Rich, Rugged Ranchers

Ten

A knot formed in Sophia’s stomach as she parked her Camry by the ranch house garage. She sat in the car a minute, still unsure what to do about Luke. If Logan was home, maybe he’d already had a conversation with him. Or maybe he’d left that privilege for her. Sophia had wanted a little more time with Logan. And after her visit from Gordon today, she’d hoped she could be honest and up-front about things he didn’t want to talk about. She’d hoped she could make headway with him. It would require faith and trust on both their parts.

Sadly, she still didn’t have a clear definition of her relationship with Logan. And she still didn’t know what she would say to Luke. She got out of the car and made her way toward the house, wondering if she could find the right words. Deep in thought, she climbed the steps and entered the house, closing the door behind her.

Instantly, two booming male voices resounding from the long hallway stopped her cold. She couldn’t make out the words, but she certainly knew harsh tones when she heard them. And it was clear that Logan and Luke were butting heads again. When she heard her name mentioned, Sophia moved down the hallway, compelled by a force stronger than good etiquette allowed to secretly listen to the two men she cared most about. She leaned against the outside wall of Logan’s office, out of sight.

“You’re telling me that Sophia has moved into the house?” Luke’s voice was full of his displeasure.

Logan’s impatient words rang out. “I told you about the threats at the cottage.”

“So she’s here for her own safety?”

“There’s more. We’re not going to tiptoe around now that you’re home.”

“Meaning what?”

Logan’s voice carried a distinct certainty. “Meaning she’s with me now.”

There was a long pause, and Sophia squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t know what to expect from this conversation. Logan hadn’t been subtle or taken the time to ease Luke into the idea.

“You son of a bitch.” Disbelief reverberated off the walls. “You’re sleeping with her.”

“That’s right, Luke. It’s a mutual arrangement.”

Again there was a long pause as Luke absorbed that for a minute. Sophia didn’t know if she should make her presence known, but his next words made her rethink revealing herself until she’d heard Logan’s answer.

“So then you’ve forgiven her of all crimes? You don’t think she’s out for our money?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You’re not cutting her any slack, are you?” Luke asked angrily.

“I’m watching our backs, Luke.”

“You’re going to hurt her and if you do, I’ll—”

“I’m making damn well sure you don’t hook up with her.

You’d be foolish enough to fall in love with her. At least with me, I know that’ll never happen. I’m protecting our interests.”

“You’re a bastard, Logan.” Luke’s words were sharp, cutting. “Sophia deserves better than that.”

Logan lashed back, “Yeah, what do you know? You didn’t wake up one night and wander into the barn as a kid to find our father, the esteemed Randall Slade, sprawled over her mother in the tack room. The two of them were going at it—”

Sophia gasped. Stunned, she moved on shaky legs into the office doorway. The Slade men both looked up at the same time, shocked to see her standing there in full view.

She felt the blood drain from her face. Her body went limp as she faced Logan. She’d overheard everything. Logan had never cared for her. He’d never fall in love with her. She took a swallow, having to look deep into his eyes and hear him repeat the one thing that brought it all together. The one thing that proved his wicked deception.

“The t-tack room, Logan?”

Logan’s hard eyes softened. “Sophia.”

Luke let out a curse. “Don’t listen to him, Sophia. He’s an—”

“Answer me, Logan,” she demanded, raising her voice. Luke wouldn’t understand why this was so devastating to her. “You saw our parents together in the tack room?”

Logan blinked and began shaking his head. “You weren’t meant to hear this conversation.”

Sophia couldn’t breathe. Her chest pounded and her stomach twisted in agony. She’d never felt so completely betrayed. This was all a game to Logan—and a way to keep her away from Luke. He must have had a good long laugh over it when he seduced her in the very place he’d found his father making love to her mother. She was at a loss so profound a cold wave wrapped around her body and threatened to freeze her out. It was as if the light beaming inside her died. She was numb and brokenhearted, but forces from deep within would not allow her to walk out of here until Logan heard the truth.

“First of all, Luke is right. You’re a bastard.”

Logan flinched, which gave her a measure of satisfaction. The man wasn’t made entirely of stone. If her words cut him, they were only a tiny tear, unlike the way she’d been ripped apart.

“You’ve never wanted to hear the truth about your parents. I’ve wanted to tell you but I thought I should wait until I had your trust. But I see now I’ll never have that. Luke, you should know this, too. When your mother and father married it was more an arrangement to bring two powerful ranching families together. There was never great passion between them. Randall married because she’d gotten pregnant with you. He didn’t love her the way she wanted to be loved though. The way every woman deserves to be loved. But your mother and father did merge the ranches and did build a family together.”

Sophia put her head down. She couldn’t bear to see the look of pain in Logan’s expression. After a few seconds, she forged on. He needed to hear this. Even if he didn’t believe her, she owed this to her mother and to herself. She faced Logan again, looking him straight in the eyes, holding back her tears. “When we came to live at the ranch, there was nothing between my mother and your father but mutual respect. Over the years, they grew closer and fought the attraction with everything they had but eventually they fell deeply in love. My mother was tormented. I would hear her crying during the night. Often she’d speak of leaving the ranch, of finding another job somewhere else. But I loved living here. I loved it so much and I couldn’t understand at the time why my mother wanted to leave. I pleaded with her to stay on. I couldn’t bear the thought of not living at the cottage or on Sunset Ranch. So we stayed.”

Early memories of her mother’s sadness were fresh in her mind. Sophia remembered her mother crying and the defeat in her voice in those brief moments when she’d let her guard down. It had been a painful time for her. “Your father was set to divorce Ivy. It wasn’t an easy decision for him but he’d been determined. My mother stopped him. She wouldn’t allow Randall to break up his family for her. Everyone thought that Ivy found out about their affair and fired my mother. But the truth was that my mother went to Ivy to apologize. She offered to move away so that she and Randall could patch up their relationship and keep the family together. Mama always told me she’d done the right thing. She couldn’t have lived with herself if she’d broken up your family. She never took a penny of Randall’s money and she made him promise to never follow her. To my knowledge he never did.”

“But he did provide for you in his will,” Luke pointed out.

The room got quiet. Logan’s face masked his emotions.

“My mother loved Randall Slade with her whole heart and she gave him up. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do.” Sophia choked up then and tears spilled from her eyes when she looked at Logan one last time. “Mama … always said … it was a waste of love.”

His dark eyes flickered and he moved toward her. But Sophia backed away, putting out a hand warning him not to come closer. “I’m moving back into the cottage. I want to be left alone. I hope both of you will respect my wishes.”

“Sophia, me?” Luke asked.

Warmth filled her heart for the man who was her friend. It was a blessing to see Luke looking so fit, regardless of the cast on his arm. She could barely breathe, barely talk. Her words were soft, a quiet plea for Luke’s understanding. “I’m sorry, but I need to be alone right now.”

She turned then, and walked out the door. She’d never had hope torn from her body this way before. She’d never had such devastating disillusionment.

She missed her mother more now than ever before. And she knew that she would miss loving Logan Slade almost as much.

Logan lowered down into his chair and squeezed his eyes shut. But the image of Sophia appeared in his head anyway. Her fiery spirit gone, she’d looked broken and beat down. Accusation and betrayal had marred her beautiful face.

The tack room, Logan?

Logan winced. It hadn’t been planned. He hadn’t set out to seduce her that night. It had been an ironic twist, a coincidence that Logan hadn’t thought about until after the deed was done. When he realized he made love to her there, he hadn’t put much significance in it. Until now. Until the angry words had slipped from his mouth during his argument with his brother and Sophia had overheard. He’d said brutal, harsh things about keeping Luke away from her, about how he would never fall in love with her. She’d heard it all.

Luke walked over to him, his voice menacing. “Stand up, so I can knock you on your ass.”

Logan didn’t bother to look at him. “With your left hand?”

“Jerk.”

Logan’s love/hate relationship with his brother was getting on his nerves. He wanted to be left alone with his miserable thoughts. “Get outta here, Luke.”

“Sophia shouldn’t be alone at the cottage.”

“I know that,” he snapped.

“I’ll go over there tonight. She’ll let me in. She likes me.”

Logan stood now, and got directly in his brother’s face. He felt the veins in his neck popping. “Don’t go near her. If anyone’s gonna protect her, it’ll be me. You understand that?”

Luke opened his big mouth, but nothing came out. They stared at each other, practically nose to nose, and then Luke’s eyes widened and he burst out laughing. Logan balled his fists.

“This is rich,” Luke said when his laughter died down. “You love her. You have fallen head over heels in love with Sophia, and now she can’t stand you. She’d rather risk a stalker’s threats than be under the same roof as you.”

“You’re delusional, bro.”

“All this time you’ve been convincing yourself that Sophia is just like her mother. And it would serve you right to find that she was exactly like Louisa—a goodhearted, kind woman who deserved a break in life. A woman who made our father happy for a short time. Hell, Logan. I knew Mom and Dad weren’t happy for years. They were partners in business and they had kids to raise so they stuck it out. Their marriage wasn’t what you thought it was.”

“You know this because you’re the sensitive one and all.”

“I didn’t see Dad as a god. He was mortal and had human flaws, just like the rest of us. I don’t say what he did was right and I know Dad did love Mom in his own way. They raised us and managed to keep the family together. But maybe our folks shouldn’t have stayed together. Maybe they’d have both been happier apart. Maybe you got it all wrong, Logan. Ever think of that?”

Logan’s nostrils flared. “I don’t have it wrong.”

“Okay, then fine. Let Sophia walk out of your life.”

“She just did and I didn’t go after her, did I?”

A look of disgust spread over Luke’s face. “Your loss.”

Logan watched his pain-the-ass brother turn around and walk out of his office with slower than usual steps. The trip home had taxed his strength but at least he did look stronger than when he’d left. And the accident sure hadn’t changed his stubborn nature.

Once Logan was alone in his office, he made a call to add extra security to the premises. He would drive by the cottage tonight as well to check up on the place.

No one on Slade property would be in danger. He’d see to that.

Sophia included.

“I need your signatures here, here and here,” Logan said, leaning over her desk pointing to three lines on a contract necessary for a revamping of the stables. The winters were harsh and the old barns needed new heating.

Logan had made it his business to stop by her office every day for the past five days for some reason or another. Every time he’d walked in she’d turned away, unwilling to meet him eye to eye. She knew he was checking up on her. She’d seen his car by the cottage on several occasions, but she also knew that Logan wasn’t so much concerned about her welfare as he was about protecting his ranch from an intruder. He couldn’t fool her any longer with a look or a smile. She knew his black heart now and even though the pain was still there, hovering like stormy gray clouds, Sophia was coping.

“Leave them and I’ll read them over later.” She used her very best business voice.

“I’ve had our attorney look them over. They are good to go.”

Sophia nodded and signed on the dotted lines, shoving the papers back across the desk. She quickly withdrew her hands so their fingers wouldn’t brush. She stepped back so she didn’t have to breathe in his subtle earthy aftershave and be reminded of the nights they’d spent together.

“You’re still not talking to me?” he asked.

“I talk to you every day.” She was cool and dismissive on the outside, but inside her blood boiled. She prayed it would get easier seeing Logan each day. That he would leave her alone and let her go on with her life. Even when she was aloof with him, she sensed his eyes constantly on her, watching her movements.

Hands on hips, he stood over her desk and let out a frustrated sigh. “I never made false promises to you.”

“Yes, you’re right,” she said. “You didn’t.” She wasn’t going to go there. She wouldn’t argue. She wouldn’t defend. Her indifference was her only protection. “Now, is there anything else?”

“We can’t go on working like this.”

Sophia shut down her computer screen, still unwilling to look at him. “We won’t have to. Luke’s well enough to take over the lodge duties again. You’re free as of today.”

She heard Blackie’s high-pitched barks from outside. Edward was probably on the grounds playing fetch with the dog. It was late afternoon and her work was finished for the day. She straightened the papers on her desk and rose. This time she cast a look at Logan. It was hard not to notice the way his clothes fit his body so perfectly, the stretch of soft cotton over his broad chest and jeans hugging his hips. There was a sexy five-o’clock shadow on his face and a tick went to town on his jaw. All of it made her heart do crazy things. It was dangerous to look at Logan. Dangerous to be so near.

“I have to go,” she said quietly.

He spoke through tight lips. “Talk to me, Sophia.”

“I can’t. I have a … an appointment.”

Logan’s brows dented his forehead. “With who?”

She lifted her chin and kept her voice steady. “I’m having dinner with your brother.”

Logan’s face pinched tight. “Luke? Why in hell does it always come back to Luke?”

Sophia closed her eyes briefly, hoping to tamp down her emotions. Five minutes alone with Logan Slade was five minutes of torture. Heaven help her, she still loved him. “Because he’s something to me that you never were, Logan. He’s my friend. And right now I really need a friend.”

As Sophia brushed by him, her nostrils drank in his scent. Leather and musk would be forever imprinted on her brain. She had almost escaped the room when Logan spoke up. “What if I told you I’m green with jealousy over your friendship with my brother.”

Sophia didn’t move a muscle. She stood half in, half out of her office, her throat constricting. His admission had stunned her.

As a child, Logan had been the outsider, but purely of his own making. She and Luke would have welcomed him into their little friendship ring with open arms. But he’d never seen it that way. Logan had had a chip on his shoulder when it came to her. She’d always suspected Logan had thought she’d usurped his brother’s attention.

She kept her back to him and spoke softly. “And what if I told you you could’ve been a part of our friendship? Luke adored his older brother and I would’ve accepted you as a friend.”

She scurried out the door, fearing her own gentle heart. She couldn’t bear to see Logan’s expression now. A part of her hated him and a part of her felt sorry for the boy who’d been disillusioned so long ago.

Dinner at Dusty’s Steakhouse was delicious and safe, Luke and Sophia having decided to leave the fire-alarm chili at Kickin’ for another night. Her friend had been true to form, charming and fun-loving, and they’d had a few laughs. It was good to see Luke’s health improve each day. But Sophia had been distracted all evening, struggling to keep her mind from jumping back to her conversation with Logan.

“What’s wrong, Soph? Still can’t get my brother out of your system?” Luke put his good arm around her shoulder in the friendly way he had as they walked up the cottage path.

“It’s not that … exactly.”

“Then what is it?”

She shrugged. She didn’t want to ruin the peace of the night by talking about her problems with Logan. “Nothing. Sorry if I haven’t been good company tonight.”

“Don’t be putting words in my mouth, Sophia. The company’s fine. You’ve got something on your mind and I’d like to hear it.”

Sophia stopped when she reached the entrance to the cottage. She turned to look into Luke’s sky-blue eyes, wondering if she should be discussing Logan with his younger brother. The two men hardly got along, but she knew they loved each other. She didn’t want to add fuel to the fire.

“Okay, if you’re not going to tell me, let me guess. Logan said some other bonehead thing to you that’s got you upset.”

Sophia sighed and shook her head. “Not really … this is different.”

“I’m surprised you’re talking to him at all.”

“You know I have to. Sunset Lodge is important to me. I can’t let my personal life get in the way of my work.”

His eyes lit with mischief. “Honey, I’m amazed you haven’t slugged him yet, or kicked him in the—”

“Seriously, Luke,” she said cutting him off. She’d never admit that the thought had crossed her mind to do both of those things to Logan in crazy fleeting moments of despair.

“Seriously, Sophia.” Luke’s voice grew softer, a plea from one friend to another. “You gonna tell me what my brother said to you?”

She looked away for a moment, nibbled on her lower lip and then finally answered Luke. “Logan admitted he was jealous of us when we were kids. I wasn’t going to bring it up but—”

Disbelief and surprise crossed Luke’s expression as his voice rose in pitch. “He thought you and I were—”

“No, no. Not in that way. He was jealous of our friendship. Did you know that?”

Luke’s blond brows furrowed and he shook his head. “No, I never thought he gave a damn. Son of a gun. I thought we were too immature for him. He was always going on and on about how stupid we were, playing games, whispering secrets to each other. Doing things good friends do.”

“Maybe he wanted to join us.”

“Nah … I don’t think so.” Then Luke thought about it a moment. “But maybe.”

Sophia nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

“If it was true, I’m kinda shocked he’d admit it to you now. It’s not like Logan to confess something like that. Maybe the hard-hearted guy is finally softening up a bit. Even King Kong had a soft spot for a beautiful woman.”

Sophia smiled at the reference comparing Logan to a giant ape.

“At least I made you smile.”