Page 30 of The Rancher's Heart

“Wait,” she said, pulling her hand free. She went back to Clara. “Your bedroom is the second door on the right. Across the hall is the bathroom.” She rubbed the teen’s arm. “As soon as I lock up after Jonas, I’ll check in to see if you need anything.”

Clara followed the directions to the spare room. Sloane returned to Jonas. He gave her a concerned smile. “Are you okay? It’s a big job taking on a teenage sister you didn’t know you had.”

“I know I said you were our lawyer, but you don’t have to represent us. I can find another attorney.” One who she wouldn’t always be thinking about making a forever relationship with.

“Don’t even go there,” he practically growled at her, startling Sloane.

“All right.” Sloane winced before rushing on. “I’m guessing we’ll sleep in tomorrow, and I have to reschedule several customers at the garage, so if it’s okay, I’ll bring Clara out to the ranch to see the horses, maybe about noon. She might want to take a tour of Strawberry Ridge on the way too.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting for you.”

For a second, with the house quiet and dark descending outside, Sloane could have sworn his eyes closed a little as his gaze stayed on her face. She swayed toward him slightly before she caught herself, then stepped back. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

What did he mean, he’d be waiting for her?

Startled by his reaction and what felt like a near kiss, Sloane stared at the door. Had he been about to kiss her? Mr. I-don’t-want-any-obligations? No. Of course not. But for a moment there, she’d been more than willing to kiss the rancher.

Picking up Clara’s bags from where the girl had dropped them in the living room, she carried them to the room that wasn’t the spare room any longer. The house had three bedrooms and two baths, large enough for the two of them. The third bedroom she used as a home office since it was a lot more comfortable than the crowded cubby hole she had at the garage.

Clara was stretched out on the bed, already asleep, still in the clothes she was wearing when Jonas brought her to the house. Putting the bag down quietly by the dresser, she retrieved a blanket from the closet and gently covered her sister.

Her sister.Sloane didn’t know if she would ever get used to that. Putting on her pajamas, she brushed her teeth, then buried herself under the covers while she debated whether to call or wait until her dad got back from Hawaii to tell him about Clara. He still had a couple of more days to enjoy his time withhissister.

She decided on sooner rather than later. Between them, they’d never kept secrets, even when she wasn’t sure what his reaction would be. Like when she’d turned down an opportunity to work with one of the major car manufacturers so she could be near him and stay on at the family business. He hadn’t been pleased, but he’d been supportive. And when she bought her house, he’d argued it wasn’t necessary, insisting she could live with him for as long as she wanted. But he’d understood that it was time to move out of her childhood room.

Would he be happy about Clara? He’d been a good dad to Sloane, even though he’d spent most of his time working at the garage. She’d helped him whenever she could.

Turning on her side, she stuffed the pillow under her head, pulled the blankets up to her chin, and felt again the brush of Jonas’s lips on her temple. She’d wanted to kiss him properly when they said good night. Not one of those cheek-to-cheek kisses one gave their best friend, but a kiss that involved more than a brief touch of lips.

Mistake. Big mistake.

*

The next morning,they got a late start. While she waited for Clara to surface, Sloane rearranged her workload at the garage. Her part-timer, Dean Quillan, could handle some of the work. He’d started at the garage when she went to college and then decided to stay on part-time when her dad retired, so she didn’t have to move too many customers.

Leaning against the counter, she watched the coffee brew. Just because she got distracted by Clara and making sure her sister settled in properly did not mean she had forgotten that she’d told Jonas they couldn’t be friends. He’d argued against breaking up their long friendship. It didn’t escape her that as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she was already missing him. So, she hadn’t stood her ground.

Sloane shook her head. Her usual calm, practical self had disappeared. And here she was, taking Clara out to the Lohmen ranch. To visit the horses, not Jonas.

After pouring her coffee and adding milk and sugar, she dialed her dad. He answered right away, as he always did when she called. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Hi, Dad. How’s your trip going? And Aunt Dorothy? Are you having a good time?”

“We always have a good time here.” Here was Oahu’s north shore and the bungalow they always rented in Haleiwa. “Dorothy is fine. She wants to stay another week.”

Sloane wouldn’t be surprised if they did. But she’d procrastinated enough. “I’ve got some news.”

“You found a guy on that dating app you’re using?” He didn’t come right out and chuckle, but he might as well have. He wouldn’t use a dating app himself, but he was quietly pushing for grandchildren, so he wasn’t opposed to his daughter giving it a try.

Sloane rolled her eyes. “No luck so far.” An image of Jonas protecting Clara from the big, bad social worker flashed through her mind. “Um, the reason I called... I have a half-sister,” she blurted. And got crickets. “Dad? Are you still there?”

“Yeah. How did that happen?”

She suspected he was still a little in love with Tracy, but as far as she knew, he’d never tried to find her.

“Tracy died in a car accident a week ago. Clara—she’s thirteen—found a letter that Mom had written to me when she was born. It never got mailed.” Sloane still didn’t understand how that happened, except Tracy had never been good at following through.

“Clara ran away from the social worker and came to find me. Long story short, Jonas found her hiding in his office and he contacted me.”

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