The Cowgirl’s Chosen Love: The Colemans of Heart Falls: Book 3

by Vivian Arend

  He was staring between her legs, his mouth hanging slightly open as he panted. “Fuck. That is so goddamn sexy.”

  He slid a hand into his boxer briefs and curled a fist around his cock.

  Another shudder took her. “Let me see.”

  It seemed tonight would be one of the rare times she came quickly. It didn’t happen often, but this was a good night for it. Julia rejoiced in the quick and dirty release barreling toward her at freight-train speed. Between the vibrator strategically placed where she needed it most, and Zach very willingly shoving down his briefs—

  His knuckles had gone white, his grip tight as he pumped over his length. He was up on his knees, close enough he could drag the fingers of his unoccupied hand over her thigh. Knuckles stroking her belly and up to her breasts.

  His gaze fixated on her fingers as she brought herself to the edge.

  Tension coiled inside, and Julia ignored everything that was strange about the setup. Focused instead on the pleasure streaking in like lightning. She gasped, hips pulsing upward. Switching her gaze between his face and the steady beat of his hand.

  Muscles tensed, his abs were a work of art, but it was the sight of his cock peeking out between his fingers over and over combined with the relentless pressure of the vibrator that sent her over. “Oh my God. Zach.”

  Zach’s rapid pace faltered. Curling tighter toward her, a steam-whistle type gasp of her name escaped his throat as he came. He was close enough the shot hit them both. Semen splashed in lines over her belly and his arm and fingers where they splayed against her skin.

  He collapsed onto his back beside her, chest still heaving. They lay there silently for a few minutes.

  That had been unexpectedly hot, and decidedly dirty. Exactly what she’d been hoping for.

  Julia felt every inch of the smile stretching her face, and it was impossible to keep the gloating tone out of her voice. “Well. That was fun.”

  He twisted his head far enough she could see him wink. “I sure thought so.”

  Enough endorphins were floating in her system that Julia was tempted to just grab a sheet and pull it over her body, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. Not without some cleanup first.

  Reluctantly, she rolled to a seated position, grabbed her toy and made a beeline for the bathroom. “Back in a minute.”

  “Hang on.” Zach was on his feet and at the door before she could reach it. “Let me make sure it’s safe.”

  Heat flashed on her cheeks. Oh. My. God. She hadn’t given a single thought to the fact that her father was bunking down on the other side of the wall.

  Standing there with semen dripping down her belly was not the most embarrassing thing about this current moment. Not when she considered the kind of noises they’d made as they came.

  Zach finished checking the bathroom. He returned with a washcloth in his hand. “I locked the other bathroom door. You’re safe.”

  Even standing there naked, dripping and all, she had to ask. “How loud were we?”

  His lips twitched. “I’d like to lie and tell you we were as quiet as a mouse.”

  Oh, dear. She shook her head. “Great.”

  He snickered. “Well, on the bright side, it’s pretty much a given your dad believes we’re truly a couple now.”

  Julia vanished into the bathroom because there really was no answer to that. She took a brief shower, exiting the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She put away her now-clean vibrator and turned toward the bed.

  Zach was waiting. His cleanup had taken less work than hers. He was bare-chested, leaning against the pillows again. “Just so you know I am wearing briefs. Whatever you’re comfortable wearing, go for it. I am, however, hoping to do a little spooning. If you’re agreeable.”

  Which told her what she needed. She pulled on a clean pair of panties and rescued his abandoned T-shirt off the floor. “You really are a messy roommate,” she informed him briskly as she climbed into the bed next to him.

  He surrounded her. One strong arm pulled her back against his body, cradling her head on his other arm. “Yeah, sorry about the messy part.”

  He said it with such amusement, she wasn’t sure he was talking about the T-shirt or the far more intimate mess. “Go to sleep, brat.”

  Zach hummed, burying his nose against her hair. He took a deep breath then sighed contentedly.

  Julia’s brain raced a million miles an hour for all of three minutes. Then the heat of his body and the even pace of his breath lulled her to sleep.

  When she woke, he was no longer curled around her. Instead, they’d both rolled, and she was pressed against his back, arm tucked under his as if she were allowing him to give her a piggyback ride.

  It was nowhere she had expected to be, but it was somehow the right place at the same time. It wasn’t even awkward getting out of bed, although they both grinned far too much.

  No way could she look her dad in the eye during coffee, though. Thank goodness for the excuse of a visit with Lisa that morning.

  George Coleman was the one who brought it up. “Hear you’re supposed to get together with your sister today.”

  “This morning,” Julia agreed. “You’re welcome to come.”

  Her father shook his head. “You go on without me. Josiah invited me to ride along on his veterinarian visits. He’s picking me up in about forty-five minutes.”

  Once again, she’d been saved by family.

  It wasn’t until breakfast had been cleared away and Zach walked her to the door that she realized they’d turned a corner she hadn’t expected. He helped her into her coat, keeping hold of the material to tug her in close. His gaze examined her closely, and he must’ve liked what he saw, because he nodded firmly.

  “Have fun with your girls. Don’t talk about me too much,” he whispered right before pressing his lips to hers and sending her heart into acceleration mode.

  She was out on the front porch, the door closed behind her when she realized—

  What on earth was she going to tell her sisters?

  15

  Something weird was going on. Not that Zach wanted to complain, only considering George Coleman had expressly come out to Heart Falls early supposedly to give Zach what for—

  Julia left the house and…nothing happened.

  Zach cleared the table then ended up following the other man out the front door where he’d vanished.

  It was tempting to stay hidden, but at some point Zach figured they had to get this out between them.

  But instead of laying into him hard, Julia’s dad seemed more interested in examining their surroundings. “It’s a pretty piece of property Finn bought,” George stated.

  Finn and Zach, but pointing that out wasn’t really necessary. “Finn’s a good judge of ranch lands. I can see Red Boot ranch pulling a tidy profit in just a short time.”

  It was the perfect opportunity for George to start the grilling, and he finally took it. “You grow up on a ranch?”

  “Grew up in rural Manitoba, but my parents rented the land out to other locals for crops and grazing. They wanted wide-open spaces for us kids to roam and enough room for my dad to work on his experiments without blowing up the neighbourhood.”

  The other man blinked for a second.

  Zach was all ready to dive into an explanation, because that was normally what happened after he mentioned his father’s work habits.

  But it was as if the other man had zero curiosity about the bits that made most people wonder. Instead, George leaned back in the chair he’d settled in on the porch as they waited for Josiah to arrive. “Your parents still live there?”

  Go with the flow. “Mom is retired from nursing, but Dad still tinkers. He said as long as he’s got the shop and space to experiment, he’ll always be entertained. And my sisters have all settled close by, so my parents get lots of time being grandma and grandpa.”

  “Never expected that bit to be so much fun,” George confessed out of the blue. “Scary too. Never sure what thos
e girls of Tamara’s are going to get up to when I’m around. Emma decided to throw herself off the swing set at me the other day. My heart damn near burst out of my chest when I barely had time to catch her.”

  It was too easy to imagine it. Zach laughed softly. “I’ve seen those girls in action. I guess the good part is you successfully raised three girls while living on a ranch. All of them are smart and capable of anything they put their mind to. Julia as well.”

  The conversation paused for a second. Zach glanced up to discover George staring at him intently.

  Zach should have held his tongue, but he simply couldn’t resist. “Is this when you ask me what my intentions are?”

  “Little late for that, considering you’ve already married her,” George drawled. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Like I said yesterday, I know something’s going on that neither of you are sharing. While I’d like to demand answers, I was reminded again last night I don’t have that right. I still need to learn how to be Julia’s dad. The only thing I know for sure is she deserves good people in her life.”

  Zach could agree with both parts of that, especially the bit about learning what Julia needed. “That’s what I want to be to her. That’s who I plan to be,” he assured the other man.

  Dust rose in the distance as Josiah’s vehicle came closer.

  George Coleman picked up his hat off the side table and put it in place, rising to his feet.

  He turned toward Zach one more time. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m keeping an eye on you.”

  “No offense taken.” Zach folded his arms over his chest. “I’m doing the same to you.”

  Julia’s dad stiffened.

  Zach had made sure to say it as politely as possible, but the truth was, this road went two ways.

  The truck stopped in front of the porch and Josiah got out, offering a quick chin dip in greeting. His dog, Ollie, raced around the back of the truck and beelined for Zach, wagging her tail rapidly.

  A pet for the dog, a wave for Josiah, then Zach stood there grinning as widely as possible as George Coleman glared out the window as if trying to light his hair on fire by thought alone.

  Yep. Not a lot of cuddly feelings zinging back and forth between him and Papa Coleman. Zach did a quick run through of their conversation in his head but still didn’t think he’d been out of line.

  He didn’t want George Coleman to hate his guts, but no matter that the man said he was trying, Zach didn’t think he was trying hard enough. Julia had gone twenty-five years without a father, and he got the feeling that while she didn’t mind some of the new family interactions she’d been tossed into, there was a fine line. She had opinions, and she had worries.

  Finding out what made her tick on a more intimate level was something Zach was very much looking forward to exploring.

  He got to work on a few tasks on his list even as his brain continued to problem-solve. Last night had been amazing in terms of getting physical, but they had a long way to go. He didn’t just want her in his bed. He wanted a partner who talked to him, and shared goals and dreams, and all the things he’d watched play out in his parents’ relationship over the many years.

  When his phone rang not even an hour later, Zach had to grin. If he had instinctive good luck and often had that sense that it was time to take a leap, his parents had a different talent.

  If he thought about them too hard, they would phone.

  He opened up the call to discover his mom and dad grinning back at him, both of them on their own phones with different backgrounds behind them.

  “How come you two aren’t off making mischief?” Zach demanded.

  His mom rolled her eyes. “Please. Your father is totally causing trouble. I, on the other hand, am a perfect saint as usual. I just finished making three batches of sugar cookies.”

  Amusement rumbled in Zach’s gut, not only at her pleased grin but his father’s ability to keep from laughing. “Let me guess. Quinn is coming over with the girls to visit you tonight.”

  “I told you he’d figure it out,” Zachary Senior said with a little nod. “You want to tell us when you’re coming over next so she can make your favourite cookies?”

  “Since my favourite cookies are also your favourite cookies, I sense there’s just a hint of self-interest in that request,” Zach drawled.

  His father winked.

  His mom waved a hand at both of them. “Serious question, though. When are you coming for a visit?”

  That was the question. “Soon. Maybe.”

  He definitely wanted to introduce Julia to his family, but he didn’t want to push it too far, too fast. The last thing she needed was even more people being thrown in her direction.

  Then he wondered what her favourite type of cookie was. She definitely had a sweet tooth, but in all the time they’d talked, had she ever mentioned a preference?

  A little too slowly, he realized he’d been lost in his own thoughts and missed part of the conversation while he’d been daydreaming. That much was obvious, because as he glanced back at his screen, his parents both had brows raised and questioning expressions.

  “What?”

  His mom folded her arms over her chest. “Zachary Beauregard Damien. What are you not telling us?”

  His dad pulled a face. “Wow, Pam. Triple naming him right off the bat?”

  “He’s keeping a secret,” she insisted. “Don’t you think he’s keeping a secret?”

  “Of course he’s keeping a secret, which is why we called in the first place. But you’re supposed to sneak up on these things, not charge right in.”

  “Pshaw. Upfront is the best way.” Somehow it was clear her attention was now more on her husband than on her son. “We don’t keep secrets in this family. Right?”

  His father managed to look indignant and guilty at the same time. “The new contract I accepted wasn’t a secret. I just hadn’t gotten around to telling you yet.”

  The whole conversation was so exactly his parents, Zach couldn’t stop from snickering. “I love you two.”

  They both stopped their conversation to beam at him. With perfect synchronization, they said back, “Ditto, kiddo.”

  To hell with it. “I’m seeing someone,” he announced.

  His father blinked, but a slow smile curled his lips.

  His mom’s eyes widened. “Julia,” she pronounced sharply. “I approve. When do we get to meet her?”

  They were impossible.

  “How do you do that?” Zach demanded. “I should totally tell you that it’s not Julia. That it’s somebody I met last weekend in Vegas, and I’ve decided to run away with her and join the circus.”

  His father shrugged. “You already did the circus thing back when you were eight. Plus, Zach, you are not that subtle. Every time we’ve talked over the past four months, you’ve been telling us about what’s going on out there in Heart Falls.”

  “And inevitably you talk about Julia. And Karen and Lisa, but considering they’re both taken, Julia was a pretty safe bet,” his mom pointed out.

  “Fine. It’s Julia.” He was very tempted to spill the beans about being married, but since the whole idea was to try and break the news to them slowly, he resisted going for the shock value.

  “Question still stands. When do we get to meet her?” His father leaned toward his phone. “Wait. If she’s an EMT, her schedule must suck. You let us know what works, and if you want us to come out there instead, we’ll make the time.”

  “And if you want us to hold off for a little while, we will.” His mother made a face. “If we must.”

  “Right now, I think she’s a little overwhelmed by family,” Zach admitted. “And you’re right, Dad, her schedule is pretty wild. But I’m enjoying spending time with her. There’s something very comfortable about being with her, but not worn-out-couch comfortable. Like, interesting comfortable.”

  His parents beamed again, and his dad was just about to say something when all of a sudden, an explosi
on went off in the background, billows of smoke rising behind him.

  Zachary Senior gave a quick wave goodbye, then his screen went blank.

  Pamela Sorenson barely blinked, minor disasters being part and parcel of her husband’s work over the years. “Well, I won’t grill you too much more, but I’m glad to hear your news. I hope things go well for you and Julia.”

  “Me too. And I know, if I ever want to talk, yada, yada, yada.”

  “Please,” his mother rolled her eyes. “If you haven’t figured out the sex thing by now, I’m not sure I even want to try—”

  “Mom,” Zach said with a complaining laugh.

  She grinned. “You’re so easy to tease. If you want to talk about gushy, emotional things, call your father. He’s the romantic. But let us know if you need anything. We do love you.”

  “Give Quinn and her family a hug from me,” he said before hanging up.

  He was in his car and headed for town before he thought it through. There probably weren’t too many more days to enjoy taking Delilah out. A little time driving on the gorgeous fall day, top-down and fresh air all around him, just affirmed what was already a solid part of this day.

  He and Julia had something good going on. Maybe George Coleman wasn’t a fan, but Julia had said she trusted him. That was enough to make the road forward a lot smoother.

  He pulled into an empty parking space outside of the Buns and Roses coffee shop, whistling as he stepped in the doorway.

  It was way too soon to be thinking thoughts like: How would he and Julia act forty years from now? But as he spotted her at the table, laughing with her sister, he couldn’t stop the daydream from coming.

  The morning had been a sweet bit of comfort, in more ways than one. Lisa had loaded Julia and Karen up with fancy coffees and some of the best baking in town, then they’d talked quietly about nothing.

  It was a momentary bit of ordinary that Julia had desperately needed. It also helped tangle the threads of connection between her and the two women at the table even further. They understood that talking about calendars or hobbies or their favourite pair of sandals that they’d miss once the snow started to fly was important.