Page 13 of The Rancher's Heart

He loved... er, liked... how she did that, a gentle up and down of her shoulders. Despite being a heavy metal mechanic, she had so much grace. Once he met Sloane, this mysterious guy would move heaven and earth to live in her town.

BFF, remember?

“You guys ready to cut flowers?” Izzy butted in.

For the second time in his life, Jonas felt completely unsettled. The first time, he’d watched his mom slowly slip away, only to find out he was helpless to relieve her grief or stop her passing. He’d thought burying himself in his work would make things better, and it had for a while, but the distraction didn’t last long. It took moving back to Strawberry Ridge and spending time with Sloane for him to realize how mistaken he was.

Being single had suited him just fine. Now he was starting to wonder. And not just because Sloane had decided to find herself a husband. The ranch and the chance to pick up where his father had left off with the Triple L’s Rangerbred horses called his name. And it wasn’t just that. Spending more time with his brothers and their families had become more important than being a high-powered lawyer in an uber-successful firm with clients who paid well in Denver.

He stood. “This has been fun, but I have some of that pesky paperwork to get done at the office.” He put his hand on Sloane’s shoulder. “Maybe now that I’m living in town, we can go fishing or something.”

Jonas winced. He wasn’t intentionally pointing out that he was a Strawberry Ridge guy. Shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, he said to Nathan and Izzy, “I’ll see you later.”

On the way to his office, after realizing that if Sloane was serious about the dating app thing—and it seemed that she was—then she wouldn’t stop just because he argued against it. Not until she got what she wanted out of the endeavor, which was, as she hadn’t hesitated to tell him, a husband and family.

Pressing his mouth into a straight line, he turned the music up loud enough to drown out his growing disappointment.

Chapter Four

Two days later,Sloane had been on another date, and like her date with Flinn Isak, there was no spark with Ken Williams, a chef from a popular Italian restaurant in Durango. And after a pleasant evening spent with him telling her all about his life in his hometown, if things worked out between them, she was certain he wouldn’t want to give up the position he’d worked so hard to achieve and move to Strawberry Ridge where his commute wouldn’t be ideal.

As her dad had told her just that morning when he called, she had to try on a lot of shoes to find the one that fit her the best. It was just that the whole dating process was wearing on the nerves. Serial dating, it turned out, wasn’t her thing. But if she wanted to find a husband this year who would adore her and who she could love back, socializing was what she had to do. It was just that she’d gotten spoiled by having Jonas Lohmen for a best friend all these years. He was easy on her senses. Always there when she needed him. Good-looking. Strong in a way that made her the envy of her friends in college.

She rolled out from under the Silverado she was working on and wiped the grease from her hands on the rag hanging from her pocket. Leaning into the car, she started the engine. It purred like a happy cat. Sweet.

She’d been working on cars with her dad for as long as she could remember and loved it. Even after they moved to Strawberry Ridge. Looking back now, she recognized that he worried about her because she was pretty solitary as a kid and didn’t make friends easily after her mother, Tracy, left them. She was in the first grade then and hadn’t heard from her mother since.

It didn’t matter. Her dad loved her and let her work with him as much as she wanted, which was basically every day. When he retired last year, she inherited the garage.

Over the years, her dad had set an example for what kind of parent she wanted to be. Never would she leave her child behind. Not for a million bucks or whatever it was that had motivated Tracy to leave them behind.

She moved the car into the fenced parking lot next to the garage. Turning off the engine, she shrugged off her memory of the woman she rarely thought of these days. As long as she had any say in it, her kids would have a momanddad who would always be there for them, no matter what. Maybe that was why she’d hung onto her crush on Jonas for so long. She’d always believed he would be that kind of parent. Even after he’d kicked Blake off the Triple L, he’d kept an eye on both his brothers—though from afar.

It didn’t matter. She had a lot of love to give, and she’d waited long enough to find someone who would appreciate that. Even with her rocky start, she was confident Perfect Match was the answer. As long as she could stop comparing the guys she dated to Jonas Lohmen.

Closing up for the day, she smoothed back the strands of hair that had worked free, more than ready to go home to her bungalow, put her feet up, and take another pass at finding someone who would take her mind off you-know-who. A sleek turquoise Mercedes pulled up out front. The woman who emerged was just as trim as her car, in form-hugging black slacks and a brown flowing top, cinched in with a double-wrapped belt at the waist. Her brown hair flowed straight past her shoulders.

“Can I help you?” she asked when the woman got close enough that Sloane didn’t have to shout.

The woman held out her hand, then saw the rag Sloane was wiping her hands with and let her hand drop. “Yes, I’m looking for Sloane Michaels. Is she here? I understand she owns this garage.”

“She does. I’m Sloane.” Squirting hand cleaner onto her palm, she grabbed a clean towel and motioned toward the Mercedes. “Nice car. Does it need some work?”

The woman looked over her shoulder at the Mercedes. “Oh, no. She had a tune-up in Denver last month.” The woman swung back around. “Do you have a moment to talk? My name’s Julieann Vincent. Maybe Jonas Lohmen mentioned me?”

Sloane shrugged. “Not that I recall.”

“He’s mentioned you. You’re his best friend, right?” Julieann asked, her sharp gaze taking Sloane in from messy hair to well-worn booted feet. “Is there someplace we can go and talk?”

“Um. Sure. The Strawberry Ridge Coffee Company is next door, but—”

Julieann smiled. “That’s great. I could use a cup of good coffee.”

Okay, she wasn’t going home to relax. Not yet. Sloane glanced down at her grease-smeared coveralls. “Let me get cleaned up first.”

“I can wait.” Julieann took a step farther into the garage and looked around.

In her office, Sloane closed the door. Luckily, she kept a change of clothes in the bottom drawer of her file cabinet for when unexpected situations came up. Going to the bathroom, she washed up and replaced her coveralls for black stretch pants and a green, bohemian-style top. Letting her hair down from the ponytail she kept it in when she was working, she pulled the long lengths over her shoulder and gave it a good brushing.

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