Logan slows the truck down before he pulls into the dark, secluded driveway of his cottage on the edge of Wild Ranch. He flicks off the engine and turns to me. “Did you make sure you also prayed for yourself?”
I look at him, startled. “I’m not the one who’s sick and hurting.”
“You may not be sick, but you’re sure as hell hurting. And starting tomorrow, everything’s going to change for you again at The Cowherd.”
“Right.” I don’t tell him things will be changing forever.
I don’t dare. Logan’s like a caveman when it comes to protecting me, especially regarding my father. And words can’t describe how grateful I am for his support each and every day. But because I know this, I also know that he would, no doubt, fight me on my decision, and he’d be in my corner so much I might be tempted to side with him. And I can’t. I can’t take my own side because my family has to come first.
In time, maybe I will have a chance to pursue my own dreams. But right now, I have to make sure I save my family.
Like he knows I’m done talking, Logan opens his truck door. “Let’s get some rest.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll fix up the couch, and you can take my room,” he says as I trail behind him up the walkway. “Hopefully, you can get a few hours of sleep in before the damn rooster wakes us. It’s like a deal with the devil having that bird so close to my cottage.”
He’s being a gentleman. But I don’t want a gentleman tonight.
I need this one last night of freedom. And I need it with Logan. Yes, we were just together last night. Yes, according to our rules, we technically shouldn’t be intimate again for a year. But the heat wave’s still going strong. I’ve had a shitty day. My family’s a mess. And my body, and heart, are weak.
As we pause outside the front door of his cottage, I reach for Logan’s hand from behind.
“I can’t sleep.”
He freezes, his back stiffening.
“Logan, are you willing to break our rules tonight and…”
“Yes.”
I swallow hard. “Okay.”
Without turning around, he says, “Where do you want to go?”
I take a deep breath. “Anywhere but a bed.”
19
Logan leads me back to his truck without another word.
He pulls down the tailgate, and I climb up. He disappears inside his cottage, only to reappear with a pillow and blankets.
He spreads the thick down comforter across the bed of the truck, and we sink onto it together.
Even though it’s hot, he pulls over us the light southwestern blanket patterned with squares of a cowboy riding a horse.
Stars litter the Texas sky, and I snuggle in next to Logan, our heads sharing the pillow.
“So beautiful,” I say softly.
“I agree,” he says.
I turn, and he’s looking at me. Not at the sky but at me.
Before I can speak, he leans in and brushes his lips over mine. Then, he pulls back slightly and ghosts my mouth with his.
He’s not even touching me, but I can feel his hot breath that smells like mint hit my lips, and he leaves me no room for thought.
