He yanked the mattress sideways and Trent let out a curse before falling over the edge of the mattress. The whole thing toppled sideways, landing half on, half off the bed.
Trent’s head narrowly missed the side table. He glanced up at the wooden drawers and sighed. “You’d have a lot of explaining to do if I came home with a slipped disc and a black eye.”
Jordan joined his brother on the edge of the mattress. He leaned back and breathed deeply. “Gracie would understand. She loves me.”
Trent grunted. “She loves you because you eat everything she bakes, including her cookies.”
Jordan didn’t want to dwell too long on his sister-in-law’s cookie making ability. She could make anything, but cookies stumped her. They usually ended up flat, hard, and burned to a crisp. Although she’d been working on the crispy factor. Mrs. Davies had finally convinced her that the timer on the oven was her friend. Once she’d mastered how to set it, they hadn’t had another burned batch hitting the cookie tin.
Trent stared at the ceiling, tried moving, then gave up. “So what’s happening with Sarah? You haven’t talked about her for a few days.”
“Nothing much to say.”
“Do I detect a problem in paradise?”
“Don’t be an idiot.” Jordan rolled off the mattress and glared at his brother. “Are you going to lie there all day or do I need to call the fire department to get you upright?”
“I liked you better before I went on vacation. You’re turning into a grouch.”
“I learned from the best,” Jordan muttered. He held his hand out and Trent grabbed his forearm. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Jordan pulled and Trent groaned.
“This isn’t the best day I’ve had.” Trent stretched his back, cursing his brother and the king sized mattress. “I thought everything was working out okay? I know the gazebo thing wasn’t what you’d planned, but she must have seen the funny side of it. Everyone else did.”
“It wasn’t the gazebo that was the problem. It’s me.” Jordan heaved the mattress onto the bed.
“I could have told you that before you met her.” Trent stared at him. “You aren’t joking, are you?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Trent followed him down the stairs. “Don’t walk so fast. You’ve crippled me for life.”
Jordan stopped and waited for his brother. “There’s nothing else to say.”
“Yeah right. I’d say there’s an awful lot to say if the scowl on your face is anything to go by. Why did you say you’re the problem? Sarah seemed happy enough at the wedding.”
“I thought so to, but she decided she’s wasting her time with me. She doesn’t want to live in the middle of nowhere with a loser.”
“This isn’t the middle of nowhere and I don’t believe she called you a loser.”
Jordan started walking down the stairs. “There are over six hundred thousand people living in Portland. I know, I looked it up. She must have felt as if she’d landed on another planet when she arrived here.”
“And…”
Jordan could feel Trent’s stare between his shoulder blades. “I might have exaggerated her opinion of me. She didn’t exactly say I was a loser, but she meant it.”
“If that’s what she thinks then maybe she’s not the right person for you?”
“That’s what I told her.”
Trent stopped walking. “What did she say?”
“Nothing. I left.”
“So you haven’t spoken to her since then?”
“No. And I don’t intend to.”
Trent put his hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “Just because things didn’t work out with your last girlfriend, it doesn’t mean you have to give up so easily. If you like Sarah, then maybe you should give her another chance.”
“I’m out of chances,” Jordan growled as he opened the front door. “I’ve got a business to run and another set of guests arriving soon. If she doesn’t want to be part of my life, then that’s fine by me.”
Trent shook his head and looked outside. “You might want to reconsider what you said. Sarah’s parked her car beside the house and she’s heading toward the front door.”
Jordan turned around and stared across the yard. “Shit.”
***
Sarah knocked on Gracie and Trent’s front door and waited. She was so nervous she didn’t know where to look. She just hoped someone was home.
Gracie’s cat, Peaches, stretched and yawned. She’d been snoozing in an old box on the porch. She reached down and scratched behind Peaches’ ears. “Hi girl, how are you.”
“Sarah?”
She froze. It was Jordan. She didn’t want to see him. Not yet. Not so soon after she’d made a complete idiot of herself.
She gripped the folders in her hands and walked down the steps. “Hi. I…I’ve got the website projects that Sally’s class have been working on.” She handed him the folders and stuck her hands in her pockets. “I thought you might want to look at them before you talk to the students.”
Jordan glanced quickly at her. “You don’t want to be involved anymore?”
“No…I mean, yes. But I didn’t know whether you’d want to work with me, because of…you know.”
“Sally’s class are expecting to see their ideas online. I’ve got ranching families around here ready to provide me with information about activities they can provide. I’d say it was a little late to be getting cold feet about working together.”
He was angry and Sarah couldn’t blame him. She’d been mean and rude and said things she shouldn’t have. She had no idea if she could say anything to make up for it, but she had to at least apologize.
“About what I said. I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve any of it. You’re a good guy and you have a beautiful home in an incredible location.” She glanced across the yard. Trent was walking into the barn with a long parcel over his shoulder. “Once you’ve had a look at the options I’d be happy to answer any questions. If you want me to, I can speak at a meeting with your neighbors about how they can be involved.”
“How long are you staying in Bozeman?”
“A few months,” Sarah muttered. “Tess wants me to show her how to make a Facebook page for her café and Emily wants to update her website. I want to give Alex lots of notice so he can find someone to work on his ranch.”
“How was Portland?”
“It was good. I sold my program.”
“Congratulations.”
Sarah glanced across at her car. “Well, that’s all I came to say. I hope there are some ideas in the folders that you can use.” She started backing away. “It was nice seeing you again…and well...bye.”
Sarah opened her car door and slid behind the wheel. She could feel Jordan’s eyes watching her fumble with her seatbelt.
“Sarah?”
He walked toward her. The seatbelt fell out of her hands and zipped into the wall. She yanked it back and tried to act as if being here was no big deal.
“Thanks for coming out to the ranch with the folders.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t expect to see you.” She bit her bottom lip and cringed. Jordan was looking at her as if she was seriously weird. “You’re usually on the ranch. Doing…things.” It was time she left. She closed her door and started the car.
“Sarah?”
Oh, God. He wanted her to speak again. She was nearly hyperventilating with the effort of appearing normal. She rolled her window down and waited to hear what he had to say.
“Drive carefully.”
She thought he might have been smiling. Slightly. But she wasn’t staying around to find out. She lifted her foot off the break and cruised down the driveway like a fully functioning adult. Three cheers for automatic cars.
By the time she made it to the highway, her heart rate had slowed down. Her hands still felt clammy against the steering wheel, but that could have been because she was gripping it so tight.
/> She relaxed her fingers and tried to find something good about her visit to the ranch. There wasn’t a lot celebrate. She’d delivered the folders, said a couple of semi-intelligent words to Jordan, and not run over Gracie’s cat.
All in all, it had been a visit to seriously forget.
***
Jordan was looking at the folders Sarah had brought out to the ranch. He’d spread the projects around Gracie’s kitchen table, sorting through what he liked and didn’t like.
“What did Sarah want?” Trent asked as he put Jessica’s bottle in her mouth.
Gracie looked up from the kitchen counter. “Sarah was here?”
“This morning,” Trent murmured as Jessica devoured her dinner. “She didn’t stay long.”
Gracie started peeling another potato. “Did I tell you I met her mom and dad in town?”
Jordan shook his head. “Can’t say you did.”
“They were having coffee at Angel Wings Café. They’re a really nice couple. How was Sarah’s visit to Portland?”
“Fine.”
Trent looked over his shoulder at the papers. “Are these the website projects the students did?”
Jordan glanced up at his brother and frowned. “Sarah dropped them off.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“Not a lot.”
“What am I missing?” Gracie wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked across to the table. She smiled at the papers in front of Jordan. “They did a good job. I like this one.” She pointed at an image of Peaches, her cat, lying in the sun. “You could market the ranch as a haven for stressed-out pussycats.”
Sensing there might be a legitimate reason to come into the kitchen, Peaches wandered toward the table with her tail in the air.
Gracie patted Peaches before picking up another image. “I like this one, too.” She passed Jordan the paper.
Someone had taken a photo of Jordan and Sarah together. Jordan had his hat pushed to the back of his head and Sarah was smiling up at him, her blonde hair blowing behind her. They looked happy, maybe too happy. Jordan put it on the reject pile.
Trent raised his eyebrows. “She’s really gotten to you, hasn’t she?”
Gracie put her hands on her hips. “If you don’t tell me what’s going on I’m going on strike. That means no dessert after dinner.”
Jordan glanced at Gracie. She looked like she meant it. He stared at the photo he’d rejected. “I had a disagreement with Sarah before she went to Portland.”
Trent made a scoffing noise.
Gracie gave her husband a sharp stare before turning her attention back to Jordan. “Ignore your brother. Did you say anything that wasn’t able to be fixed?”
“I didn’t say much, but Sarah had plenty to say.”
“We often do.” Gracie sighed. “Are you still annoyed with her?”
Jordan had been angry, but now he didn’t know how he felt. When he saw Sarah this morning, she’d been more nervous than he’d ever seen her. Maybe she felt guilty for leading him on. Maybe he wanted her to feel guilty.
Gracie seemed to realize she wouldn’t be getting an answer anytime soon. “Once you’ve looked through these, do you need to work on the website with her?”
“Considering I don’t know what I’m doing, that was the plan.” Jordan ended up on the receiving end of one of Gracie’s stares. “Ma’am.”
“Don’t you ma’am me, Jordan McKenzie. The website and reservations process needs to be working as soon as possible. Schedule a meeting with Sarah before the hurt festers any more than it has.”
“Now I know why I married you,” Trent said.
“You married me because you’ve got a thing for five-foot-one redheads.” She walked around the table and kissed Trent soundly on the mouth.
“Do you mind?” Jordan growled. “I’m having a moment here and you’re getting all lovey-dovey.”
“Close your eyes,” Trent suggested as he watched his wife sashay back to the kitchen. “Or better yet, go and see Sarah and have your moment with her.”
Jordan stood up and gathered all of the project papers together. “I’ve got a phone call to make.” He kissed the top of Jessica’s head and held the little fingers that reached out to him. “Your dad’s right here for you, Jess.”
“What’s wrong with Uncle Jordan feeding Jessica?” Trent asked as he put Jessica against his shoulder to burp her.
“I’m having my moment elsewhere,” Jordan said. “And elsewhere doesn’t come with baby bottles.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jordan walked across to his apartment above the barn. It was getting cold, too cold to be wandering around without a jacket on. He’d been so distracted by Sarah’s visit this morning that he hadn’t noticed much of anything, including the weather.
The student’s projects were great. They understood the look and feel of what he wanted to achieve. They’d even researched other ranch vacation websites to see how they organized their information. He’d been impressed, but he shouldn’t have been surprised.
Sarah was methodical, organized, and creative. Even if she drove him insane with her schedules and programs, she always did a good job. It was just as well she’d realized Bozeman wasn’t the place for her. With her brains, she could go anywhere, be anything she wanted. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking, why he thought this could be a place Sarah would be happy to call home.
He wasn’t looking forward to the phone conversation he was about to have with her. If she was still as nervous as she’d been today, she wouldn’t want to speak to him.
He opened the main doors to the barn and took a few minutes to walk around the ground floor. Their next set of guests were arriving tomorrow and he wanted everything to look good. Either that, or he wanted to delay the phone call to Sarah.
Mrs. Davies had been out earlier in the day, replacing the floral arrangement on the side table, filling up the cookie tins and making sure there wasn’t a thing out of place.
He walked upstairs and looked in each of the bedrooms. He’d hung the curtains in the fire-damaged room with Trent, put the sheets and duvet on the bed. He’d even put a bunch of flowers on the new dresser to get rid of any lingering smell he’d missed.
His own apartment looked as good as the rooms they’d created downstairs. Gracie had found colorful rugs for the floors and cushions to match the sofa he’d chosen. It was somewhere he felt at home in. Somewhere he could relax after a hard day on the ranch.
He dropped the project folders on the table and pulled out a chair. He looked at the images again, read what the students thought his website should include. They had some good ideas, things he wouldn’t have thought of.
He tapped his fingers on the table and stared at the phone. He’d have to call Sarah at some point, but he didn’t want to do it now. He could leave it until tomorrow, maybe the next day.
“This is ridiculous,” he muttered. He grabbed the phone and punched in Sarah’s number. It rang for so long that he almost hung up. And then someone answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Sarah. It’s me, Jordan.” She didn’t say anything for so long that he wondered if she was going to talk to him.
“Hi.” Her voice sounded hesitant. “Did you have some questions about the website projects?”
“Yeah. But it will be easier to ask them when you can see what I’m talking about. Do you want to meet somewhere for coffee in the next couple of days?”
“Sure. I’m busy for most of tomorrow, but I should be finished what I need to do by half past three. Do you want to come here or in town?”
Jordan thought about what he’d be doing tomorrow. “Your place is better. Our new guests are arriving and I don’t want to be far away.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
“I’ll be there. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Jordan hung up and stared at the phone. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. He’d called her. They were going to meet t
omorrow. It would be one more thing ticked off her to-do list before she left.
He should have felt relieved, but he felt miserable.
The phone started ringing. He stared at it, wondering if Sarah had forgotten to tell him something. “Hello?”
“Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.”
He let go of his breath and smiled at the gruff voice coming down the phone. “I thought you wanted me to fend for myself?”
Trent laughed. “If I thought it would do any good I’d lock the front door. But Gracie would let you in the back. Be here in fifteen minutes or I’m eating your steak.”
Jordan didn’t need to be told twice. He put the phone down and grabbed his jacket. Only he didn’t feel hungry anymore. He was nervous, worried about tomorrow.
As he walked across to Gracie and Trent’s place, he decided he needed to start acting like an adult. Sarah had other plans that didn’t involve him. As soon as she’d finished the website and found a replacement on Alex’s ranch she’d be gone. Out of his life. Forever. And he’d have exactly what he wanted. His old life back.
***
Sarah jumped when she heard someone walking up the old wooden steps to the house. She felt like she was about to go on her first date, but this wasn’t a date. It was a business meeting. Except Jordan wasn’t a paying client and most of the groundwork had been done by ten-year-olds.
Someone’s boots landed beside the front door. She frowned. Jordan wouldn’t have kicked his boots off. She stuck her head out of the living room door and peered down the hallway. “Mac? What are you doing here?”
“I live here.”
He had the oddest way of annoying her. “I know you live here. But it’s half past three. You’re usually on the ranch.”
“I started early this morning. Thought I’d watch TV. Catch up on a few games.”
Sarah glared at him. When Mac watched football or basketball, he pushed the volume up so loud that it rattled the shingles on the roof. “You can’t. I’ve got plans.”
“No kidding.”
“You don’t need to look so surprised. I’ve got a life too, you know.”
Forever And A Day (Montana Brides, Book #7) Page 17
