Page 109 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“I can see that, but did it really surprise you? I know Kolby talks about you that way. I tend to think of you guys as just one big family.”

“I see it that way – and no, it doesn’t really surprise me that they do, too. It was just nice to hear him say it, you know?”

“I do, I get it. When I first came, I thought they would only see me as Kolby’s mother-in-law – and I wasn’t sure where I would fit in. The last thing I expected was to have Shayna and Ty dropping by the cabins as often as they do. Ty told me the other day that because I’m his twin’s mother-in-law, that means we have our own special bond.”

“I love that,” said Travis. “I love it for you, and I love it for Ty as well. It’s funny, not so long ago I would have said that he, Kolby, and Tanner – all the siblings, come to think of it – were a self-contained unit. But I would have been wrong. They lost their mom when they were young, and I never would have guessed it, but I think they like having you in their lives.”

“I hardly think they see me as some kind of mother figure.”

“I don’t know about that. All I know is that however they see you, they enjoy having you as part of the family.”

He parked the truck around the back of the big house next to a couple of motorcycles.

Retta nodded at them. “I didn’t realize that Spider and Frankie would be here.”

“Me neither, but I’m glad they are. I want to have a chat with Spider.”

“I’d like to get to know Frankie better. I like her.”

Travis chuckled. “Frankie’s awesome. She’s a real spitfire.” His smile faded. “She’s another one who lost her mom when she was small. At this rate, you might end up with the whole family looking to you as a kind of stand-in mom.” He was going to ask how she felt about that, but he didn’t need to – the smile on her face told him her answer loud and clear.

When he lifted her out of the truck, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips.

He looked down into her eyes. “What was that for?”

She laughed. “Are you saying that I need a reason to kiss you now?”

“Never. I just wondered, that’s all.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “You have to remember that even though it seems like I can read your mind, sometimes I only know that you’re thinking about something but not exactly what you’re thinking. There’s a reason that you’re clinging to me the way you are, isn’t there?”

“Yes, there is. It’s just…” She shrugged. “I’m going to miss this.”

“Miss what?”

“You know, this.” She tightened her arms around his neck and pressed closer against his chest. “I’m getting the cast taken off on Tuesday.”

He laughed. “And you think that means that I’m going to stop picking you up and carrying you around?” He held her tighter. “Never.”

“It’s not that I want you to stop picking me up, more that I need to start standing on my own two feet again. It’d be far too easy for me to let you keep carrying me around just because I enjoy it. But we both know that I’ll need to walk and exercise to rehab it.”

“Yeah but…” He frowned. “I’m not going to get in the way of your healing, but I’m not prepared to give this up, either. I’ll let you do what you need to by yourself, but I reckon I can still find lots of opportunities to scoop you up and run away with you.”

She laughed. “I like the sound of that.”

“Hey, are you guys going to stand out here canoodling all afternoon or are you coming to join everyone?”

Travis made a face at Frankie, who was grinning at them from the back porch.

“We’re coming, Shorty.”

Frankie trotted down the steps and came to greet them. She smiled at Retta. “It’s good to see you again. I was going to say that I bet you can’t wait to be back on your feet, but knowing this guy, he’ll keep toting you around like this.”

Retta laughed. “We were just talking about that. As much as I enjoy this, I need to get back on my feet.” She smiled at Travis. “Then he can tote me around because we both enjoy it, not because I need it.”

Frankie grinned at her. “I knew I liked you. And as much as I love Callie, I’m glad she’s not here this afternoon – it’ll mean that we can hang out a bit more. Is there any news from her yet? Any sign of the baby arriving?”

“Not yet. She and Kolby wanted to be there in case he came early, but they’re still waiting.”

“He?” Frankie asked. “Do they know that it’s a boy?”

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