Page 30 of Rocky Mountain Devil

“Of course, since we’re talking Jesse here, he has an excuse. He’s probably a little stunned from that massive blow to his ego that didn’t happen on Friday night.”

“Shut up, Lisa,” Jesse muttered.

“You know, when hedidn’tstrike out with my friend.”

“I’m going to end you.”

“Man, I have missed a lot.” Rafe reached his hand toward Lisa. “Let me see your phone. Who did Jesse strike out with?”

Jesse moved in close enough to punch him in the shoulder. His cousin was no lightweight, and the blow landed hard enough to nearly send him flying out of the saddle, but Rafe didn’t care. He laughed and pulled up on the reins, ushering Belle forward.

It was good to be back. Good to return to family and know he was accepted. To know they celebrated with him.

Good to know he had a place to hang his hat, and a woman to learn all over in new ways. Spending time with Laurel and his crazy, mixed-up family would be simple—

Well, he hoped it would be simple. Ithadto work, because he wasn’t giving up his family, and he wasn’t giving up Laurel. He’d have to avoid bringing her around his father, but the rest of the Colemans were part of his heart and soul.

The frustrations of his morning were erased, replaced by a whole lot of anticipation for when he could see her again.

Laurel’s father stood at the library reception desk, continuing to exchange pleasantries with Wendy.

Having him show up at work wasn’t the most terrible thing to happen, it just wasn’t what Laurel wanted to deal with right then. But—he was there, which meant she couldn’t avoid talking with him.

She waited for a break in the conversation. “Hey. Were you looking for me?”

“I was running errands and thought I’d stop by. Do you have a few minutes?” her father asked politely.

She glanced at her boss, pretty sure she knew the answer.

Wendy waved them off. “Take your afternoon break. That’s fine.”

Laurel led him through the main building to the small door off the back that opened onto a grassy area with a picnic table.

“Nice.”

“They call it the summer staff room,” Laurel shared. “In the winter, we’re locked in a tiny windowless room along with the water heater.”

“Sounds marvelous.” He sat and folded his hands, staring over the grass toward the nearby junior high. Silent, as if he was thinking about what to say, or waiting for her.

Talking with her dad wasn’t usually this uncomfortable. She loved the man, really she did, but right now there was potentially a whole lot of awkward about to happen.

He turned to her with a smile. “It’s been good to have you back in town.”

She joined him on the bench. “It’s good to be back. I missed all of you while I was gone away.”

“So you’ve said.” He cleared his throat. “I noticed, though, that while you join us for church on Sundays, and you allowed your mother to add you to the music schedule, you’re not getting involved in anything else.”

And…one of those awkward moments arrived far too quickly. The temptation to offer the “I’ve been busy” excuse was strong, but if she couldn’t lie in general, lying to her father was impossible.

Laurel took a deep breath then answered quietly. “I’m working through some issues.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “That wasn’t an answer.”

“No, it wasn’t, but it’s the truth.” That much she could give him.

It obviously wasn’t enough. “Does this have something to do with the decisions you made about your schooling?”

Like how she’d dropped out of her first year of Bible College with three months to go and jumped tracks into librarian training in a totally different province instead? All without saying a word to her family? “It was what I really wanted to do,” she insisted, thankful that wasn’t a lie.