Sarah ate the raw dough mixture, then reached for another ball. “These are great.”
“Good comfort food designed to cure heartaches. Why do you have to do anything about Jordan? Why not see how things go before you start organizing your future?”
“I don’t have time to see how things turn out with Jordan. Mom and dad are coming to visit in December. They think I’m wasting my time out here.”
“Are you?”
“No. It’s been a good year. But I need to make some decisions about what I’m going to do. Dad will freak out if he meets Jordan, if he thinks he’s someone special.”
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Mom and dad might think I’m going to stay in Montana.”
Tess frowned. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“It is if you’re an only child who doesn’t want to let her parents down.”
“Maybe your parents need to change their thinking?”
Sarah sat on a kitchen stool and leaned her elbows on the counter. “I spent seven years at college and twelve months working at IBM. When I started my own company, dad was so proud.” She fiddled with some napkins stacked beside her. “They don’t see Bozeman as a good career development opportunity.”
“But the software thingy you were telling me about the other day, you could develop that anywhere?”
Sarah nodded.
“And that place could be in Bozeman, Berlin, or Bermuda?”
“Yeah. But not Berlin. It’s too far away.”
The timer on the oven beeped. Tess checked the cookies, then set the clock for another five minutes. “So in theory you could work from Bozeman?”
“I can’t see why not.”
“So the big question isn’t if you could work from Bozeman, but do you want to work from Bozeman?”
Sarah thought about her friends, the life she’d made. It was more real than her life in Portland, more honest and so much more rewarding. When she’d arrived in Montana, she’d been angry and hurt. Working on Alex’s ranch had helped put her life into perspective. It had shown her she was more than the sum of who she thought she was. And then there was Jordan. Being around him, kissing him, had reminded her she was a woman. Someone who could love and be loved.
She smiled at Tess. “I want to live in Bozeman.”
“And you could work from anywhere? Maybe even from a ranch?”
“Dad won’t see it like that.” Sarah knew exactly how her dad would see it. He’d think she was running away from her life, burying herself in the middle of nowhere.
“Sounds like your parents have got a little perception problem.” Tess wiped her hands on a dishcloth and picked up the phone. “I know exactly who can help. Emily started working from her spare bedroom. Now she has an amazing fashion boutique in the center of town and clients from around the world. If she can’t help us, no one can.”
Sarah sighed and helped herself to another ball of cookie dough. Her parents were arriving in December. That gave her less than three months to convince them that this was where she needed to be.
If the plan Tess and Emily came up with didn’t work, she could always buy her mom and dad a few return flights from Portland. That way they could visit her in Bozeman and tell her what she was missing out on.
***
Jordan didn’t generally sit outside and watch the sunset, but tonight he felt restless, too preoccupied to stay inside. It was cold, the kind of night that made you think of splitting wood and roaring fires.
The screen door on the porch squeaked and he looked up at Sarah. “I thought you’d left for the night?”
“Just about to go. I wanted to say goodbye to the Buchanans.”
Jordan looked back at the ranch. The Buchanans were driving into Bozeman early the next morning to catch a flight home. “They enjoyed their stay on the ranch.” He could feel Sarah’s gaze on his face.
“They want to come back next year.”
Jordan nodded. He’d taken their details, arranged to call them in a couple of months’ time. “With the fancy online booking system you’re working on it will be easy to register them.”
“I hope so. I sent you an email this afternoon. Are you happy for me to send it out to other families in the area?”
Since he’d opened his business, he’d started working with other ranchers. Depending on the season or what his guests wanted to do, the families around him had been happy to host additional activities on their ranches. It gave his neighbors extra income and made his guests’ vacation more enjoyable.
They were going to use the Triple L’s website to coordinate some of those activities. Each ranching family would keep their website information up to date. They’d send any changes through to him and he’d upload the data. Sarah hoped it would reduce the number of phone calls going between properties and give potential guests something to consider when making their booking.
“The email was fine,” he said. “Once we’ve got an idea of what the website will look like I’ll invite everyone out here for a preview.” He glanced at Sarah. She was leaning against the porch railing, staring at the same view that had kept him sitting out here for the last half hour. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail and wasn’t wearing makeup. She looked so good that it almost hurt his eyes. Imagining her not being on the ranch after tonight was too hard. He’d miss her.
The sun dipped low, almost disappeared behind the mountains.
Sarah cleared her throat. “Mrs. Davies should be here by ten o’clock tomorrow. I’ve left some chocolate fudge cookies in the cookie tin for Frank and Jeb. Tim’s already come across and hidden the batch of scones I made this afternoon. If anyone else is hungry, there’s cake in the freezer. I’ve cut it into large pieces so twenty seconds in the microwave should defrost each slice enough to eat it.”
“Thanks. For everything. We would have had to cancel the Buchanans’ booking if you hadn’t been here.” He stood up and moved closer, leaning against a wooden post.
He didn’t know how Sarah had managed to juggle both jobs over the last two weeks. She hadn’t complained, hadn’t told him it was all too much. “You must be looking forward to working on one ranch?”
She ran her hand along the railing. “I was busy, but I enjoyed it. It’s been good getting to know everyone.” She paused, then smiled. “Pete offered to teach me how to ride.”
Jordan nodded. Usually he would have come up with some funny remark, but not tonight. Tonight he felt a heavy weight in his chest. The kind that someone moving away could make.
Sarah cleared her throat. “I’m only down the road. If you need help again, just let me know.”
“You’ll be coming back to work on the website?” It had been the only thing that had given him hope. Working on the ranch wasn’t a nine to five job. He couldn’t always get away, couldn’t guarantee he’d be somewhere at a certain time. Not that he was planning to date Sarah. Not officially, but the idea was there. The need to get to know her, find out if she thought going out with him was something she’d consider.
At least in town people bumped into each other. There were no bumping opportunities when you worked on thirteen thousand acres of land. Unless there was other bumping going on. He wiped that thought out of his head. He was having a hard enough time standing beside Sarah without thinking about other things they could be doing.
“I won’t need to come out here too often. Once I know exactly what you want I can do most of the work from Alex’s ranch.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He needed to think of something fast, something that would keep Sarah in his life for a while longer. “Emily and Alex’s wedding isn’t far away.”
A frown wrinkled her brow. “It’s in two weeks, give or take a couple of days.”
“I’m one of Alex’s groomsmen.”
Sarah nodded. He could tell she wasn’t sure where he was taking this conversation. Neither was he, but it had to be better than standing on his porch tongue-tied and worried he’d
never see her again.
“Someone mentioned you like dancing. You know, the real thing, like waltzes. I was wondering, if you weren’t already taking a partner, if you’d like to come to the wedding with me?” He stuck his hands in his pockets, zipped his mouth before he really started rambling.
“I…I hadn’t really thought about going with someone. But I guess it could work.”
His heart sank. That had to be the most uninspiring reply he’d ever heard.
Sarah let go of the railing and turned toward him. “Do you know how to dance?”
Jordan might have been feeling off center, but he wasn’t that far gone that he didn’t see where her question could take them. “Sort of. Mom gave me a crash course before my Senior Prom. Apart from that I haven’t been to many things where I’ve needed to dance.”
“What about Trent and Gracie’s wedding?”
Jordan wasn’t sure she’d want to hear the twisted tale of his brother’s love life. Running away to Vegas wasn’t every woman’s idea of the perfect wedding and it hadn’t been Gracie’s. Especially when she couldn’t remember getting married. So he stuck with a condensed version. The one that wouldn’t scare her away and make her think he was as loopy as his brother.
“They got married in Vegas, then had a smaller wedding out at the ranch. There wasn’t much room for dancing.”
Sarah looked down at her feet, then quickly glanced at him. “I could teach you. If you want to learn?”
He wanted to pick her up and give her a huge hug. Instead, he plastered a frown on his face and pretended to consider her offer. “Are you sure you’ve got the time?”
“Depends on how coordinated you are.”
Sarah smiled and Jordan’s body went from conversation mode to down-and-dirty in two seconds flat. He was glad the sun had all but disappeared. Glad she couldn’t see the thoughts running through his head or the way his body reacted to those thoughts.
“I’ll give it my best shot.” Oh, hell. That wasn’t what he’d meant to say, but Sarah didn’t seem to notice.
“I guess I’d better get going.” She stuck her hands inside her padded ski jacket and turned toward the porch steps.
Jordan stepped forward. If he didn’t make a move now, he wouldn’t get another chance. “Sarah, I, ah…about the other day…”
He could have sworn Sarah blushed, but the light spilling from the living room was dim and he couldn’t be sure. If she wasn’t as red as a beet, then he sure as hell must have been. He needed to get his act together, treat her like any other female he’d met. And kissed.
“I’m sorry, Jordan.”
“What for?”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned. “Jumping all over you.”
“I didn’t mind.”
She took a couple of seconds to let what he’d said sink in. “You liked it?”
“I couldn’t help but like it, Legs.”
“But you’re my boss,” she whispered.
He took a step closer. “Not anymore.”
“It’s kind of…weird.”
“Did I tell you I like weird?”
Sarah laughed. “No, but Tess did.”
That stopped him in his tracks. “What did she say exactly?”
“I can’t tell you.” She grinned. “But one story might have involved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
He flicked through his memory banks, tried to find anything that involved peanut butter and jelly. Nothing sprung to mind, unless she meant the time he’d been caught buck naked in the middle of Emerald Lake. “I was young. I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“It was last year. If Tess hadn’t called the Search and Rescue Team no one would have found you.”
“It was a prank. The helicopter was overkill.”
“So were the pictures.”
“You’ve seen the photos?” Jordan didn’t know whether to blush or run for cover. He’d kill Tess when he saw her. He wanted to create a good impression, show Sarah he was a mature, sensible, adult. Holding onto a buoy, as naked as the day he was born, wasn’t sensible. It didn’t even land at the bottom of the sensible scale.
“I got stranded,” he muttered.
“I could tell.”
He’d felt like a human Popsicle when he’d eventually made it back to shore. Dan Carter, the Deputy Chief of Police, had handed him his own sandwiches. He’d been so hungry he would have eaten anything including the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the lunch box.
Sarah patted his chest. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me and half of Bozeman.”
Jordan held her hand against his jacket, saw the moment her laughter turned into something serious. “I’ve got lots of secrets, Sarah.”
She searched his eyes, dug a little deeper into their depths. “We’re all working through more than we show.”
He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “I’m a good listener.”
Sarah shook her head and pulled her hand away. “I really have to go.”
“What are you afraid of?”
She stopped at the top of the stairs and turned toward him. Even in what little light there was, he could see the worry filling her face. “I’m afraid I might fall in love with you.”
Jordan watched her walk quickly across to her car. He didn’t know what was so wrong with falling in love. But maybe it wasn’t the falling in love part that worried her. Maybe it was him.
And maybe, if he was honest with himself, he should be worried too.
***
Sarah sat on the sofa in Gracie and Trent’s home, waiting for Jordan to find the music he’d saved for his first dance lesson. She hadn’t been back to the ranch in three days and it felt more than a little strange to be out here now.
Mrs. Davies had made it safely back to the Tripe L. The new guests had arrived yesterday and everyone was working hard to make sure everything got done.
“It’s in here somewhere,” Jordan yelled from the kitchen.
Sarah stood up and moved the coffee table out of the center of the room. She pushed the sofa back as far as it would go, then moved the chairs against the wall, too. The last thing they needed were obstacles in their way. Unless Jordan remembered more than he thought he did, quarter turns and other tricky maneuvers would have to wait for another lesson.
“I’ve brought a CD with me if you can’t find your music,” she yelled back.
“I’ve got it.” Jordan ran back into the living room waving a plastic case in the air. “I checked this out from the library.” He looked around the living room and smiled. “Not willing to take a chance on my abilities, Legs?”
Sarah crossed her arms in front of her chest. Ever since Jordan had met her at the front door, she’d been regretting her decision to teach him how to dance. He’d looked as though he’d just stepped out of the shower. With his damp hair, wide shoulders and even wider smile, she’d had to pull every ounce of willpower out of her misbehaving body just to step through the front door.
“I don’t doubt your abilities, Jordan McKenzie, but I’m not taking any chances on your sense of direction.”
He took a step forward and sent her a megawatt, dimple laden grin. “I know exactly where I want to go, Legs. It’s just a matter of finding out if you want to go there too.”
She grabbed the CD out of his hands and headed across to the sound system. “It’s time to get this dance lesson started.” She heard Jordan’s soft laugh, felt his gaze caress her body as if his fingers were doing the exploring instead of his eyes.
She frowned at the CD cover. “The Muppets?”
“I saw Erin at the library. Kermit’s Rainbow Connection came highly recommended. Jake, her husband, chose it for their wedding dance.”
“He did?”
“It’s got a good beat.”
Sarah wasn’t convinced a Muppet could help them, but she put the disc in the CD player and hoped for the best. She picked up the folder she’d brought with her and turned toward
Jordan.
He was still grinning when she stood beside him. “I want you to take a step forward.”
“Which foot?”
“Left.”
Jordan stepped forward and Sarah pulled two cardboard footprints out of the folder. She put one beside where his foot used to be and another one where his left foot had landed.
“This isn’t dancing, Legs. You’re supposed to be standing in front of me.”
“I will be. Once you know where your feet need to go, we can dance together.”
“That’s easy. Hit play on the sound system.”
Sarah glanced at the folder, then down at Jordan’s feet. “It won’t take long to set everything up.”
“Hit play.”
The teasing note in Jordan’s voice worried her. He picked up the footprints, then stared pointedly at the CD player. Sarah pushed the play button. When Kermit strummed the first chords on his banjo Jordan started moving toward her. But not in a normal run-of-the-mill kind of way. His body moved in time with the music and his feet stepped and slid into a perfect box step.
“You don’t need the footprints?”
Jordan shrugged his shoulders. “Not today. It’s just a matter of one...two...three.”
He hadn’t told her the whole truth. The box step formed the beginning, middle, and end of the waltz. If he could do those steps, he might have a few more tricks up his sleeve. “I thought you didn’t know how to dance?”
“I know the basics.”
He pulled her close and held Sarah’s right hand in a firm grip. “This is the part where you put your other hand on my shoulder.”
She glared at the dimple in his cheek. “You tricked me.”
“Didn’t have a choice. Now move your left hand, Legs.”
“Your mom wouldn’t be impressed with your fibs.”
Jordan reached for her hand and held it against his shoulder. “I’m too old to worry about mom. Besides, she’d understand the situation I’m in.”
Kermit started singing and Sarah frowned as Jordan angled her into a smooth quarter turn. “What situation would that be?”
“Holding a pretty girl in my arms and being too scared to put a foot wrong.”
“You’re doing okay at the moment,” Sarah growled. Jordan sighed and pulled her closer. Her hand slipped to his back and her nose ended up buried against his neck. He smelled good, too good for a cowboy who thought he could whisper sweet nothings in her ear and get away with it.
Forever And A Day (Montana Brides, Book #7) Page 8
