6. Logan
LOGAN
The janky sound of a guitar accosts my ears as I push open the door to The Landing, the only decent bar in town, according to Jace. A live band plays country music, and a few people are on the dance floor.
The vinyl seats are navy blue, and thick white rope separates the dining area from the bar.
The entire place has a navy theme, and the walls are lined with pictures of local servicemen and women.
Jace is in a booth in the corner with a couple of men.
He introduces me to Owen and Sam, two local boys who are also veterans.
I grab a beer and slide into the booth next to them.
“Anything new turn up on Ashton Holdings?” Jace asks Owen.
Jace already filled me in on the problems the folks around here are having. There are some property issues, and a company is getting heavy-handed. Some of the local veterans have come together to train and be prepared in case things escalate.
Owen presses his fingers to the top of his nose. “Nothing new has turned up yet.”
Owen’s the acting sheriff of Hope, and judging by the dark circles under his eyes, he’s doing overtime on this case.
“I grew up in this town.” This comes from Sam. “And I never heard of any property disputes or mineral rights. There’s never been any trouble until now.”
“Yeah, I feel it too,” says Owen.
“These boys grew up together,” explains Jace.
“We served together too,” Sam says. “Graduated BUD/S together.”
“More fucking SEALs,” Jace mumbles. “Damn town’s crawling with you showoffs.”
“Fuck you,” Sam says with a grin on his face. “At least you’re the only cocky Ranger.”
I sip my beer and listen to the banter. I’ve missed this during my recovery.
Jace invited me out tonight to meet some of the local guys.
There are a lot of veterans in Hope, and I wonder if I’m looking at my future.
If this injury gets me discharged, this might be my fate: sitting around in bars gossiping about local land problems. I take a large gulp of beer.
I’d rather be back in the field where I’m more useful.
A tall man strides toward us with a grim expression on his face. He nods at the guys around the table, and Jace introduces him to me as Aiden.
“What are you doing out tonight? I thought you’d be home with Lexi.”
“She’s coming out for a girls night,” he grumbles as he slides into the booth. “I wasn’t going to let her go out alone.”
“Isn’t that the point of a girls night?” Jace quips. “They go out with the girls. I’m sure she doesn’t want your ugly mug glaring at her across the dance floor.”
“I won’t glare; I’ll just be here in case she needs me.” He frowns at Jace. “She said Kayla’s coming out with her.”
Jace’s expression changes. “Then I’m staying right here too.”
“Jesus, you guys are Neanderthals. Let your women have a night out,” Sam scoffs.
Aiden shakes his head. “You’ll understand when you find your woman.”
Owen’s texting on his phone, and he doesn’t look up. “That reminds me. Chloe’s coming home for a bit.”
Sam almost chokes on his beer but recovers quickly. Owen looks up from his phone. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Sam coughs into his fist. “I thought she was in Europe.”
“Who’s Chloe?” Jace asks.
“My little sister.” Owen gives a soft smile, and Sam takes a long swig of beer, and I wonder if there’s history between them. I take a swig of my own beer. I’m not here to get dragged into small-town gossip.
“She was in Italy.” Owen frowns. “But she’s coming back to stay with me for a bit. You know what Chloe’s like.” Owen shrugs. “I don’t know if she’s back for a few days or back for good.”
The bar door opens and the sound of women’s laughter carries over the music.
A group of women saunter into the bar; there’s a lot of tight denim and small tops with exposed skin.
Every man in the place turns to watch them walk across the dance floor to get to the bar.
The women, talking and laughing among themselves, are oblivious to the attention.
“Here we go.” Jace tenses beside me.
From the reaction, I gather these are the local women with whom my new friends are hooked up, plus some of their friends.
The door opens again, and two more women arrive.
My heart stutters as I catch a flash of blonde hair.
Savanna. She’s let her hair down, and it flows loose over her bare shoulders.
Tiny straps hold her top up and barely contain her ample breasts.
A man in tight denim follows her with his gaze, and I clench my fists.
Now I understand why the men are tense. I have no claim on Savanna, but if another man tries to touch her, I’ll lose my shit.
She must feel my gaze on her, because she turns and our eyes lock. The smile freezes on her face, and I hope I haven’t just ruined her night out. I lift my glass in greeting, and she gives a small nod, then turns to her friend and heads to the bar without a backward glance.
Jace is saying something, but I can’t concentrate on the conversation with the guys. My gaze lingers on Savanna. I watch her as she buys a cocktail and then the way her face scrunches up on the first sip. I watch her laugh at something one of the other women says.
They move to a booth and then to the dance floor.
She moves to the music, shaking her hips in a way that makes my mouth dry. I take a long sip of my beer as I watch her move.
When she heads to the bar alone, I can no longer hold back.