Page 27 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“You don’t need to apologize.”

He surprised her when he reached out and ran his fingers down her cheek. “Yeah, I do. I’m trying to understand how things must look to you. How can I do that when I’m not where you are, looking from the same place?”

It felt like he was talking about more than her being in the wheelchair. She wasn’t sure that she should ask.

He smiled and asked, “Want to come up here and see how things look from where I am?”

She gave him a puzzled smile.

“I mean, do you want me to carry you over to the booth? Most of the gang’s there already, and it’ll be easier for me to carry you than to try getting your chair up the steps.”

She thought about it. How would it look if he were to arrive with her in his arms? His smile disappeared.

“But it’s no big deal to get your chair up there. I just didn’t want you to get jostled, but yeah, you’re right. I …”

“Travis?”

“What, darlin’?”

She smiled. “Would you carry me, please?”

He grinned. “It’d be my pleasure.”

He got to his feet and then leaned in to pluck her out of the chair in the same way that he had so many times over the last few days. She settled against his broad chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“That’s right, you hang on to me,” he said with a smile.

She smiled back and said, “I think I will.”

He looked shocked by her words – she was a little shocked herself – but Libby reappeared at that moment with Trip behind her.

“Oh! You found her, then,” she said with a grin.

“Sure did,” said Travis. “Libb, would you walk ahead of us and clear people out of the way?”

“Yep.”

“I’ll bring the chair,” said Trip.

When they reached the booth where Travis’s friends, and some of Kolby’s family were sitting, Trip positioned the wheelchair so that Retta could sit at the head of the table.

Travis raised an eyebrow at her. “You going to be okay there?”

“I’ll be fine, thanks.”

Ty laughed. “I think what he really means is, can he keep you instead of putting you back in the wheelchair.”

“Oh.” She looked up at Travis, and he grinned.

“I wouldn’t have embarrassed either of us by asking, but since Ty went and said it, you might be more comfortable if we sit in the booth and prop your leg up.”

“Okay.”

It turned out to be far more awkward than sitting in the wheelchair would have been, but Retta wasn’t about to complain. The only way that she could sit with her leg up on the bench and still have something at her back to support her was to sit on Travis’s lap with him in the corner.

Once they were settled, she looked up at him, and his eyes twinkled as he smiled back at her.

“This worked out okay, huh?”

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