barbecue at her and Josiah’s place.
Barbecue meant less time sitting at the table and more spent relaxing beside Zach.
Thinking of Zach—the entire day he’d been wonderful and terrible all at the same time. Always within reach, yet never overwhelming. When it was appropriate, he’d held her hand or draped an arm over her shoulders.
Julia had to face the truth. This pretend thing between them wasn’t enough anymore. Barely a week in, and she was ready to toss good sense to the wind. Which made her the worst possible fake girlfriend—oops, worst possible fake wife ever.
Because wanting more was just going to get them both in trouble.
As the night grew later and the sun dipped behind the Rocky Mountains, Julia decided she may as well take the chance. Zach could be trusted. He wasn’t going to run off and spout her business to all and sundry.
Still didn’t mean he would say yes to her proposition.
The fire crackled, and a yawn escaped her.
Zach took that as his cue to squeeze her waist. “Ready to head home?”
She glanced across at where her father was still involved in a vigorous conversation with Finn and Josiah. “He doesn’t look ready to leave yet.”
Zach shrugged. “He’s got legs. If he insists on bunking with us, he can get a ride back with Finn and Karen, then march over to the cabin and let himself in.”
On her other side, Lisa tapped a hand on her leg to get her attention. She crooked a finger, waiting until Julia leaned over far enough to hear her quietly spoken words.
“Go home. Dad surprised you in the first place, but we’ve got it under control. You’ll spend all day tomorrow dealing with him.” Her eyes widened, then mischief painted her features. “Although, I meant to remind you. You and I said we would meet at Buns and Roses at ten.”
“We did?”
Lisa nodded solemnly.
Understanding flooded Julia. “Oh, right. We did.”
Her sister’s grin flashed brightly. “Bring him along. We’ll divide and conquer.”
Impulsively, Julia caught Lisa’s fingers and squeezed them tight. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. For everything.”
Julia wasn’t exactly sure what that last bit meant, but as she pressed her shoulder against Zach’s, Julia winked then raised her voice to be heard across the fire. “Zach and I are heading home. Do you want to come with us now, Dad? Or get a ride with Karen?”
George Coleman glanced toward them briefly before dipping his chin. “You kids go on ahead. Finn will take care of me.”
Julia caught Karen’s gaze for a moment. So much shared emotion passed between them. It took effort to pull herself back together to offer a lighthearted response. “Okay. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Escaping wasn’t quite as simple as that. Everyone offered hugs, including her dad. Sort of. He laid a hand on both her shoulder and Zach’s and squeezed. “Just leave the door open. I’ll be sure to be quiet.”
Slipping in the door of the cabin was like taking a deep inhalation. Trembling on the edge of a decision, Julia knew she had to make a choice. It was either time to move ahead or stop tormenting the two of them for good.
Zach turned in the middle of the kitchen area, giving her plenty of room as his expression turned apologetic. “I guess we’re back to being literal roomies.”
She nodded. “Don’t try and give me some half-cocked idea about sleeping on the floor. Hardwood is nice, but not as a mattress.”
He hesitated. “Well, why don’t you get ready for bed? Hopefully you can find everything from where Lisa hid it.”
“You go ahead,” she insisted. “I need to make a few notes for tomorrow while I remember.” She picked up her journal and wiggled it in the air. “I won’t be long.”
He glanced at the book in her hands then turned obediently. “See you when you’re ready.”
The sound of water coming on in the bathroom mixed with her pen moving slowly across the page. If she was going to do this, she may as well make it official.
It took thirty seconds to write the actual words, but it seemed she’d barely finished when ten minutes later, Zach cracked open the bedroom door. “Bathroom is all yours.”
Chin up, she stepped boldly across the room and across the threshold, closing the door firmly behind her.
At first glance, there weren’t many of her things around the room. But then again, she didn’t tend to have a lot of knickknacks to spread out.
Zach pointed at the dresser. “I’ll say this for her, she’s efficient.