Page 13 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
Her younger sister, Lisa, was still driving her beat-up old truck, an ancient hand-me-down that went through a mess of cousins before she got it. Karen was surprised Lisa’s boyfriend hadn’t insisted on her getting an upgrade. But then again, at twenty-seven now, Lisa was nearly as obstinate as Karen, so convincing her to do anything she didn’t want was an unlikely scenario.
The third vehicle was the one that made Karen still for a moment and take stock of her new reality. She didn’t have two younger sisters, she hadthree.
Julia Blushing might have come into their lives out of the blue only a few months ago, but she was most definitely a Whiskey Creek Coleman at heart. At least where it came to the stubbornness—the twenty-five-year-old EMT was now driving a teeny hybrid vehicle that didn’t look as if it could handle the highways around Heart Falls, let alone the back roads.
Karen parked her own well-used Chevy in an open space then headed for the back porch.
Music and laughter greeted her as she pulled open the door. A moment later, three heads pivoted, identical dark brown eyes set in similar faces. Only Tamara’s glasses—pink today—and their hairstyles set the three of them apart. Tamara had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Lisa wore hers in two braids as if she were sixteen.
Julia’s deeper reddish-toned hair lay around her shoulders in a riot of curls that hadn’t been there a couple days ago.
Karen took her boots off in the mud room and hung up her coat even as she joined in the conversation. “Hey, guys. Julia, your hair is amazing.”
“Thanks.” Julia swooped the mass up to the top of her head and offered a sultry look with an exaggerated pout. A second later she burst out laughing and let it fall. “I’m afraid that’s as dramatic as I get.”
“It does look good,” Tamara said. “It also means we aren’t identical quadruplets anymore. That should make it a little easier for the poor people in town who insist they’ve seen me out and about without Tyler and ask when I got back into the medical profession.”
Lisa looked thoughtful. “It’s funny. In Rocky Mountain House, the cousins used to always complain how everyone thought they were interchangeable. If you spotted one Coleman, it didn’t matter what you called him, he’d answer. And then be expected to pass on a message to whichever of them you really did want.”
“One of the curses of a big family,” Tamara said. “It didn’t happen to us because even though we look similar, Karen would’ve had to have been dead to be spotted in the hospital.”
It was too easy to roll her eyes. Karen slipped onto the high stool next to Julia. “You remember what I said? About only believing half the bullshit they tell you?”
“Hey,” Lisa complained.
“Don’t worry. I was leaning toward twenty percent, max.” Julia winked then picked up her coffee cup. “I will admit it’s been mostly fun figuring out this family thing. A little scary, but you guys make it moderately easy.” She hesitated. “So, thanks.”
A chorus ofawwwwsrose from the rest of them. Karen tucked an arm around Julia and gave her a squeeze. “I’m glad you feel that way. Although you might want to cover your ears for the next little bit, because another part of being family is giving each other hell when it’s deserved.”
Julia’s eyes widened, her lips squeezing tight.
She wasn’t the one Karen focused on, though. She turned her gaze on the other two troublemakers.
Tamara looked inquisitive. Lisa looked bored.
Which was all the hint Karen needed. She stared Lisa down. “Bingo. I know exactly who to shout at.”
A firmwoofsounded from the floor, and everybody’s attention dropped to the small terrier hovering at Lisa’s feet. The cream-coloured dog seemed more like a rat to Karen than an actual canine, but Ollie was one hundred percent dedicated to Lisa.
At the moment, the beast seemed intent on warning Karen off from doing anything toherpeople.
Oh, hell no. Karen spoke firmly to the dog. “You.Hush. Sit.”
Ollie instantly settled on her butt but kept her gaze fixed on Karen, head slowly tilting to one side as if trying to distract the big, bad human from her mission.
Good grief.“I have no idea how you trained that creature, but puppy-dog eyes or not, you’re still in trouble.” Karen pointed at Lisa. “Finn Marlette. Start talking.”
Tamara snickered then wiped a hand over her mouth as she patted Tyler’s butt with the other. He wiggled in her chest carrier.
Karen shifted her finger to point in a new direction. “You’re next on the hit list. Both of you knew he was in town. Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because there was no reason to tell you at first,” Lisa said. She lifted one brow high. “Are you seriously telling me you never heard a word about him being around?”
Tamara leaned forward toward Julia, who was obviously at a loss. “Finn and his two brothers came to Whiskey Creek ranch a number of years ago to help out. Something intriguing went on between Finn and Karen during that time that they managed to keep all of us from finding out about until recently.” She glanced at Lisa.
“Could have knocked me over with a feather.” Lisa laid a hand over her chest with dramatic flair. Then she leaned forward as well, speaking softer as if Karen weren’t right there listening to the whole thing. “Obviously secret shenanigans were taking place. And so, when one part of the shenanigarians decided he wanted to move to our fair town and then began asking questions about the other part of the shenanigarian duo, it piqued our interest.”
Julia frowned. She turned to Karen. “We’ll just push aside the fact that Lisa makes up strange words way too easily. Is this Finn guy creeping on you? Because if he is, I will put a stop to it like, yesterday.”
