Sunset Surrender

by Charlene Sands

  “That’s what friends are for.”

  Morning sunshine streamed in through the shuttered windows facing east. But the beautiful day didn’t have an effect on Luke’s sour mood. He was a man accustomed to being on the move. “There’ll be a hell of a lot more moaning and groaning,” he confessed.

  “I know. I can’t blame you. But you’ll heal. You have to be patient.” Sophia moved from the chair to the side of his bed, carefully lowering down so as not to disturb him. “Here,” she said, leaning forward and offering him a second cookie. “Have another.”

  He bit down, and closed his eyes while he chewed. “How are things at the lodge?” he asked quietly.

  A pipe had burst, leaking water into the rooms on the second floor, the smoke alarm had gone off for no apparent reason in the kitchen and one of the guests had slipped and sprained an ankle while stepping down from their saddle since Luke’s accident. Business as usual, she mused. “It’s coming along.”

  “Glad to hear it. You fit right in on Sunset Ranch.”

  Sophia sighed. “I love it here.”

  “And I love that you’re here, feeding me cookies.”

  She laughed and Luke cracked a smile, but a second later, he paid for the movement with a grimace of pain. Sophia grimaced, too, sympathizing with him.

  “Is there anything I can do for you before I go to work?” she asked.

  Luke shook his head. “Nope. You go on. Thanks for the visit and the cookies.”

  “I spoiled your breakfast.”

  “You spoiled me, period.”

  “I’ll come back again soon.”

  “I might not be here.”

  Sophia thought he was kidding until she saw a spark of determination in his eyes. “Where would you be?”

  “An old rodeo buddy of mine is recovering from a bad injury. Broke his back a while ago. He’s got a cabin on the north shore of Tahoe and is itching for a drinking partner. I’m thinking on it. I’m gonna be pretty darn useless around here for the next couple of weeks.”

  “Can you travel?”

  “I can if I take those dang pills. It’s not a far trip. Logan offered to drive me if I decide to go. He thinks it’s a good idea. Wants me outta his hair, from all the complaining I’ve been doing.”

  Sophia shook her head. “I’m sure your brother wants what’s best for you. Will you let me know if you decide to go? I’d want to say goodbye.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Sophia rose from the bed gingerly, and gave him one last look before exiting the room. She moved through the house with familiarity, as if it was only yesterday that she’d played in these stately paneled rooms and raced down the hallways on her way out the kitchen to a backyard that had doubled as an amusement park in her childhood.

  The Slades had a tree house that looked like a Western fort with a steep slide and rubber swings. They had bicycles and wagons and a giant fenced-off pool. They owned horses and had been taught from an early age to respect animals, and all of their other possessions, as well. Sophia had often heard Mr. Slade instruct his boys, “Take care of things, or be prepared to lose them.”

  The boys took it strictly as a warning then, but later in life Sophia realized how smart Randall Slade had been. He’d meant it as a life lesson.

  Sophia had almost reached the front door when Logan’s deep voice stopped her cold. “Sophia, I’d like a word with you. Got a second?”

  His words echoed in the entryway as Sophia slowly pivoted on her three-inch heels. She found Logan striding toward her, his face a mask of indifference but for a jaw that twitched as he approached.

  Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. She asked herself, why him? Why did she find him so darn attractive when clearly the two of them would never happen? Logan had a perfectly gorgeous, fun-loving sibling whom Sophia adored, but Luke didn’t make butterflies take flight in her belly or make her nerves jump and her body tingle the way Logan did.

  He’d touched her intimately the other night.

  And she’d wanted more.

  Irritated at her train of thought, she gave him a terse response. “I’m on my way to the lodge.”

  “Busy?”

  “I have some issues that need tending. Yes, I’m very busy.”

  His mouth curved up in a casual smile that belied his words. “But not too busy to hand-feed my brother your cookies.”

  Sophia blinked, surprised that Logan had known about that. “Were you spying on me?”

  He took her question matter-of-factly. “I’d hardly call it spying. It’s my house. I passed by Luke’s room and saw the two of you in there. Cozy little picture you made.”

  Sophia closed her eyes briefly, praying for patience. Damn him. She would not let Logan get the best of her. “Luke enjoyed my cookies. You should try one. They are delicious.”

  His eyes moved over her, gently caressing each curve of her body. The dress she wore today was clingy and cranberry-red and Logan could hardly miss the fact that Sophia had forgotten to wear her usual matching jacket that concealed her cleavage somewhat. She felt exposed to his gaze. He touched every inch of her with eyes that devoured, eyes that held a thrilling promise. “Maybe I want my own batch, Sophia.”

  The underlying sensuality of his comment fascinated her. She put her head down, her gaze catching the shiny polished tips of his black snakeskin boots. Rugged, rough-edged and appealing, Logan Slade made mincemeat of her resolve. She raised her head slightly, not quite able to meet his eyes. Instead she stared at the tanned skin exposed by the opened collar of his chambray shirt. She replied in a broken, quiet whisper. “Maybe...one day, Logan.”

  He put his hand under her chin. With the tips of his fingers, he lifted her face a fraction of an inch until she was forced to look into his eyes. They smoldered like dark coals and sent a warm shot of heat through her body. It wasn’t fair that Logan could do her so much damage with a mere look, a single tender touch.

  He bent his head and Sophia pleaded with him. “Don’t...don’t kiss me.”

  He inched closer. “You want me to.”

  She did. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him to make her feel the way he had the other night.

  The lap dance night.

  “Logan, you out there?” Luke’s strained voice broke through their moment like a cold splash of water.

  Logan cursed quietly.

  Sophia swallowed down hard.

  Both looked in the direction of Luke’s bedroom.

  “Yeah, I’m here,” Logan called back to him. “I’m coming.”

  Sophia stepped away from Logan, turning her back on him to reach for the doorknob. Before she gave it a turn, Logan’s husky voice resonated in her soul. “Looks like Luke saved you again.”

  Sophia put her head down, taking a moment to absorb the sensations rushing around inside her. Something was happening between them, but she didn’t know if she could trust what she was feeling. She didn’t know if she could trust Logan, period. “Maybe I don’t want to be saved.”

  The sound of his receding footsteps faded on the plank floors. He’d walked away to see to his brother and hadn’t heard her. It was just as well. There were too many “maybes” involved with Logan. Sophia opened the door and stepped outside. The Nevada sun warmed her cheeks and the clear sky above brightened her outlook.

  She had repaired pipes that needed her approval, a lodge guest’s temper to soothe and a meeting with her staff this morning.

  She loved every crazy minute of it.

  She wouldn’t have time to think about Logan Slade any more today.

  Six

  Sophia never had the chance to say goodbye to Luke. He left the night after her visit to deliver the cookies. Logan had thought it best for Luke to travel late at night so that he could sleep during the trip t
o Tahoe. Apparently, from what she could gather, his host, Casey Thomas, was a good guy, wild in his younger rodeo days, but now a big fan of the simple life. The two would drink and shoot the breeze at Casey’s lakeside cabin.

  But as Sophia gazed out the window of her cottage this evening, dressed and ready for Ruth’s surprise party, she felt Luke’s absence in the pit of her stomach. He’d been gone for five days and she’d spoken to him twice in that time, but she hadn’t confided in him. Since he’d left, she’d received two more notes on her doorstep.

  You are very beautiful.

  The notes were always folded neatly and always typed on plain white computer paper. While receiving one note might have been a fluke and something she could ignore, receiving two more meant that whoever was out there, whoever was sending these notes was persistent. She feared they would continue to torment her. She’d been sleeping with the lights on lately. She’d been listening intently for out-of-the-ordinary sounds in and around the cottage.

  Sophia let go a deep breath to steady her nerves. Tonight, she would play an integral role in getting Ruth to her surprise party. Sophia had worked her buns off this week, making arrangements, hiding a drastic change in employees’ schedules from Ruth and working with Logan and his staff to get the Slade home ready for the party.

  The cover story was that Ruth and Sophia were to meet one of Randall Slade’s high-profile friends who was interested in using Sunset Lodge as a summer retreat for the entire staff of a private college. Sophia had explained that Logan would first host a special dinner at the Slade ranch house to impress the client, then one of Ruth’s last duties would be to help Sophia put him up for the night at the lodge and give him the royal treatment tomorrow.

  Ruth bought the entire concept and Sophia was certain she didn’t have a clue what was really going on. Sophia was on pins and needles, though. Without Luke here for support, being secretive with Ruth all week and receiving another one of those notes made her jumpy.

  Before exiting the cottage, Sophia scanned the property thoroughly, just like she’d been doing all week long. She grabbed her wrap and her purse and looked around one last time before locking up the cottage and getting into her car. She had no proof or evidence to back her feeling of being watched, other than that one night when she heard a disturbance in her yard, yet Sophia felt the sensation deep down in her bones.

  Thirty minutes later, after picking up Ruth, who was dressed very elegantly in a cobalt-blue and silver dress, Sophia delivered Ruth to the Slade home.

  Logan answered the door personally, dressed in a dark Western suit and string tie—a handsome maverick with a charming smile. Upon spotting Ruth, he gave her a welcoming kiss on the cheek, and then gave Sophia a quick approving nod as his razor-sharp gaze raked over her upswept hair, shimmery sequined cocktail dress and sandaled feet.

  “Our guest is outside. He is anxious to meet with you both.” Logan stepped between them, offering the ladies his arm. With Ruth chatting amiably on his right and Sophia on his left, the three of them walked through the wide parlor double doors to be greeted by the sight of twinkling lights, grandly decorated tables and about sixty of Ruth’s friends and coworkers.

  “Surprise!” the gathered crowd shouted in unison, stunning Ruth into silence. Tears filled her eyes. With her hand to her chest, she truly appeared surprised.

  Logan and Sophia looked at each other. For a brief moment in time they shared the triumph. They’d pulled it off.

  The festivities got under way quickly. Ruth was swarmed by guests giving their congratulations, kisses and loving hugs. She was the center of attention, as she should be, with her husband, her children and grandchildren by her side.

  Sophia took a minute for herself. She strolled to the edge of the beautifully landscaped yard. Beyond the whitewashed wooden fences illuminated by strings of tiny lights was pasture land that stretched for miles. It was so vast and remote, so steeped in eerily quiet darkness that a chill ran down her spine. She shivered in the warm night and rubbed her hands up and down her arms, attempting to bank her feelings of uncertainty. Those anonymous notes were weighing on her and affecting her daily routine. She couldn’t get them off her mind.

  “Need some quiet time?”

  The voice from behind made her jump.

  She whirled around. “Oh!”

  Logan’s face was cast in shadows, making him look sinister, but oddly enough his comment had been soft and calming. “Apparently not, since you’re here now.”

  Logan flashed a smile. His expression wasn’t one of battle. He offered her one of the two crystal champagne flutes he held in his hand. “Here, have a drink.”

  Sophia shook her head. “I don’t...drink.”

  “It’s sparkling cider.”

  Thoughtful, Sophia mused.

  As he handed her a glass, his fingers caressed hers, and she felt the impact of his touch down to her toes. “Thank you.”

  “To Ruth,” he said, and then added, “and to you. You pulled off a great surprise party.”

  Warmed by the compliment, she brought her glass to his with a gentle clink. “Thank you. But you helped.”

  “Very little.”

  He was being magnanimous tonight. Sophia welcomed it, but as she brought the drink to her mouth, her hand trembled. She still hadn’t gotten over her initial bout of nerves. Or was it Logan making her nervous?

  “What’s wrong with you, Sophia? You’ve been jumpy for days.”

  Logan had noticed.

  Sophia turned to face the bleakness of the distant pasture. She couldn’t look at Logan now. She was weak and vulnerable at the moment, and tears welled in her eyes. It was ridiculous that a little kindness shown by Logan Slade could bring on so much sentiment. “It’s nothing that concerns you.”

  He moved closer. His presence surrounded her from behind. “You admit there is something?” His warm breath caressed her earlobe.

  Sophia squeezed her eyes closed.

  “Answer me, Sophia,” Logan said.

  He made her believe he cared about her. Why else would he question her? But Sophia couldn’t place much faith in Logan’s motives. She’d learned that lesson long ago. If the notes persisted, then Sophia would confide in a Slade, but the man she would tell would be Luke.

  Sophia spun around to face Logan. “We should get back to the par—”

  “Miss S-Sophia, Mr. Logan.” Edward came running toward them, his face animated. The night’s breeze fluffed the wisps of his hair as he approached. “L-look what just came. It’s a g-giant f-flower horse! Y-you have to s-see it!”

  When he reached her, Sophia crouched down to his level. His eyes, lit with excitement, lightened Sophia’s heavy mood. “Hi, Edward. So what is this we have to see?”

  “A h-horse made of f-flowers. It’s as b-big as a real h-horse. Mr. Luke sent it for the p-party. Y-you have to s-see it.”

  Sophia glanced at Logan. His lips twisted, but he didn’t let on to Edward that he’d interrupted a private conversation.

  “Would you like to show it to me?” Sophia asked.

  Edward’s head bobbed up and down.

  Sophia chuckled and put out her hand. Edward looked into her eyes first, then shyly took her hand. “Lead the way, my friend.”

  Edward took off at a fast pace, with Sophia running on the tips of her toes to keep up.

  She assumed Logan was somewhere behind them, making his way back to the festivities.

  Secretly, Sophia was grateful for the interruption.

  Or should she call it an escape?

  * * *

  Logan swirled bourbon and soda in a tumbler, his shoulder braced against the patio pillar, his gaze keenly fastened on Sophia. She swayed her hips in time with the music on the dance floor and caught the attention of every male at the party, married or not. Even the damn dis
c jockey was eyeing her. How could he blame them? She was a stunner in a black-sequined dress that shimmered under the festive party lights. At this time, in that dress, Sophia couldn’t conceal her luscious form. She didn’t try to cover herself up with a jacket or sweater. She was a curvy glamour queen with her hair up in a tangle, held together by rhinestone clips.

  Gorgeous.

  Hunter had her in his arms now. Every so often, she would smile at him, making mush of the poor kid. She’d already danced with Ward, Ruth’s husband and young Edward. She appeared to be having a great time, but there was something underlying, something not quite right about her tonight.

  When she wasn’t in the limelight, her expression held tension. He’d seen her dart cautious glances around, as if watching for something or someone.

  Lately, every time he’d approached her she’d just about jumped out of her skin. It wasn’t his concern, unless what was troubling her had something to do with Sunset Ranch.

  Then it mattered to him.

  Ward walked over to him, drink in hand. They drank together for a while in silence, keeping their eyes trained on the dance floor. When the song ended and the DJ announced a fifteen-minute break, the hum of lively conversation and laughter reached their ears. Sophia made quiet work of seeing that everyone was accommodated and having a good time. The food had been served and things were going smoothly.

  “Ruth is sure having a good time,” Ward said. “Your father would have been pleased to see this.”

  For once, Logan had to agree about his father. He’d been a fair and decent employer—that much he would grant him, and he would have approved of honoring Ruth’s service to Sunset Lodge like this. “She sure was surprised.”

  “You pulled it off,” Ward said, taking a sip of whiskey.

  “Not me so much. Sophia.”

  Logan’s gaze landed on her again. She was never far from his scope of vision. He’d been deliberately watching her all night. Truth be told, even if he tried, he wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes off her.

  “She’s a hard worker. Real nice, too,” Ward said. “I think my boy is smitten.”