Page 21 of The Rancher's Heart

“We could go on a picnic,” he said, his scowl disappearing into a teasing smile.

Sloane shook her head.

“No? Okay, then—” Jonas’s cell pinged. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. “Nathan and Izzy are on their way. He’s giving her barrel racing lessons and wants to know if we can saddle up Duke and Rosie.” His fingers were already moving across the face of the phone. “We can do that.” He handed her a lead rope. “Do you want to bring Rosie in from the pasture?”

“Sure.” Unable to tamp down her sudden excitement, Sloane went to get the horse. She loved the Triple L. Loved the horses. Whenever Jonas would come from Denver, she’d sneak in a visit at least once during his stay.

That all stopped when he moved back because she didn’t know how to hide her overwhelming feelings for her best friend. At thirty-five, she was getting too old to be hanging around the barn, hoping a certain rancher would notice that she was more than his convenient friend. The sad news was... the more she spent time with Jonas Lohmen, the less she was interested in dating other guys.

How dumb was that?

She hooked the lead to Rosie’s halter and led her back to the barn. If she didn’t straighten up, she’d have to face the fact that she’d managed to give her heart to the wrong guy. She already knew that, but she wasn’t about to let it be the final caption on her life.

“Here we go, sweet girl. Let’s get you ready for some barrel practice.” Pasting a confident smile on her face, she patted the mare’s neck.

Jonas was already grooming Duke. Sloane got busy with Rosie, prepared when he asked the question she knew was coming. “When’s your next date?”

“I haven’t decided.” She wasn’t sure it was fair to go out with Ken again. He seemed interested, but there was just no spark on her end.

Jonas hefted the saddle and positioned it on the stud’s back. He pulled on the cinch. “While you’re thinking about it, do you want to help me set up a Rangerbred pedigree record for the Triple L?” He glanced at her over the saddle as he cinched the strap to hold it in place. “I’d like to get started on the groundwork. And since you have business experience with bookkeeping—”

“I’ll be glad to help. We can set up a spreadsheet on your computer and back it up to the cloud. That way, unless you intentionally delete it, you’ll always have the information.”

“That’s exactly what we need.” Jonas helped her finish saddling Rosie. “What do you want for dinner? I have steaks ready to barbeque.”

She didn’t know who was the better cook, the chef or the lawyer. All she knew was that Jonas made great steaks on the grill. “That sounds wonderful.”

Was it bad that, of the two, she was rooting for Jonas?

“Good. I’ll get them started, and then we can work on the horses’ pedigrees.” The grin he shot at her made it hard to think about arranging another date with Ken.

They were tying Duke’s and Rosie’s leads to the stalls flanking the arena when Nathan and Izzy came into the barn, holding hands, talking about where they wanted to live after they got married.

“We can live in the main house, depending on what Jonas has in mind,” Nathan was saying as he leaned in to kiss his fiancée on the cheek.

Jonas stepped around the stud, informing his brother, “Once the ranch is back on its feet, I’m planning to build a house just beyond the pond.”

Sloane held her breath, waiting for their usual chiding disagreement, but it didn’t come.

“I can be on board with that,” Nathan said instead. “Blake wants to build his and Malorie’s house on the north forty. So, what do you say we make solid plans as soon as the dust settles at the bank?”

The boys might have their disagreements, but they were family, and it was clear that in the end, despite their different approaches, that seemed to matter most.

Wasn’t this what Sloane wanted? A family close, surrounding her as they planned their future? She was an only child. The family she could draw close to was her dad and whatever family she made when she found the perfect guy.

Jonas is the perfect guy.

No, he isn’t, she contradicted quickly. Jonas Lohmen didn’t want the same things she did.

“The horses are ready.” The man of yesterday’s dreams bumped her shoulder, gently nudging her in the direction of the house. “We’re going to grill steaks and work on setting up records for our little band of Rangerbred. Do you want to join us?”

“You guys go on. We have other plans.” Nathan slanted her a speculative look. “There’s ice cream in the freezer for dessert if you want it.”

Izzy grinned at Sloane, a knowing look in her eyes. “We’ve got dinner reservations in Durango. You guys have fun.”

Nathan and Izzy’s hints weren’t very subtle. Nathan gave her a cheery wave on their way out. Sloane shook her head. Somehow, the newly engaged couple must’ve gotten the idea that there was something more than friendship between her and Jonas.

Jonas waved Nathan and Izzy off as they walked the horses into the arena. He gently wrapped his hand around her arm and said softly, “I’m not sure what that was all about. Pay no attention to them.”

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