Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“Good night, Pippa. I love you.”
Biting my lower lip, I let those words settle around my heart before I whispered, “I love you, too.”
The call ended, and I couldn’t help but grin like a fool as I hugged my phone to my chest. It took everything I had not to kick and scream like a middle-school girl who’d just been asked out by her first love.
Colt motioned for me to precede him up the steps into the private jet that would take us to Banff. The moment I stepped inside, I drew in a sharp breath.
A dark wooden cabinet was fixed to one wall of the plane, with a TV mounted on top. A round silver tray held a few different bottles of alcohol, and my first thought was to wonder how none of it fell when the plane took off. On the other side, opposite the cabinet, was a long white leather sofa. Beyond that were eight single leather seats, four on each side of the plane.
“Wow,” I whispered, as I moved forward and dropped my purse and backpack onto the sofa.
“Pretty nice, isn’t it?” Colt moved around me and placed his backpack on one of the single seats. “Drink?”
I glanced up and looked at him. “What?”
“You’re staring at the booze. Do you want a drink?”
Shaking my head, I said, “It’s not even nine in the morning.”
Colt laughed. “Hey, you were looking at it, so I thought you wanted one. I know you’re nervous about flying.”
“I’m trying to figure out how it doesn’t fall over when the plane takes off.”
Smiling, Colt walked over, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me on the forehead. “The flight attendant puts it up before we leave.”
I felt my cheeks grow hot. “Well, that makes sense.”
An older man, probably around the age of fifty or so, stepped onto the plane. He was good-looking for his age, with his salt-and-pepper hair and eyes so green, they reminded me of a meadow we had on the ranch. In the spring, the grass turns almost emerald. The same startling shade as his eyes.
The second he saw Colt, a wide smile erupted across his handsome face. He held out his hand, and Colt gave him a few firm shakes.
“Colt, it’s good to see you.”
“I can’t thank you enough, Judd, for making this happen for us.” Facing me, Colt introduced us. “Judd, this is Ensley Wilde. Ensley, this is Judd Murray.
Judd studied me—and if it was possible, his grin grew even bigger. “So, this is Ensley.” Taking my outstretched hand, he gently shook it. “I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I know you already.”
My brows shot up as I looked at Colt, then back to Judd. “I hope all good things.”
He laughed. “My wife and I were about ready to haul this boy back to Colorado ourselves when he finally told us he was heading home. Of course, I wanted it to be on better terms.” Turning to Colt, he said, “You mentioned on the phone that your father’s doing well?”
Colt nodded. “He’s doing great. They’re glad I’m home, and so am I.”
Judd looked at me and winked. “I bet he is. Everyone at the ranch told him that he was a lovesick fool and needed to get his ass back to Colorado.”
I smiled at Colt. “Is that so?”
“Sure is,” Judd stated. “Talked about you all the time.”
Colt clapped his hands. “So, how long is the flight today?”
Judd chuckled. “Nice change of subject. We’re looking at around two hours and twenty minutes. The weather’s clear the whole way. They are talking about a small storm that could move through on Monday, though.”
“Will that delay us in leaving on Tuesday?” Colt asked.
Judd shook his head. “I think it’ll move through fast. If anything, we might be delayed a few hours,” he assured us. “You two make yourselves at home. We’ll have one other pilot and one flight attendant. She’s my daughter, so if she isn’t doing her job, you let me know.”
“Lori did decide to join us?” Colt asked.
Judd nodded. “She did.”
I couldn’t help but notice the strange expression that crossed over Colt’s face. If I hadn’t been looking at him, I would have missed it.
“Speaking of!” Judd said, as he walked over and hugged a woman who’d just walked up the steps and boarded the cabin. When they stepped apart, she glanced our way. She looked at me first, then Colt. Something flashed in her eyes as she smiled his way.
“Colt, it’s nice seeing you again.”
My gaze bounced between the two of them. Lori looked to be around Emeline’s age. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a low bun, and her eyes were the color of the sky. She was stunningly beautiful. She quickly got to work stowing her bag and moving into the cabin.