Page 5 of A Gift for the Hopeful Cowboy

“There you are! We’ve been looking for you. It’s time for cake and ice cream.” Her shrewd focus shifted from Pippa to Rob. “Getting the grand tour?”

He nodded. “Something like that.”

“Well, tour’s over. Come on, you two. I don’t think the guys can wait very long. Pretty sure Brent threatened to take a bite of the cake if I didn’t bring you back in less than five minutes.”

Pippa huffed. “He wouldn’t.”

“You know him better than me.” Allie shrugged as Pippa charged past her. Allie shot one more glance to Rob before she followed Pippa.

Rob took it a little slower. He needed to clear his head before he entered the house with the rest of Pippa’s family.

There was no way he was going to be the one to break their number-one rule.

No telling either of their families.

CHAPTER THREE

Pippa couldn’t keep still. She needed to get to the restaurant to approve the Friday night menu, but she couldn’t focus. She’d taken the long way to town so she could drive past Brent’s ranch.

She still had an hour before she had to be there—it was just that her people always expected her to arrive with an hour to spare.

Not today.

Today, she would give herself a few minutes and visit with Rob. They were friends. She was allowed to visit a friend she hadn’t seen in ages. She was feeling this deep-seated regret about not letting him kiss her, but that didn’t mean she was here for a second chance.

Besides, a small part of her was grateful she hadn’t kissed him. They’d been flirting on the phone for years without actually seeing each other. They’d told one another about all their dates and the people who had come and gone from their lives. It almost felt too weird to let herself fall back into a fling mentality—because he wasn’t going anywhere.

Rob was here to stay for the undetermined future. He would be at her brother’s house, probably joining them for family get-togethers. She didn’t want to make this any more awkward than it had to be.

Those and many other excuses were probably why she hadn’t gotten out of her car. If anyone caught sight of her sitting in her car while she tried to build up the courage to go find him, they’d think she’d finally snapped.

Pippa took a deep breath, but it did nothing for her nerves. She couldn’t stay in the safety of the car much longer. She was here to see Rob. Nothing scary. Just regular old, sweet Rob who she’d apparently developed a crush on.

A groan rumbled from her throat and she leaned into the door to push it open. As long as he didn’t bring up the fact she’d avoided the kiss, she’d be fine.

Pippa leaned against the door until it clicked.

Around here, people didn’t do Black Friday shopping. A few folks made the trip to the closest city for some of the bigger deals, but in their sleepy town, there weren’t many options. The day after Thanksgiving wasn’t much of a holiday for anyone around here. Usually, folks used the day to start putting up their Christmas decorations.

“Pippa?”

She jumped. Rob’s voice was very close. How had he managed to sneak up on her? Those boots alone sounded like he walked around with rocks strapped to his feet.

She spun around to find Rob standing on the other side of her car. He had a rope slung over his shoulder and carried a saddle under the other arm. He wore a beat-up leather jacket he hadn’t bothered to zip up, his jeans already dusted with a thick layer of dirt.

Her heart stumbled and her pulse shot up. There was something about seeing the aftermath of a cowboy hard at work that made her knees go weak. This cowboy in particular affected her in a profound way. Her mouth felt dry and she forgot if he’d asked her a question.

Rob tilted his head and his smile flashed across his face. “What are you doing here?”

She shuffled around the front of her car, arms folded tightly across her chest. “Can’t I come visit my friend at the place he works?”

He lifted a brow, an indication he didn’t believe her one second.

Great. This was where he would point out she hadn’t let him kiss her and since they’d seen each other the day before, there was no reason for her to be here.

For all she knew, he had a couple girls he was ‘seeing.’ If she was playing hard to get, he wouldn’t need to spend time trying to chase her. Pippa’s stomach caved in on itself and a slithering snake of jealousy wrapped itself around her. She didn’t have any reason to be jealous, and yet that was exactly what she felt in this moment.

Dang it!

---