Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“My father is president at the bank. Chance woke him in the middle of the night and threatened to pull all his money if they didn’t let him buy the loan.”
Movement caught Logan’s attention, so he looked up. The woman with lust in her eyes was on the move. She was weaving her way through the tables, heading in his direction. He let out an expletive under his breath, knowing she was somehow mixed up in this mess with Skylar.
Jordan turned slowly in reaction to his curse and crossed her arms over her chest when the woman stopped in front of his table. “Look what the cat dragged in. Kenzie Cox.”
“Go make his breakfast, Jordan. A man that—” she scanned Logan from head to toe “—big has to be hungry.”
Jordan rolled her eyes, then retreated to get Logan’s coffee.
“May I sit?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say no, but he changed his mind. She knew something about Skylar and her brothers, if Jordan’s reaction to her was anything to go by. He might be able to play this to his advantage, get more insight into Skylar’s situation.
When she smiled and licked her lips, he knew she was there to flirt instead of pump him for information. He knew the type well and hated the games they played. Some men might be flattered, but Logan wanted to be the one pursuing, not the one being pursued. But after meeting Skylar, the woman before him held no appeal.
Logan jerked his head in agreement, then watched with no small amount of humor as she made a ridiculous production out of sitting in the chair. Her dress rose up on her legs, higher than needed, as an invitation for Logan to take his fill. Logan had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at the spectacle. He’d known plenty of women just like her. Women who were beautiful without question, but so insecure in their self-worth, they used their beauty as a weapon to get what they wanted, rather than earning it honestly.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Logan finally asked, when she leaned forward so her ample cleavage was on display for him. He kept his eyes on hers, not about to take the bait.
“How long are you in town, Storm?” She let him know with that one question she’d heard everything Jordan had said.
That was the million-dollar question. An hour ago, he would have said he was just passing through. But his reaction to Skylar couldn’t be ignored. He’d left the army to put the pain behind him. To find some semblance of peace after losing everyone who’d ever mattered to him, and then he’d stumbled across Skylar and her brothers. A family of orphans, like himself, trying to survive their own tragic past. A religious man might argue that God had put Skylar in his path. Logan hadn’t seen much evidence of God in his life, but he wasn’t about to tempt fate by ignoring the possibility.
“I’m just passing through,” he lied, not about to discuss his plans.
Her smile turned sultry at that news. “I could make it worth your while, if you stayed longer.”
“Worth my while?”
“Sure. We could get out of here and spend the day in a more relaxing way.”
Logan had no intention of sleeping with the woman, but he was sure she knew more about what was happening with Skylar, so he hedged. “Tell me about Chance Bear, and I’ll think about it.”
A smirk bled across her red lips. “I’m offering you the finest body in Ennis for an afternoon of fun, and you want to know about my ex-husband?”
There it was. The reason Jordan didn’t like her.
Logan scanned her body, playing along with her invitation so he could stall for more information. She was attractive, that much was true, but he’d seen the way Skylar had filled out her jeans. Kenzie wasn’t the finest body he’d seen in that town. Not by half.
“Humor me,” Logan mumbled low. “They’re mostly kids with little money, so why’s he gunning for Skylar and her brothers?”
She pouted a moment then sat back and studied Logan. “You’ve heard of the Hatfields and McCoys, of course.”
“There’s a feud between the families?”
“Yes. One started by Justice Bear, my newly departed ex-father-in-law.”
“Explain it to me.”
Jordan placed his coffee on the table with a thud, glaring at Kenzie before leaving. Kenzie rolled her eyes and sat back with a huff. “They need to hire better help,” she sneered, following Jordan’s exit.
“The feud?” Logan prompted to get her talking. He wanted to be done with the woman as soon as possible.
She sighed. “Fine. I hate Chance, so telling you this will just piss him off. Far be it from me to pass on the opportunity.” She smoothed her dress down before continuing, picking at an invisible thread near the hem. She was good, he’d give her that. She never missed an opportunity to draw attention to her body. “Skylar’s father won a poker hand against Justice Bear, involving five hundred acres before shipping off to the Gulf War. Daniel James sat at the poker game hoping to make a start for him and his high school sweetheart, and everyone knew it. Sarah, Skylar’s mother, was the prettiest girl in town I’ve been told, but came from a poor family. Daniel James was also poor with a drunkard for a father. He was brought up by his grandparents, with no prospects except the military, so her parents hated him. They wanted more for her, thought her looks would land her a rich man, which was why Daniel was so desperate to win the game.