Cowboy Logic - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,67
hurt the kids. Hell, he does a dozen cons a year, sees thousands of people, and he doesn’t have single complaint.”
“It’s small-town bullshit. I know that. You know that, but…”
“But what? Come on, Brenda. Conor Morrow is stalking his sister and is trying to make trouble.” Logic was going to lose his shit.
“I know. I had to come. There was a complaint. We have to check it out. Y’all have a file.”
“A file.” Because their mother had been a habitual drug user. Because he was a single father. Because life was always fucked-up in this shithole of a town. “So what are you saying?”
“Nothing. I’m saying I don’t see anything amiss, and that’s what I’m jotting down. Be careful, huh? I don’t want you or the kids having any trouble.” Brenda looked… ashamed.
“Yeah. We wouldn’t want that.” His face flamed, his chest tight and his belly churning. “God forbid I ever get to have anything in my life but my kids, that’s good.” He was out of line. Jericho knew it. He didn’t care.
“I’m sorry, Jericho.” Not “I’m wrong.” Not “I’m ridiculous.” Just “I’m sorry.”
Jericho grimaced, half-turning away from her. “Me too. Is there anything else? Do you need to see the kids’ rooms?”
“No. I’m going to go. I have proof that I’m here.” Brenda stood and shook her head. “I’m really sorry. This whole thing sucks.”
“Yeah. Say hi to Ellis for me.” Her husband worked on his tractors. Fucking Christ. His jaw hurt from clenching his teeth. “I gotta get that feed out.”
“Right. Goodbye, Jericho.” She left the bottle of water sitting there on the table, untouched, and she was gone seconds later.
Jericho stood there in the kitchen, listening to his gran’s old clock ticking away, for a long while. He didn’t move, but his brain raced, trying to figure out what to do.
He heard another vehicle pull up, and he winced. He didn’t want no more company, dammit.
When he peered out the window, his heart sank even more. Logic’s rental. He needed more time to think. He really did.
“Hey, honey! I brought you a coffee. I went to see Morrow’s father, gave him a deadline before I go public.” Logic came bouncing in, two coffees in hand, a bag of pastries in his hand.
“Go public?” His lips felt stiff, his face hurting. God, he loved this man, that happy smile like to break him.
“Yep. I told him to control his son or I will go to the media—television, newspaper, Twitter. I’m tired of letting him torture us.”
“And you made it here alive? Way to go.” The joke fell flat, and he knew it.
“You okay, honey? Did something happen?” Logic pressed a Starbucks cup in his hand.
“Yeah. Come sit down with me.” He wanted to—to what? Tell Logic they had to cool it until Morrow went to jail? Dammit, he didn’t want to.
“Sure, honey.” Logic sat at the table and reached for his hand.
He grabbed on and held tight, because this sucked so hard. “CPS came by right before you got here. You probably passed her.”
“CPS? Why? Are the kids okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, but she had to do a home inspection. An interview.” He’d done a dozen of those for real. This one had been truly perfunctory.
“But why?” Logic didn’t get it, he could tell. Logic was rainbow-waving, wealthy, and living on the West Coast. He didn’t get it, how it was going to be small-town Texas for Jericho forever.
“Because someone made a complaint that I was allowing a sexual predator to be around my kids.” And if Morrow was here now, Jericho would beat the man down.
“Ah.” Logic squeezed his fingers. “He’s a fucking asshole, honey. You know that. I’m going to make this stop.”
“This time.” Jericho shook his head, his throat tight. “What about next time? I—CPS has a huge file on us, babe. When Naomi was using so bad, she left the kids at the bus station in Greenville once when I was out of town delivering cattle to auction. Ellie was covered with mud and all matted and Trav was hysterical.” He squeezed his eyes shut, so damn mad at the world.
“Oh man. Man, love, I’m so sorry. Seriously. You are the best dad.”
“Thanks. Really. I feel so fucking trapped, babe.” He was trying to get Logic to understand without having to say it, which wasn’t fair, but he didn’t want to have to change things.
“So come with me. There’s room for you and the kids. I’d love to bring you three out, start a life