Page 75 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

He turned to stare out the window, and she waited. A few minutes later, they arrived back at her mom’s place. She was disappointed that he didn’t want to share, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to feel like she was being too intrusive. For all she knew, he had some little secret with Ava.

She unlocked the front door and let him go in ahead of her. He was a good kid. She should probably let it go.

He carried two of the Tupperware boxes that Grady had loaded them up with into the kitchen and put them in the fridge before dumping his backpack by the door.

Then, he came to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She ruffled his hair as she looked down into his eyes.

“Did you have a good time?”

“I did. It was good. Ava’s so lucky.”

“In what way?” She had to ask, but she was hoping that he wasn’t going to say that he wanted a dog. Scooter was great; he was a Dalmatian that Hannah had rescued from the shelter as a puppy. Ashton loved to play with him when they went over there, but there was no way that they could have a dog of their own.

She was so caught up in feeling guilty that he couldn’t have a pet, that his next words took her completely by surprise.

“You know – how they’re a real family now. When they used to live near us, she only had Grady, like I only have you. Now, they have Hannah, and Scooter, and she has a whole bunch of aunties and uncles.”

All she could do was stare down into his eyes. She’d known when he was a baby that life might be lonely for him. She was an only child and given that his father didn’t want to be part of his life, she and her mom were all he had.

He looked much older than his years as he looked back up at her. “So, that thing I did?”

She raised her eyebrows and waited.

“I called Tanner and talked to him.”

“You did? When? How?”

He shrugged and let go of her. Climbing up onto one of the stools at the kitchen counter, he said, “When you went back into the house with Grady. Your phone was in the car. So, I called him.”

Her heart pounded. “Why? What did you…?”

“I know that you talk to him at night after I go to bed. You said that he’s your friend, but it sounds more like he’s your boyfriend. So, I called him to ask.”

She went to sit on the stool next to him, not at all sure how to handle this. “And what did he say?”

His smile was back. “He said that he wants to be your boyfriend, but he doesn’t know if you want him to be, or if I do. I told him that I do.”

She was still struggling to take this in. “You do? You don’t even know him.”

“He’s a cowboy.”

Her heart sank. “I know, but you need to know more about him than that.”

“If he is your boyfriend, then I’ll get to know him. And he promised that he’d be good to you, and to me.”

That made her smile. She’d been so concerned with what had prompted Ashton to make the call, that it had only just occurred to her to wonder how Tanner might have felt about it. She should’ve known; he’d gone out of his way to reassure her that he wanted to get to know Ashton, and that he’d be good to him.

“So, can we call him before I have to go to bed? You said I could maybe talk to him tonight.”

She had to laugh. “I did, but you already have.”

He smiled. “Yeah, but that was just between him and me. Can we?”

She shook her head at him. “Okay, but not for long.”

He gave her a cheeky smile. “Where’s your phone then?”

She frowned as she reached for her purse, but he laughed as he held up her phone. “I kept it. Can I call him?”

---