by Vivian Arend
She gestured with her free hand at the piles of paper waiting on the table.
Lisa gave Rose the go-ahead to explain, settling back beside Kelli and watching Tyler attempt to focus.
“Pick a theme if you’d like,” Rose said. “An emotion, a place. A word. Let’s go with a word. Pencil that on your page, then flip through the magazines and find pictures and sentences that you like. Rip them out or cut them out, and pop them on the paper however you want—no perfectionists allowed.” She glanced at Brooke. “If I see you get out a ruler, I will spank you with it.”
“Promises, promises,” Brooke answered with a grin.
Rose made sure everybody had glue sticks and solid pieces of cardboard to use as a base.
Lisa rearranged herself, sitting on the floor with her frame on the coffee table. Her brain flitted everywhere—butterflies with ADHD would be calmer.
She forced herself to put her pencil to the paper and, with clear block letters, wrote the word ADVENTURE across her page.
Maybe this would help get some of her jitters to settle.
“Toss me that National Geographic,” she told Tansy.
It took a while, but as they ate and drank and chattered, all the while ripping pictures out of magazines and gluing them on their pages, a sweet sort of peacefulness snuck in. Lisa let her mind wander, halfway paying attention to the conversation, barely paying attention to the pictures she was selecting.
“What does HFH stand for?” Julia asked out of the blue. “You know, when Lisa said the HFH was officially open?”
Rose opened her mouth and then paused. “Hang on. We’ve never had a title to these meetings before. Lisa?”
Oops. “Twenty questions time,” Lisa said perkily. “I bet—”
“Don’t do it,” six voices said in unison to Julia, who Lisa just happened to be looking at.
Everyone laughed.
Lisa tried her hardest to look indignant. “I wasn’t actually setting up a bet,” she insisted.
“With you, it’s hard to tell,” Tamara flashed back. “HFH. If you followed any kind of logic it should be Heart Falls something, but this is you. It’s probably a spin on the whole Canadian tradition of using Her Royal Majesty’s etc. etc., which would make it Her Finest…Hussies?”
Brooke snorted. “I know. Heart Falls Heartbreakers.” She breathed on her nails and buffed them against her shirt. “Although two of you are no longer solo—oh wait. I miscounted. Tamara, Hanna, and Kelli. That makes three permanently out of circulation.”
“I hear you’re seeing a certain firefighter,” Hanna teased. “Either that, or he’s having an awful lot of engine troubles. Brad swears that his partner’s truck is constantly at your mechanic shop.”
“So that’s who you are,” Julia said eagerly before slapping a hand over her mouth. “Oops.”
All eyes pivoted. Brooke put down the magazine she was glancing through, leaning on an elbow toward Julia. “Who said what? And there is no lying or evasion allowed amongst us Heart Falls Hooligans.”
Another snicker sounded.
Julia shrugged. “I hang out down at the Fire Hall when I’m not out on a call. Seems there’s a certain tall, built firefighter who burnt supper three days in a row because he was distracted by texting with his mechanic.”
Brooke’s grin widened. “Good to know.”
“Lisa, you have to tell us when we guess the answer.” Rose said sternly. “Or are you just making this up as you go along?”
“Yes.” Lisa ducked as glue sticks flew across the room from all directions, smacking into her. “Hey. I should make you pay a penalty to get them back.”
Conversation continued, all of them taking turns holding Tyler when he fussed, wandering the room with that rocking motion that kicked in out of nowhere when holding a baby.
Finally it was time to display their projects, holding them up to accept both friendly banter and admiration. Eight different projects, eight different messages.
Tamara had filled the word LOVE with pictures of family and sunsets and food. She grinned as they teased about that last one.
“I’m going to put on so much weight if I’m not careful,” she said. “It’s nice to not get nauseous at just the thought of food.”
“Considering you lost weight with your pregnancy, I don’t think putting on a few pounds is a bad thing,” Lisa pointed out.
Rose and Tansy held up their pictures side by side.
“There’s a theme,” Tansy announced. She looked straight at Lisa. “Five bucks says you can’t figure it out.”
“What you mean there’s a theme?” Rose asked indignantly. “I didn’t agree to that.”
“Trust me,” her sister insisted. “Heck, there’re two themes.”
Lisa examined the two poster boards closer. Rose had written the word BEAUTY across her page in all sorts of fonts, with a dozen different markers. Some italics, some block—all of them floating at different angles. Between each she’d glued pictures of knickknacks, flowers, and what looked like beautiful earrings and jewellery.
“Very pretty,” Julia said.
“And now mine.” Tansy wiggled her board from side to side. “Guess if you can.”
Kelli made a face. “You’re a cheater. You didn’t put any words on your page.”
“Didn’t need to.”
Lisa took a closer look. Tansy had been snatching up all the pictures of good-looking guys she could find, or at least their bodies. Not all of them had heads, but all were fit, muscular, and in some way, partially presenting their backsides.
Lisa’s laughter emerged and she squeezed the baby in her arms a little tighter. “Oh, you’re bad. You’re good, but you’re very bad,” she chastised Tansy.
Tansy looked disappointed. “You figured it out already?”
“You can give me my five bucks tomorrow morning in the form of a latte.” Lisa didn’t bother to keep the gloating out of her voice.
Tyler went from sleeping to screeching in his usual three point five seven seconds. Tamara hauled him away, settling him to eat as quickly as possible. “Don’t make us keep guessing. Or at least give us a hint.”
“I just did.” Lisa could not stop gloating.
Tamara grumbled for a moment before tilting her head at Julia. “See what you you’re in for? Years of being annoyed by this woman.”
Julia was focusing hard, glancing between Tansy and Lisa. Her lips moved as if she was reciting the words that had just been said and then her lips twitched up. “I get it.”
“You can tell us,” Brooke said, staring into the glass as she swirled the liquid. “I’ve had three of these and I’m not thinking very straight anymore.”
Julia pointed at Rose’s board. “Flowers, knickknacks—that’s what Rose sells in her shop.” She swung her finger toward Tansy’s bevy of beefcake.
“That’s not what Tansy sells,” Hanna said with a soft snicker.
“I would if I could, but laws and yada, yada, yada.”
“Oh my God, it’s buns. You two did a collage of Buns and Roses,” Kelli said in the midst of a hearty giggle.
Lisa made a motion for Rose and Tansy to exchange places. “And there’s the second theme. Beauty and the Beast.”
They were all thoroughly amused. As they looked through the poster boards that Hanna, Brooke and Kelli had made, laughter stayed present. Especially since Kelli’s was ninety percent horses and ten percent boots.
Lisa wasn’t even sure she’d picked up the right board when they all teased it was her turn. There were some appropriate things on there, like a picture of New York and the Sydney Opera House. There were guitars and cowboy hats, and tents on a remote mountainside wilderness.
But right in the middle, almost underlining the word that she’d determinedly written down as inspiration—a pair of masculine eyes stared off the page. Nothing else. She didn’t remember doing it, but the paper had been ripped to remove almost all of the man’s features leaving nothing but clear blue eyes staring intently
her.
Familiar eyes looking directly at her as if to demand he be a part of her adventure.
19
The fundraiser was less than a week away and while everything about the event seemed to be going well, Josiah wasn’t sure what was going on in Lisa’s head regarding her plans for after.
Anytime he tried to steer the conversation in that direction, she evaded his question or went to the other extreme and shared a mass of information from some of the pages in her notebook.
It was getting annoying, but he was fighting to keep things positive. Keep them fun. Holding on to his optimism was taking too much energy. Combined with springtime emergencies going into overdrive, getting a good night’s sleep was becoming nearly impossible.
Josiah stumbled into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee maker. He stood over the sink and drank a cup before going back and filling it to the brim a second time.
When he finally realized he wasn’t alone, it was too late to be embarrassed. “Gentlemen.”
Zach’s grin flashed. “I like how you managed to say that with just a hint of a British accent. Makes me feel like I’ve been tossed into some sort of Downton Abbey remake.”
“Having a classical education is always entertaining,” Josiah agreed. He dropped into a chair beside them at the kitchen table.
Finn and Zach exchanged glances before Finn pushed aside his coffee cup, leaned his hands on the table and cleared his throat, waiting until Josiah looked him in the eye. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks.”
“You shouldn’t look like hell,” Zach offered. “You’ve got a great job, an amazing house, and a set of wonderful roommates.”
“More importantly, a wonderful woman. You’re not letting that get away without locking it up, are you?” Finn asked. Blunt. Unwavering and hammer-on-the-nail-head direct.
Josiah played it casual. “We’re good together, but it could be we want different things.”
Finn’s response was immediate. “Bullshit. You want each other. The other stuff can be juggled.”
Zach didn’t say anything, just jerked a thumb toward Finn and tipped his head in agreement.
“Do you guys expect a reduction in rent for offering love-life advice? Because I don’t think I can swing that,” Josiah drawled.
“Consider this an early Christmas present.” Finn said.
“A very early Christmas present, but whatever.” Finn and Josiah both glared at Zach, and he lifted his hands in surrender as he leaned back in his chair. “Shutting up.”
Finn looked Josiah over with that impossible-to-evade assessment. “Look, we are stepping over the line, but it’s tough to watch you stumble around waiting for something to happen when you need to act. I’ve missed out on five years with Karen because I was too stupid to see there were more than one or two solutions to a problem. You need to get creative and find some options, but for God’s sake, man, don’t do what I did and let the woman walk away.”
“You think I should tie a rope around Lisa so I can reel her back?”
Finn didn’t look at all upset by the suggestion. “Why not?”
“Is this the time to mention I’m currently sponsoring an independent rope-maker?” Zach didn’t move as both Josiah and Finn tossed utensils at him.
“You’re so annoying,” Finn stated blandly.
“I love you too. Speaking of which. You mentioned Karen.” Zach glanced pointedly at Finn. “Five years and counting, bro…”
Finn took another considered sip of his coffee. “Working on it. Soon.”
The guys were right, though, Josiah realized. Exasperating, but right.
It had been good to have other people in the house. The evenings when Lisa was busy and he had time off, Finn and Zach had been excellent company. They’d worked together caring for the animals, but also willingly put up their feet and relaxed with him. Watched TV or chatted about what was going on in Heart Falls.
And apparently, offered romance therapy.
He hadn’t figured out what to do with the call to action before his afternoon blew up and he ended up having to contact Lisa to warn her their date that night would have to be postponed.
“I promised to stop by Sonora’s and I’m over an hour out from finishing here.” A calf bawled in the background. Somewhere an animal kicked boards of the barn in frustration, dust rising in the air.
“Anything I can help with at Sonora’s?” she asked. “Actually, why don’t I meet you there? There’re a couple last-minute things I need to make sure she finished so we’re ready to go on Saturday.”
“I won’t be dressed to head out afterward or anything,” he warned. “I’m coming straight from work.”
“That’s fine. I’m a cowgirl. I know exactly what working with animals smells like,” she teased. “It doesn’t have to be a late night or anything. I just want to see you.”
Her words warmed his heart way more than they should have. He hung up feeling moderately optimistic.
Of course, when it was nearly two hours before he made it to Sonora’s, some of those warm, bubbly feelings had escaped. Great way to make a good impression, Ryder. He’d had to stop for a shower and fresh clothes or no one would have wanted to spend time with him.
Thankfully, Lisa hadn’t given up. The two women were sitting in the main reception room and their laughter was the first thing he heard as he opened the door and entered the cozy building.
The room had undergone a huge change over the past months. It was painted in bright, clean colours, with playful animal pictures on the walls and plenty of room for pictures of adopted animals to go up on the corkboard.
Two heads pivoted his direction, one with grey-white hair, the other with beautiful brown waves that tumbled over her shoulders. Brown eyes that met his with warmth and affection.
Three heads—Ollie appeared from under Lisa’s chair and headed straight for him, mouth open in her best doggie smile.
“Hello, ladies.”
Ollie stopped next to him, her tail thumping into his shins.
Sonora rose to her feet and came over, offering him a quick hug before shaking a finger. “You’re not supposed to work that hard,” she chastised him. “You need to take more days off.”
“I promise I’ll take as many days off as I see you take,” he offered.
Lisa whistled in amusement. “Oh, good one.” She slid in beside him and caught his hand in hers, squeezing tightly.
Sonora glanced between the two of them and rolled her eyes. “I’m taking myself off to my comfortable living room for a cup of tea. Casey will be here after midnight to make the rounds and check the animals. Lock up when you’re done smooching.”
She disappeared, obviously happy to have gotten the last word.
Lisa leaned against Josiah, arms wrapped around his waist. “I think this whole animal rescue has been good for her. She’s enjoying herself.”
“And she’s especially enjoying that the animal shelter annoys Ashton,” Josiah said with a grin.
Ollie barked once, scratching at the side door. It led to the large indoor arena that would be used for the auction events that coming weekend and animal training the rest of the time.
Lisa freed herself enough to head toward the door, tugging Josiah after her. “Come on. Ollie obviously has something on her mind.”
What the dog wanted was to make the rounds along the edge of the building, sniffing and scratching and examining everything, which was fine by Josiah because it meant he got to walk hand-in-hand with Lisa, planning out the final details of the auction.
It was natural; it was easy.
It was so damn perfect, especially when they paused at the end of the arena and Lisa leaned back against the wall, tugging him over her.
It was natural to lean in and put their lips together, teasing as he took in her taste.
It was comfortable in a way that didn’t mean taking that comfort for granted. She fit—against his body, her fingers sliding through his hair. Littl
e moans sounded as she pressed up against him, giving generously. A thoroughly sensual, beautiful woman.
They fit.
So damn perfectly that he put his forearms on the wall by her head, just far enough back to look into her eyes. “Sonora said we should lock up when we’re done.”
Lisa grinned. “Was that a mistake?”
He couldn’t stop himself. “I never want to be done,” he whispered.
Her smile faded. “Josiah?”
“I want to kiss you today, tomorrow, and every day from now till forever.” There was no holding back.
Maybe he’d made the decision one snowy March night, driving home alone and realizing that wasn’t what he wanted from life. Back then, getting involved with Lisa had been some nebulous good idea. He’d been attracted to her, and intrigued, and a whole lot of things that made going after her seem right.
All of that had changed to so much more and the words spilled off his tongue. It seemed impossible to hold back what was the biggest truth in his world.
“I love you.”
Lisa’s hands fisted the front of his shirt, her eyes wide. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, and then—
She ducked under his arm and took off, racing across the room.
“Lisa.” He turned to follow her, but Ollie got underfoot and Josiah ended up sprawled on the ground. He rolled to his feet just in time to see Lisa slip out the exit.
Well, shit.
He strode across the arena, shoving open the door just in time to see her red taillights disappearing down the road.
It was interesting, the sensation he felt inside. He was shocked and a little disgruntled that she’d reacted to his spontaneous confession by bolting. But…
Things had changed. He had changed, and a lot of that had to do with Lisa.
Josiah knew the truth. He wasn’t the man he’d been even a few months ago. If this had happened back then, he would have felt utterly rejected. Like he’d once again judged unworthy. But there was something different going on.
He’d seen the flash of panic in Lisa’s eyes, but he’d also seen the longing.
