Rich, Rugged Ranchers. Kathie DeNosky

ears. There wasn’t much she could do about it if there was. She wasn’t going to let gossip stand in the way of what she wanted.

      She never had.

      On Thursday afternoon, Sophia sat at her office desk and typed in a text message to Luke. How is my friend doing today?

      A couple of days ago, Sophia had decided the best way to avoid a conversation she didn’t want to have with Logan’s brother was to text him. She could use a minimum of words to ask how he was doing and those brand-new audio texting applications allowed him to answer. For a man with a broken arm and healing ribs, voice-activated texting couldn’t be beat.

      She received an immediate message back. I’m healing. Feeling better every day. Miss you and the ranch.

      I miss you, too, but all is well here. She punched in three smiley faces and decided that was over the top. She erased two of them, and then hit Send. Conversation over.

      She was a coward. She admitted it. Logan wouldn’t tell Luke what was going on between them. It landed on Sophia’s shoulders, but it was an awkward situation to say the least. So she’d avoided the subject altogether. She was concerned for Luke, but yet her lack of courage kept her from having a real conversation with him.

      The sound of Blackie’s sharp barks took her out of her deep thoughts. She got up from her desk and walked out of her office in search of the dog. She exited through the lobby doors and walked along the path toward the side of the lodge. She chuckled when she spotted Blackie jumping off the ground, all four legs in midair at once as Edward teased him with a rib bone. The dog nearly toppled the boy over trying to get to the bone.

      Edward cackled with laughter and Sophia’s mood lightened. She walked up to them, and both boy and dog stopped playing.

      “Hello, Edward. I see you have something Blackie wants.”

      Edward looked at her shyly. She hadn’t seen the boy around for a while. “Y-yes, ma’am.”

      “And hello to you, too, Blackie.”

      The dog forgot about the bone, and with tail wagging, came over to her. She bent down to stroke his coat and Blackie’s head tilted to one side, his tongue hanging out in a true doggie smile. “Are you behaving yourself?”

      His tail wagged faster.

      “He is. He h-hasn’t come into N-Nana’s kitchen a-again ever.” Edward, always ready to come to Blackie’s defense, stuck the bone into his back pocket, out of sight of the dog for now.

      “That’s good.” Sophia gave Blackie a last pat and, rising, turned her attention to the boy. “How have you been, Edward?”

      He looked at her and then glanced down. “F-fine.”

      “I haven’t seen you too much lately.”

      “I d-don’t have any h-homework today.”

      “Oh, that’s explains it, you’ve been busy studying. I used to love those days best when the teacher gave us a day off. Do you still like to hike, Edward?”

      He nodded. “I go with Mr. S-Slade some-t-times.”

      “I would love to hike with you, too, when school is out. Would that be all right?”

      His face turned crimson and a small smile emerged. He was a sweet boy. Sophia tried her best to put him at ease and let him know she was his friend. He darted a glance toward the cottage, his eyes wide with curiosity and an unspoken question on his lips. He had to be curious why she wasn’t living there anymore. It wasn’t an easy thing to explain to a ten-year-old boy. “We’ll make plans for that hike as soon as summer starts, okay?”

      “Okay.”

      “Well, you and Blackie have a nice day. I just wanted to say hello to both of you. I’ll see you again soon.”

      The rib bone reappeared and Edward gave it a toss. Sophia put her hand over her brows, shadowing her eyes from the blazing sunlight as she watched Blackie digging in, outrunning Edward in a race for his treat.

      Seeing the boy was a nice diversion, a break in the long day she’d needed. She had two hours left of work before she would see Logan again and she would count the minutes.

      As she made her way along the flowery path to the lodge’s entrance she stopped short when a black stretch limousine caught her eye. It pulled to stop under the portico and a chauffeur dressed in a tan uniform got out.

      A gasp escaped her as memories rushed through her mind. She recognized that limo with the famous script G emblazoned on the side doors. The driver opened the passenger door and two men exited. One was the deadly handsome cowboy she loved and the other was her older, distinguished, wealthy ex-husband, Gordon Gregory. He was medium height, blue-eyed and not bad-looking for an older man, wrinkles and all. He dressed impeccably and had a full head of silver hair.

      Seeing the two men together made her heart pound. One man might be her future—the other was her past. She took a big swallow and stood there immobilized, looking to Logan first. His expression was unreadable. Gordon, on the other hand, smiled.

      Darn, this was the last thing she needed. She and Logan were working things out and becoming closer. How would he react seeing her ex-husband and being reminded of the worst thing he’d thought about her?

      “Hello, my beautiful Sophia.” Gordon’s possessive tone made her uneasy.

      Logan slid him a disapproving look.

      “Hello, Gordon. What are you doing here?”

      “He came to buy a stallion,” Logan said through tight lips. “We’ve just had a good talk.”

      Sophia’s face flamed and she cringed inside. Had they been talking about her? When she’d married Gordon it had been out of desperate need. He’d been wonderful and kind in the beginning and so grateful about his granddaughter that she’d thought she was doing the right thing for her mother when she’d married him. She’d fooled herself into thinking she could come to love him in time. He’d promised her a marriage with no strings attached. Maybe she’d been a little naive to actually believe that, but at the time, Sophia hadn’t been looking to the future. She’d been focused on the present and the best way to help her mother. Shortly after her mother passed away, Gordon’s expectations had changed and so had his attitude. He’d come on strong in the guise of helping her grieve for Louisa. And one night he’d blurted that his debt to her had been paid in full. They were on even ground now and it was time for Sophia to start acting like a wife to him. He’d boxed her into a corner and there was only one way out that she could see. She’d ended the marriage.

      “I couldn’t stop by Sunset Ranch and not come by for a visit,” he went on. “Logan here was kind enough to show me to the lodge. I’d like a private word with you, my dear. Now would be a good time.”

      She felt Logan’s eyes on her as he spoke firmly to Gordon. “Only if it’s a good time for Sophia. Is it?”

      The older man’s brows flew up and he chuckled. “I see. She’s got you under her spell already. I can’t really blame you. She’s quite a woman. You should have seen her on that chorus line. She was a standout, destined to become a headliner.”

      Sophia’s stomach began to ache. Gordon’s appearance here threatened to undermine the reputation she’d tried to live down with Logan. “I have a few minutes, Gordon.”

      “Fine, fine.” When Gordon reached for Sophia’s arm, Logan stepped between them and faced her, turning his back on the older man. “Are you sure you have time for this guy?” he asked her. “I could care less about the sale of the stallion.”

      Sophia wanted to kiss him for intervening, for making sure Gordon didn’t lay a hand on her. Especially since, for all Logan knew, Sophia had been intimate with the older man. “I’m sure.”

      Logan nodded, and for a second she noted a hint of accusation in his eyes. “I’ll see you later.”

      “I’ll