Page 121 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“Yes.”

“What did she want?”

Retta blew out a sigh. “You’re not going to believe this; she’s gotten it into her head that there’s something going on between Marty and me.”

He frowned. “You said that she thought that. That was why she pushed you, right?”

She sighed again. “Yes, but at the time, I thought it was just some crazy notion. Now, she’s absolutely convinced that there is something going on.”

“What do you think might have given her that idea?”

“I told you that he called me.”

“You did. He wanted you to meet him and his daughters while they’re here visiting the park.”

“Right. Apparently, Jamie still has access to his phone records, and she knows that he called me. She thinks that’s evidence of some kind of affair or something. I told her that she’s nuts. I also told her that I have a man of my own – a man I’m very much in love with, and I have no interest whatsoever in hers.”

He glanced over at her. “Are you saying that for my benefit?”

She smiled. “I guess I am, a little bit. You seem … I don’t know. You do believe me, don’t you?”

He reached across the console for her hand, and she laced her fingers through his. “Of course I believe you, darlin’. I’ll admit that I feel a little bit… prickly.” He chuckled. “I’ve never thought of myself as the jealous kind, but the thought of you being interested in some other guy…”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m not. You’re the only one for me; I thought we were clear about that.”

“Yeah, we are. Sorry.”

He had to laugh when she exclaimed, “Don’t you dare go apologizing! You haven’t done a damn thing wrong. All you’ve done is ask me to explain – and that’s perfectly reasonable.”

“Don’t get all riled up, darlin’.”

She smiled at him through pursed lips. “You’re right, I shouldn’t. It just pisses me off that what that woman thinks can cast any kind of shadow over our evening.”

“She can’t – not if we don’t let her. I was curious. So, I asked. You’ve explained. End of story, right?”

“Yes. End of story. Except…”

“Except what?”

“Except that he said he’s going to call me, remember? I told you.”

Travis shrugged. “And we’ll meet with him – if you don’t mind me coming with you. And I’m not saying that because I have a problem with it. It’s just that if I’m with you, it’ll clear up any doubts that she might have.” He shot her a quick smile. “And it’ll set him straight, if he has any doubts, too.”

“I’ve told you before – that man is not interested in me. Apart from anything else, he has to be a good ten, maybe fifteen years younger than I am.”

Travis had to laugh. “And what the hell kind of difference does that make?”

“You know! I’m too old for him.”

“Maybe in your head, darlin’. But I think that’s the only place where an age gap would make a difference.”

“Do you really think so? I just… I’ve always thought that men preferred younger women.”

He rolled his eyes at her. “I hate to say it, but you really shouldn’t judge people like that. Men might seem like simple creatures to you, but that doesn’t mean you can categorize us all one way. Sure, some men prefer younger women. But someprefer older women. Some are only interested in women who are right around the same age as them.” He shrugged. “I mean, come on, some men prefer blondes, some prefer brunettes or redheads, while some prefer other men. There is no one size fits all.”

She stared at him for a long time before she finally said, “I suppose you’re right. I might be a little narrow-minded in the way I see that; I guess we all tend to think that the world only works in the ways that we’re used to. But even if you’re right about the age thing, I’m telling you that there’s no way that Marty is interested in me like that.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad to hear it – and I’m telling you that if he is, I’ll be making it clear to him that he doesn’t stand a chance.”

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