Page 98 of Take Me Away, Cowboy

“But she doesn’t leave until tonight,” he said, half to himself. Had he misheard Aurelie when she’d told him the time? He didn’t think so. She said something about going out to dinner on their way to the airport.

“She took an earlier flight. Standby. I’ve been calling you since four…”

“Shit. Shit. Okay, so I know I’m an idiot,” he said. She’d really done it. She’d left without saying goodbye. “What the hell happens now?”

“Now? Now you get dressed, you brush your teeth and you drive like the devil, that’s what. Her flight leaves Helena in one hour.”

“No. I’ll get dressed and meet you out here, but you drive. There’s no way I’ll make it if I have to park.”

Shit, shit, shit.

Aurelie nodded and ran back to her apartment. She’d gone practical and had on tennis shoes for maybe the first time since he’d met her. Thank God. It would do them good this morning. He ran through the house, picking up clothes, throwing them on, all while running a toothbrush over teeth that had just been brushed three hours earlier.

He was fully awake now.

Awake and scared he’d screwed up by going to bed and turning off his ringer.

By making sure his house was clean instead of going to sleep hours earlier.

By not going to her house the minute the guys had all left.

A million moments presented themselves over the past week where Owen could have asked her not to go, told her point blank how he felt, but he’d been so damn stubborn, so wrapped up in his own feelings he hadn’t stopped to think about hers.

Well, all that would change if he was on time, or ratherwhenhe was on time—there wasn’t another option that would be okay with him. Hell, he’d get on the next flight to Turks if he had to and bring her back with him. With that in mind he sprinted to the office on his way out the door and packed his passport just in case he really did have to buy a ticket.

No plan was off the table.

He locked the door and ran towards Marge’s car, Aury behind the wheel. He had his phone out, already dialing Paige’s number.

“How’d she get to the airport this morning?” he whispered as he got in. The line on the other end rang and then went to voicemail.

“Uber,” Aury whispered back, revving the engine and putting the pedal to the floor. Gravel spewed from beneath the tires, digging the small trenches Paige’d started herself a week prior. This time, though, Owen couldn’t have cared less. All his energy focused on willing Marge’s old beater to go faster.

He left a message to call him if she got the message before she took off, then shoved his phone into his pocket. Dammit, he needed to talk to her. Needed to stop her from getting on the plane.

“What are you going to tell her?” Aurelie asked him. The day broke around them, the rays of light shooting out of the mountains to the east breathtaking. He couldn’t appreciate the majestic scene, though. He took a deep breath and turned back to Aury.

“I’m not sure. I know I’ll tell her how much I love her, and the rest I figure I’ll make up as I go along.” Aury smiled, her eyes never leaving the road. The car lurched forward as they left the winding country roads and farmland behind.

“That will do quite nicely, I believe,” Aury said.

They drove the rest of the way in silence, Owen not sure what to say that wouldn’t be overshadowed by the fact that he was on the verge of losing the love of his life. His hands shook with nerves. He couldn’t lose her, he just couldn’t.

Not half an hour later they pulled into the Helena airport, Aury taking her foot off the gas for the first time since they left. Owen unbuckled as they pulled into departures, fumbled for his wallet and passport and hopped out as soon as it was safe. He blew Aury a kiss and ran, shouting a “thank you” from over his shoulder. He heard her call back to him just before the automatic doors closed behind him.

“Bring back our girl!”

“I will, or I’ll die trying,” he whispered to himself.

Owen had been working hard on the farm all summer, getting in trail runs when he could. It all led up to that moment, where every ounce of his strength was tested as he wove through the growing crowds with their coffee cups and carry-ons dragging behind them. They looked happy, content to be going somewhere, but lacking all the urgency he needed them to have as he made his way to the line of people waiting to get bags checked and boarding passes printed through the ticketing agent.

“Shit,” he muttered. He’d never get through if he waited for all these people to check in. Looking around, he saw an opportunity and before his mind could talk him out of it, he leapt on the base of a large art sculpture, shouting over the crowd.

“Excuse me!” he called out, but only a few people stopped and turned his way. Unfortunately, so did a few TSA employees, so he had to work fast. He whistled the way his staff sergeant had taught him to on deployment. That had the desired effect as the airport came to a standstill. He didn’t miss a beat.

“I’m trying to catch the woman I love before she takes off in the next twenty minutes. Hell, she’s probably already on the plane. Will you let me through so I can ask her to come back, to be my bride?”

A few hoots and hollers rang out, some women gasping and awing with their hands over their hearts as a salute.

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