Cowboy Logic - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,38

perverse. Damn.

“Jesus. I just got a text that said you were in lockdown.” Jericho took an audible, deep breath. “Do I need to come over?”

“No. We ran him off, the cops are here, and the girls are all asleep. I’m making Deputy Dawg some coffee. It’s all okay. You keep an eye on the boys.”

“Are you sure? I have beds. You can all come stay here.” Jericho was chafing at the bit, he could tell.

“We’re solid. I’ve got this.”

Really, Bailey had this. She was fueled by fear, rage, and pure cowgirl grit.

“Okay, well… call if you need me before Monday. I mean, I’ll have to come bring Doug.”

“Well, bring breakfast tacos,” he teased.

“Not doughnuts?”

“My waistline…” God. Doughnuts. They were so much part of the Texas experience…

“I’ll just get stuff.”

Well, hello breakfast date. “We’ll go Dutch, so save the receipt, okay?” He couldn’t let Jericho keep buying the food.

“Fair enough. There’s a lot more of y’all.” Jericho said it wryly, and he got it. Agriculture was a debtor’s business.

“Infinitely. The po-po are on the way. I have to play mother and pour.” Logic grabbed another mug from the counter.

“Call me if you need me. For real.” They both sat there for several seconds. “Uh. Bye.”

“Bye.” He grinned as he hung up. They had already progressed to that awkward stage where they weren’t sure what to say when they had to get off the phone. You hang up. No you. Fascinating.

He couldn’t wait to call Mal and squeal like a thirteen-year-old girl. He admitted it. He was having fun in Texas with his stalked sister’s neighbor.

Logic made up a few more coffees so he could pour hot stuff into his and Bailey’s, and he was laying out more cookies when Dave and Bailey walked in.

“So why didn’t you keep him in jail?” Logic asked right away.

“He made bail. That’s the law. You know that. I filed false imprisonment charges, and that’s a felony, but his daddy put the money up.”

“And now?” He wanted to know what Dave was prepared to do.

“Well, now I can run him in for violating several restraining orders. It won’t take long for him to get out, though.” The way Dave munched a cookie with violence spoke volumes about how he felt about that.

“So what do I do? I can’t move. I have horses. A business!” Bailey was fixin’ to burst into tears, and Logic moved to hug her. She held one hand up and shook her head. “No! No, I need real answers.”

“We just have to go through channels,” Dave said, not meeting her eyes.

“You mean wait until he hurts someone.” Logic felt his hands clenching into fists. “This is what sucks about law enforcement and women’s safety in general, but here it’s this draconic dark age!”

“You know what we’re fighting here. This isn’t some random junkie. This is one of the Morrows, man.” Dave sighed. “I’ll file it, and I’ll go pick him up, but…”

“Yeah, yeah.” If this was about money, maybe Logic needed to make sure the sheriff understood that there was a nouveau riche in town. “I’m going to hire a private investigator to keep an eye on the son of a bitch. This is my family!”

Dave’s eyes lit up. “Now, that’s a good idea.” He looked relieved that Logic wasn’t going all Walking Tall on him.

“Bubba, you don’t need to spend your money.” Bailey crossed her arms over her chest.

“Sister, y’all are mine. This isn’t healthy—not for you, but especially not for those babies.” He couldn’t imagine them living like that bastard was just going to walk in again. The kids had all let it go pretty easily, but if that man hurt them…

“I—we can talk on it later.” She glanced at Dave, and Logic got it. She didn’t want to argue in front of the law.

“We can. What else can we do?”

Dave straightened his belt. “Keep on it. Make sure to call tomorrow and ask if I filed all the reports. That’ll let the sheriff know you’re not giving up. Get some cameras for the doors. That way if he’s out here when y’all aren’t or late at night, you have a record. I’ll go pick him up. I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Thanks for coming out,” Bailey said, following Dave to the door.

“Thanks for the coffee and all.” Dave put his hat back on, giving Bailey this weirdly wistful look before heading off.

Huh.

Fascinating.

This was a fucking weird-assed redneck Peyton Place, wasn’t it? Everyone had secrets, even Deputy Dawg Dave.

“So. This was fun.”

“Right?