Page 87 of The Cowboy Who Looked Again

“What do you need to do?”

Link nearly sagged to his knees in relief at the sound of his father’s voice. He turned toward his father and said, “Daddy, I need your help.” He took a breath and swallowed his nerves. He thought of Misty, and he became that new man—exactly the person she needed him to be. “I need to get to Dallas by morning, and I have no idea how to buy an airplane ticket.”

Daddy blinked and asked, “What now?”

Link expected him to have all the answers, and he simply stared at him.

“The boy needs to get to Dallas,” Preacher said. He turned and looked around. “Ah, there’s Charlie.” He waved his hand above his head. “Charlie!”

She came toward them, and she handed the casserole dish she carried to Hank, her and Preacher’s twelve-year-old son. “Take that over to Aunt Holly, baby.” She arrived, looked at everyone, and tucked her hands in her back pockets. “Why was I summoned?”

Preacher gestured to Link, and he should’ve known better than to expect his uncle would say what he needed. He cleared his throat and said, “I need to get to Dallas by morning. Can you help me book an airplane ticket?”

Charlie didn’t waste a moment before she pulled out her phone. “Sure, we can do it from your device.”

“We can?” Link asked.

His aunt only moved her eyes to look at him. “Yes,” she said slowly. “Now, get your phone out and download this app.”

Link scrambled to do what she said, and ten minutes later, he’d kissed his momma and all of his siblings, had his backpack riding shotgun, and was headed for the Amarillo airport.

Link woke in a strange bed, which wasn’t all that unusual as of late. It only took him a moment to remember he’d flown to Dallas last night. He’d booked a hotel while waiting to board his flight, and now he had to figure out how to get breakfast and get to Misty’s.

He got up and stretched his shoulders as he walked over to the window. Looking out, Link got assaulted by the vastness and busyness of the city. It didn’t sit right in his gut, and it made his soul wince, but as he turned away, he steeled himself. This version of himself could do city life—because Misty needed him to.

Aunt Charlie had sent him a rideshare app and an app where he could order food and either pick it up or have it delivered. He’d found a great place to get breakfast, and he ordered the food, then called for a ride and left his hotel room. The driver waited while he ran into a fast-casual restaurant for his order, and then they started their journey toward Misty’s apartment.

Link sat in the backseat, feeling a little foolish being driven around like he was someone important. At least no one had commented on his cowboy hat, and he reminded himself he was still in Texas. It only felt like a foreign land.

He texted Misty and then silenced and shoved his phone under his leg.

Remember when I met your brother? And it was so amazing, because we got along so well from the very first moment. And remember how he agreed to come work with me at Shiloh Ridge? That was so great, and we had the best weekend ever in Dallas.

Now he just needed the text to come true.

The driver pulled up to a nice apartment complex, away from the tumultuous freeway noise. Emerald green grass surrounded the building, which had stone and stucco on it. Link wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but not something that looked…cute. Livable. Like Misty belonged here.

He shoved aside the second thoughts, the insecurities, and said, “Thanks, brother,” before he collected his paper bag filled with breakfast and headed for the second floor. He wondered what he looked like as he strode across the sidewalk and took the stairs up to the next level.

He went to the appointed number and knocked, his heart pounding as loudly as his fist had on the wood.

“Coming!” sounded from inside, and Link dang near bolted. Misty is here, he told himself. Misty is here. Misty is here. Lord, I’m here, and Misty is here, and please make this okay. Is this okay?

He’d been so desperate to get to Misty, he hadn’t stopped to consider if it was the right thing to do.

The humidity here seemed more oppressive than in the Panhandle, but as Link breathed in and waited, he settled. This was right. This was the man he needed to be right now, and he ducked his head and considered knocking again.

Then the door opened, and he looked up—right into the eyes that followed him into his dreams. The eyes he never wanted to see disappointment in. The eyes he could communicate with without saying a word.

“Hey,” he said softly.

Misty came out onto the walkway, immediately lifting her arms up to encircle his neck. He dropped their breakfast and took her into his arms and let her shiver in his arms for several seconds. She wasn’t crying; the lack of sniffling told him that. But she definitely needed him.

And he was here.

She stepped back. “I got your text.”

“It is so good to see you,” he said. She wore her hair up in a ponytail, but it still shimmered with a hint of red gold.

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