Sunset Surrender. Charlene Sands

Logan didn’t wait for Ward to answer before he tipped his head back and guzzled down the remaining drops of his beer.

      “You sure know how to sweet-talk a woman.”

      “That’s all it is, is talk, Halliday. Besides, she was real nice.” Logan leaned way back in his chair, tipping it on end, stretching out his legs. He hadn’t had a date with a woman in a long while. And Shelby from California had piqued his interest enough for him to consider breaking his three-month-long streak of being dateless. But Shelby seemed to have enough on her plate, without dating a man who had no interest in permanence. He chose his women wisely and when he did, it was a just-for-laughs, without-any-strings-attached kind of thing. Whether it lasted one week or a few months, he made sure the women he dated weren’t the home-and-hearth kind.

      “Well, if Molly could’ve seen you flirting with that blonde, she would’ve pestered you until you asked the girl out.”

      Logan leaned back in his seat. “Your wife’s been itching to marry me off.”

      “Don’t I know it? She’s forever going on and on about you three Slade boys not getting hitched. I can only imagine the pestering she’ll give my boy when Hunter gets of age.”

      “Hunter doesn’t have a girl?”

      “No, sir. Right about now, he’s focused on attending college in the fall. Saving his money, too.”

      “That’s always a good thing,” Logan said. He’d known Hunter since birth, but the big strapping boy wasn’t much of a talker. Logan knew he loved horses, though. He’d taken after his father that way. Ward had taught Hunter the value in treating an animal with respect.

      A few minutes later, Shelby came by with Ward’s second bowl of chili and two more beers. She set everything down on the table. “Here you go, boys.”

      “Thanks, miss,” Ward said, lifting his spoon, ready to dive in.

      “You’re very welcome,” she said, giving Ward her attention before sending Logan another big smile. “If you need anything else, just let me know.”

      When she turned to help another customer, Logan watched the gentle sway of her hips in her short navy blue waitress uniform.

      “Truth is, I haven’t had a date in a long while,” he muttered.

      Ward didn’t seem to hear him. He was too busy looking straight past him and waving his hand with a come-here gesture. Logan craned his head toward Kickin’s front door and a vile curse slipped from his lips.

      “Well now, would you look at who’s just come in,” Ward was saying. “It’s Luke and Ms. Sophia. They’re heading this way.”

      “Damn it, Ward. Put your hand down, and stop waving them over.”

      Baffled by Logan’s tone, the older man drew his brows together. “Why, oh … Oh, right.” He shrugged his shoulders in sheepish apology.

      Ward’s lightbulb moment was too little too late. The Slades had always tried to keep their private lives just that—private. But back in the day, news of Louisa Montrose’s illicit affair with his father had leaked out faster than a sledgehammer to a water pipe, and Logan figured pretty much everyone at Sunset Ranch knew that he wasn’t keen on any of the Montrose women. Especially now. Especially since Randall Slade had decided to give away half ownership of the lodge to his mistress’s daughter.

      Logan hadn’t been discreet in his disdain. When he first heard the news of her inheritance, he slammed his fist into the barn wall. His damn hand had been bruised for days and, even though it had healed, every so often the pain would come back just enough to annoy him.

      Very much like Sophia.