Page 68 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“No. I don’t think you should. She’ll tell me as much as she wants me to know, and hopefully I know enough to not put my foot in it.” She frowned.

“What?”

“Mav’s the only one of your friends who I don’t like – and I know that’s not fair because I don’t know him. It’s just …”

“I think it’s natural. You like Libby. They’re divorced …” He shrugged. “It’s the way it goes. But don’t write him off. He’s a good guy. They both played their part – they still do. We all hope that one day they’ll figure it out but …”

He laughed when Cash came outside and waved at them. “Come on, we’d better get going. He called me earlier and said he’s looking forward to getting back to home base.”

~ ~ ~

Cash made a big deal of kissing Retta’s cheek before he exited the plane. She liked him a lot – he made her laugh. It was obvious how close he and Travis were. She loved the way Travis wrapped him in a big hug and told him that he loved him. It had surprised her at first that he was so openly affectionate with everyone – especially with his friends. She didn’t think of big, tough guys like him being that way, but it was just one more aspect of his personality that she loved.

They’d been back in the air for a while and Bear, the pilot, had informed them a few minutes ago that they were only fifteen minutes away from landing. She stared out the window, totally absorbed in the view. She’d lived in Georgia her whole life, but she’d only seen it from the air a handful of times. It hadn’t registered with her until recently just how lush and green it was. Montana was such a contrast. She hadn’t known until she first visited Callie that the climate there was so much drier. Here,the rolling countryside and hills were covered with trees and greenery. There were so many lakes. Flying overhead like this gave her a whole different perspective – in more than one way.

Travis leaned across and took her hand. “You okay?”

“I am. Just thinking about how, until recently, I’ve lived most of my life in a few square miles down there. I never really knew that there’s so much world to explore.”

He kissed her temple. “I always think about that when I travel. You get a broader perspective when you see it all from above, but you’re not really living until you’re down there in the details of the everyday. And you can only ever be in one place at once so …” He shrugged.

“Are you trying to make me feel better about having lived a small little life?”

He laughed. “Nope. I was trying to say that it might seem that there’s a whole lot more world out there than you’ve experienced, but the only part that matters is the part you’re living in.” He kissed her again. “What I was getting at is that I’m glad you’re living in my world with me now.”

“I am, too.”

“How do you feel about being back here?”

“Honestly? I don’t really feel anything. I think I should feel sad – not that I’m leaving it but that I’m not worried about leaving it. I think I should feel sad that I didn’t create a life that I’ll miss. I’ll miss some of the girls, but I’m used to that. They come through school on their way to the rest of their lives. I know them for a few years, and then they move on.”

He winked. “And you’re going to be in my life for decades and decades.”

“I hope so.”

“Me too.”

When they arrived at the house, Travis took her keys and unlocked the front door. It was strange to be back. She remembered the day she’d left. She’d thought that she’d be back again in a week. She’d traveled to San Diego with her cheerleading squad for what she’d thought would be a short trip. It seemed like five minutes ago in some ways, and in others, it felt like a different lifetime.

Now, she was only here to collect some of her belongings and to put the house on the market.

Travis came around and gripped the arms of the wheelchair as he squatted down in front of her.

“You okay, darlin’?”

“I am. Honestly. I … I’m surprised at how little I feel. I worked hard to make this place into a home. I know it’s not much, but you should have seen it when I first moved in. I did one of those rent to buy deals; there’s no way I could have bought it otherwise. I was so proud of myself at the time. I thought I’d never sell it, and yet here I am.”

“You don’t have to sell it if you don’t want to. You could rent it out or …”

She patted his hand. “There’s no point. I won’t ever want to come back here. I … even if things don’t work out for us, I want to be where Callie is.”

He grinned. “Things are going to work out for us.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so. I’m not giving up on you. And if you decide you want to give up on me, I’ll just have to remind you why you love me.”

They both froze when they realized what he’d said – that shelovedhim. Her heart pounded in her chest. She had a feeling that he was right. She hadn’t wanted to examine her feelings too closely, but if she did, she suspected that she’d discover that she was indeed falling in love with him – if she hadn’t already fallen. She didn’t think she was ready to talk about it yet, though.

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