Page 13 of A Gift for the Hopeful Cowboy

He took a step toward her, and she shuffled back a few inches. “See?” He chuckled. “You’re not acting like yourself.”

She folded her arms. “Maybe you’re not acting like yourself. Have you considered that? The Rob I knew wouldn’t have just up and moved here because he wanted a change of scenery. There’s more to it than that and you’ll never convince me otherwise.”

Maybe she was right. He could have moved anywhere. He could have checked in with family in different parts of the country. Rob’s father had connections. But none of those places had what he had here.

None of those places had Pippa.

Rob continued to stare at her, his stomach lurching with each passing second she ignored his question. “Are you dating someone?”

“What? Of course not.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m too busy for that.”

“So, if you’re not dating anyone and you’re too busy for something serious, what’s the harm? Why not let me kiss you? For old time’s sake?” He tilted his head and gave her his most charming smile. If nothing else, he’d be able to prove his point that something had changed between them and it wasn’t necessarily bad. Pippa was growing up, just like he had. “If you’re not avoiding me… prove it.”

Her eyes narrowed and she huffed as she glanced away. He could see her mind working, weighing the pros and cons of such a request. Once or twice, she brought her gaze back to him and huffed again. Then, without warning, Pippa took a long stride toward him. She placed her hands on either side of his face and crushed her mouth to his before pulling back to give him one of her trademark triumphant looks.

The triumph in her eyes lasted mere seconds. Her tongue traced along her lower lip as her gaze swept over his face. He was certain with how quiet the street was Pippa could hear his heart thrashing like never before. They were frozen in time, staring at each other. The kiss had been brash and short, but it had had a hint of the passion they’d shared as teenagers.

Rob lost it at that moment. He pulled her close, his fingers digging into her hips to pin her against him. His lips roved over hers, exploring every inch of her mouth. Kissing her was like coming home. She was a safe haven of sorts—someone who knew him probably better than he knew himself and not by any fault of his own.

Pippa clung to him as their kiss deepened. She might have kissed him to prove a point, but this had gone beyond that. This kiss was a reawakening of how good they were together. The door had opened to the possibility of a future together.

He simply had to convince her it would be a good idea.

Pippa pulled back, breathless. Her cheeks and nose were pink, and her eyes shone brighter than before. Desire lingered behind her gaze and he nearly thought she’d come back for more, but then she stepped back.

“See?” she said. “I could never deny you.”

Rob wasn’t sure he’d heard her right, and she strode away before he had the chance to ask her to repeat what she’d said. At this point, he didn’t need to know. He was still reeling from their kiss, and he wasn’t going to mess that moment up for anything.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Pippa couldn’t concentrate. It had been a full week and she still couldn’t get that kiss out of her head. It had been far too easy to give in to him. She’d put up a good fight for her own mental state, but she’d given in just like she knew she would.

There was just something about Rob that drew her in. She’d noticed it when she was a kid, and she could see it now. The distance between Rocky Ridge and Sweet Bloom had kept her from getting too attached to him, but now he was in town, she didn’t know what she was going to do.

She’d shown her hand.

That was the worst part about last weekend. Pippa had practically thrown herself at him and then told him she couldn’t control herself. The more she thought about it, the hotter her face became.

The servers in her restaurant were tossing her strange looks when they caught her staring into space with what could only be a bright blush on her face. Dang it! She needed to get her head in the game. Rob wasn’t here. He hadn’t stopped by her place or called her since that night. For all she knew, he had found someone he was more interested in chasing.

And she’d made a complete fool of herself!

Pippa growled to herself as she shoved a plate toward the server who needed to take it to the table that had ordered it. Frustration only continued to mount.

Why hadn’t he stopped by? Wasn’t that what guys were supposed to do? Even if nothing would come from it, Rob should have at least called and told her he’d had a fun night. It might not have been a real date, but… they’d kissed!

“Chef—”

“What?” she snapped, turning toward the hostess who stood in the doorway. Pippa took a deep breath, her cheeks burning hotter than before. “I’m sorry. What did you need?”

The hostess thumbed over her shoulder with hesitation. “There’s someone here to see you.”

Great, what was it now? If one more person was going to complain about what she was serving for dinner tonight, they would regret it when she booted them to the curb.

Pippa heaved a sigh. She wouldn’t actually send anyone packing. That wasn’t her style. She’d rather just give them what they wanted than start something—even with her current mood being what it was.

“Do you know what this is about? I’m very busy tonight. I have several plates in the air as it were.”

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