“Piece of cake,” she said.
Piece of something, he thought, grateful the lower half of him was covered by the table. It hadn’t escaped him that he was the one suffering as Sophia ate from her bowl of all-you-can-suffer Kickin’ chili.
He watched her eat three more spoonfuls without even a slight flinch. The woman was good at spicy.
“You know,” she began, stirring the chili with the stainless-
steel spoon, “it was nice of you to ask Hunter to help me move in yesterday.”
“Who said I asked him?” he shot back.
“So you didn’t?” Her almond-shaped eyes rounded in surprise.
He shrugged. “Maybe I did.”
“I didn’t think you’d given it a thought. You didn’t personally offer to help.”
“Did you expect me to?”
“I had hoped you’d be a gentleman. I didn’t want to start off at Sunset Ranch with bad feelings.”
Logan ignored that last part of her statement. He wasn’t in the mood to get into it with her tonight. “I’m not the welcoming committee. I have a ranch to run. Hunter helped you. Isn’t that good enough?”
“Yes, I suppose. I was beginning to feel good about that, and you, until you set me up with Ruth Polanski. It was a low blow, even coming from you, Logan. You led me to believe I had to fire the woman.”
Logan scrubbed his jaw. It wasn’t his proudest moment, but he’d been angry and wanted to lash out at her when she’d first arrived. She’d called it correctly. It had been a low blow. Logan didn’t play dirty. Not usually. Yet he wasn’t ready to apologize. “You must have been pleasantly surprised when you learned you didn’t have to let her go.”
“I worried about it all night.”
He put himself in a no-guilt zone and hung tight. “I’m sure you slept well enough.”
Sophia shook her head and her long wavy hair, caressing one side of her shoulder, flowed over her breast. “You need to let go of the past, Logan. You’d be a happier man.”
A lecture, coming from her? “What makes you think I’m not happy? I’m sitting here, watching you pretend to stomach that chili. Tell the truth, Sophia. It’s burning like hell now.”
To his surprise, she put her hand just under her breasts, spread her fingers out over her stomach and delivered a low rumble of laughter. “You’d love to believe that.”
“You won’t admit it?”
“Maybe it’s more fun to keep you guessing. When’s the last time you’ve had fun, Logan?”
“What do you care?”
“That long?” Sophia asked, shaking her head as she lifted another spoonful to her mouth.
The woman was getting to him and damn if he wasn’t enjoying himself. Not because he thought Sophia was suffering with the chili, but because she was a woman who stood up to a challenge and managed to keep him guessing.
“You’re forgetting who’s driving you home.”
“Oh, no. I am very well aware,” she said, her amber eyes blazing with warmth enough to make heat crawl up his belly and put a lump in his throat.
He swigged the last ounce of his beer with a quick gulp.
Sophia, on the other hand, had yet to reach for her glass of water.
* * *
Sophia sank into the comfy, forgiving seat cushion of Logan’s black pickup truck. The luxury four-wheel drive sported a polished wood and beige leather interior with a dashboard full of digital controls an airline pilot would envy. She fastened her seat belt and watched the scenery go by as they exited the café’s parking lot and took to the open road. An hour ago, the golden sunset had faded and now lights from the town they left behind sparkled like tiny diamonds in her side rearview mirror.
Sophia eyed Logan as he drove with one hand on top of the steering wheel. Country music played softly. The lack of conversation was actually comforting. They’d extinguished their small talk while in the café. She couldn’t think of anything else she wanted to say to him that didn’t involve business, and Sophia wasn’t in the mood to spar with him about that
Piece of something, he thought, grateful the lower half of him was covered by the table. It hadn’t escaped him that he was the one suffering as Sophia ate from her bowl of all-you-can-suffer Kickin’ chili.
He watched her eat three more spoonfuls without even a slight flinch. The woman was good at spicy.
“You know,” she began, stirring the chili with the stainless-
steel spoon, “it was nice of you to ask Hunter to help me move in yesterday.”
“Who said I asked him?” he shot back.
“So you didn’t?” Her almond-shaped eyes rounded in surprise.
He shrugged. “Maybe I did.”
“I didn’t think you’d given it a thought. You didn’t personally offer to help.”
“Did you expect me to?”
“I had hoped you’d be a gentleman. I didn’t want to start off at Sunset Ranch with bad feelings.”
Logan ignored that last part of her statement. He wasn’t in the mood to get into it with her tonight. “I’m not the welcoming committee. I have a ranch to run. Hunter helped you. Isn’t that good enough?”
“Yes, I suppose. I was beginning to feel good about that, and you, until you set me up with Ruth Polanski. It was a low blow, even coming from you, Logan. You led me to believe I had to fire the woman.”
Logan scrubbed his jaw. It wasn’t his proudest moment, but he’d been angry and wanted to lash out at her when she’d first arrived. She’d called it correctly. It had been a low blow. Logan didn’t play dirty. Not usually. Yet he wasn’t ready to apologize. “You must have been pleasantly surprised when you learned you didn’t have to let her go.”
“I worried about it all night.”
He put himself in a no-guilt zone and hung tight. “I’m sure you slept well enough.”
Sophia shook her head and her long wavy hair, caressing one side of her shoulder, flowed over her breast. “You need to let go of the past, Logan. You’d be a happier man.”
A lecture, coming from her? “What makes you think I’m not happy? I’m sitting here, watching you pretend to stomach that chili. Tell the truth, Sophia. It’s burning like hell now.”
To his surprise, she put her hand just under her breasts, spread her fingers out over her stomach and delivered a low rumble of laughter. “You’d love to believe that.”
“You won’t admit it?”
“Maybe it’s more fun to keep you guessing. When’s the last time you’ve had fun, Logan?”
“What do you care?”
“That long?” Sophia asked, shaking her head as she lifted another spoonful to her mouth.
The woman was getting to him and damn if he wasn’t enjoying himself. Not because he thought Sophia was suffering with the chili, but because she was a woman who stood up to a challenge and managed to keep him guessing.
“You’re forgetting who’s driving you home.”
“Oh, no. I am very well aware,” she said, her amber eyes blazing with warmth enough to make heat crawl up his belly and put a lump in his throat.
He swigged the last ounce of his beer with a quick gulp.
Sophia, on the other hand, had yet to reach for her glass of water.
* * *
Sophia sank into the comfy, forgiving seat cushion of Logan’s black pickup truck. The luxury four-wheel drive sported a polished wood and beige leather interior with a dashboard full of digital controls an airline pilot would envy. She fastened her seat belt and watched the scenery go by as they exited the café’s parking lot and took to the open road. An hour ago, the golden sunset had faded and now lights from the town they left behind sparkled like tiny diamonds in her side rearview mirror.
Sophia eyed Logan as he drove with one hand on top of the steering wheel. Country music played softly. The lack of conversation was actually comforting. They’d extinguished their small talk while in the café. She couldn’t think of anything else she wanted to say to him that didn’t involve business, and Sophia wasn’t in the mood to spar with him about that
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