Page 15 of The Cowgirl's Forever Love
She thought about all of the unanswered questions she had and boiled it down to one truth. “I’m not sure what I want. I only know what Idon’twant, which is not a bad place to start. Plus, I have a bunch of things on themaybe that sounds interestinglist.”
“Tell me about some of those, then,” Sonora encouraged. “Even if you never do them, it’s fun to let your imagination go wild.”
“I think I’d like to travel,” Lisa said. “I definitely want to go farther away than four hours from the place I was born. I have money saved if I decide to do that. Not enough to do things up fancy, but enough to be a tourist with a backpack. Maybe I’ll even get work along the way.”
“That would be a big adventure.” Sonora nodded in approval. “A lot of good comes from travelling. I did volunteer work with the Peace Corps, myself.”
It was Lisa’s turn to be surprised. “Really? Where did you travel to?”
“Uganda. That’s where I met Mr. Fallen and my daughter, Sophia.” Sonora looked out the window as if glancing back in time. “Falling in love in a foreign country was not at all what I imagined was going to happen during my time away, but it was the right thing in the end.”
Travelling as a volunteer hadn’t even been on Lisa’s radar until that moment, and as Sonora shared a few more stories about her years in Africa, ideas spun in Lisa’s brain.
A beeper went off.
Sonora stopped in the middle of her sentence, blinking in surprise before rolling her eyes and shaking her head in disgust. “It’s a good thing I set an alarm. I’m sorry, I need to go to town. I promised to meet someone, and if I don’t show up, he’ll probably send out a search crew.”
“Good trouble to avoid.” Lisa eyed Sonora, tempted to ask for more specifics of whohewas, considering the older woman’s cheeks had suddenly flushed red.
She didn’t have to wait long to satisfy her curiosity. As she and Sonora cleaned the table, the woman snorted in indignation as she worked.
“That man needs to get it through his head that I’m not helpless,” Sonora complained before whirling on Lisa, fists planted on her hips. “I suppose that’s part of what makes a man feel important. Bossing around a woman who already knows what she needs to do.”
“Sometimes,” Lisa said, thinking about her father. Then Josiah’s blunt honesty regarding not wanting to mess things up with his friends offered a different possibility. “Sometimes guys get protective for reasons other thanmy way or the highway. Maybe he likes you?”
The woman all but sputtered, her mouth opening and closing as she fought for words. “Ashton Stewart doesnotlike me. We’re not twelve-year-olds, poking each other in the side because… Well, justbecause.”
Lisa fought to keep her expression blank. The foreman at Tamara’s ranch had steely grey eyes, silvering hair, and was a very fit and attractive sixty-three-year old.
He was also stubborn enough to give Caleb a run for his money. “Oh, you’re talking aboutAshton. No, you’re right. He’s just bossy.”
“Exactly.” Sonora got herself back under control quickly, but it was clearly an act as she straightened up primly. “But we’re neighbours, so I do my best to try and get along.”
“As is proper,” Lisa commended Sonora, keeping her amusement hidden as she made her way to the door. “Thank you for the treats, and for the company on the ride today. I enjoyed spending time with you.”
“So did I. I hope we can do it again, soon.” She looked flustered for a moment, then handed Lisa her phone. “Put your number in. I’ll send you a text so we can touch base in the future.”
Lisa did as commanded. “I want to hear more about your time in Africa.”
But Sonora wasn’t paying attention. Instead, the older woman was staring into the mirror and fussing with her hair. The upcoming meeting had obviously distracted her more than she was willing to admit.
Lisa slipped outside and headed to the barn, thoroughly amused.
The break had been good, just as Caleb had suggested. She ate her lunch sitting in the saddle as Licorice meandered lazily, both of them enjoying the winter day. But with grey clouds gathering on the horizon, Lisa decided to not push her luck. She headed back to Silver Stone and into the warmth of the barns.
She took care of the mare, patting her nose fondly before returning to the house.
A quick shower later, Lisa pulled on the prescribedcomfy clothes—worn blue jeans that were soft and faded, and a favourite shirt she couldn’t bear to throw away even though it had recently developed a hole in one elbow. She dragged a brush through her hair then used the hair dryer until the long, dark strands lay smoothly over her shoulders.
Lisa was putting on a layer of lip balm when she finally admitted to herself she was primping as much as Sonora had earlier that day.
Nothing wrong with that. There was nothing wrong with liking Josiah, and as Lisa stepped up the stairs from her temporary room and her sister’s basement, which was the truth she focused on.
Because Josiah’s little script asking what she was going to tell Caleb and Tamara was also buzzing in her brain. Did she admit where her destination was tonight?
The question became a nonissue when she stepped into the kitchen and found a note waiting for her on the counter.
Lisa,
