?”
Logan was about to groan, then say okay, but he rethought that. “Only if Jason agrees.” Which he would. Jason liked the call-girl-looking, smart-mouth type.
Jimena gave a fake laugh, shot him the bird and went inside. Just as Reese was coming out.
“Is everything okay?” Reese asked. She had no doubt heard and seen the interaction between Jimena and him, but Logan figured her question had more to do with his earlier interaction with Helene.
“Helene and I were just talking,” he explained. “I suppose you could say Jimena and I were just talking, too, but it never quite feels like conversation with her.”
“I know what you mean.” She stayed back. Again, probably because she’d seen him with Helene and wasn’t sure what was going on. Reese looked as if she were debating either fight or flight.
“Helene thinks it’s too soon for me to get involved with you,” he relayed. “I believe she’s wrong.”
“And if she’s not?”
Because she still wasn’t coming closer to him, Logan went to her. He slipped his arm around her waist, brushed a kiss on her forehead. “We don’t have to push things between us. There’s no timetable. We could continue to see each other, and if it’s too soon, then it shouldn’t take us long to figure that out.”
He figured this was the part where she would just remind him that she wasn’t a stayer but rather a leaver. But Reese made a sound that could possibly be of agreement. Good. He was making some progress even if, in the back of his mind, he was wondering if progress was just a mistake.
“I should go back in,” she said. “Lucky and Cassie want to say their vows as soon as the guests clear out. I can help with that. Better yet, Jimena can help with that.”
She kissed his cheek. So chaste. The kind of kiss that longtime couples gave each other, but it still packed a wallop. Maybe Reese wasn’t capable of giving him chaste kisses.
Logan followed her in, but he didn’t get far when he spotted the guest who was coming into the sunroom. Delbert Clark. Since Delbert was no longer doing business with McCord Cattle Brokers, Logan didn’t have a clue why he was there. He certainly hadn’t been invited.
“I need to talk to you,” Delbert said the moment he laid eyes on Logan. But Logan realized Delbert wasn’t just looking at him. He was looking at Reese.
Hell. What now? If Delbert was going to demand that he break up with Reese, then it was going to be a very short conversation. Logan didn’t usually dig in his heels when it came to repairing a business relationship, but in this case he’d make an exception.
“This isn’t a good time,” Logan said, stating the obvious.
Delbert glanced around as if seeing the party food and guests for the first time. Clearly, he had something else on his mind. “Sorry. I didn’t know, but this can’t wait. Can we go somewhere and talk in private?”
Logan wanted to say no, but it was Reese who motioned for him to follow her into the family room. It wasn’t exactly private since someone could walk in at any moment, but maybe that meant Delbert would say his piece and leave. But he didn’t jump right into anything. He just stood there, sweat popping out on his forehead and the veins bulging on his neck.
“You need to call off your mother,” Delbert told Reese.
Reese shook her head when he didn’t add more. “I haven’t seen my mother in days,” she said at the same moment Logan asked, “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about your mother screwing me over, that’s what, and I want it to stop.”
“You think I can control what my mother does?” Reese asked. “What did she do?”
Still nothing from Delbert to explain. He didn’t start talking until after several huffed breaths and some pacing. “You know she called me and said I should quit doing business with Logan because you’re bad news, because you could end up hurting me and my own business.”
Reese nodded. “And you did break ties with Logan.”
Now Logan huffed and folded his arms over his chest. “I’m guessing Vickie did something else. Something more than just bad-mouthing me and playing on your narrow little mind.”
A flash of anger went through Delbert’s eyes, but it cooled as quickly as it had come, and he cursed. “She’s blackmailing me.”
Logan glanced at Reese to see if she had any idea what was going on, but she just shook her head again.
“I had sex with Vickie,” Delbert finally said. “I didn’t know who she was, but she came on to me when I was in a bar. I made the mistake of leaving that bar with her.” He groaned, scrubbed his hand over his face and then looked at Logan. “She said I was to do what she told me to do, or else she’d tell my wife.”
“Let me guess—Vickie filmed your one-nighter?” Reese asked.
“Filmed with audio,” Delbert explained. “And the images aren’t blurry, either. Vickie said she’d give me the video if I severed business ties with Logan and told him I was doing that because of you.”
“And Vickie wanted even more after that,” Logan finished for him.
“Yeah. She wanted me to contact even more of your business associates and get them to blackball McCord Cattle Brokers. She must have a hard-on for you, Logan, to want to screw you over like that.”
“She wants money,” Logan corrected. “Vickie figures if she hurts my business enough that I’ll pay her off. I won’t.” He was also guessing that this was Vickie’s way of punishing Reese, of showing Reese who was in charge.
And it was working.
The color had drained from Reese’s face, and she was probably about to launch into some apologies. “This isn’t your fault,” Logan told her, not that she would believe him, but he had to try. “But this is your fault,” Logan said to Delbert.
“I know.” Another groan. “I just need you to help me. Maybe Reese can help me get that video.”
“Vickie probably made multiple copies and has stashed them in hard-to-find places,” Reese said. “This is one of her favorite cons, by the way, and it won’t end with these first demands. She’ll want money from you and lots of it. And she’ll keep wanting money.”
“So, how do I stop her?” Delbert asked.
Logan and Reese exchanged glances, and since he figured Delbert was going to need it, he gave him a pat on the arm. And he told Delbert exactly what he was going to have to do to make this mess, and Vickie, go away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ONCE AGAIN HER mother had ruined things. Not just for Delbert, either. And Vickie would keep on ruining things because that’s what she did. Heck, she’d even ruined Cassie and Lucky’s wedding for Reese since Reese hadn’t been able to think of much else other than their conversation with Delbert.
Thankfully, Cassie and Lucky hadn’t seemed to notice. Hard to notice anyone being distracted, though, when they were clearly so much in love with each other.
The informal wedding itself had gone off without a hitch. The rain had held off. There’d been a cool breeze, and the only talk had been of the happy couple and the life they were building together. Perfect, in fact.
There it was again. Perfect. The word that seemed like a pipe dream to Reese. Perfection just wouldn’t happen with her mother around and her own past always haunting her.
“We won,” Logan said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
For a second, Reese thought she’d missed something he’d said, and maybe she had, because that’s when she realized Logan had pulled to a stop not in front of the Bluebonnet Inn but in the parking lot of the McCord building. The rain that had held off all day was now sliding down the windshield.
“We won,” she agreed. “But this won’t be the last of it.”
“It will be if Delbert goes through on filing those charges against your mother.”
Yes, and while Delbert had hesitantly agreed to do just that, he might change his mind when he realized this would cost him his marriage. Of course, it would end up costing him that, anyway, because even if he paid and paid and paid, Vickie liked to tear apart people’s lives.
“Even if Vickie’s locked up, she’ll find a way to cause trouble,” Reese continued. Mercy, she was pure gloom and doom, and here less than an hour after attending a wedding.
“Tell you what,” Logan said. “Let’s quit thinking about Vickie right now, and get out of this truck before it starts raining any harder. It’d be nice to get inside and stay put while this storm moves through.”
“Does this mean you want me to spend the night here with you?”
“Is that a trick question?” he asked.
“No. We just hadn’t discussed it, and I thought with everything going on—”
Logan put an end to what she was saying with a kiss. He managed to rid her of her breath and her doubts in one swoop.
Apparently, she was staying the night.
“Wait here for just a couple of seconds until I get the back door unlocked,” he told her, and he hurried out of the truck. There was a small awning just above the door, but he still got wet. Logan didn’t hurry to unlock the door, though. Instead, he must have gotten a call because he looked at his phone screen.
Reese got out, too, and ran toward Logan just as he opened the door and got them inside.
“It’s Chucky,” Logan mouthed, keeping his phone pressed to his ear so he could hear whatever the man was saying.
Of course. There was no way Chucky was just going to slink away from this.
Blame It on the Cowboy Page 24
