by Zoe Matthews
As she and Cade headed back inside the barn, she wondered if her father had known that some of his children would be finding their soulmates along the path of becoming a closer family. And she wondered if he’d be happy about it. She knew she was!
The End
Colorado Skies
Majestic Mountain Ranch Romance Series, Book 5
Written by Zoe Matthews
Copyright © 2015
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 1
October 6th…
Spencer grabbed the pile of mail sitting on the entryway table and headed for the office he was currently using on the main floor of the Ranch House. His bedroom suite was located on the second story and at the far end of the large home, but he used another room for conducting the business of the dude ranch.
The Majestic Mountain Dude Ranch had been opened for just a little over a month, and he’d been in charge of the advertising campaign since before they’d opened for business; something he’d found more challenging and fulfilling than he could have imagined. He was also in charge of all billing and making sure that the finances for the operation were under control. His brother, Sheridan, hadn’t completely released the reins in this area, but Spencer was hopeful that soon Sheridan would trust him enough to let him handle the finances on his own.
He sat down at the desk and looked out the window at the garden beyond. Kathy, the ranch housekeeper, chief cook, and surrogate mother to all of the Collingsworth siblings over the years, was in the garden with Annie. Spencer smiled as Annie turned to show Kathy the butterfly that had landed on her hand.
Annie had Down syndrome and was the happiest young woman Spencer had ever met. She lived with Kathy and her husband Jed. Her brother, Logan, had been hired to deal with the horses on the ranch, and had ended up marrying one of his sisters a few months after his arrival.
Annie had quickly found a home with Kathy and Jed, leaving Logan and Sierra plenty of time to manage their two sets of twins. Annie loved the garden and when the weather was good, she could usually be found amongst the plants at some point each day. Spencer glanced at the trees a short distance away; winter was coming at them fast.
They’d spent the entire summer and the last few weeks of fall getting the former cattle ranch converted into a dude ranch. Cabins had been updated and news ones built, along with a large lodge to serve as a gathering place for large groups of guests.
All of his siblings had moved back home to help out, although, not by choice in the beginning stages. His father had died tragically in a plane crash, and at the reading of his will, had requested all of his children come back home for a period of six months. The reward for doing so…half a million dollars and the chance to forge a better bond between them.
Everyone had come home, including Spencer, and so far everything seemed to be working for the good. Each of them had taken on a specific task at the ranch, and now that Spencer was no longer in charge of the cattle side of the operation, he could join the ranks of his satisfied siblings.
Various personnel had been hired to help out, and so far, those key people had become integral parts of not only the ranch operation, but the Collingsworth family. What had started out as a family of six siblings and three young children, was now a family of six children, one sister, and several men he was beginning to think of as brothers.
They were all learning to work together to accomplish great tasks, and Spencer smiled as he watched the scene in the garden again. Everyone was involved in the work of the ranch – even the kids. Currently, they were trying to harvest the last of the garden produce before the first winter storm hit.
Sierra’s twin daughters, Ashley and Elysha, were picking the last of the tomatoes while their new step-brothers, Mason and Noah, were attempting to carry the last of the squash to the waiting wagon. The two boys were ever in competition with one another, and Spencer had to stop himself from laughing as he watched them try to carry the large spaghetti squash in their small arms. At the age of four, they were definitely a handful and he had no doubts in his mind that as they continued to grow up, their antics would keep everyone on their toes!
Stella’s new daughter, Misty, was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t all that unusual. The seven-year-old daughter of Stella’s best friend had come to live with them after her mother’s tragic accident, and had found common ground with a litter of puppies. The cattle dogs belonged to Cade Jensen, and he’d given her a young male she’d named Tucker.
She and the dog were almost as inseparable as Annie and her service dog, Sunny. It’s turning into a regular daycare and animal sanctuary around here!
He smiled at the thought, deciding that he didn’t really mind at all. He took one last glance out the window and wondered if he would ever have children of his own to watch play and grow.
Whilst he’d been living in New York, the idea of a family and kids had been the furthest thing from his mind. He’d been career-oriented, just like every other twenty-four-year-old living in the Big Apple.
But since coming back to Colorado and the Majestic Mountain Ranch, he’d discovered that family and friends were good things to have. He’d always had a best friend in his twin, Stella, but over the last four months he had begun to develop deeper relationships with his other siblings. All except Sheridan, that is.
Sheridan was the oldest of the Collingsworth siblings, and he and Spencer had never seen eye to eye on things. Sheridan was very goal-oriented and result driven. He stressed easily and his temper could be volatile at times.
Spencer was the exact opposite on many levels. Since graduating from college, he’d had three different jobs, in two years! He hadn’t been fired from those jobs; he’d simply quit because he was bored and ready to move on to something different. His brother called his actions “job hopping” and never mentioned Spencer’s myriad of jobs in a kind tone.
Sheridan didn’t understand Spencer’s need for adventure and a new challenge around every corner. That was probably why he’d been so upset when Spencer had shown up at the ranch in his own private airplane. Their father had adamantly refused to let any of them learn to fly, stating it was too dangerous. Sheridan had been furious, something that everyone had been able to see since he wore his emotions on his sleeve and was oftentimes very vocal about being upset. Especially when he was upset with his younger brother.
Spencer rarely felt the need to express too much emotion over a situation, and getting angry or unduly upset over a situation he couldn’t change just seemed like a senseless waste of time. Besides, Sheridan expressed enough emotion at times for both of them!
He began to open the mail, starting with the advertising statements from the 5280 magazine, put out once a month by a Denver publishing company and an excellent place to advertise their new Colorado-based business. He’d included the projected costs in his last budget, but as he looked at the invoice, he noticed there was a definite difference.
He quickly pulled up the app on his tablet he’d used to record the budget, and then groaned when he realized what he’d done. He’d transposed the numbers, budgeting for $1,200 for the last two printings, but the amount had really been $2,100!
Sheridan isn�
��t going to be happy! The dude ranch was seeing a nice profit and their bookings were solid and sold out all the way through the end of the month, with the holidays looking up as well. But his little number goof would reduce their profit margin by $900.
And this was coming straight on the heels of having incorrectly billed the wedding party that had just left the ranch. He’d set up a invoicing system for special events, but when he’d been entering the various line items, he’d accidentally charged the newlyweds for only twenty weekend guests, rather than the thirty that had actually arrived.
By the time he realized there had been a mistake, the bill had already been paid and the wedding party had departed the ranch. The error had been discussed amongst the siblings, and once Stella reported having overheard the newlywed couple talking about how nice it was for their parents to pay for everything, none of them had the heart to send another invoice for additional monies. It was decided that they would leave things as they were and be more careful in the future.
And now this! Maybe I need to have someone help look over the invoices and such before they go out? Just not Sheridan! Somebody who won’t feel inclined to lord every mistake they find over my head! Or worse yet – he’ll put me back in charge of those darn cows! There is no way I’m letting him do that to me!
Sheridan chose that moment to rap his knuckles on the open door. “Hey! I was wondering if you had those new numbers for the October budget?”
Spencer closed his eyes for a moment and then turned around. “About that…I was just coming to find you. I got the actual statements from the most recent magazine ads and I seem to have transposed the numbers on the budget sheet.”
Sheridan groaned and entered the office. “How much is this going to cost us?”
Spencer wished there was another way around telling him, but he couldn’t think of anything, so he made a face and explained what had happened. “I’m really sorry. I guess I need to start triple checking my numbers and such.”
“That would be helpful,” Sheridan agreed with a healthy dose of sarcasm in his voice. “We are trying to turn a profit here.”
Spencer swallowed back his retort and nodded. “Yes. I’m aware of that.”
“Good. Bring me the new numbers when you get them put together.”
“I’ll do that,” Spencer assured him, relieved when Sheridan got up and left the small office.
He took a deep breath and then blew it out, muttering to himself. “I’ve got to be more careful with numbers.” It wasn’t the first time he’d mixed the numbers up, but this time it had cost more than his other mistakes. He’d just have to be more careful in the future. He had never been very good with numbers. Although this had never bothered him before, he knew it was too important to mess up again.
He placed all of the paperwork back into a pile and tossed it on the corner of the desk. Enough of that for now!
He logged into his email and then smiled when he saw a new message from Greenart. Emma had contacted him again. He clicked on the link and waited for it to open; hoping she’d finalized her itinerary for visiting him in Colorado. It had been four months since he’d sent that first email to her, and while they’d had numerous conversations via email, and spoken a few times over the phone, he’d never met her in person.
It was time for that to change! When Spencer had realized that he was beginning to have feelings for this woman, he’d invited her out to the ranch for a week’s vacation so that they could get to know each other in person.
Emma had readily agreed, and as he read her email, he couldn’t wait to see her. She’d be coming to Colorado in just a few days!
Chapter 2
Two days later…
Spencer stepped out of the back door and then turned and looked down the driveway. He’d offered to fly into Denver and pick Emma up, but she’d refused his offer. She wanted to rent a car, saying she really was looking forward to the drive and getting to see the mountains of Colorado.
He glanced at his watch one more time and realized it had been almost four hours since her plane had landed at Denver International Airport. He’d checked with the airlines and the more time that passed, the more worried he became.
He’d first met Emma through an online dating website shortly after returning to the family ranch. At first, it had just been something to occupy his time and get his mind off the fact that he was back home. He’d never thought he’d return to the ranch on a semi-permanent, or permanent basis.
He and his father had never had the best relationship, but then again, very few of his siblings could say that they had a close, personal relationship with the late Richard Collingsworth. The man had been a good provider, but lacking in the relationship and expressing emotion department. He’d left those areas to Kathy and her husband, Jed, focusing all of his time and attention on running the ranch.
The kids had grown up, learning to deal with their problems on their own, never asking for help. It had made having other types of relationships difficult and several of his siblings had suffered
He still remembered the first conversation he’d had with Emma, amazed to find out that she lived in New York. What were the odds that he would come all the way out to Colorado, only to meet a woman online who lived back in New York?
It turned out that Emma was a landscape artist, and while she loved the gardens she worked on, she hated living in the city. Many of her emails had included her hopes to one day live someplace else. He’d asked her for details about the place she’d most like to live, and rather then name some place specific, she’d just said she wanted away from the concrete jungle, the smog, and the thousands of people that congested the sidewalks and streets.
“Spencer? What are you doing out here?” Sadie asked him, escorting her three-year-old daughter out of the house.
“Uncle Spencer! I’s wants to fly!” Brooklyn told him, pulling free from her mother’s hand, and rushing towards him on her short little legs.
Spencer smiled down at her and scooped her up, lifting her high above his head while she screamed in delight. “You want to fly, huh?”
“Yay! Mommy, I’m flying!”
Sadie shook her head at her brother. “You’re going to regret doing that one of these days when you throw your back out.” But she said it with a smile.
Spencer spun the child around once more and then set her back onto her feet. “She doesn’t weigh hardly anything.”
Brooklyn realized she was the topic of conversation and wrapped her arms around Spencer’s leg. “Can I go fly?”
“You want to go up in the plane?” he asked, grinning broadly when she nodded her head eagerly against his thigh. “Well, we can’t go today…”
Brooklyn released his leg and stomped her foot. “But I’s wants to go today!”
“Brooklyn! That is not the way we get things.” Sadie looked at her daughter who promptly stuck out her bottom lip and screwed up her face. “And if you throw another temper tantrum you’re going back inside the house and taking a nap before lunchtime.”
Brooklyn tried to hold her pout, looking to her uncle for assistance, but when he simply raised an eyebrow at her, her shoulders slumped and she hung her head. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay, sweetie,” Spencer told her. “We’ll go up one day soon. Today, I’m waiting on a friend to arrive.”
“A new friend?” Brooklyn asked curiously, her pout of a few seconds ago forgotten.
“Yes. Her name is Emma.”
“So, she’s arriving today?” Sadie asked with a small grin on her face.
“Yeah, but I would have thought she’d be here already. Her plane landed in Denver four hours ago.”
Sadie looked thoughtful and then she smiled at him. “I’m sure she’s fine. Why don’t you give Bridger and Stephanie a call?”
“Why would I call them? Aren’t they still in Denver?”
Sadie shook her head. “No, they were heading home after lunch today. Stephanie’s feeling much better. They could keep
their eyes out along the road. Maybe she had car trouble or something.”
Before either one of them could say anything else on the subject, Misty came barreling out of the house with Tucker trying to keep up with his little legs.
Spencer moved to intercept the young girl. “Misty, where’s the fire?”
Misty smiled at him, quickly dodging around him and continuing to run towards the barn. “There isn’t a fire! Tucker and I want to play with the rest of the pups.”
Spencer laughed and was joined by Sadie. “That girl sure has changed in the last few weeks. She was so quiet and sad when she first got here. Now look at her!”
“She’s found a place to call home.” Spencer looked at his sister. “I think we’ve all kind of found a place we could call home again. I never thought I would say this, and I’ll deny it if you repeat it to anyone, but I’m kind of glad we’re all doing this. Together. It kind of feels like family. The way it should be.”
Sadie gave him a soft smile. “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it? And with everyone getting married and busy with kids and such, it’s nice to have everyone close.” She looked at her brother and then slugged him in the shoulder lightly. “Your turn is coming. Maybe you ought to make that call to Stephanie?”
“Yeah, maybe. I think I will call them, just in case.” He turned and headed towards the house, turning back at the last moment. “Sadie...thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. I can’t wait to meet this woman.” Who knows, maybe this Emma person will turn out to be Spencer’s true love, Sadie thought to herself.
Chapter 3
Spencer called Stephanie and Bridger, but they had gotten an early start leaving Denver and had just reached Pinedale when he got ahold of them.