Page 104 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

He grinned. “You know I do. I just thought…”

“Well, you thought wrong,” she told him with a smile. The last time that they were here she’d felt as though she needed to go in on her own. Now, things were different between them. Over the short time that she’d been staying with him, they’d become very much a part of each other’s lives. There was no reason that he shouldn’t sit in on her appointment with Trip.

Trip grinned at them. “It’s not as though I have much to say. We can talk a bit about the process after the cast comes off, and it’s probably best that you’re here for that, Trav.”

It was a much shorter appointment than Retta had expected, but that was fine by her. All she really wanted to know was when the cast would come off, and by the time they left Trip’s office, she had an appointment set up for the following Tuesday.

Trip walked them back into the reception area and asked, “What time are you ladies leaving?”

“Ari said they’ll be outside waiting at noon.”

“And Candy’s going with you?”

“She is, why?” Retta asked.

“I just wondered with it being Friday – it’s such a busy day in the bakery, I’m surprised that she can get away.”

“I wondered about that too – I suggested we could wait and go next week. But she was glad to get out of there. Her busy time is the morning – that’s when she gets all her baking done, and Ari went in to help her out with that. The place is busy with customers all afternoon, but that part’s up to Rocket and Spider.”

Shelly peered out through the window. “Does Ari drive a blue Navigator?”

“She does,” Travis said with a smile.

“Then, I think that’s them outside,” said Shelly. “I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect her to be driving a big SUV like that.”

Travis chuckled. “I know what you mean, you wouldn’t think of it as being her style. But it was the vehicle she rented when she first arrived here. It turned out to be a bit of a lifesaver, so Ace bought it for her.”

Retta smiled up at him. It sounded like there was something of a story there; she’d have to ask him about it later.

He squatted down in front of her chair and gave her hand a squeeze. “You have fun, darlin’, but give me a call if you need me, okay?”

“I will – have fun that is, not call you.”

Shelly came out from behind the front desk. “Thanks for this, Trip.”

“Not a problem. I hope you have fun.”

When they reached Ari’s SUV, Travis lifted Retta out of the wheelchair, and Ari stowed it in the back. She grinned at Retta after Travis had set her in the back passenger seat.

“We will take good care of you this afternoon, but we’re not exactly going to be able to lift you in and out like that, you know.”

She laughed. “That’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to. I can manage perfectly well by myself.” She smiled at Travis. “And we both know it.”

He chuckled. “We do, but that’s not going to stop me.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, and a moment later, she was waving to him when Ari pulled away.

Candy turned to smile at her from the passenger seat. “You still have your cast on, then.”

“I do, but only until Tuesday.”

“That’s great. Once it’s off you’ll be able to start physical therapy, and then you’ll be back to normal in no time, I hope.”

“That’s the plan.”

As they drove over the pass, headed toward Bozeman, Retta mostly stared out the window, looking at the mountains while she listened to the other women talk. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to join in, more that she enjoyed listening to them, and it was so beautiful out here that she wanted to drink in every moment of it.

It was only when they reached the other side of the pass that Shelly gave her a puzzled look. “I thought Libby was coming with us?”

“She is; she had to come over to Bozeman this morning anyway, so she’s going to meet us,” Candy told her.

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