A Real Cowboy Always Protects by Stephanie Rowe

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Skylar?"

Her mom. It was her mom at the door, not Logan. Disappointment and relief rushed through her, and Skylar rested her forehead on her knees. "I'm fine, Mom. I'll be right out."

"I hope you're not naked, because I'm coming in and there are kids out here." The door opened before Skylar would have had a chance to get dressed, and her mom poked her head around the door. When she saw Skylar hunched over on the edge of the tub, her face softened, and she walked in.

She shut the door behind her and sat down on the floor at Skylar's feet. "My baby girl," she said gently. "What's going on?"

"We're not really engaged," Skylar blurted out. "I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but we're not engaged. You and I aren't actually going to be a part of his family, and the assassin is hunting us because Logan's in the CIA and he accidentally got me shot at so he feels guilty. That's why he's protecting me."

Abby's brows shot up. "Wow. That's a lot of info. Where do you want to start?"

"He said he loves me. I mean, he does love me. And I love him. But I can't. I can't." Skylar suddenly blurted the entire story out, including the conversation they'd just had. By the time she'd finished, she'd gone through an entire roll of toilet paper, and her mom was smiling. Smiling. "How is this funny?"

"Do you know that you've never cried about your marriage? In all the times we've talked about it, you've never cried."

"I've cried—"

"No, you haven't. You've been all about summoning a strong front and focusing on work." Abby gently brushed her hair back. "I was worried about you. You were making yourself hard. Your smiles didn't reach your eyes, and your bad moods were tightly controlled."

Skylar inclined her head. "I had to be hard. See what happens when I'm not?" She gestured to the pile of toilet paper on the floor.

"Yes, the tears hurt. But since I've been in Wyoming, I've seen a Skylar I haven't seen in a very long time." She paused. "Since Dad died, really, but it became so much worse after your marriage ended."

Skylar's jaw dropped open. "I said that same thing to Logan, but about you. When you got out of Keegan's truck with Falcon, you looked so alive, and I realized how long it had been since I'd seen you like that."

Abby's face became thoughtful. "I didn't realize it until you said it just now, but you're right." She smiled. "I was so worried about my baby girl, that I never thought about myself." She took a deep breath. "I grieved the loss of Dad for a long time. And at the same time, I lost you, first to your own grief, then to your work, and then to the devastation of your marriage." She took Skylar's hands. "When Falcon showed up at the police station and told me that you'd awakened some sort of assassin and we were going to go meet up with you, I was so happy."

Skylar blinked. "Happy? That's happy news?"

"Yes! It meant I was going to get to see my daughter, and that she'd gotten out and lived enough to cause mayhem." She smiled. "You used to be so much trouble as a child. You remember when you sawed up our dining room table while Dad and I were out to dinner so you could build one that was an octagon, because you felt it would fit our space better?"

Skylar smiled through her tears. "You confiscated all the power tools for a month."

"It should have been longer, but your dad won that argument." Abby grinned. "Your dad was the spirit in our household, Skylar. I didn't realize until just now how much we both depended on him to keep us light, how we'd both let ourselves slip into a weariness with life, which was the exact opposite of how he defined life."

Skylar bit her lip, emotions tight in her chest. "I thought I'd work with Dad forever, and I never got a chance."

"No, you didn't." She gripped Skylar's hands. "But when I watched you out there tonight with Logan, and his family, and Leila, I saw that sparkle in your eye again. My baby girl was back. Do you feel that when you're with Logan?"

"I do." Skylar didn't need to think about it.

Abby nodded. "I felt it the minute I met Falcon. And then Keegan. And the others. There is something about this family that's pretty remarkable." She winked. "And that Frank is a pretty interesting man. If you marry Logan and move out here, I might come stay with you for a while. You said you're sharing a house with Frank, right?"

Skylar stared at her mom. "What are you talking about? You want to move out here?"

"Baby, I've been alone for years now, and I realized today that I don't want to do that anymore. I want my daughter back, and I want to live life as fully as I can in the time I have left. This family is pretty special, and they're opening their arms to us. If you truly love Logan, and I can tell you do, maybe it's time to jump in and see what life can give you."

"I just told you that I can't—"

"You actually can." Abby smiled. "You really can."

"But what if it doesn't work? What if it all ends?"

"It might end. It ended with Dad." Abby met her gaze. "But the time I spent with him made all the heartache that came after worth it. You can live, or you can die while you're alive." She patted Skylar's hand. "I'm done being dead while I'm alive, and you are, too. Say yes to Logan, Skylar. See how high you can fly."

Skylar's heart tightened with a longing so deep it hurt. She realized she wanted to trust him. She wanted to give this a try. She wanted it all.

Abby smiled. "I see it in your eyes, Skylar. This is the right path for you—"

The door suddenly flew open and Logan appeared, his gun in his hand. "He's found us. They tracked the breach to an internal leak, who admitted that he's on the way here. He's minutes away. Let's go."

Alarm shot though Skylar, and she jumped to her feet. "Eugene? He's here?"

"Yeah. Let's go." He grabbed Abby's elbow and started hustling them along the hall. "Chase and Ryder are taking everyone to the basement." Ahead, Skylar could hear footsteps pounding, her heart went to her throat at the thought of the children in danger. "Where's Leila?"

"She's with them." They reached the basement door and Logan gestured for them to go down the stairs.

Chase was at the bottom, a gun in his hand. "Let's go. I'll lock up once you guys are down here."

Abby hurried down the stairs as Quintin, Falcon, Brody, and Keegan approached, all of them armed and focused. Logan caught Skylar's wrist, yanked her to him, and kissed her, his eyes blazing. "I love the hell out of you, Skylar. When this is over, if you want to dump my ass, I won't stand in your way. I won't force you into anything you don't want, but know that I will love you until the day I die." He kissed her hard then set her back. "You stay the fuck alive until I get back. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Of course—"

At that moment, she heard a shriek from the basement. They both looked down as little J.J. tried to run up the stairs. He was giggling and laughing as Chase picked him up and then handed him to Mira, who had come out after him.

Mira clutched him to her chest as she hurried out of sight, and Chase looked up at Skylar. "Come on. Now."

Skylar had run and hid when she was at Logan's. But now…she shook her head. "I can't."

"You have to," Logan said. "He'll be here any second."

"No." She stepped back. "He's after me. If I go down there, I endanger everyone." She looked at Logan. "Those are the people we love in that basement. I can't put them at risk. This is our problem. We have to fix it without endangering them."

Logan stared at her, then swore under his breath. "Chase," he said finally. "Skylar's not coming. Lock it down."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Logan looped one arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. He placed a kiss on her forehead, holding her for a split second, before pulling her off the landing, and shutting the door behind them.

She heard Chase run up the stairs and lock the door behind them. The moment it clicked, she knew she was stuck. She'd made her choice…and it was the right one. "What now?"

"We need to lead him away from the house," Brody said. "Away from the basement."

Logan and Quintin looked at each other, and they nodded at the same time. "Dead Man's Notch," Logan said.

"We gotta get to the barn. We're riding." Quintin broke into a run down the hall, and the others sprinted after him. The men kept her in the middle, and she had to run hard to keep even with them.

They made it to the back door, the one closest to the barn, then paused.

Logan flicked the switch, turning the driveway into darkness. "On three. Run like hell. Total silence."

Skylar's heart was thundering, but she nodded.

The little group squeezed up next to the door, as tight as they could while Logan grasped the knob. He looked at her. "Ready?"

She nodded. She had a million questions, firstly, how did they know they weren't going to be gunned down as soon as they stepped outside, but she didn't ask. This was Logan's world. She had to trust him.

"Now." He opened the door, and they tore down the stairs, their feet moving so quickly as they hit the dirt. Skylar ran as hard as she could. The men were tightly clustered, using their bodies as a shield to protect her. Men she barely knew, all of them willing to sacrifice themselves to keep her safe.

They reached the barn and ran inside. Quintin stopped to close the door behind them, as the others spread out, racing for the tack room. Logan gestured them to different stalls. It took less than three minutes for six horses to be tacked up and mounted.

Logan gestured and they silently rode to the far end of the barn, the echo of the horses' hooves the only sound in the quiet barn.

They reached the double doors, and Quintin rode ahead. He leaned down and unlocked them, and then paused as Logan gave a quick rundown of the plans. Everyone nodded, but Skylar's mouth was dry with panic.

She didn't know if she could do it.

Logan looked over at her. "You got this, Skylar. I know you do."

She nodded and took a breath. "Okay."

"Okay." He reached over and squeezed her hand. "Everyone ready?"

All the riders moved into a tight cluster around her and gave their assent, so Logan nodded at Quintin. "Go."

Quintin yanked the double doors open. As a unit, the horses took off in a fast gallop, racing into the dark night. The horses' hooves pounded over the dirt as they flew across the stable grounds toward the same plains they'd ridden out on earlier with such joy.

No joy now. Just paralyzing fear driving Skylar forward.

Logan was so close on her right that her foot kept brushing against his leg. Quintin was in front. To her left was Brody. Behind them were Keegan and Falcon. Every horse was so close to her that she felt as if she could lean over and touch them.

Silently, they rode, no one speaking.

Finally, Logan signaled Falcon, who pulled away slightly. He pulled out his gun and fired several rounds into the air. None of the horses reacted to the gunshot, but she flinched, sudden panic clogging her throat as she was back in that moment at Logan's condo, when the bullets were flying and—

"Skylar." Logan's voice was low, breaking through the fear starting to paralyze her. "Stay with me. We're going to keep you safe."

Tears burned in her eyes as she looked over at him. The faint sliver of the moon gave just enough light for her to see the outline of his face. His beautiful face. The one she loved. The one who held her life in his hands. His face was calm and focused. Fierce. Determined.

He was ready, she realized. He could handle this. And he wasn't going to let her die. She could read it in every line of his body, in the faces of every man riding beside her. Her life was in their hands…and she trusted them.

She trusted them.

Relief rushed through her, a galvanizing relief that blew through her like a storm wiping out the tension that had been gripping her so ruthlessly for so long. She trusted them, and she knew she was right to do so. "Okay." And this time, she meant it.

He grinned. "Okay, then."

Falcon came riding up, hard and fast. "We have contact."

Skylar twisted around on her horse and scanned the darkness, but she couldn't see anything. "He's following us?"

"Yeah. He's in a truck. Lights off. But he's definitely following us."

The game was on.