The Cowgirl's Forever Love

by Vivian Arend

  Tamara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “His name fits him perfectly.”

  “Of course, it does,” Caleb teased. “You chose it.”

  They smiled at each other and the room was filled with a kind of magic Josiah had never dreamed of getting to share.

  He waited until the moment was interrupted by the cleanup taking place beside the new parents before speaking.

  “Congratulations,” Josiah offered softly. “He’s beautiful.”

  Two faces swung toward him—tired satisfaction on Tamara’s, pride and worry on Caleb’s.

  “Thanks. Thanks for being our emergency backup,” Caleb said.

  “Thank you for getting back so fast,” Lisa added. Her gaze drifted again to Julia.

  This wasn’t the time or place to dig for that story, but oh boy, something was going on.

  Julia kept glancing at the other two women as well. Discreetly, in between sessions of working briskly with Brad, but it was obvious she’d seen the same thing.

  Finally satisfied everything was done, Brad rose to his feet. “I know according to the calendar Tyler arrived early, but I swear your dates were off. As far as I can tell he’s a healthy, full-term newborn. I don’t see any reason why you need to hit the hospital today. Not unless you want to. Agreed, Julia?”

  She nodded. “Make an appointment to see your physician this week. You have to go in for Tyler’s initial shots, but there’s no reason for you to trek anywhere today on icy roads.” She glanced at Lisa. “As long as you have some help for the next couple of days.”

  “That’s great news, and yes, I have help. My sister is here.” Tamara closed her eyes briefly before whispering something to Caleb.

  He hesitated. “If you’re sure…”

  “Caleb.” She peeled one eye open to scold him. “Two highly trained medical experts just told you their professional opinions, and this medical expert is telling you the same. I feel fine. We’ll go see the doctor later this week.”

  Caleb looked concerned. “Okay, I guess.”

  Tamara kissed his cheek before turning to Lisa. “Auntie Lisa, can you take Tyler while Caleb helps me get cleaned up?”

  “You bet.” Lisa came forward to take the baby.

  She cooed over him, cradling the bundle in her arms as she brought him back to where Josiah had settled on the couch.

  Lisa bumped her foot against his knee. “Shove over.”

  He wiggled until there was more than enough room between him and the armrest, then damn if she didn’t sit closer than necessary. Legs touching his, arms draped over his as well while she arranged the baby to stare at his face. “Hello, Tyler. Welcome to the family.”

  “He’s a cutie,” Josiah said, stroking a finger down the baby’s cheek.

  Tyler’s face wrinkled, lips quivering.

  Lisa shushed the baby softly before responding. “He’s too squishy-faced to tell if he looks like a Coleman or a Stone.”

  Unable to stop themselves, both he and Lisa pivoted to look at Julia.

  She was staring as well, but the instant she caught their gazes, she snapped back to her task.

  Brad gestured to the blankets. “I recognize these. Want me to take them to your shop, Josiah?”

  “Drop them in the back of the truck. I figured I’d save Tamara from ruining quilts. I always have an emergency stash with me.”

  Brad and Julia gathered up the mess and the rest of their equipment, working efficiently.

  It was the strangest day ever. Especially when Brad and Julia let themselves out and the familiar Silver Stone ranch house was back to the way he’d always remembered it. Or at least the way it had been since Tamara came on the scene.

  Warm, comfortable. A home.

  The urge to have all those things in his life struck so hard he could barely breathe. Maybe he was feeling lightheaded from proximity to some very unusual events, but there was a baby damn near lying in his lap and he didn’t feel the slightest urge to escape.

  Something welled up inside that was huge and important. An acknowledgement of an internal change that only sharpened his earlier decisions about home and hearth and finding forever.

  Maybe that was part of the reason he’d never stuck with anyone before. He hadn’t been ready and they’d known.

  His earlier girlfriends—with their mysterious womanly intuition—had known.

  It was an intriguing thought, but he pushed it aside to ponder later because the sensation twirling around him and Lisa and little Tyler needed his full attention. He wanted to appreciate it and wallow in it, in how strangely uncomfortable it was to feel…comfortable.

  “I’m a few seconds away from freaking out,” he shared. “Because I’m not freaking out, if you know what I mean.”

  A soft laugh escaped Lisa. “Trust me, I’m right there with you.”

  They sat in the quiet, Imagine Dragons playing in the background, a newborn resting between them. He didn’t want to say anything for fear he might disturb whatever weird magic had entangled itself around them.

  Silence reigned, at least until Lisa spoke. “That EMT, Julia. I wasn’t imagining things, was I?”

  He knew exactly what she was wondering. “That she looks like a dead ringer for one of your family? No, we all saw it.”

  “Something weird is going on. I know Tamara’s going to be curious, and I don’t want her worried about anything.” She lifted big brown eyes toward him. “Help me set up a meeting?”

  “Sure.”

  Caleb marched back into the room, head swiveling toward them. He let out a deep breath. “God.”

  “Tamara’s okay?”

  “She’s fine. She’s better than fine.” His lips twisted. “She told me, and I quote, ‘I can damn well wash my own ass, get the hell out of here.’ She suggested I go bond with our baby.”

  Lisa rocked to her feet, Josiah placing a hand on her butt to help her hit vertical. She snickered as she gave him a dirty look, but she walked toward her brother-in-law. “Bonding with Tyler is a wonderful idea. Sit down.”

  Caleb offered a deadpan stare. “I have done this before.”

  “No, you haven’t,” Lisa said. “Doesn’t matter how many babies you’ve taken care of, this is your first time with this sweet thing. Sit down and relax. I’ll take care of everything else.”

  “But your day off—”

  Lisa snapped up a finger and pointed at Caleb’s easy chair.

  He quick-marched over and sat as ordered, glancing at Josiah with amusement. “I hope you have better luck getting her to listen than I do.”

  “Not a chance,” Josiah offered. “Face it. Sometimes it’s fun to be bossed around.”

  Both Caleb and Lisa missed his joke because Tyler was being transferred between loving arms.

  An instant later his friend was totally mindless, lost in staring at his son, untangling the blankets to examine fingers and toes, the baby squirming and complaining until Caleb swaddled him up again. Competent as he’d said.

  Obviously head over heels in love.

  Josiah slipped into the kitchen. Lisa was turning on the kettle and putting a pot on the stove. He stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. “Unless you need me for anything, I’m going to take a rain check on our date. I’ll rearrange things and line up some work so I can take time off in a couple of days.”

  She pivoted in his arms, grinning up at him. “I’d like that. Sorry for the messed-up date.”

  “It’s been a good day.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips because he couldn’t help himself. “I’ll talk to Brad and get contact information for Julia. I’ll let you know what we organize.”

  Tamara called from the back bedroom.

  “Coming, sis.” Lisa gave him a quick hug before vanishing around the corner.

  He took one last look at Caleb sitting with the baby in his lap. His best friend was cooing and making baby noises.

  Then Josiah took that aching need in his belly, sl
ipped on his coat and boots, and quietly snuck out the door.

  11

  The next hours were a blur.

  Lisa helped Tamara into clean clothes then brought her out into the living room to join Caleb. She left the two of them to bond with their newborn, moving as quietly as she could in the background, making phone calls and sending texts. Tamara travelled between the living room and the bedroom, Caleb hovering like a mother hen.

  Caleb met Sasha and Emma at the bus stop before bringing them in to meet their new brother. They were thoroughly impressed, at least until Tyler screwed up his face and began crying.

  Lisa got dinner on the table then prepared for a steady stream of visitors. Each one of Caleb’s brothers stopped by, offering congratulations and hearty pats on the back.

  Tamara snuck off to bed after nursing Tyler, leaving Lisa to field the remaining phone calls from family, including one from their sister.

  Karen wasn’t able to come for a few days and she was annoyed as heck. “I was trying to make sure I had nothing dire on the agenda for a month from now. Figures Tamara would do this.”

  Amusement snuck in. “While the silent labour part was a nice surprise, I doubt she would’ve picked April first as Tyler’s birthday if she had a choice.”

  “You’re probably right. Anyway, I’m stuck here in Grand Prairie, but as soon as I can get away, I’ll be over.”

  “Whenever you can get here. Tamara might be caught up on her sleep if you put it off for a bit.” Lisa held her tongue about the EMT with a similar face to theirs. If Karen wasn’t going to be around for a few days, that might give Lisa a chance to at least touch base with the woman. “He’s a cute kid. Barely even squished.”

  Karen laughed. “You’re so maternal.”

  Lisa chatted for a little longer, then hung up before she was tempted to poke Karen for details regarding Finn Marlette.

  Amazing how seemingly overnight there were all sorts of secrets she was keeping.

  Which meant when Josiah texted her the next morning to ask if she wanted to get together with Julia for coffee, Lisa was even more eager to make it happen.

  She’d had her years of juggling a million balls in the air at once. She was looking for simple, but she needed to figure out the mystery of the doppelgänger. Figure out the mystery of Finn and Karen.

  And drat—somewhere in there, figure out what the heck she was doing next with her life, and where Josiah fit in.

  Lisa approached Caleb at the breakfast table. Tamara and Tyler were still sleeping. Sasha and Emma were flying around the room gathering last-minute items for their backpacks. “I know this is short notice, but you mind if I step out for an hour or so this morning?”

  Caleb shrugged. “Of course not. I might send you with a shopping list, if you don’t mind. But I’m taking some downtime, so there’s no reason for you to be here every minute of the day. Other than Tamara loves your company.”

  “Shopping, no problem. And I’m glad you get to enjoy time with Tyler.”

  She hurriedly made her way to the Buns and Roses coffee shop where Josiah had set up the meeting.

  He met her outside the doors, tugging her next to the building to offer a sweet kiss.

  She slid her fingers into his. “This is really weird,” she said.

  “It’s weirder than you think. You asked me to set this up, but Brad Ford phoned me about thirty seconds before I could dial him. Said his trainee was completely floored after meeting you guys and both of them are curious as heck.”

  Lisa nodded. “It’s probably just one of those weird coincidences. The type of thing when people keep saying ‘I know somebody who looks exactly like you. Do you have any family in Ontario?’”

  Josiah grinned. “I had somebody swear they saw me on a mountainside in Germany.”

  She snickered before forcing an innocent expression. “Billy goats run in your family?”

  “Jackasses, I was told.” He squeezed her fingers. “Come on. I’ll buy you a coffee.”

  It was a quarter past nine, so the early-morning rush was done. Buns and Roses wasn’t a typical hangout for the older crowd. Most farmers who took a morning break went to Connie’s where they could get bottomless cups of simple brewed. Or at least that’s what Lisa had been told by Kelli and heard mutterings about during the girls-night-out evenings she’d enjoyed with the owners of Buns and Roses.

  So the place was only a quarter full, which meant a dozen people were seated at small tables. Still, the instant they walked in the room, questioning gazes started darting back and forth between Julia and Lisa.

  She and Josiah stepped up to the counter to order their coffees, the question in her friend Tansy’s eyes clear.

  Tansy did a quick little finger twitch between the two women, hiding the motion behind her other hand.

  “Two shot sixteen-ounce latte, and I have no idea,” Lisa admitted.

  “Brad ordered breakfast croissants, so unless you’re stuffed, I’ll make you and Josiah some as well,” Tansy informed them.

  “You don’t really expect me to turn down food, do you?” Lisa asked.

  “Always good to check. Josiah rarely raids the goodies counter.” She turned to Josiah. “Coffee, black?”

  He nodded, sliding cash across the counter before Lisa could break out her wallet.

  And then there was no more procrastinating. Josiah marched them over to the table where Brad and Julia were waiting.

  Brad rose to his feet, gesturing Lisa to the free spot at his side. The position put her directly across from the other woman who was eyeing her with great curiosity.

  They all settled, and then, thank goodness, Brad took charge of the conversation.

  He ran a hand over his shaved head, smiling easily at Josiah. “You did a good job pinch-hitting yesterday.”

  “Hey, delivering newborns is a job perk. Some times are messier than others, but it was kind of fun setting up for a delivery where I wasn’t too worried about accidentally being kicked halfway across the room.”

  “Was that your first human delivery?” Julia asked. “Because it was nice to come in and not have people freaking out.”

  “First time. And I don’t know that I get the actual baby count since you guys came in for the finish.” He snuck his fingers under the table and grabbed Lisa’s hand. “I’ve lost count of how many other creatures I’ve help bring into this world.”

  “I’m glad you were willing to come.” Lisa turned to Brad. “I was worried the ambulance wasn’t going to make it past the block on the bridge.”

  “Good thinking, because it wouldn’t have. But for the next six months, Julia is apprenticing with the Heart Falls emergency services. Not as extensive as an ambulance, but definitely first-responder. It’s a trial program we hope will improve rural coverage without huge costs.”

  Julia spoke up and it was the strangest thing, like listening to a familiar voice from a familiar face, but with a fraction-of-a-second pause in the wrong places. “I have to do a practicum for my EMT and I’ve wanted to live in rural Alberta for a while.” She glanced at Brad and her cheeks flushed before she straightened and went all professional. “Brad was one of my trainers during my first year and he always spoke about Heart Falls like it was a magical place.”

  That sounded like a good opening. “Where are you from? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

  Julia smiled. “It’s kind of like the elephant in the room, isn’t it? Trying to figure out why we look so much alike? I’m from Calgary originally, but Mom and I moved to Vancouver when I was five. She always joked that the Alberta skies were calling me home every time I got restless.”

  Brad’s phone went off. He grinned as he pulled it out. “Sorry, guys, I’ve got to take this.”

  “Emergency?” Julia asked, straightening as if ready to leap out the door.

  “My fiancée.” He rolled to his feet, happiness clear and present. “I’ll be back.”

  As he left the table, Josiah leaned toward Lisa. “I’ll s
tay if you want, but if you’re okay on your own…?”

  She squeezed his fingers. “We’re fine. Thank you, though. For everything.”

  Josiah tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted her face for a kiss. PDA-level heat, but sweet enough to make a chill run up her spine.

  He tapped her on the nose. “Call me.”

  She watched him walk away before turning back to Julia. “We’ve been abandoned.”

  The other woman was examining her closely. “Are you okay with us chatting by ourselves? Because, I’ll admit, I’m curious like crazy, but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or on the spot. If you want to wait until—”

  “I have no problem talking with you alone,” Lisa assured her. Although it was very thoughtful that Julia was worried. “I’m from Rocky Mountain House, a smaller community north and west of Calgary. My mom passed away over twenty years ago, but if there’s any family connection between us, I doubt it’s from her side. You look an awful lot like a Coleman.”

  Julia’s expression went sorrowful. “My mom passed away a year ago.”

  Lisa was struck with the urge to reach across the table to offer a sympathetic hand squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

  Julia shook her head. “It was quick—breast cancer. She’d beat it once, but the second time, nothing helped.”

  “Fuck cancer.”

  The other woman nodded her agreement firmly, her eyes bright with tears she blinked away. “I miss her like crazy. But I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to derail our conversation.”

  Screw it. Lisa leaned forward and caught Julia’s hand, squeezing it briefly before letting go. “It’s never a bad time to talk about the people we’ve lost. Honestly, I don’t mind one bit.”

  Julia nodded again. “Thanks. In the meantime, I don’t want to take up your whole day but I am curious. You live in Rocky Mountain House and you mentioned you’ve got other family… You and your sister look a lot alike.”

  “There’s Tamara, me, and our older sister, Karen. But there’s also extended family, which means a lot of people wearing a face very similar to this.” Lisa drew a circle in the air in front of her head.