He’d known Jonah since they were thirteen, meeting him the same way he’d met the other owners of Mesa Falls Ranch: as suite mates at Dowdon. There’d been four of them in a room at the end of the hall, and three in the room across from them. Seven friends. Six who graduated. The six who remained now owned and operated the ranch together as a way to honor the life of the one they’d lost.

Jonah made a dismissive sound. Dressed in a weathered college T-shirt in honor of the game they watched, he didn’t look much different from how he had in their school days, except his dark blond hair was cut shorter and he had some kind of verse in Finnish tattooed around both biceps. “With the way you two look at each other, she won’t be an ex for long.”

“Old flames die hard. Or so the saying goes.” Gage retrieved his craft beer from the table between their chairs and tipped the bottle to his lips, wishing he could quench his thirst for Elena as simply.

Jonah sat forward in his recliner so his leather loafers were back on the floor. “You’re not concerned about starting a relationship with someone who’s actively trying to put Alonzo’s name back in the public eye?”

“Who said anything about a relationship?” Gage resented the question. It was as if he was betraying the memory of a guy who’d helped them through the aftermath of a hellish trauma. “I’ve got no choice but to keep an eye on the situation. I need to stick close to her, and I can’t pretend the attraction doesn’t exist.”

“Call it what you will,” Jonah conceded. “But Elena Rollins means trouble for the ranch. You know that as well as I do.”

“That’s why we’re redirecting her with the Chiara interview today,” Gage reminded him, refusing to feel guilty about distracting her with this trip since the resulting story would further her prospects far more than anything she might learn about Alonzo Salazar. It benefited them both. “I’m taking what precautions I can, but I can’t prevent her from finding out the truth about Alonzo if she’s determined to dig.”

“If only we knew the truth as well, maybe we could prepare for the consequences.” Jonah’s final words were drowned out by the sudden wail of an infant from somewhere deeper in the house. Unbelievably, the guy broke into a broad grin. “Duty calls. Excuse me.”

Gage watched as he wound through the house to the main staircase and took the polished steps two at a time, his hand running along the mahogany banister. A moment later, Astrid appeared in the doorway from the outdoor patio, hurrying through the great room with a quick wave to Gage before she followed her husband up the stairs.