The Cowgirl’s Chosen Love: The Colemans of Heart Falls: Book 3 Read online

A few days later, when he kept catching her staring at him, a little smirk on her lips, he’d finally had enough. “What the hell are you up to?”

  Julia shrugged. Only a noise somewhere between a giggle and a snort escaped her, and she rubbed a hand over her lips as if trying to hide her smile.

  It was now cold enough for them to use the wood-burning stove in the cabin, and the comfortable chairs he’d bought were placed strategically in front of it for them to relax by the warmth.

  Zach closed the distance between them, catching her by the hand and pulling her out of the chair. An instant later he’d settled in her place, dragging her into his lap. “You have gotten into mischief of some sort,” he accused.

  “Uh-huh.” This time she met his gaze, only along with the laughter, there was heat in her eyes. “Want to know my secret?”

  Her expression alone was enough to make him agree to anything. “Yes. Is it a good secret? Is it a dirty secret?”

  “Very good.” She stared at his mouth, her tongue slipping out for an instant, leaving her lips wet. “Dirty? Not so much as fun.”

  “Go on.”

  “You know the other day when I was with my friends and sisters? We have a tradition during girls’ night out, taking turns organizing the evening.”

  Zach rubbed his hand against her thigh, the soft cotton pyjama pants she wore teasing his palm. “Ohhhh, do I get to hear girls’ night out stories?”

  “Sort of? This time there were only married ladies in attendance, and Lisa, because she said she and Josiah are officially permanently shacked up, which is as good as being married. And what Hanna wanted to set up with my help was a boudoir shoot.”

  “A who done what?” Memory filtered in before she could answer. “Oh, hang on. My sisters did something like that once. Like a glamour shoot? All dressed up and sexy—although not my sisters. Not the sexy part. The sexy part I meant about you. Also not your sisters.”

  Julia laughed. “Yes. A glamour shoot. It was all about loving ourselves and feeling good about how we look, and it was fun. I also heard about this interesting website, but more on that in a minute. It was good to spend time with them, plus, we talked about you guys while we were together.”

  Zach put his fingers over his mouth as if he were shocked. “Say it ain’t so.”

  She tapped him with the edge of her fist. “But here’s my point—and I do have one.” Her expression went serious. “All of them were talking about things that made their guys happy. And I got to thinking that while we’re not a real couple, we’ve become really good friends. And I think there’s something we could do that would make you extra happy.”

  His brain had stalled out on her statement about them not being a real couple. Dammit. It seemed she was still moving the opposite direction he wanted this to go.

  Her fingers touched his face and pulled him back from his thoughts. “Zach?”

  Time to focus. “Just going to repeat what I’ve always said. You need to do what makes you happy.”

  Decisively, she nodded then reached beside her chair for something that she pressed into his palm.

  He glanced down. She’d handed him a soft rubber contraption in the shape of a squished C. “Thank you. It’s what I’ve always wanted.” He gave her a wink. “What is it?”

  “It’s a vibrator we can use during sex. Because I want to have sex. With you,” she clarified as if the first part hadn’t been enough to make him blink in surprise.

  Holy shit. Zach told his body to behave even as he tried to find the right way to respond. “Ummmm…”

  “I know I told you I don’t really like sex, but I have really liked fooling around with you. And that website I mentioned? It’s called WowYes, and it’s all about orgasms and sexuality. We can look at it sometime if you’d like, but there were a few good ideas, like this vibrator. I got to thinking, considering everything else we’ve done, and all the toys we’ve used, I should be willing to experiment. So I ordered that. And it arrived today.”

  Everything in him wanted to jump up and down, but he stuck to his guns. “I don’t want you doing anything you don’t want.”

  Julia trickled her fingers down the front of his body. “Hear my words. I want. To have sex. With you.”

  “Okay.” He grinned. “Which this time means hell yes, but you have to tell me if something isn’t working because we have been having sex and it’s all been fucking fantastic and—”

  She covered his mouth with hers and stopped his rambling. Which totally worked.

  It wasn’t as if getting the green light for sex sex was that much of a deal changer. He hadn’t lied. Every time he’d gotten to touch her and be with her had fulfilled something inside him. She needed to know that.

  But as she kissed him, fingers drifting over his chest and teasing his sides, Zach figured that was a conversation for another time.

  He picked her up and carried her blindly back to the bedroom, kissing the entire way. He only bounced off the kitchen counter. And the doorframe into the room.

  Julia had wrapped her legs around his hips, clinging tight. He squeezed the fingers cupping her ass, sliding her against him and firing up every neuron in his body.

  Lowering her to the bed made him that much hotter.

  His fingers damn near trembled as he worked to take off her clothes. Pausing when each new section of skin was revealed, he used his lips and his tongue and his teeth until her nipples were pebbled tight and she was squirming.

  And then he did it some more because Julia moaning as he brought her pleasure? Was the sexiest fucking thing on the planet.

  She caught his arm. “More. I want more.”

  He handed her the new vibrator. “Let’s see how this works.”

  She showed him where the on-off button was, and together they clicked through the first couple settings on the remote control.

  “Looks like fun. Shall we try it?” He slipped the flatter part of the C into her sex, which meant the top rounded portion landed squarely over her clit. “Oh, yeah. This is going to be epic.”

  Julia gasped as he flipped through different settings. When the rhythm slowed to a vibration that pulsed higher then lower, she clutched his wrist. “That one.”

  Zach leaned in and used his tongue. Listening to her hums and moans as she got closer to the edge made him harder and harder in anticipation. His grip on her hips let him feel when the trembling began, and that’s when he eased between her thighs, his condom-covered cock lined up with her sex.

  Teasing into her made tingles start at the back of his spine. Easing the head of his cock between her folds pressed his sweet spot against her body over and over. It also meant the vibrator on the other side moved against him in a bizarrely erotic fashion.

  He caught her gaze, cupping her cheek. “Yes?”

  She swallowed hard, but her chin dipped rapidly. “You?”

  “Hell yes.” Still watching, he slid deeper. Slowly, pausing to check if anything caused a problem.

  Her eyes damn near rolled back in her head. “Oh my God.”

  “Good?” Please say it’s good, because he felt fan-fucking-tastic.

  She clutched his shoulders and dragged their bodies together. “Kiss me.”

  He took that as a go-ahead to start a steady rhythm. Even as their lips tangled, he alternated between dragging his hips back and pressing forward. Slowly at first, their tongues dancing in the same rhythm. At least until she lifted her legs and jammed her heels into the small of his back. Strong thigh muscles drove their bodies together with an increasingly hard rhythm. She scratched her fingernails down his back, and every inch of him was fully alive and so damn happy.

  “Oh my God, yes.”

  The leglock around his hips combined with the tight pressure around his cock that signaled her orgasm jerked a response from him. There was no more holding back as pressure exploded from the base of his spine in a rush of pleasure that left stars bouncing in front of his eyes. Maybe it was the addition of the vibrator that sent his exper
ience into outer space as well.

  Somehow he had the presence of mind to remember that post-orgasm, Julia grew more sensitive. He twisted his hips and sadly pulled free, reaching down to nab the vibrator and shut it off.

  He collapsed halfway on her, one elbow barely keeping his weight from squishing her into the mattress.

  She pressed a kiss to his neck, his cheek, her rapid exhalations puffing past his sweaty skin but doing nothing to cool him.

  Before they ended up with a mess to clean up, Zach slipped away to deal with the condom. When he came back and wrapped her in his arms, Julia snuggled in tight, tangling around him again, completely unashamed.

  When he glanced down, her lips were curled in a contented smile.

  Her head shifted from side to side on the pillow in disbelief. “I had no idea.”

  “Fun, right?”

  “Better than I ever remember,” she admitted wryly. “Does this mean you do have a magic penis?”

  Zach laughed boldly before leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose. “It means you like a lot of clitoral stimulation. It doesn’t have anything to do with my cock being magic.”

  Only she looked thoughtful. “But sex isn’t just about our bodies, Zach. It’s about our brains. You’ve never seemed to mind us using toys, and that’s made it easier. Thanks. I really enjoyed that.”

  “I really look forward to doing it again,” Zach said. “And exploring your website.” A yawn escaped. “Shit. Sorry.”

  She laughed, resting her forehead against his chest as she took a deep breath and yawned back.

  After working shifts for so long, Julia found the transition to being ranch medic fascinating. Part of it was as she’d shared with Zach—she wanted a different kind of vibe to her daily routine. Getting to know all of the regular crew on the ranch meant some of her work involved sitting down with different groups and drinking too much coffee while shooting the breeze.

  Not a bad gig.

  In early December, Karen stopped by with a heads-up.

  She brushed off the snow that had accumulated on her shoulders during the short trip between her house and their cabin then hung up her coat and joined Julia by the fire. “Thanks for inviting me over.”

  “Want a drink, Karen?” Zach asked from where he was on dish duty that night. “With or without a kick, your choice.”

  “Hot chocolate?” Karen suggested. “Without a kick, though. We’re heading into the holiday season, and heaven knows there will be enough opportunities to drink.”

  “Two hot chocolates, coming right up.”

  Karen winked at Julia. “I notice he didn’t bother asking you if you wanted some.”

  “You invoked the word chocolate. There’s never a time I say no to that,” Julia confessed.

  Karen leaned forward in her chair and held her hands toward the glowing fireplace. “Holiday planning. Since this is the first year none of us girls are in Rocky, we’ve been talking about what we want to set up for traditions. The Coleman clans usually gather in their family units on Christmas Day and then have a massive free-for-all on Boxing Day.”

  It was an unexpected topic, but one that she should’ve seen coming. “I’ve got nothing, so lay it on me.”

  Her sister nodded, glancing toward the kitchen briefly but then focusing back on Julia’s face immediately. “Tamara has rightly said she wants to keep up what they do in the Stone family. Finn and I have talked, and we want to have Christmas Eve for ourselves, but Christmas Day could be for more extended family. Lisa says at some point she and Josiah might be travelling during the holidays, so what it comes down to, is if we want to visit the family from Rocky, we’ve got to do it early.”

  A trickle of guilt slithered in. “Does that mean Dad will be alone on Christmas Day?”

  Karen shook her head. “Tamara said he’s always welcome at Silver Stone. Dad’s also told Finn that my uncles have invited him to join them, and so have a bunch of the guys he hangs out with on a regular basis. The ones who don’t have kids in the area anymore either.”

  Unfortunately, it was pretty much the answer she’d expected. The uneasiness in her gut continued, and Julia hesitated. “This Christmas is going to be really weird,” she said. “I mean with the whole situation between me and Zach. I don’t know that I want to go to a big Coleman thing.”

  The noises from the kitchen vanished. Suddenly, Zach was there, handing over two cups of hot cocoa piled a mile high with whipped cream.

  He cleared his throat. “Sorry for eavesdropping, but I have to admit I have a holiday situation we need to discuss as well.”

  Again, Julia should’ve seen this one coming. “Shoot. Do your parents expect you to join them in Manitoba?”

  Zach looked astonishingly like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Sort of? If you change that to my parents are expecting us to join them, and then change Manitoba to Hawaii. Yeah.”

  Karen snickered. “Awww. Julia, what a sacrifice. A trip to palm trees and sand instead of snowy fields forever?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Julia finally found words, staring at Zach in disbelief.

  “Sorry. I kept meaning to bring it up, but it kind of slipped my mind.”

  More laughter from Karen. “Well, you two can discuss that teeny oversight once I’m gone, but here’s the plan. The Whiskey Creek girls and partners plan to head to Rocky next weekend. If you want to join us, you’re welcome. Drive out Friday, return on Sunday.”

  “We’ll talk about it,” Julia promised before the conversation slipped to gift ideas for Tamara and Caleb’s children.

  Sitting in the quiet by the fire once Karen was gone, a million thoughts raced in Julia’s mind.

  Zach joined her, adjusting his chair until he could give her hand a squeeze. “You okay?”

  She nodded, smiling as best she could. “Tell me more about the get-together in Hawaii.”

  “Finn is going to laugh his ass off because he warned me to tell you this sooner. My parents have a house in Hawaii. Everybody gets to use it whenever they want to, but for about ten days around the holidays, my parents open up the place and everybody tries to join them.”

  The idea was staggering. “Five sisters, four brothers-in-law, two parents, and seven kids. And they just happen to have a place that can fit that many people?”

  “You remember the bit where my dad’s an inventor?”

  “What did he invent? A money press?” But there were more important questions to focus on. “I thought you didn’t tell your parents that we got married.”

  “I didn’t. I—” He jerked to a stop so fast she thought he’d choked on his tongue. He looked downright embarrassed before meeting her gaze again. “I told them we were dating.”

  Butterflies lit in her belly for some strange reason. Julia paused for a moment and got her head on straight.

  She could deal with this. It was only right that if he had to go to Rocky with her and deal with everyone who thought they were married, she could go to Hawaii, suffer through sand and sun, and pretend to be his girlfriend.

  She nodded decisively, deciding to deal with the simpler problem first. “Yes, I’ll go with you. Not just because it’s Hawaii, but because I think I’d like to meet them. And because it’s Hawaii,” she admitted.

  His grin flashed, familiar happiness filling his eyes. “Thank goodness, because I already booked our flights.”

  She threw a pillow at him.

  Then she stared at the fire and pondered the other problem for a while until Zach poked her gently. “I don’t think you’re here.”

  “I’m not.” She was lost in a swirl of anger and regret.

  “You want to talk about it?” he offered.

  “Not sure I can explain the maze I’ve gotten myself into.” She turned toward him, curling her arms around her legs. “I’ve met bits and pieces of the extended Coleman clan before. I’m very grateful that I found my sisters. I’m learning more about my dad, and that’s sometimes good and sometimes bad. But t
he whole family thing gets overwhelming.”

  Zach made a face. “And then I threw all of my family at you as well, which I’m sure didn’t make it any easier. I’m sorry.”

  Julia blinked. “You know what? Honestly, when I think about meeting your family, it doesn’t fill me with the same sense of— I don’t know. That’s—that’s where I get stuck. It’s as if something dark and negative is hovering over one side of that equation that’s not there on the other, so it’s not just about the unknown people.”

  He considered for a minute before going into solution mode. “Tossing out ideas. Do you want to go by yourself? Do you want to go a different weekend and not bother with the big Coleman event? Do you want to just go for a single day?”

  “That one,” Julia said. “But not by myself. Will you come with me?”

  “Of course I will. There’s no reason why we can’t head out in the morning, spend the day in Rocky Mountain House, and then come home.”

  The sheer and utter relief that washed in told her that was the right decision. The peace she felt while sharing when she talked with Tony the next time confirmed it again.

  Which was why early Saturday morning, she woke with a lighter heart than expected. Something still nagged at her that she couldn’t put a finger on, but with Zach’s entertaining stories to distract her on the drive, Julia pushed the worries aside.

  They made it into Rocky Mountain House shortly after sunrise, driving a little distance farther into the country to where the Whiskey Creek ranch sat.

  Her father came out to greet them wearing a huge smile, offering Julia a big hug.

  He shook Zach’s hand and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. “Want a tour of the place?”

  “Breakfast first, Dad,” Tamara said firmly from the front porch, waving for them to come into the house.

  The little girls rushed forward to grab Julia by the hand. “We got to have a sleepover,” little Emma informed her seriously. “Do you want to see our rooms or the kittens first?”

  Tamara laughed, herding everyone toward the table. “Breakfast first,” she repeated.

  Julia settled at the old farm table, a mixed collection of chairs assembled around the sturdy surface. Plenty of food, including lots of bacon, appeared on the table, and with Zach by her side, the room was comfortable and warm.