A Gift for the Hopeful Cowboy: Love in Sweet Bloom

Chapter 12

Rob wipedthe sweat from his brow and peered out over the rolling hills that surrounded him on all sides. While Brent had hired him to work with the cattle, he still had an itch to see what went on in the agricultural side of things.

When Rob had shown up to work here, he’d mentioned he’d like to see where they could incorporate more technology—things like sensors in the ground to keep tabs on the herd—but Luke hadn’t shown an interest in more technology in his organic farm. There were other ways to bring the ranch to the modern era, but without a degree to back him up, Rob wasn’t sure he could bring his ideas to the men running the show. His insecurities might be showing since he lacked a degree, but he wasn’t sure and he didn’t feel like he was in a place to test it.

That was one of the biggest reasons he didn’t want to discuss his past decisions with Pippa. She would probably push him into a position where he resented her, and that was the last thing he wanted. Right now, he simply wanted to live a life where he could make all the decisions for himself. He wanted to choose where he worked, what he did, and who he fell in love with.

Pippa was a big part of that.

Maybe all Rob had to do was get out of his own way. Did he still feel like Pippa was out of his league? Sure. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least try to win her over.

While some of the things she’d said about having a degree had rubbed him the wrong way, he could take a step back and accept her perspective would differ from his own. Now that they’d come to an understanding on what he wanted, he felt like he could finally move forward. It was amazing what a little venting could do for a person.

He didn’t need a degree to make something of himself, and he wasn’t going to stop until he did. He wasn’t just floating along, letting the universe do all the work. He’d left his job in Montana to get out from under his father’s wing, hadn’t he? He’d come to Sweet Bloom to find his own way.

Maybe it was time to finally dredge up the courage to tell Pippa how he really felt. Now she knew about his thoughts on finishing school, it didn’t feel like he needed to hold anything back.

Christmas was two weeks away. Things were slowing down at the ranch, but he had a feeling they’d pick right back up at the turn of the new year. Now was the time for him to make his move.

He turned back to his work mending the fence where a wire had come loose. As soon as he was done with this project, he’d go home and get ready to take Pippa out on another date. This date wasn’t going to be big and fancy like the last one. This time, he was going to show her how important she was by keeping it simple.

A chill ran down his spine as he thought about what tonight could mean for him—for both of them. The first step in reclaiming his future had been the move. The job came next. Now, he was going to get the girl.

Funny how it seemed so easy now that he’d allowed himself to move past his mistakes.

That was it. That was the missing piece in his uncertainty about his future. Rob was finally taking control of his future. He wasn’t letting anyone guide him or make the important decisions for him.

Bolstered by this newfound confidence, Rob finished off his work with more excitement for his date with Pippa. Just because they’d been opposites in the beginning didn’t mean they couldn’t work.

When Rob climbedinto the car after picking Pippa up for their date, he was instantly drilled with questions.

“What’s the plan? You said this was going to be special?”

Rob bit back a laugh. “You know, when we were younger, you did this, too.”

“Did what?” she asked, laughing with him. “I like to know what the plan is. Sue me.”

“Yeah, well, when I was younger, I liked to fly by the seat of my pants.”

She groaned. “Don’t remind me. You always insisted on making everything a surprise. You didn’t want to plan anything. That was one of the reasons it took so long to convince you to?—”

Pippa cut herself off and cleared her throat. She shifted in her seat, and he knew exactly what she was going to say. This was about his college experience.

She fidgeted again and flashed him a smile. “So, you gonna tell me or what?”

He lifted a brow. “I told you when we set this up, it’s a surprise.”

She groaned again, this time even louder. “I got someone to cover for me tonight and everything. I want to know what we’re doing so I can figure out if I want to make up an excuse and go back to work.”

His mouth dropped open. “You’re not serious.”

Her expression was very serious, but then she threw her head back and laughed. “I would never do that to you.”

Rob feigned being hurt. “But you justtold me you would.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please tell me what’s going on. You’re being very suspicious.”

“I told you everything I was gonna tell you. We’re going on a date where we can have some privacy—where we can be ourselves.”

Pippa reacted much like he thought she would to that statement, smiling shyly as her cheeks filled with color. She looked away briefly and shrugged. “Okay.”

“Okay? You’re not going to pressure me into telling you?”

She glanced at him once more. “Your spontaneity is one of the things I like about you. I’ve always admired how you’ve been able to go with your gut.”

“Really?”

Pippa nodded. “Of course. Why do you think I agreed to the whole ‘no strings attached’ thing? Do I look like the kind of person who can just throw caution to the wind? You’ve pushed me to try new things more times than I can count.”

Rob had never thought of it that way. He’d always seen her ability to make plans and accomplish them as a strength he never had. Her words filled him with a new sense of self-worth.

He picked up her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “Good. Then I think you’re going to like it.”

When he pulled up in front of his rental, she gave him a surprised look but didn’t question him. Rob hurried around the truck to open her door. When he helped her from the vehicle and pulled her in for a quick kiss, she clung to him, letting their touch linger.

Pippa’s eyes flashed with a desire he knew was mirrored in his own. There was no telling how far things might go if he didn’t put a stop to it first. Rob forced himself to put some distance between them and led her to the house.

“Now, this isn’t going to be as special as that chocolate cake you made us the other night. I can’t boast anything quite that fancy.”

She gave him a pointed look. “I don’t expect you to be something you’re not.”

For once, he didn’t feel the need to take offense at her words. She liked that he was different. They made a good pairing.

“Close your eyes.”

She did as she was told and he opened the door.

“Careful. Watch your step.”

“I can’t when my eyes are closed,” she snickered.

“Very funny,” he said dryly.

She lifted her nose appreciatively. “I smell cider. And cinnamon.” She tilted her head. “Is that popcorn? Are we having a movie night?”

He laughed. “I should have known you’d pick up on the smells, but no, we’re not doing a movie night.”

She frowned. “That’s too bad. I would have loved to snuggle with you.” Her teasing tone practically dripped with the implications of that suggestion, making it hard to ignore the fire that continued to grow in his stomach.

“I’ll have to file that away for next time.”

He moved her through the small living room toward the modest Christmas tree in the corner. Placing her directly in front of it, he released her and took a step back.

“Open your eyes.”

Pippa stared at the empty tree. She shot a look of confusion toward him. “It’s a tree.”

“It’s not real,” he amended.

Her eyes widened and she turned to him. “And it’s not decorated.”

“And it’s not decorated,” he repeated. Rob didn’t know if she would understand what it meant for him to have purchased a fake tree. There was nothing temporary about a fake tree. Would she get it?

Pippa grinned at him. “We’re going to decorate your tree.”

He nodded.

She still didn’t comment about the tree being a way to show he planned on staying. Perhaps she didn’t need to. Pippa loved this sort of thing. Chefs were be creative. Pippa was no exception.

Rob motioned to the box at her feet. “I thought it would be fun to decorate my first tree together.”

She reached into the box and pulled out an ornament, her brows drawing together. He knew which one it was without having to get closer. The ornament had been one he’d picked up at one of those touristy shops. It was a generic ornament with the words Our First Christmas scrawled beneath a cartoony couple.

Pippa glanced at him. He couldn’t tell whether she was pleased with it or not. He gave her a sheepish grin. “You think it’s dumb.”

“That depends…” she drawled.

“On what?”

She lifted a shoulder. “We haven’t really discussed where this… whole thing is going.”

“I guess we haven’t.”

“Why do you suppose that is?”

Rob’s throat closed up. This was far more terrifying than he had been prepared for. “I guess I’m nervous to put a label on something so new.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I get that.”

Dang it. Now he didn’t know if it was a good thing to ask her if she wanted to take their relationship beyond the terms of their agreement.

Pippa turned the small ornament over in her hand and traced her finger over the edges. “That’s probably a smart thing to do. Let’s have fun and if something happens…” She shrugged again. “I guess we’ll deal with that then.”

That was as close to a promise of something more as he was going to get. Rob reached into the box and pulled out another ornament. The simple red ball glinted from the Christmas lights on the tree. He hooked it onto a branch and grabbed another.

Out of the corner of his eye, he was pleased to see Pippa placing the ornament on the tree. Who knew it would be so hard to shift into something more serious? Still, with the uncertainty, this felt like another step forward. She knew he was sticking around. She also knew he was open to something more.

The next few hours were spent laughing and talking about how much they’d changed since they were teens. On more than one occasion, Rob caught Pippa watching him. This was definitely better than he could have hoped for.