Page 12 of The Rancher's Heart

He silently moved his lips.“You can handle me?”

She grinned. His pulse took a tumble.

“I’ll bet you can.” Nathan laughed, then said to the women, “I invited this oaf for lunch. I hope that’s okay.” Nathan nudged Jonas’s shoulder and, under his breath, treated him to some unwanted brotherly advice. “You snooze, you lose, bro.”

“You’re more than welcome to join us, Jonas.” Izzy had slipped from under Nathan’s arm and gone into the kitchen. She pulled a plate from the fridge. “I hope you like egg salad sandwiches.”

“I love egg salad sandwiches. Can I do anything to help?”

Sloane shook her head, but Izzy smiled sweetly. “You can set the table in the backyard. We’ll eat out there. Here, take these.” She handed him plates, napkins, and silverware, and Sloane the plate of sandwiches.

The table sat in the shade of a giant oak. Their friendship wasn’t a hugging one, but after seeing Izzy wrapped in Nathan’s arms... and the smiles on both their faces... maybe it should be.

“So, how does your Perfect Match app work?”

“Why? Do you want to sign up?” Nathan asked behind Jonas.

Sloane’s brows shot up. A smile curved the corners of her lips. “I would love to see your profile.”

“It’s just a question,” he said firmly as he sat next to her. “Not a pledge to check the app out.”

“You bring up a good point.” Izzy settled on the far bench. Even though she’d taken the job offered by the mayor to manage Strawberry Ridge’s community revitalization grant, she couldn’t let go of being involved in bringing the Triple L back into the black. Being engaged to his brother kept her in the thick of things. “Maybe it could be a moneymaker for the ranch. We could offer matched couples a weekend of camping or riding lessons at a reduced price. What do you think?”

Nathan sat beside her and took her hand, raising it to his lips. “How about I take you camping, and we talk about it?”

“Who do you think will win that discussion?” Sloane whispered, leaning into Jonas’s shoulder.

Distracted, Jonas wasn’t sure who he would bet on. His future sister-in-law made his brother happy. From where he was sitting, it was clear that Nathan had found the one woman who would walk through fire with him for the rest of their lives. He whispered, “I’m betting on Izzy.”

“Me, too,” she whispered back. “They’re cute together, don’t you think?”

Cutewas a girl’s word. Her breath brushing his neck short-circuited his brain until Jonas admitted, “Um, yes. Very cute.”

Sloane laughed, patting his arm. “You should see the look on your face. I think you’re just figuring out what love looks like.”

“Maybe,” he agreed slowly. Or maybe he just liked to hear his best friend laugh.

That had not changed from the first day they met in sixth grade and became study partners. He needed help with reading. She’d advanced a year before moving to Strawberry Ridge and was a reading champion. Even better, she didn’t cut him any slack when he wanted to give up. To repay her, he didn’t let the other kids bully her because she was younger and smarter than most.

She still liked to take charge. Most of the time. So did he, which made for some interesting conversations. Especially since she didn’t mind ruffling his feathers when she thought he was on the wrong track. He had to admit, he appreciated that Sloane knew her own mind.

“How long do you have to keep going back and forth between Denver and Strawberry Ridge?” she asked, reaching for a sandwich. “Are you getting enough new clients?”

“It’ll be a while before I build up a substantial client list here. In any case, for now, my primary client is the Triple L.”

Her brows snapped together. “Does the ranch need a lawyer? You’re not being sued, are you?”

“No, but we need a standard contract if we decide to host weekend camping or trail rides. There’s also The Wedding Cottage contract and filing for an LLC. And I’m investigating putting the ranch into a trust fund.” He shrugged. “Then there’s the horses and riding lessons. Anyway, there’s a lot to keep me busy for a while. In between, I can fit in paying clients.” He grabbed the other half of Sloane’s sandwich. Undeterred, he said, “Your turn. Why a dating app?”

He didn’t know why over the years he hadn’t told her he thought she was beautiful. Maybe because he was afraid of what that would do to their friendship, which surprisingly, he needed, probably more than she did, especially once they graduated from high school. By the time he realized he might have stronger feelings for his best friend, she was dating a bronc rider, and he was heading off to college. Then his parents died. After that, he was a city boy, and she was a country girl. He’d considered inviting her to stay with him in Denver—as his best friend—when he opened his office there, but Strawberry Ridge was her home, and working in the garage with her dad was more important than following him to the big city. He completely understood. By that time, even though he wondered what it would be like to take their friendship to something more romantic, he didn’t want to rock the boat. So, he left things as they were. He’d missed his chance, so he’d stayed in touch with Sloane as much as his work allowed and buried himself in building his law firm.

Her gaze met his. “If you must know, I want to get married and have a family. I’m determined to find my Mr. Right this year. Hanging out in bars doesn’t do it for me, and since no one in Strawberry Ridge has struck my fancy, I’m trying out Perfect Match.”

He almost said,I live in Strawberry Ridge, but yeah, at the moment, he wasn’t looking for a wife.

“What if this guy doesn’t live in town?” He had to ask, right?

She shrugged. “He could be from anywhere, but hopefully once he sees Strawberry Ridge, he’ll want to move here.”

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