Contents
Title Page
About This Book
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
Contact Leeanna
Excerpt from All of Me
FOREVER AND A DAY
Montana Brides Series, Book 7
by Leeanna Morgan
Copyright © 2015 Leeanna Morgan
Amazon Edition
ISBN 978-0-9941138-8-7
Published by Rogan Press
For more information visit http://www.leeannamorgan.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is co-incidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the US Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the author.
About this Book
Running a successful ranch vacation business means everything to Jordan McKenzie. But his wide grin and easy charm aren’t going to get him out of the mess he’s in this time. He’s a desperate man on a tight time frame and Sarah Thornton is the only woman who can give him what he needs.
Sarah wasn’t looking for love. She’d been down that road before and her low life fiancé stomped on her heart and stole the computer program she’d designed. Working on a cattle ranch was supposed to give her a year away from the City and time to sort her life out. But Jordan changed things, complicated her life, left her wondering why she’d ever thought Montana would be good for her.
With more at stake than a broken heart, Sarah has to decide if she’s ready for what Jordan wants. Because he wants her - for forever and a day.
If this is the first time you have read a Montana Brides story, you can easily read each book as a standalone. If you would like to know more about me or my books, please go to my website www.leeannamorgan.com and sign up to my newsletter. Happy reading!
Other Contemporary Romances by Leeanna Morgan:
(All series are linked)
Montana Brides:
Book 1: Forever Dreams (Gracie and Trent)
Book 2: Forever in Love (Amy and Nathan)
Book 3: Forever After (Nicky and Sam)
Book 4: Forever Wishes (Erin and Jake)
Book 4.5 Forever Santa (A Montana Brides Christmas Novella)
Book 5: Forever Cowboy (Emily and Alex)
Book 6: Forever Together (Kate and Dan)
Book 7: Forever and a Day (Sarah and Jordan)
The Bridesmaids Club:
Book 1: All of Me (Tess and Logan)
Book 2: Loving You (Annie and Dylan)
Book 3: Head Over Heels (Sally and Todd)
Book 4: Sweet on You (Molly and Jacob)
Emerald Lake Billionaires:
Book 1: Sealed with a Kiss (Rachel and John)
Book 2: Playing for Keeps (Sophie and Ryan)
Book 3: Crazy Love (Holly and Daniel)
The Protectors:
Book 1: Safe Haven (Hayley and Tank)
Book 2: Just Breathe (Kelly and Tanner)
Book 3: Always (Mallory and Grant)
Book 4: The Promise (Ashley and Matthew)
CHAPTER ONE
“I’m in trouble.” Jordan leaned toward Tess, the owner of Angel Wings Café, hoping no one heard the desperation in his voice.
“Shouldn’t you be having this conversation with your brother?” Tess slid a couple of muffins into a paper bag and pushed them across the counter.
“It’s not funny.” Only he wished it was. But unless his brother had developed a talent for cooking, even Trent wouldn’t be able to get him out of the mess he was in. “Trent’s taken Gracie and Jessica to Los Angeles. I’ve got a family of five arriving in two days’ time for a ranch vacation and no one to cook their meals.”
“Where’s Mrs. Davies?”
“She’s gone to look after her sister and won’t be back for a couple of weeks.”
“Can’t one of the other ranch hands help?”
“Frank’s got the best baking skills of all of us, but he’s limited by what he can throw in the microwave.” Jordan hoped Tess would take pity on him and loan him her part-time baker. There wasn’t one food group that Annie didn’t know how to cook and he needed her on the ranch.
He smiled at Tess, using the dimple in his cheek for extra leverage. “What about Annie?” If he didn’t find someone soon, the Buchanans wouldn’t be able to come. Then he’d have other cancelations to handle before Mrs. Davies, their housekeeper, made it back to Bozeman.
“I know what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work.” Tess shooed him away while she served the next person in line.
He liked Tess and he liked what she’d created inside her café. The food was great and the atmosphere was relaxing. It was about as different from the ice cream parlor that used to be here as anything he’d ever seen.
He waited until the last person had paid their bill before stepping forward. She’d have to give him credit for perseverance. He was a desperate man and he’d do nearly anything for his business.
“I can’t help you, Jordan. Annie only works mornings and Kate does a few hours in the afternoon. Even if all of us were able to help, we wouldn’t be able to keep up with what we need for the café and do the meals for the ranch. Have you thought about putting a notice in the newspaper?”
“By the time it’s published and I go through all of the applicants, Mrs. Davies will be home. Please, Tess. It’s only for two weeks.”
Tess crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You can put that dimple away because it’s not working.”
“Not even a little bit?”
Tess laughed. “Maybe a little, but the answer’s still no. What if you put a poster in the front window? There might be someone looking for work.”
Jordan wasn’t holding out much hope of that happening, but he didn’t have a choice. “I’ll head across to the library and use one of their computers. Can I bring the poster straight back after I’ve finished?”
“You bet. I’ll even give you a glowing reference if anyone asks.”
And that, thought Jordan, was probably the best he could hope for. He’d make a few extra posters for the other stores nearby and tape them to their front windows.
Then he’d go to the bookstore and look for a recipe book for beginners.
***
Sarah stared at the poster in the front window of Angel Wings Café. In a few minutes, she’d be meeting Tess and Sally for coffee. She didn’t have much time before Sally arrived, but it would be enough to ask Tess about the short-term position on the Triple L Ranch.
For the last year, she’d been working on Alex Green’s ranch, cooking for the ranch hands and keeping the place clean and tidy. It wasn’t what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, but she was happy. She had a savings account that was slowly growing and a lot of ideas about what she’d do with that money when the time was right.
The doorbell jingled as she entered the café.
Tess turned toward her with a smile. “You’re the first to arrive. What can I get you?”
Sarah grinned. They had a competition to see how many coffee combinations Tess could make in less than ninety seconds. So f
ar Tess had won each round, but Sarah had a feeling this one might tip the balance.
“I’ll have a grande decaf, extra-hot soy Americano with extra foam.”
Tess raised her eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
They’d been down this road before, too. Tess would try and psych her out of a coffee she thought would take too long to make. “I’m positive. It’s a big one,” she whispered.
Tess shook her head. “You’re going to lose.”
Sarah grinned at her friend. “We’ll see. When you’re done figuring out how to make my coffee, you can tell me about the job you’ve got advertised in your front window.”
“Are you interested?”
“I’m doing the same type of thing on Alex’s ranch, so working at another ranch shouldn’t be a problem. I could make lunch and dinner for both places at the same time. It’s just the housework that might suffer.”
“And we all know how much you enjoy housework,” Tess said.
“My expertise is baking, not cleaning the windows.” Sarah pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and flicked to the stopwatch app. “Are you ready to show me how awesome you are?”
“After I’ve whipped up this coffee I’ll tell you about the Triple L. And if you promise not to sulk because I won, I might even tell you about Jordan.”
“Who?”
“Jordan McKenzie.” Tess looked at the coffee machine, then opened the fridge and took out the soy milk. “He manages the ranch vacation business on the Triple L.”
Sarah frowned. “Are you telling me this to distract me from what you’re doing? Making my coffee without starting the stopwatch has to break at least one rule.”
“I didn’t know we had rules.” Tess grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of cutting a few seconds off the finish time.” She flexed her fingers and rolled her shoulders. “Okay. I’m ready to blow you away with my coffee-making prowess.”
Sarah held her finger above the start button. “I’ll wish you luck because you’re going to need it. On your mark…get set…go!”
Tess’ hands flew in front of the coffee machine, packing the espresso grounds down, twisting the filter onto the machine before letting the fresh espresso dribble into the mug below. “How am I going for time?”
“Forty-five seconds.”
Tess grabbed the carton of soy milk, heated and frothed it in the machine. With the other hand, she poured hot water into the espresso, added the frothed milk and yelled, “Stop.”
Sarah looked at the top of her coffee. “You even did a pretty flower in the foam.”
“I aim to please. How did I go?”
“One minute, twenty-eight seconds. You won again.”
Tess high-fived Sarah before pushing the mug across the counter. “You’re going to have to come up with a weird combination to beat this barista.”
The doorbell jingled and Sally walked into the café. She sniffed the air. “What coffee did you make today?”
“Grande decaf, extra-hot soy Americano with extra foam.”
“Impressive. How did Tess do?”
Sarah sighed. “She won.”
“Sounds like you’re going to be buying the next meal at Charlie’s Bar and Grill.”
“I’ve still got another ten days to find a coffee that outwits the maestro.”
“Not going to happen,” Tess said with a smile. “What would you like to drink, Sally?”
“Hot chocolate.”
“Are you sure you don’t want that with a cinnamon and cream swirl on top? I could even do low fat, half strength.”
“Not me,” Sally said. “I’m an all or nothing kind of girl.”
Sarah took her coffee to a table close to the front counter. “Is that why you’re trying to offload one of your puppies on me?”
“I’m not offloading.” Sally sat beside Sarah. “I’m trying to re-home them. They were left in a bag on the side of the road behind the youth center. I’m not allowed to take any more animals to mom and dad’s place, so I thought Alex’s ranch would be perfect.”
“I wouldn’t know what to do with a dog.”
“I could teach you.”
Sarah shook her head. “I’ve got no idea where I’ll be living in twelve months’ time, so I’m a pet-free zone at the moment.”
Tess arrived at the table with Sally’s hot chocolate and a glass of orange juice for herself. “What have I missed?”
“Sally’s trying to convince me to take one of her puppies.”
“Shame on you, Sally Gray. I thought Alex had already taken a puppy?”
Sally grinned. “He has, but I thought I’d try convincing Sarah to make it two. He’s got lots of space. Besides, with his wedding only a month away he’ll have more on his mind than another four-legged friend.”
“How are all the wedding plans going?” Tess asked.
“Okay. We had another fitting for the bridesmaid’s dresses last night. Mom came with me and she got all excited about the dresses Emily designed.”
“You’d better watch out,” Sarah said. “She’ll start asking you when you’re getting married.”
“She’s given up on me. This is the ninth time I’ve been someone else’s bridesmaid. I could start my own store selling the dresses.”
“We should do something about it.” Tess leaned her chin on her hands.
“Unless you plan on finding husbands for us there’s not a lot you can do,” Sally said. “It’s depressing how many people think you should be married by the time you hit twenty-seven.”
“Don’t go looking for a husband for me,” Sarah said. “One low-life fiancé was enough to last a lifetime.”
“You’re lucky you got that far,” Tess said. “None of the guys I’ve dated have got an ounce of commitment in their bodies. I’m so over the whole dating thing that it’s not even funny anymore.”
“Here’s to happy singleness.” Sarah smiled at her friends. Tess had a faraway look in her blue eyes. She was a thinker and a dreamer, everything she needed to be to run a successful café. And then there was Sally. Sarah had met her the first week she’d arrived in Bozeman. Sally had introduced her to Alex and convinced him that he needed someone to look after his ranch hands.
Sarah owed both of her friends more than they’d ever know. She’d arrived in Bozeman with a few dollars in her pocket and no idea of what she was going to do. And then she’d met Sally and everything had fallen into place. She had somewhere to call home, good friends that made her smile. Everything that had disappeared from her life before she’d left Portland.
“Have you told Sally about the job on the Triple L?” Tess asked.
Sarah shook her head. “Not yet. Do you know anything about it?”
Sally frowned. “What job?”
“On the front window,” Sarah said. “Someone’s advertising for a cook and housekeeper for a couple of weeks.”
“Jordan McKenzie needs help,” Tess said to Sally. “He’s got some new guests arriving tomorrow and no one to cook their meals.”
“Where’s Mrs. Davies?” Sally asked.
“She went to visit her sister and needs to stay for another couple of weeks.”
“Jordan must be in a panic,” Sally said. “He’s been working hard to get his business up and running. Are you sure you’ll be able to do the meals for both ranches, Sarah?”
“It depends on how many people he’s expecting. If it’s only a few I should be fine.”
“Four,” Tess said. “It’s a family group.”
Sally frowned. “Why do you want to take on more work? You’re busy on Alex’s ranch.”
“The extra money would be a bonus and I’d get to see how another ranch operates.” Sarah hadn’t told Tess and Sally about the last twelve months, the utter desperation she’d felt when her fiancé and business partner had stolen the computer program she’d spent two years developing.
Sally took a sip of her coffee. “If you get the job and need another pair of hands to help, just give me a call.”
“T
hanks. So what’s Jordan like?”
Tess smiled. “He’s a nice guy with the sweetest tooth in Bozeman.”
“Think single, sexy, and funny,” Sally added. “You’d enjoy working with him. Just watch your heart.”
“I don’t need to worry about that,” Sarah sighed. “It’s my bank account that needs filling up, not my love life.”
“You’re made for each other, then.” Tess smiled. “Give him a call and see what happens.”
***
Jordan pulled on a clean t-shirt and ran his hands through his hair. He hadn’t been this nervous in years, hadn’t needed anyone quite as desperately as he needed Sarah Thornton. Her soft accent and questions had intrigued him. He didn’t know much about her, but that didn’t matter. If she could cook, he’d take her.
He glanced down at his watch as he rushed out of his bedroom. She’d be here in fifteen minutes. He needed to get to the ranch hands’ bunkhouse and to the kitchen in the main house. He wanted everything to look as good as it could get. If she thought the job was too much on top of what she already had, he was in serious trouble.
He raced downstairs and through the front door, almost tripping over Peaches, his sister-in-law’s orange cat. She’d made herself at home and seemed determined to stay when Gracie and Trent left for their vacation.
As he ran toward the low-slung bunkhouse he didn’t notice the quiet calm of the ranch or the way the last of the sun heated his skin. All he was interested in was the wooden building that eight ranch hands shared. That alone gave him eight more reasons to be worried.
Pete Sanders, the most senior ranch hand on the property, stopped his four-wheeler in front of Jordan. “When’s she arriving?”
Jordan took another look at his watch. “Ten minutes. Did everyone clean up their mess?”
“All done. Frank’s even baked some cookies for her. He thought it might sweeten the deal if she knew she had a backup cook to help out.”
“Frank said that?”
Pete grinned. “He’s as desperate as we are for some real home baking. The frozen cookie dough is all right, but it doesn’t taste the same as the real thing.”
Forever And A Day (Montana Brides, Book #7) Page 1