Page 80 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

Bear climbed out of the truck, and Travis waved as he drove away. He was tempted to call Cash and see if he had any clue about what Mav was up to. He was tempted, but he wouldn’t do it. If he started asking questions, Cash would no doubt want to know why, and the last thing Travis wanted to do was let slip what Bear had told him. He wasn’t good at being patient, but he wasn’t about to go sticking his nose in his friends’ lives just to satisfy his own curiosity.

~ ~ ~

Retta sipped her coffee on the front porch on Friday morning. For once, she wasn’t sitting there lost in the view. The mountain was as beautiful as always, but what she was seeing in her mind’s eye was the interior of the cabin she was working on.

Boxes and parcels had started arriving on Monday, and it had felt like the run up to Christmas all week. Even though the deliveries weren’t gifts for her, she got a thrill out of opening them. She could picture the vets in the cabins – taking a nap on the sofa with the blanket she’d ordered tucked around their shoulders. Sitting out on the little front deck in the rocking chairs, sipping their own coffee from the mugs she’d chosen. She hoped she’d managed to create the right feeling. Everything she ordered was robust, but not industrial or impersonal feeling. She wanted the vets who came to feel at home, to feel like they were in a cozy space but not one where they needed to tread carefully.

She’d misspoken in the beginning. She’d told Travis that she was trying to create a masculine atmosphere for the men who would stay there. He’d pointed out that not all vets were men. Ofcourse, she knew that, but it made her realize that she’d slipped into a generalization. Travis had been sweet about it, saying that statistically, there were nowhere near as many women as men. But he wanted to make sure that the women weren’t forgotten.

Retta didn’t want to forget them either. She had a whole lot of respect for anyone who served their country. If she could do her little bit toward providing them with a place of respite for a while, she wanted to do the very best she could.

Travis stuck his head out the door. “You doing okay, darlin’?”

“I’m great, thanks. You don’t need to worry about me, Trav – I promise I won’t get up to any mischief.”

He chuckled and came outside to squat down in front of her chair. “I always worry about you; you should know that by now.”

“I do – I’m just saying that you don’t need to. I can stay here for the morning and just see you at lunchtime.”

He made a face. “You can, but I’ve been thinking about it. I know you want to carry on with cabin number seven. You shouldn’t have to stop what you’re doing just because I’m playing mother hen.”

She laughed. “I’d never call you that.”

“Good, but you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I do.”

He rolled his eyes. “And the way you said that convinces me that I should at least offer.”

“Offer what?”

“I was thinking that I could drop you off there so that you can keep working on the interior. I checked, and Ty’s at the restaurant, and Shay’s over at the barn this morning. Either ofthem could get to you in under ten minutes if you need them. So…”

She grinned. “I’d love to keep working on it, if you’re sure you’ll be okay. I’ll worry about you worrying.”

He laughed. “Then you’ll get a taste of how I feel.”

“I think I’ll survive.”

He popped up and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I think I will, too. I need to get used to you doing your own thing, don’t I? Otherwise, when you get that cast off, you might run and never look back.”

She rested her hand on top of his. “I won’t. If I do any running, it’ll be to you not from you. But yes, I would enjoy a little more independence. And I really would love to spend the morning carrying on with it.”

“Okay then. How long do you need to get ready?”

“I’m ready whenever you are.”

“I’ll just go and get my things together then, and we can be on our way.”

When they got to the cabin, she waited in the truck while he carried her wheelchair and crutches inside. When he came back for her, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her out.

“I feel like I should start walking more – you know, maybe you could put your arm around me for support instead of carrying me.”

She loved the way he held her a little closer to his chest. “You’re probably right, but … I don’t wanna.”

She smiled happily. “Okay. I don’t mind choosing my battles, and I’m not sure this is one I want to win anyway.”

His eyes twinkled as he smiled down at her. “Good. Even when you’re back on your feet and all healed and everything, it’s going to be hard for me to break the habit of just picking you up when I want to and carrying you around.”

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