Page 29 of A Gift for the Hopeful Cowboy

Rob placed a lid on the box he had just filled, walked around the counter, and leaned his hip against it. “Would it matter if I wasn’t?”

She attempted to hide her smile. “Please tell me you didn’t go out of your way to pick up powdered sugar from the store for a project I wasn’t prepared for.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

“Rob!”

“What? I promise not to tell you that I wasn’t anywhere near the grocery store.”

She dragged a hand down her face. “If I had known?—”

“I would have done it anyway.”

His whisper was so close she jumped. Pippa whirled to face him, unable to comprehend how he’d managed to get beside her so quickly without making a sound. He traced the back of his finger along her jaw. She shuddered at his touch, then leaned into it.

Rob grasped her chin with his finger and thumb, and she closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss. But it didn’t come. When she opened her eyes, she found him watching her with a gaze that had her body flushing with heat.

“I'd do anything for you,” he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How about we finish up these cookies and then we watch that movie you mentioned the other night.”

She nodded, unable to find the words to respond. Her eyes followed him as he picked up a tray of freshly frosted cookies and took it to his boxing station. He gave her a smile and she returned it with one of her own.

Their relationship felt so real. Though they were treating it like it might be temporary, Pippa couldn’t deny that what she had with Rob was more than anything she’d had with any other guy.

The smile refused to leave her face as they finished up the cookies. Rob placed the final box on the stack while she got to work washing the bowls and the knives she’d used to frost them.

As planned, they settled in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn and mugs of peppermint hot chocolate. Pippa only got halfway into the movie before she snuggled into the crook of his arm and allowed herself to give in to the welcoming warmth he offered. She rested her cheek against his chest, her mind wandering.

“Why did you decide to move here?” She asked the question before she thought too hard about it. But the second he stiffened, she wondered if she had asked about another thing he wasn’t comfortable discussing.

“That’s a weird question,” Rob drawled.

“Not really. I don’t think you’ve ever really explained it. You could have gone anywhere. Why here?” She craned her head around to get a better look at his face. His thoughtful expression was adorable, and she had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from telling him so.

Rob’s fingers trailed up and down her arm, sending fresh waves of goosebumps through her body. “I suppose it was a good first step.”

Pippa didn’t know what that was supposed to mean. Was he planning on leaving—moving on to something else? They hadn’t cleared up what his plans were for the future.

“A first step?” she asked in a small voice.

“Sure. I worked with my dad for the people who not only hired him but me as well. That was the only job I had ever had until I got that job on campus when I was going to school. Everyone knew me, but they also knew my dad. I guess I got tired of always being Mr. Clifford’s son.” Rob made a face and smiled down at her. “In Sweet Bloom, I have the chance to carve out my own path, but I’m not completely alone.”

She waited, holding her breath in anticipation of him telling her that he didn’t feel alone because he had her. There would be no misinterpreting something like that. If he told her he came here for her, or that he had strong feelings for her, maybe she would finally find the courage to tell him the same.

Unfortunately, Rob didn’t do that. He continued caressing her arm as he turned his attention back to the television.

It was fine. He hadn’t been here a full month. How could she expect him to bare his soul to her so soon? Rob had been a ladies’ man when they were younger. He hadn’t wanted to settle down. If someone had asked her for the name of a man who didn’t have a plan for the future—who was perfectly content to play his entire life by ear, she would have said Rob’s name.

Now, things had changed. He had appeared to look at the world a little differently. The man who had preferred to remain under the supervision and protection of his family was now venturing out on his own.

It was a nice change of pace. It meant he was growing up.

And it made her like him more.

Rob gazed down at her again and gave her a crooked smile. “I bet you weren’t expecting that answer, were you?”

She scooted closer to him even though she hadn’t thought it was possible. “I’ve long since given up trying to predict what you’re going to do next. You always surprise me.”

He grimaced. “I hope that’s a good thing.”

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