Page 76 of The Cowgirl's Forever Love
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 whathewas 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 oftheirfaults.
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.
