Page 89 of The Cowgirl's Forever Love
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.Hehad 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.
Finn’s comment about there being more than one solution—it seemed Lisa Coleman hadn’t quite gotten that figured out yet. She was usually so good at coming up with a solution and moving with everything in her toward it.
He was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one with deep feelings. Ones that would be a shock to a certain woman’s system because it turned out falling in love wasn’t manageable. It was wild and extreme—and perfect.
Over the years Josiah had learned there were a lot of ways to work with a skittish beast. When he’d first started at veterinary school he’d been too out of shape to physically intimidate the animals, so he’d learned to schmooze. To cajole. To convince them he was worthy of trust.
It had taken a lot of effort, but it had been worth it.
It’d taken a lot of work to get in shape, pushing his muscles to the limit. He’d done it—
Hell, he still did it. Every single damn day he put in the energy because it was worth it.
Josiah stood there in the cold, staring into the evening sky until no doubt remained.
Lisa loved him. Maybe she wasn’t ready to say it yet, but that didn’t matter. He was going to do the hard work. He was going to hang in there, and be there, and listen to her until she couldn’t help but say it back.
Because he knew she wasn’t leaving Heart Falls. Not without them finding a way to be together.
He hauled out his phone and made a call.
Lisa Coleman, no matter where you run, I’ve got a rope tied on you,he thought. It’s called love and there’s nothing stronger.
It feltas if she’d driven for hours and Lisa wasn’t sure her head had reattached itself to her shoulders.
So. That’s what a panic attack felt like. Interesting.
It was strange how it’d come completely out of the blue. Feeling warm and cozy inside one minute to being a second away from freaking out the next.
She wasn’t proud that she’d run, but the fact it’d taken over half an hour for her hands to stop shaking said at least part of her reaction had been right.
Josiah wasn’t supposed to have saidthat. Not yet. She wasn’t ready.
It was the only thought that kept going through her brain.I’m not ready.
When her phone went off, she considered ignoring it, but it was her dad. He’d come to visit Tamara and Caleb and the kids, and to attend the fundraiser. The open communication line between her and her father was still new and she didn’t want to do anything to mess it up.
