“I am happy. How are things back home? Saryn? The kids?”
“They’re good. Listen, once you get back, Dad wants us both over for dinner. He wants to talk to you.”
I brought my hand to the back of my neck and sighed. “Today? I’m not going to feel like dinner at Mom and Dad’s house after this flight. What’s so important that he can’t wait until tomorrow to talk to me?”
“Do you remember the Martin ranch that was about twenty miles outside of town?”
“Yeah. I remember it.”
“They’re putting it on the market. You know what’ll happen if an investor gets it.”
“Houses,” we both said in unison.
“Is Dad interested in it?” I asked.
“No, but we both thought of you. I know you said you wanted something bigger, maybe even get some cattle from Dad.”
I leaned back in my chair. Ranching had never really been on my list of top priorities, but it had piqued my interest lately, and I did want to move farther out.
“How much do they want for it?” I asked, dreading the answer. The price of land in Texas had skyrocketed in the last few years, with more and more investors moving in and buying up all the land.
“From what Dad told me, they want to sell local. They don’t want to see their family’s land get broken up into lots and sold off. Dad mentioned you were looking for some land, so they want to meet and talk about a price.”
“Tonight? Dinner?” I quickly asked.
“Yes. Luke Martin and his wife will be there around seven.”
Glancing up at the board that listed my flight, I saw that it was leaving in thirty minutes and nodded to no one. “As long as I don’t have any delays, that should be fine. I’ve got a straight flight, so I’ll have plenty of time to get there.”
“Did you change your rental car?” Truitt asked. “You know I can pick you up, Roger. It isn’t any trouble.”
“No, I don’t want to make you drive in. And please, this isn’t my first rodeo. I rebooked it as soon as I got my new flight info.”
He laughed. “Right. So, um, how did things go with your hotel buddy?”
“Good. Better than good.”
“Christ. You slept with her?”
“More than once. We made an agreement: no-strings-attached sex.”
“And how did that work out for you?”
The last thing I wanted to do was talk about sex with my brother while surrounded by a bunch of strangers. “They’re calling for boarding. I’ve got to run.”
“In other words, you don’t want to talk about it.”
“Give the kids a kiss and hug for me. Talk soon.”
Before Truitt could ask anything else, I disconnected and then shut my phone down. All I wanted to do was get on the plane, order a drink, and fall asleep. Maybe once I woke up in Texas, everything would be back to normal and this strange longing would finally be gone.
The flight from Illinois to Texas was miserable. Every time I managed to fall asleep, I dreamed of Annalise. When I was awake, the guy next to me in first class tried to sell me life insurance. I couldn’t wait to get off the fucking plane and get back to Boerne.
I pulled out my computer and caught up on emails, so that occupied some of my time, at least. A part of me was tempted to email the hotel Annalise worked at in New York City to see if they’d tell me where she’d moved to, even though I knew there was no way that would happen.
The moment the plane landed, I headed to the car rental desk. I drove a Ford F-250 so there was no way I was leaving it in the airport parking lot, not even in valet parking. Truitt had dropped me off, and I had booked a rental for when I came home. Truitt was just as busy as I was, and the drive into San Antonio was a bitch with all the traffic.
As I came down the escalator, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and a strange sensation rushed through me. I glanced around, confused, but then shook it off.
I walked around the corner—and my entire world seemed to slow down and come to a halt.
I’d felt her before I even saw her. Then I heard her, and I couldn’t help but smile as I walked up and stood behind her in line.
“But I had a reservation,” she pleaded in her sweet voice.
“Yes, you did, Ms. Michaels, for three days ago.”
“I was stuck in Chicago in a snowstorm.”
The girl at the counter gave Annalise a sympathetic smile. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. If you had just called and rescheduled, we might have been able to hold a car for you. I’ve only got one car left now.”
“I’ll take that one then!”