The Cowgirl's Forever Love

by Vivian Arend

  “Micah. How’s it going?”

  “Great. Sold-out shows lined up until midsummer. I’m hoping my understudy can take a few weeks in August, though. Kelsey’s new London show opens August tenth. Wanted to touch base with you in case you can wrangle it.”

  “I saw she mentioned the date in the last family post. I’ve got it on the calendar, but I’ll have to see. It’s a tough time to get away.” Although going to London could be amazing, Josiah wasn’t sure he would enjoy the big family event. His parents would be there, and inevitably them and his three siblings would do nothing but talk shop and reminisce about past performances.

  He loved his family, he truly did, but there was a point where the world they lived in and the world he did simply didn’t mesh anymore.

  Micah coughed. “If you need me to spot you plane fare, it’s no problem—”

  “Stop it,” Josiah snapped. “You know damn well I’ve got the money.”

  “Correction, you had money. Just because all of us get a hefty annual dividend doesn’t mean you have any left. It’s got to be expensive running your own business. I don’t imagine veterinary equipment grows on trees.”

  The longer his brother talked, the more lecture-y his tone became. Josiah glanced around and wondered if he could fake a reception problem to explain why he’d hung up.

  “Just think about it. Kelsey would love to have you there,” Micah said.

  Which was true. None of his siblings actively avoided him, and they all got along. They were just…different. “I’ll make sure I figure it out with enough time we don’t have to scramble.”

  “That’s the spirit. Okay, so the other thing I needed to tell you was Mom and Dad are joining me for Easter. Kelsey is swamped and Lenora is busy shooting in L.A., so the folks said they’d come out to New York and take in some Broadway shows.”

  Again, fine by Josiah. “Spring’s a busy season around here, Micah. It’s probably best I don’t have to head to Rosebud.”

  “Always so busy,” Micah teased. “Miss Muffet really needs to find some time to sit on her tuffet and enjoy life.”

  Annoyance shot through Josiah, hard and fast, and his temper flared. Only family knew all your secrets, like a fear of spiders, and felt no remorse in poking.

  He clamped his lips together to stop from snapping something rude, instead counting to five so he could respond calmly. “I’m enjoying life plenty. But I have to get to work. I’ll talk to you later. Break a leg.”

  “Thanks, let me know what you decide.” Micah hung up, seemingly unaware of exactly how pissed off Josiah was.

  Again Josiah considered the stupidity of it all. His family didn’t consider him talented, but he was obviously a good enough actor to fake it during conversations. Micah had no idea how close he’d been to receiving a verbal lashing.

  Josiah pulled to a stop outside the barn and reached for his work kit. He stomped through the snow in an effort to get his annoyance out of his system before the animals sensed it.

  He took a deep breath and then another, before stepping into the sweet-scented barn.

  It wasn’t the animals’ fault that his family was a half step out of sync with him. Or he with them. Either way, his wasn’t a horrible lot and they weren’t terrible people. They did learn and change—only a little at a time, though. Like at least Micah had finally got it through his thick skull that calling him Joe was off the table.

  Unwelcome nicknames and offering financial aid when there was no damn reason for it were more like reflections of the problem than the problem itself.

  They didn’t think he was enough and for too many years he’d wondered the same thing.

  As he slipped forward to deal with the task, he wished that he could call up Lisa right then just to hear her sweet voice. That he could track her down and pull her against him and hear her laugh. Have her listen to him, watching closely with those bright eyes and quick wits that seemed to see right into him.

  Into the true Josiah Ryder. The guy no one in his family seemed to know. And none of them seemed to care about getting to know.

  The guy who was more than enough.

  Josiah snorted at himself. Goddamn emotional baggage. Just because he was a grown-ass man didn’t mean his family and flashes from the past couldn’t swing in and knock his feet out from under him at times.

  Being with Lisa was different. It wasn’t as if he was using her to help him move on, but she brought clarity. Being with her helped him see he had changed. He was strong and competent and enough to make her happy.

  He needed to tell her that so they could talk about the future in more specific terms, and soon.

  But with Lisa dealing with her own family crisis, he wouldn’t put any more on her load. Heck, he wouldn’t blame her one bit if she decided as soon as the fundraiser was over that it was time to move on.

  Josiah wouldn’t blame her, but he was going to do everything he could to be worthy to keep her by his side.

  16

  After Josiah dropped her off, Lisa hurried back into the house at Silver Stone and dove immediately into tasks and conversation.

  First off, though, she slipped to Tamara’s side and offered her a light poke in the side in retaliation for the gift of condoms. “Brat.”

  Tamara looked up from where she’d been contentedly staring at Tyler, a grin spreading across her face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  It was a tough choice, but Lisa went with the most mature move she could think of. She stuck out her tongue.

  Karen was sitting at the table, notebook in front of her, phone beside her as she scrolled and scribbled. She glanced up in time to see the exchange and shook her head as only an oldest sister could. “You two never change.”

  “You wouldn’t want us to,” Tamara pointed out. “What are you working on?”

  She blinked. “Ideas for diversifying.”

  Suspicion rose. Lisa slid over, glancing at the table casually in an attempt to read Karen’s notes. “You think the amalgamated Coleman holdings aren’t diverse enough?”

  Karen snapped her notebook closed before glaring at Lisa. “There’s always room for new ideas.”

  Lisa dropped it. Whatever Karen was keeping from them would come out eventually. More important to deal with the current situation.

  “How was Dad this morning? Did he say anything?” Damn. Guilt shot in hard. She hadn’t thought this through. She should’ve been there. Should’ve been there to support her sisters, and—

  “Relax, Lisa. It was fine you weren’t here,” Tamara assured her.

  “How—?”

  “Your expression just changed like you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar.” Karen eased her chair back. “But honestly, you didn’t miss anything. None of us have talked to him yet. Caleb decided to take Dad out for breakfast. Said it had been a long time since they got to have some guy time.”

  “Convenient, but brilliant.” Lisa glanced at Tamara. “He’s a good man, your husband.”

  “One of the best,” Tamara agreed. She adjusted Tyler, awkwardly wiggling for a moment to get her bra back into place before laying a cloth over her shoulder and lining up the baby to be burped. “It was a good idea all of us got some space last night. I admit I was pretty shocked at first, but at the same time, I don’t see how this changes things that much for us.”

  Karen made a face. “That’s the truth. I came to the same conclusion. We’ve always had each other. We don’t even know if Julia wants to spend time with us. I’m willing to get to know her, but it’s got to be up to her.”

  Lisa could gladly ease a few concerns. “She’s more worried about making trouble in our lives than anything else. I guess we’ll just take it as it comes.”

  “What time is she getting here?”

  “One o’clock.” The three of them headed into different tasks, tag-teaming on baby Tyler. He was little enough to not be very much work.

  After a couple hours, though, Lisa began to wonder if Tamara
was pushing too hard. Her sister had gotten it into her head to organize something in the living room and Lisa didn’t remember the last time she’d seen Tamara sit down.

  She eyed Tamara closely until her sister glared at her. “Stop it.”

  “I haven’t seen you move this quickly in months,” Lisa pointed out. “You’re making me nervous.”

  Her sister grinned. “I feel amazing. I’m obviously one of those people who do not do well with parasitic creatures growing in their belly. Now that he’s out, I feel wonderful.”

  “After nine months of nausea, you deserve a break,” Karen said, stealing the baby from Lisa again.

  Tamara lifted a finger at Lisa. “Please don’t do anything to get Caleb more worried.”

  “I won’t,” Lisa assured her.

  Time passed quickly. Tamara got a message from Caleb that they finished with breakfast, but he was taking her dad on a tour around the ranch. He said they’d be back by the time Julia arrived.

  When a well-used Ford truck pulled into the yard two minutes before the top of the hour, all three sisters were ready or, more truthfully, almost quivering with anticipation as they stood by the backdoor.

  Lisa turned to her sisters with a smile. “Pretend you’re nice.”

  Karen snickered. “You’re such a brat.”

  “But no longer the youngest brat,” Lisa pointed out. “Julia has that privilege.”

  “Oh my God, that’s right. That means I have two little sisters to torment me,” Tamara said dramatically.

  Lisa pulled the door open before Julia had a chance to knock just as Karen made a mock gagging noise.

  The newcomer on the porch eyed her suspiciously. “Can you speak?”

  Tamara snickered. “Airway is open. She’s breathing and she’s got good circulation.”

  Julia stepped in and pulled off her toque and gloves, glancing around the room at both Karen and Lisa before returning her gaze to Tamara. “I see why you did the double take the first time you spotted me. How’s that sweet baby doing?”

  Tamara’s smile bloomed. She pointed to the bassinet on the kitchen table. “He’s amazing. Gorgeous and perfect, and I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Thanks for helping him arrive safely.” Karen stepped forward and held out her hand. “Hi, Julia. I’m Karen. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Julia moved instinctively before stuttering to a stop. “This is a little overwhelming,” she admitted.

  Screw it. Lisa went with her gut, opening her arms and drawing Julia into an enormous hug. “Get used to it. There’s a whole lot more of us, but we Whiskeyteers are of course the best part of the Coleman clan.”

  Tamara made a rude noise. “I can’t believe you’re still trying to make that nickname stick.”

  Her decision had been a good one. Julia had been stiff as a board as she leaned into the hug, but by the time they let go, both of them were more relaxed.

  The other woman smiled at her. “Thanks.” Then she frowned. “What’s a Whiskeyteer?”

  As the other girls laughed, Lisa led Julia into the living room. “Remember I told you all the Coleman ranches have different names? We’re Whiskey Creek.”

  Understanding lit Julia’s face. “That’s cute.”

  “See? See?” Lisa jumped on the faint praise. “Someone who shows true appreciation for my genius.”

  “How much did she pay you to say that?” Karen grumbled. “Never mind. Just a heads-up, Lisa may be smart, but she’s also dangerous. Do not get in a betting war with her.”

  “I’ll try to remember that,” Julia said with a smile as she settled onto the couch. She glanced around again. “And just to be upfront, I’m a little nervous about meeting your dad.”

  “Our dad,” Lisa corrected softly. “He’s not…scary.”

  It seemed the softest word she could use that wasn’t an outright lie.

  “I think he’s probably more nervous about meeting you than you are of him,” Karen admitted. Her lips tugged sideways for a moment. “He had no idea you existed. And I think he’s embarrassed his daughters know he was fooling around at some point.”

  “Intellectually we get that our parents have sex, but it’s nothing that we ever truly want to look at straight on.” Tamara went to the bassinet and lifted the baby into her arms. “I mean, ick.”

  It was a valid point and as they continued to talk about other things, like Julia’s apprenticeship, the tension eased out of the room.

  Lisa watched the others closely, but it was pretty much as she’d expected. They weren’t pushing too hard, to avoid overwhelming the woman, but Julia was clearly welcome at whatever speed she wanted. It seemed to be hesitant friendship at the moment, which made perfect sense.

  Lisa wondered what Josiah would suggest to help ease these early growing pains.

  And then she caught herself because she wondered what he was doing, and whether he’d be free later, because what she actually wanted was to be able to sit down with him and just talk it all through.

  It was a new sensation.

  It was a good sensation.

  The one thing all three of them were avoiding was speaking too closely about their father. The fact he had definite rules and thoughts about women in the workplace—it didn’t seem like the thing to up and warn a newfound family member about.

  Heck, maybe it wouldn’t make any difference. Julia was grown and not living at the Whiskey Creek ranch.

  Still, there was a flutter in Lisa’s belly as the door swung open and Caleb walked in, followed by George Coleman.

  Their father’s hair had gone silvery white over the past couple years, lines of tension radiating from the corners of his eyes and leaving a permanent furrow between his brows, yet he retained the sharp good looks of the Coleman clan, with a square jawline and strong features.

  His gaze darted around the room, pausing on each of them before settling on Julia.

  Caleb took his coat and George muttered thanks before taking a deep breath and walking across the room. He stopped beside her chair, staring down.

  Julia rose to her feet. “Hi. I’m Julia Blushing.”

  His voice was a whisper. “You’ve got your mom’s hair.”

  Lisa found she’d been holding her breath. It spilled out of her in one sudden gasp as her father wrapped his arms around Julia and squeezed tight.

  Julia’s arms rose hesitantly, then she buried her face against his chest and wholeheartedly embraced him.

  They all sat in silence, watching. Caleb strode across the living room to join Tamara, his arm curling around her and his son.

  “How’re you doing?” he asked Tamara quietly.

  “Great. Looks as if the family expanded again.”

  Caleb’s shoulders shifted. “Never a bad thing.”

  Their dad let Julia go and then, wiping at his eyes, settled on the couch next to Karen.

  George Coleman’s stern face grew softer. “I guess I’ve got a story to tell. Not much, though. I spent last night racking my brain for any details I missed, but for the life of me I can’t think of any.” He looked across at Julia. “Your mom and I knew each other for a short time. I liked her plenty, but she said she wasn’t looking for anything long term. She’d been with someone for nearly ten years, but they’d broken up recently. I gave her all my contact information and asked her to call when she could, but she never did.”

  Julia nodded. “Mom told me she’d been engaged to someone for a number of years when he decided he didn’t want kids. She called it off because of that.”

  George’s face tightened before he deliberately relaxed. “The girls told me she passed away recently. I’m sorry.”

  Julia pulled out a tissue, fighting tears. “Thanks. I miss her. And her being gone makes things that much harder because this is definitely one thing I wish she’d told me more about. I’m sorry she didn’t get in touch with you. She should have.”

  “It’s done and it’s not your fault.” George took a deep breath and looked around the room
, his gaze pausing on Lisa. “I don’t know that I would’ve been a very good father if she had contacted me.”

  Lisa’s throat tightened.

  It only got worse when he continued, making eye contact with each of them in turn. “I’m not the easiest man to get along with. I suppose I’ve got my reasons, but that doesn’t mean they’re the right ones.”

  They were all going to be watering pots if this continued. This had to be the first time Lisa had ever heard her dad admit the tension between them wasn’t necessarily one of their faults.

  George cleared his throat, glancing at Caleb before continuing. “But sometime what’s in the past has to stay there. We don’t know what I would’ve done, but I can tell you what I’m going to do. You want to be a part of this family, you are.” Their dad snorted softly. “Forget that. Truth is, we’re Colemans. You’re part of this family whether you want to be or not. What’s up to you is how much you let us interfere in your life.”

  Tears were running down Julia’s face. “Thank you.” The words came out choked and soft.

  Lisa shot to her feet. She grabbed a tissue box and marched around quickly, tossing a bunch at Tamara, dropping a few by Karen, and then plopping the box on the arm of Julia’s chair.

  The next few minutes were composed of everyone getting themselves back together.

  Karen pressed her hands to her thighs. “Well, I know you’re busy with your apprenticeship, but we need to take a look at the calendar and find a date for you to come to Rocky. You need to see the ranch and a visit will give us time to get acquainted.”

  “And you’re going to be over here when you can,” Tamara insisted. “We’ve got lots of room and lots of people who want to get to know you.”

  The soft sound of Caleb’s chuckle drifted on the air. “God, I love women. You go from soft and weepy to getting it done.”

  “Definition of a woman,” Tamara murmured.

  George cleared his throat. “I know I wasn’t there when you were little, Julia. Heck, in some ways I wasn’t there for the three of you who grew up under my roof. But I’m going to do better.” He smiled at Julia. “You definitely come for a visit, but I plan to come down more often to Heart Falls, anyway. Got a brand-new grandbaby I need to watch grow up, along with a couple of granddaughters who are growing way too quick.”