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me?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t know any such thing.”
    “Liar,” he softly accused her.
    She should have been offended but liar was the least of his insults. He thought she was a killer, too. “You really think I put out a hit on you and hired my brothers to do it?”
    “You wouldn’t need to hire them,” he replied. “They’ll do whatever you tell them to.”
    That was what she was counting on—to keep them from killing Logan Payne. “If I wanted you dead, why would I tell them that I’m going to marry you?”
    “You want to be able to collect my life insurance,” he suggested, “as my widow.”
    “Hmm,” she mock-mused, “I hadn’t considered that.” She nodded as if committing to the idea like she was going to try to make everyone believe she was going to commit to him. “At least then I’ll get something out of this marriage.”
    He glanced at her, his blue gaze hot and intense. “If we were actually going to get married, you’d definitely get something out of it.”
    Her heart flipped. “Are you flirting with me, Logan Payne?”
    “Isn’t that what a fiancé is supposed to do?”
    She shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve never been engaged.” She didn’t even date that often. That had to be why kissing him had affected her so much.
    “Me, neither,” he said.
    “Why not?” she asked.
    His mouth curved into a grin. “Do you think I’m way too handsome to still be single?”
    Yes. But she would eat Cujo’s kibble before she would ever admit that she found Logan Payne attractive. But she always had. Even during her father’s trial, her brothers had accused her of having a crush on him because she hadn’t been able to stop herself from staring at him.
    But she replied with an insult, “I think you’re pretty old to still be single.”
    He laughed. “You’re only a few years younger than I am. Starting to feel like an old maid at twenty-nine? Is that why you jumped at my mother’s crazy idea to marry me?”
    “Your mother.” Unable to help herself, she smiled with genuine affection for Mrs. Payne. “She’s another reason I’m surprised you’re still single. She’s a wedding planner.”
    “And a matchmaker.” He sighed. “She’s the reason my brother just got married.”
    “She manipulated him into it?”
    He nodded.
    “I feel badly for the bride, then.” She could commiserate with that whole manipulation thing.
    “Why?” he asked. “You don’t even know my brother Cooper. He enlisted in the marines out of high school and just came home a few days ago.”
    “Cooper? He’s the one who was named after your father’s partner?” She shivered at just the thought of implacable Officer Robert Cooper and how his testimony had helped seal her father’s fate.
    A muscle twitched along Logan’s jaw and he nodded.
    She shouldn’t have brought up his father again. Even fifteen years later, he still felt the loss. So she had no hope of her grief ever lessening. But she would deal with that later—when she wasn’t worried about losing her brothers, too.
    “I don’t know your brother,” she agreed. “But I feel sorry for his bride because he doesn’t love her.”
    “Oh, he loves her.” Logan chuckled. “He’s been in love with her since they were in high school together.”
    “So your mother really didn’t manipulate him into marrying her, then.” Maybe the woman wasn’t some matchmaking mastermind.
    “Oh, she did,” he said. “Cooper’s so stubborn he probably would have never admitted to his feelings.”
    “Stubborn or cowardly?” she asked.
    Logan chuckled. “He’s a highly decorated marine.”
    She shrugged. “Even a brave man can be a coward when it comes to love...”
    “Sounds like you have a story about that,” he mused. “Is it about your friend? ” He’d said “friend” as if it meant something more than friendship and almost as if he was jealous that it might be.
    “Why would you ask that?” And why would he sound jealous when