So he protected her. It was what he did. Because if he was actively protecting her, if he was standing guard, then he couldn’t... Well, then, he couldn’t do anything that both of them would regret.
“So, you’re not coming to the bar tonight?”
“I’d rather die.”
“Fine. I’ll give you a full report.”
“I knew I could count on you,” Ryder said, clapping him on the back.
And that was the thing. Ryder knew that he could count on him.
And that meant he had to keep on doing exactly what he had been.
“Always.”
He meant it.
“I’M REALLY GLAD that you agreed to come out tonight,” Rose said cheerily, parking her truck on the curb and getting out, her sister Iris following behind her.
Iris’s version of dressing up wasn’t particularly eye-catching. Not that Rose could judge really. Her version of dressing up was to put on a belt with rhinestones and a clean T-shirt.
But Iris wasn’t... She didn’t work outside and her clothes tended to be dowdy. Rose might not fix up, but she didn’t downplay her beauty. It seemed sometimes like Iris did. Tonight her brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a demure sweater with a high collar and snowflakes knitted into it.
Logan was meeting them there, at least. Ryder and Sammy had bailed. So had West and Pansy.
It occurred to her, though, that it was a little bit strange. In general. Because with her trying to set Iris up with Elliott, it created sort of a pairing-off situation.
She wished that Jake or Colt were around. Her cousins could have helped defuse that feeling. Although, it might be a good thing. After all, there was no temptation for her and Logan to actually think they were being paired off, so if Elliott thought that was the case, all the better. It would give him the idea of what was happening a lot quicker.
He was already there when they arrived. He was wearing a collared shirt. It was plaid, but she had to give him points for trying. She looked over at Iris, and then back at Elliott. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Rose said. “This is Iris,” she said. “Iris, do you know Elliott?”
“I’m sure that we’ve met,” Iris said, casting Rose a glance.
“Well, here’s a formal meeting. I met Elliott last night, and I invited him to join us for drinks tonight.”
“Great,” Iris said.
Her sister sounded hesitant, but Rose knew that it was just taking her a while to get warmed up. Because Iris wasn’t used to going out. And meeting with people that weren’t family anyway.
The door opened, and Logan walked in. He was wearing a black T-shirt that molded tightly to his hard body, honed by hours of manual labor outside, and a black cowboy hat. She couldn’t help but think that he looked better in a T-shirt than poor Elliott did in plaid.
An odd feeling settled over her skin. A strange sense of...pride or something. As if her being linked to him in some way made it special that he was good-looking. But she knew that women liked Logan. And she got to work with him every day. It did make her feel a little bit smug and proud.
He was special to her.
She had just gotten them settled at a table when Logan approached them, and she grabbed hold of his arm. “Let’s go get beers,” she said. “Iris, Elliott does water filtration systems. He can tell you all about it.”
Then they began to walk quickly over to the bar. “That was mean, Rose.”
“It was not mean. He likes to talk about his business. And Iris will see that he is eligible.”
“He’s boring as hell.”
“Now who’s mean?”
“Let me ask you this—why are you so intent on setting your sister up with him and not you? If you really thought he was such a great guy, wouldn’t you want to go out with him?”
“Because I don’t want to be set up with anyone.” There was something in her eyes that went beyond resistance. It was almost fear.
“But you think the rest of us should all line up to employ your matchmaking services?”
“I’m not at the age where I need intervention yet.”
He huffed a laugh. “Oh, okay. So we’re supposed to accept this pity dating service from the young and fresh-faced?”
“It’s not a pity dating service. But everybody... Everybody took care of me, Logan,” she said, vibrating with frustration, irritated by the fact that he had managed to use his words and implacable demeanor to scrape down a layer inside of her and reach parts of her heart that she didn’t particularly want to feel herself, much less perform for anyone else.
“Now, I want to make sure that everyone is taken care of. I want Iris to be happy. Don’t you think... It took Ryder so long to figure out that he loved Sammy. Pansy never dated anybody until she met West. I already told you I worry... I just wonder if Iris poured so much into taking care of me, into mothering me, that she’s never had a chance to go out and be with anyone. I don’t think she’s ever been on a date.”
“Neither have you,” he pointed out, his words a missile hitting their target directly. As they often were.
“Well, maybe I will. After this. After I make sure everyone is taken care of.”
He shook his head. “You know, that’s not what everybody needs to be happy.”
“No one wants to be alone.”
“Iris isn’t alone,” he said. “You’re not alone, I’m not alone.”
“You know what I mean.”
“But you just said you don’t want to be matched up with anyone.”
“Right now,” she said.
“Okay. So you think that maybe Iris hasn’t ever been with anyone because she was so busy taking care of you. And you haven’t taken care of anyone. So why is it that you’re by yourself?”
She blinked. “I don’t have time for it.”
“You don’t have the time for it? Here we are, out having a beer. You could be
