Page 45 of Destined for the Cowboy

Especially from Logan.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Logan slammed thetruck door shut with far more force than was required. When something metal tumbled in the bed, clanking loudly, he swore under his breath.

His entire morning had gone like this. Hell, it had gone like this since yesterday. Since Tris had turned on her heel and walked out on him.

…an amazing human being like you…

She’d said it with such fierceness there was no doubting she meant it. He’d been called many things in his life. As a kid, a pain in the ass, bastard, pitiful, and countless other slurs. As an adult, at six foot, one ninety and most of that muscle, not many were brazen enough, so if they thought it they didn’t say it. And women didn’t seem to mind looking, even flirting a little. Which made him more uneasy than he could explain.

But he’d never been complimented with the kind of fervor and honesty and uniqueness that Tris had given him. And more than once, if he was honest about it.

And that, he admitted sourly, was likely why he’d spent every hour since she’d left screwing things up. If it wasn’t for the fact that he always got an early start, he’d be late to his first job this morning. And this was a job he did not want to be late for. When Chief of Police Shane Highwater wanted something done, you got it done. Not out of fear but respect. The man was a freaking hero. Even he had seen the dash cam video of him taking down a terrorist in a suicide vest, doing it when they were far enough away that no one else would get hurt, yet from close enough to be sure.

Sure both that the man would go down…and that when that vest exploded he would die too. If it hadn’t been for a malfunction of the dead man switch, that would have been what happened, and Shane Highwater had done it anyway. And Logan doubted there was anyone who’d been in Last Stand any length of time who wouldn’t jump when the man called.

Even if it was to repair a jail cell.

When he got there and found the big, solid metal door hanging by the bottom hinge, he stared at the jailer.

“I don’t think I want to know,” he said.

“A drunk the size of a gorilla. Some idiot from Austin,” the man said sourly.

“Well, that’s a redundancy if I ever heard one,” Logan muttered, then nearly jumped when a laugh came from close behind him. He spun around to see Chief Highwater grinning at him.

“Truer words never spoken,” the man said.

“Sir,” Logan said respectfully, and shook the chief’s hand when he held it out.

“Think you’ll be able to get this done today?”

He looked back at the door, saw where the hinge had given way, and that the metal that held it to the frame looked as if it had originally been two pieces where it should have been one.

“I think so. I brought most of what I’ll need, and anything elseNailed Itshould have,” he said, referring to the hardware store just a block down the street.

“Good,” the chief said, his tone a little wry. “There’s a private party that rented the saloon tonight, and some folks may need a place to sit and sober up before they hit the streets to go home.”

Logan looked at the man, hesitated, then said, “That must be strange. With the saloon being your brother’s, I mean.”

“We’ve reached an accord. He trades a last free drink for their car keys, and is rarely ever turned down.” The chief studiedhim in turn. “I hear you don’t drink anything other than the lemonade.”

With anyone else Logan would have ended the conversation abruptly. But not this man. “I don’t drink. I didn’t want to…fulfill certain expectations.”

“Wise choice,” Shane Highwater said. “But then, you’re a wise man.”

That was an appellation he’d never expected, but he prized it coming from this man.

“I just see all the trouble it causes.” His mouth quirked. “And I like that peach lemonade they serve.”

“So do I,” the chief said with a grin.

He hesitated again, then gave in to curiosity. “I’ve heard you and Slater didn’t always get along so well.”

“True—and long—story. Typical family stuff. But things are great now.”

Logan was the first to admit he knew nothing about typical family stuff, but he suspected there was more to it than that, simply because they were the Highwaters and nothing was simple.

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