A Real Cowboy Always Protects by Stephanie Rowe

Chapter Twenty-Three

Logan was leaningagainst the stove, studying Skylar as she went over the designs with the Harts. She clearly wasn't relaxed, but she was focused and calmer. Her work did the same thing for her that his did for him. Took them both away from the baggage that haunted them.

No wonder she worked all the time. It was the same reason he did. Because being focused on work was better than dealing with life.

"You look cranky." Frank, Liam's grandpa limped over to him, his cane the only legacy from the car accident that had broken his leg not too long ago. "Jealousy's not a good look for a marriage, Logan."

He smiled at the older man. "I'm not jealous. I'm glad they're helping her relax. I'm just thinking."

Frank leaned against the counter and folded his arms. "No good thoughts make a man have that expression on his face. What's going on? Trouble already?"

He glanced at Frank. The older man's gray hair was a sharp contrast to his dark skin, and the wrinkles around his eyes were ones of a lifetime of weariness, not laughter. "No trouble. Just the complications of life."

"We make life complicated," Frank said. "But it's pretty basic. Comes down to one thing, really."

Logan raised his brows. "What's that?"

"Love."

"Ah. Love. Seems like that's pretty complicated actually."

"Not so much." Frank braced his hands on the counter, letting it take some of the weight off his injured leg. "When you get a chance to love, you love with all your might until it's gone. Then you love what you still have."

Logan recalled that Frank's son, Liam's dad, had been killed in the military. As far as he knew, it was only Frank and Liam. He didn't know what had happened to Liam's mom, or if Frank had ever been married, but he knew that right now, Liam was all Frank had. "Liam's a good kid."

They both looked over at Liam as he worked with Ryder and Zoey. "That he is. He's my shining light." Frank's voice was rough and emotional. "And now we've got Ryder and Zoey. And the Harts. And the Stocktons." He glanced at Logan. "The day my wife died, I thought I couldn't go on, but I had a son to raise, so I focused on him. When my son was killed, I had Liam."

Logan met his gaze. "I'm deeply sorry for your losses, Frank."

"Thank you." Frank inclined his head. "But I'm all right. Love keeps us going, and makes us whole again."

Logan's gaze returned to Skylar. "That assumes you were once whole to begin with."

"I know about your past," Frank said softly. "Ryder's told me about it."

Logan's jaw flexed. "It's fine. It's in the past."

"Yes, it is. You gotta let that shit go and stop letting it define you."

"It's not that easy."

"Nope. But all you need to do is decide you deserve it. If you never decide that, you'll never be free."

"I'm free when I'm working." Logan watched as Skylar laughed at something Keegan said. God, she was beautiful.

"You're not free until you can sit in the moment with someone you love and let yourself be happy. As long as you keep running, you're not free."

"I'm not running. I like my job. It fulfills me." He paused. "I need it, like Skylar needs hers."

Frank grunted. "Do you think you deserve to be happy, Logan? To sit in the moment and be happy?"

Logan looked over at him. "I tried that, and it let the monster out."

Sadness flickered in Frank's eyes. "Emotions don't make you a monster, Logan. They make you human. Even ones that scare you."

He thought of the anger he'd felt over Skylar's ex. Frank was right. It had scared him to feel that much anger, to feel like he could be his father. "You know us. My brothers. Our history. You know the poison that he poured into us. You know that, right?"

Frank nodded. "I do."

"If you had a daughter, would you let her fall in love with one of us? Even knowing what you know?"

Frank met his gaze. "If I had a daughter, there's no one I'd rather have her fall for than a Stockton man."

Logan was stunned by Frank's words. He could tell the older man meant it. A man who'd seen so much, lost so much, loved so much, would trust his own daughter with a Stockton. "Thank you," he said gruffly. "I can tell you mean that."

Frank smiled. "You Stocktons are good men. I've always known that."

Logan folded his arms over his chest, watching Skylar. What if he was good enough for her? What if he did deserve her? What if he was who she needed?

I want that. I want her. I want forever with her.

The realization settled in him with complete rightness, and he knew suddenly, with absolute conviction what he wanted. He wanted the life he'd never let himself yearn for, and he wanted it with Skylar. But… "How do I do it?" he asked. "I don't know how to be normal, to function without my job." He paused. "To be enough for her. To get her to trust me. To be worthy of that trust." He paused. "To heal her heart again."

Frank smiled. "As long as you want to, you'll figure it out." Frank clapped him on the shoulder. "Love, my boy. Follow love and you'll be all right."

Love. Logan grinned as he watched Skylar. Love. He'd never thought it would be for him, but it felt right. So right. They both had barriers, big ones, but he was a master strategist. He could find a way. He had to find a way.

At that moment, his phone dinged. He glanced down and saw a text. Call me. Now.

Adrenaline pulsed through Logan. "I'll be right back." He was already dialing as he strode out of the room. He stopped in the front hall, out of earshot, but still able to see Skylar. The phone rang twice before Director Hamilton answered. "What's up, Sir?" Logan didn't bother with preamble.

"Skylar's work computer system was hacked. Her mother's address in Vermont was accessed."

Alarm shot through Logan, and Skylar looked up at him suddenly, as if she felt his tension. "Get her mom out of there. Now."

"I called the local police. They have her at the police station."

"She's not safe there." Logan swore, and Brody and Keegan both looked up, their eyes narrowing when they saw him pacing.

"I know. I have a team going into collect her—"

"How do you know they're safe? There might be an internal leak." Logan swore, trying to think. They needed to get Skylar's mom out of there and safe. Where was safe? He looked across the house at the Harts watching him, and he knew where safe was.

Safe was with him. "Hang on." He gestured at Brody. "I need you."

Brody immediately headed over, but Keegan and Skylar followed right behind him. Shit. He didn't want to bother Skylar, but he didn't have time to argue. He gave up trying to be secretive. "Brody, how fast can you get your plane to Vermont?"

"Vermont?" Skylar's hand went over her heart. "Is my mom okay?"

"She's fine." Logan put his arm around her to reassure her, but he needed to focus on solving the problem first. "Brody?"

"We were planning to leave today, so she's all fueled up and ready to go. Why?"

"Skylar's mom's address has been compromised. We need to get her out of there. I want to bring her here."

"I'll go." Keegan was already pulling out his phone. "Brody, you stay here. I'll get Skylar's mom. What's her name?"

"Abby Jones. But—"

"I'm sending a plane," Logan told his boss. "It's leaving in—" He raised his brows at Keegan.

"Thirty minutes. What airport should we land at?"

Logan handed his phone to Keegan. "Talk to my boss directly. It's faster."

Keegan took the phone and turned away, while Logan turned to Skylar, whose face was ashen. "They have her at the police station. They'll keep her there until the plane arrives."

"The police station?" She frowned. "Will she be safe there?"

He couldn't lie to her. "Probably."

"Probably." She stared at him. "Logan, she's all I have—"

Keegan handed the phone back. "We're all set." He grabbed his keys. "I'll be in touch. Be back soon." He gave Skylar a quick hug. "She'll be fine, Skylar. I've called a friend I have in the area. He's going to meet her at the police station and make sure she's safe. He'll take her out of there if he thinks it's not." He met her gaze. "He's ex-military. He's very, very good."

Something turned over inside Logan, an unexpected appreciation for the help. He knew the Harts considered themselves family now, but it still was unexpected. "Thank you." His voice was gruffer than he intended.

Skylar clung tight to Logan. "Yes, thank you, Keegan. I appreciate it so much."

"We got this. Family sticks together." He winked at her. "I'll be in touch." Then he grabbed his car keys and literally sprinted out the door. Logan could hear him running to his truck.

He took his phone back. "Is my identity compromised?" he asked his boss.

"Not that we know of," his boss said. "But stay on alert. I expect he'll go after Skylar's mom first as a hostage. I'll be in touch."

Logan hung up, his adrenaline racing. He had contacts he could call, but he didn't dare. He had no idea who was secure. He could only hope that Keegan's friend was as good as he'd said.

"I know who he called," Brody said. "No one will get to your mother, Skylar. He'll take her off grid if he needs to."

She nodded, but she looked like she was going to be sick. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "Should we go back to the drawings then, Brody?"

Brody raised his brows in surprise, but nodded. "Sure, let's do it."

Logan frowned as he watched the two of them return to the table and start talking about the plans for the bakery. Skylar was tense, and her hands were shaking. She was trying to lose herself in work, but there was no way she could focus.

Work could help only so much.

How could he help her?

Ryder came up beside him. "What's going on?" he asked quietly.

Logan filled him in, finishing with, "It's going to be a tense few hours for her until we get her mom in the air and on her way here."

"Yeah, it will be." Ryder watched Skylar. "I would lose my mind if Zoey were in danger and I had to sit around and wait."

"Yeah." Logan was feeling pretty stressed even though it wasn't Skylar. Her mom was her world, which made her that important to him.

His phone rang again, and he swore. Brody and Skylar looked up sharply as he pulled it out. He looked at the caller ID. "It's Zane," he said. But he didn't relax. Was something happening at the ranch? "What's going on?"

"Leila's having a tough morning."

It took Logan a moment to focus his brain on the teenager that Skylar had spent the day working on the float with. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. She won't talk to us." Zane paused. "You think Skylar would want to come by? Hang out with her for a bit? Skylar seems to help her."

Logan looked at Skylar's trembling hands, and suddenly, he knew what to do. He knew what had helped him, and his brothers, as kids, when nothing else would. There was only one thing that ever truly took away the darkness, a solace he'd walked away from so long ago, and forgotten about. Would it help Skylar and Leila? It might. "Actually, I have a better idea."

He told Zane what he was thinking, and his brother agreed. "It's perfect. I'll make some calls." He hung up and Ryder was grinning at him.

"It's a great idea. Horses are magical."

"You think?"

"Yeah. It'll be good. You want us to come?"

Logan appreciated the offer. "No, I want it to be just us today. I think it's what we need."

"You got it." Ryder headed back to his family as Logan walked back to the kitchen table, where Skylar and Brody were watching his approach. "Zane called. Leila's having a tough morning."

Skylar's brow furrowed in concern. "She is? What's wrong?"

"She won't talk to anyone. Zane asked if you could come by and hang out with her."

"Of course." Skylar put down the plans, then frowned. "Is it safe?"

"We'll make it safe."

"All right, then. Let's go." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. The only thing in her eyes was fear. Fear for her mother.

He was going to try to change that.

He was going to see if either of them had a chance to survive outside the numbness of their work. Not just her. Him as well. Because if he couldn't, there was no future for them…and he knew it would break him to lose her.

This had to work. For her. For him. For them.