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Poor Ruth. Sophia sensed the woman’s eagerness to retire in every anxious glance the lady gave her. When Sophia grasped a new concept easily, the worry lines around the older woman’s mouth eased into a small smile. Sophia was all about making a smooth transition and, now that she’d gotten to know Ruth a little better, she was glad that she couldn’t foresee any obstacles that would hinder her taking over the reins.
You’re not the hired help anymore, Sophia. You own half of the lodge now.
Sophia had a hard time wrapping her mind around that. She’d never owned anything of value in her life. So the transition from employee to owner might just be the hardest of all for her to grasp.
By the end of the day, Ruth bid her goodbye. “These are yours now.” She placed a set of keys in Sophia’s hand. “You can lock up the office whenever you’d like.”
When Sophia blinked her surprise, Ruth shook her head. “I’m not abandoning you, so don’t you worry. I’ll be here until the end of next week to conclude some business I need to tend to. If you need me to stay on longer, I surely will, but I’m impressed at how quickly you’ve caught on.”
“Thank you,” Sophia said. “You’ve made my first day enjoyable.”
“I worked you hard,” Ruth said honestly, before her lips lifted gently. “I almost feel guilty about it, but I think you’re capable and I’ll be sure to tell Logan that.”
“You mean, Luke, right? I was told I’ll be dealing with Luke from now on.”
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Though neither one of those boys would ever steer you wrong.”
Sophia could argue, but kept her lips buttoned tight.
She walked home in a daze, thinking of what she’d accomplished today, what she was expected to do and how it would all work. Within minutes, she found herself inside the cottage, her boots off, her jacket tossed across the parlor sofa, holding a glass of passion-fruit iced tea in her hand. She plopped onto the sofa, closed her eyes and sipped her tea. When her stomach complained, she remembered she hadn’t eaten much today. Excitement mixed with uncertainty had killed her appetite.
She sat in silence and enjoyed the peace but for another growl coming up from the depth of her belly. Then, a few seconds later, she heard a car pull up in front of the cottage. The engine shut off and a door slammed. She rose from her seat so quickly tea splattered onto her dress over her right breast. Wonderful. There was no time to wipe it dry. Her Las Vegas showgirl friends would always tease that she had a natural stop for spillage, and while Sophia had laughed along with them, she’d never really found it too amusing.
She heard footsteps approaching the porch and when the knock came, Sophia was ready, setting her hand on the knob and twisting. She pulled the door open and stared into the incredibly handsome face of a mature Luke Slade.
“Hey, there,” he said. “I thought you could use a friend about now.”
“So how are you really doing, Soph?” Luke asked ten minutes later, after they’d exchanged condolences for the parents they’d lost.
Soph?
He was back to calling her that. Sophia had forgotten how Luke liked to shorten her name. The familiar ring and the slight twang in Luke’s voice brought back good memories of the times they’d shared. Any awkwardness Sophia thought that they might encounter in their first meeting never developed. Luke was still Luke. It was a big relief to her to find that the pal she could always rely on hadn’t changed too much except to become a confident, gorgeous hunk of a man. She was happy to spend this time with him and Sophia let down her guard to converse with him easily.
Now he sat on the far end of the parlor sofa at an angle facing her, with the heel of one boot resting across his knee, sipping iced tea. He wore faded Wrangler jeans and a blue chambray shirt that was equally faded. His smile and the warmth in his eyes were still the same, though clearly Luke had grown out of his gangly, awkward stage.
“I miss Mama so much, Luke. For so many years it was us against the world. And now that she’s gone, I’m a little lost.”
“Consider yourself found, honey. Sunset Ranch is your home now.”
Luke leaned forward and as his work-hardened hands covered hers, she glanced down at their entwined fingers, thankful for his friendship. Luke had always understood her. He’d always had her back. He’d been a good friend, even when they were younger and it wasn’t considered cool to have a girl as a friend. Luke had held his own. And as Sophia gave his hand a deliberate squeeze, returning the solace, she waited for a spark to ignite between them. She waited for her palms to sweat. She waited for a tingle.
Seconds ticked by.
Nothing. Not a twinge. No fire.
She’d always wondered whether she’d feel differently about Luke if she were to return to Sunset Ranch. She’d wondered if there would be something more.
She released his hand and lifted her lashes slowly to meet his gaze. Luke had a grin plastered on his face. Clearly he had read her thoughts and had been wondering the same thing. Even though warmth crept up her neck, there was no tension between them. And that was the problem.
“You are a knockout, Sophia, that’s for sure.”
“You’re cowboy eye candy, Luke.”
Dubious, he gave a shake of his head, and then each of them threw their heads back and laughed.
Just like when they were kids.
They were friends, period. That much was reestablished and Sophia was glad of that. There was no reason to complicate her life right now anyway. She’d been put through the wringer these past few years, marrying an older man who’d offered to help provide for her mother’s medical treatments and praying for a miracle to save her mother’s life. She hadn’t come out of it unscathed, either. She’d paid a dear price for her high hopes and naïveté.
“Thank you, Luke. You always know how to make me feel better.”
He gave her a wink. “Glad to oblige. So what’s your game plan?”
“Well,” she said, leaning back against the sofa. The chintz material gave underneath her, the cushions fitting her bottom as she curled her legs under her dress and got comfortable. “I hope to make a smooth transition with Ruth Polanski and take over the reins soon. Ruth thinks I’ll be ready by the end of next week. I have my doubts.” She tilted her head to one side, keeping accusation out of her tone. “And thanks for the heads-up, by the way, buster. You didn’t mention that I’d be replacing her as manager.”
Luke’s beautiful blue eyes rounded innocently. “I didn’t think it would be a problem. She’s been itching to retire.”
“Yes, I found that out the hard way. Your brother led me to believe I’d have to fire Ruth in order to take my position at the lodge.”
Luke stared at her for a full five seconds, then rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, hell.”
Sophia let go a heavy sigh.
“Logan was messing with you,” Luke said.
“But it wasn’t done in jest.”
Luke leaned forward to put his glass of tea down on the stone cocktail table. “Don’t let him get to you, Sophia. He’s got a burr up his butt about what happened in the past. He’ll come around soon enough.”
“Do you really believe that?” Sophia heard the hope in her own voice. All she wanted to do was live peacefully at Sunset Ranch. She didn’t expect Logan to welcome her with open arms, but if he would simply not stand in her way, or better yet, just ignore her, she’d consider it a victory.
Small lines around Luke’s eyes crinkled as he winced. “Honestly? Not really. At least not anytime soon. He’s more stubborn than I am.”
She remembered the arguments she’d had with Luke when they were growing up. He rarely backed down from anything if he thought he had right on his side. “That’s saying something,” Sophia muttered.
“Hey!”
She smiled. “Just speaking from memory. I’m sure you’re more reasonable now.”
“Damn straight I am. I mean, I wasn’t stubborn so much as I was right and I’ve always been reasonable.”
Sophia nodded, not to belabor the point. It felt good bantering with Luke again.
“So what else did you and my brother talk about yesterday?”
“He tried to …” she began, but then thought better of it.
“Go on.” Luke nodded his encouragement. “What did he try to do?”
Sophia didn’t want to get between Luke and his brother. There had been enough of that when they were kids. Logan would be rude to her or worse yet, pretend she didn’t exist, and Luke would come to her rescue. As a result, the two brothers had been at odds with each other, at least when it had come to her. She didn’t want to rekindle that bad blood. “Nothing.”
“He did something, Soph. If you don’t tell me, I’ll go straight to the source. I’ll find out.”
“Don’t bully me, Luke.”
“I’m not bullying you, for heaven’s sake. But you need to tell me.”
Sophia sat silently.
Luke rose slowly from the sofa, battling his reluctance to leave. “All right, I’ll go ask my brother if you—”
“Okay, fine. I’ll tell you.”
He took his seat again.
“You have to promise not to interfere. I don’t want to come between the two of you.”
Luke’s lips tightened and twisted back and forth for so long, Sophia thought he wouldn’t agree. “Fine, you have my word.”
Sophia took a swallow, sorry now that she’d brought the subject up. “Well, not only did Logan lead me to believe that I’d have to relieve Ruth of her duties, but he tried to buy me out of the inheritance. He said he’d have his lawyer find a way around the stipulation that I stay on for a year to run the place. He offered me a huge sum of money.”
“Aw, crap.” Luke took to rubbing the back of his neck again. “That guy beats a dead horse, doesn’t he?”
Sophia drew back and gasped.
“Sorry. Bad choice of words.”
Yes, it was, considering that Sunset Ranch was all about raising and nurturing the finest horses in the country. “He doesn’t want me here. Logan’s got piss for brains sometimes. He knows damn well he can’t buy you out.”
“Exactly, but he sure drove his point home about wanting to be rid of me.”
“I’m sorrier than you can imagine that I wasn’t here to greet you yesterday.”
“It’s not your fault, Luke. I’ll admit that ever since you called me, I’ve been dying to see you again, but you can’t reschedule your life around my comings and goings. I’m a big girl now, and Logan doesn’t scare me.”
“He may not scare you, Sophia, but he hurt you. And that’s just plain wrong if you ask me.”
Sophia didn’t want the reminder of how Logan had made her feel yesterday. It seemed that for the majority of her life, she’d been on the outside looking in. She’d never gotten over that feeling. That’s why coming back to Sunset Ranch, the one place she’d ever felt as though she’d belonged, was so important to her.
“You know what,” she said, with a wave of the hand, “let’s change the subject. Tell me about yourself, Luke. You mentioned you were in the rodeo for a while. What was that like?”
Sophia settled back and listened to her friend tell her about his life after she’d left Sunset Ranch. And when he offered to take her to dinner for the spiciest chili in the West, her stomach grumbled quietly at the mention of food.
“Yes. I’d love to have dinner with you.”
The only thing louder than The Kickin’ Kitchen’s piped in honky-tonk music was the Red Savina habaneros they put in the chili. The hot stuff made Logan’s insides sing like a hillbilly band and required a generous dowsing of cold beer to wash away the flames. After a morning of schmoozing with prospective clients and an afternoon of pencil pushing in his office, he couldn’t think of anything better to do tonight than eating a bowlful of chili with a friend.
“You want another go round?” Ward Halliday asked, after slurping up the last spoonful of chili on his plate. Ward had a stomach of iron, which served him well on all-you-can-suffer chili night at Kickin’.
Logan glanced at the empty bowl sitting in front of him. “Nope. I haven’t put out the last blaze catching fire in my stomach yet. But you go ahead.” He caught the new waitress’s eye and crooked his finger.
She sauntered over, giving him a big smile as she approached. “Hi, boys, you ready for more?”
“My friend here will tempt fate once again. You can bring him some,” Logan said. “You don’t sell antacids for dessert, do you, darlin’?”
She acted as if she hadn’t heard that question a thousand times before. As a matter of fact, maybe she hadn’t. From what he could recall, being a semiregular and all, the young blonde hadn’t worked at Kickin’ all that long. Her name tag said she was Shelby from California.
“Hey, not a bad idea. I could start a side business and retire before I’m thirty.”
“And what would you do if you retired?” Logan asked, noting how attractive she was in a cute-as-a-button sort of way.
She stared off into the distance for a few beats, before focusing on him with an honest-to-goodness look. “I could tell you what I wouldn’t do. I wouldn’t be working two jobs and struggling to take care of my grandfather in his tiny house by the interstate. Poor man would have a nice place to live and a real good nurse to care for him in his last days.”
“Sorry to hear your grandpa’s not well,” Logan said.
“I appreciate that. He’s a dear man and I’m doing my best.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I’m afraid I’m all he’s got right now.”
Logan eyed the pretty woman with admiration. It was refreshing to hear how loyalty and devotion still meant something to some folks. “Well, then I think he’s got a hell of a lot.”
The girl’s smile returned, beaming on Logan like shining stadium lights. “Thanks, I needed to hear that today. What else can I get for you?”
“You’re welcome. And if you could bring us another round of beers, too, I would appreciate it.”
“You got it,” she said, and turned to take an order from the next table.
Ward shook his head when the waitress was out of earshot. “Man, oh, man.”
“What?” Logan didn’t wait for Ward to answer before he tipped his head back and guzzled down the remaining drops of his beer.
“You sure know how to sweet-talk a woman.”
“That’s all it is, is talk, Halliday. Besides, she was real nice.” Logan leaned way back in his chair, tipping it on end, stretching out his legs. He hadn’t had a date with a woman in a long while. And Shelby from California had piqued his interest enough for him to consider breaking his three-month-long streak of being dateless. But Shelby seemed to have enough on her plate, without dating a man who had no interest in permanence. He chose his women wisely and when he did, it was a just-for-laughs, without-any-strings-attached kind of thing. Whether it lasted one week or a few months, he made sure the women he dated weren’t the home-and-hearth kind.
“Well, if Molly could’ve seen you flirting with that blonde, she would’ve pestered you until you asked the girl out.”
Logan leaned back in his seat. “Your wife’s been itching to marry me off.”
“Don’t I know it? She’s forever going on and on about you three Slade boys not getting hitched. I can only imagine the pestering she’ll give my boy when Hunter gets of age.”
“Hunter doesn’t have a girl?”
“No, sir. Right about now, he’s focused on attending college in the fall. Saving his money, too.”
“That’s always a good thing,” Logan said. He’d known Hunter since birth, but the big strapping boy wasn’t much of a talker. Logan knew he loved horses, though. He’d taken after his father that way. Ward had taught Hunter the value in treating an animal with respect.
A few minutes later, Shelby came by with Ward’s second bowl of chili and two more beers. She set everything down on the table. “Here you go, boys.”
“Thanks, miss,” Ward said, lifting his spoon, ready to dive in.
“You’re very welcome,” she said, giving Ward her attention before sending Logan another big smile. “If you need anything else, just let me know.”
When she turned to help another customer, Logan watched the gentle sway of her hips in her short navy blue waitress uniform.
“Truth is, I haven’t had a date in a long while,” he muttered.
Ward didn’t seem to hear him. He was too busy looking straight past him and waving his hand with a come-here gesture. Logan craned his head toward Kickin’s front door and a vile curse slipped from his lips.
“Well now, would you look at who’s just come in,” Ward was saying. “It’s Luke and Ms. Sophia. They’re heading this way.”
“Damn it, Ward. Put your hand down, and stop waving them over.”
Baffled by Logan’s tone, the older man drew his brows together. “Why, oh … Oh, right.” He shrugged his shoulders in sheepish apology.
Ward’s lightbulb moment was too little too late. The Slades had always tried to keep their private lives just that—private. But back in the day, news of Louisa Montrose’s illicit affair with his father had leaked out faster than a sledgehammer to a water pipe, and Logan figured pretty much everyone at Sunset Ranch knew that he wasn’t keen on any of the Montrose women. Especially now. Especially since Randall Slade had decided to give away half ownership of the lodge to his mistress’s daughter.
Logan hadn’t been discreet in his disdain. When he first heard the news of her inheritance, he slammed his fist into the barn wall. His damn hand had been bruised for days and, even though it had healed, every so often the pain would come back just enough to annoy him.
Very much like Sophia.
Three
Sophia hadn’t expected to see Logan in the chili place. She’d been looking forward to sharing the meal with Luke, without any fuss or anxiety. All-you-can-suffer chili sounded like a great plan, but all-you-can-suffer Logan—not so good.
Luke whispered in Sophia’s ear as they approached the table. “I swear I didn’t know he was going to be here.”
“I know,” she assured him. In the short time since she’d been reacquainted with Luke, she was sure that he wouldn’t have set her up like this.
“We won’t stay. Just say hello.”
“No, Luke,” she said, “I won’t have you avoiding your brother because of me.”
“Logan won’t care if we find another table.”
“But I do.”
Sophia feared she’d caused a rift between the brothers already. One way or another, she would have to find a way to be civil around Logan, for everyone’s sake.
“Hello to both of you,” Ward said once they arrived at his and Logan’s booth. “I see you’re introducing Ms. Sophia to the fine dining in town.”
“I am. Doesn’t get finer than Kickin’,” Luke said to Ward with a smile, before turning his attention to Logan.
He sipped his beer, and then nodded an acknowledgment to his brother.
She wouldn’t allow Logan to ignore her and opted to be the bigger person. “It’s good to see you again, Ward. And you, too, Logan.”
Logan slanted a look her way, his gaze landing on the bodice of her coral dress. He refused to make eye contact with her, as if she wasn’t worthy of any more of his attention than that. “Sophia.”
Idiot.
“I’m having me a second bowl of Number Three,” Ward said, in an attempt to ease the tension at the table. “The higher the number, the higher the heat level. Only goes up to five. But I’m not that brave.”
“I think three’s pretty brave,” Sophia said. Kickin’ Kitchen wasn’t around when she lived here, and now her interest was piqued. Her Spanish ancestry and mother’s heavy hand with spices gave her a taste for daring foods.
“Beginner’s start at Number One and pretty much stay there for a few years,” Logan said smugly, eyeing her with a challenge in his eyes. “Some can’t even handle that.”
Sophia straightened to her full height. Mr. High and Mighty actually volunteered something more than a grunt. She shot her chin out, and took the bait. But she planned for him to be the one eating crow. “I bet I could handle Number Three.”
Logan stopped drinking his beer long enough to say, “That I’d like to see.”
“Whoa, Sophia,” Luke said with a shake of the head. “I just graduated to Three a few months ago.”
Ward gave her a skeptical look.
Sophia took Logan’s challenge. “I’d be happy to prove you wrong.”
The waitress came sprinting by to deliver a round of drinks to the booth. “You folks need a table?” she asked Luke. “’Cause we’re getting slammed. It’s a twenty-minute wait.”
“That’s fine. We’ll wait,” Luke said with a firm nod, clearly protecting Sophia. “Slade. Table for two.”
Logan set his beer bottle down with a thud and his dark eyes sharpened on her. “Chickening out?”
Luke shook his head at Sophia, his eyes darkening with caution, but it was too late for his warning. Her mind was made up. For one, she wouldn’t let Luke baby her and, two, Logan needed to be put in his place. When Ward rose to offer her a seat, she lowered down and slid across the booth, making room for him to sit beside her.
“I’m not chickening out,” she said triumphantly to Logan, and then turned to flash Ward a generous smile. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Ward nodded, color rising up on his neck. “Welcome.”
Logan’s mouth twitched, and he sighed with resignation as he made room for his brother in the booth. “Yeah, sure. Why not.”
“Cancel that table for two,” Luke said to the waitress as he took a seat beside Logan. “Looks like we’ll be joining them.”
“Sure thing. I’ll be back in a sec with menus.”
Before the waitress turned away, Luke stopped her with a gentle command. “No need. We know what we want.” Luke met with Sophia’s eyes once again. She nodded, giving the waitress her order. “I’ll have a Number Three.”
“Make that two Number Threes,” Luke said with a sigh, “and two beers.”
“No beer for me,” Sophia said. “I’ll have water.”
The waitress made a mental note.
“You’d best bring three glasses of ice water then, for starters,” Ward said, looking a bit concerned. “Those habaneros will drain the last ounce of moisture from your mouth.”
“Sure, I’ll be back with waters, beer and two Number Threes.” The waitress moved on and Sophia found herself facing Logan directly across the booth.
It wasn’t a hard picture, seeing the two Slade cowboys sitting side by side. They had similar good looks. The biggest difference was that Luke’s eyes were blue, like his mother’s, and his hair was a sandy color, rather than Logan’s dark brown. But the men were worlds apart in personality traits.
Luke inclined his head toward Sophia. “Beer might have quenched your thirst better.”
“I don’t drink.”
“Ever?” Luke asked, looking a little astonished. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You couldn’t possibly know,” she said quietly, holding in her anguish. Luke didn’t know everything there was to know about the grown-up woman she’d become, unlike Logan, who thought he knew everything about her. “My father was an alcoholic,” she explained, “and I’ve never found a taste for the stuff. It’s my way of rebelling.”
Not that she felt obligated to give a reason, but her father’s story was a constant reminder of the pitfalls and fragile nature of the human spirit and she especially wanted Logan to understand that her life hadn’t been all peaches and cream. His family didn’t have a monopoly on heartache. Despite being married to a loving beautiful woman, Sophia’s father had left her mother with a three-year-old child to raise. As an adult it was still pretty hard for her to rationalize his actions, though she’d tried hard to work through being fatherless most of her life. Alberto Montrose chose a love affair with liquor that ultimately ruined him. The last Sophia had heard, which was more than ten years ago, her father had been seen wandering the streets of San Francisco, ragged and homeless. Liquor was his wife, child, addiction and downfall, all rolled up into one.
“Enough said,” Luke announced, wearing a compassionate expression. “Water is underrated anyway.”