Page 27 of Rust and Stardust

I stared at him, trying to figure out if I should lie or tell him the truth. Either way, I was in big fucking trouble. Not just with him, but with our entire plan as well.

“Lucas…” he said, stepping closer. “What’s going on?”

“I… uh…” I shook my head, realizing there was no way I was gonna lie my way out of this one. “Logan… I think I made a mistake.”

“Mistake?” His eyes narrowed. “What kind of mistake?”

“A big one.”

“Big enough to cost us our jobs and our livelihoods or like you got an STI and need antibiotics?”

When I didn’t answer right away, he took another step closer, poking a finger into my chest.

“Lucas David Greene,” he said, punctuating each word with a stab of his finger. “Tell meyou didn’t.”

I looked up at him, shaking my head. “I… I didn’t mean to. But after he saved my life yesterday I just… I couldn’t help myself.”

Logan reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose as he furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you mean to tell me that you’ve gone and fallen for some backwater cowboy when you know full well that we need to steal from him in order to keep our jobs and our livelihoods?”

“We can find other people,” I began. “There’s lots of good food here! I had some tonight that were?—”

“Lucas,” he interrupted. “I don’t think you understand.”

“Understand what? We can choose someone else to steal from.”

“Sure,” Logan nodded. “And then when your little cowboy finds out, how do you think he’ll react?”

I froze up, the truth hitting me like a ton of bricks.

“Think he’ll be happy that you stole from his friends and neighbors to keep your job? That he’ll understand? Because I can assure you, he won’t and neither will anyone else. The moment anybody finds out, this entire town will turn on you in an instant. And if you want to avoid being burned at the stake, you’ll have to leave Sagebrush and your idiotic little romance behind.”

Logan’s words struck me to the core, igniting anger in my belly. “It’s not stupid,” I shot back. “Beau is?—”

“Is what exactly? Nice? Friendly?” he asked, glaring up at me. “That’s the way people are around here. It’s fake.”

“He’s not fake! Not with me!”

“Oh? I suppose he told you how much he liked you back, huh? Then he told his family that y’all were gonna just start dating and have your gay little love affair on the ranch next door. Really do the family proud, right?”

I stared at Logan, fury pounding in my veins. He was making a lot of excellent points, and I hated him for it. Beau just wasn’t ready to come out yet. All he needed was a little time and then things would come out without any big issues. Wouldn’t they?

“He’s never going to tell them,” Logan continued, as if he couldread my mind. “The best you’ll ever be for him is a quick fuck in the back of the barn. And unless we get this promotion, you won’t be able to afford to come see him again, anyway. Not that he’ll want you once he finds out what you did to get the promotion in the first place.”

I felt my chest tighten, the weight of Logan's words sinking in. He was right, and I despised it. I slumped down onto the edge of my bed, burying my face in my hands.

“Look,” Logan said, his tone softening slightly at my anguish. “I get it. This Beau guy seems great to you. But we can't risk everything we've worked for on some fling with a closeted cowboy that I definitely watched date women in high school.”

I lifted my head, meeting Logan's gaze. “It's not just a fling,” I said quietly. “I... I think I'm falling for him.”

Logan's eyes widened. “Jesus Christ, Lucas! You've known him for what, three days?”

“I know it sounds crazy,” I admitted. “But there's something about him. Something real.”

Logan sighed, running a hand through his sandy hair. “Even if that's true, it won’t matter in the end. He’s not gonna come out and not a soul in this town will forgive us for stealing from them.”

“They don’t have to know.”

“They’re gonna figure it out,” Logan said, shaking his head. “As soon as that product hits the store shelves, we’re cooked. It might take them six months or a year to figure it out, but eventually it’ll catch up to us and we won’t be welcome here ever again.” His voice lowered as he turned toward the window. “I know my family will never want to see me again either.”

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