Cowboy Logic - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,11
in Bailey’s house as if he belonged there.
The guy rolled his eyes and dropped his hand. “Some shit never changes. Hey, you got company, lady.”
“Who?” Bailey’s voice was a little muffled, and she was pulling on a T-shirt when she appeared, hair wet.
“Your neighbor.”
“Jericho? Hey.” Bailey came out, smiling at him. “Everything okay? The kids?”
“With Naomi’s mom. Are you okay? I heard some strange things when I was in town, and I wanted to check.”
“Yeah? What’s the scuttlebutt? You want coffee?”
“Please.” He moved into the kitchen after her. “Ellie said you had some angry, unwelcome company, and I just overheard you had a stranger here with a shotgun.” He glanced at the hottie, who did seem kinda familiar. He had very green eyes.
“Oh, I like that. Fucking Conor is here and won’t leave and no one helps, but he leaves and suddenly I have a stranger?”
“Conor Morrow was the one who was here?” Jericho scowled. “Dave was running him in wearing cuffs. Please tell me you’ll press charges.”
“I intend to. We’ve already been to the courthouse in Greenville about restraining orders.” She handed him a cup of coffee. “He just walked in and wouldn’t walk out. It wasn’t until Logic the Stud showed up last night that he left.”
“Logic.” He glanced at the guy again, scanning his memory for any mention Bailey might have made of the man. “A friend of yours?”
“Fuck no. Not even a little.” She grinned at the guy. “Are we friends?”
“Nope. I rarely fly across country on an hour’s notice for a friend.” Logic waggled his eyebrows, that crooked grin right there.
“So… what?” He was feeling like there was a punchline he wasn’t getting here.
“Oh, Jesus Christ, Jericho, y’all were in the same damn graduating class!” Bailey put her hands on her hips, blowing her damp hair out of her very green eyes.
His own eyes went wide. “No way.”
“Yes way.” The stud—who was fucking Anderson Whitehead, for God’s sake—shook his head.
“But… but you’re a skinny, pimply faced kid!” Anderson Whitehead was not buff and bearded and looking like a wet dream from surfer country. He was a walking wedgie opportunity, not a gym rat.
“Seriously? Grow up, man. Are you sure he should be allowed to raise children?” Anderson/Logic looked very serious.
Jericho blinked. “Well, since I’m the only option they got, I guess so.” He nodded at Bailey before clapping his hat back on his head. “Sorry I bothered y’all.”
“Stop it. Both of you, before I beat you.” Bailey’s hand slapped on the table. “Seriously, you’re both grown-ups, right?”
“Well…” Anderson held up his hands when Bailey turned on him like a real Texas momma, finger raised. “Look, I’ll try to be good, but this guy kicked my ass more than once.”
Shame bubbled up in Jericho’s chest. “No, sir. I never laid a hand on you.”
“You never helped keep your friends off me,” Anderson snapped.
His mouth tightened, but Jericho shrugged. “Okay. I was a shitty human being. I just wanted to check on you, Bailey.”
“Teenagers are shitty human beings. Between us, we’re going to raise six of them, alone.” Bailey looked panicked as she said the words. “Please stay for a second. It was awful, the last few days. I thought about calling, but you have Travis and Ellie.”
Well, that made him feel an inch tall. “Sure.” He let her hang up his hat, taking a seat at her little breakfast bar. “Tell me what happened so I can help. He gets out on bail, he’s gonna be mad.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. And he’s mean as a snake.” Biting her lip, Bailey spread her hands like “what are you gonna do?”
“Is he older than us?” Anderson asked, grabbing an energy drink from the fridge. “I don’t remember him, nothing but the name.”
“He’s what? Two years older than you, Bailey? What the hell were you thinking? All the Morrows are batshit crazy.”
“Hey! That’s my sister.”
“You asked me the same thing.” Bailey’s cheeks were almost purple. “I was lonely, and he seemed so charming. I swear, though, we had, like, three dates. I never asked him over, even.”
“Fucker. Fucker. Threatening those kids…” Anderson looked—okay, Jericho could admit it. The man was pissed off, and it made his balls throb a little bit. That kind of protective family thing tripped his trigger since he’d never really had it.
“He threatened the kids?” Jericho scowled. “Bastard.”
“Yeah, he moved into my room. Showed up with a gym bag and a knife. Said he’d kill them if I called anyone.” She shook her head. “Thank