Page 5 of Take Me Away, Cowboy

“I am. Well, at least I think I am. I just don’t have a clue where I’m headed.”

“Metaphorically?” Brad asked, poking Paige in the arm teasingly.

“Ha ha. Medicine is important work, and practicing fulfills me in a way that I never thought I’d feel from anything but traveling, but I still have so much to see.”

“So, go see it.”

“Easy for you to say. Finding practices that want a physician for a year or less outside of DWB is damn near impossible.”

“Why’d you leave Turks, then? Or DWB?” he asked her, referring to her two years just after medical school when she’d worked for Doctors Without Borders.

“I don’t know, honestly. I got restless, I guess. I felt like something was missing.”

“Hmm.”

“You mean hmm as in ‘you’ve heard that from me before’?” Her brother had the good sense to just smile. She nudged his shoulder. “I know. I just want to move on before I start to resent where I’m at. To leave before a place gets stale, beforeIget stale.”

“Sounds healthy.”

“Now who’s being mean?”

“No, I get it. You’ve always had your sights set higher than Banberry. But can I ask you why?”

“There’s nothing for me here, Brad. You know that. I outgrew this town when I was twelve.”

“Ouch.”

“No offense, but you know what I mean. I’m glad you’ve found a life here, but it just isn’t the life for me. Horses and farming and drinking at Cowboy Joe’s every Friday?”

“You just defined Dad, hun, not me.”

“I know. But still… I feel lost because I’m not sure what life for me looks like right now. I’m sorry I took it out on you, though.”

“Apology accepted. Now, can we forget about this family drama stuff and enjoy the two or so days I get with my kid sister?”

“Consider it forgotten. For now. But don’t think I’m not plying you with drinks and getting into this Julia thing again before I take off. Where are we going, by the way?” He’d pulled off the highway a few exits earlier than he should have if they were headed to their folks’.

Everything they passed looked exactly as she’d left it a year ago, from the farmers’ market run by crotchety Bill Haven, a man who secretly loved bringing the community together each week, to her elementary school a block from Brad’s. Even the ice cream store, with its stained life-sized soft serve cone was still there. The town was eerily unchanged. So why did it feel so different?

“My house real quick. I want to pick something up before we head to Mom and Dad’s. You wanna come in real quick? I’d love to show you what we’ve done to the place.”

Paige tried to hide her exhaustion of two plane rides and the travel on either end with a smile to make up for her shitty attitude. She loved how much Brad put into everything he did, his home with Julia included, but right now, she wished she had the energy to match.

“Sure. But then let’s hustle to Mom and Dad’s. I’m wiped.” As if on cue, she yawned, and swore she saw Brad cringe.

“Yeah. Sure. I guess.” He sounded distracted. Paige wished more than ever she’d just gotten off the plane and hugged him, maybe shared fun island stories about the locals and the shenanigans she got into instead of badgering him about his girlfriend.

Who was home, apparently.

Julia stood at their window, arms crossed, brow furrowed.

Oh, goody.

“Why don’t I wait in the car while you grab whatever you need?” she asked Brad, adding a less-than-authentic yawn to show off her exhaustion. Unfortunately, Brad wasn’t having it.

“Nope. I need your help carrying it out.”

“Ugh. Julia’s in there, and you saw how ‘fun’ I am today,” she whined, using air quotes for emphasis. “Not a good combo, bro.”

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