Page 61 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

Gone.

Would it be for good? Could they make a long-distance relationship work? Hell, would she even want to try?

Sam placed a hand on the sandy soil beneath him, missing his girl. He’d known from the start that this working out was a long shot. How many times had he told himself to just live in the moment? To enjoy the here and now? And what had that gotten him?

Left behind.

Again.

Still, he wouldn’t have traded his time with her for the world. And, as Gran had pointed out, it wasn’t over with them yet. That thought eventually helped him to get back to his feet and back onto Whiskey. Somehow, he managed to make it through the day, putting on a good face for his family and Neil. He settled into his rocking chair on the porch that evening and texted back and forth with Natalie, trying to savor every bit of attention she threw his way. But eventually she wished him sweet dreams so she could get some shut-eye. Damn that time difference.

But my dreams aren’t nearly as sweet when you’re not here.

“You miss her, don’t you?”

He looked up to meet his daughter’s gaze. She’d come out to sit on the porch swing a short while ago, claiming the fresh air would help her study better for finals. Sam knew damned well she’d really come out to keep an eye on him. But tonight, he didn’t have the energy to hide his hurt. Or to lie. He simply nodded.

“Then why don’t you do something about it?”

Sam snorted. Oh, to be young and full of optimism. “It’s not that easy, sweetheart.”

“Isn’t it? There’s a flight from Bozeman to Fort Wayne that leaves tomorrow at eight in the morning. One short layover in Chicago. You’d be to her place by dinnertime.”

A plane. Like he would ever get on a plane. Planes crashed. Planes killed people.

That was the real reason he hadn’t pursued being an astronaut, though he’d never admitted that to another soul. He’d watched a plane go down in Livington just before the end of high school while there with his father to meet another rancher who was flying in. Had watched the emergency personnel racing to the burning wreckage, watched terrified families huddled together inside the gate. There’d been no survivors.

Though that’d been twenty-some years ago, and there hadn’t been a crash at that airport since. Studies had shown flying was substantially safer than driving. And yet he’d never been able to convince himself otherwise.

Then again, before now, he hadn’t needed to.

“Sweetheart, I appreciate you saying that, but—” Sam stopped as Madison lifted her phone from behind the books he thought she’d been studying, a familiar airline logo clear on its screen. “You looked it up?”

“Of course I did. Want me to get your credit card?”

Sam studied his sweet daughter, his little girl with the old soul, admiring her boldness. She was a mini-Sunnie, only she smiled a whole lot more. If she could be so brave, why couldn’t he?

Whycouldn’the?

“Are you sure you understand what you’re asking me to do?”

She grinned. “Dad, there are way more things here on the ranch that are statistically more likely to kill you than flying on a plane. Also, I get on planes to go see Mom, and I’ve made it back just fine every time.”

All true. But for the first time in forever, flying wasn’t what scared him most. Putting his heart on the line did.

“That’s not what I mean.”

Madison stared at him for a moment before understanding took hold. She moved her books aside and patted the empty space on the porch swing beside her. Craving connection, he rose and went to sit beside her. She curled into his side like she had since she was little, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

“If you’re asking me if I’m going to be okay having a stepmom someday, the answer is yes. I mean, I already have a stepdad—why not round it out?”

Sam frowned. “Thanks for the reminder.”

“Whatever. Listen, Natalie is awesome. She’s great for you, and she fits in great with the rest of us. And youknowGrandma and Grandpa and Uncle Jaxon are all going to love her, too. So, what’s holding you back?”

She was right, of course. His parents would adore her. And Jaxon would be treating her like a second big sister in no time. But this wasn’t about who out here would love her; it was about Natalie choosing them. Choosing him, here. That had to be her decision. He couldn’t go through moving another woman to Montana only to watch her ultimately walk away.

Madison turned her face upward to meet his gaze. “She’s different, Dad. And she’s worth it.”

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