Page 52 of The Rancher's Heart

Sloane wanted to slap her hand against her forehead.

“Congratulations,” her dad said to Jonas and held out his hand.

If she thought he would clear things up, she was greatly mistaken. Instead of telling a funny story about how their engagement had come about, after shaking her dad’s hand, Jonas slung his arm around Sloane’s shoulders. “Thanks. We’re very happy, aren’t we, sweet girl?”

Sweet girl?Since when?

He grabbed her hand and held on tight before she could pinch him again.

Nora added her congratulations. “I won’t stay long. Clara, could you show me your room?”

“Sure.”

Breathe.

True to her word, Nora left soon after.

Squeezing Sloane’s hand, Jonas wasn’t far behind. Stopping him at the door, she hissed, “I thought we were going to tell Clara the truth.”

“We will, but I promised Timmy I’d play him a game of checkers before he goes to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jonas dropped a kiss on her temple. He seemed to linger, but then was gone, leaving her feeling more bewildered than ever.

She and her dad cleaned up after dinner, while Clara disappeared into her room. Homework, she said. On a Friday night? Okay...

Her dad sat on the couch beside Sloane. “Are you happy?”

“Confused.” She couldn’t tell him that getting engaged to Jonas wasn’t her idea. At least, not the way it had happened.

He patted her hand. “That’s to be expected. It’s a big change, getting engaged. Marrying someone is a whole new adventure.” Adventure. That was one way to put it. Anymore, anything having to do with Jonas was an experience. “I’d better go, kiddo. I need to give Dorothy a call. We’re going on a bike ride up the mountain tomorrow.”

After all was quiet—even Clara was asleep—Sloane surfed the net, wondering if adventure, not love, was what she was craving. At least she could see what jumped out at her during her search.

Backpacking. For beginners. That was it. She’d always wanted to try. More research showed there were a lot of challenging places to hike around Strawberry Ridge.

Saving the page, she shut down her computer, got ready for bed, and climbed in, pulling the covers to her chin.

The next morning, after a restless night, she put the idea on the back of her mental shelf. If she presented it right, it might be a sport Jonas could add to the Triple L’s list of side hustles.

“Can I go to the ranch today?” Clara asked as Sloane put a bowl of oatmeal on the table and all the extra things her sister liked to add. “Timmy, Andee, and Reece will be there. Nathan wants to talk about how we can help at the rodeo.”

Sloane didn’t have a problem with her sister making friends with the Lohmen family. She should care. When she and Jonas broke off their engagement, Clara would be heartbroken. She was already growing too attached to Jonas.

“I’ll drop you off on my way to the shop.”

“Dad said he would take me.” From the moment Sloane’s dad had suggested it, Clara was on board.

Sloane had no complaints. They were her family. “I’ll pick you up after work, probably about one.” She watched Clara add raisins, brown sugar, and yogurt to her oatmeal before asking, “What would you say if I told you I’m thinking about taking a backpacking course for beginners?”

Her sister glanced up from her cereal. “I’d ask if I could go with you.”

“And I’d say—” Sloane teased, arching one brow. “I was hoping you’d ask.”

Grinning, Clara finished her oatmeal.

By the time Ron arrived to pick up Clara, Sloane was dressed, the kitchen was clean, and she was on the way out the door, too, happy that it was Saturday and her half day. She didn’t want to ruin her sister’s day, but she should probably corner Jonas so they could have that “talk.”

The sun was bright and the weather warm, but not too warm. The town was getting dressed up for the rodeo, with banners hanging from the old-time lampposts. More than the usual number of folks on foot wandered in and out of already busy shops. The day promised to be a good one. Perhaps her talk with Jonas would be good too.

Sloane rushed through her morning and locked up, heading toward the Triple L. She shouldn’t be this eager to see Jonas. Sure enough, it wasn’t a happy guy who greeted her when she parked in the drive.

---