Forever And A Day (Montana Brides, Book #7)

by Leeanna Morgan

  Apart from one or two minor hitches and a father-in-law who didn’t want to wear a suit, everything had gone according to plan. Even the weather had behaved itself to produce one of the warmest days they’d ever seen in October.

  “Have I told you how pretty you are?” Jordan sat down beside her and kissed her neck.

  “A few times,” Sarah said with a catch in her voice. Jordan had stayed beside her for most of the night. He’d held her hand, introduced her to people she didn’t know. And they’d danced. Waltzes, foxtrots, rumbas, and even ock and roll. She’d never had so much fun or wanted someone so badly.

  She’d fallen in love with him.

  Jordan held her hand. “Mr. Jacobsen told me that apart from Alex, I’m the luckiest man in the room.”

  Sarah didn’t need to be looking at Jordan to know he was smiling. “Do you think Mr. Jacobsen will ask me to dance again?” She’d shuffle-stepped her way around the dance floor with the eighty-five-year-old half an hour ago. He was charming and funny, especially when he told her stories about his retirement village.

  “He’ll only be able to dance with you if he can find you. Do you want to get some fresh air before Emily throws her bouquet?”

  “I’ll even stay outside while Emily throws her bouquet.” Sarah sighed as she remembered the one wedding tradition she hated. “I don’t understand why all the single women have to stand together like sheep in a pasture, waiting for a bunch of flowers to fall from the sky. It’s weird to think that catching a bunch of flowers will lead to finding your one true love.”

  “Bit like putting a poster in a window,” Jordan muttered.

  “Or an online dating site, or a singles night in a bar. It doesn’t happen like that.”

  “Of course not, Legs. Come on, I want to show you something.”

  Sarah picked up her jacket and held Jordan’s hand. “Your brother has been giving me weird looks all night. Is everything all right at the ranch?”

  “Trent gets moody sometimes, especially when he doesn’t get enough sleep. Jessica still isn’t sleeping through the night.”

  Sarah didn’t know what it was like having a baby who wasn’t sleeping, but it must be hard. The smallest issue would seem like a mountain. “Do you think they’d appreciate some home baking?”

  Jordan led her around the tables of laughing guests. “They always appreciate food. I do, too.”

  “I know you do. Why don’t you learn to bake?”

  “I already can. It just tastes nicer when someone else cooks for me. You’d better put your jacket on, it will be cold out here.”

  Sarah pulled her arms into the sleeves of her wool jacket. It fell in soft folds around her shoulders and kept the chilly night air away.

  Jordan led her around the side of the building, down a path, and across a wide bridge. The lake below was almost pitch black, except where it met the reflection from a building at the end of the bridge. She stopped and stared.

  Hundreds of twinkling fairy lights had been wrapped around a gazebo. Swags of white fabric fell from the sides and some kind of flowering vine grew along the beams. “It’s beautiful.”

  “I thought you’d like it. Alex and Emily had some photos taken out here earlier.”

  Sarah walked closer to the gazebo and touched the soft white fabric. Roses wound through the beams and left a sweet scent in the air. “They did all of this for a few photos?”

  “Not quite. The roses were already here. Molly wrapped the fabric around the posts for the photos. I came out here with Trent and added the lights.”

  “Why?”

  “For you.”

  Sarah turned to him. “I don’t understand?”

  “I wanted tonight to be special. You’ll probably be going back to Portland soon. I wanted...memories. A reason for you to come back.”

  Sarah held Jordan’s hand and smiled. “It’s amazing, thank you.” His slow grin tugged at her heart.

  “That’s not all.” He walked across to the far side of the gazebo and lifted the edge of one of the swags. Someone had plugged an old CD player into the power socket. He pushed play and stood in front of her. “May I have this dance?”

  A banjo started playing and Sarah laughed. “Kermit?”

  Jordan’s eyes sparkled under the fairy lights.

  She lifted her left arm to his shoulder and slid her right hand along his fingers. “I’m starting to fall a little in love with your froggy friend.”

  Jordan pulled her close and started dancing. “I hope he’s not the only guy you’re falling for?”

  Sarah smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “You’d be guessing right,” she whispered.

  ***

  Sarah pushed the duvet away from her face and frowned at her bedroom door. She heard it again, a quick firm tap that had woken her out of a deep sleep.

  “Sarah? Are you awake?”

  “Mac? Hang on.” She sat on the edge of her bed and reached for the sweatshirt she’d left on her chair.

  She opened her door and stared at him. He was dressed. He even looked as though he’d had a shower. “What time is it?”

  “Nine. You’ve slept in.”

  Sarah rubbed her eyes and yawned. “You woke me up because I slept in?”

  He put his hands on his hips and grinned. “Your parents are here.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Here? But they weren’t arriving until later.”

  “They wanted to surprise you. They’re waiting in the living room. I’ve given them coffee so you’ve probably got time to have a shower.”

  “Do I look that bad?”

  “Like the wicked witch of the west.”

  Which was about as good as she felt. Jordan had dropped her off at Alex’s ranch after three in the morning. She’d been so tired that she hadn’t even bothered to take her make-up off.

  She yawned again, then frowned at Mac. “Why are you looking so happy?”

  “I haven’t met your parents before. They’re telling me all sorts of family secrets.”

  “Great. Tell them I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Mac smiled again. “And stop fishing for information. They’re called family secrets for a reason.”

  “If you don’t want them sharing, you’d better be quick.”

  Sarah closed the door on his smiling face. She grabbed some clothes, headed into her ensuite, and stared in the mirror. Mac hadn’t been kidding when he told her she looked like the wicked witch of the west. A zombie looked better than she did. Her hair stood on end, her make-up was smudged all over her face, and she could have packed for a two-week vacation with the size of the bags under her eyes.

  Being the last person out of bed had the added benefit of making sure she didn’t dawdle in the shower. When she stepped under the water, it was lukewarm. By the time she’d rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, it was stone cold.

  She slipped her watch onto her wrist and stared at the time. Eight minutes. Her mom and dad couldn’t have said too much in that time. Nothing too incriminating anyway.

  Sarah walked into the living room and stared at the three ranch hands having coffee with her parents. And that didn’t include Mac. He was busy passing around the chocolate chip muffins she’d made yesterday morning.

  “Surprise,” her mom squealed from the lumpy sofa she was sitting on. She wiggled onto the edge of the seat and launched herself across the room.

  Mac raised his eyebrows. She may have been a little vague on the individuality of her mom’s personality.

  Her mom gave the impression of being a flaky blonde. She adored bright colors, shopping, and her husband. People got a shock when they found out Sarah and her mom were related. They didn’t fit together easily. Chalk and cheese, Walmart and Gucci.

  What most people didn’t know was that her mom had a degree in Political Science from Stanford University. She’d graduated in the top ten percent of her class and had worked with their local senator in a much-coveted internship program. Then she’d met Sarah’s dad. Within six mo
nths, her political career had been replaced with social engagements and international shopping sprees.

  “Hi, mom. You’re early.”

  “We just couldn’t wait another minute,” her mom gushed. “Your dad spoke to the lovely people at the airline and they managed to change our booking. Wasn’t that nice of them?”

  “Wonderful.” Sarah smiled at her dad. “Hi, dad.”

  “We would have been here sooner,” her mom continued, “but we got lost. There aren’t many places to stop and ask for directions.”

  Sarah went to the kitchen and poured herself a coffee. It was going to be a long couple of days.

  Mac passed her a muffin. “Your mom was telling us about your business back in Portland. It can’t be easy winning the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award?”

  She hid behind the rim of her mug, waiting for someone else to fill the surprised silence in the room. No one did. “Well, you know, it just sort of happened.”

  Her mom frowned. “Fiddlesticks. You worked hard for that award. And if James hadn’t run off with your program you would have won it this year as well.”

  Her dad cleared his throat. “So how is life on the prairie?”

  Sarah glanced at each of the ranch hands. It looked as though her family was contributing to the best morning’s entertainment they’d witnessed in years. Mac looked positively spellbound.

  She glared at their smiling faces. “Haven’t you guys got something else to do today? You know, feed cows, fix a fence?”

  Ethan, the newest ranch hand, sat back and smiled. “Nope. Sunday is our day off. So why did that James dude run off with your program?”

  Sarah turned to her parents and plastered an excited smile on her face. “Let’s go on a sightseeing tour.”

  “Mac suggested the same thing,” her dad said. “He thought we might like to have a look around the ranch.”

  She looked pointedly at Mac. He stared back with an innocent expression on his face. Mac was the master of deception. He could find out more about someone in ten minutes than most of the world knew about them in their lifetime. Except for Sarah. But that had changed the moment her mom’s sparkling personality landed on their lumpy sofa.

  Sarah thought about what might appeal to her mom. “I could take you into Bozeman. There’s a Sunday Market with lots of craft stalls and food.”

  “I like the idea of touring around the ranch,” her mom said. “I bought some pretty cowgirl boots at the airport.” She turned to Sarah’s dad. “John, would you be a dear and get my jeans and red sweater out of the little case I brought with me?”

  Her dad pulled his car keys out of his pocket and smiled at Mac. “It looks as though you’ve got yourself a job as a tour guide.”

  Sarah caught the victorious gleam in Mac’s eyes. He might have found a job, but he’d lost the sweet cherry pie she was going to make for dessert tomorrow night.

  ***

  Jordan pulled up to Alex’s ranch at three o’clock. A fancy sedan with rental plates was parked close to Sarah’s house. He looked more closely at the vehicle before heading across to the front porch. Whoever had driven it here had picked it up from Bozeman airport. Sarah’s parents were arriving today, so he figured the rental must belong to them.

  He knew Alex and Emily wouldn’t be here. They’d stayed the night in a hotel in town then headed to the airport for their honeymoon. Two weeks on a Mediterranean cruise wasn’t his idea of fun, but he wasn’t the one on honeymoon.

  After last night, he appreciated the benefits of being alone anywhere with a woman for two weeks. Especially if their family and friends weren’t on the same vacation. Or at the same wedding.

  The lake might have been a stunning backdrop to his grand night of seduction, but it also amplified any sound hitting the water. Kermit the Frog had drawn the attention of every child at the wedding. He guessed news traveled fast when you were bored. They’d come in droves, all twelve of them, with parents, to investigate the most interesting thing that had happened all day.

  They’d sat around the edge of the gazebo, inching closer to the CD player. One boy revved the volume up so loud that it scared a little girl half to death. She’d run screaming into her father’s arms, only she never made it. She tripped on one of the cotton swags and fell headfirst into the water.

  Her dad jumped in after her, pulled her to safety, then started yelling at Jordan for being out there in the first place. That didn’t go down too well with the younger children in their audience and they started crying as well. By the time everyone calmed down and went back to the wedding, Jordan was ready to jump in the lake himself.

  The only surprise was that the police hadn’t been called to sort out the disturbance by the lake.

  All in all, it had been a wedding to remember.

  The front door of Sarah’s house was wide open. He rapped his knuckles against the wood and yelled, “Anyone home?”

  A tall guy with blonde hair ambled down the hallway. “Can I help?”

  Jordan looked closely at his face. “Are you Ethan? The new guy?”

  “Yep. Who’s asking?”

  Jordan stuck his hand out and introduced himself. “I’m looking for Sarah.”

  Ethan scratched his head, then glanced down at his watch. “She went out with Mac and her parents hours ago. Said something about a tour of the ranch. They should be back soon.”

  A horn blasted across the ranch and Jordan walked around the side of the house. “They’re here, thanks,” he called to Ethan, but he’d already disappeared back inside.

  Two four wheelers pulled up beside his truck. Mac was the first to swing his leg over the back of one of the bikes. He yanked his helmet off and grinned at Jordan. “Heard you had an interesting night.”

  Like most of what Mac said, it wasn’t a question. “You could say that.”

  Jordan’s answer amused Mac. He moved out of the way while the driver of his four wheeler jumped off the bike.

  “Sarah?” Jordan watched her pull her helmet off. Unlike Mac’s head gear, she was wearing a full face helmet. The smile on her face would have lit half the town with electricity for a year.

  He glared at Mac. “You let her drive?”

  “She was perfectly safe with me behind her.”

  Jordan just bet she was. It was bad enough that Mac lived in the same house as Sarah. He didn’t have to ride around the ranch with her in his arms.

  Sarah was looking at the bike beside her. Her smile dipped.

  A couple in their early fifties took their helmets off. They must be her parents.

  Sarah’s mom stepped forward and held her hand out. “Hello. I’m Angela. Sarah’s mom.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Thornton. I’m Jordan, Sarah’s…”

  “Friend.” Sarah’s voice cracked like a whip across the yard. She glanced at him, sent him a look that didn’t make sense. “Jordan, this is my mom and dad. Angela and John.”

  Mrs. Thornton took pity on him. “Won’t you come inside, Jordan. Mac and Sarah have been showing us around the ranch. It’s quite an impressive sight from the back of a bike.”

  He could see where Sarah got her stunning looks from. Although Mrs. Thornton’s hair had been cut to her shoulders, it had the same blonde highlights as Sarah’s. They both had the same narrow face, high cheek bones, and cat shaped eyes. But Sarah’s full lips came straight from her dad.

  John Thornton was staring at him with open curiosity. “So you’re a friend of Sarah’s?”

  “Don’t go pestering the young man just yet, John,” Mrs. Thornton said. “I’m sure Sarah has some lemonade or another cold drink we could enjoy after our ride.”

  Sarah passed Mac her helmet. “You can help me get everything ready if you want to, Jordan.”

  “Sure.” He didn’t know what was going on, but he had a feeling he was about to find out.

  Sarah washed her hands at the kitchen sink then started taking glasses out of the pantry. “I haven’t told mom and dad. About us.”

  “I
got the hint when you called me a friend.”

  “I don’t want them jumping to conclusions.”

  Jordan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What conclusions are you referring to? The one where we’re sleeping together, or the one where you’re planning on coming back to Montana to live?”

  Sarah tilted her chin in the air. “What do you want me to say? Oh, by the way, mom and dad, here’s the man I’m having sex with?”

  “What’s wrong with calling me your boyfriend?”

  “Because I don’t want my parents to know I’ve got a boyfriend,” Sarah hissed.

  “What the hell’s wrong with having a boyfriend? And what’s wrong with me?”

  “Keep your voice down.”

  Jordan closed the kitchen door and glared at Sarah. “You haven’t answered my question.”

  Sarah crossed her arms in front of her chest. “A boyfriend means commitment. It means being responsible for someone else. I’m not ready to do that again.”

  “What do you call what we’ve been doing together?”

  Sarah threw her hands in the air. “I’m twenty-eight years old. I don’t have to call it anything. We had sex. More than once. You don’t need to be my boyfriend for that.”

  “Like hell,” Jordan growled. “I thought we meant something to each other. I thought we were a couple. If you’re not ready to admit that, then you’re not the right person for me.”

  “I was committed to someone once and he screwed me over for a piece of computer code. I’ve known you for a month. What do you expect me to say? That you’re the man of my dreams? That I can’t imagine my life without you? The only person I know that would be that crazy is my mother.”

  “Maybe if you were more like your mom we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  Tears glittered in Sarah’s eyes. “You think we’d be walking down the aisle playing one big happy family? It doesn’t work like that. I’m not willing to give up everything I’ve worked hard for, to live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere.”