Page 35 of A Gift for the Hopeful Cowboy

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The weight of the ring in his pocket felt like it was dragging him below the surface. Was she talking about paying for the ring? Paying for the wedding? How had she figured out that he wanted to ask her to marry him?

He’d only gotten past his own reservations thirty minutes before he showed up here. He wasn’t about to let her pay him anything. He might not be as well off as she was, but that didn’t mean she would be able to take this away from him.

Rob’s eyes narrowed as he continued to keep his distance from her. “What are you talking about?” he repeated. “Because I’d stake my life on it you have no idea what I’m here for.”

Pippa let out a nervous laugh. “I’m pretty sure I know what you’re going to say. You’ve been dealing with a lot lately and feeling like you need to find your place. It’s hard when you wonder if your life has been a series of mistakes. But I want you to know I’m here for you. I already looked into it. The college down the street offers four-year degrees and they’ll let you transfer most if not all of your credits.”

The realization was like a punch to his stomach. Mentally, he nearly doubled over. Why did she think he was still obsessing over the college degree? He was finally moving forward because he knew what he wanted.

He wanted her.

But from the sounds of it, she didn’t want him in the same way. Was she only willing to date him if he had a degree? Was she the one who was hung up on his credentials?

Rob’s jaw tightened and he took another step back. “No.”

“No?” Pippa stammered. “What do you mean, no? You were talking about your future earlier today. I thought you had finally decided to fulfill that dream.”

He shook his head vehemently, his whole body on fire. “That’s not what I want.”

“Then… what are you here for?” There was an edge to her voice that hadn’t been there before. Pippa’s defenses were rising. She flushed and crossed her arms as she stared hard at him. “You’ve been getting more distant lately. And I know you weren’t in town doing something for Brent. You lied to me.”

“Well, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?” he shot back. “You promised you’d drop the subject of college. There are so many reasons it wouldn’t work for me. Don’t you get it? I missed out. I have to accept that and move on. I have to look forward to my future with that understanding. So should you.”

His heart hurt as he attempted to make sense of why he felt the need to defend himself. This wasn’t how this conversation was supposed to go.

Her face grew redder. “Why are you even here?” Pippa snapped. “Are you finally realizing that you don’t want to be in Sweet Bloom anymore? This life in this small town isn’t worth it?”

He could hear the pain and bitterness in her voice. Rob didn’t know at what point it had come to this. All day, he’d been bursting with excitement and nerves. He’d counted down the minutes—no, the seconds—until he could see her again.

Now he was questioning everything. Were they less serious than he’d originally thought? Was this her way of saying she wasn’t going to move on to the next step of their relationship without him chasing after a degree he wasn’t sure he wanted anymore?

His heart broke a little bit at that thought. He’d thought she was okay with the man he was. But apparently, he’d been too optimistic. His hand was rough as he dragged it down his face.

“I never said I wanted to leave,” he said. “That isn’t what this was about.”

“Isn’t it? I can’t think of a single thing that would make sense. You went from working for my cousin to working for my brother and you don’t feel good enough. You’re worried about your future.”

Hands tightened at his sides. He wasn’t going to feed into that argument. He shouldn’t have to defend himself and yet he couldn’t seem to contain himself.

“Isn’t everyone? Aren’t you? When you got your restaurant going, didn’t you worry about your future? It’s normal. People worry about where they’re going to end up and I’m no different.”

“Exactly,” she said with exasperation. “You’re worried about your future and the only thing that’s missing is your degree.”

Rob’s head reared backward. His eyes narrowed and his frown deepened. “Is that what you really think?”

She hesitated. The color drained from her face and she glanced away.

“Do you honestly believe that I need more in my life to feel like I’ve made it?”

Pippa opened her mouth then snapped it shut. She looked away, squirming beneath his stare. “I don’t know what you want.”

“You don’t,” he said dryly. “Why do you suppose that is?”

He was genuinely curious. If he could confirm through her own words that she thought he needed more accomplishments under his belt to be worthy of her, then he’d know whether that ring in his pocket was ever going to be revealed. Better for them to deal with this now than to find out later she thought he hadn’t risen to his fullest potential.

The color returned to her face and her eyes darted toward him once more before landing on the ground in front of her. Pippa’s voice was quiet, but not meek in the slightest. The edge remained, and if her scowl said anything it was that she refused to be blamed for the argument currently taking place.

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