Page 18 of Filthy, Dirty, Cowboy

“No. I’ve got it, cowboy. You can keep me company, though.”

I follow her perfect round ass to the back of the shop, waving hello to Henry and Raven who look to have stopped by on their lunch breaks too. Every time I see those two, it’s hard to believe a father and daughter can be so close. It’s really inspiring. I hope my relationship with Hazel is as good as Henry and Raven’s.

It’s hard to believe my baby girl will be here in four months.Four monthsand I’ll be holding my daughter. I blow out a heavy breath and make my way behind the counter, noticing Mrs. Robinson outside.

“I’ll get a Muddy River, too. Mrs. R is pulling up. She always comes in for the new flavor, right?”

Portia nods and smiles sweetly. “Yes, but I want to say hi. She comes in, rubs my stomach, and makes sure I’m eating enough. I like it.”

I love that she loves Mrs. R as much as I do. They’ve gotten super close since Portia made the official move to Rugged Mountain.

“Okay, you two need to stop being so damn cute.” Bree nudges past me and grabs a clean scoop from behind the counter. “Are you still able to watch the girls tonight? I have that date and—”

“Your date!” Portia squeals. “He’s the logger, right? The guy that lives up near the waterfall?”

Bree squints her eyes as though she’s already worried the meet up is going to go bad. “He is. I don’t know. I’ve heard around town that he can be difficult to talk to. Do you know him?”

My brows raise as I take the large cone from Portia’s hand. “Can’t say that I’ve met him, but he can’t be too bad. If he was dangerous, someone would have kicked him off the mountain by now.”

Bree sighs heavily. “That’s promising… I guess?”

“It’ll be fine. It’s good that you’re getting out. The girls, Portia, and I will have fun. It’s good practice. I think we’re going to go fishing and maybe cook down by the river.”

“They’re wild lately, so you two will be getting your money’s worth.” Bree laughs. “Anyway, I gotta get these cones scooped. I’ll see you guys tonight.”

Portia gives her a kiss on the cheek and follows me out the door with the cone for Mrs. R, who’s smiling wide as she waits by her car.

“I saw you two coming, and I figured that was for me. Thank you, dears.” She rubs Portia’s stomach. “How is the little girl doing?”

“Good. She started kicking last week.”

“Oh, how exciting! You two are about to have your hands full. But it’ll be fun, too. You’ll see.” Mrs. R licks her cone. “This flavor is different. It’s not one I’d have thought of on my own.”

“This one was from a recipe that was in that book you gave Hawk and I for the wedding. I believe it was one of your grandma’s soup recipes. Bree thought it would make a good ice cream.”

“It does, dear. I’m so glad my recipes are coming in handy for you. My grandma would be happy to hear it, too. What’s on the menu for next month? I so look forward to the new flavors.” She peeks around Portia. “Like everyone else, I guess.”

“Well, next month’s flavor I made up. It’s green tea and chocolate-covered almonds with a swirl of chili powder.”

Mrs. R pulls back her head. “Sounds spicy! What do you call that?”

“John Deere.” Portia glances up toward me, a massive grin on her face. The kind of grin that reaffirms everything I’ve ever felt about this woman. The kind of grin that I could stare at forever and never tire of. The grin of a woman who’s made an ice cream flavor to represent all the dirty things I’ve done to her on a green, John Deere tractor. Things, I’m thinking we need to get busy doing again.