A Gift for the Hopeful Cowboy: Love in Sweet Bloom

Chapter 11

Pippa watched Rob leave,unable to calm her racing heart. When Rob had said he was wrong, she’d wanted him to say he was wrong about the two of them. She’d almost expected him to bring up their strange relationship.

When he hobbled back on his ice skates with two cups in hand, she accepted one and he took a seat beside her. After their last conversation about his college experience, she wasn’t sure how to approach things. Rob hadn’t seemed like he wanted to talk about any of it.

Rob let out a heavy breath and glanced at her several times. It was as if there were something deeper preventing him from beginning the dialogue.

Pippa wanted so much to tell him it was okay. They didn’t have to talk about his college degree. Granted, he’d never been open about why he’d dropped out. She’d just figured he’d left because he hadn’t wanted to be there in the first place.

She held her hot chocolate with both hands and stared down into its warm, chestnut-hued depths. It was funny how certain things could be so easy to discuss with him and yet other things were incredibly difficult.

“I never told you the reason I dropped out of college,” he said.

“You didn’t have to. Didn’t your mom get sick around that time? I just figured?—”

“There were a lot of reasons.” Rob’s voice was quiet. The sadness seeped out like a leaky faucet. He didn’t look at her while he spoke, and each word that came from his mouth only tugged at her more. “You’re right. My mom got sick. But it wasn’t so terrible that I needed to come home from college. She got through it.”

Pippa stared at him as he stared into his own drink. “I thought you’d end up going back eventually.”

“I think a part of me thought I would, too.” He peeked at her. “I wanted to make you proud.”

She stiffened. He’d never said anything like that before. Theirs was always a comfortable and casual relationship. Her stomach tightened and her pulse accelerated.

“Oh.” It was all she could think of to say.

“I wanted to learn about agricultural technology because you got me interested in it. I thought if I could bring back something of substance, then I would be worthy—” He cut himself off and cleared his throat. “Regardless, I didn’t get my degree. I’ve always been a cowboy. I’ll always be a cowboy. I wasn’t mad about any of those decisions.”

Pippa could sense a “but” dangling on the end of his statement. Clearly, there were some unresolved issues when it came to his college experience and working with his dad.

She placed a hand on his arm. “You know you’re never locked into anything. People change. Our futures can turn on a dime. If you really wanted it, you could finish your degree.”

He shot her a sharp look, but just as quickly, his irritation disappeared. It was replaced by a faint hint of sadness. Rob tore his gaze away from her. “You got a degree.”

She snorted. “Yeah. I got a degree I don’t need for what I decided to do.”

“But you still got one,” he insisted. “It’s there and if you ever want to use it, you can.”

Pippa shook her head. “It’s not as easy as you think.”

“Both of your brothers have degrees, and they use them.”

What was his hangup? Pippa stared at him hard, but he didn’t lift his gaze. “I get the feeling this is about more than my piece of paper from college.”

Rob still didn’t respond.

She squeezed his forearm and offered a smile. “You’re smart. You’re a clear leader. My cousins wouldn’t let you work their ranch if you weren’t.”

“My dad got me that job and you know it,” Rob said.

“But no one would keep you if you didn’t have a certain set of skills. Honestly, a degree is great, but the only thing it would do is help you achieve your goals a little bit faster. It’s not as necessary as you think it is.”

The lines in his face deepened, his mood growing darker.

She wasn’t expressing herself well. He probably thought she was flip-flopping. One second, she was telling him he could finish his degree, or that he should. Then, in the next, she was telling him it didn’t matter and he could get any job he wanted.

Pippa had no choice but to backpedal. “That being said, if it’s really important to you, then do something about it. A degree can open all kinds of doors and your interest in ag tech is going to be far more impressive than you realize.”

He shook his head and stood, pulling away from Pippa’s touch as he did. “It’s like you said. It doesn’t matter. I don’t need a degree to be a cowboy. I probably don’t have the money for something like that anyway. Between cutting my work hours and the cost of school credits, I’d have to drag out my graduation plan to five, maybe six years. I have zero desire to be a graduate when I’m getting closer to forty.”

He’d been thinking about how to manage it. She hadn’t realized it was that serious. There were ways for him to be able to afford it, though based on what he was saying, he might have looked into that already.

Before she could bring it up, he finished drinking his hot chocolate and gazed at her like he didn’t realize she was still there. He blinked a few times, then smiled.

The smile wasn’t one she was familiar with. There was more hiding beneath the surface.

“You know,” she said, “I’m sure we could come up with a plan to help you with your interest in returning to college?—”

Rob shook his head. “I might have regrets about it, but it’s not feasible. I’ve gone over every possibility. I need to move forward with what I have.”

His gaze grew serious and her heart skipped a beat. Was it possible that he was talking about her? He wanted to spend his life with her?

She shook off the thought with a shiver.

“I want to ask you something,” Rob said.

Pippa couldn’t contain herself. This could be it. He might finally be telling her that he wanted more. Her breath caught in her chest, and she felt dizzy. This was what she’d been wanting from the beginning.

“Can we… just not… bring up college anymore?”

And just like that, the winds left her sails. She exhaled with disappointment. “You don’t want to talk about college,” she said flatly.

He nodded. “I think I know you pretty well. With things like this, you tend to get it in your head you need to solve the problem.”

She scoffed. “I do not.”

Rob gave her a pointed look and she let out a quiet laugh. “Like I told you,” he said, pulling her to her feet, “I’d rather focus on the time I get to spend with you than the past.”

What was that supposed to mean? Was he planning on leaving? Was this his way of saying he didn’t want anything more serious? She wanted to ask, but she was terrified the cat in this particular theoretical box would end up being confirmed as deceased.

Pippa took a deep breath, pushed aside the disappointment, and nodded. “Of course. Anything for you.”

The smile he gave her was just like the ones he’d given her when she’d gone to Rocky Ridge. He almost looked like himself. Maybe he was right. He simply wanted to vent about the decisions he’d made in his past and he didn’t want any solutions.

If that was what he wanted, then she could give it to him.

Rob slipped his hand into hers and nodded toward the rink. “How about we take a few more turns on the ice before hanging up our skates? I bet you won’t be able to keep up with me this time.”

As much as she wanted to linger on the information he’d given her, as much as she wanted to clarify what they were, she couldn’t. Would it be so bad to go along with the flow? It wasn’t like there were other guys banging down the door to spend time with her. And she liked Rob.

Okay, her feelings went deeper than that.

But Pippa was determined to enjoy the time she got to spend with Rob, too. Whatever that meant. She drank the last of her hot chocolate and tossed the empty cup into the nearby garbage can. “Only if you give me a head start.”

After Rob had wiped the floor with Pippa in the rink, they headed over to the restaurant where Pippa insisted on making him something sweet to eat. She commandeered a countertop and a stove, then put on her apron. There were only a few chefs left in the kitchen and the crowd had died down. Soon they’d be cleaning up and Pippa would be alone with Rob.

She could feel him watching her as she pulled the ingredients out and placed them at her station. He moved across from her and leaned his folded arms onto the counter.

“What are you gonna make for us?”

“It’s called b?che de No?l.”

He chuckled. “I’m not even going to try to pronounce that. What is it, exactly?”

“It’s a French chocolate cake that’s rolled up like a log. We can put whipped cream on the top or go without.”

Rob smiled. “I vote for the whipped cream.”

She matched his smile. “I thought you might.”

She spent the next forty-five minutes putting all the ingredients together, from the cake batter to the chocolate filling. Once it was in the oven, it only took fifteen minutes to cook.

As soon as it was done, she placed it on a towel and started to roll it up.

“Hold on, what are you doing with it?” Rob inched forward. “I’ve eaten a lot of cakes, but I didn’t think I’d be eating a towel.”

She laughed. This is how we’re going to get the log shape. We have to let it cool in the towel while it’s been rolled up before we put the filling in.”

“How long is that supposed to take?” He groaned with exaggeration.

“Thirty minutes.”

“Thirty minutes? That’s forever. What are we supposed to do while we wait?”

The corners of her mouth twitched upward. “I might have a few ideas.”

Rob immediately understood where she was going with that statement. He rounded the side of the island slowly like a predator might stalk his prey. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“Pray tell, what do you have in mind?”

She tilted her head slightly, glad they were finally alone. “Maybe you should tell me what you’re thinking.”

He pulled her close, locking her against his chest. “I think it’s been incredibly difficult to keep my hands off you when you’re showing off those culinary skills of yours.”

Pippa snickered.

“Tell me, is your cake going to taste as good as you?”

She nearly choked with that one. Rob’s eyes searched hers as if asking for permission. He didn’t need it. They’d bypassed that point in their relationship. Pippa’s lips parted and she exhaled. “I guess we’re going to find out.”

Rob dipped lower and his voice grew more husky. “You amaze me, Pippa. You always have.”

Chills swept through her body and her heart sang. Rob always knew the right things to say, but right now, something about it felt different. She reached up and caressed his face. “I?—”

She caught herself before she said something she really regretted. Her face flushed and she looked away, but he captured her chin and forced her to meet his gaze.

Without a moment’s notice, he brushed his lips against hers. It was another kiss for the ages. This one was sweet and tender, and it took her away from all her concerns and worries for the future. She let herself ride away into fantasy at this moment.

There had to be a chance for them. Why else would he be able to make her feel this way?