Page 34 of A Gift for the Hopeful Cowboy

“We’ve been getting closer.”

Allie stared at her expectantly. There wasn’t even a hint of surprise in her gaze. It wasn’t that Pippa had been hiding the relationship, she’d simply not felt it was important to share with her friends yet. She’d wanted to savor the beginnings of what they had, and now she was left regretting it. Sighing again, Pippa stopped and faced her friend.

“We’ve known each other for what feels like forever. So, it made sense that we gravitated toward one another when he moved here. I thought things were going really well, but now I’m beginning to wonder if he’s losing interest—in Sweet Bloom… and in me.”

Her friend didn’t react immediately. She shifted her gaze away for a moment as if she needed to soak in all this information before she could give any advice. When she returned her focus to Pippa, her expression was more serious than anything else.

“What makes you think he’s losing interest?”

“It’s a lot of things, really. When he moved here, he was struggling with some of his life choices.” That sounded worse than it was. Pippa hurried on to clarify. “He was disappointed in himself for not finishing his degree. I told him he still had time, but he gave excuses. Mostly it was time and money.”

“You think he might be wanting to go back to school?”

Pippa shook her head. “I’m not sure. He doesn’t like talking about that. But today he said something about wanting to change his future. What else could that mean? He just got here. Surely, he wouldn’t be referring to moving already.”

Allie tapped her chin with her finger. “I’d say go with your gut. If you think he’s still interested in getting his degree, maybe that’s all it is. I wouldn’t say he’s not interested in you anymore. I’d say he’s still coming to terms with what he wants.”

“Maybe,” Pippa said. “Do you think him bringing it up again means he’s willing to hear my input?”

“I don’t see why not. Is there anything you can offer? Or is this one of those ‘just let me vent’ situations? I bet you anything that he’s trying to figure out how to tell you where he wants to go next in his life. Remember, he's made a big change and that can put anyone off kilter.”

She could be right. Rob might have figured out a way to get back in school. When she’d seen him earlier, she’d thought he was hiding something. But it was possible he was embarrassed about how he’d responded to their last conversation about his future. Now that he had it all figured out, maybe he didn’t know how to tell her without it getting awkward.

Pippa nodded. “That’s possible. He’s changed a lot over the years. He’s settled down, grown up a little more.” She smiled. “I’m definitely overthinking things. If he’s ready to go back to school and he wants my input, I might be able to help him out more than I initially thought. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I might have a solution to what he’s worried about.”

Allie returned the smile and nudged Pippa with her hand. “See? Things have a way of working themselves out. Sometimes we have to give ourselves the chance to explore all the possibilities.” Her expression shifted to something more energetic. “Hey, your mom is going to be in town a few days before Christmas. We were all thinking about going to Santa’s Village in town. Molly has been begging us to take her and we keep putting it off. You should bring Rob.”

“I bet he’d like that.” Pippa’s phone buzzed and she pulled it out. Rob’s name populated the screen. “It’s him. I’m going to give him a call back. I’ll talk with you later, okay?”

Allie grinned. “Sounds good! I’ll tell Luke you’re on board with the visit to town.”

Pippa headed to her car and climbed in. Rather than call Rob, she opened her messages app and read his text.

Rob: All done for today. Meet at your place?

She grinned. Thankfully, Allie had talked her off the ledge. Rob didn’t sound like he was upset, though that was hard to gauge through messaging. Even still, it had been nice to work through everything before seeing him. Now she wouldn’t make a fool of herself.

Pippa: See you in ten.

She pulled up to her place and Rob’s truck was already there. The whole way home, she’d grown increasingly excited. The restaurant was doing well and she had the money to offer to Rob if he needed help financially. If that was the path he was interested in taking, she wanted to be the one he could turn to.

The second she climbed out of her car, she headed for his truck. He climbed out with a smile and gave her a quick kiss. “You’re a sight for sore?—”

“I think I already know what this is about.”

His brows shot up and it almost looked like he’d been cornered doing something he shouldn’t. “You do?”

She nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it all day, from the moment I saw you in town to this minute. And I have to say, it’s a wonderful idea.”

Rob took off his hat and held it in one hand. “You do?” he repeated, his voice raspy.

Pippa laughed. “I know you better than you think I do. I’m pretty good at these things. But it wasn’t hard. You were acting kinda funny. I could tell you weren’t sure you wanted to talk about it. But I figured it out, and I want you to know I’m happy to help.”

His brows lowered and the crease between them grew more defined. “You want to… help…” he said.

“Absolutely. I have the money. And I know it was something you were worried about. The best part is you wouldn’t have to pay it back.”

He took a step back. “What are you talking about?”

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