Run the Risk

“Yeah, I do.” Sincerity chased away the humor. “Pepper Yates is a keeper.”

At that moment, the “keeper” shut off the shower. Logan knew she’d emerge any minute. Freshly washed, soft and damp…maybe ready to torment him some more.

In bed.

God, he hoped.

Dash gave his shoulder a shove. “Damn, Logan. You are so far gone, it’s almost not funny.” But he laughed anyway. “On top of her other qualities, she has the constitution of a bulldozer.”

Glad to give Dash a new focus, Logan asked, “How so?”

“She cut the grass. All of it,” he stressed. “And damn, but she seemed to enjoy herself. I got her to put on sunscreen first, but she didn’t have the right shoes.”

Logan scowled. “The hill…” Without care, someone could slip and lose a foot.

“Yeah. Makes it treacherous. It was hot as hell this afternoon, so I thought I’d have to insist. But she’s smart enough that before I could even mention it, she put on her jeans and boots, and she got to it.”

It didn’t surprise Logan that Pepper enjoyed working outside. Soon he’d be able to jog with her, and maybe that’d help her to burn off excess energy.

Unless they could burn it off tonight in bed, instead.

“It wasn’t easy, but halfway through, I talked her into taking a break. We drank iced tea, took another dip in the lake, and then…” He shrugged. “She wanted to finish cutting. I felt like a damned slug, sitting around watching her. And I did promise you I’d keep an eye on her, so I ended up pulling weeds.”

It was Logan’s turn to grin. “I thought you wanted to leave the place untouched so it wouldn’t become a chore.”

“Yeah, I did. But she outmaneuvered me on that. I swear, I was ready to call it quits long before she was. If I’m not careful, she’ll have me relocating wildflowers with her tomorrow.”

Logan pictured that, grinned again—and Pepper emerged. She paid the brothers no mind as she went out to the deck to comb her still wet hair.

Definitely sexy, as Dash had claimed. With her ruse as a wallflower no longer necessary, she had a way of walking, of infusing just the right amount of swagger and sway to her hips. Thanks to the chill water of the shower, her stiffened ni**les showed beneath the soft cotton of a clean T-shirt.

Logan drew in a breath—and realized that Dash was staring after her, too.

He gave him a shove.

Unfazed, Dash saluted him. “I think I’ll kick back in front of the boob tube.”

They got crap reception and didn’t have cable, but Dash kept a store of DVD movies in a cabinet under the television.

Seeing his brother settle in on the couch, Logan said, “Keep an eye out while I get my own shower.” A cold shower, which he needed. He stuck his head out the door to speak with Pepper. “I’m going to wash up, too. I shouldn’t be long.”

“Good.” She kept her back to him while dragging a wide-toothed comb through her long blond hair. It was still so hot that it wouldn’t take long for it to dry. “Make it quick, though. I feel like turning in early tonight.”

With him? She was so unpredictable, he couldn’t be sure. He hated to give his lust free rein on assumptions, when this could be more of her torment. “Pepper…”

Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a sultry stare. “Keep the condoms someplace handy.”

And just that easily, she got him semi-hard. Maybe tonight he could convince her to spend the night in his room. He wanted to take as much time with her as he could, while he could.

And with any luck, it’d be enough.

* * *

ROWDY SAT TOWARD the back of the bar. While waiting for his contact to join him, he watched for trouble, and he watched for the petite waitress. He saw stacked women, lush women, blondes and brunettes, but he didn’t see the hot little redhead.

Had she quit? Changed her hours?

No, he wouldn’t accept that. Eventually, he’d see her again.

His attention shifted to five men who’d just entered, their gazes searching the crowd. They wore jackets—likely to conceal their guns.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Rowdy knew they were looking for him. It was a hazard of asking questions.

Snitches weren’t loyal. Most were just plain desperate.

When he’d asked specific questions, he’d known that others would come after him, curious as to who had been curious, and why. It was almost funny—but not quite.

Slipping out of his chair, Rowdy stuck to the darkest shadows and moved along the wall to the hallway that led to back rooms—the kitchen, bathrooms, perhaps an office.

It pissed him off that he had to go without new info. The men’s arrival here meant he’d gotten too close with his questions today, and someone had noticed.

One guy, even two or three, he’d have taken his chances in the hopes of uncovering something important. But going up against five trained thugs would be suicide.

He started for the bathrooms but changed his mind at the last minute. Instead, he veered off to swinging metal doors that opened into the bustling kitchen. He pushed through—and almost ran into his little redhead.

Juggling a tray of drinks, she pulled back, and he stepped forward, taking them both out of view of the customer seating.

An automatic apology tripped from her soft mouth.

Until she saw him—and went mute.

One emotion after another shadowed her beautiful blue eyes—surprise, delight, suspicion and then reproach. “You can’t be back here.”