Page 107 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“With good reason – she’s awesome.”

By the time he’d shown Trip the three cabins that were already complete, Travis couldn’t stop smiling. His friend was suitably impressed with the work that she’d done.

As he drove them back to the house, Trip grinned at him. “I like seeing you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Settled.”

“Yeah, that’s a good word for it. I am – settled. I like seeing me like this, too.”

Trip laughed.

“What about you, though?”

“What about me?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I am settled. I’ve been settled for a long time.”

“Sure, you’re settled with your work and your house – you have your practice, and you have the ranch – how are things going there? You haven’t mentioned it in a while.”

“Everything’s great. I’m lucky there. I don’t need to worry about a thing – Brody’s on top of it.”

As they approached the house, Travis slowed the truck but didn’t stop. “What do you think – do you want to come in, or should we go hang at the bakery for a while?”

“We could head over there. I bet Deacon and Ace will be there already.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit earlier than normal, but I bet you’re right.”

When they arrived at the bakery, they grinned at each other when Travis pointed out Deacon’s truck parked next to Ace’s.

“I guess we’re a predictable bunch, aren’t we?” asked Trip.

“Maybe so, but it’s not like we have many options, is it?”

“True.”

Travis was surprised by how quiet the bakery was when they went inside. He checked his watch. It was still early. It seemed like most residents of the valley came into the bakery on Friday afternoons to pick up their orders for the weekend and catch up with their friends. But mostly, they came after they finished work.

Deacon lifted a hand in greeting when he spotted them. And Ace gave them a rueful smile.

“So, here we are again. Just hanging out, killing time while we wait for the ladies to do their thing.”

Deacon laughed. “If you’d described this scenario before I met Candy, I would have laughed in your face.”

Travis grinned at Ace. “And if someone had included you in this scenario, I would have told them that if one woman was off dress shopping, you’d more than likely be out with another woman rather than sitting around waiting for her.”

Ace shrugged happily. “I’m not denying that. It took finding Ari before I wanted to have a woman in my life.” He turned his gaze on Trip. “What about you? Are you ready to tell us what’s going on with Shelly yet?”

“Nope – and I don’t mean I’m not ready, I mean that there’s nothing going on.”

“Explain why again,” said Deacon.

“I already told you – she works for me, and I need her in the office. And apart from that, she doesn’t plan to stick around for long.”

“I get that. But why not just enjoy it while it lasts?”

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