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)
“As entertaining as it is to watch you two dance around each other,” Remington cut in, “can we get back to the matter at hand? I’ve got shit I need to do. Fish that need to be caught.”
Skylar blinked then turned swiftly on her heel as her cheeks filled with color. “Sorry, Duke.”
Duke watched her for a moment, his lips twitching as she regained her composure.
“I’ll consider letting him out, Skye, but Josh is gonna need a firm hand.” He looked at Logan as he spoke, so Logan nodded, agreeing without words he would be there to help.
“Yes. Of course. I promise with everything I am that if you return Josh to my custody, I’ll keep him out of trouble. Scout’s honor.” Skylar raised three fingers in the universal promise of a Boy Scout.
Duke grinned openly at the display. He glanced at Logan, who had covered his own mouth to hide his smile, then turned and picked up his keys from his desk, mumbling, “Scout’s honor is good enough for me.”
With a cry of happiness, Skylar launched herself at Duke when he turned back around and hugged him so forcefully, he had to take a step back. Patting her on the back in neighborly affection, Duke cleared his throat before leaving them alone to retrieve Josh.
Skylar smiled at Logan in victory, and it hit him straight in the chest. A man would do just about anything for a woman if she graced him with a smile like that every day of his life.
“I’ll drive Josh to school,” Logan stated, moving closer to her, “and have a man-to-man with him.”
Her brows pulled tightly across her forehead. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. He doesn’t know you, and my brothers can be difficult.”
He took another step closer until she had to tip her head back to look up at him. “You’re paying me to look out for your safety, so I’ll take—”
“I’m letting you sleep there in exchange for looking out for the bar,” she corrected, but her tone had gone slightly breathy, and the sound of it floated around him like a soft breeze, causing the skin on the back of his neck to tingle. Her voice wasn’t deep and husky, but so damn sweet and innocent it was calming to his nerves that always seemed to be strung tight.
“You are the bar,” he contradicted, “so anything to do with you falls under my job description.”
She stared back at him with eyes so round he could have drowned in them. The need to reach up and run his finger across her cheek, to see if it was as soft as her hands, was nearly overwhelming. So much so his hand began to rise to her face, but he stopped when a hoarse voice behind him said, “Skylar.”
They both spun to find Josh standing in the doorway. The kid looked defeated. Like he was ready to cave under pressure. Logan knew if he lost it in front of his sister and Duke, it would make matters worse. He was a kid but he was almost a man, one who was carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders, so he moved to intercept him before Skylar could mother him to death and make matters worse. Logan was certain Josh wasn’t acting out in some misguided attempt for attention, but rather he was trying to numb himself in an effort to hide from a deeper hurt. From what pain was the answer to screwing his head back on straight, and Logan intended to get to the bottom of it ASAP.
He took Josh by the arm, turning him back before Skylar could get a hold of him, and rumbled, “You’re with me. I’m taking you to school.”
“Wait,” Skylar cried out, but Logan pushed Josh through the open door and kept walking with him.
“No time, school started already,” Logan replied over his shoulder.
“Leave Josh to Storm, Skylar,” Remington added, as Logan kept them heading for the staircase that would lead them to main door. “It’s a man thing.”
Josh looked back at his sister but didn’t balk at being manhandled, so Logan marched the kid down the stairs and out the front door while Skylar was detained by the chief.
“What’s going on?” Josh finally asked when they hit the street. “Why are you here? Why are you in our business?”
Logan pointed to his truck and kept moving. “Your sister hired me to watch out for her and the bar. Watching out for her means helping out with you.”
Josh stopped in the middle of the street with a dumbfounded look on his face, then sped up until they were side by side. “Cool. Were you in the military?”
“Yeah.”
“What branch?”
Logan saw Jamie watching from down the street with Max at her side, so he raised his hand to her then signaled the war dog to come. “Army,” Logan answered, while he kept an eye on Max as he crossed the street.