Finn said, there’s a lot to like about Julia.”
George Coleman’s expression hardly budged. “Don’t try tossing me a line, boy. Whatever’s happening, it isn’t because you’re head over heels in love.”
Lie, or go for the truth?
He never got a chance to decide which route to try because feminine laughter rang behind them. Karen and Julia appeared, as if they’d just happened to end up in the same place at the same time.
“Hey, Dad. Julia told me you’d shown up. Glad you made it early.” Karen came and gave him a quick hug before stepping back with a seemingly excited smile. “In fact, this is perfect timing. Finn and I have been wanting to take you for a ride with some of the new stock we purchased.”
George’s expression grew conflicted. “Wanted to spend some time with Julia. And him.” The flick of his finger was pretty much as if he was knocking an unwanted fly away.
Zach rubbed his hand across his lips to hide a smile.
Julia was at his side, hand slipping into his again. “We’d love to go for a ride. No reason why the five of us can’t head out.”
It seemed that was all it took. Finn gestured the older man farther into the barn. “Come on. I’ll show you a couple to take your pick from.”
The temptation was obviously too much. Julia’s dad cracked a smile and paced after Finn. “Karen told me you’ve made some fine purchases.”
At Zach’s side, annoyance zinged across Julia’s face. “Karen was the one who made those purchases,” she murmured, leaning into him.
The expected error from her father wasn’t the first thing on Zach’s mind. “I thought you were cleaning up your room so your dad can use it tonight.”
“I started, but then realized no way I should leave you alone with him for any length of time. I called Karen, and we figured since we’re here, we were the quickest rescue squad. Lisa is coming over. She’ll sneak into the cabin and move my stuff into your room.”
Teamwork at its finest. Zach nodded. “That means we don’t have much to do except enjoy another horseback ride. Your dad’s not gonna get out of line with Finn around. He respects him too much.”
Which meant the next couple of hours passed in a comfortable haze. George Coleman was suitably entertained by Finn pointing out the latest developments around the ranch.
Also, Karen periodically asked her father’s opinion about various animals. Advice she didn’t need, but the questions stroked the man’s ego just enough to keep him off-kilter.
Zach was forced to contrast this with his last interaction with his own parents. Zachary Senior and Pamela Sorenson did demand their children live up to their potential—but said potential was always based on what made each of them personally happy, not on kowtowing to parental expectations.
It seemed what he had was less common. His family had always been there for him. Even now he knew they would be supportive and help him reach his goals—once he got around to mentioning his current situation, however much he decided to share.
That wasn’t the case with Finn. Zach had also caught bits and pieces over the past months that suggested the Whiskey Creek girls hadn’t always felt supported.
Watching George Coleman move through the morning with his daughters and Finn—and admittedly a plus-one unexpected son-in-law—Zach wondered if the older man had the ability to change enough to be what Julia needed.
That old sensation of possessiveness struck, but this time with a twist. Zach didn’t really care what the man thought about him, but he cared immensely how Julia felt at the end of the day.
It gave Zach an additional reason to be watchful. Perhaps his recent resolution had been to say yes to all of Julia’s requests, spoken and unspoken, but it was equally important to say no to anything that would hurt her.
Somehow, he needed to do it in a way that made it clear she would be provided for but also listened to. If George Coleman had a problem with Zach being that person in her life, the sooner they found out, the better.
Family to the rescue.
Even the thought of that seemed strange, but also sweetly welcoming. Julia inched closer against Zach’s side, partly as a pretence to stay out of the conversation on the other side of the fire where her father was regaling them all with a tale of something big and supposedly important.
While the official family dinner wasn’t until tomorrow evening, Lisa had offered up an impromptu