A Real Cowboy Always Protects by Stephanie Rowe

Chapter Seventeen

Logan and Skylarburst through the double doors to the indoor ring. Half a dozen campers were clustered around a parade float shouting, but Logan did a quick, careful scan of the entire interior, looking for a gunman or other threats. Ceiling. Walls. Corners. Clear.

He was still running toward the kids, his gun by his side, ready. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"The horse fell off!"

"It landed on Leila!"

"It broke!"

It landed on a kid? Logan swore and sprinted toward the float, Skylar right beside him. "Where? Where's Leila?"

"Over here," one of the girls shouted. "On this side!"

"He has a gun!" Everyone screamed suddenly and ran for the door, shrieking like the devil himself had found them.

"He's on our side," Skylar yelled, but the kids were already gone, running for their lives back to the main house.

Skylar and Logan ran around the float, but he moved carefully, keeping Skylar behind him as he checked to make sure no one was waiting for them on the far side. But when they saw a pair of bare legs and sneakers sticking out from under a massive, fake horse, they both dove for the girl.

Fear gripped Skylar as she bolted around the horse, terrified of what she might find. She fell to her knees beside a girl who looked to be around sixteen. "Are you all right?"

The girl looked over at Skylar, her eyes wide with panic. "I'm stuck. I can't get it off me."

"It's okay. We'll help." She took the girl's hand and pressed it between her palms. "Logan? Can you get it?"

He was already grabbing the horse's butt, his muscles flexing as he tried to move it. "It's heavy. Shit—"

Male shouts suddenly filled the arena, and Skylar looked up as Logan's brothers and the two Harts rushed in, all of them armed and fierce-looking. Good heaven. They all had guns?

"Where's the gunman?" Chase shouted. "The kids said there was a gunman!"

"It's me!" Logan yelled. "The horse fell on Leila. Help me get it off!"

Logan's brothers ran to his side, but the two Harts fanned out, their guns ready as they stood guard, protecting the others.

Together, the men easily lifted the horse off Leila. Skylar grabbed her under the arms and dragged her out from under the horse. The girl scrambled back, and Skylar was relieved to see her using her legs normally. She helped Leila get to the side while the men righted the horse.

Skylar crouched in front of Leila, her heart breaking when she saw tears filling her eyes. "Where are you hurt?"

Leila shook her head. "I'm not hurt. I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

She nodded, but the tears were flooding down her dark brown cheeks. "I'm fine. Did any of the kids get hurt?"

"No. They ran out of here screaming when Logan showed his gun."

"Logan?"

The rescuer in question crouched next to Skylar. "Yeah, I'm Logan. How do you feel?"

Leila tried to catch her breath, but Skylar could tell she was about to fall apart. "I'm fine. I'm okay. The kids are okay? Really?"

"Fine." Chase was the one who answered, from over at the float. "They just freaked out about Logan waving his gun around."

"Okay. Okay." Leila looked around. "Are Zane and Erin here? They'll be so mad." Tears filled her eyes again.

"Zane and Erin are with the younger kids," Chase said as he helped try to get the horse back on the float. "They're fine. He won't be mad. You're sure you're okay, Leila?"

Leila nodded and stood up. Her hands were shaking as she wiped the dirt off her shorts. "We need to get that fixed. The Fourth of July parade is in two days."

Skylar frowned as Leila hurried back toward the float, almost frantic. "Maybe you should take a break, Leila."

"I can't. It's fine. I got it." The teenager was already back on the float, telling the brothers where to put the horse, even with the tears on her cheeks and her hands shaking.

Skylar stood up, frowning. "Why is she panicking? It's just a float."

Chase walked over to stand with them. "She's been working almost around the clock on the float for weeks. She wanted to make the horse's head bob, but she couldn't get it to work. I think maybe the adjustments she made weakened it. She feels like the younger kids are counting on her, and she doesn't want to let them down."

Skylar put her hands on her hips, watching Leila frantically work on the horse. Her shoulders were hunched in exhaustion, and the tears were real. She watched Leila kneel next to the horse and pick up its head, which was no longer attached.

She had a sudden memory of working on projects with her dad. With his construction background and her design skills, they'd had the best time creating projects.

It was a long time ago, but some of the best memories of her life.

She walked over to the trailer. "Leila? I'm a design whiz. Mind if I help a bit?"

Leila looked over at her, a look of such gratitude on her face that Skylar smiled. "That would be amazing."

"Great." Skylar hoisted herself up on the trailer. "I'm Skylar. Why don't you fill me in?"

Skylar was incredible.

Logan leaned against the trailer, watching as Skylar and Leila crouched next to the horse's front leg, examining the mechanisms that the two of them had built. It was almost midnight, and they hadn't stopped all day, except when Logan had forced them to break for food.

Assorted campers had popped in to help put finishing touches on the float, but it was clear that Leila was the heart and brains behind the mechanics. The teenager was a whiz, and Logan was impressed with her mind and her skills.

And Skylar…impressive didn't even begin to describe her. Logan had never been around her while she was working before, and he was grateful for the opportunity to watch her work. He'd already realized she was smart and successful, but her mind was literally brilliant. Her vision was incredible, and the speed at which she could process each step and redirect their plan was staggering.

She was in her element, working out problems and creating solutions. She had absolute faith in her abilities, and that confidence had translated to Leila. Spending the day with Skylar had already changed Leila's posture. The teenager was speaking up, seeing possibilities, and becoming more confident.

Skylar had even gotten some smiles out of her.

Logan had helped with the heavy lifting, but other than that, they wanted no part of him. It was their project, and he loved watching them work together.

While she was working, the fear that haunted Skylar had vanished. She was confident and happy. Her eyes were sparkling, and her laughter was infectious. He could tell she loved what she was doing, and her joy lifted up everyone around her.

He was surprised to find out how much he'd enjoyed the day. Just hanging out with them. Being their muscle. Listening to their laughter. Watching them bond. It was the simplest day he'd had in a very long time, and the most satisfying he could remember.

Zane walked up and leaned on the trailer beside him. "It's great to see Leila happy," he said. "Skylar has a connection with her that the rest of us haven't been able to form."

Logan looked over at his brother. "What's her story?" Skylar and Leila were at the other end of the trailer, out of earshot.

"She's been a camper for two summers. She turns seventeen at the end of August. She'll age out of foster care on her eighteenth birthday," Zane said. "I think she's worried about what will happen to her. We've told her she can come work for the camp full time, but I don't think she believes us."

Logan sighed. "Good things don't come to people like her," he said. He understood that, because that was what he and his brothers believed for a long time.

"That's what she believes." Zane sighed. "Honestly, she should be going to college, not working at the camp. Her grades are shit but it's easy to tell she's brilliant." He looked over at Logan. "It's tough. I want to give forever homes to all the kids in our program. We've started the process to adopt the twins, but they're both so young. We can't take on more than that."

"Julia and Sophie?" Logan had seen the two little girls hanging on Taylor at the brunch earlier. "They have beautiful accents. Where are they from?"

"Haiti. Both their parents have passed away, and they have no local family." Zane glanced over at Logan. "I'm not gonna lie, Logan. Working with these kids has made me even more aware of how lucky we were to have each other growing up, and to have each other today. Taylor saved me, and I didn't even know I needed saving. I'm glad you found Skylar." He grinned. "These women sneak up on us, don't they? Steal our hearts and heal our souls before we even know what's happening."

Logan leaned on the trailer and watched Skylar hunched over with Leila, studying the horse's knee joint. "Yeah, they do."

"You guys going to move back here?"

Logan stiffened. "No."

"Why not? Because you think life is better away from us? I used to think that, too, and I was wrong. Family kept us alive for a reason, Logan. It's because it's our lifeline. We're meant to be with family."

Logan looked over at his brother. "My job makes it impossible for me to move back here."

Zane shrugged. "Find another job."

"My job matters to me."

"There are a lot of jobs out there. You've only got one family."

Logan ground his jaw. "I know that."

"Then think about it." Zane grinned. "You really going to deprive Skylar of us? We're the best in-laws on the damned planet."

They both looked at Skylar, crouched beside Leila as they peered intently at the knee joint of the horse. "Skylar already loves you guys," Logan admitted quietly.

"Smart woman." Zane set his hand on Logan's shoulder. "Either way, glad to have you back, buddy." Before Logan could answer, Zane moved away from him. "Leila. It's time to call it a night, sweetheart."

"Five more minutes," she protested. "Skylar and I almost have this finished." She grinned. "Its legs are going to move. It's going to look like it's running. How cool is that?"

Zane grinned. "I'm impressed." He smiled at Skylar. "Thanks."

She beamed at him. "This has been the best day ever, right, Leila?"

The teenager grinned at Skylar. "Totally."

Logan watched the three of them talk, a faint tinge of jealousy echoing through him at the way Skylar and Leila were beaming at Zane and each other. They were connected, the three of them. And it was beautiful. "I'll walk Leila back to her room when they're finished," he said. "Skylar and I will stay with her."

Leila shot him an appreciative smile, then looked at Zane. "Please?"

Zane pretended to grump. "Fine, but no more than fifteen minutes. You guys can finish tomorrow."

"Perfect!" The women went back to work.

Zane looked over at Logan. "It's good here on the ranch. It would make you happier than you think."

Logan let out his breath. "Let it go, Zane."

"If I did, I wouldn't love you." He patted the trailer. "Good night, ladies. See you at breakfast, Leila."

"Of course." She didn't even look up as Zane left.

Logan walked over to the engineers. "Can I help with anything?"

Skylar looked up and smiled at him, a genuine smile that made his gut turn over. "Actually, yeah." She grabbed his hand and pressed it to the horse's knee. "Hold that right there while we…"

Her voice trailed off as she and Leila studied the paper she'd sketched the design on.

They were perfect together, the two of them.

The moment was perfect.

And he loved being a part of it.