Page 74 of Break the Barrier

He’d been busy on the ranch, helping everyone get ready for the wedding tomorrow.

Lue stopped by the restaurant every afternoon during a lull so we could work together on rehearsing her lines. She was one dedicated girl, that was for sure. She was also possibly one of the sweetest girls I’d ever met. She was kind and generous in a way that was rare for someone her age.

Yesterday, someone had been struggling to get out the door,their hands were full of takeout, and before I could even get up, Lue was at the door helping them out.

Logan was doing an amazing job with her, whether he felt like it or not.

“Is it always like this on Fridays?” Ophelia sweeps her hair up into a high ponytail, her long, light brown hair still hanging past her shoulders.

It was her first Friday she was helping out at the bar, and I felt that it was doing her mental health some good to be home with us, even if it was only temporary.

“Yeah, pretty much,” I say, looking out over the crowd. “We’ve kind of become the go-to spot for the locals around here, they like having a spot to go hang out after work.”

She looks at the crowd I’m seeing and turns back to me, giving me a smile. “I’m proud of you.”

Something warm blooms in my chest at her words, and I turn my gaze away, grabbing a rag to keep my hands busy. “What?” I scoff out an uncomfortable laugh.

“Seriously, Thee, you’ve done such an amazing job with this place. It doesn’t look anything like the rundown bar you first bought.”

“I’m older than you, it’s my job to be proud of you.”

Ophelia looks at me with an impatient expression, and I hold my breath. “Thea, just because you’re older doesn’t mean I can’t be proud of you. You haven’t had a fair few years since Mom and Dad died. You’ve had to have so much on your shoulders and look at how far you’ve come.”

Her words are nice. Her words should make me feel good about what I’ve accomplished, but instead, all I can think about is the fact that I am not as successful as she thought. I was hiding myself away from one man by using another. I was stillbeing watched by dangerous men, therefore putting my entire family and our business in danger.

I don’t feel like I’m doing a fantastic job.

I clear my throat and, like a coward, change the subject. “Did you speak to Tori recently?”

Ophelia nods. “Yeah, she’s in China somewhere.”

I purse my lips, shoving away the hurt in my chest that she will talk to every single one of my sisters but me. Just another reason to keep my family out of the nonsense I’m dealing with. Tori was hurt just as much as I was when things went south with Eric, and she blamed me for it. Rightfully so.

I can’t let this same mistake continue to hurt my sisters.

“Oh my gosh,” Ophelia says suddenly, a clear note of surprise and glee in her voice.

“What?” I ask, looking for the source of her happiness.

Then, the crowd parts like it was choreographed to be, and there stands Logan Cash in all his glory. And in his hand is a single pink rose.

“Awe, holy crap, is he not the sweetest?” Ophelia grabs on to my shoulder, squeezing in excitement.

“He…is,” I say, unable to tear my eyes away from him. His cowboy hat is tipped low on his head, and a flash from the other night when he told me the rules for that particular hat refreshes in my mind.

“Once you put my hat on, you’re mine.”

It may have made me pause a month or two ago, but something in my heart made me answer without hesitation.

I should be terrified, but it was Logan, so I just…wasn’t.

“Go, go, go!” Ophelia pushes me toward the bar opening, and I move, my limbs doing more than my brain in that current moment.

I was happy that my sisters didn’t seem reluctant with Logan. I’d always assumed that when I found someone else—if I had ever found someone else—that there would be hesitation, worry, or concern over my choices.

I weave my way through the crowd until I’m standing right in front of Logan, holding my breath again as our proximity closes.

“You look beautiful,” are his first words, his voice deep.