Page 40 of The Cowgirl's Forever Love
Finn and Zach had been working while she and Josiah were getting dressed, and a pot of water boiled on the stove. Zach was chopping vegetables into a huge bowl and the scent of garlic hung heavy in the air.
Finn looked up from where he was crushing the fragrant cloves under his knife. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re looking good.” He didn’t crack a smile as he said it.
Lisa laughed. “Thank you. How’s your family?”
He shrugged. “As good as can be expected. Duncan is working with a transport company, and Levi took over the ranch when Mere and Papa decided they’d had enough.”
“And you?” Lisa had heard part of it through the grapevine and from Tamara, but she wondered what Finn would say when asked.
“A little bit of this. A little bit of that.”
“If you break into song, I will hit you,” Zach warned.
Finn glanced at him, his expression going stone blank.
Zach snorted.
Finn faced Lisa. “I speculate in oil prospects, among other things. I’m looking into some different moneymaking opportunities in the Heart Falls area. What about you? Josiah didn’t mention your name the other day.”
She could’ve sworn he tossed a reprimanding glance at Josiah.
“You didn’t need to know,” Josiah said. “Besides, you two have been running all over the countryside for most of the past week.”
“Successfully, I might add,” Zach offered. “And the only reason we’re wondering about you two is so that we can avoid any embarrassing situations in the future.” He grinned unashamedly.
Lisa wasn’t ready to give up grilling Finn yet. “I thought you were supposed to take over your home ranch. Wasn’t that what you were headed to when you left Whiskey Creek?”
“Change of plans.” That was all Finn said as he stirred a mass of finely chopped garlic into a pad of butter and began methodically slathering it on huge chunks of a French loaf.
“Obviously.”
She stared at him. He was handsome, but he’d always been too serious for her taste. She’d had a lot more fun with Levi, although nothing of a sexual nature. It had been like instantly having three brothers tossed into the mix. Ones who hadn’t been nearly as protective as her Coleman cousins, mostly because they hadn’t all grown up and gone to school together for years.
She’d enjoyed Finn’s company, but sometime that summer, something had happened between him and Karen, and she’d never been able to figure out what.
All of her protective instincts were running on high, but this wasn’t the time or place to push for more information.
She glanced at Josiah. “I should probably head home.”
“You don’t have to. Stay for supper and a visit,” he offered. “I’ll drive you home later tonight.”
Zach pulled the entire contents of a box of spaghetti out and broke it in two before dumping the mess into the bubbling water. “Just a reminder, Josiah. You left a message a few days ago to say there’s a crew coming over for poker tonight.”
A soft swear escaped Josiah. “You’re right. From when I had to reschedule last week.” He lifted hopeful eyes to hers. “Your choice. There’s time after supper to escape before more people invade.”
She stayed.
In no time, she was filling her plate with the savoury sauce and potent garlic bread. Enjoying the discussion very much as Finn and Zach bantered back and forth the way old friends do.
At her side, Josiah had slipped a hand onto her leg, resting it there while he ate one-handed. His thumb rubbed softly against her thigh, as if he wasn’t aware of the motion.
She was aware. Every inch of her skin was lit up even through the layer of heavy cotton. The day had been such a roller coaster, and while the bad moments were beginning to fade, they laid a bit of a pall over the amazing shining times.
Ollie sat at her feet.
Josiah had warned the dog off from begging, but she wasn’t there to misbehave. She’d settled at the start of the meal, torso solidly on Lisa’s foot, butt on Josiah’s, but she’d tilted her head back to rest her chin against Lisa’s knee, eyes closed as she breathed in an even pace.
What a strangely comforting yet outrageouslynottypical evening.
