Page 128 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“He apologized about Jamie calling me, and we arranged to meet at The Riverside at noon on Wednesday. Not to have lunch, just for the girls to give me their gift. We’ll say hello and then they’ll be on their way.”

He held her a little closer with her back to his chest. “You want to go?”

“I … it’ll be nice to see the girls, and I think once they give me this gift, it’ll all be over. I won’t hear from any of them again.”

“And you know I’m going with you, right?”

She looked up over her shoulder at him. “I hope so.”

“You don’t need to hope. I’ll take you.”

She smiled. “I want you with me, but I was wondering if I could take us.”

He cocked an eyebrow.

“You know, since I now have my lovely new SUV, I think I should start driving it – especially if you’re with me.”

“We’ll see. I was thinking that you could just drive it around here for a while – till you’re used to driving again and you feel confident before you go out on the roads.”

“You mean so that you feel confident before I go out on the roads?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

She laughed. “Travis Duke! Are you pouting?”

He shrugged again. “Maybe. I just …”

She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “How about you ride around here with me tomorrow and I’ll prove to you that I’ll be fine out on the roads?”

“I’ll ride around here with you, and we’ll see – how about that?”

“Okay. That’s a start. And have you heard from Zeke again yet – do you know when he’s arriving? I can’t wait to see what he thinks of the cabin.”

He smiled. “I haven’t heard yet; he’ll let me know.”

“Okay.” She turned back to the stove. “Do you want to set the table? This is almost ready.”

“Do you want to go and sit down, and I’ll take it from here?”

“No. I don’t.” She waved a spatula at him. “I promise you that I’m fine. Go and do as you’re told.”

He laughed. “So, you’re feisty when you’re back on your feet, are you?”

She nodded happily. “I am.”

“I like it.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Retta felt as though all was right with the world on Wednesday morning, like her life was finally coming together. Her leg was healing well. She was getting around better – both on her feet and in her amazing SUV that Travis had bought for her.

Callie had been stunned when she’d told her about that on the phone. Not that Travis had bought it for her, but that she’d accepted it so graciously. She’d felt bad at first. Callie was shocked because she’d tried to do so many things for her over the years, but Retta had always fiercely defended her independence. Callie had reassured her that she wasn’t upset – just surprised.

The news about her new SUV was nothing compared to Callie’s news about her new baby boy. He was born at a very healthy eight pounds, and Callie and Kolby were head over heels in love with him. It amused Retta that they still hadn’t come up with a name for him. They’d been kicking around possibilities for months but hadn’t decided on anything. Callie had known what she wanted to name a girl, but she hadn’t heeded Retta’s notion that he would be a boy.

They didn’t know when they’d be bringing him home yet, and Retta couldn’t wait. Callie wasn’t able to have children of her own, and Retta had believed that she’d never get to be a grandma. Now, that was just one more thing to add to the list of all the wonderful changes that had taken place in her life lately. She had a whole new life with her wonderful Travis, and she could not be happier.

She checked her watch. She would be a little happier this afternoon after this meeting with Marty and the girls was over.She just wanted to get it out of the way and then, after her house sold, she’d be able to put her old life in Georgia behind her.

---