Page 32 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

Kolby laughed. “Well, that’ll be up to you. I was thinking more about the cabins. You’re going to help him redecorate them, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And there are twelve of them?”

“There are.”

“So, are you telling me that you couldn’t stay in one of them?”

She sat back in her seat, her heart pounding. “I wouldn’t … I couldn’t … I’d never ask him to do that. The cabins are for vets … I …”

“I was only thinking until they’re all set up and ready for guests. I mean, he’s not going to start bringing people in until at least a few of them are ready. So, once you get the first one done, you could stay in it while you work on the others. And in the meantime, we can see about getting your place in Georgia sold …”

“Or just letting me buy you a place,” Callie added.

Retta inhaled sharply. “I don’t think that’s a great idea.”

Kolby met her gaze and held it. “I think it’s your best option. I mean, he could say no …”

Why did her heart sink at the prospect of Travis saying that he wouldn’t rent her one of his cabins?

“… You should take some time and think about it. But when you do, remember that if you go back to Georgia, we’re all going to miss you, and you’ll miss out on becoming a part of your grandchild’s life from the very beginning. If you stay here with us, there’s the chance that we’ll all get on each other’s nerves, and spoil things. And if you take one of Trav’s cabins …”

She shook her head at him. “And I thought you were such a sweetie.”

He laughed. “I am! I’m sweet enough to try and talk you into doing what you already know is best.”

She pursed her lips. It did make sense. If she were going to be working for someone else, if someone other than Travis owned the cabins, she’d propose that she should stay there in a heartbeat.

Callie squeezed her hand. “If you’re not comfortable with it – with asking Travis. Or with going to stay there, we can come up with something else. I don’t want you to leave here yet anyway – you’re not ready to be on your own. You need …”

Retta laughed. “And there’s the final push – if I go over there, I’ll be in charge of my own fate again.”

Callie rolled her eyes, and Kolby laughed. “You’ll have a bit more freedom, but we’ll both still be hovering – I told you, we don’t want to get rid of you.”

“I know.” She covered her mouth when another big yawn came out of nowhere. “I really am pooped, kids. I’m going to take myself to bed.”

Callie got up and offered her hand, but Retta ignored it and managed to get to her feet by herself. “If I’m going to be out on my own soon, I need to start being more independent.”

“Aww, don’t say it like that, Mama!”

Kolby laughed and passed Retta her crutches. “Fly, little bird, fly!”

Retta laughed with him. “See, I knew you couldn’t wait to get rid of your mother-in-law!”

“You know I love you, really.”

“Aww, I do sweetie. I love you both. Goodnight.”

~ ~ ~

Travis whistled happily to himself as he drove up Trip’s long driveway on Sunday morning. The gravel road ran alongside the creek for a quarter of a mile. The cottonwood trees that lined the creek seemed to wave to him in greeting. Maybe that was a fanciful idea, but it didn’t feel that way to him. Those trees were like old friends – lifelong friends. He and Trip had played in the creek in their shade, climbed them – and fallen out of them – since they were little kids.

Trip’s family had been good to him. Trip’s dad was a big-time movie star back in the day. He was one of a few celebrities who’d bought up some of the ranches in the valley. And one of only a handful who’d stayed and made their lives here.

Travis still remembered the first time his own dad had brought him over to see his new buddy. His dad had muttered to himself all the way up the driveway. He’d stopped the truck, convinced that they were in the wrong place when they rounded the bend and saw the ranch house for the first time. His dad was a good man, and a hard worker. Travis had always thought that his dad provided them with a very nice home on the edge of town. That home was a single-wide in a trailer park, and it’d taken a few more years of growing up and being around kids whose families had more money before Travis had understood how other people saw it.

The funny thing was, Trip’s family probably had more money than the rest of the families in town put together, but they’d always made him feel welcome here. And more than that, both of Trip’s parents would hang out in the trailer with his own folks when they came to pick Trip up.

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