Page 20 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

She had to think about that. As much as she’d like to get to know Libby better, and it was kind of her to offer, Retta was hoping to spend as much time as she could with Travis.

“Everything alright?”

She looked up at him. “Yeah. It’s Libby.”

“Right. She’s taking you to the bakery on Friday, yeah?”

She stared at him, wondering if she should just come out and tell him that she’d rather go with him. Before she mustered the courage to say it, he gave her a rueful smile.

“I guess I can’t expect to hog all your time, can I? But if you’re going, I’ll see you there.”

She smiled. “In that case, I’ll tell her yes.”

After she replied to the message, she looked up at him again and asked, “What next?” She didn’t want him thinking that she was ready to go home.

He squatted down next to the wheelchair and smiled. “That’s up to you, darlin’.”

“What are my options?”

He chuckled. “No more work for today – we can rule that option out for starters.”

“Okay. What else then?”

Her heart sank when he said, “I should probably take you back to Callie’s.” She met his gaze, and he smiled and added, “But I don’t wanna.”

The way he said it made her laugh.

He shrugged. “I will if you want me to, but if you’re not too tired, and you don’t mind my company again, I’d rather keep you for dinner.”

“I’d love to stay – if you’re not tired of my company yet?”

He chuckled. “I don’t see me getting tired of you any time soon. In fact, I think that we should talk about that while we eat.”

“About what?”

“About how I can convince you to stay and help me out. You have so many great ideas about how we can make these cabins feel right for the guys who come.”

“Okay.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Okay, we can talk about it, or okay, you’ll stay and help?”

She smiled. “Okay, I’ll stay and help.”

“Well, damn! And here I was thinking that I’d have a fight on my hands to persuade you.”

She shrugged. “You were right about what you said – I might be stubborn, but I’m not stupid. And what you’re trying to do here? I want to help.”

He gave her a puzzled look. “Do you mean you’re going to help while your leg’s healing, or that you’re going to stay long enough to get the job done?”

“How long do you think it’ll take to get the job done?”

He shrugged. “A while. When does school start back?”

“In a few weeks.”

He held her gaze. “It’ll take longer than that.”

She stared back at him. Everything he’d said about it being stupid for her to go back home was right. Callie was here – and she wanted her mama to live close by. So far, everyone she’d met here was friendly and welcoming – ready and willing to include her in their lives. She couldn’t say the same for the people she knew at home. Sure, there were a few of the teachers at school, and a few of the parents of girls in the squad who were friendly enough, but not a one of them had even called to see how she was doing. And on the other hand, there were a few – including Jamie – who were far from friendly and who went out of their way to make her life difficult. She knew damn well that things would only get worse when the school year started again. It really would be stupid for her to go home.

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