by Zoe Matthews
“We’ll probably have that many more boxes tomorrow,” Megan told him as he drove them back to her house.
“That’s fine. We’ll make another trip, or two, to the second hand shop. They seemed thrilled with the donations.”
Megan sighed and finally relaxed back against the seat. “Thank you for helping today. I’ve been putting off going through Glenna’s stuff, but with you there, and little man helping, it was easier than I’d thought it would be.”
Sheridan chuckled as he remembered how William had helped. He’d been fascinated with the idea of putting things into the cardboard boxes, but that had quickly turned to being just as equally fascinated with taking things out of the boxes.
After trying to channel his behavior with no success, Megan had set up a series of boxes, allowing William to put things in the first box and then move them to the second, and eventually the third box. The third box being the one designated for charity.
“That little trick with the boxes was pretty smart.”
Megan chuckled. “I’ve learned a thing or two about toddlers. William loves to be right in the middle of everything, and he’s much happier if he can do what he wants. If I can find a way to get what I want at the same time, everybody’s happier.”
“I’ve got so much to learn,” Sheridan murmured.
Megan reached across and laid a hand on his arm this time, squeezing lightly. “Just take it one day at a time. That’s how I learned. Believe me, I’m still learning. Each day feels brand new!”
Chapter 9
Three days later…
“By the power vested in me by the State of Texas, I now pronounce you man and wife,” the Justice of the Peace told the two people standing in front of him.
The judge’s secretary and the clerk from two doors down had graciously agreed to be the requisite two witnesses needed for the ceremony to commence. The license had been signed before the vows were exchanged, and Sheridan and Megan had quickly, and quietly, repeated the standard vows to love, honor, and support one another, in sickness and health, in wealth and poverty.
There had been a small concern about William, but Megan had brought along William’s favorite firetruck, and he had amused himself during the ceremony by pushing the truck all over the small anteroom where all civil unions were carried out.
Sheridan had been talking to his son all morning about the big plane they were going to fly in later in the day, and while the child hadn’t understood exactly what that entailed, he’d been excited nonetheless.
Megan had been less excited, worried about containing William’s enthusiasm on the plane until Sheridan had suggested they forego his naps, in hopes that he would sleep while on the plane. She had sighed in relief and Sheridan had patted himself silently on the back for finally coming up with a good suggestion where his son was concerned.
“Son, now is where you kiss the bride,” the Justice whispered loudly to Sheridan. He blinked, bringing his thoughts back to the present and turned to follow the direction he’d been given. Sheridan bent his head, intending to place a chaste kiss on Megan’s cheek, but she turned her head at the last second, and he ended up kissing her lips. Her very soft, very kissable lips.
He broke the kiss hurriedly, taking a quick breath, and then put his lips back on hers and pulling her close for a more thorough merging of their lips. When he heard the two witnesses clapping, he pulled away and averted his eyes, not wanting to see her censure.
He’d enjoyed kissing her and really didn’t want to have to apologize, but he also knew he’d crossed the line. They’d discussed how to make sure their marriage didn’t raise eyebrows once reaching Colorado, and they’d agreed that he could put his arm around her shoulders, hold her hand, and kiss her cheek. Nothing had ever been discussed about kissing on the lips. Or about showing affection towards one another before reaching Texas.
Megan broke the awkward silence by turning and thanking the two women who had stood in as witnesses. “Thank you so much. We really appreciate you doing this.”
“It was our pleasure. Your little one there sure is cute.”
“Thank you. His father and I think so too,” Megan replied, already testing out her new role as William’s mother, and finding it a very easy fit.
Sheridan collected William and his firetruck. “Can you tell everyone goodbye?” It appeared that Megan was going to ignore his faux pas and he was willing to do the same. They would just pretend that kiss had never happened!
William was oblivious to the undercurrents of tension and waved his little hands in the air, chanting, “Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.”
“That’ll do, son. Now, how about we go find an airplane?” Sheridan waited for Megan to join him and soon they were getting back into the rental car and heading for the airport.
Sheridan couldn’t see any reason to delay their departure from Texas. The moving company had come first thing that morning and loaded up the furniture and boxes that Megan had indicated she wished to have with her in Colorado.
She’d packed enough essentials for her and William for at least a week in suitcases, and Sheridan had arranged for Spencer to meet them at the Jefferson County airport later this afternoon.
They would fly into Denver and then take the shuttle over to the smaller airport, where they would then board the small plane and fly back to the ranch. Sheridan hadn’t told Spencer that he was bringing a wife and son with him, not wanting to give anyone at the ranch a chance to speculate wrongly about the situation. He preferred to explain his new situation in person.
He’d found it best to show his siblings the truth whenever possible. They would meet his son and his new wife this evening at dinner, and with any luck, they would all believe that he and Megan’s whirlwind wedding was born of romance.
****
As the plane took off on the runway, Megan leaned back and closed her eyes. She had been on a few plane rides and had always hated the sensations she felt when the plane took off and landed. Once the plane was in the air, she was fine.
Sheridan had been able to purchase three seats right next to each other. Megan sat in the window seat and Sheridan in the aisle seat, with William between them. He started to fuss and Sheridan quickly swept him into his lap. He pulled a book out of a bag and started to read to his son.
The plane quickly straightened out and the seatbelt lights turned off. They were on their way to Colorado, her new life. She watched out the window until she couldn’t see the ground any longer and then turned her attention to Sheridan and William.
William was already getting drowsy and Megan knew it would only be a matter of time before he fell asleep.
“Are you okay?” Sheridan asked as he closed the book and shifted William in his arms so he could sleep more comfortably.
Megan nodded. “Flying isn’t one of my favorite things.”
Sheridan smiled. “You might have to get over that. My brother, Spencer, flies a small plane.”
“Tell me about your family,” she invited him. They had been so busy the last few days, they hadn’t had a chance to talk about anything more important than William’s needs and packing up her house.
She listened as Sheridan explained how his father had died in May in a plane crash. He told her how they had all met in his father’s attorney’s office where they discovered they would each inherit a large sum of money, but they would need to live on the ranch for six months together to get it.
“I bet that was hard for everyone,” Megan commented. “Did everyone return to your ranch?”
Sheridan nodded. “We decided we would all live together from June until the end of November. We also decided to turn our ranch into a Dude Ranch. We call it Majestic Mountain Dude Ranch. We each have been able to find a job we enjoy doing. At the same time all of my siblings have been able to fall in love.”
“Really?” Megan asked. “I’d love to hear about how that happened.”
“I’ll give you a short version. Sierra is just younger than me. She had
been living at the ranch when our dad died with her twin daughters, Ashley and Elysha. She is over activities for the children and teenagers of our guests. I hired a good friend from college, Logan, to be over the horse program. He also has twin sons, Mason and Noah. Sierra and Logan married in August.
“Stephanie is next. She was living in Denver when our father died. She moved to the ranch the beginning of June. I had hired Bridger to be over all the new construction we had to do. Stephanie had been having some health problems and she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She married Bridger soon after.
“Then there is Sadie. She has an interesting story all of her own. She had been married about four years ago and when her husband abandoned her, she moved back to the ranch. She was pregnant at the time and had Brooklyn a few months later. She is over the activities for our adult guests. Without knowing it, I hired Hunter to help her with the activities, and he turned out to be her ex-husband. He had made some drastic changes for the good. It took a while, but Sadie was able to move past her hurt and anger towards Hunter and they remarried, also in August.
“Spencer and Stella are the youngest of my siblings. They are twins. Stella is a sous-chef and she worked in Los Angeles when my father died. She moved here and has taken over the cooking and baking for the guests. She ended up adopting a little girl, Misty. Misty’s mother died in a car crash and left her daughter to Stella. I hired a man, Cade, to help with the cattle. Stella is engaged to Cade.
“Spencer is last. Like I told you, he is over the accounting, finances, and advertising. He also learned how to fly small planes and owns one that seats six people. He sometimes takes guests up to tour the Rocky Mountains around our ranch. He had been emailing a woman named Emma all summer. He finally invited her to visit for a week. They ended up falling in love and I hired Emma to be over landscaping.”
The longer Sheridan talked, the more Megan’s jaw dropped. His family sounded wonderful to her. It was like a dream come true to now be part of a large family, something she had always wanted.
“I’m excited to meet all of them,” Megan told Sheridan.
He smiled. “I’m not done yet. Kathy and Jed also live on the ranch. They have been around since we were all children. They actually had a hand in raising all of us when our mother died after having Stella and Spencer. Kathy is the housekeeper of our large ranch house and Jed, I guess you could call him the foreman. He takes care of everything else that doesn’t have to do with the dude ranch. They also have Logan’s younger sister, Annie, living with them. She has Down syndrome and is one of the happiest people I’ve ever been around.”
“Miss anyone else?” Megan teased when he stopped talking.
“Nope, I think I named everyone.” He grinned at her.
Megan couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. Suddenly she wanted him to kiss her again, just like he had done at their wedding. That kiss might have been routine to him, but to her, even though he married her for convenience, there could be a promise for something more.
“I hope you know how blessed you are to have such a close family,” Megan told him, trying to get her mind off the kiss.
Sheridan nodded. “We weren’t at all close before our father died. Some of my siblings weren’t happy about the idea of moving back to the ranch for six months, but my father insisted on this requirement, and I’m glad he did. It brought us all together.”
“Will everyone stay when the six months is up?” Megan asked.
Sheridan nodded. “I think everyone will. We are building prefab homes for everyone, although I will be living in the larger ranch house. It isn’t required that everyone stay, but I think we all like how our family business has grown.”
Chapter 10
Sheridan exited the shuttle van and then reached for the sleeping child lying in Megan’s arms. “Here, let me have him while you get out.”
“Thanks,” she murmured quietly.
“Sir?” the shuttle driver asked to his left. “Shall I unload the luggage and the car seat and take them inside?”
“Please. My brother should be waiting in the pilot’s lounge. Spencer Collingsworth. If you find him, he’ll take the luggage from you.”
“Will do. That’s a fine little boy you have there,” the driver told him.
“Thanks. We think so, too.” Sheridan cuddled William against one shoulder and then reached inside the van to give Megan a hand out. It was clear by looking at the shadows beneath her eyes that she was exhausted, and yet she made sure William had everything he needed.
William hadn’t slept very long on the plane. Soon after their conversation about his family, he awoke, ready to enjoy the ride. William busied himself flirting with everyone seated around them, chattering away at the cartoons Megan played on her tablet, and eating goldfish the stewardesses found for him.
He was the only small child on the plane, and several times Sheridan had seen Megan hiding a yawn behind her hand, only to go back to entertaining his son to keep him quiet. None of them had been able to rest on the plane, and the activity of the last few days had finally caught up with them all.
“I can take him now,” she told him, straightening her jacket and slipping the diaper bag over her far shoulder.
“I’ve got him. You’re dead tired. Let’s find my brother and get back to the ranch. A good meal and a better night’s sleep will do us all a world of good.”
“The sleep part sounds really good, I have to tell you,” Megan said, walking beside him as they entered the terminal.
Sheridan looked towards the pilot’s lounge, pleased to see that the driver had found Spencer and was unloading their luggage onto another cart. The man finished and then headed towards them. Sheridan reached into his pocket and grabbed several bills, paying him not only for their ride, but also for going the extra mile with their luggage.
“Thank you so much for all of your help. It was very much appreciated,” Sheridan told him.
“You are very welcome. You all have a safe trip the final leg of your journey.”
Sheridan nodded to the man and then turned to see his brother staring at him, in open-mouthed shock. “Game time,” he murmured to Megan, placing his hand on her lower back and propelling them both across the terminal.
“Spencer, thanks for coming to get us.”
Spencer closed his mouth and then looked between them. “Did I miss part of our conversation? I thought I was coming to get just you.”
“I kept you in the dark. Spencer, may I introduce you to Megan. Megan, this is my younger brother Spencer. And this little guy sleeping soundly is William.”
Spencer shook Megan’s hand and then looked at Sheridan, waiting for more of an explanation. Sheridan saw his look and gave him what he wanted. “Megan and I were married earlier today, and this little man is my son.”
Spencer was clearly in shock, but after a few long moments, he nodded his head. “Congratulations! I guess you all are ready to get home then?”
Sheridan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his head. “Home sounds very good about now.”
“Well then, let’s get your luggage stowed away.” As he walked past Sheridan, he paused and murmured for his ears only. “You and I need to talk.”
Sheridan nodded once and then turned his attention back to Megan. “Shall we get you two settled into the plane?”
Spencer installed William’s car seat in the plane and then Sheridan transferred him to the seat, making sure he was securely fastened in. He helped Megan up into the plane and made sure she was comfortable before handing her a pair of headphones. When she looked at him curiously, he told her, “The plane is kind of loud. This way you’ll be able to hear us and respond without having to scream. Or, you can leave them unplugged and take a short nap.”
“How long is the flight?” she asked him.
Spencer answered, “Well, there’s a storm over the valley right now so we’ll take a little longer route getting home. Maybe an hour or so. Feel free to take a short nap. I’ve even got
a blanket back here if you’d like it.”
“Thanks.” She looked to Sheridan and whispered, “You’re really okay if I take a nap?”
Sheridan smiled at her and nodded, “Yeah. Close your eyes and get some rest. I think you’re probably going to need it once we get back to the ranch.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that. Okay, can you keep an ear out for William? I can’t imagine he’ll wake up any time soon.”
“I’ll listen for him. Sleep.”
Megan nodded and settled into the seat. Sheridan climbed into the passenger seat and placed the headphones over his ears, fastening the seatbelt and readying himself for takeoff. He’d been unhappy with Spencer when he’d first arrived home, flying a plane, but over the last few months, he’d come to appreciate the benefits of having a pilot and plane so readily available. He still didn’t like the fact that Spencer had gone against his father’s wishes in this regard, but then, his father had been unreasonable on many levels. The only difference between Spencer and Sheridan was that Spencer had gone after his own dreams, while Sheridan had followed his father’s wishes completely.
As he took one last look at the child and woman in the back of the plane, he wondered if maybe it was time for him to start following his own dreams. He had a sneaky suspicion that one of the reasons Glenna had turned him down was because he hadn’t been his own man. He’d been his father’s man! Well, his father was gone, and while Sheridan hadn’t made his peace with that event, he was learning to embrace who he was not only to himself, but to his family. He was Sheridan Collingsworth, and his dream of operating a dude ranch was coming to fruition. Maybe it was time some of his other dreams were dusted off as well.
Chapter 11
The conversation with Spencer on the way back to the ranch had been full of revelations as Sheridan spun a tale of being called to Austin to meet his son after his mother had suddenly died.
