by Zoe Matthews
Sheridan shook his head. “No. I live with my siblings and there are quite a number of kids amongst them all.”
“You live with your sisters?”
“And one brother. And their spouses or fiancés, as the case may be.” Seeing her confusion, he asked, “What did Glenna tell you about me?”
Megan shook her head. “Nothing. I didn’t even know your name until William was born and I saw the name she wrote down on the birth certificate.”
Sheridan narrowed his eyes, wondering why Glenna had been so secretive about their time together. It hurt him to know that she hadn’t even told her sister his name.
“So, how about that dinner?”
“How about I thaw out some steaks and make him some mac and cheese. It’s his favorite dinner food and I can guarantee he won’t leave enough to throw around.”
Sheridan reluctantly agreed and then told her, “I need to go find a room for the night. Is there anything close by?”
Megan shook her head. “Not really. Uhm…you’re welcome to stay in the spare bedroom. It only has a futon bed in it, but I haven’t had time to clean out Glenna’s room yet…”
Sheridan shook his head. He didn’t want to stay in Glenna’s room. “Don’t worry about that. You’ve had your hands full.” He paused for a moment. Was she really suggesting she stay in her home? He immediately knew he wanted to accept her offer. Since he had met William, the last thing he wanted to do was leave him. It would only be for a few nights until the legal paperwork was finalized. Then he could take William back to Colorado with him. He nodded. “If you are really okay with me staying here for a couple of nights, then I will take you up on your offer.”
Megan nodded, said nothing, and turned away. She busied herself with pulling packages from the freezer and then finally asked, “So, you’re only planning to stay for a few days?”
Sheridan nodded his head. “Yes. I have a dude ranch to run and need to get back to Colorado.”
A strained silence ensued and then she asked softly, “Will you be taking William back with you?”
Sheridan heard the waver in her voice and realized he was being completely insensitive. This woman, while a stranger to him, was almost like a second mother to his son. That would make his son almost like her own. Taking him away from the only adult he knew and trusted right now would be cruel. Not to mention, taking William away from a woman who had basically raised him when she was still grieving the loss of her sister wouldn’t earn him any chivalry awards.
“Look, maybe I spoke in haste. In reality, my time here probably will be closer to a week, if not longer.” He watched her shoulders sag in relief and then he asked her, “What can I do to help?’
“Nothing. You don’t have to do anything.”
“I’ll keep William entertained then.” Sheridan walked back into the living room and proceeded to play with his son, all the while keeping an eye on the woman moving around the kitchen.
He was in a quandary and didn’t immediately see a way out. He was a single father now, and while he wouldn’t suggest that as the best parenting model, he also had no desire to ever trust another woman with his heart.
After hearing about Glenna’s handling of their time together, he was even less inclined to trust his heart again. But he was still in a tough position. If he were to take William back to Colorado tomorrow, he knew his sisters and brother would make the child feel welcome, and with everyone around to help out, William would be fine. He’d miss his aunt for a small time, but he was so young those memories would fade quickly.
But his conscience wouldn’t let him just ignore the woman moving around in the kitchen. Glenna had put them all in a horrible position, and it was now up to Sheridan to try and find a solution to the problem. He didn’t want to hurt Megan, but there was no way around it. When he took William back to Colorado, she would be devastated.
The question he needed to answer was, could he live with that? Could he take William away from the person who loved him, and had cared for him? When he spied her watching him play with his son, a haunted look was in her eyes as if she were already preparing herself to lose him, he knew he couldn’t add to her pain. He needed to find another solution to this situation.
****
Megan finished up the steaks and quickly put a tossed salad together. While she worked, she watched Sheridan out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t believe how handsome he was. He had dark blondish hair that was cut short and she wondered if he let his hair grow, if it would be curly like William’s. He had the same sky-blue eyes William had. She knew the minute she saw Sheridan at her front door that he was William’s father. He wore a red and black plaid shirt, Levis, and cowboy boots that looked comfortable and were well taken care of. He had brought a cowboy hat with him which was sitting on a side table in her living room.
Glenna was crazy to have given him up, but it also didn’t surprise Megan that she had. Glenna had become very self-centered, only thinking of herself and what she wanted, and what she wanted was to live in the city. In the few hours since Sheridan had arrived, Megan could tell he was a good man. She knew that if Sheridan had been aware of William’s existence, he would have done his best to care for him, and he definitely would have had a relationship with him somehow.
She knew Sheridan was planning on taking William back with him as soon as he legally could. Megan pushed those thoughts away, not wanting to think of them right then. She would deal with her sorrow of losing William when she was alone. Right now she had a meal to prepare. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with William before he left with his father.
Chapter 7
Three days later…
Sheridan had just tucked his son into his crib, having rocked him to sleep for the second night in a row. He enjoyed those few moments with his son snuggled against his chest, trusting that his father would take care of everything.
But he hadn’t taken care of everything, and as the week drew to a close, and matters back in Colorado demanded his return, he was still no closer to a solution where Megan was concerned than before.
He’d met with Mr. Palmer the day before, and all of the paperwork had been signed and notarized, making him William’s legal guardian. He was also free to leave with his son whenever he chose to.
He thought about calling the ranch, maybe getting one of his sisters to weigh in on the choice he needed to make, but he already knew what they would say. They would be sympathetic to Megan’s cause and urge him to bring her back to Colorado.
But he couldn’t see a way to bring her back to Colorado as just William’s aunt. Everyone at the ranch lived together and shared their lives so closely. She would always be viewed as an outsider if she simply came back to Colorado with him as an unattached female and aunt to his surprise son.
He leaned his head back and tried to put things in perspective. He’d learned through the years that if he prioritized things, it often made his decisions much easier.
So, what’s the most important part of this situation? Well that one was easy. Giving his son a stable, loving environment to grow up in.
Did he already have that? Sheridan couldn’t deny that Megan had most definitely provided a stable, loving environment. She loved his son and from what he could see, she had put her own life on hold to care for him.
But on the other hand, William needed to grow up around his father and his relatives, and he couldn’t do that in Texas. He needed to go to Colorado with his father.
Sheridan sighed, the only option he could find was for Megan to move to Colorado, but he would need her to go back to Colorado as his wife. Not because they were deeply in love with each other, but because they were both in love with his son.
He heard a noise coming from the kitchen and decided there was no time like the present to let her know where his mind was going. He quietly opened the door and headed down the hallway.
Megan was standing in front of the open fridge, but hearing him she quickly closed it and turn
ed to face him.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he told her softly.
She shook her head. “I didn’t realize you were still awake.”
“Are you having trouble sleeping?” he asked, coming forward a few more steps.
“No. I just finished up some work that was hounding me. Are you?”
“A bit. Can we talk for a few minutes?”
She nodded and walked into the living room. He waited until they were both seated before he began, “Megan, I need to get back to Colorado in a few days. And I want to take William with me.”
She ducked her head and nodded. “I know.” She took a shuddering breath and kept her eyes lowered.
“Megan, I don’t want to hurt you. I know you love William as if he was your own son.”
She slowly nodded and he watched her surreptitiously wipe a tear away.
Sheridan sighed. “Look, I’m going to suggest something that might sound crazy, but I’d like you to hear me out. Okay?”
She looked up at him and nodded. “Okay.”
Sheridan took a breath and then plunged ahead. “I want you to move to Colorado with us. But, there’s a catch. I’ve told you a bit about the family ranch I live on and operate. That being said, we all live very closely together. If you were to come to the ranch, and just be William’s aunt, I’m afraid over time you’d feel like an outsider.
“So, I would like you to move to Colorado as my wife.” When she looked up at him sharply, he held up a hand. “Remember? Hear me out before you say anything.”
He waited until she nodded and then he continued. “What I’m proposing is that we make your connection to William legal, making you his mother in the eyes of the law and everyone else. It would be a marriage of convenience only. You would have my name and the respect of everyone in Pinedale and I know my family is going to love you and welcome you into the fold.”
Sheridan quit talking and watched as the emotions moved across her face. He’d learned several things about Megan Garner over the last few days. She was very easy to read, wearing her emotions on her sleeve. She loved his son. And she was an all-around nice person.
He’d purposely kept himself from noticing her as a woman, not wanting or needing chemistry or a physical connection to muddle the already murky situation. In another time and another place, he would probably be very attracted to both her personality and her physical appearance.
He waited for her response, but she totally surprised him when she looked up at him with a small smile and nodded. “Yes. I will marry you and become a true mother to William.”
“Are you sure? Do you want to think about this for awhile? It will mean a big change for you and …” Sheridan started to say, wanting her to be sure that marrying him was the right decision, for both of them.
Megan nodded. “I’m sure. I don’t want to lose William and I like what you’ve described about your family.”
“I haven’t noticed whether you are involved with anyone. Will this be a problem?” Sheridan asked. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a boyfriend.
Megan shook her head. “I haven’t been dating much lately. There’s no one.”
“Okay, then,” Sheridan sat back, relieved that she had agreed so quickly. “Tomorrow we’ll get the license and get your and William’s things packed. Do you own this home?”
Megan nodded.
“We can either leave it until you decide what you want to do with it, or put it on the market immediately.”
“I would like to sell it.”
Sheridan looked at Megan. There was a part of him that wanted to gather her in his arms and seal their agreement with a kiss, but where were those feelings coming from? He pushed those thoughts away. He was determined that this be a marriage of convenience, for William’s sake. The last thing he wanted to do was trust another woman with his heart.
Chapter 8
The next few days were a flurry of activity. The morning after the decision to marry had been made, Sheridan and Megan had gone down and applied for a marriage license only to find out that in the State of Texas, while no blood test was required, there was a mandatory three day waiting period before the actual ceremony could be performed.
On the way back to Megan’s house, Sheridan had been pragmatic about the wait. “Why don’t we use the next few days to take care of packing up your stuff and getting your house ready to sell? We can contact a real estate agent you trust, and arrange for a shipping company to haul your stuff north?”
Megan nodded her head. “This is all happening really fast.”
Sheridan reached a hand across the console of his rental and squeezed her hand. “I know, but look at the upside. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. I’m here to help. And remember, we can wait on selling your house if you want.”
Megan gave him a quick smile. “I don’t want to wait. I think we should start in Glenna’s room. Most of her clothes won’t fit me, and while I did go through her papers and such, I haven’t done much else.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Where’s the closest packing store?”
“Why?”
“Let’s get some shipping boxes and when we get back to your house, I’ll call around and find a moving company to come over tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? There’s no way I can be ready to go by tomorrow.” Megan protested.
“I know that, but maybe I can help you go through the larger items and mark them so they will know how big of a truck they’ll need? We can pack what you will need to take on the plane to Colorado and hire the moving company to do the rest.”
“Oh! Okay, that sounds doable.” She glanced in the back seat where William was quietly watching the scenery pass by. “He’s being such a good boy.”
“He really is. And he’s a charmer. Did you see the lady at the clerk’s office? She couldn’t take her eyes off of him,” Sheridan smiled proudly.
“He likes to flirt. He’s going to be a heartbreaker when he grows up some day.” Megan turned back around and asked, “So, this ranch of yours? Is it really big?”
“Yeah. I guess it is. We have around twenty-five hundred acres, and most of that is surrounded by forest service land that’s only accessible by going through our property.”
“I don’t think I can even imagine that much land.”
“Well, everything in Colorado is bigger, or so it seems. I know Texas always lays claim to that monomer, but in Colorado – it’s actually true.” Sheridan grinned at her.
Megan laughed and then changed the subject. “So, can we kind of go over the schedule? I have a few things I need to wrap up, and I’ll need to let my clients know I’m leaving town so that they can find someone else to work with.”
“What exactly is it you do?” Sheridan asked, having seen her typing away on her computer and shuffling through piles of papers, but the subject hadn’t come up, and he hadn’t wanted to seem like he was prying.
Megan smiled. “I’m an accountant. I work from home and just deal with a few select clients at a time. I don’t imagine there’s much need for an accountant on a ranch, huh?”
Sheridan looked at her and then he grinned. “Actually, there just might be. My brother’s been trying to handle the finances of the ranch along with the advertising and tourist’s plane rides, and lately – well, I don’t want to sound too judgmental, but he’s made some pretty big mistakes.”
“Maybe I could help him find a system that works a little better. That is, if he wouldn’t be offended to have a stranger messing around with his books,” Megan offered.
Sheridan frowned. “Megan, you need to stop thinking of yourself as a stranger. As far as anyone else is concerned, this marriage is for real. Only you and I will know the truth.”
Megan took a deep breath and then looked out the window. “I’m just worried that living in such close quarters with your family that we won’t be able to keep up the charade for long.”
“They will believe what we want them to believe. Trust me
on this. The surprise alone will buy us several weeks. And with the holidays just around the corner, we’ll be fine. Concentrate on William and the rest will follow,” Sheridan advised. He was being honest when he said what he did about his family. He didn’t have any qualms about how his family would accept William and Megan. He had seen over the last six months how his siblings had rallied around each other and supported each other as they learned to live together again while building a successful dude ranch business.
“I hope you’re right. I would hate for your siblings to take a disliking to me because we lied to them. For William’s sake.”
Sheridan squeezed her hand once more and then released it, even though he wanted to keep holding her hand. “Just be yourself. Everyone will love you.” Except me. No matter the attraction I’m beginning to feel for you, I will ever allow my heart to be ripped to shreds by a woman again.
They worked the rest of the afternoon, allowing William to help when he wasn’t napping, and by the time dinner rolled around, they had completely packed up and sorted Glenna’s room and most of William’s.
They had two piles going inside the house; one pile of things to be given to a local charity second hand thrift shop, and another pile that had been boxed and labeled for shipment.
“Is there a charity shop someplace close?” Sheridan asked as he taped the last of the boxes shut.
“There’s one about five miles from here and I think they’re open until 6:30 p.m., but I’m not entirely sure about that,” Megan answered.
“How about we load up these boxes that go to charity and head that direction? We can stop and grab a pizza on the way home for dinner,” Sheridan suggested and was pleased when she nodded.
“That sounds good. Let me go change William and grab him a jacket.”
“I’ll start loading these boxes into the trunk of the car. His car seat is still in there, so just bring him out when you’re ready to go.”
Twenty minutes later, they were pulling away from the local pizza shop, a take-n-bake pizza sitting on the back seat next to William’s car seat, and the trunk empty of the charity boxes they’d collected that day.
