Page 26 of Just Say Yes

I swallowed back emotion. “Next week. It’s a date.”

Red winked at me as Arthur gestured to him. “Let’s go. My parole is up in a few hours. Let’s cause some trouble.”

A laugh shot from my chest as I leaned into Red’s embrace one last time. The two men climbed the steps to JP’s house, and my brother opened the door for him with a confused look. His eyes darted to me, and I lifted my shoulders. His stare darkened when he looked past me at Logan. I gave him the tiniest of nods to let him know I could handle myself.

Satisfied, my overprotective brother disappeared inside the house.

“How do I get one of those?” Logan’s deep voice floated over my shoulder, and liquid heat followed in its wake.

“A date?” I asked, turning to him.

He crossed his arms and looked around JP’s property. “A date. One of those hugs. I’m not picky.”

I lifted an eyebrow and climbed the porch steps. “Be charming and handsome and over the age of fifty-five.”

His arms spread as wide as his grin. “Two out of three ain’t bad.”

I rolled my eyes, looking down at him from the top step. “I’m serious. What are you doing at my brother’s house?”

Logan sighed and slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Grandpa is very popular. He makes a lot of friends. Red invited him, and he needed me to break him out.”

My eyes narrowed. “Convenient.”

He sauntered up the steps, pausing when he got next to me. “Isn’t it?”

Logan walked right into the house, folding himself into the fabric ofmyfamily.

I stood on the porch and steadied my breathing. I refused to let Logan get under my skin. The last thing I needed was another reminder of how disarming he could be.

With a resigned sigh, I carried my box of pecan pie into the house.

Dinner was surprisingly fun—Arthur and Red got along so well it was no wonder they’d formed a fast friendship. Arthur didn’t seem to mind at all when Red repeated himself or slipped into an old story that made it sound like he was thirty and raising young children again. Together they never missed a beat, and hearing both of their laughter was soothing to my soul.

Sylvie poked and prodded JP about Hazel and Teddy. His face was stern, but I could tell he was hiding something, because the tips of his ears turned red anytime the woman in his life was brought up.

All the while I could feel Logan’s eyes on me. He was charming and fit seamlessly into the patchwork quilt that was my family. While Duke and JP talked business, Logan never missed a beat. When Red reminisced about Duke’s rodeo days as a bulldogger, Logan leaned forward, the roped muscles of his forearms flexing as he listened. After supper was done, Logan hopped up to help clear the table and start loading the dishwasher.

I watched as Duke, JP, and Logan worked together to clear dishes, like they’d done it a thousand times before.

Red stepped up beside me, leaning down to whisper. “It’s not every day you get an Olympic athlete hanging around your workplace. Seems like a waste not to take advantage.”

“Not helping, Red,” I whispered through gritted teeth. My traitorous friend only chuckled beside me.

As if he knew we were talking about him, Logan looked over his shoulder. His eyes immediately caught mine, and he winked.

Heat flooded my system. It felt as though the room narrowed around me as a tingle raced up my spine.

I hated how easy it was for him to unnerve me, to peel back defenses I’d worked so hard to keep in place.

But would it really be so bad?

For as long as I could remember, I’d been the good girl who made safe choices. Something about the look in Logan’s eyes made it all too easy to wonder what it would be like to bebad, just for once.

I took a deep breath.

It’s just another day. Another dinner. This is nothing.

But the way Logan’s gaze lingered, like I was someone worth figuring out, made me wonder if maybehewasn’t the problem.

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