“It’s a little late for that, Sly. Besides, you haven’t explained why you filed a lawsuit against my cousin. You’re the only rancher with that name.”
“There’s a simple?—”
“I have to leave after all,” Sophie said as she returned to the booth. “While I was in the bathroom, my mom called. She wants me to get home and finish my chores before I leave for work.”
Lana nodded, then nudged Sly out of the booth and stood up. “I enjoyed meeting you, Sophie. I hope we’ll get together again soon.”
“Can I let you know?”
“Sure. I’ll walk you out.”
“You stay here with Sly.” The girl’s smile was meant for the two of them.
Sly squelched the urge to roll his eyes. “Nice meeting you.” He sat down in Sophie’s place so that he would be across from Lana.
“You, too, Sly. Hey, next time Lana and I get together, you should join us.”
Sly glanced at Lana, but her attention stayed on the teen.
It was obvious how badly she wanted things to work out between them.
“If I’m not too busy at the ranch,” he said.
“I knew you were a rancher!” Sophie turned to Lana. “Thanks for brunch. It was really good.”
“Anytime.” Lana bit her lip. “Would you mind if I gave you a hug?”
“I guess.”
Feeling like he was watching something that was none of his business, Sly stared as she embraced the girl.
When she pulled away, her gaze dropped to Sophie’s belly. “You take care of that baby, okay?”
“I will.”
Her eyes stayed on Sophie until the door closed behind her.
Angry at Sly for suing her cousin and unhappy at how badly the meeting with Sophie had gone, Lana was ready to leave. “I have a lot to do today,” she said, signaling Dani to bring the check. “Enjoy your lunch.”
“Stay a little longer and tell me about this baby you want to adopt.”
She didn’t mind talking about that, but after Sophie’s bombshell that she was also meeting with a couple interested in adopting her baby, Lana felt unusually emotional and vulnerable. Right now, she wasn’t ready to share anything. But she wouldn’t mind some answers from Sly. “I’ll stay if you explain about the lawsuit,” she said.
“Any minute now, my sister will bring me my burger, and I don’t want to ruin my appetite talking about that. I’ll give you the details later.” Resting his arms on the table, he leaned toward her. “So, you want to adopt a baby.”
By his long, searching look he seemed genuinely interested. Lana wanted to explain. If she kept it short and simple, she wouldn’t cry. “That’s right,” she said. “I’m unable to have children myself.”
“So you said before. You didn’t mention wanting to adopt, though.”
“Because we agreed to steer clear of serious conversation.” Also, they’d been too busy to talk much. “Anyway, now you know.”
“If you’re sure you want kids, adopting makes sense.”
“I’m sure. I’ve always wanted to be a mom.”
Sly nodded, but she was curious about the way he’d said if you’re sure you want kids. “You don’t want to have children?” she asked.
“Nope. Don’t get me wrong, I like them, as long as they belong to someone else.”
