Page 29 of Reaching Little Robyn

Robyn

Little bird,

If you need to get out of bed or need me to bring you anything, just ring the bell and I’ll come running.

Yours, Rooster

PS: You don’t have to worry about my taking advantage of you in your sleep. You can thank Ms. Ethel for ensuring I remembered I’m a gentleman.

PPS: If your feet hit the floor for any reason, I’ll not only hear them, I’ll be up here with one of those thick wooden spoons you have in the kitchen.

PPPS: I hope you don’t read this until dawn breaks as you really were one very exhausted little bird.

Robyn read the note, then reread it. “That man sure thinks a lot of himself, doesn’t he?” she muttered and tossed the note to the side. Her eyes widened, then blinked as if to clear her vision. She gasped and grabbed not for the bell, but for her phone.

“Robyn?”

“You’re never going to guess what I’m looking at right now!”

“Where are you?” Hayleigh asked.

“In bed of course.”

“Of course,” Hayleigh echoed. “Let me guess. A rooster?”

Robyn’s mouth dropped open as she lowered the phone to make sure she hadn’t hit FaceTime. Returning the phone to her ear, she said, “How in the hell do you know that?”

This time it was Hayleigh who practically shouted. “Crap on a cracker! I’m right? Wow, that sure didn’t take long. I knew putting him on the same floor might speed up the process, but even I didn’t expect he’d be in your bed already.”

“What? Who?”

“Rooster? Wait, are you dreaming again?”

“No, I’m wide awake though I don’t really remember going to bed and I’m… still dressed.”

“Well, that’s a shame. Girl, when you are in bed with a hot cowboy Daddy, the only thing you should be wearing is his hat.”

“Time out.” Robyn shook her head and pushed back to sit against her headboard, wincing a bit when the move had her ankle throbbing. “Let’s start over. There is no cowboy in my… wait. What do you mean you put him on the third floor?”

“Everyone with eyes knows that there is an attraction between you two. I know you’ve got this hang-up about his name, but I figured once you really got to know him, you’d see he is a really nice guy, so when I took his reservation, I went with the whole closeness makes the heart grow fonder plan and?—”

“Good grief, Hayleigh, the saying isabsencenot closeness?—”

“How does that make any sense? Whenever my Daddy is away it makes me sad and I want him… oh, hmmm, maybe it does make a little sense, but whatever.”

Robyn took a few deep breaths, not wanting to overreact. It was clear to her that her friend hadn’t been thinking anything malicious. “Next time leave the matchmaking to Master Derek.In fact, I was given the impression that he was the one who made the reservation.”

“He did. I mean, Master Derek told me Rooster would be coming. I was going to tell you but then you got really busy with all the tours so I just put the reservation in the book. I’d forgotten about it until I saw Rooster when I was leaving and?—”

“And you thought that since he wound up in the attic with me, I what? Just threw back my covers and asked him to jump into bed with me?”

“Hey, you’re the one calling before the crack of dawn all excited and playing guessing games as to who is sharing your bed.”

Robyn laid her head against her headboard and groaned. She couldn’t deny that she’d started this entire crazy conversation, but still. “I want to make it absolutely clear. That man isnotin my bed.”

“But you said I was right.”

“You are but it’s awhatnot awho.The rooster isn’t a man, it’s a stuffed animal.”

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