“Probably not,” she replied though her heart said the opposite.
“All right then. I guess this is good-bye, Miss Locksley.”
“Robin,” she corrected with a grin. “After all, we know one another well enough to use first names, don’t we?”
“We do,” came out in a husky tone. “Good-bye, Robin.”
Stiffening her spine, Robin stuck out her hand for a proper handshake. Once the Texan had obliged, she quickly stuffed her fingers into her pockets. “Good-bye, Travis.”
Lingering only a moment, Travis turned a smile her direction and then offered a curt nod. Coward that she was, Robin hurried inside. Only when she reached the privacy of her office did she allow herself to cry.
* * *
The next morning, with children arriving in a quarter-hour, she stumbled over a package set squarely in the center of her office floor. More than two meters in length and wrapped in brown paper covered in official looking seals from several government agencies, it could only contain one thing.
The Locksley bow.
Attached was a note from Travis, just two lines thanking her for the patience and hospitality she’d shown him during his stay and telling her of pressing business in Texas. “The continued existence of my firm requires me to say a final good-bye, although I won’t soon forget you.” Robin read the last line and willed herself not to cry.
A moment later, the clock chimed, reminding Robin there would soon be children in the manor who wanted a back-to-school party, even if she did not. Tossing the note into the wastebasket, she rang up Sudbury’s office. Someone had to fetch the bow to her flat or the children would trip over it.
“Aye, Lass,” he answered when she outlined her request for help. “So the lad’s off, is he?”
“Yes,” she said. “He’s gone home to Texas.”
“Most interesting if I do say so,” was his final comment.
With no time to spare before the children’s arrival, Robin ran a hand over the treasured volumes on her bookshelf, and then reached for her grandfather’s Bible. It fell open to Deuteronomy 32:2, the same chapter and verse she knew by heart. This time as she recited the words of comfort, she heard them not in her voice, but in Travis’s, and as he spoke, she prayed through the tears.
Then, as if called out by her prayer, she saw him. Standing in the door with a leather bag slung over one shoulder and a smile on his face, Travis Gentry looked like a traveler about to depart. As he well must be.
“What are you doing here?” Stupid words, spoken like an idiot. She added to them with more idiocy. “I thought you had business.”
“I did.” Travis dropped the bag and took a tentative step toward her. “See, in business as well as in life, I take my direction from the Lord. This morning, He helped me close what just may prove to be the deal of a lifetime.” He moved another step closer. “You don’t look happy for me.”
“Oh, I am, really,” she said as she surreptitiously swiped at a tear. “Do tell me all about it.”
Closing the gap between them, he stood close enough to touch. With difficulty Robin kept her arms at her side and her eyes on the Bible in her hand.
“It’s a high level position,” he said, leaning toward her. “Very nice location with total charge of security and no more jet lag.”
She gave him a sideways look. “Where?”
“Here.” A smile touched his face. “Sudbury’s retiring and I’ve agreed to take his place.” He reached for her hand. “I’m coming to live permanently at Lowingham, Robin, and I’d like to see where the Lord leads our relationship.” He paused, looking charmingly unsure of himself. “Say something.”
What could she say? “I think I shall like it very much.”
“That’s it?”
Another tear threatened. “No, there’s more but perhaps we should discuss this later when we’ve a bit more privacy.”
“So aren’t you going to kiss her?” Annabelle’s voice rang loud and clear from the doorway. Behind her a chorus of giggles joined in.
Miss Lawrence peered over Annabelle’s head. “I’m afraid she’s correct. The gentleman always kisses the lady in the closing scene. That’s how it’s done in the cinema.”
Travis gave Robin a smile that promised much and gave away nothing. In lieu of an answer, he quirked a brow and slid one arm around her back. His other arm rested at the base of her neck.
“Oh my,” she heard Miss Lawrence say. “Do proceed.”
“We can’t disappoint the audience,” Travis said.
And he didn’t.
SECRETS FROM MRS. SUDBURY’S KITCHEN
Shepherd’s Pie a la Sudbury
Combine meat, garlic, vegetables, and rosemary and chop fine. Melt butter in a skillet and stir in flour. Add broth and stir continuously, allowing the mixture to cook at least five minutes before adding the lamb mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and spoon into pie dish or deep casserole. Spread mashed potatoes evenly on top all the way to edges of dish. Make crisscross design with fork and bake at 350˚ for 35–40 minutes until meat mixture is bubbling hot and potatoes are browned.
Travis Gentry’s Favorite Scotch Eggs
Wrap sausage around each of the five boiled eggs. Dip each into mixture of milk and raw beaten egg, then roll in breadcrumbs. Place on rack in pan and bake at 350˚ for one hour. Cool and cut into quarters. Garnish with mustard and sprinkle with paprika.
Do you enjoy reading stories about Texas women,
past and present,
and the men they love?
Stories that show just what ladies from the Lone Star state are made of?
Stories that prove a cowgirl—or reporter, or Southern belle or…well, you get the
idea—always gets her guy?
Then look for the Brides of Texas Novellas logo!
Always set in Texas and never far from happily ever after..
Books in the series:
COFFEE SCOOP
PLAIN TROUBLE
THE MARRYING KIND
IDLE HOURS
HOLLYWOOD, TEXAS
ROBYN’S GARDEN
——————
KATHLEEN Y’BARBO
Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of over fifty novels with more than one million copies of her books in print in the United States and abroad. A tenth-generation Texan and paralegal, she has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well as a Reader’s Choice Award and numerous Top Picks by Romantic Times magazine.
Find out more about Kathleen at www.kathleenybarbo.com.
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