A whistle sounded from behind the bar.
Gus made his way out of the kitchen with the Chokecherry’s decorative double-barreled shotgun in hand. “Not in my bar,” he said. “Get out of here.”
“You couldn’t fire that if you wanted to,” John scoffed.
“I could,” Gus said. He gestured toward the door. “Now get.”
John rolled his eyes. Reluctantly, he pushed himself out of the booth and made his way to the door. Fran and Paul followed behind him—Fran cast a glance over her shoulder, torn somewhere between sympathy and anger.
Once the three of them were gone, Logan exhaled.
“Mind if I sit?” Gus asked.
Logan motioned to the seat opposite her. Banjo plucked from the speaker mounted on the wall, but other than that, the bar was quiet. Unrest simmered in the air. The rest of the bar patrons were apparently too afraid to speak. Logan didn’t like the idea of someone having to protect her, but she didn’t fight it. Gus returned his shotgun to its mount behind the bar, then slid into the seat across from her, pressing the table away to make room. He watched the sidewalk outside until John and the others disappeared around the corner, then leaned across the table.
“You okay?”
“Mostly, yeah.” Logan laughed uneasily. “Uh, sorry for causing problems in your bar. And thanks for sticking up for me.”
“Didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
Logan waved dismissively. “I’d rather be embarrassed than get the shit kicked out of me.”
“It doesn’t help when you sass back at them,” Gus said. “Your dad was always the same way. I had to break up his fights, too.”
“Which one?”
“Alejo,” Gus said. “Whatever people say about your dads, they sure balance each other out. Alejo never knew when to shut up. Always said exactly what he was thinking, even if it turned right around and bit him. Brandon was always quiet, though. The day the two of them met was the first time I ever heard him say more than two words.”
“Wait—you were there when they met?” Logan asked.
“Oh yeah,” Gus said. “Well, I don’t know if it was the first time they met. Me and Brandon used to work together at Barton Lumber. He never talked to anyone. Just showed up on time, did his work, and went home.”
“That sounds about right,” Logan mused.
“He only worked there for a few years, though. Tammy hired a new site manager and the guy’s first move was firing him.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it was bullshit. But a lot of the guys agreed with him. They wanted your dad out.” Gus sat back. “I’d already opened the bar at that point, so I wasn’t there anymore. I would’ve said something.”
Logan shook her head. “Is that why you helped me?”
Gus exhaled sharply. “The way we pushed your dads out of town never sat right with me. I don’t know how I feel about all that gay marriage stuff, but they weren’t hurting anyone. Even their little cabin across the lake wasn’t far enough for some folks.”
Logan shook her head. “Just because they were together?”
“Mostly, yeah. We don’t like change around here. They were asking everyone to change a lot.”
Logan rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t sound like they were asking anyone to do anything but leave them alone.”
“Maybe not,” Gus said with a shrug.
“Thank you for telling me,” Logan said. “I just wish I knew why they left.”