Free COLLEEN: A Sweet Western Historical Romance by Ashley Merrick

Julia all about the fabric and the event at the museum. "After we eat, I'll show you, too. I'm so excited."
    "Maybe. I'll have to see if Liam wants to go. It does sound like fun."
    "If you don't have a dress, I'd love to make one for you, too. It's the least I can do after all you and Liam have done for me."
    "We don't expect any kind of payment," Julia said and then smiled. "But I haven't had a new dress in ages."
    "Then it's decided," Colleen said.
    "If Liam agrees." Julia glanced his way. He was sitting on her other side and had heard the whole conversation.
    "How can I say no to that? It's not every day someone offers to make you a dress," he said with a chuckle. "I'll just have to run it by Billy, to make sure he can cover for me, but it should be fine."
    "Good, we can look at fabric after our shift on Monday," Colleen said.
    "Perfect," Julia agreed.
     

    After dessert and coffee, the girls helped Naomi clear the table and clean up in the kitchen, while the men went into the living room to talk. As they were finishing up, David came and found her. "Are you ready for our walk?"
    "Yes, let me just grab my shawl." She found her wool shawl and wrapped it over her shoulders and followed David outside. It was sunny still but there was a cool breeze in the air and she pulled her shawl in a bit tighter.
    "We're not going too far. The pond is just over the hill and past the meadow." He led her to what he said was his favorite spot in the whole world.
    "We used to come here all the time, Paul and I. To fish and to dream. We planned our futures by this pond," he said as he spread out the blanket he'd brought with him and they both settled onto it.
    "It's beautiful here, and so peaceful."Colleen looked around and marveled at the tranquility. The water was still. There was almost no breeze here, and the only movement on the water was a lily pad that occasionally dipped when the frog that was sunning itself on it shifted position.
    "So you can see why I love it so much?" David asked.
    Colleen nodded. "I'd come all the time if I lived here."
    "I have a similar spot on my farm. The pond is smaller, but just as peaceful and even more private."
    "Why haven't you married yet?" Colleen wondered out loud. David seemed so settled and ready for a family. She was surprised that it hadn't happened yet for him.
    He was quiet for a moment, and then spoke. "Well, I did come close. I was about to propose about five years ago, to a girl named Maggie. I thought we were in love. I was wrong. She told me she didn't want to be stuck living on a farm the rest of her life." He frowned at the memory. "She took the next train to San Francisco, as a mail-order bride for someone she'd never met."
    "I'm sorry to hear that," Colleen said and before she could stop herself, she asked, "Is she happy now?"
    "I have no idea. I never heard from her again. I sort of withdrew a little after that. I couldn't believe I'd misjudged things so badly. I really thought she loved me."
    Colleen said nothing, and after a moment, he continued, "When I finally started thinking about it again, all the eligible women in this area were gone, either married or moved away. And then you arrived." He reached for her hand and smiled. His touch felt warm and safe and something else—a tingle that went all the way to her toes.
    "I want what my parents have," he said as his thumb lightly caressed the back of her hand, making it hard for her to focus on his words.
    "They seem very happy," she managed to say.
    "They are. They've had their ups and downs, but they are crazy about each other. If it's possible, even more so as the years have gone by." He stared out at the water for a moment, and then added, "Maggie did me a favor, actually, I suppose. I never would have had that with her."
    "How long have they been married?"
    "I think it may be thirty-five years this year. He was twenty-five then and is turning sixty soon. They got married on my dad's birthday. He said it was the best present he