Page 21 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

Eventually, she nodded. “Then I guess I’m saying that I’ll stay.”

He frowned. “Until the job’s done?”

She smiled. “Yeah – and when it is, I’ll have to see what else I can find to do.”

“You mean, you’re going to move here?”

“I do.”

His eyes twinkled as he took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. “Well, damn! You just made my day, darlin’.”He winked. “Even if I was having fun dreaming up ways that I might be able to work on convincing you.”

She raised her eyebrows. “What kinds of ways?”

He chuckled. “I should probably keep that to myself now that you don’t need convincing.”

She sat up a little straighter in the wheelchair. This felt good – joking around with him like this. He was a good man, and she knew it. Having made the decision to stay, she felt lighter – as though a whole new world of possibilities was opening up for her.

She jutted her chin out and said, “Well, if you’re not going to tell me, I might have to change my mind.”

His smile vanished, and she felt bad.

“But only because I want to know what persuasion tactics you were thinking about using.”

His eyes widened as understanding dawned. “You really want to know?”

She held her breath as she nodded. “I really do.”

He leaned in close, and his beard tickled her cheek as he whispered in her ear, “I was thinking that maybe I could kiss you.”

She closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness of him.

“What do you think?”

“I think that might have worked.”

He leaned back so that he could look into her eyes. “Do you think it still might?”

She nodded.

He leaned in closer and as he brushed his lips ever so lightly over hers, her hands came up to grasp the front of his shirt.

When she opened her eyes, she found his big, blue ones smiling back at her. “Wasn’t much of a kiss, huh? But I don’t want to scare you off.”

She sighed. “It was perfect.”

He chuckled. “If you weren’t in a wheelchair, and didn’t have that cast on your leg, I’d throw you over my shoulder and show you my bedroom right now.”

She had to laugh at the way he waggled his eyebrows.

“But …”

Her heart sank. Maybe he was just a flirt, maybe she’d called his bluff, and he was going to back off now.

“Hey, don’t look like that. I was only going to say that I think we should take this slowly. If you’re on the brink of deciding that you’re going to move here, I don’t want to screw it up. If you decide that I’m too much and you want to leave to get away from me, I’d feel bad. The most important thing is for you to find your feet here – set up a life for yourself closer to your daughter. After that, I love the idea of you helping me get this place set up. I’d like for us to see what might happen between us, but I don’t think anything can or will until you’re happy with the rest.”

She held his gaze for a long moment, until he finally chuckled. “You’re wondering if I’m trying to be honorable, or trying to bullshit my way out of it, aren’t you?”

“No. I’m thinking that you’re good a man, Travis.”

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