Rich, Rugged Ranchers

Logan seared those images into his memory as they rode the waves of glory together.

I love you, Logan, Sophia thought as she glanced at him. Though he was normally well-groomed, this morning, short, thick strands of his hair stuck out in several directions and a day-old beard darkened his handsome features.

Sophia wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to make a scene. She would be strong. Like her mother. She wouldn’t let Logan know how much she loved him. Not now. She couldn’t trust him with those feelings. She couldn’t tell him truths that he wasn’t ready to hear. She knew it would take time, but Sophia had never been in love before. She’d never felt the full force of the emotion and the power it wielded might cause her great injury. She knew she would have to step carefully to avoid the land mines of her own making.

Sophia lay there with a lump in her throat. Logan had made love to her thoroughly last night. She still ached in private places from his ruthless pursuit of satisfying her. He had made his mark on her. She would never forget her first night with Logan Slade. She hoped there were many more to come. She would not give up on her love.

Was she being a fool?

Her mother’s words rang out clearly in Sophia’s mind. She had never forgotten them. “Loving Randall Slade was a waste of love.”

Because it had ended in heartache. Sophia wouldn’t allow that to happen with Logan. Her love would not be wasted. It couldn’t be. She’d given everything she’d had to give to him. Would he be so cruel as to throw it all away?

Dawn peeked out on the horizon, the first glimmering rays of light sneaking into the room. Sophia gave Logan one last glance, and then rose from the bed. Her feet landed quietly on the floor and she tiptoed away hoping not to wake him.

She grabbed Logan’s shirt she’d worn last night, along with her pants, and dressed before she exited the room. The Slades’ household staff did not live at the house, but they would arrive shortly.

Logan’s remark about how his men knew they weren’t just baking cookies together came to mind.

Sophia cringed at the notion. She’d never wanted a reputation as a gold-digger, but it seemed to follow her every move. She would have fallen in love with Logan Slade even if he were penniless. Money wasn’t the issue but who would believe that about her now? On paper, and from what people perceived about her, she appeared guilty.

And then there was Luke. What was she going to say to him? When he arrived home, would he understand her motives? Would he hate that she’d fallen in love with his brother?

Sophia entered her room, quietly shutting the door behind her. She wasn’t ready to start the day, but doubted she could fall back to sleep. She stripped off her clothes, walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower faucet. She stepped inside and let the warm water slide over her skin. She stood there for a long time in the steamy hot spray, deep in thought.

The night she shared with Logan had been remarkable. The earth had moved and the stars had aligned. She sighed at the memories—the taste of his mouth, the scratch of his stubble bruising her skin, his strong hands gentle on her, all rushed through her mind. It had been ecstasy and Sophia wouldn’t allow herself to think of it as a one-night stand.

But she had no clue what Logan was thinking. She wondered if he’d set out to seduce her or if they’d been caught up in something powerful that both of them couldn’t deny. Last night, their relationship had changed forever.

Sophia washed her hair and scrubbed her body with lavender-scented soap. The pleasing fragrance had always soothed her nerves and made her feel better. When she stepped out of the shower and dried off, most of her pressing doubts were banished.

Someone knocked on her bedroom door. Sophia took a quick breath, wrapped herself in a plush towel and shook out her wet hair before going to the door. “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Sophia.”

The sound of Logan’s voice gave her tingles. She opened the door slowly. His cool dark eyes blazed with warmth when he looked at her draped in the towel. “Tempting.”

He was dressed in business clothes, dark slacks and a white shirt. Seeing him again took her breath away. “Good morning.”

“Mornin’. You’re up early,” he said.

“I, uh, woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep.”

“You wanted to skip out of my room before the housekeeper arrived.”

“Yes,” she admitted, her face flaming. “Do you blame me?”

His smile was seductive, his voice a rasp of desire. “Don’t run away from me, Sophia.”

She nibbled on her lower lip, unsure what to say.

He stepped into the room with a gleam in his eyes. He reached for the top of her towel. Her throat tightened and she just stood there rooted to the spot with his big hand on her chest. When she thought he’d undo the towel, his fingers stayed on her skin just above the cotton. The intimate touch made goose bumps erupt on her arms.

He bent his head and kissed her, whispering over her lips, “You know I have a shower in my room. Big enough for two. Next time, we’ll do it together.”

An immediate image rushed into her mind and Logan smiled knowingly. But his automatic assumption that there would be a next time flashed in her head like a lightbulb moment.

Sophia surprised herself by saying, “We can’t …” She hesitated, knowing in her heart this was the right thing to say. Even so, it pained her to draw a line in the sand. “We can’t have an affair.”

Logan didn’t flinch, but she noted a quick flicker in his eyes. “Because we don’t like each other?”

Because I’ve fallen in love with you and need more than that.

But Sophia couldn’t tell him that. She couldn’t trust him with her love. He was still the same man, with the same prejudices and opinions. “I never said I didn’t like you.”

The corner of his mouth crooked up. “Last night was good, Sophia. You can’t deny it.” He brushed her hair to one side, touching her shoulder in a soft caress. She trembled from his touch and the blazing warmth in his eyes. “We could have more nights like the one we just had.”

She summoned her courage and asked him the question that would define this new relationship. “Have you changed your mind about my mother? About me? Do you still resent me and my presence here?”

The warmth in his eyes evaporated. He dropped his hand from her hair. “Don’t go there, Sophia. It’ll only ruin things.”

Sophia closed her eyes. She had her answer and her heart ached with the brutal truth. Last night hadn’t been about fondness, caring or love. It had been about lust and sex. Logan didn’t have to say the words, but she knew now that she’d been a fool to think he’d change his mind so easily. He still thought her mother was a calculating home wrecker. He’d probably thought worse of Sophia. He still took exception to her inheritance. She couldn’t forget that he’d tried to buy out her share of Sunset Lodge when she’d first arrived just to get rid of her.

Yet her love for him didn’t diminish. It didn’t fade, not even a tiny bit, knowing what he thought about her. Sophia loved him from the bottom of her heart. And unfortunately, it would take a lot more heartache before she stopped loving him. But she wouldn’t give any more of herself until he could make her believe there was some hope.

She tilted her chin, thinking haughtiness worked better with clothes on, but a towel and wet hair would have to do in this circumstance. “Then we have nothing to talk about.”

Boldly, she searched his eyes, daring him to say something. To plead his case or try to convince her otherwise. But Logan didn’t say a word.

Instead, he reached out and slowly unwrapped the towel from around her body. The material dropped to the floor in a lush heap. She stood bared to him, her skin freshly cleaned and perfumed.

He raked his gaze over her naked form and then inhaled a sharp clipped breath. His mouth moved and she listened to words that would stay with her until the end of time. “This isn’t over, Sophia. You’ll see that soon enough.”

Eight

Sophia sat in the office she no longer shared with Ruth Polanski, her desk the only one in the room now. She’d turned it around to face the window and the verdant grounds of the lodge with the regal Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background. She could be happy here. No, she amended that. She would be happy here. Living a peaceful life at Sunset Ranch was what she truly wanted now.

All of the managerial duties at Sunset Lodge were on her shoulders. She relished the challenge, and dove into her work. This morning she had to make phone calls to vendors and deal with a stable boy who’d been rude to one of the guests. In the afternoon, she had a luncheon planned with a local landscaper. Sophia had a few changes in mind that would enhance the overall property. And she had to go over Logan’s budget for the year.

She heard footsteps approaching, and turned to find Hunter Halliday standing behind her half-closed door. In his arms, he held an exquisite arrangement of lilies. “Ms. Montrose?”

Technically, she was Mrs. Gregory, but she’d never used her legal name. She wondered what prompted her to think about that now. “Come in, Hunter.”

The strapping boy sauntered into the room and stood in front of her desk, looking uncomfortable with the feminine flowers in his hands. Sophia stared at the stargazers tinted with a touch of pink on the petals. “They are lovely,” she said when Hunter didn’t volunteer any information.

He’d been staring at her.

“Oh, um … Mr. Slade sent me over with these.”

“They’re from Mr. Slade?” Sophia’s mouth dropped open. For an instant, when she’d seen Hunter bringing them in, she’d thought the flowers had come from Hanson Landscapers. It wasn’t unusual for vendors to send managers perks, thank-yous or deal sweeteners to butter them up.

“Yes, ma’am. And he said to read the note in private.”

She felt her face turning three shades of pink. “Okay.”

A small white envelope appeared in her line of vision as Hunter set the flowers down on the only cleared-off space on her desk. “All right to put these here?”

“Uh, yes. That’s fine.” The arrival of these amazingly beautiful flowers put a major roadblock in thinking that she could ignore what had happened between her and Logan last night.

This isn’t over.

Those three words Logan had spoken echoed in her heart. She didn’t want it to be over between her and Logan, either. Heavens, it had barely just begun. But Sophia’s pride wasn’t a small thing. She couldn’t face herself in the mirror every morning, knowing that Logan hadn’t changed his mind about her. How could she possibly give herself to him, love or no love, without expecting him to make some concessions, without him willing to hear her explanations and tell her side of the story?

He still thought of her mother as a wicked woman, and thought of her as a gold-digger.

She sighed aloud and Hunter’s eyes snapped to hers. “Oh, uh, thanks for delivering the flowers, Hunter.”

“You’re welcome.”

Hunter didn’t budge an inch. He hovered by her desk, watching her.

She smiled.

He sent her a troubled look. There seemed to be something on the boy’s mind.

“Is there anything else?” she asked.

“Yep. But I don’t know if it’s appropriate for me to say.”

Sophia wanted to reassure the boy. His unease was practically tangible. “If something’s bothering you, you can tell me what it is. Why don’t you sit down?”

“Okay.” He took a seat across the desk and didn’t look any more comfortable in it than he did while he was standing. He rubbed his hands back and forth and Sophia waited for him to speak.

“It’s about Gabriel Strongbow.”

Sophia’s brow rose at the name. He was the stable boy Sophia had received a complaint about. “What about him?”

“I guess you could say we’re friends. I’d like to put in a good word for him, ma’am. If I might.”

“I haven’t spoken to him yet. But I’ll listen to what he has to say.”

“He thinks he’s gonna be fired, and he really can’t afford it. He’s helping his mother out by working this job and trying to stay in school. And I just want to say that he wasn’t rude to the guest.”

“So, you’re vouching for him?”

“Well, I wasn’t there actually. But I’ve seen Gabe with Rebecca Wagner and he’s been nice and polite to her. Rebecca has been flirting with him all week. They like each other is all. Rebecca handed him her phone number yesterday and Mrs. Wagner found out about it and accused him of all sorts of things. Gabe hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Sophia knew of the Wagner family. Rebecca was a pretty sixteen-year-old girl. Ruth had told her the three Wagners were regulars at the lodge. They’d been coming twice a year for over a decade. “Sounds like Mrs. Wagner is overprotective of her daughter. But you know that we have strict rules about employees and guests. It’s not a line but a wall that we’ve constructed at Sunset Lodge and it isn’t to be breached.”

“Yes, I know.” Hunter took a deep breath. “Just had to say my piece.”

“And I’ve heard you.” Sophia sent him a smile. “You’re a good friend to Gabe.”

“Just want what’s fair.”

“I’ll be fair with him,” she said.

Hunter relaxed somewhat, his eyes filled with appreciation. “Thanks.”

Sophia braced her arms on the desk and leaned forward. “Tell me about Gabriel Strongbow.”

Hunter shrugged and contemplated briefly before he began. “He’s a senior in high school. Working at the stables part-time. He’s got a little sister. His dad passed about three years ago and now they’re struggling to hang on to their house.”

“I see.” Sophia could relate to living from paycheck to paycheck, trying to keep from drowning in a sea of debt and hoping that her fate wasn’t solely based on the whim of an employer. “Well, Gabe’s been with us for over a year and up until this point,” she said, fanning through the boy’s file, “he’s been a good employee. That’s all I can tell you, Hunter. I really shouldn’t have discussed this with you at all, so please keep this conversation to yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Hunter rose, gave her one last parting look and then took his leave.

Sophia got up and walked to the door, closing it while deep in thought. Sometimes a manager had to be judge and jury. She had to determine what was best for the establishment without infringing on the employee’s rights. It was a balancing act, but in this case unless the complaints proved true and there was a blatant miscarriage of rules, she was pretty sure Gabriel Strongbow’s job wouldn’t be in jeopardy.

Sophia had never fired anyone in her life.

Putting those thoughts aside, she walked over to the lily arrangement and stared at the flowers a moment. They were truly perfect. Logan couldn’t have picked anything she would have liked more. It was uncanny how sometimes the two of them were on the same wavelength. Then there were the other times when they butted heads and saw things very differently.

Sophia braced herself. She didn’t know what to expect from Logan Slade anymore but she was dying of curiosity to see what Logan had to say that was to be read in private. She lifted the white envelope from its plastic holder and slipped the small piece of paper out. Unfolding it, she read the handwritten note silently.

Sophia,

Can’t get the image of how I left you this morning out of my head.

Have dinner with me tonight. 8:00 p.m.

It’ll be our first date.

Change my mind.

Logan

Sophia’s hand shook so much, the words she’d just read and then reread became fuzzy. She moved on wobbly legs to her chair and lowered down slowly, her fingers gripping the edges for balance. The world seemed to tilt off-kilter at the moment. She couldn’t believe what Logan had written. He told her in those few sentences that he was willing to try.

Could it be possible?

Change my mind.

Moisture stung her eyes and one sole tear rolled down her cheek. Emotions welled up and a soft cautious beam of hope began to glow inside her. Was the indomitable man finally softening to her? Would he be willing to listen and really hear what she had to say?

Maybe one day soon. Sophia wouldn’t press her luck tonight, but she would meet with him. They would go on their first date, and she would see where that would take them. There was hope now, that her love would not be wasted.

Logan hadn’t been to the cemetery since his father’s funeral. But today he found himself standing over his parents’ graves with a bouquet of roses in his hands. He stared at the headstones, wondering about his father and mother’s relationship. To a boy who only saw what was right in front of him, Logan had thought his parents loved each other. He had thought that their family was as strong and as sturdy as the Ponderosa pines. He had thought his father was the fairest, most honest man in the world.

It was all a facade to conceal the truth. His father had lied and had conspired to destroy the family by abandoning his mother and bringing Louisa Montrose into the picture.

New anger rose up now as he gazed at their graves. The only crime his mother had committed in all of this was to love Randall Slade and expect his loyalty in return. After his mother found out about the affair, she’d protected her family by firing Louisa Montrose and banishing her and Sophia from the ranch. Ivy had forged on, raising her sons and loving a man who didn’t love her in return. In Logan’s mind, Ivy Slade was a hero—a woman who’d born great injury living in a house with a man who had betrayed and humiliated her.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” he said, his voice nearly breaking. He bent on one knee to brush away dried blades of grass and fallen leaves from her headstone. And then he laid the dozen buttercup roses down—her favorite—keeping the flat of his hand on the headstone. This was his time with his mother. Every couple of months, he spent just a few minutes here where he could feel a connection to her.

It was the second time today Logan had offered up flowers. He’d sent Sophia flowers this morning, and she’d sent him a message that she would be ready tonight at eight o’clock for their first date.

Logan wondered if he was a hypocrite to lay tremendous blame on his father, when Logan himself had been lured in by a Montrose. Yet he understood a man’s weakness when mind and body were involved. Sophia had gotten under his skin. She was like an addiction. He had to have her, but he’d taken his father’s failures to heart. He’d learned a valuable lesson and he’d vowed to never let himself become vulnerable to Sophia.

He could make the distinction, between lust and love.

With that notion in mind, Logan pivoted on his heels and got into his truck. As he drove out of the cemetery, he turned on the radio. Brad Paisley’s voice carried over the airwaves with lyrics that touted the joys of fishing. Logan sang along with him, his mood lighter and anticipation stirring in his gut. Tonight, he had a date with a beautiful woman.

Four hours later, Logan rapped on Sophia’s bedroom door, hat in hand. He hadn’t seen her since this morning. A classic oil-painting image of her had stayed in his head all day—Sophia standing nude, one hip elevated, the curve of her feminine body inviting and the look in her eyes enticing. It had taken every ounce of his willpower to walk away from her. But he couldn’t lie to her. He couldn’t tell her the things she wanted to hear, so he’d done what he had to do.

She opened the door and gave him a small smile. “Hi.” One large gold hoop dangled from her ear. “Come in,” she said, turning and walking toward her dressing mirror.

Logan followed behind her.

“Sorry, I’m running late,” she said, putting on the other earring as she faced the mirror.

“No problem.” Logan stood beside her. Watching Sophia put the finishing touches on her outfit wasn’t a hardship.

“We had a last-minute emergency at the lodge. The sprinkler system went off right in the middle of our barbecue dinner. Everyone went scrambling and we—”

Logan cut her off with a brief kiss. “Let’s not talk about work tonight,” he said.

He took a step back as the delicious taste of her mouth got his juices flowing. He couldn’t imagine concentrating on irritated guests or broken sprinkler systems with the way Sophia looked tonight. Her hair was up in some sort of pretty curly twist at the top of her head. Her short gold dress glimmered and draped in soft folds over her chest. It was cinched at her slender waist, accentuating her female curves and hugging her thighs. Jeweled sandals encased her feet.

“O-okay,” she said, touching the back of her hair nervously. “No business tonight then.”

“You look amazing, Sophia.”

Her scent perfumed the air. It was the same tempting fragrance she’d worn last night when they’d been dueling between the sheets. It wasn’t a smell he would soon forget.

“Thank you. I wasn’t sure how to dress. Your note didn’t say where we were going.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well … I wasn’t sure you’d accept my invitation.”

Her tawny eyes lifted to study his face. “You sent lovely flowers, but it was what you wrote that made me agree.”

Logan winced inwardly. He shouldn’t have written what he had. He wasn’t sure he would ever follow through and change his mind. But this morning after the hot erotic night they’d shared, he’d been thinking with a brain located south of his belt buckle.

He’d made no promises to Sophia though. And he clung to that reasoning as he put his hand to the luscious curve of her back, leading her from the bedroom and out of the house.

“You’re not working tomorrow,” he said after he helped her slip into the passenger’s side of his car.

“I don’t have to go in until the afternoon. But, Logan,” she said, with a warning in her voice.

“We’re taking a drive and we’ll be out late. That’s all I meant, little Ms. Suspicious.”

Sophia chuckled and the sweet sound filled his head.

“I want to show you something.”

“Is it a secret?” she asked.

“Sorta.”

Sophia’s voice got higher. “Really?”

Logan nodded. He wasn’t quite sure why he’d decided to bring Sophia to the spot he had in mind except that it was important that he impress her. “It’s a special place.”

“For all of your first dates?”

Sophia was fishing for clues, but he didn’t mind answering her truthfully. “You’re the first woman I’m taking there.”

Sophia opened her mouth to say something, but then those full lips clamped down and she shot him a skeptical look.

He shrugged. “You don’t have to believe me. But it’s true.”

“Does this place have a name?”

He gave her a nod. “The Hideaway.”

Her brows gathered. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Exactly my point, darlin’. Now sit back and relax. It’s an hour’s drive from here.”

Carved out of a mountainside, The Hideaway was a chateau overlooking a vast sea of sugar pine trees with bulky trunks and branches lifting skyward like regal green giants. Beyond the forest, the still waters of Lake Tahoe glistened in the distance under starry moonlight. Lights wrapped around garden posts twinkled near where Sophia stood on the terrace outside the restaurant. She leaned against a square column, looking out. Peace and contentment filled her.

Logan walked up and handed her a glass of sparkling water.

“Thank you,” she said, gazing out. She took a sip of her drink. The cool lime-flavored liquid bubbled and popped on the way down her throat.

“I thought you might like it here.” He held a glass in his hand. She was pretty sure it was scotch.

“You own The Hideaway, don’t you?” she asked.

Logan had driven up a narrow mountain road to get here and when they’d arrived, Sophia had been surprised by what she’d found—a restaurant designed with a European rustic flare nestled in the woods. Porcelain tile work lay beneath her feet and textured walls surrounded her. The dining room had private seating areas with tufted embroidered sofas and love seats. Atop a travertine fireplace mantel half a dozen pillar candles burned, casting soft shadows on the walls.