The MacBrides: Logan and RJ

By J.L. Petersen

Logan, the eldest of the MacBride clan, is thrilled at his brother Clay’s pending nuptials to Sandy. But when Sandy’s sister RJ arrives at the family’s ranch, Logan’s world is turned upside down. However, the sisters’ shared past has created scars and barriers against love testing Logan’s ability to push aside his need and patience to win RJ’s trust and ultimately her unwavering love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: 5 Prince Publishing
• Release date: Jun 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781631121982

J.L. Petersen

J.L. Petersen is a lifelong reader of romance and mystery novels. She resides in Denver, Colorado, with her husband. Love in a Moment is the first installment of an intended trilogy.

Book preview

1

I ’m getting married !

RJ froze. She was in the middle of touching up digital photos she’d taken of the Bridgeman wedding this past weekend when she absently answered her

sister’s

call

.

"RJ? Did you hear what

I

said

?"

Uh, yeah, RJ stammered. Besides herself, her sister was the last person she would have expected to say those words. "Sandy, are you

punking

me

?"

Sandy giggled. "I know it sounds unreal but I’m serious. I’m getting married. I can’t wait for you to meet Clay. We’re going to get married out here on the ranch on the first Saturday in August. I want you to help me plan it. Please say

you

will

."

Wait. What? August? That’s only eight weeks away. Are you crazy?

Yes! Crazy in love. Oh, RJ, I’ve never been so happy. Clay is wonderful.

RJ’s brain was racing. Sandy had recently moved from their shared downtown Denver apartment to the small mountain town where she’d taken a job in a gift store for a local winery and lavender producer. How could she have met a man and fallen in love in, what, two months? And given their childhood, didn’t they make a commitment to each other to never fall into the trap of marriage?

RJ? Please say you’ll come, Sandy pleaded into the silence.

I don’t know, Sandy. I have commitments. Summer’s a busy time for me. RJ hesitated, trying to make sense out of her sister’s announcement.

I know. But couldn’t you split your time between Prickly Hill and Denver? It’s barely three hours away. Sandy wasn’t

giving

up

.

Okay, RJ sighed in defeat. She decided she needed to talk some sense into her sister. Over the phone was not the way to do it. "Give me a couple of days to organize things. I’ll send you a text when you can

expect

me

."

Sandy squealed. "Oh, thank you. Just you wait, RJ, you’re going to love

it

here

."

"Just text me information on where I

can

stay

."

Don’t worry about that. You’re going to stay here at the ranch. Since I’m practically living with Clay, you can have the cabin I was using.

Yeah, not her first choice. If she was going to try and talk sense into her sister it needed to be on neutral territory. And she didn’t plan on staying long. "Seriously, I’d rather get a room somewhere. I’ll google it and see what I

can

find

."

She heard her sister sigh on the other end. "Alright, but it would be cheaper for you to

stay

here

."

After saying goodbye and hanging up, RJ realized she never congratulated her sister, but she suspected her sister knew she wouldn’t

mean

it

.

Staring out of her living room window, she barely noticed the people strolling down the street. Her small apartment was in a nice location along the river front area, and she liked the activity and anonymity living downtown provided.

Still reeling from her sister’s announcement, RJ wondered what had changed that had her sister believing that marriage was the way to go with a relationship. Their family was riddled with marriages that had failed. Their relatives violated their vows with affairs or treated the marriage as if it was something to be suffered through. Sure, she knew some people who seemed to have solid family lives with parents that stayed together. Even happily. But there must be something with the Taylor clan that was missing the happily

married

gene

.

From grandparents, to parents, to aunts and uncles, marriage was a trap. No one was ever happy. And if someone wasn’t happy, they didn’t want anyone else to be happy either. The only way to break the cycle was to not even jump into the game. So, what the hell was her sister thinking?

Going back to her workstation, RJ started organizing her schedule to allow her the following week to go up to Prickly Hill and talk some sense into her sister.

---

Logan MacBride was having a hard time saying no to his soon to be sister-in-law. At thirty-three, he had yet to meet a woman to love. Oh, he believed in it. Wanted it. Saw parents and family bound by it. But love proved elusive for him. So, the fact that one of his brothers found it in the lovely young woman now sitting at the kitchen counter in the main house, made him very happy.

Unfortunately, her sister seemed like she was going to be a problem. Sandy had just finished telling them her sister was coming up this coming weekend instead of for the summer as she had hoped. From his understanding, the sister, RJ, was self-employed and had flexibility with her schedule, so Sandy seemed hurt that she wasn’t going to spend this time with her to plan the wedding.

Leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms he studied Sandy. "I still don’t understand what you think I

can

do

."

Well, you should probably know that RJ isn’t exactly thrilled about my getting married. Our background has jaded her somewhat. I’m hoping her opinions might mellow if she could spend time here at the ranch and around your family. So, I’d like to try and encourage her to stay by giving her some work out here. I was hoping you might need new photos of the ranch, winery and lavender fields for promotional purposes. I was also going to ask her to organize photos of the wedding and rehearsal.

Logan wasn’t opposed to the idea, he just didn’t identify with the problem. Family should always come first. He struggled with her request as it felt like he was trying to bribe someone to do the right thing. Sandy apparently loved her sister though. "Again, what do you want me

to

do

?"

I was hoping you would talk to her about the projects. I know she’ll do the wedding, but if I ask her about the others she’ll see right through me. Besides, you’re the senior owner, so it seems more fitting and realistic if you ask. She gets a little stubborn when it comes to perceived favors.

Logan considered Sandy’s words. It didn’t seem too much to ask but it was clear she was a little nervous. It gave him something to consider but for now he would agree. "Fine. When does she

get

here

?"

His brother Clay, younger by just eighteen months, tossed a casual, Thanks, bro, his way. He knew his brother would do anything for Sandy. He’d tumbled into love hard and fast and would do anything to make her happy.

She’ll be here Friday afternoon. She’s planning on staying at the inn just off Grand Street. I was hoping to spend Friday night with her and be back in time to open the store on Saturday. I was going to bring her with me. Maybe you could come around the store and invite her on a tour of the operation, she said hopefully.

Sure. No problem. Logan would at least give it a shot. Grabbing his hat off the counter, he started for the door. Tell Mom I’ll catch her later. I’ve got some things to see to before heading back to my house, he tossed out before heading to the mudroom at the back of the kitchen to go out to the stables.

Standing on the back porch, slamming his hat on his head, he decided to make sure RJ didn’t do anything to disrupt his brother and Sandy’s happiness. And, already irritated, wondered what the hell type of name RJ was anyway for a woman. Must be some male-female power thing. With new determination, he strode off to finish his chores for

the

day

.

2

RJ made good time getting out of Denver. I-70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel was always traffic-laden regardless of the weather. In the winter, it was the skiers heading up or down for a weekend of fun. In the summer, you had the campers and hikers looking to enjoy the mountains in full bloom. But she seemed to have beaten the worst of it and was now cruising towards Prickly Hill. She loved the mountains in the warmer months. Slipping in one of her favorite CDs she settled back to enjoy the drive .

After rearranging a couple of meetings for potential jobs, and working long days to meet or beat several commitments, she was free for the entire weekend. Hopefully, that’s all it would take to talk some sense into her sister. Always one to be prepared for any potential meeting, she did her research on the MacBride family. Even she had to admit to being impressed. They were the registered landowners of the Rocking Bar M ranch for almost one hundred and fifty years, boasting over sixty thousand acres used for cattle, hay fields, a small winery and a lavender field. The ranch sat in Mesa County some twenty miles outside Grand Junction.

While she was able to find out general information about the ranch, and looked at the website for the store her sister managed, she was unable to learn more about the family itself. If she couldn’t talk her sister out of marrying, she wondered if the expectation for the bride’s family to pay for the wedding would come up. Ha! Good luck getting any money out her folks. Their dad was doing time back in Montgomery, Alabama for assault. Nothing like a good old bar fight. And their mom, well there wasn’t much opportunity in the little Alabama town of Booneburg. Doing hair for the small community didn’t exactly bring in a lot of money, especially when most of it went to drinking and looking for her next husband.

RJ pulled away from her musing when she saw the Prickly Hill exit. The landscape was full of varying sized mesas and a valley both green and lush in some areas and dry and desert-like in others. She knew the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers met up somewhere in the area but wasn’t familiar enough to know which was which.

When she drove into the small town boasting about twenty-five-hundred permanent residents, just after noon, she quickly located the small inn where she’d booked a room with two double beds for the weekend. Pulling into the lot and parking, she shot a text off to her sister letting her know she was there.

The inn was quaint but small. Located just off the interstate amid a vineyard, it had only eighty rooms. Checking in was swift, allowing her to settle into her room on the second floor with minimal fuss. There was a little balcony overlooking the vineyard. Stepping out to survey her surroundings, she could see the grapes were still young on the vines. She decided she might have to come out during harvest and take some pictures.

Hey, Rapunzel! a voice shouted drawing her attention away from the vines. Seeing her sister standing by her car and waving, RJ broke into a smile.

Hey, you. She waved back. "Want to come up or me

come

down

?"

Meet you in the Corkscrew Lounge, her sister called out before walking towards the front of

the

inn

.

Grabbing her purse, RJ took the stairs in the main hallway to meet up with her sister. They met at the entrance to the lounge and embraced.

Oh, I’m so glad you’re here, Sandy said, hugging her sister

once

more

.

RJ returned the hug. "I am too. I’ve

missed

you

."

Ditto. Let’s grab a table on the patio. It’s too nice to be inside. Her sister led the way through the lounge out to the patio. A waiter was quick to greet them once they sat at an umbrella-covered table. You should try the local wine. I’m a little prejudiced, and like the Rocking Bar label.

I’m okay with that. You order.

Sandy asked the waiter for a bottle of the Rocking Bar Chardonnay and their cheese platter. She reached across to grab RJ’s hand. "Thank you for coming. I wish you would change your mind though

and

stay

."

Giving her sister’s hand a squeeze then releasing it, she studied her face. "Okay give. What happened? Who is Clay? Why did you never mention him in our calls or texts? And, seriously? Marriage? You know we aren’t cut out

for

that

."

Sighing, Sandy sat back in her chair as the waiter returned with the wine. Once he had opened the bottle and allowed them to taste the wine, he poured each a glass, promising to return with the cheese platter shortly.

It’s kind of a long story, Sandy

finally

said

.

RJ challenged that. "It’s only been two months, how long of a story can

it

be

?"

Grimacing, Sandy held her wine glass in front of her staring into the liquid as if it could tell her something important. I’ll start with the easy. She smiled then. Clay is the second oldest in the family and runs the winery side of the family business. He has three brothers and two sisters. We met shortly after I arrived and settled into the cabin they were providing for the store manager.

She paused when the waiter returned with their cheese platter. Still smiling she continued reminiscing. I was having a rotten day. I screwed up the inventory system at the store spending hours to rebuild it, and when I got home a water pipe in the kitchen sink busted. I was soaked and remember screaming and cussing while trying to find the water turnoff. Clay apparently was riding by and heard me screaming and came running in. Once we got the water turned off he looked at me and laughed.

Uh, oh. RJ loved her sister and her usually easy going manner, but there is a point when her sister went from mild mannered to all-out temper.

Yeah, uh, oh. I was not in the mood to be laughed at, even though I looked like a drowned rat. I lit into him. Funny, he just laughed at me again. Laughing at the memory she sighed. I figured he either had a screw loose or was the only man able to handle me. Apparently, I said that out loud because he just looked at me and said, ‘Well, darling I’m thinking the latter.’

RJ actually laughed, and was impressed with the man’s ability to withstand one of Sandy’s blistering set downs. And the rest, as they say, is history?

Satisfied she’d entertained her sister, she nodded. "Yup. I think I fell a little in that very moment. But when he went all out to court me, I just

fell

hard

."

"Why marriage? How can you be sure this will last? Our family isn’t known for happily ever after."

Sandy hesitated. I know. And I’m not saying I’m not scared. It’s why I said no the first time he asked. That comment got a surprised raised eyebrow out of RJ. "I’ve shared some of our childhood with Clay to help him understand. But he’s convinced me I’m not them and that his family embraces and honors marriage and family. I’m scared but excited and so in love. I want this

to

work

."

RJ ached for her sister. Sandy was always the starry-eyed sister. But she was hurt by how Sandy could have been going through this and never saying one word to her. She had to know. "Why couldn’t you talk to me

about

this

?"

I’ve struggled with how I was going to answer that, Sandy said, holding up