Rich, Rugged Ranchers

She was grateful for Luke’s company, but the stresses of the past week had taken their toll on her stamina. She tried to cover up a yawn and failed.

“You’re beat,” Luke said, stating the obvious.

She was. “Dinner was delicious.”

“And this time you didn’t wind up with a bellyache afterward.”

“True.”

She opened the front door and Luke stepped in behind her. She sent him an eye-roll and he just shrugged. “I’m outta here as soon as I find out where you hide the good stuff.”

They’d had this disagreement in the restaurant, but in the end, Sophia agreed to let Luke inspect the cottage before he went home.

He moved down the hallway. The sound of doors opening and closing made her shake her head. There hadn’t been any suspicious behavior or any more notes in days, thank goodness. Sophia was ready to put it all behind her. When Luke walked back into her parlor, he had a smile on his face. “Apparently you really don’t drink. Couldn’t even find a can of near beer.”

“Thank you for checking. Now, let me get some sleep. I have a big day of meetings tomorrow and they start first thing in the morning.” Sophia rose on tiptoe. She touched her lips to his cheek in a chaste kiss. “Thanks for dinner.”

Luke walked out the door and waited until he heard the click of the lock before bidding her farewell from her doorstep. “Sleep tight, Sophia.”

“Good night, Luke.”

It’s hard not to love Sophia.

Gordon Gregory’s parting shot had stuck in Logan’s mind days after he’d sold Storm to the old geezer. Logan’s response to the man’s declaration had been an unintelligible grunt. He wasn’t going to discuss Sophia with him. He’d believed that Gregory had come to the ranch to stir up trouble, and when he’d left that day Logan had done an internet search regarding his marriage to Sophia. He found that at one point, Revealed magazine had splashed Sophia’s name across the front cover with a picture of her in full titillating Fantasy Follies costume. Logan had ground his teeth seeing her decked out in sequins barely covering her body with the old codger groping her waist.

Now as he stared at that cover shot on his office computer, he saw something he hadn’t noticed before. When he’d looked at the picture, his focus had been on her body, shrink-wrapped into a showgirl’s costume. Hell, any man would go there. She was perfect in all ways that mattered to men and it was natural to look at her full breasts, small waist and slender, smooth legs. But what he hadn’t noticed before was the look in her eyes.

He studied those amber eyes now. They gave her away. There wasn’t joy or contentment or even satisfaction on nabbing a rich man in those tawny depths. The photo revealed something entirely different. And for the first time since Sophia had come to Sunset Ranch, a shiver of cold dread worked its way down Logan’s spine.

Logan had once made Sophia’s eyes beam with joy. He’d made her eyes glow with contentment. He’d seen a look of sheer satisfaction spread across her beautiful face.

Marrying Gregory hadn’t done any of those things for her.

Instead, the look in her eyes spoke of desperation and regret.

The phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He picked it up and growled, “What?”

“Mr. Slade? It’s Peggy Coswell from Human Resources at the lodge. I was wondering if … well, if you knew where Ms. Montrose is? She’s late for our eight-o’clock meeting.”

Logan glanced at the computer clock at the corner of his screen. “That was forty-five minutes ago.”

“Yes, sir. She hasn’t come into her office today.”

Logan’s heart beat faster. “Where else have you checked?”

“No one has seen her on the hotel grounds this morning. She’s not answering her phone.”

Fear gripped Logan’s gut and twisted it like a pretzel. His mind turned to Luke. He’d had dinner with her last night. If he’d spent the night with Sophia … Logan’s mind wouldn’t go there. She wouldn’t do that. Sophia just wouldn’t sleep with his brother. And in that instant he knew two things. Sophia wasn’t the kind of woman he’d made her out to be. She wasn’t a gold-digging opportunist bent on getting rich any way she could. She wasn’t out to take over Sunset Ranch or make a mockery of the Slade family. The other thing he knew would have to wait. He could deal with only one thing right now: finding Sophia. Making sure she was safe.

“Call security and have them comb the area for her. Call me back on my cell if you hear anything.”

Logan rose from his desk, his breathing rapid and his strides long and efficient. He made it to Luke’s room on the other side of the house in seconds. Pushing open the door, he found Luke still in bed. Alone. Relief registered that he hadn’t been wrong about his brother’s relationship with Sophia. He wouldn’t have to beat the stuffing out of him.

“Logan, man … don’t you believe in knocking?”

“Sophia missed a meeting with the staff today. No one’s seen her all morning. She’s not answering her cell phone. When’s the last time you saw her?”

Luke came out of his haze. Since his accident, he’d been sleeping longer than usual in the mornings, making up for uncomfortable nights. “Uh, about nine last night. I checked out her place after dinner and then came home.”

“Stay here and make some calls. See what you can find out. I’m going to the cottage.”

Still hazy, Luke sat up straighter in the bed, running a hand through his hair. “Will do. Find her, Logan.”

“Planning on it.”

Logan fired up the truck’s engine and sped down the road. Half a mile never seemed so long a drive. He arrived at the cottage and saw that Sophia’s car was parked outside. Hope pulled through his fear and he bounded out of the truck, not bothering to knock on the door. He inserted the key he’d kept with him and pushed through the door. “Sophia? Sophia?”

Clearly, she wasn’t in the parlor or kitchen. With stealthy steps, Logan moved down the short hallway, wishing he’d taken his gun on the way out. He’d never had cause to use it on the ranch except once when a snake spooked his horse while on a perimeter ride along the property. He’d been thrown within three feet of the irritated rattler. Damn thing had been ready to attack and Logan took aim and shot him dead with that Glock.

Logan didn’t know what to make of Sophia’s disappearance. She wasn’t in the house, but her clothes were still hanging in the closet and her car was parked outside. When he put a hand to the coffeepot, it was lukewarm. She’d used it this morning.

After scanning the kitchen area he searched the parlor. Something caught his eye. He’d almost missed it because the sole thin-stemmed purple wildflower blended in so well with the floral cushions of the sofa. He didn’t think much of it. Sophia liked flowers, but as he picked it up and moved pillows around searching for clues, he found something tucked under one square pillow that made his breath catch in his throat.

A note.

Typed on plain paper and folded neatly.

You are very beautiful.

“Son of a bitch!” Logan’s mind raced. He’d hoped to high heaven that Sophia’s disappearance had been something innocent, a miscommunication that could be cleared up and explained easily enough. He’d hoped she would come waltzing through that front door and find him standing there, worried sick over her.

He took his hat off and stared at the tan leather band, plaguing his mind for a clue. For guidance. The sheriff should be alerted, although the law wouldn’t put much credence in a report of a missing woman who’d been gone only an hour. Still, he’d make the call. He’d do anything to make sure Sophia was safe.

Before he could punch the buttons, his cell phone buzzed. He answered his brother’s call before it rang again. “Did you find her?”

“Not exactly,” Luke said. “Constance said Edward is missing, too. He took Blackie for a walk an hour ago and hasn’t returned. He missed his school bus.”

“Okay, could be a coincidence. The boy could have lost track of time. Constance have any idea where he might have gone?”

“He likes to walk the dog up by the stream over by the old feed shed. She’s mighty worried, Logan.”

“I’m on it. I’ll check it out and call you—”

Logan stopped midsentence. An unmistakable black-and-white blur raced past the cottage. Logan pushed through the front door and shouted for the dog. “Blackie!”

The dog stopped when he saw him and trotted over with his tail down, completely out of breath. Logan knelt to his level. “Where you going, boy? To the lodge? Where’s Edward? Does he need help?”

The dog turned his head in the direction he’d just come from. It didn’t take a detective to figure out that Blackie was looking for help. Logan grabbed the dog in his arms and deposited him in the cab of the truck as he finished his conversation with Luke.

“I’m not that far away from the stream. I’m heading there now. I’ve got the dog. Hopefully, he can lead me to both of them.”

Logan drove the truck off-road for three quarters of a mile over gopher holes and rough pasture lands that had been played out. He was headed to the old feed shack that faced a rocky stream that flowed into a pond. It was a perfect place for a young boy to play. Logan and his brothers used to go there after school to look for worms and water snakes.

When he spotted the shed, Logan shut down the engine and parked. He opened the door and the dog scurried over his lap and bounded from the cab racing toward the stream. Logan followed him.

Sophia came into his line of vision first. She sat on a big granite boulder, her leg elevated and her right shoe off. Something squeezed tight in Logan’s heart. He shook with profound relief. He’d never been so glad to see anyone in his life. He’d never experienced the kind of fear that threatened to swallow a man up whole and spit him out in small chunks. He’d never been so sure of anything in his life now, looking at Sophia Montrose and realizing that he’d almost let her slip through his fingers.

Edward approached him, his head downcast, a guilty look on his face.

“What happened, Edward?” he asked, still moving toward the boulder where Sophia sat immobilized.

“Ms. Sophia t-twisted her foot. She c-can’t walk.”

Logan made eye contact with Sophia. Her hair was a mess, her blouse was hanging loose around her skirt and her ankle was twice the size it should be. Raw deep emotion lodged in his throat.

“Why are you out here?” he asked the boy.

Edward shoved his head down again.

“It’s okay, Edward. Tell Logan about the notes,” Sophia said.

Logan blinked and his voice came out gruff and demanding. “Yeah, tell me about the notes.”

Edward stared at the ground. “I t-typed them t-to Ms. Sophia.”

Logan’s deep voice rose from his throat like a big boom.

“You did what?”

Edward’s body visibly shook.

“It’s okay, Logan,” Sophia rushed out, putting silent warning in her tone. “Edward explained it to me. He wasn’t trying to scare me. Just the opposite. He was feeling a little shy about wanting to be my friend. We’ve had a long talk this morning. I put two and two together today when I found another note along with the same purple wildflowers that he’d given his grandmother once. I decided to follow Edward out here so we could talk. But I didn’t expect to step into a gopher hole and twist my foot along the way.”

“Your grandmother is worried sick.” Logan tamped down his fury at the boy. It was clear that Sophia wanted to go easy on Edward. Her expression called for mercy and Logan would take heed. Even youngsters like Edward were smitten with Sophia. The rich old coot had it right.

It was hard not to love Sophia.

He was about to call Luke when his brother’s Chevy Silverado pulled up next to his truck. Luke and Constance got out and Constance ran over to Edward. The boy was nearly squeezed to death with a big grandmotherly hug. Edward gave her his explanation of what had happened and how he’d sent Blackie for help because he didn’t want to leave Sophia alone.

“Luke, take the boy and Constance back to the ranch, will you?” Logan said after all the apologies were made. Sophia made sure Edward’s actions were painted in a better light than he deserved, in Logan’s opinion. And Constance was happy enough to have her grandson back safely. She promised to make sure Edward understood the consequences of what he’d done. Logan thought the boy skated, but his concern now was for Sophia. “And call off the search.”

“Will do.” Luke glanced at Sophia’s injured foot and took a step toward her.

“Luke.” Logan gave his brother a firm warning. “I’ve got this.”

Luke’s gaze darted to Sophia. She sat regally on that boulder, doing a good job of concealing her physical pain with her arms crossed over her body and displeasure curling her mouth. “Sure thing, bro. You just let me know how that works out for you.”

Logan waited for Luke’s engine to roar to life, and the three of them were well on the road before he walked over to Sophia. She eyed him suspiciously and flinched a little when he leaned close to inspect her injured leg. He took it as a good sign that he still made her nervous and at this point; he’d take any crumb she offered.

He pushed his hat back on his head and lifted her ankle gently.

“Ow!”

“Did you hear a snap when you stepped in that gopher hole?” he asked.

“No.”

“Probably just sprained, then.”

She looked away. “Great.”

Logan finished his inspection of her leg and set it down with care.

“You were too easy on the boy.”

“It wasn’t his fault. He honestly had no idea that I’d be frightened by the notes he sent. He’s a shy boy who’s had a rough life and I think he wanted us to be friends.”

“The boy is smitten with you.” He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I get that. You have that effect on most men.”

“That’s not true.”

She was being argumentative, and considering that he was her ride back to the ranch, Logan had to give her credit for her feisty attitude. “Let’s say that you’re right and I’m wrong.”

“I am right,” she said with a curt nod as if the subject was closed.

Logan sat his butt down next to her on the boulder. He stretched out his long legs, his boots digging into the earth. The soft purr of the lazy stream flowing by and a few birds flitting from tree to tree filled the silence. “Okay, then it’s just me who thinks you’re a beautiful, smart, kindhearted, hardworking woman with a body that makes me want to cry, and those big—”

“Logan!”

Logan chuckled and the movement knocked his shoulder against hers. “Eyes, Sophia. I was going to say big eyes.”

Sophia didn’t crack a smile. Her face crumpled with confusion. “You’re not making any sense. You don’t think those things about me. You’ve let me know exactly what you think of me, and it doesn’t bear repeating.”

“I know I was scared half out of my mind when I thought you were missing. Horrible thoughts entered my head of a stalker getting to you. I was going a little crazy until I pulled up and saw you on this boulder. I know I wouldn’t have survived if anything had happened to you. I was wrong about you, Sophia.”

“You were cruel to me. Those things you said.”

“I didn’t know you were listening. I said those things to Luke, because … I’ve always been a little jealous of your friendship. And I knew then what I was afraid to admit to myself up until today. I love you, Sophia. I love you so much, it scares me silly.”

Sophia’s ankle throbbed and she thought for certain the pain had gone to her head. She was sure she was hearing things. “You love me?”

“I’ve never said those words to a woman before. I’ve never wanted to. I’ve never believed in true love. Until now.”

“So you don’t believe all those awful things about me?”

“If you explain it to me, I’m ready to listen. I’ll believe you, no matter what.”

Sophia didn’t hesitate. She’d wanted to clear the air for a long time. She’d wanted Logan to hear the truth and really have him hear her. “I didn’t marry Gordon for his money, you have to know that. He was a friend and I needed his help.”

Sophia spent the next few minutes explaining about Gordon Gregory and his granddaughter Amanda. She told Logan about the friendship that had developed afterward and how Gordon had offered to help both Louisa and Sophia when they’d had nowhere else to turn.

“I didn’t ask for anything else from Gordon. And I never slept with him, Logan. I never did. That’s why we divorced. After my mother passed, he put pressure on me. He claims he fell in love with me, but I didn’t love him. I never felt that way about him.” She repeated, “I never slept with him.”

“But you slept with me.”

Sophia closed her eyes briefly, taking a leap of faith again because there was nothing left for her to lose. Because everything she wanted was right here in front of her. She placed her faith and trust in Logan one last time. “Yes, I slept with you. I fell in love. Don’t ask me why, Logan. I have no idea why I love you. By all rights I should have fallen in love with Luke. But I don’t feel that way about your brother. He and I are friends. Period.”

Logan turned his body to fully face Sophia. She saw a look in his eyes, the same look Randall Slade had for her mother. The same look that every woman deserved to see in the eyes of the man she loved. “You love me?”

She nodded.

His lips rose in a quick smile and he took her hand, applying sweet pressure. He spoke in a voice steeped with determination. “I don’t want our love to go to waste, Sophia. Not the way our parents’ did. I can’t deny what I feel for you anymore. Ever since that kiss in high school, I think I’ve always known there was something special between us. Something undeniable.”

“I felt it, too,” she whispered. “And I don’t want our love to go to waste, either.”

“Forgive me for being hard on you. I was a fool.”

Hearing Logan admit his past mistakes and ask for her forgiveness was an intoxicating gift from the man she loved. “I think I can forgive you.”

Logan’s arms came around her. Gently he lifted her from the rock and cradled her, taking care with her swollen ankle. He brought his mouth ever so close. “Kiss me, Sophia.”

She smiled. “You won’t think I’m easy?”

“Nothing about you and me is easy, sweetheart.”

She brought her mouth close and brushed her lips over his softly. Tension released from his body, his stance no longer rigidly defensive. The walls of mistrust and suspicion he’d built to protect himself came tumbling down around her until what remained was the rightness of their love.

It was Logan’s ultimate surrender.

The battle was over. The kiss they shared was their beacon, a bright glow of light guiding their way out of the darkness. He loved her and she loved him. It had been complicated between them for most of their lives. But now it was just … simple.

“I love you, Logan Slade.”

He kissed her tenderly and when he spoke his voice was husky and rich with reverence. “Marry me, Sophia. Live with me on Sunset Ranch. Be my partner, my friend, my wife.”

Sophia set her palm on the sharp handsome plane of his cheekbone and gazed deeply into his eyes. “I was never any of those things before, but I want to be everything to you now. Yes, Logan. I’ll marry you.”

Logan smiled, love shining in his eyes. “I’m a lucky man.”

“And I’m a happy woman.”

He took off his Stetson and in one smooth move, placed it on her head, giving it a tug to secure the fit. “I can’t wait to make you a Slade. My father always said you were a woman who’d make a fine wife.”

They were words Sophia never thought she’d hear from Logan.

“Do you think your father set this up?”

Logan contemplated for a moment. “From his grave?”

“No, but maybe before he died? I could never figure out why he was so generous with me in his will. Do you think he wanted me to find love on Sunset Ranch?”

Logan gave the notion some thought. “It’s possible. My dad loved you like a daughter and, Lord above, everyone knew how much he loved the ranch.”

Sophia’s eyes misted with tears. “And his boys. He loved his sons, Logan. Don’t forget that.”

Logan nodded and clear understanding filled his eyes. “Maybe it was his secret wish that you marry a Slade, sweetheart.”

“It would be nice to think so. Can you ever forgive your father, Logan?”

“If he brought you to me I can surely forgive him.”

Sophia smiled and he wiped a tear from her cheek. “Then let’s just believe it as truth.”

“I can do that.”

Something good and long-lasting would come from Randall’s love for Louisa.

And perhaps their love hadn’t been wasted after all.

Sophia clung to that notion as hard and as tight as she held on to her cowboy.

With Logan’s love surrounding her, she could finally call Sunset Ranch … home.

A Real Cowboy

“It won’t work.”

“What won’t?” Thalia asked. She had the nerve to look innocent.

“Trying to convince me to take the part. It won’t work.”

He had her full attention—and that was becoming a problem. Her eyes were wide-open, her lips were barely parted. All he’d have to do was lower his head.

Against his every wish, his head began to dip.

He could not kiss her; he could not be turned on by her; he could not be interested in her—but he was. She was going to ruin the life he’d made, and he almost didn’t care. It was almost worth the way she looked at him, soft and innocent and waiting to be kissed.

Almost.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the Bar-B Ranch, home of one of the hottest heroes I’ve written, J.R. Bradley. J.R. has a secret, you see—he used to be James Robert Bradley, the hottest actor to come out of Hollywood since Brad Pitt. But he gave up the fame and money—along with the constant scrutiny and pressure—when he bought his own ranch and a whole bunch of cows.

Since then, J.R. has been—well, he wouldn’t call it hiding, but you get the idea. He’s got peace, quiet, cows and a surrogate family he trusts with his life. Yup, he’s got everything he ever wanted. Or so he thinks.

Into this carefully constructed life rolls Thalia Thorne, a producer looking for James Robert Bradley to star in a new Western movie. J.R. says no in no uncertain terms—but then a blizzard forces both of them to reconsider their positions. While the temperatures plummet outside, things inside get very hot. Suddenly J.R. finds himself questioning his entire existence. When the ground thaws, will he let Thalia leave? Or will he go with her?

A Real Cowboy is a hot story of accepting the past and redefining the future. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Be sure to stop by www.sarahmanderson.com and join me when I say long live cowboys!

Sarah

About the Author

Award-winning author SARAH M. ANDERSON may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out West on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, she had plenty of encouragement to learn everything she could about the Wild West.

When she started writing, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out West. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go.

When not helping out at her son’s elementary school or walking her rescue dogs, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well tolerated by her wonderful husband. Readers can find out more about Sarah’s love of cowboys and Indians at www.sarahmanderson.com.