Matt waited for Sophia to come closer, curious to know why Tony was on the back of her horse. Guess he and Cassandra weren’t the only ones to have problems with their mounts. He was hyper-aware of her standing by his side, body tensed as though she was sorry they were about to be invaded.

Wishful fantasy on his part, no doubt. She probably couldn’t wait to get back to her perfect life with the man of her dreams. If only she wasn’t going to take a piece of his heart with her. It was just his luck to fall in love with the one woman he couldn’t have. If he was a betting man—which he was—he should’ve folded this hand long before he got hurt.

“They look good together,” Cass said, her gaze on the couple fast approaching.

Did they? He glanced at her, surprised, before narrowing his gaze on his sister and the foreman. Sophia looked as though she’d chewed nails for breakfast, her face grimmer than he’d ever seen. And Tony wasn’t much better. His hat was pulled low over his eyes, but Matt could see the tension lining the man’s jaw and the stiffness of his shoulders. At the same time, he had an arm wrapped around Sophia’s waist and she leaned against his chest like she belonged there.

How had he missed seeing what Cassandra picked up on in an instant?

Because he wasn’t around as much as he should be.

He planned on changing that though. He’d made enough in the last few tournaments to give up gambling and focus on the ranch. Give Aaron and Sophia a chance to go and enjoy themselves for a while. It was a big world out there, even if Texans thought they owned the best part.

Aaron had given up a football scholarship, and Sophia, a chance at a university degree. Matt’s selfishness had tethered them to Abuela and the ranch. The best thing he could do was to give them their freedom.

He glanced at Cass again. When they arrived back home, he’d sit down and tell his grandmother the truth. She’d be disappointed, but it was the right thing to do.

Then, he would let Cassandra go.

“I knew you’d be here,” Sophia called. “Did you forget how to ride while you were away, city boy?” A cheeky grin chased away the shadows.

Tony drew the sorrel to a halt. The aroma of wet leather and musky animal lingered in the air. “You had us worried, boss. Thought you might be in trouble.” His gaze slid to Cass. “Guess not.”

Matt stiffened, then forced a careless smile. “I had good company.” He stepped forward to help his sister off the horse. “Did Goliath and Cleo make it home safely?”

Sophia placed her hands on his shoulders and held on, reminding him of the little girl she’d been not so very long ago. “You should have seen them, Matt. They trotted into the courtyard with arched necks and flowing tails. If not for the empty saddles and trailing reins it would’ve been beautiful.”

He grinned, aware of her love for the four-legged creatures. Then he heard the rest of what she had said. Shoot, Grandma. “What about…”

“Don’t worry.” She squeezed his arms before stepping back and smiling at Cassandra. “Consuela will ease her mind.” She nodded at Cass’s clothes. “I like your new fashion sense.”

Cass glanced down and her fingers fluttered like nervous butterflies down the clasps, before she lifted her head and shrugged, her lips wry. “I’m getting the hang of this western wear thang.”

Matt didn’t know whether to smirk or groan. With her long bare legs and the hip length shirt she was the least cowboy-looking person he’d ever met, but he appreciated her humor. “Leave her alone, Sis. We were soaked by the time we got here so I offered her one of my old shirts, no big deal.”

Sophia laughed, the brat.

Tony dismounted, and the enjoyment died from her face. Whatever was going on between them, it was intense. Maybe he better have a little chat with his foreman. Sophia was headstrong and impulsive. He’d hate to see her get hurt.

“Where’s your horse?” he asked her.

She exchanged an indecipherable glance with Tony. “He caught his foot in a gopher hole. We left him on the other side of the pass to rest.”

Matt stared with growing concern. “When did you leave home?”

“Yesterday, around noon,” Tony muttered.

“Yesterday?” Matt snarled. “So you’re telling me you had my sister out in the countryside—alone—overnight?” His fists clenched and he took a step toward the asshole before Sophia stopped him with a tight grip on his arm.

“Stop it,” she snapped. “You’re being ridiculous. We were looking for you, you big idiot. Tony was a perfect gentleman.”

Ouch.

Matt looked down at the snakebite hold she had on his wrist and frowned. “You’re my baby sister. It’s my duty to defend you.”

She sighed and relaxed her grip. “I’m not a child anymore. You guys need to back off and let me make my own mistakes.”

No, we don’t.

In the interests of peace, he didn’t say it aloud, but there was no way he was going to sit back and let some jerk—no offence to Tony—break his sister’s heart. It was a brother’s job to protect. Whether it was appreciated or not.

“We just made coffee, I bet you could use a cup,” Cassandra said, sending him a back-off-for-now glare.

Sophia smiled and nodded gratefully. “That sounds like heaven. Lead the way. We’ll leave these two to sort out the travel arrangements.” She tucked her arm through Cass’s and marched into the house without a backward glance.

Matt stared after them, wondering how he became the bad guy, until Tony laughed.

“I guess we just got put in our place.” He hesitated, then took his hat off and slapped it against his thigh. “Look, you have no reason to believe me, but I would never do anything to hurt your sister. She means too much to me.”

The lightbulb flashed crazily, showering Matt with blinking you’re an idiot messages to the brain. His foreman was in love with Sophia. Dammit, she has her whole life in front of her. She didn’t need to get bogged down by some cowboy.

Just like him and Cassandra.

They weren’t that different, he and Tony. They both wanted women who were too good for them. Difference was, Tony had to be ten years or better Sophia’s senior. There was a whole lot of living he’d probably done in that time. Matt needed that for his sister. He wanted her to do all the things she’d missed by being tied to the ranch. Travel. Dating. Even going back to school, if that’s what she desired. There was plenty of time to settle down and have a family. When she was ready.

“I hear ya,” he said, leaning over to shake Tony’s hand. “All I’m asking is that you give her room to make her own decisions. Okay?”

Tony took the outstretched hand and gave a firm shake. “I plan to, boss. I don’t want her to rush into anything she’ll regret. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.”

He turned and led his horse over to the water trough, leaving Matt to stew on his words.