Page 40 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“I thought as much. I want to reassure you – tell you that you’re going to feel at home with these girls inside the first five minutes but …”

She laughed. “But you can’t give me that reassurance?”

“Nah, I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was that it doesn’t matter what I say, you’re still going to be nervous until you see for yourself. You know Libby. You’ve met Candy a couple of times – she’s a sweetheart. And you saw what Ari’s like on Friday.”

“I was a little worried about her at first.”

“I can see why. She’s … I don’t know the right word. Assertive, maybe? She’s a strong woman. But she’s good people.”

“Yeah, I’m not nervous about her anymore; she was warm and welcoming.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “So, what are you nervous about?”

She looked around again. “I think it’s just being with a group of women. I know that individually, they’re all nice. But …” She sighed. “In my experience, groups of women can be … bitchy.”

“You don’t have to worry about that with these three. Trust me?”

A rush of warmth filled his chest when she met his gaze and said, “I do.”

“Thank you. You can trust me to get you out of here if you feel uncomfortable, too.”

“No, I’m going to be brave. I didn’t let you bring me all this way just to turn around and take me back again.”

“I didn’t mean that. I’m not offering to take you home again before you even give them a chance. I’m saying that if you’re not enjoying yourself, you can give me a call or shoot me a text and I’ll come get you. You can tell ‘em that your leg’s giving you grief or …” He winked. “I’ll cover for you if you want me to.”

“Aww.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “You know, when I first saw you, I thought you must be a bit of a tough guy.” She looked at his forearm that was resting on the console. “You look tough, and all your tattoos …” She shrugged. “I would never have guessed that you’re such a softy.”

He chuckled. “You might not have guessed it, but all you’d have to do is ask anyone who knows me. They’ll all tell you that I’m a big old teddy bear.”

She laughed. “That’s the perfect description.”

He shrugged happily. “Promise you’ll call your teddy bear if you want out?”

“I will, thank you. I’ll try not to. I want to make friends with them, but it’s nice knowing I have an option if I need it.”

He leaned across and kissed her forehead. “As long as I’m around, you’ll always have an option.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but they both jumped at the sound of a horn honking. Travis turned in his seat and laughed when he saw Deacon’s truck behind them, and Ace pulling in off the road.

“Looks like this party’s about to get started. I’ll get your chair set up.”

He greeted Deacon and Candy as he got the wheelchair out and positioned it near the passenger door.

Deacon gave him a knowing smirk. “Are you coming for a beer while we wait?”

“Sure am. I just want to get Retta set up inside first.”

Candy stepped forward. “We can manage her chair. She’ll be just fine with us.”

Deacon chuckled. “Believe me, bud. You might as well admit defeat and let the girls take over.”

Ace and Ari came to join them, and Libby’s truck pulled in.

“I’ll see what she says.” He was thinking that he could wheel her inside the restaurant and make sure that she was comfortable before he left. If it were up to him, he would have sat at the bar for the evening, so that he was on hand if she needed him. The guys had assured him that there was no way the girls would allow him to do so – that was why they hung out at Deacon’s place whenever the girls went out for dinner.

He opened the passenger door and leaned inside.

“You ready for this?” he asked in a low voice so that the others wouldn’t hear him.

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