Cowboy Truth: Cowboy Justice Association #3 (9 page)

Logan took a swig of his beer and grinned. “You mean if I sold my bike, bought a minivan, and spent Saturday nights with my coin collection she’d forget all about me?”

“You have a coin collection?” Ava snorted.

Logan laughed and he leaned his elbow on the bar. “I’m just your typical Renaissance man. I have many interests. Coin collecting is just one. I also brew my own beer and play the guitar in a treehouse I built myself.”

“You built your own treehouse?” This wasn’t what she’d expected from this man.

“I certainly did. It’s a nice one too. I go there when I need quiet. I play my guitar and think. No cell phones allowed. What about you?”

“I write.”

She sounded completely boring. Which she was. She liked to stay home and write.

“What do you do for fun?”

She shifted on her feet, uncomfortable with this line of questioning.

“I write. Writing is fun for me.”

Instead of teasing her, he simply nodded. “It’s good that you enjoy your work that much. I love what I do too, but it can be stressful. I have to find ways to unwind.”

“I like to cook. And I like to read.”

She sounded like somebody’s grandmother.

“I like to eat so if you get a hankering to cook, let me know. I like to read too. Mostly thrillers and true crime.”

They talked about books and authors while they finished their drinks. It turned out they had similar reading taste. He’d even offered to let her borrow the latest release from one of her favorites.

“I only read on my e-reader now.” She shook her head. “But thank you for the offer.”

“I need to get one of those but I haven’t gotten around to it. I still buy regular books.” Logan slapped his empty beer bottle down on the bar. “Are you done? How about another dance?”

Her mind wanted to refuse but her body was firmly in charge. She moved into his arms as the band started playing a slow song. This time she held herself rigid, not allowing their bodies to sink together.

Logan Wright was a player, and she wasn’t the type to enjoy being played.

She really was what he called her. A good girl.

The best thing she could do is get through this evening and forget all about how good it felt to be held in his arms. And it did feel good. Too good. Mostly, it felt dangerous.

Well, shit. She so did not need this.

As the song ended they broke apart. Logan tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, leaving a streak of heat on her cheek.

“Are you okay? You seem tense all of a sudden.” He’d leaned forward, his voice low. His expression was concerned.

She nodded, not sure what to say. “I’m fine. I just don’t like that song,” she lied.

“We’ll go back to the table.” He placed his large hand under her elbow and they went back to his friends who were laughing and smiling. Ava hesitated when Logan pulled out her chair.

“I think I’ll visit the ladies’ room if you don’t mind. I’ll be right back.”

Diane hopped up from her seat. “I’ll go with you. It’s in the back of the bar.”

Ava followed Diane to the restroom, the raucous crowd loud around them. By the time Ava was freshening her lipstick, Diane was eyeing her curiously.

“How long have you known Logan?” she asked.

“He and I were paired up at my sister’s wedding on Saturday.” Ava answered the question by not really answering it.

Diane pulled a gold tube from her purse. “I heard about what happened. So tragic. Is Mary doing okay?”

Ava tried to bring order to her shoulder length curls. “She and Lyle are doing fine. Heartbroken of course. Were you at the funeral? I didn’t see you.”

“I wanted to be there but I had some business out of town. A training class. I work as an auditor for the local bank now.” Diane drew the red lipstick around her mouth. “Listen, don’t worry about Christina, okay? She and Logan used to date. She didn’t take the ending very well. Karen gave her a stern talking to while you and Logan were dancing. She needs to move on. Logan’s been patient with her, I’ll say that. Any other guy would have told her off in a nasty way by now.”

“Logan’s not the type to do that.” Even as the words came out of her mouth, Ava knew they were true.

Diane dropped her lipstick into her purse and smiled. “He’s the type to make a woman happy is what he is. Very happy.”

Shock ran through Ava. “You’ve dated Logan? I didn’t realize.”

Diane laughed. “I wish. Although in a small town like Corville, if we both stayed single long enough, I’d eventually get up to bat. Damn that man is fine. A friend of mine dated him and said she’d never had so many orgasms in her life. I should be so lucky. Is it true? Is he that good?”

Diane looked like she was holding her breath as she waited for an answer. Ava felt her cheeks get warm. “I have no idea,” she drawled. “It’s not like that with us.”

Diane’s eyebrows shot up. “I see. Well, if that’s how you want it…”

“It is,” Ava said firmly. “I’m not falling into bed with him. No way. No how.”

But those orgasms did sound tempting.

Chapter Seven

L
ogan let his gaze rest on Ava as she sat at the table chatting with Diane. He hadn’t really noticed it before but she was an attractive woman. Very attractive. Her golden brown hair fell in natural waves almost to her shoulders framing a heart-shaped face. Her skin was flawless and his fingers itched to stroke her cheek to feel if it was as soft as it looked. Her figure was curvy and generous, just the way he liked it. She had a body a man could hold in his hands. But what he liked the most was the dimples that appeared in her cheeks when she smiled.

And she smiled a lot.

Other than a strange moment on the dance floor, which she’d blamed on a crappy song, Ava had been great company all evening. She was polite and engaging with his friends, a good dancer, and a thoughtful person. She didn’t ask him to fetch her drinks or complain about how her feet hurt or the dance floor was too hot.

In fact, she hadn’t complained about anything at all. Even when other women had come up to him and asked him to dance, she hadn’t said a word. He’d turned them all down and at one point she’d leaned in close and whispered in his ear that it was okay if he wanted to.

He hadn’t wanted to. He had a bad reputation but he knew how to treat a lady. Ava Hayworth was a lady. Class all the way. It was probably a novelty for a good church-going girl like her to hang out with a guy like him.

And the evening wasn’t over yet.

Normally, if he wasn’t going to end up in bed with his date, which was rare, he took them home and then went for a ride. Tonight, he would take Ava with him on the bike. She’d loved it earlier but he knew she’d like it even better at night.

There was nothing like a nighttime cycle ride. The roads were deserted and there was nothing but the sound of the engine. He wasn’t going to get involved with Ava, but he could share this with her. It would be a thank you for all she’d done for him.

“Is everything okay?” Ava asked. She must have felt his gaze on her profile.

“Are you ready to go? Have you had enough fun?” He smiled as her dimples appeared.

“I have, actually. I don’t go out much at home. I’m always working. Thank you for bringing me.”

“As I said earlier, you did me the favor. Thank you.”

Ava’s gaze strayed to where Christina danced with Jack. “She looks pretty happy with Jack tonight. Maybe she got the message.”

Christina’s behavior had improved as the evening had gone on. Jack had made sure she was very busy indeed leaving little time for her to spend with Logan. Things just might have turned the corner.

“I hope so. She really is a nice person and she deserves to be happy. She wouldn’t have been happy with me.”

Ava tilted her head. “Why not? Because you can’t be faithful?”

For some reason her words stung. He lifted his hand. “Now hold on a minute. To be considered a candidate to be faithful, you have to be in a committed relationship. I don’t do relationships, so I’ve never been unfaithful. I want to be clear on that.”

Ava’s respect was important to him and he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she was the first real female friend he’d ever had.

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to offend. When you say it that way, I guess you’re right.”

“You guess? You don’t sound convinced.” Logan had to lean close so he could talk over the loud music but still not be overheard by his friends at the table. This was none of their fucking business.

“When I think about dating I automatically think about one person at a time,” Ava admitted. “Honestly, I couldn’t picture myself dating several men at once.”

Images of Ava with other guys flashed in front of Logan. His gut tightened and a scowl crossed his face. The thought of her with other men pissed him off. She was too good for anybody he’d ever met. She needed someone who would be as truthful with her as she was with them.

Most men would lie, cheat, and steal to get laid. Hell, he’d arrested a guy once who had pretended to work for Brad Pitt just to meet women. Of course he hadn’t arrested him for his game of make believe, he’d arrested him because he ran out on his bill after running up a tab of food and drinks over a thousand bucks. Logan still couldn’t believe females had actually believed someone working for Brad Pitt would be hanging out in Corville.

But women believed what they wanted to believe. Christina believed that Logan was a good man and that she was in love with him. Ava believed he was a hound and had to be blackmailed into going out on a date with him.

Logan stood and then helped up Ava with a hand under her elbow. They bid his friends goodbye and headed out of the loud roadhouse. Mounting the bike, they roared into the inky darkness. Ava’s arms were wrapped around his waist and her thighs were pressed close to his.

They rode through the night on the back roads until finally she tapped him on the shoulder. He moved the bike to the shoulder and let the engine idle.

She lifted the shield on her helmet and looked up at him with a puzzled expression. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere. Is that okay?” He held his breath as he waited for her response. If she wanted to go home, he’d take her straight there. He’d thought she would enjoy this, but if she didn’t he wouldn’t make her stay.

Her smile was slow in coming but no less dazzling. “Perfectly. I love this.”

They hurtled into the darkness, nothing but the moon and stars to light the way. The hum of the engine soothed his soul in a way nothing else ever had. When he’d returned from the Army, one of the first things he’d done was buy a cycle. He’d had a few since then but they were worth their cost in psychiatric bills. Logan had never needed therapy after the war. He’d had this instead. It was a feeling he loved but never took for granted. This was freedom.

Logan hadn’t consciously ridden to anywhere but he soon found them on the road that edged the lake outside of town. He pulled into an area canopied by several trees and just a few feet from the shore. He killed the engine and took off his own helmet before helping Ava with hers. She looked around and shook her head.

“I haven’t been out to the lake since high school. It hasn’t changed a bit. Do you come here a lot?”

He swung his leg over the bike and twisted around so he was able to see her clearly. The full moon hung in the sky illuminating the lake, making a silvery pattern on the surface and casting large shadows around the banks. He’d once heard that moonlight was a woman’s best friend. He’d never given it much thought but tonight Ava looked luminous basked in its heavenly glow. His chest felt tight and it was hard to speak as he gazed down at her upturned face. She looked beautiful and innocent. Too innocent for a man like him who had seen and done so many things, most of them bad, but for once he wasn’t in control of the situation.

Logan was used to calling the shots in his relationships with the fairer sex. At this moment, Ava was in the driver seat. Did she realize it? He felt like a kid on his first date.

And this wasn’t a date.

A crinkle formed between her eyes as she studied him, waiting for his response. Damned if he knew what to say. All coherent thought was gone as instincts as old as time welled up inside of him.