Page 60 of The Rancher's Heart

“I can’t. I’m going with Dad and Iris to the library to check out books on horses and rodeos.” Clara gave her that thirteen-going-on-thirty look she was so good at. “But you should go.”

Closing her eyes for a moment, she swiveled back to Jonas. “I’m tired, Jonas.” In more ways than one. Her heart was exhausted.

“Let me take you to dinner. I won’t keep you out late.” He kissed the back of her hand and her mind forgot all the objections she was about to make.

She finally gave in. “Okay.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this introductory class. Today we’re going to give you an overview of being a backpacking enthusiast and the club’s activities. And we’ll review what it takes to become a good backpacker and hiker. Tips for beginners. At the end, we’ll hand out a flyer with an equipment list and our contact information. My name is Tony.” He indicated the woman beside him. “And this is my sister, Rachel.”

Sloane leaned forward, elbows on her knees, so she could concentrate on the speakers and not on the man sitting next to her, his thigh brushing hers. An hour later, when Tony and Rachel stopped talking, Clara was practically bouncing in her seat and Sloane was ready to leave the meeting.

“I’m going to sign up,” she said to Clara, hoping to put off dinner with Jonas as long as possible.

“Me too.” Clara got in line behind her. Her dad and Iris followed suit.

She lost sight of Jonas, hating that she’d had a jab of disappointment that he didn’t want to take the class with her. Just as she got to the head of the line, he joined her.

She let out the breath she was holding, which was ridiculous. She either wanted nothing to do with the man or had to see if there was a future for the two of them.

“Our reservation at Stephanie’s Inn is waiting.” The man could move mountains when he wanted to. Stephanie’s was always packed.

Outside the room, Clara, her dad, and Iris waited. Clara hugged Sloane. “Thanks for letting me take the lessons. I can’t wait.”

“It’ll be fun,” she admitted. And something different that she could do with her sister, even though Jonas had signed up right behind her. Surely, he would find an excuse to drop the class after the first hike or two. Going with his best friend and her family wouldn’t be that exciting for the lawyer who’d spent so many years in Denver’s hot spots.

“Dad said he would show Iris and me the arena, then we’re going to Luke’s Diner on the way home.” Clara leaned close and whispered, “Have fun with Jonas.” Then louder, “I’ll see you later?”

Sloane snorted. First off, after all the years of wanting to go on even one real date with her friend, whatever was going on with Jonas right now made her nervous. Second, her sister was too young to be urging her to go to dinner with the one person who had never given her any hope that he thought the two of them were a good idea.

Sensing her hesitation, Jonas asked, “Do you want a tour, too, before we go?”

“No. That’s okay.” The sooner she got this dinner with Jonas over with, the sooner she could put all her focus on her sister. “What time is our reservation?”

“When we get there. I know the manager. They’re setting up a table on the balcony for us.” His Mustang was parked next to her truck. “We’ll come back for your truck later, if that’s okay.”

“You don’t have to go to all this trouble, Jonas.” Was this what it would be like to be Jonas Lohmen’s girl? No wonder Julieann had followed him to Strawberry Ridge.

He started the engine. She loved how the sound was more of a roar than a gentle purr.

“It’s no trouble. I just wanted a quiet place where I could set things straight between us without a bunch of interruptions. I don’t want you to think I intentionally took advantage of your sweet nature.”

So, that’s what this was all about. Not a real date. A clarification. She should have known. A tiger didn’t change its stripes overnight. Still, he knew exactly what to say. “You think I’m sweet?”

“You’re the sweetest-tempered person I know.”

Huh. She wouldn’t call their friendship sweet, especially since he’d returned to Strawberry Ridge. What he meant was that she was a pushover.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the inn. Stephanie’s sat on high ground near Garfield Park and overlooked the promenade along a bend in Wolfe River. “I’m not dressed for going to a restaurant that fancy.”

“You look beautiful.” His gaze swept from her ruffled tank to the jeans she’d paired with her newest boots. Heat rose to her cheeks. “Every guy in the place will be jealous that I’m the lucky guy having dinner with such a pretty lady.”

She pulled away from Jonas. “What’s going on with you?”

This flirty man was not the standoffish guy she’d spent so many years crushing over.

He studied her face intently. “I had a recent epiphany.”

Jonas was right. Getting everything out in the open wasn’t a bad idea. There was no way they could live in the same town and manage to avoid each other.

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