Chapter Five
S mart aleck. That was why Jonas counted Sloane as his BFF. She would give him that knowing look and then bam! knock him over with the truth. She always gave it to him straight. He could only say that was one of the things he loved about his best friend.
Suddenly, his enjoyment of spending an amazing evening with Sloane faded away.
She was the best mechanic in town—in the whole state, probably—and she led with her heart until she sympathized with Julieann.
Lucky for him, even if she didn’t know why sometimes, she gave him more grace than he deserved most of the time.
Remembering the one celebratory kiss they’d shared when they graduated from college, a small part of Jonas wondered why he hadn’t tried that again. That kiss had been such a surprise, along with the Fourth of July sparkle in Sloane’s brown eyes when they drew apart.
He’d been so stunned that he’d put the skids on fast. He’d already accepted a job at a prestigious law firm, and she was headed back to Strawberry Ridge to work at the garage with her dad. She would never have been happy staying with him in Denver.
Having recently lost his mom and then kicking Blake off the ranch, Jonas had been empty, with nothing left to give Sloane or any other woman, for that matter. So, he’d let her go home, and he bought a condo in Denver.
If Sloane wanted to use a dating app, he needed to leave her be. It was more troublesome that Julieann had followed him to Strawberry Ridge.
Frowning, he pushed his keyboard away. Best friends didn’t often get the chance to rise to the top of a girl’s most eligible bachelor list, did they?
He shouldn’t even think about it. He still didn’t have time to start a romantic relationship with Sloane.
He also didn’t want to make the mistake of interfering with her plans to find a guy who could fit into her life much better than he ever could.
Coward. Nathan’s voice echoed in Jonas’s mind. He wasn’t a coward, just cautious.
Sloane might know him better than any other woman, but what she didn’t know was that it gave him hives to think he could follow in his father’s last footsteps.
Needing to conquer his sudden restlessness, Jonas grabbed his keys and headed back to the ranch.
As soon as he got there, he went looking for his mom’s letters.
Nathan had moved the box to the sideboard in the dining room.
He took them to the couch, but even before he sat down, he couldn’t bring himself to read about his parents’ private lives, so he put them back.
Maybe someday he would come back to them, but not tonight.
When his mother passed, he’d been convinced she’d died from loneliness.
He still thought that. Staring out the window at the expanse of the yard and parking area illuminated by the light that automatically came on at dusk, he was glad to be home, even though he wasn’t ready to uncover his parents’ potential secrets.
It was after his dad’s sudden death and becoming the ‘man’ of the house that he started to play the cautious card, making it a point to never make a mistake he couldn’t fix.
That was what his best friend didn’t know.
*
The next day, Jonas was back in the office, sorting through the growing number of cases waiting for his attention.
Everywhere he looked made him think of Sloane and the conversation he should have probably had with her a long time ago. Except, he couldn’t have told her what he didn’t understand.
She’d done a great job helping him decorate, bringing in the view from outside the big picture windows. Sunlight dusted the soft-blue walls. She’d had the furniture upholstered in a woven fabric that blended blues, greens, and a bit of brown. Paintings by several local artists hung on the walls.
Before he texted her, he had another matter to attend to.
Grabbing his cell, he dialed the number he found online for the Colorado Ranger Horse Association.
The home office was in Pennsylvania. The lady who answered explained the process to get Duke registered as Jonas followed along on the website that he’d pulled up while the phone was dialing.
At the end, she gave him instructions for completing a DNA profile and the name of an equine research center to send the sample to that would confirm if the tested horse qualified as the offspring of a given stallion and mare.
It would take time to get the testing done and the paperwork reviewed by the CRHA.
But that wasn’t the Triple L’s biggest worry. The main obstacle was the limited time he and his brothers had to fix the ranch’s cash flow problem. At least Duke’s DNA testing was a step in the right direction.
After leaving the office early, he stopped in at the Strawberry Ridge Coffee Company and picked up a spiced chai latte, Sloane’s favorite. He found her in the garage, her legs and booted feet emerging from under a newer Wrangler.
She probably had her earbuds in, listening to one of the podcasts she favored. He nudged the foot closest to him. “Hey, friend. I brought you a thank-you gift.”
“A gift?” she asked, rolling out from under the Jeep. “What for?”
He waited until she cleaned her hands, then handed her the latte. “For keeping me on the straight and narrow. And being the best friend a guy ever had, no questions asked.”
“So, I didn’t scare you off?” She grinned, took a long sip of the spiced chai, and closed her eyes, very clearly savoring the drink.
A switch flipped in his chest as Jonas watched her delight.
That was one thing he could say about the girl he’d known most of his life.
She enjoyed everything to the fullest. How he hadn’t fallen head over heels with her from the beginning, he couldn’t explain.
Most likely because he was determined not to.
“It would be a mistake,” he said under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Speaking of keeping you on the straight and narrow... have you been in touch with Julieann?” She watched him closely as she took another swallow.
“Not yet, but I’ll contact her as soon as she gets back to Denver. When I talked to Charles, he said she was visiting friends in the area. What are you doing tonight?”
Dinner and a movie would be a good time to explain his lapse in good judgment.
“I have another date with Ken tonight.”
“Ken? The picnic guy?” Jonas shoved his hands in his pockets.
She finished the drink he’d brought her. “He’s going to take me to a movie instead. Knight and Day , with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise, is playing at the Blue Moon.”
The theater had been around for as long as Jonas could remember. Nathan had mentioned the building was on Izzy’s list for restoration, sooner rather than later, in her new role as manager of Strawberry Ridge’s revival.
“I haven’t seen that one.”
“No?” Sloane glanced at the shop clock hanging on the wall. “I have, but I don’t mind seeing it again. If I want to be ready when he picks me up, I’d better get going. See you tomorrow?”
“Sure. Why don’t you come out and help me with the horses?” he said as she shooed him toward the bay doors. “I’ll want a report on the picnic guy, anyway.”
“Ken.”
He gave in and smiled. “Fine... Ken.”
Jonas enjoyed teasing her and igniting that fighting sparkle in her dark eyes. How had he not noticed their sweet chocolate color before this?
She snorted and pointed firmly toward the door, breaking the spell that held him immobile. He shook off the disconcerting feeling and waited outside as she closed up shop before he climbed into his Mustang.
He didn’t start worrying until he was halfway back to the ranch. Maybe he should check out this Perfect Match app. His friend was a smart lady and not easily fooled. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to do a little investigating.
He made a pizza and while it was in the oven, he sat at the table with his laptop and searched for Sloane’s dating app. It wasn’t hard to find. According to the reviews, it was the best one around. That, at least, was reassuring.
He’d just pulled up the home page when the front door opened and his brothers, in a heavy discussion about Duke, walked in.
“If he hasn’t been busy with his law practice, Jonas should have called the association by now,” Nathan was saying.
Uh-oh. His brothers—he could guess which one—were not in a good mood. Before he could close his laptop, Nathan was looking over his shoulder. “What are you doing, big brother? Is that the dating app Sloane uses?” Nathan punched his shoulder. Not hard, but firm enough to jar Jonas slightly.
“It is,” Blake said behind him. “I heard the girls talking about it this morning. I’m sure glad I didn’t have to compete with a thousand guys looking to date my girl.”
Jonas managed to close his laptop and stand before his brothers crowded him even more. “Don’t be an idiot. Your wife loves you.”
“Of course she does,” Nathan agreed. After they’d found him checking out Sloane’s dating app, there was no way they would let him get away with a distraction. Not unexpectedly, Nathan scowled. “What are you doing? Spying on Sloane?”
At that first glance, it’d looked like he’d have to create an account and log in before he could search for Sloane’s profile.
It was probably a good thing Nathan and Blake had barged in and interrupted his momentary lapse in judgment.
Interfering in something that Sloane would be the first to tell him was none of his business was not a good idea.
Instead of answering Nathan, he pushed through the wall his brothers made and led the way to the kitchen. “I made pizza. You boys hungry?”
“I’m starving. What did you expect to find on the app?” Nathan asked, following closely.
The truth? Or a half-truth? “I wanted to make sure the app is legit.”
“Sloane’s not going to like you checking up on her.” Blake got colas from the fridge. “You don’t think she’s in trouble, do you?”
Maybe. “No,” Jonas said after concern crept into his brothers’ expressions. “She’s a smart lady. I’m sure she thoroughly investigated the app.” So far he hadn’t seen anything that raised the hair on his arms.
“Did you call the association about Duke?” Nathan asked, taking a seat at the table. Blake followed suit.
“Yes.” Jonas was grateful for the change of subject as he placed the pizza and napkins in front of his brothers. It was embarrassing to be caught sneaking around Sloane’s back. “I got all the information we need to move forward on the DNA testing and registration once we get the results back.”
“How long will all that take?” Blake grabbed a slice and a napkin.
“Under normal circumstances, seven to ten business days after we get the kit. So, maybe two to three weeks?” It was a good thing Jonas was a just-in-case kind of cook.
“The lady I contacted at CRHA said we can send a sample of Duke’s hair for genetic testing to Gluck.
I’ve already contacted them and had them overnight the kit. ”
“You know”—Nathan started, after finishing his first slice in silence. His gaze was thoughtful, then brightened with a familiar mischievousness as he studied Jonas—“you should sign up for Perfect Match. When was the last time you went on a date? Sloane could probably show you the ropes.”
“I like that idea,” Blake said in agreement.
Jonas straightened. “I am not asking Sloane to coach me on how to use a dating app.” Brothers could be a pain in the backside, but at the end of the day, they were his brothers. He pointed his half-eaten pizza at Blake. “How was the honeymoon?”
Blake responded with a ready grin. “It was great. Angel Point is a cute little town. They had their centennial celebration while we were there. Malorie loved it.”
“Sloane’s on a date tonight,” Nathan said out of nowhere. Clearly, he wasn’t ready to drop the subject.
Jonas rolled his eyes. “I know. She told me.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?” Blake asked, looking at Nathan, brows raised.
“Nope.” Jonas took the last slice. “Why should it?”
“You guys have been friends for a long time.” If Nathan thought his usual stubborn push would change Jonas’s mind, his brother needed to rethink that strategy.
“Exactly. We’re friends. Good friends. Look, you guys, just because you’ve found sweet women who are willing to overlook your faults, and who want to spend the rest of their lives with you doesn’t mean I’m ready to follow you down the aisle,” Jonas informed the brats.
Or was he? For a second, he could see him and Sloane standing under the arbor at the cottage. Would she wait for him to get all his ducks sorted out? The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his best friend.
“Why wouldn’t you want to marry a woman as wonderful as Sloane?” Nathan demanded. “She’s put up with your crap since you were kids.”
Jonas stood, his hands balling into fists before he could control his exasperation. “Are you suggesting I’ve been hard on Sloane?”
“No.” Nathan rose to face Jonas, his expression fierce. “I’m saying you haven’t always realized how lucky you are to have a best friend like Sloane. Over the years, she’s cut you a lot of slack.”
Jonas’s annoyance slipped away as quickly as it had sprung up. He took the empty pizza pan to the sink. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Okay. Be that way.” Nathan put up his hands in surrender. Jonas was pretty sure this wouldn’t be the end of the conversation. “We’re just trying to help.”
“I know.” Maybe he should reconsider what Nathan was saying. The more Jonas thought about it, the more he wondered. “I can take care of my relationships without any interference from you boys.”
“And what relationship is that?” Blake asked, then also backed away with his hands raised.
Jonas rinsed the pizza pan, then stuck it in the dishwasher, wishing his brothers would find someone else to annoy. Grabbing his laptop, he headed for the stairs that led to the bedrooms. When he hit the landing, they were still there, huddling together, talking softly.
“Hey, I’ll let you know when I get the results of Duke’s DNA test,” he tossed at them, hoping to move them along. He knew that huddle from when they were kids. They were up to something.
Shrugging, he continued up to his room, where he had a desk and workspace.
Whatever they were plotting, he didn’t want to know.
They were grown men, according to their ages, anyway, and he had issues to sort out of his own.
Including figuring out if he should consider asking Sloane to forget that Ken guy and go on a real date with him.
The last time he’d asked, because at the time he’d only been half serious, it hadn’t worked out that well. Maybe a better idea would be to get her help with the horses until he worked up the nerve to ask again.