Page 42 of Seasoned with Love (Prosperity Ranch 4)

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR plane is delayed?” Jerry asked as Cara sat at the kitchen table, staring at her phone in disbelief.

She and Jerry were nearly ready to leave the ranch. They were both flying to different states, but they’d planned on riding together to the airport. Thayne would be driving them, since they didn’t want to put it on Roman. His priority should be Mia today.

Mia—who’d already given Cara several hugs that morning.

“Look.” She turned her phone so Jerry could see the display. “Mechanical issues. Updates will be sent as they come in.”

Jerry grimaced. “Ouch. Is there another airline that you can rebook with?”

Cara shook her head. “Not on Christmas Day and not this late. Maybe if I had known this morning.” She went onto Google Flights anyway and typed in the day and her destination. “Nothing until tomorrow morning.”

Jerry typed a few things into his phone, too. “Yeah, that’s rough. Well, maybe the plane will be fixed soon. I guess it’s too far to drive?”

“Too far, and it would defeat the purpose of seeing my family on Christmas Day.”

“What’s going on?” Roman walked into the kitchen, Mia skipping behind him, with her arms full of a Pillow Pet that was half the size of her body.

Cara remembered the toy from years back, and it looked like they were popular again. She and Roman hadn’t had any private conversations since their kiss, and that was probably for the best. Just their letters. Yeah, Roman had left another letter under her door sometime this morning.

His gaze was warm and steady on hers. The curiosity in them made her wish she didn’t have to tell him about a plane delay. Hanging around at the ranch house longer, or at the airport, would just feel like prolonging the goodbye that was already hard to deal with.

But Jerry answered for her. “Cara’s flight’s been delayed, so she’s not sure when she can fly back home.”

Mia looked from him to Cara. “You’re staying longer?” A pretty smile lit up her face. “You can go sledding with us, then.”

Cara smiled faintly. If it was part of the plan, then it would be fun, but since it would mean that her flight was completely cancelled . . .

“Mia, can you go find Thayne for me? I need to talk to him,” Roman said.

“Okay, Daddy,” Mia said immediately, and trotted off with her toy clutched in one arm.

Roman sat next to Cara. “Have you called the airline to find out how long the delay is?”

“Not yet.” She showed him the alert on her phone.

Roman took it and read through it. Then he got out his own phone and called the airline. After several minutes of waiting, he wasn’t able to get any more information or commitment.

Thayne headed into the kitchen just then. “What’s up, boss?”

Roman explained the situation, and Cara felt her face heating up. She didn’t want this to be such a big deal. She didn’t want to be the center of attention. She could just go to the airport with Jerry and wait until there was a flight available. Her mom wouldn’t be happy, but there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Thayne listened, then said, “I don’t think Mama Prosper is going to be happy with her daughter missing all of Christmas.”

Cara gave a dry laugh. “Yeah . . . well, it won’t be the first time.”

Roman’s gaze was on her, and Cara hoped she’d kept the emotion out of her voice, because she was starting to feel overwhelmed about it all.

The men exchanged glances, then Thayne said, “Hey, let me make a couple of calls real quick. See what other options are available.”

Cara frowned. “Driving is out. That would be way too many hours on the road, and defeat the purpose. Maybe I’ll just catch Jerry’s flight back to California.”

Thayne seemed to consider this, then he lifted a finger. “Give me a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”

Cara watched the man walk out of the kitchen. Where was he going, and what was he up to? She turned to Roman. “What’s going on? I don’t want to put him out—or you either. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of taking Jerry’s flight. If we get to the airport and my flight has no estimated departure, I’ll head to California instead. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see me at the restaurant a couple of days early.”

“Just hang on.” Roman placed a hand on hers, then he squeezed her fingers.

Thayne walked in, speaking on the phone to someone. “Yeah, she’s right here with Roman. I’m sure she’ll be happy with the offer, but I’ll need to clear it with her first. Hang on.”

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