Page 39 of A Cowboy's Claim
“Go on,” Aiden encouraged softly. “What’s the story you need to share?”
Logan swallowed big. “I never got tangled up in trouble, but my brother did. Dean is a whiz with numbers. He did the books for our old man’s yard care company, but then he found a job that paid better.Waybetter. When I asked for more info, Dean kind of hemmed and hawed, but I finally got it out of him that he was working for a company that doesn’t play by the rules.”
“Like?” Jake asked.
“Money laundering for one. I didn’t ask for any more details,” Logan said quickly. “And then Dean left the house, and I haven’t seen him since. That was last summer.”
“Doesn’t sound like the end of the story, though,” Declan said.
“I wish it was.” Logan sighed. “Early this year, he did something that pissed them off then ran.”
“Damn. I bet that didn’t go over well,” Aiden murmured.
“Not at all. We look a lot alike, Dean and I. A couple of the gang nabbedmeand thought they could beat information out of me, no matter how much I insisted they had the wrong guy.” Logan met Declan’s gaze for a second then looked away, but the glimpse was enough to show the depth of the pain the kid still carried. “They finally found someone far enough up the chain who actually knew Dean and figured out I wasn’t lying, so they dumped me in a ditch off the highway.”
“Outside Heart Falls?” Jake asked.
Logan shook his head. “Highway 2. I moved west for as long as I could—at some point I lost track of what was happening and woke up here.”
“Christ. That’s a long haul.” Aiden shook his head admiringly.
It was impressive, and the entire story explained a lot, but Declan thought back to one other issue that Sydney had shared. Getting beat to hell explained the condition Logan had been in when he arrived.
It didn’t explain it all. “The scars on your legs?”
Anger twisted Logan’s face. “My dad had issues.”
“Enough said.” Aiden rose and extended a hand. “Thanks for sharing, but for me, I just need you to keep headed the direction you’re headed.”
“Agreed,” Jake offered another handshake.
“I want you to talk to Kevin, though,” Declan said quietly. Logan bristled, but Declan stuck to his guns. “It’s a lot, dealing with what happened to you, and he’s here to help. Let him do his job.”
Logan glanced over the three of them. “So I get to stay?”
“Hell, yeah,” Aiden offered. “You do all the shit jobs. You don’t get to leave.”
Jake snorted. “I’m off to bed. Night, all.”
Declan stayed for another moment, the quiet night sounds rising up in a summer symphony. The leaves on the saplings in the nearby coulee rustled peacefully as he rested a hand on Logan’s shoulder then headed them in the right direction. “Feel good to get it off your chest?”
“Sort of.” Logan glanced around. “Still figuring stuff out.”
“Says all of us, all the time,” Declan offered wryly.
Logan paused at the door of his room. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“You had your reasons, but it’s good to have people you can share your troubles with.” Declan offered another back pat. “Like Aiden said, keep headed the right direction.”
“I will.” Logan thrust out his hand.
Declan took it and used it to haul the kid in for a brotherly hug. “You’re doing fine.”
After all the massive highs and frustrating lows, it felt good to finish the day on a positive note. The only thing that dulled the celebration was the silent room and empty bed he crawled into.
He’d give anything to have Sydney curled beside him.
Over the next two days,Sydney spent a ton of time kicking her own butt. For a smart woman, she hadn’t thought things through very well.
