A Real Cowboy Always Protects by Stephanie Rowe

Chapter Eighteen

It was almosttwo in the morning by the time Logan drove up to the River House. Skylar hadn't stopped talking the whole way there. She was so animated about the horse, detailing every idea she'd had and how they'd worked through each failure.

She was pure joy and animation, and Logan loved listening to her.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been around such radiant exhilaration. She was just so happy and energized. Logan could tell she'd totally put aside her vulnerability with him and her worries about Eugene. She was in the moment, fully embracing the joyful day she'd had.

How did she do it? How did she embrace the good so completely, even when there were such shadows dancing around her? She was incredibly strong and determined, and he admired the hell out of her.

Almost wishing that the drive had taken more than fifteen minutes, Logan pulled into the five-car garage, beside the four cars already in there. He hadn't even put the car in park when Brody and Keegan Hart walked out of the house, clearly waiting for them. Regret flickered through Logan. He didn't want to share Skylar or end her rampage of delight.

But Skylar fell silent, watching the Harts. "They're still up?"

"Apparently."

"Because of Eugene?"

"That's my guess." He put the car into park and turned to face her, needing to tell her how special the day had been, but before he got a word out, Brody knocked at his window. Shit.

He opened the door. "Thanks for waiting up."

Brody nodded. "We got things set up to maximize security." He looked past Logan. "Evenin', Skylar."

She waved. "Thank you for everything. It's incredibly nice of you."

Brody grinned. "You're family now, Skylar. We take care of each other no matter what."

Skylar's smile faded, and she glanced at Logan, wariness back in her eyes.

Shit. He didn't like that being treated well made her unhappy. He needed to fix that. Later. Not now. Right now, he needed to focus. "Thanks." He opened the door and indicated for Skylar to get out.

Keegan was already beside the car, and he opened the door for her. "Welcome, Skylar. We're glad to have you."

As Skylar climbed out of the big pickup truck, she couldn't help but feel safe. The three men were all big, muscular, and clearly highly competent. She didn't know what Brody and Keegan's training was, but they'd both had handguns when they'd charged into the indoor arena, holding them like they'd been carrying them their entire lives.

She grinned nervously as she stepped down. "I'm glad you guys are on my side. I'd hate to be an enemy of this family."

Brody shrugged. "We don't have enemies. We just protect our own. There's a difference."

Skylar glanced at Logan, who clearly lived a very different life than the Harts did. "I like that approach. Who needs enemies, right?"

"Enemies are bad vibes," Keegan said. "It keeps you focused on them, instead of on yourself and making your own life better. We have no room for that." He glanced at Brody. "Brody taught us that when we were little. Still stands today."

"Sure does." Brody nodded at the bed of the truck, where their bags were stashed. "These all yours?"

"Yep," Logan answered. "But I can get them—"

"Teamwork." Brody grabbed a few bags, Keegan grabbed several, Logan picked up the rest, leaving only Skylar's backpack for her.

She swung it over her shoulder and yawned, suddenly tired, now that her adrenaline was wearing off. She realized she'd been up for almost two days straight, except for the brief nap on the plane.

Logan waited for her, flashing her a private smile. "Hang on there a little longer. You can crash in a few."

"I'm good." She followed Brody and Keegan through the interior garage door into the house, aware of Logan right behind her. She was flanked by the three men, and she knew no one would be able to get to her.

They emerged into a mud room. Racks of men's outdoor gear, boots, and life jackets were hung, along with a small blue life jacket and a pink one. There was a pair of flowered flip-flops and a small pair with robots on them. She smiled at the sight, at the reminder that there were real people living here. Ryder and his wife, and the little boy and his grandpa who they had claimed as family. "Are Zoey and Liam here? Or did they move out because of us?"

"They're here." Brody grinned at her as he led the way into the kitchen. "We can keep everyone safe. It's good."

Relief rushed through her. If they were letting Zoey, Liam and his grandpa stay here, that did mean that they all truly believed she would be safe.

She was safe.

"You want us to show you around?" Brody asked. "We can show you what we've set up."

As he spoke, Keegan punched in an alarm code, and the lights turned to red. "We're secure for the night. Don't open any doors or windows or it'll set it off. We have the air conditioning running so we don't need to open windows." He handed a piece of paper to Logan that had about twenty-five digits on it. "Memorize the code and then toss it."

Logan looked down at the sheet of paper for about an eighth of a second, then handed the paper back. "Got it."

Skylar stared at him. "You memorized it already?"

"It's what I do." He put his hand on her back. "Let's get Skylar settled, and then we can talk. She's beat."

She yawned again. "I'm fine. I can stay up with you guys."

"No need. Let's go." Logan nodded at the Harts, who both indicated their agreement.

Brody led the way to the staircase, giving Skylar only a limited chance to check the house out.

The kitchen was huge, with a center counter, a table big enough for a dozen people. It led into a big family room. The entire side of the house was lined with big windows. The house was rustic, but warm. There were flowers on the counter and the table, and kid's shoes had been kicked off in the family room. A few sweatshirts were askew on the back of the couch, along with some throw blankets, which made it seem like more than a few movie nights had happened in that room.

She could imagine what movie night with the Stocktons and the Harts would be like. Loud. Boisterous. Laughter. Food.

It would be fun.

She sighed, catching Logan's attention. He raised his brows at her. "You all right?"

She smiled. "Just hitting the wall," she lied.

"Just a couple minutes, and you can crash."

She nodded as they followed the Harts up a central staircase. They reached the second floor, which was a long hallway with rooms on either side. "We're putting you in this room." Brody opened a door on the right and set the luggage inside. "It's between me and Keegan, so we're close if anything happens."

Logan nodded his approval. "Sounds good."

Brody pointed to another door that was closed. "That leads to the third floor. Ryder and his family are all up there. We figured that was safest. If your man shows up here, he won't make it to the third floor." He grinned. "The old man wanted to sleep in the living room and be the first line of defense. He said he was great with a gun."

Skylar's throat tightened. "Seriously?" Someone she hadn't even met yet wanted to be her front line of defense? What was with this family?

"Yeah, but I think he just didn't want to move to the third floor," Keegan said with a grin.

"He had to give up his room?"

Keegan raised his brows. "Don't even start with that guilt, Skylar." His voice was gentle, but also unrelenting. "There's no room for that. When one of us has a need, we all pitch in. Everyone needs help at some point. You don't do anyone any favors by feeling bad about it."

Logan put his hand on her back. "Thanks, guys. Let me get Skylar settled, and I'll meet you downstairs."

Brody nodded. "Keegan will come up and stay with her while I'm filling you in."

"I don't need Keegan," Skylar protested

"Yes, you do." Logan's gaze was unyielding, and she felt like she was in the hands of an operative again, pink flip-flops in the foyer notwithstanding. "Give us fifteen minutes, okay?"

The Harts nodded. "I'll be back to spell you," Keegan said as he set the bags inside the room.

"Thanks." Logan gave each of the brothers a hard clap on the shoulder, and then nodded to her. "Wait here a sec." Before she could answer, he disappeared into the room with her bags, leaving her alone with the Harts.

"You don't need to wait," she said.

Brody laughed, leaned against the wall, and folded his arms across his chest. "You don't know how to accept help, do you?"

"I—" She didn't know how to respond to that. Finally, she shrugged. "I'm used to being independent."

"I can see that." Brody considered her. "You can be both. Independent and able to rely on others for help."

"I know, I'm just not used to it." She paused. "I have trust issues."

Brody smiled. "We all have trust issues. It's human nature." He nodded at the door. "Even Logan. I suspect he understands yours, doesn't he?"

She looked at the room where Logan had entered. "I don't know."

"Give him a chance." Brody paused. "I see the way he looks at you. He's fighting to be ready for how he feels about you. He'll make it."

She stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Before he could answer, Logan came out of the room. "It's secure. You guys did great." He smiled at her. "Come on, Skylar. Time to crash."

She wanted to ask Brody more questions about Logan, but she bit her lip. "Okay." She paused to smile at Brody and Keegan. "Thank you."

"Our pleasure. See you in the morning." The Harts each gave her a quick hug, surprising her, then they headed downstairs, their boots thudding on the carpeted steps.

Logan gestured to the room. "After you."

"Thanks." She took a breath, then headed into the bedroom she'd be sharing with Logan. The first thing she noticed was that there was one bed. No couch. No cot. No carpet on the floor.

Just one bed.

She shot a look at Logan as he closed the door behind her and locked it. "One bed?"

He paused, glancing from her to the bed, as if it hadn't occurred to him that would be a problem. "Are you not comfortable with that? I'm sure I can grab a sleeping bag—"

"No. It's fine." She let out her breath. She might not trust him with her heart, but with her body? He'd protect her with his life. "It'll be fine." She grabbed her smallest bag and headed toward the bathroom. "I'll just be a minute."

As Skylar closed the bathroom door, she expected to dissolve into some melodrama about sharing a bed with Logan, but the minute she was alone, exhaustion flooded her, and all she could think of was getting into bed. It took only a few minutes to brush her teeth, wash her face, and pull on her sleep shorts and tank top, and even then, she felt like she was going to pass out on her feet.

When she opened the door, Logan had turned the bed sideways across the room, so that the side of the bed, instead of the headboard, was against the wall. The other side was facing the room, so by sleeping on that side of the bed, he would be the first line of defense regardless of whether someone came in the window or the door.

It was an awkward place for the bed, and realizing why he'd done it made fear trickle down her back. "I thought we were safe here."

"Just a precaution." He pulled down the comforter. "Climb in you. You look like you're going to pass out."

She set her bag down and ducked past him, crawling onto the soft sheets. She snuggled down under the blankets, tucking herself against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible. She watched Logan as he moved their bags to the side, under the window, making that access more difficult. He moved with quiet, confident precision, and she could see the operative that he was in every line of his body.

"Logan?"

He didn’t look over. "Yeah?"

"Is there a chance he's going to find us? That he might kill us?"

Logan looked over at her, and his face softened. He walked over to the bed, climbed on, and stretched out on his stomach so his face was even with hers. "I will do everything in my power to keep you safe," he said. "I'm very, very good at what I do. My brothers and the Harts are solid backup."

She nodded, tucking her hands under her chin while she pulled her knees up, making herself into a ball. "Okay."

"But I have to be honest. As long as Eugene is alive, there's a chance he'll find us, however slim. He's also very good."

Fear clamped down on her spine. "Okay," she whispered.

Logan put his hands over her fisted ones, dwarfing hers. "If he comes," he said, meeting her gaze. "I will stop him before he gets to you. I swear it."

Some of the tightness gripping her eased at his intensity. "Okay."

He smiled and brushed her hair back from her face, his touch tender and gentle. "I know it's tough to relax, but try to get some sleep. I promise you I'll be watching out for you the whole time."

She met his gaze, and something inside her finally let go. She believed in him. She believed in this man who had sworn to keep her safe. A faint smile curved her lips. "If you mess up and I get killed, I'll haunt you for all eternity."

He didn't smile. "Yes, you would," he said in complete seriousness. "I'd never get over it, so let's not have that happen."

Her belly tightened at the intensity of his voice. "I thought you were trained not to let things like that get to you."

"I am." He paused. "But all the training in the world hasn’t prepared me for you."

Her heart started to pound. "Is that bad?"

The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. "Absolutely nothing about you is bad, Skylar. Nothing."

He was so close to her. If she leaned forward just a tiny bit, she could kiss him. Would he kiss her back? Her heart beat even faster. "There are a lot of things about me that you don't know."

His gaze went to her mouth, and then back to her eyes. "I'm aware of that. I want to learn about each and every one."

Her breath caught. "Logan—"

There was a light knock at the door, and Keegan called out. "I'm here. Take your time."

For a moment, they simply stared at each other, and she found herself wishing desperately that he'd kiss her. That he'd break all the rules she'd laid out for him, gather her in his arms, and kiss her like his soul depended on it.

"Logan?" Keegan sounded tense. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, coming!" Logan brushed a kiss over her forehead. "I'll be right back, Skylar. I'm going to have Keegan wait in the room with you, but you don't need to talk to him. Just go to sleep. Trust us."

She sighed. No kiss. Which was definitely the right choice, even if it felt like a total disappointment. "Okay."

He leaned in, and before she realized what he was doing, gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. It was over in a split second, but the feel of his mouth lingered. He paused, and when she smiled, he grinned at her, his eyes crinkling with warmth. "I'll be back soon. Don't wait up."

"Hurry back." She smiled to herself and closed her eyes as he got up, the bed shifting under his weight. She heard him open the door, and the sound of the two male voices conferring quietly seemed to wrap around her like a warm blanket.

She fell asleep almost instantly, feeling truly safe for the first time in years.

Because of Logan.