A Real Cowboy Always Protects by Stephanie Rowe

Chapter Seven

Fiancée?Skylar was so startled that all she could do was stare in shock at the ring. It was sparkly, huge, and beautiful. It reminded her of hopes, dreams, and betrayal that could slice her heart open with one swift swipe.

"Skylar?"

"No." She sat back and folded her arms across her chest. "Nope. I'm good. I'll be your hairdresser. I'm sure I can fake it."

Logan raised one gloriously sexy eyebrow. "I thought women dreamed of getting engaged."

"They might, but there's a couple key things here." She drummed her finger restlessly on the armrest. "First, it's not a real engagement. It's a fake one. Women who dream of diamond rings and getting engaged usually include an actual groom, eternal love, and a dream wedding in their fantasies."

"All right. I suppose that's true." He contemplated her thoughtfully. "What's the second issue?"

"The second issue is that I've been engaged, and it led to such devastating heartbreak that I'll never date again, unless the guy is in prison for life in another country, so there's no chance it could work out."

His brown eyes searched hers. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said gently.

Compassion softened his face, which irritated her. She didn't want sympathy. She wanted to be strong and independent. "I'm fine," she said quickly. "Don't worry about me."

"I always worry about you."

She hesitated. "You do? Why?" He always worried about her? Why? They barely knew each other. That was totally sweet. Unnecessary, of course, but it still felt good.

"Because…" He paused, then shrugged. "It's not important. But if it's a fake engagement, then it's really not a threat to your committed single status, is it?"

She frowned at him. "Well, not literally, but emotionally, it's quite a toll."

"A toll?" He leaned forward, as if he really wanted to know. The distant reserve he'd been holding around him so tightly was gone, replaced with an intense intimacy that made her feel safer. She liked when he looked at her like that.

He made her feel seen, which was both incredible and terrifying at the same time.

"Yes," she said. "A toll."

"How so?"

She sighed at his refusal to let her evade the question. "I don't really want to elaborate."

"Tell me anyway."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "You're a pest."

He smiled, that glorious radiant smile that made her heart flutter every time she saw it. "Some of the folks at work have a more colorful name for me, but I don't deny it. I want to know."

"Damn you for manipulating me with that ridiculously charming smile." She glared at him when his smile widened even further. "Fine. It would be a toll because if I'm wearing that ring, every time I look down and see it, for a split second, my heart will forget that it's fake. And then, I'll be crushed by the horror of having to relive the part of my life I want to forget."

He swore under his breath. "Skylar—"

"Or," she continued, "I'll be blinded by the unbridled ecstasy of believing I fully recovered from that horror show and have a chance for that happily ever after that I no longer believe in, only to be crushed when I realize that it's not true."

Logan got a speculative gleam in his eyes. "All that from a ring?"

"It's not funny." Skylar reached over and smacked his knee impatiently. "Because then, reality will intrude, and I'll remember that the engagement is fake because I'm hiding out from an assassin, and my only chance of survival is my reticent neighbor who claims to be able to keep me alive."

"Ah." He turned the ring over in his fingers. "So, if you put this ring on, it's a triple threat to your emotional well-being: reliving your past, hoping for a future that's not real, and a reminder about Eugene."

"Exactly." She stifled a grin at his use of her name for the assassin. "Since my emotional well-being is already in enough trouble as it is, the answer's obvious." She leaned back in her seat. "Hairdresser it is."

"Nope."

She eyed him. "Yes."

"You don't have to wear the ring." He slid it back into his pocket. "But we're engaged."

To her surprise, she felt a surge of loss as the ring disappeared from sight. Not that she wanted to be engaged to him, or anyone. But Logan was…well…Logan. He was tempting. "How did you come up with a ring so fast anyway?"

He glanced over at her. "I'm not answering anything until you agree we're engaged."

She sighed. "I don't want to be engaged, Logan. It broke me," she whispered.

Logan studied her for a moment, then he unfastened his seatbelt, slid off the seat, and kneeled in front of her. "Skylar."

God, he was close to her. And compelling. Why was he so compelling? She didn't want to get involved with anyone. But Logan did something to her. "What?" She sounded more hostile than she intended and winced.

"I won't break you," he said, his gaze searching hers. "Pretending to be engaged is the best way I know of to protect you. Now that I know that it hits a trigger for you, we can work around it. If I do something that bothers you, tell me. I'll adjust. We can work this out."

She searched his face. "But—"

"I know about triggers, Skylar. More than you could ever know. I have no interest in making you relive a shitty past, trust me." When she didn't answer, he took a breath. "All right. Never mind. I'll think of something else. I won't push you." He put his hands on her knees, squeezed gently, then stood and walked back to his seat.

Skylar watched him as he sat down and bent over, resting his forehead in his palms. His shoulders were tense, his breathing deep and even, as if he were intentionally slowing his breathing so he could focus.

She let out her breath. "This is a shitty situation, huh?"

Logan snorted and lifted his head. "Yeah, you could say that."

Their gazes met, and she saw the weariness in his gaze. The weight he always carried, that would sometimes dissipate when they were talking, like when they had been talking about the ring a few minutes ago.

She loved watching that darkness leave him when she teased him. Connecting with him made them both feel better, a gift she was pretty sure he needed as much as she did, especially now.

She bit her lip. Logan was the only person who made her laugh these days. Maybe being fake engaged to him was the universe's gift to help her heal, to finally get past the baggage she couldn't shed on her own.

Giving her a partner to lean on, without requiring her to get romantically involved. If they were only fake engaged so he could protect her, then she was pretty safe allowing herself to lean on him and trust that he'd be there every morning when she woke up, and every night when she went to sleep.

God, that would be wonderful, even if for only a few days.

His eyebrows went up. "You look shifty. What are you plotting?"

She nibbled her lower lip. "If we were to get fake engaged, real rules would apply."

Curiosity flickered in his eyes. "Like what?"

"No messing around with anyone else. I know it's for show, but it matters to me."

He nodded without hesitation. "Agreed."

Her heart fluttered at his immediate acquiescence. How many men would be willing to give up other women for a fake fiancée? Not many. Especially since plenty of men wouldn't even give up other women for a real fiancée.

"What else?" he asked, clearly undaunted by her request.

"Being nice to each other. Treating each other like it's real, at least in public." She wouldn't be humiliated again. Never again. "Always defending one another to others."

He looked surprised by her request, but nodded. "Of course. I'd never consider anything else." He paused. "So, it's a go?"

She took a breath and held out her hand. "Can I see the ring?"

"You bet." He dug it out of his pocket and put it in her hand, his fingers brushing against her skin, making her suck in her breath.

The white gold was cold against her palm, the diamond gorgeous and sparkling. Their engagement would be fake, but to the world, it would be real. If people believed she was his fiancée but hadn't received a ring from him… Her fingers closed over the metal. She deserved more than that.

Silently, she slid the ring onto her finger, her heart hammering as it settled in place. She expected to feel panic and terror, but she didn't. She just felt safer, as if the diamond bound her to the man who could keep her alive. Relieved, she let out a breath. "Whew. Okay, then."

Logan was leaning forward, his jaw flexing as he watched her. "You okay?"

She looked up, and her resistance melted away at the concern on his face. She fluttered her hand at him. "It's a big diamond. I feel like I landed a sugar daddy."

He grinned. "I'm definitely the sugar daddy type."

"I totally pegged you for that." She sat back in the seat, the tension easing from her body for the first time in hours. "This might be okay." The cold metal encircling her finger made her feel safe. It wasn't a reminder of her past, or a lie about her future. It was the truth that Logan was committed to protecting her.

"So, you're in?"

"Engaged to a sexy cowboy CIA agent from Wyoming who's my personal bodyguard and protector?" She smiled. "Now, that might be every woman's fantasy."

He grinned. "You think I'm sexy?"

Ah…that devastating smile and sparkle in his eyes was back. Her heart leapt, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "As if you didn't know that you're basically pure temptation all wrapped up in jeans and a sweatshirt."

"It's subjective, but I'm not going to try to talk you out of it." His smile was genuine now, amusement dancing in his eyes. "So it's a yes?"

She ran her fingers over the diamond. Was it a yes? She grinned. "It's a yes."

Operation Fake Fiancée underway.