"I'll hold you to that."
Logan finally stood. "I'm going to take Des for a walk, see if we can find her friends and introduce her to a few people."
"In other words, you don't want us grilling her anymore," Luke said.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it."
Des waved. "See you later, guys."
He didn't even think, just slid his hand in hers.
"You sure about this?" she asked, looking down where their hands were linked. "People might talk about us, or God forbid, ask you more questions you're too uncomfortable to answer."
"Okay, so I didn't handle that well. After our talk, I wasn't prepared yet to deal with the onslaught of those assholes hitting me with questions about our relationship."
She laughed. "It's not a problem, you know. I can maintain a respectable distance."
"I don't want you at a distance. I want you next to me."
"Where you can keep an eye on me?"
He stopped, turned to her. "No. Where I can touch you and look at you and drag you into a corner somewhere and kiss you."
"I like the sound of that."
She'd thought he was joking, but as they got near the side of the house, he pulled her down the walk, toward the back of the house. No one was back there, and he cupped the side of her neck and put his lips over hers, kissing her deeply, thoroughly, until she was dizzy. She raised up on her toes and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him closer.
And when he pulled away, she saw the heat of desire in his heavy-lidded eyes.
She blew out a breath. "Wow."
"Yeah. Too bad there are hundreds of people here, because right now I'd like to drag you up to my bedroom and--"
"Oh, Logan, how are you?"
He quickly put Des in front of him as a woman appeared in the backyard. "Mrs. Springfield. Thanks for coming today. This is Desiree Jenkins. Desiree, this is Bonita Springfield. She and her husband, Ralph, own a farm nearby."
Des felt the hard evidence of Logan's erection against her backside. She smiled. "Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Springfield."
"Oh, call me Bonnie. I was looking for Martha. Have you seen her?"
"No, ma'am. I haven't. You might check inside."
"I'll do that. Nice to meet you, Desiree."
"You, too, Bonnie."
Mrs. Springfield went inside, and Des exhaled, then turned around to face Logan. "That's what you get for dragging girls behind the house to steal kisses."
"It was worth it."
He was right about that. He took her hand and they made their way toward the front of the house again.
"So tell me about your visit with Emma."
"She introduced me to her friends, Jane and Chelsea. They're awesome. They want to plan a girls' night out sometime while I'm here."
He rolled his eyes. "That sounds . . . interesting."
"I'm seriously contemplating it. I don't have a lot of girlfriends."
"What about . . . what were their names again? Callie and Sarah?"
"They're mainly friends of Tony and Colt."
"I see."
"Yeah. So, anyway. They talked about going into Tulsa and having a spa day followed by a night on the town."
"And you'd like to do that."
"I'd like to do that. Like I said, I don't have a lot of friends, and Emma seems really nice."
"She is really nice."
"In Hollywood, most of the women I know are actresses. So, of course, all we talk about is being a working actress, and what role we're auditioning for, and blah blah blah. It'd be nice to be with women who aren't actresses or in the industry."
"They'll probably ask you about your work, though."
"I don't mind, because we'd be able to talk about their work, too. Which isn't acting."
"I can see your point."
"I'm sure you like talking with your friends about things other than cattle ranching, right?"
"True enough."
"Or do you even go out with your friends?"
"Not really."
She paused, turned to him. "Why not?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Days are long on the ranch, and then I go to bed."
She shook her head. "Logan, you've got to get out more. Life is short, and meant to be lived. You have to get out and party. Get laid."
He raised his brows and gave her a direct look. "I am getting laid."
"Yes. And I'm sure I'm not the only woman you've been with in years, so obviously you get out some."
"Okay, I get out some."
"Or do women come knocking at your door just to get a piece of you?"
He didn't say anything.
"You have got to be kidding me. Your prowess is that well known?"
"I don't even know how to respond to that."
As Des looked around while they resumed walking, she noticed they got looks from a lot of women, something she hadn't paid attention to before. So maybe Logan was a popular guy. A single rancher--owner of a very big ranch, as a matter of fact. A guy who didn't spend a lot of time hanging out at bars and doing a ton of womanizing. That would make him quite the catch in a small town like Hope. She'd just bet women were clamoring for a piece of him. Mysterious men were always attractive, and a quiet, incredibly handsome and sexy-yet-keep-to-himself kind of guy like Logan would be very attractive.
"So . . . what do you do, exactly? Go down a list of available women and just call one up when you need some action?"
"No."
"Then tell me how it works. They call you up and you decide if you're in the mood to get laid? Oh, scratch that. You're a man. You're always in the mood to get laid, right?"
He frowned. "I'm not having this conversation with you."
She laughed and slipped her arm through his. "I'm seriously curious, Logan. What it must be like to be in such demand. Do they line up at the gates at the end of the workday and you walk up there and choose the one you want?"
"Now that's just ridiculous. They take a number. First come, first served."
She tilted her head back and laughed. "I'll bet there's a long line, too."
He crooked her a devilishly sexy smile. "Darlin', you have no idea."
Judging from the lingering looks cast in their direction from many of the women at the party, she could imagine there was a line of women waiting to get to Logan. Not that she could blame them. She counted herself lucky he chose to be with her at the moment.
Not that she'd given him much choice, since she'd cornered him and thrown herself at him. Then again, he could have said no and pushed her away, right?
She couldn't resist her smug smile. Today, at least, he belonged to her, and she intended to enjoy every second with him.
They ate amazing barbecue, and she stuffed herself on Martha's potato salad, ate copious amounts of fruit salad, then made a mess of her face eating corn on the cob. Logan helped her out by wiping corn pieces from the side of her mouth with his napkin. They'd found Colt, Tony, Callie, and Sarah and had grabbed a long table along with Emma, Luke, Bash, and Carter, and after introductions had been made, they'd all bonded and had traded stories of life in a small town versus life in Hollywood.
Callie definitely had her eyes on Bash. Not that she could blame her. What red-blooded single woman wouldn't? Bash was gorgeous and had obviously come to the party without a date. Colt made it a point to sit near Sarah and not next to Tony, though Des knew where his heart wanted to be, so she cast him a sympathetic gaze. Colt just shrugged and smiled at her.
As the day wore on, Des was amazed by the number of people who'd shown up.
"Do you always get this many people?" she asked Logan.
He nodded. "It's a big deal. And the fireworks are pretty cool. But I think we have more than the usual crowd, likely due to you and Colt being here."
She'd met and talked to a lot of people today, yet not once had she ever felt rushed or crowded. People stopped and shook her hand, and she'd taken a few pictures, but most of the folks had been extremely courteo
us. Not at all what she was used to from other places.
"People here are nice. Usually I'm bombarded by crowds. Everyone here has been so polite."
"You're here to enjoy yourself and relax. This is your day off. No one wants to be rude and trample on that. If they see you have a spare minute, they'll want to say hello and maybe get a picture with you, but no one's going to intrude."
Des took a deep breath and let it out. She could get used to a lifestyle like this, where she was treated just like everyone else. And no paparazzi in sight. It was idyllic and peaceful, and she couldn't recall having a better day. Even Theo hadn't bothered her today. He'd come to the barbecue, but he'd stuck to hanging out with his crew or talking to the people of the town. He'd steered clear of her.
Which meant today couldn't get any better.
Or maybe it could, since she hadn't yet had any significant alone time with Logan, and she was definitely looking forward to that.
There was still a lot of fun stuff left in the day.
"Excuse me," Logan said, getting up. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
He went over to the table where Luke was sitting, then whispered something in Luke's ear. Luke motioned to Bash and Carter. Suddenly, they'd all gotten up and disappeared into the crowd.
Emma and Jane came over to sit with her. "Any idea what that's about?"
Des shrugged. "No idea."
"It's too early for fireworks."
"Maybe they're off to have a shot of tequila," Callie said. "And if so, how rude of them not to share."
Emma laughed. "There's plenty of hard liquor in the house. You're welcome to it."
"In this heat, I think I'll stick to tea today. But later tonight when it gets dark, that tequila might sound really good."
About a half hour later, they reappeared. And with them, Theo, who shot off in the opposite direction.
Des stood. "What happened?"
Logan gently pushed on her shoulder to sit her back down, then pulled up a seat next to her. "Nothing. The guys and I just had a . . . discussion with your director."
Colt frowned. "What's going on with Theo?"
Des sighed. "He came to my trailer several days ago and hit on me."
"He did not," Colt said.
"Yeah. And when I turned him down, he threatened me and said he'd make sure I never worked again."
"That perverted sonofabitch," Sarah said, shaking her head. "He's such a snake."
"I took care of it," Des said. "I threatened to go to the press and get some of my actress friends to do the same, and blow the lid off his cheating ways."
Callie laughed. "Good for you, honey. Someone should. His wife is a real sweetheart and doesn't deserve to be treated like that."
"What did you do, Logan?" Colt asked.
Logan didn't answer.
But Luke did. "We took him into the barn and had a . . . discussion with him about the appropriate way to treat a lady."
"And what could happen to him if he ever makes a threat against Des again," Bash added.
"There's a right way and a wrong way to treat a woman, especially on my ranch," Logan said. "I don't care what kind of papers I signed allowing the movie to be filmed. You threaten someone on my property, and I'm going to do something about it."
"I didn't see any bruises on his face," Colt said.
"Oh, I think Logan got his point across. Within the limits of the law." Luke grinned.
Tony sprouted a wide grin. "He's not used to someone calling him out. He was probably so scared he pissed himself."
Colt snorted. "I would love to have been there for it. He'll probably surround himself with his bodyguards the rest of his stay here on the ranch."
"As long as he leaves me alone, I don't care what he does," Des said. "He's an arrogant ass."
"But a very good director, unfortunately," Colt added.
Des sighed. "So true. But I don't think I ever want to work with him again."
"He won't be bothering you," Logan said.
Des's heart swelled. She couldn't believe he'd done this for her. She turned to him. "Thank you."
His lips curved. "You're welcome."
Chapter 14
TYPICALLY ON THE Fourth of July, Logan wandered among the crowd, stopped and talked to everyone, but spent the day as an observer. He had no complaints about that. This was his day to relax, eat good food, drink some beer, and maybe end the night with a beautiful woman who had caught his eye.
Right now his eye was on a certain raven-haired beauty laughing with a group of her friends and his, with different people from town winding their way through to stop and visit. Des had easily integrated herself with the people of Hope. And it wasn't because they were starstruck, either. Okay, maybe some of the folks in the town might be, but not his brother or his best friend, and not Emma or Jane or Chelsea. They lived way too much in the real world that had real-life problems to fawn over celebrities, especially any who were arrogant and full of themselves. So it said a lot about Des--and her friends--that they had been so easily accepted into their circle.
Logan liked the people Des associated herself with. Colt, of course, was an actor, but the other people weren't. She didn't need to be seen with people who only graced the covers of magazines. She was comfortable with people from all walks of life, and as she sat having an intense conversation with Chelsea, a high school math teacher, Samantha Reasor, who owned the local flower shop in town, as well as Megan Lee, who ran the bakery and coffee shop, it looked like they had all become the best of friends already. One of them would say something and the rest of them would nod, then the other would speak, and they all would laugh. But the one thing Logan noticed was that Des wasn't the one doing all the talking. She was mainly listening while the others talked, unlike a lot of Hollywood types who liked to talk about themselves.
The one thing he'd discovered about Des was that she asked a lot of questions, wanted to find out about people, and she was a great listener. She wasn't at all the Hollywood type person he'd expected.
And he still didn't know what the hell he was doing with her, or why she was interested in him, when a young stud like Colt was there to share the movie with her, and Colt's trailer was only twenty feet or so from hers. She and Colt spent a lot of time with each other and had known each other for years. He certainly was good-looking. And young.
Logan shrugged and stopped trying to figure it out. Maybe it was just like she said, and she and Colt were just friends.
"Enjoying the view?" Bash asked, handing him a cup of beer.
Logan took it and nodded. "Yeah."
They walked together, finding seats on the porch. "She's pretty amazing, Logan. She's fun to be around and has a great sense of humor. She's also young, beautiful, and loaded with talent. A real rising star."
He took a long swallow of beer. "Yeah."
"So what the hell is she doing with you?"
"No idea."
Bash laughed. "That's what I've always liked about you. No ego. Maybe she's the lucky one, being with you."
"I don't think so."
"Come on. She gets to spend time on the ranch, and who wouldn't enjoy that? You know she's bombarded all the time with media and people who want a piece of her. With you, she can just be herself. You offer her something no one else can. You don't ask anything of her, and she's free to walk away, knowing you'll never put strings on her."
Logan had never thought of it that way. "I guess that's true."
"Because if anyone is a no-strings-attached kind of guy, Logan, it's definitely you, right?"
Everyone knew him so well. Including his best friend. "Yeah, that's me all right." He tracked Des through the crowd, his gaze settling on her. She looked so pretty today--hell, just like every day. She was smiling with a group of people, some she knew, some he knew she didn't. She gave equal attention to everyone, listening to them talking, answering questions, and putting her arm around Emilia Gray, one of the ladies from church who had to be well in her eighties. Emili
a's husband, Dale, whispered in Des's ear and she laughed.
Something tightened within Logan whenever she laughed.
"Or maybe that's changed?" Bash asked.
He pulled his attention away from Des and onto Bash. "What are you talking about?"
"I always wondered if you'd stay single, if there'd be no one in your life who'd make you crave settling down and raising a family."
"You of all people know how I feel about that."
"Yeah, I do. But I also see the way you're looking at Des, and I'm wondering what makes her different from the rest."
"She's no different from anyone else."
Bash's lips curved in that knowing, smart-ass way that always irritated Logan. "Isn't she?"
"No."
"You know, Logan, one of the things I've always liked about you--actually, the reason we've always been friends--is because you're a no-bullshit kind of guy. You don't lie to me, and you've never lied to yourself. You've always been straight with me about everything, including how you feel." Bash inclined his head toward Des. "So what's up with her?"
Logan zeroed his attention in on Des. The way the breeze blew through her hair, and how she didn't fuss with it. The way she paid attention to Emilia and Dale as if they were the most important people at the picnic. The way her lips curved, and how he remembered the taste of her. "I don't know. I guess maybe she is different. Sexy, ballsy as hell, really honest with her feelings and her outlook. I like her. She's actually a very nice person."
"You've been with nice women before."
"That's true."
"So, again, why is she different, because I've never seen you so riveted to another woman the way you are with Des. And I know it's not the Hollywood thing."
"No. It's not the Hollywood thing."
"It's just her, isn't it?" Bash asked.
"I guess so." He looked at Bash. "But you and I both know she's not going to stay here. She's not going to make a life here. And that's not the kind of woman I'm looking for."
"Okay. So what happens if you fall in love with her and she heads back to Hollywood?"
"Not gonna happen. I don't fall in love."
Bash snorted. "Do you know how many times I've heard that same song and dance from the people I serve beers to? 'She doesn't love me. I don't love her. I don't need a woman in my life. I like being alone.' It's all bullshit, Logan. Everybody needs someone."
Logan shot a direct look at Bash. "Do you? Because it seems to me you don't have someone standing beside you."
Bash shrugged. "I've been down that road, and have the scorched earth of a broken marriage and the battle scars to show for it. But at least I tried. You haven't even given it a shot."