by Zoe Matthews
Chapter 14
“When I met your sister, I fell fast and hard for her. I’d never met anyone like her before in my life. She was vivacious, full of life, and I thought she cared for me in the same way I cared for her. I thought we had a future together.”
“And then she left,” Megan added.
“And then she left. I asked her to marry me and she scoffed at having to spend the rest of her life in such an isolated place.”
“Sheridan, my sister longed for the limelight. She was headed to become a model, wanting to see her picture splashed across the pages of popular magazines, but then she got hired by the entertainment company and she started making money.
“People were still looking at her, but now they were also doing what she said to do. She got high off the authority and the power she wielded. It was like a drug to her and when she came out here for that vacation, it was only because she’d been hired to check out the area for a possible corporate retreat one of her big time clients was wanting to build.”
“She never told me that,” Sheridan muttered.
“She wouldn’t have. Glenna was a very private person. Even with me.” Megan paused and then continued, “She called me to meet her at the airport in Austin, told me she was pregnant, and didn’t want to discuss it further.
“I tried several times to get her to talk about her time in Colorado, or to even give me your name, but she wouldn’t say a word. As far as her company knew, she decided to become a single mother and got pregnant in a lab setting. She didn’t want anyone knowing that at one point she’d been weak and prone to human emotions.”
Seeing his look, she told him, “Not that she didn’t have human emotions. But she felt they made her weak and left her open to getting hurt. She turned them off whenever she could. The few weeks she spent with you had to have been the only time in her adult life where she allowed herself to actually feel things.”
Sheridan thought about that for a moment and then told her, “My father was kind of like that. He rarely showed his emotions. He taught us kids to stand on our own from the time we were little and to take care of our own problems.”
“What? But that’s nothing like you all are now!”
“No. Like I told you on the way to Colorado, my father died earlier this year, and part of his last will and testament was a request that all six of us kids move back to the ranch for six months. He wanted us to live together, learn to work together, cry and laugh together, and find the bonds we didn’t have when we were younger.”
“Well, from what I’ve seen, it was a good thing because I’ve never seen a family back each other up like you all do. It’s pretty awesome to witness.”
“And to be a part of?” he asked.
“Yeah. And to be a part of. I’ve been wondering something. You said your father died in a plane crash?”
“Yes. He crashed his plane into the side of a mountain.”
“When you say he crashed his plane, you mean it malfunctioned or something?”
Sheridan scowled. “No. I mean he intentionally crashed his plane into the side of a mountain between here and Pinedale.”
“Why? And how do you know that?” Megan was shocked at this news.
“Spencer did some investigative work and then hired a forensic team to verify his suspicions. It turns out my strong, no nonsense father was a coward!”
“Sheridan, I’m sure there’s more to it than that.”
“There is. He had cancer,” Sheridan sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“I’m sorry. Cancer is really hard, not only on the person who has it, but on everyone else around that person,” Megan said in sympathy. She wanted to touch his arm, but didn’t quite dare.
“You sound like you speak from experience,” he murmured, watching her closely as she began to open up to him.
“I do. My mom had a fast growing form of bone cancer. From the time she first started feeling sick, to the time she died, we only had sixteen weeks with her. Sixteen weeks filled with her in horrible pain, and my sister and I standing by watching, unable to do a thing to make it better. When she finally took her last breath, Glenna and I cried because we knew she was no longer hurting.”
Sheridan didn’t know what to do. He really wanted to hug her, and comfort her. When he saw the unshed tears in her eyes, he stopped telling himself all the reasons hugging her would be a bad idea, and instead acted on his impulse.
He pulled her from the chair and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry you had to go through something like that. We didn’t even know my dad was sick. He hid it really well. I don’t know that I could have watched him die day by day.”
He held her for several long moments, liking the way she felt in his arms and realizing that while he’d thought he was in love with Glenna, he could have never stayed in love with someone who couldn’t and wouldn’t show emotion.
But Megan was so unlike her sister, it was hard to acknowledge that they were from the same family. Megan was real. She felt emotion and she wasn’t afraid to express herself. She doesn’t want a sham marriage any longer!
He loosened his arms and looked down into her face. “Thank you for sharing your pain with me.” He searched her eyes and then told her, “I’d really like to kiss you.”
Megan nodded her head, going up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway. Their lips met, and Sheridan felt something inside him shift. The wall he’d built around his heart after Glenna had left him was slowly starting to melt away. In its place was a heart that longed for the companionship of another. Someone just like Megan.
He broke their kiss and then told her, “Maybe we should think about making this marriage a real one.”
“Only think?” Megan asked with a smile.
Sheridan nodded. “For now. How about we pretend like we’re dating and get to know one another better over the next few weeks? That way if we decide we’re not compatible, we can still continue as we have been.”
Megan didn’t think she’d be wanting to go back to the way things currently were, but if that was all Sheridan was able to give her right now, she’d take it. He was worth it. Their future depended upon it.
Chapter 15
December was only two days away, and the Collingsworth family was fully involved in making this Christmas the best one they’d ever experienced.
Sheridan and Megan had fully engaged in the test of their relationship, all behind the watching eyes of his sisters and brother. They had started being more physical with one another, holding hands, sitting next to each other in the evenings as they played with William or just read to him until he fell asleep.
Megan knew the change in their relationship hadn’t gone unnoticed, but so far, no one had cornered her or attempted to ask about it. She had an answer already prepared for them. She just would rather not have to give it.
She’d finished going through the ranch books, finding over three dozen mistakes that were causing problems on multiple fronts. She’d fixed them and attempted to explain her changes to Spencer, but he just didn’t seem to be all that interested.
After one such session, she left the small office Spencer used, frustrated that she hadn’t been able to get his mind wrapped around how the IRS would be viewing the mistakes he continually made.
She was so deep in thought, she didn’t see Sheridan step out of his office until she was almost right in front of him.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, seeing her frown and knowing she’d just come from a meeting with Spencer.
“Nothing,” she sighed. “It’s just that Spencer just doesn’t seem to get the things I’m trying to teach him.”
Doesn’t get them, or doesn’t want to get them. Either way, with Spencer at the helm of the books, the ranch would never reach the level of success it was capable of.
“Can you come in here for a few minutes?” he asked her, pulling her into his office and leading her over to a chair in front of his desk.
“Sit down
,” he urged her.
“Why do I feel like I’ve just been dragged into the principal’s office?” she asked with a smirk.
“Spent a lot of time there, did you?” he teased her, half joking and half wanting to learn more about her childhood.
“Never. Unfortunately, I tended to hang out with the kids who were on a first name basis with Mr. Tromwell. I always got a firsthand account of what went on in there. It was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. He had this wooden paddle hanging above his desk that was inscribed with the words The Board of Education. He brought it to the first school assembly each school year and advised us all to avoid getting to know it personally.”
“Wow! Did he really use it to paddle students?” Sheridan asked in amazement.
Megan smiled and laughed. “No. He never actually administered the corporal punishment himself. Instead, he would call the student’s parents and make them leave work, come down to the school, and administer it themselves. Most of my friends got a double helping when they got home that night.”
“Well, as entertaining as this conversation has been, that’s not what I called you in here for. I have a proposition that I would like you to think about. The ranch needs a competent bookkeeper. An accountant. As you’ve seen, Spencer is not cutting it. Nor does he want to learn.
“His heart just isn’t into numbers and accounts, and taxes.”
“No, it really isn’t.”
“That’s why I would like to hire you to do the ranch’s books. I know you’ve been struggling to figure out where you fit in this crazy family, as each of us has a very specific area of the ranch we oversee and manage. Spencer is already doing all of the advertising and flying tours over the valley for the guests.
“I would like you to consider taking over the books. The ranch would pay you the going wage.”
Megan shook her head. “Sheridan, the ranch doesn’t have to pay me. We’re married. That means I need to be a part of the ranch as well.”
“No, that’s not the way things work around here. While my siblings and I don’t currently draw a wage from the ranch, each of our spouses and fiancés do. After next year, we should be able to pay ourselves as well.”
“But…”
“This point actually isn’t negotiable. I don’t care what you do with the money, but the ranch would be paying you. Will you think about it?”
“I don’t need to think about it. To tell you the truth, I’ve been kind of bored the last few days. I used to get my work done while William was napping, but now I just wander around, looking for something to do,” Megan admitted.
“So, you’ll take over the books from Spencer?” Sheridan asked hopefully.
“I’d love to. It will make me feel more part of this family and keep me out of Stella’s kitchen. The woman is amazing when it comes to food, but she didn’t seem all that impressed with my efforts yesterday afternoon.”
“What were you trying to make?” Sheridan asked, curious as to what might have occurred.
“Well, I was trying to make macaroni and cheese from scratch, because I couldn’t find any of the box kind in the pantry. When Stella came in and saw what I was up to, she started laughing and shooed me out of the kitchen. She informed me I needed to cook the pasta first before putting in the cheese, and that only a little bit of butter was required, not an entire stick.”
“You probably won’t find anything in a box in this pantry. Kathy and Stella believe in making everything from scratch,” Sheridan explained with a grin.
“Yeah, well, I’ve never made anything from scratch. Please tell me you don’t all take turns cooking?”
Chapter 16
“Hey! Everyone! Come into the Great Room!” Spencer hollered throughout the Ranch House.
Megan was just getting William changed after he’d helped Brooklyn make paper snowflakes. The paper craft would have normally not required both children to take a bath immediately after they were finished, but Kathy had provided them with sparkly glitter glue, the very same glue that now adorned every surface of the small table in Brooklyn’s bedroom.
“Megan, Spencer’s hollering for everyone to come downstairs,” Sadie called from the bedroom door.
“I heard him. I can’t seem to find William’s other shoes.”
Sadie laughed. “Don’t worry about it. In this storm, he won’t be going outside anyway.”
A blizzard had descended upon the valley to usher in the month of December, and no one was going outside unless they needed to. Those with children had arrived first thing that morning with sleeping bags and a change of clothing, intending on staying the night in the Ranch House.
Kathy, Jed, and Annie had even brought an extra change of clothing over, and were intending to stick around until the morning. The only couple not accounted for were Bridger and Stephanie. They had driven into Denver the day before so that she could receive the next round of treatment for her MS. It was an experimental program, but so far, she’d been in remission for several months now.
“What’s all the fuss about?” Sheridan asked, emerging from his office on the ground level of the house.
“Stella and I have an announcement to make,” Spencer said with a grin.
Sadie and Megan reached the bottom of the stairs just as everyone else took a seat in the big room, the fire blazing in the stone fireplace casting a warmth across the room that helped to dispel the raging storm outside.
“What news?” Sadie asked, dropping into the nearest chair and setting Brooklyn down on the ground.
Megan joined Sheridan on the loveseat, handing William to him as she did so. Sheridan hugged his son and then whispered in her ear. “Why is his hair all wet?”
She whispered back. “You really don’t want to know. Let’s just say Kathy and I have to chat about glitter glue and two-year-olds.”
Sheridan barked a short laugh and then covered his mouth as he looked around at the rest of his siblings. “Sorry, Spencer. It looks like we’re all here. What news did you want to share with us?”
“Well as you know. Emma and I are engaged to be married. And Stella and Cade are engaged as well. We’ve all four talked, and we don’t want to wait until the New Year to make our love for each other official. We want to get married just before Christmas.”
Sierra shook her head. “Guys, you do realize today is December 1st. Right?”
Stella looked around the room. “We realize it’s really short notice, but since we don’t have any overnight guests this year, we thought maybe we could all work together to pull it off.”
Sheridan listened as ideas were bandied about and then he asked, “So, you want this family to put together two weddings, in just over three weeks?”
Stella and Spencer looked at each other. “Not two weddings. Just one. One wedding; two couples.”
“A double wedding?” Sadie asked, excitement in her voice.
Stella nodded. “So what do you all think?”
Voices erupted as everyone started talking at once. Megan sat in the middle of the noise, smiling as she listened to the varying viewpoints between the men and the women.
The men were thinking of a simple affair, with just family, and no guests. The women had entirely different ideas. They wanted a lavish affair, held right in the very room where they all sat.
“We could move the furniture out to the unused rooms on this floor. That would create a large ballroom like feel to the downstairs.”
“We could decorate everything with pine boughs and mistletoe. Holly berries and twinkling lights.”
The ideas continued to float around the room, and the kids even got involved. “We could have sugar cookies too!” Mason tossed into the conversation.
That comment had all of the adults pausing and then chuckling at the serious look upon his face. “Me and Noah could decorate them.”
“I wants to decorate sugar cookies,” Brooklyn declared.
“Cookies?” William asked, picking up on the only word that had captured h
is attention.
“In just a few minutes, sweetie,” Megan assured him.
Emma and Stella were deep in conversation and then Emma smiled. “Why don’t we have a big Christmas Party at the same time?”
“A Christmas Party?” Spencer asked, curious as to how the two events could be combined.
“Well, it’s not a bad idea,” Sheridan threw out.
Sierra nodded her head. “Look at everything we’ve managed to accomplish this year.”
“Yeah, who knew we’d all be where we are right now?”
It grew quiet as everyone slipped into his or her own memories of the last five months. After a time, they all looked at one another and began to nod their heads.
When Sheridan was sure everyone was in agreement, he stood up and stated, “Then that settles it. The Majestic Mountain Ranch will be holding its first annual Christmas Celebration, with the weddings of Stella and Cade, and Spencer and Emma, the highlight and focus of the evening.
“Now, since we have so little time, and so much to do, I’m going to let Sierra work her organizational magic. You make lists of what needs to get done and we’ll all pitch in. Together. Just the way dad would have wanted it.”
Chapter 17
The next morning, after a large breakfast Kathy and Stella had prepared, Kathy and Sadie gathered up all the kids to make sugar cookies for the wedding, like Mason and Noah had suggested.
Ever since the impromptu meeting they had had the day before, Sheridan couldn’t get the revelation that his dad had actually done them all a favor out of his mind.
He thought back to the letter that his father had written him. A letter he hadn’t read since the night after receiving it. A letter and its contents that he hadn’t shared with anyone.
He wanted to share it with Megan. He needed to share it with Megan.
“Come with me,” he told her, taking her hand in his and leading her up the stairs to their suite of rooms.
