Page 47 of Reaching Little Robyn

“And that is?”

“Don’t assume anything… ever.”

“Isn’t it part of my job to make sure she’s not making mistakes she’s going to regret?”

Moira smiled as she slipped her arm through Jagger’s. “Rooster, your job is to love her and that means extending her a little trust. If I’m wrong, I’ll pay for lunch.”

“And if it winds up she is trying to play the sympathy card by pretending that despite the obvious pain she is in from her poor sprained ankle, which, by the way is completely healed, she just had to stop by that particular booth and, ‘oops, do you mind if I sit a spell?’.”

Jagger laughed and shook his head. “I think I’ll be ordering the biggest T-bone Leroy has on the menu, what about you, baby bear?”

“Oh, I’m going to get the double cheeseburger with bacon and extra fries, a milkshake and a big bowl of blackberry cobbler with two scoops of ice cream.”

Jagger slapped Rooster on his shoulder again. “We’ll go get a table. When your little bird is done, fly on over.”

Rooster nodded, his eyes back on the booth where it was obvious Robyn was in no hurry to close her negotiations. It was a good ten minutes before she accepted the hand the elderly man offered to help her stand and another five before she returned to join him.

“Well?”

“We can come back and pick it up when we’re ready to leave,” she said with a huge smile on her face. “That way you don’t have to tote it around. Isn’t that nice of him?” She turned and waved at the man who was currently tying a red sold tag around one of the trunk’s straps.

“Very nice, and I must say you make a mighty pretty picture strutting your way back to me,” Rooster said.

Robyn laughed. “Why thank you. Coming from you, Rooster, that’s a high compliment. What did you do while I was gone?”

Despite his attempt to be stern, he couldn’t help but answer, “Watched you and wondered how I got so lucky.”

Her blush was beautiful, her cheeks flushing a soft pink. Leaning closer, she gripped his shirt in her hand and tugged so he’d bend down a bit. “Wanna go make out?”

Her breath against his ear, her scent, her grasp on his shirt all had his body screaming, “Oh hell, yes,” but he shook his head.

“Sorry, I think there’s a bit of business we’re going to have to attend to before we play kissy face.”

She stepped back, her nose scrunched and her brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”

If they’d been on Ranch property, he’d not have hesitated to tell her in explicit detail what that meant. Instead, he asked, “How’s your ankle?”

“What? It’s fine, why?”

“Because—”

“Except it’s really itchy where that stupid mosquito bit me. I swatted and killed it but it was pretty gross. It squished and I had blood and mosquito guts on my hand and my ankle, but Mr. Berber, he’s the one who sold me the trunk, made me sit down so I could wash it off. He gave me a bottle of water and his handkerchief to use. He’s just the nicest man. I couldn’t even haggle after that. I told him all about the B&B and that I hoped his trunk had some goodies in it but since he didn’t have a key, I didn’t know what to offer. You know what he did?”

Rooster was too busy telling himself he was the biggest fool in Montana to utter more than, “uh,” but evidently she wasn’t expecting him to answer.

“He sold it to me for twenty-five dollars! Well, he actually tried to sell it to me for fifteen, but I’d have felt guilty so I told him consider the ten a tip for rendering first aid. Don’t you just love rummage sales!”

“They certainly are educating,” he said.

“They are! Now, what’s this about not wanting to kiss me?”

“Believe me, little bird, I want to do nothing more, but we have a lunch date, remember?”

“That’s right! I was so excited I forgot. Now that you’ve mentioned food, have you seen Moira and Jagger? I’m starving.”

Rooster swore he could feel the smirks on their friends’ faces before he even held the door open for Robyn to step inside the diner. When he approached the table, he said, “Lunch is on me.”

“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest?” Moira said with a knowing smile, turning to Robyn as she slid into the booth opposite the couple. “I can tell by your smile you are the new proud owner of an antique trunk. Do we need to start looking for a key for it?”

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