Jonas shook his head. “Not really. We’d been having trouble for a while.”

They finished their meals, and Wendy refilled their coffee cups. Jonas took a sip of coffee. “We’ve talked about me too long. What about you? You’re not married, right? Beautiful woman like you? Why not?”

Ellie shrugged. “I like being single. I like having my independence, being able to do whatever I please.” Though she was playing a role, it was true. She liked her life for the most part. Still, there were times she wished she had someone who cared about her the way Kade had cared about Heather.

Jonas reached over and took hold of her hand where it rested on the table. “Maybe sometime you’d like to come over for supper. Surely you get a day off once in a while. I make a mean pot of spaghetti.” He smiled. “Add a nice bottle of chianti, who knows what might happen.”

“Ellie doesn’t have time to date,” Kade said darkly from beside her, the conversation around them having muffled his approach. Ellie’s head came up, and she jerked her hand out of Jonas’s grip.

“She’s only going to be here a couple of weeks, and I need her on the ranch,” Kade said.

She pasted on a smile and slid out of the booth, trying to hide her annoyance. “I guess it’s time to go. Thanks for lunch, Jonas.”

Jonas cast Kade a disapproving glance, then smiled at Ellie. “I’ll see you in the store on your next trip to town.”

Ellie just nodded. “Thanks again.” She started walking toward the door, felt Kade’s big hand at her waist, and ignored the warmth spreading through her.

She climbed into the truck and slammed the door, silently fuming as Kade slid into the driver’s seat. She pinned him with a glare.

“Why on earth did you do that? Jonas was just beginning to trust me enough to talk.”

Kade’s golden eyes zeroed in on her. “What about you, Ellie? You beginning to trust him, too?”

Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding? I’m not interested in Jonas Murray. I’m trying to find out if he killed your wife!”

A flush rose in Kade’s lean cheeks. “You think he did it?”

Ellie blew out a frustrated breath. “My instincts say no. He’s a chaser, not a killer. But I need to do a little more checking before I can be sure.”

Kade leaned back in his seat. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know what the hell happened. I saw you through the window, and I thought about the way he treats women, the way he talks about them behind their backs. I don’t like the bastard and never have.”