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

  “If you’re happy with the bunkhouse, I’ll go back to the guest accommodation. I forgot to check the living room. If Sarah arrives before I see her, come and get me.”

  Pete nodded and revved the four-wheeler. “Sure thing. And boss, don’t worry. She’ll love us.”

  Jordan didn’t care if she loved them or not. He only needed her to like them enough to work for him. In two weeks, Mrs. Davies would be home. Everything would be back to normal and he wouldn’t have to worry so much.

  He ran back to the barn. Six months ago they’d converted an old barn into guest accommodation and an apartment for him. The building stood three stories high and looked impressive against the afternoon sky. He opened the huge front door. It swung open easily and he slowed down, took a moment to appreciate the building they’d created.

  The open plan ground floor was everything he’d wanted. The triple height window at the far end of the room overlooked the Bridger Range. Even from this distance the blue-green haze of pine and aspen drew him forward, made him appreciate the subtle shadows, the dips and sheer height that made the mountains spectacular. After he’d taken his fill of the impressive view, he walked around the room, tried to be critical and see everything through Sarah’s eyes.

  There was nothing she couldn’t like. The kitchen had everything she’d need and then some. The laundry and mudroom, tucked away behind the kitchen, were spotless. Even the row of spare jackets, boots, and hats lining one wall looked clean and tidy.

  He walked back into the living room and admired the finishing touches that Gracie and his mom had added. They’d bought cushions and rugs, vases and candles. Things that softened the wooden interior, added warmth, a sense of home. For the last six months he’d had a regular stream of guests staying here, enjoying Montana hospitality, and eating great food.

  If he couldn’t convince Sarah to help, it wouldn’t matter how good the accommodation was. No one would want to stay.

  “She’s here, boss.”

  Jordan turned toward Pete’s voice and froze. A pretty woman stood inside the barn. Sarah wasn’t anything like he’d expected. She was tall, almost matching Pete’s height. Her blonde hair fell past her shoulders and her clear blue eyes stared straight at him. He should probably have said hello, done something to make her feel welcome. But for the first time in his life he felt like a tongue-tied fool.

  Pete frowned, then moved forward, bringing Sarah into the center of the room. “Sarah, this is my boss, Jordan McKenzie.”

  “I’m Sarah Thornton.” She held out her hand. “I called this afternoon about the job you advertised.”

  Jordan felt his brain cells splutter into human mode. His hand automatically reached out to shake hers, to go through the formal introductions that would start their conversation. When their hands touched a jolt of something he didn’t want to analyze shot along his skin, made him look hard at the woman who’d surprised him.

  “Nice to meet you, Sarah. I’m Jordan.” He let go of her hand before he made an even bigger fool of himself. He focused on what needed to be said, the questions he’d thought about in the last couple of hours. “Thanks for coming out here.”

  “It seemed the best way to figure out if this could work.” She looked around the barn and smiled. “I like what you’ve done with your conversion.”

  Jordan watched her gaze linger on the view outside the window, then return to the dining area. He’d made the twelve-seater table out of wood they’d grown on the ranch. His mom had filled a basket with dried wildflowers, then added a wide, squat, beeswax candle to the middle of the arrangement.

  Sarah smiled at the pine cone art Gracie had made in her craft class. It took pride of place on a side table, right beside a framed photo of his family.

  Pete put his hat on his head. “I’m heading across to Steve’s place. He’s taking his helicopter into the mountains to search for any strays.”

  “Let Tim and Jeremy know if you see any cattle. They’re looking after the west ridge.”

  Pete nodded and lifted his hat to Sarah. “Nice meeting you ma’am. I hope you like us enough to help with the baking and things.”

  A soft blush covered Sarah’s cheeks. “I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out. Enjoy your ride.”

  Pete left and Jordan focused on what they were here to do. He needed to get his act together or she’d think he was a crazy cowboy. A cowboy with no cook, no housekeeper, a ditsy orange cat, and fourteen mouths to feed. Not that all fourteen required food. He’d settle on Sarah cooking for his four guests and leaving everyone else to Frank’s microwave magic.

  “I’ll show you around the rest of the guest accommodation and the ranch hands’ bunkhouse. If you’ve got any questions, just ask.”

  Sarah followed him up the staircase and smiled as each bedroom unfolded off a semi-circular landing. Jordan stopped beside the last bedroom. “Each room has their own ensuite. Sometimes we get individuals or couples sharing the barn with other people. It helps make their ranch vacation more enjoyable.”

  Sarah poked her head inside the last room. “The rooms are lovely. How many people are coming to the ranch in the next two weeks?”

  “The Buchanans are arriving tomorrow at ten. They’ll be here for nine days, then we’ve got a group of six arriving two days later. We try to leave a gap between bookings, just in case we need to spend more time getting ready for the next group.”

  “Do the Buchanans have any food allergies or anything I’d need to be aware of?”

  Jordan shook his head. “They didn’t put anything on their registration details. I’ll take you across to my office and show you the forms.”

  “What’s on the next floor?”

  “My apartment. You won’t need to worry about going up there. I can look after myself.”

  They left the barn and Sarah strode across the yard beside him. He didn’t know why she’d come to Montana or why she’d chosen to work on a ranch. All he knew was that Alex had given her a great reference. He pushed some of the questions he had to the back of his mind. Sarah would only be helping them for two weeks. It was none of his business why she was here or why she wanted to juggle two jobs.

  She turned her head and smiled at him. “It must have been a big job getting everything ready for your ranch vacation business?”

  “It took about eight months to renovate the barn and get all of the other things up and running.” And that didn’t include the time it had taken his brother to agree to what he’d wanted to do.

  Jordan didn’t want to think about the financial commitment they’d made. It had cost a small fortune converting the barn into what Sarah had seen today. More than anyone had imagined.

  He opened the door to the main house and waved Sarah ahead of him. “This is Trent and Gracie’s home. They’ve taken their baby daughter to Disneyland and won’t be back for another couple of weeks.”

  “Is this a real log cabin?”

  Jordan smiled at the astonished expression on her face. Just about everyone who saw the house had the same reaction. “Mom and dad built the house. Dad got carried away with the architect. They started off with plans for a four-bedroom cabin. Then it grew into two floors and eight bedrooms.” His dad had wanted to fill their home with enough kids to start a football team. His mom had stuck with two kids and his dad consoled himself with a barn full of horses.

  “The office is this way.” He moved through the house to the kitchen. Off to one side was a room twice as big as most home offices. Trent had shoved his stuff to one side when Jordan needed somewhere to work. When they’d finished the barn, he could have worked from there. But he liked sharing this space with his brother, and it was close to Mrs. Davies home baking.

  “My brother manages the ranch from here as well.” He opened a filing cabinet and pulled out a brown folder. “Here are the forms.” He handed them to Sarah and watched her scan the documents. While she was looking at them, he grabbed the next booking and passed her those papers as well.

&nbs
p; “So you need me to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner?”

  “If you can.”

  Sarah frowned at the second folder. “What time do you want each meal served?”

  “The ranch hands can get themselves something to eat for breakfast. Lunch would be at about noon, and dinner at six-thirty. Is that okay?” He didn’t want to sound desperate, but with his guests arriving tomorrow he’d take anything she could give him.

  “What if your guests have a barbecue every second night? I could get all of the salads and things organized during the day so that all you’d need to do is cook the meat and serve everything. I’ll do the same thing on alternate nights at Alex’s ranch. That way it takes the pressure off having to be at both ranches for the evening meal.”

  Jordan didn’t need to think too hard about his answer. “Sounds good to me.”

  Sarah put the registration folders on Jordan’s desk. “I’ll make the guests beds, tidy their rooms, and do their washing each day. I can’t guarantee what other housework I’ll have time for.”

  “You’ll let me know if it gets too much?”

  “It’s only for two weeks.”

  “Two weeks can be a long time if it’s not working out.”

  Sarah smiled. “I’ll let you know if I need help.”

  Jordan could have picked her up and swung her in circles. Except he didn’t know if she was a circles type of person or even a hugging type of person. The thought of her not being a hugging sort of person worried him. It never had before. He tended to leap in at the deep end, throw his personality on anyone within spitting distance, and hope for the best.

  What type of person Sarah was didn’t matter. She’d be his employee. He’d treat her like any of the ranch hands. A tall, blonde, curvy ranch hand who had saved his business.

  He stomped down on any impulsive hugs waiting to break free and stuck his hand out. “You’ve got yourself a job for two weeks, Ms. Thornton. Welcome to the Triple L.”

  ***

  Sarah opened every cupboard and drawer in the barn kitchen, looking at what she had to work with. Jordan had told her that more often than not, Mrs. Davies, the Triple L housekeeper, cooked the meals for their guests in the main house.

  Sarah understood why she did that, but she liked the idea of cooking in the same space as the guests. The smell of baking would fill the barn with the scent of home, adding another layer to the memories they would take with them.

  She looked in the pantry and started taking out the ingredients for cheese scones. Jordan had put a lot of faith in the fact that she could actually cook. He’d called Alex, checked the other reference she’d given him. But that didn’t mean an awful lot if she couldn’t prove she was every bit as good as Alex had told him.

  She didn’t have a lot of time. Dinner was bubbling in the slow cooker back at Alex’s ranch. If she worked quickly, she’d have the scones ready for eating in twenty-five minutes, less if she could find the baking powder.

  “You lost something, ma’am?”

  Sarah looked up into the face of a man who’d seen most of his life on the land. He could have been fifty-years-old or seventy. His brown, sun-wrinkled skin looked like seasoned leather. He was smiling, making her feel at home without knowing who she was.

  As if knowing what she was thinking he took his hat off and nodded at her. “Frank Deans, ma’am. Jordan said you’d be coming out here to save our bacon. I’m not much of a cook, but I’d be happy to help if you need me.”

  “I’m Sarah. It’s nice to meet you, Frank. You don’t know where the baking powder is, do you?”

  “Middle shelf. On the left.”

  Sarah lifted a red container out of the pantry and grinned. “I’ve been looking for this for the last five minutes. I think I need to buy a pair of glasses.”

  “Easily done,” Frank said. “You’re not from around here?”

  Sarah smiled. Frank was the same as most of the people she’d met in Bozeman. They called a spade a spade, asked the questions that needed to be asked, and left the rest alone. “I grew up in Portland. Have you ever been there?”

  “Nope. Haven’t traveled further than Boise. A cousin got married there a few years back. Pretty city, but too many people and vehicles for my liking.”

  “You wouldn’t like Portland, then.” She took a block of cheese out of the fridge and started grating it. “We have lots of gray, drizzly days. I’ve never seen a sky so big and blue as the one in Montana.”

  “You thinking about living here for good?”

  “I don’t know. I’m sort of in limbo at the moment.”

  “Well, as long as you stay here for the next couple of weeks we’ll be happy. Jordan’s been beside himself trying to find someone to help out around here. It’s mighty generous of you to come to his rescue.”

  Sarah knew that generosity was only a small part of why she was helping. The extra money would come in handy, help start the next part of her plan. The one where she remade her life into what it should have been.

  “How long have you worked on the Triple L, Frank?”

  “Going on thirty years next summer. Trent and Jordan’s daddy hired me. Didn’t think I’d stay as long as I have, but I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to be anywhere else.”

  Sarah left the grated cheese on the counter. She measured four cups of flour into a bowl and added a good pinch of salt and pepper. She envied Frank his life, knowing he was exactly where he needed to be.

  Frank walked across to the fridge and passed Sarah the butter and milk. She raised her eyebrows and he blushed.

  “I might not know much about baking, but I used to watch my mom. Scones were her specialty.”

  “I hope these taste as good as hers.”

  Frank grinned. “After two weeks of food out of packets and cans no one’s going to complain.”

  Sarah mixed the butter into the flour, using her hands to crumble the mixture until it looked like fine breadcrumbs. “What will the guests coming to the Triple L do while they’re here?”

  Frank pulled a bar stool out and sat down. “That depends a lot on the weather.”

  “It does?”

  “This isn’t a dude ranch where you throw horseshoes over stakes in the ground and move cattle just for the hell of it.” Another blush hit Frank’s face. “Sorry about the language.” He paused, watched her roll the dough on the counter. “You ever wondered who made the first cheese scones? The first in the whole entire world?”

  “Can’t say I have,” Sarah said with a smile.

  Frank considered her answer. “Damn fine invention,” he muttered.

  Sarah brushed milk over the top of the scones and added more cheese to the top of each doughy mound. Frank jumped off his stool and opened the oven door. “I was taught to open a pretty girl’s door for her, especially when it involved food.”

  “If your mom taught you that, then I’d say she was a wise woman.”

  “She thought so, too,” Frank said. “Can’t say her other pearls of wisdom ever did me any good, but they got me out of trouble once or twice.”

  “The best ones normally do.” Except Sarah hadn’t bothered listening to her mom. If she had, she wouldn’t have opened her business and her heart to the man who’d destroyed her life. Just thinking about what he’d done made her feel sick. He’d used her, taken her money and left her with nothing.

  “You don’t look too happy about something?”

  Sarah shook herself out of the cloud that had settled on her shoulders. She would not dwell on the past. She’d left Portland to get away from what had happened, not bring it with her. “I was thinking about something my mom said before I left home.”

  “What was that?”

  “Beware of handsome cowboys who like cheese scones.”

  Frank’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “You’ll do all right here.”

  Sarah felt herself blush. “You haven’t tasted my cooking yet.”

  “Don’t need to. Anyone who can make cheese scones without lookin
g in a recipe book belongs on this ranch.”

  Sarah bustled around the kitchen. She felt as though Frank had looked into her soul and found the missing piece of a jigsaw she didn’t know had moved.

  She washed the bowl and spoons, put the scone ingredients back in the pantry. As she wiped flour off the kitchen counter, she let Frank’s words settle, find a quiet space inside her.

  Belonging wasn’t something she took for granted anymore. She’d lived in Portland for most of her life, built a successful business there. Her friends, her family, everything she did and said made her believe she’d belonged. But it hadn’t been enough.

  Her dad admired her drive and determination. But somewhere, deep inside, she realized that finding her place in the world shouldn’t have been so hard. That maybe, if she’d worried a little less about being successful, she might have discovered what really mattered.

  The timer on the oven started ringing and Sarah reached for the oven mitts. If Frank thought cheese scones would help her belong on the Triple L, then she wasn’t going to complain. And as long as his boss thought the same thing, she couldn’t go wrong.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The next morning, Sarah squinted at the recipe on her laptop. Tomorrow she’d make chicken pot pies for dinner. She looked in the freezer and made a note to buy some puff pastry. Mrs. Davies had left the kitchen full of food, so there wasn’t much else to buy.

  After she’d made breakfast on Alex’s ranch, she’d raced across to the Triple L. By seven thirty she’d put three trays of chocolate brownies in the oven. Not bad for her first day on the ranch.

  She’d felt a little odd, driving between jobs, juggling the work on Alex’s ranch with her cooking duties on the Triple L. But three hours after she’d arrived she felt like a seasoned pro. She’d organized this week’s menu, made a grocery list for Jordan, and picked some wildflowers for the table in the entrance.

  The Buchanans would be arriving at about ten thirty. According to the piece of paper Jordan had printed off for her, they were flying in from Vancouver. By the time they arrived at the ranch, they would have been traveling for over six hours. They’d want something to eat and drink, somewhere to put their bags before they stretched their legs.