Page 49 of Marrying a Cowboy

There had to be a reason he dismissed her like he did. There just had tobe.

“Miss?Miss?”

Emma blinked and glanced up at the attendant. “What?” she asked and then cleared her throat. She hadn’t meant for her voice to come out that loud. “What?” she asked again at a more manageabledecibel.

“The only seat we have left is on an eleven o’clock flight tonight.” She tapped a few more times on the keyboard and then glanced up at Emma again. “Does thatwork?”

Emma sighed. Six hours of waiting at the airport before she was on her way home. But, what other choice did she have? It wasn’t like her husband even wanted her here. So, she sighed and nodded, removing her credit card and handing it over. She was ready to get as much distance between her and Montana as shecould.

Five minutes later, she stood in the checkpoint line, staring up at the random build boards that lined the wall. They each talked about the experiences that Montana had to offer. When her gaze fell on a cowboy riding a horse, heat crept up her spine. Nope. She was done with this. Forgetting Austin needed to startnow.

“Well, if it isn’t my new grand daughter-in-law.”

Emma groaned as she turned to see Alayna Maverick standing a few people behind her, clutching a boarding pass in her hand. This was not what Emma needed right now. So, pretending she didn’t see her, Emma stared down at her boarding pass as she shifted her body ever so slightly backaround.

“Oh, come on, sweetie. I know you see me. Do you mind if I go up there? I’m herfamily.”

There were some shifting noises behind her, but Emma didn’t look up. How was this going to look to Mrs. Maverick? Emma heading home hours after the contract wassigned.

A warm hand engulfed her elbow, pulling her attentionupward.

“Are you avoiding me?” Mrs. Maverickasked.

Emma pulled the biggest surprised expression she could. “Mrs. Maverick! I didn’t see you there.” Why was her voice coming out all high andsqueaky?

Mrs. Maverick stared at her. “You looked straight at me,love.”

She didn’t have any energy to keep up this lie. “You’re right. I saw you. I just hoped you didn’t notice me.” Her shoulders slumped as she moved along with theline.

“Why did you not want me to see you? And where are yougoing?”

Emma tried not to groan as Mrs. Maverick moved along withher.

“To New York.”Because your grandson broke my heart and banished me from being around him.Ugh, she sounded like an idiot even in her own mind. Maybe she should see a shrink when she got back. There was something seriously wrong withher.

“Why?”

Emma sighed. She didn’t want to lie anymore. “Because Austin and I aren’t reallymarried.”

Mrs. Maverick’s eyebrows rose. “Excuseme?”

Emma slipped off her shoes and placed them in a tub that a security guard handed her. Once it was full, he placed it on the conveyor and motioned her to stepforward.

Thankful that they limited the amount of people who could go through the metal detector, Emma enjoyed the silence as she finished up and then was reunited with herbelongings.

Too bad, Mrs. Maverick was hot on her heels as Emma started walking toward her gate. She was fast for an oldbroad.

“Emma,” shecalled.

Emma kept walking but then she slowed. Why did it matter if Mrs. Maverick learned the truth? Perhaps this would help Emma get some closure. Something she was going to need a lot of help with. Especially since just hours ago, she had almost confessed her feelings to Austin. That was something she wasn’t going to get overeasily.

Slowing her gait, she turned around to see Mrs. Maverick catching up to her. As she approached, Emma waved her hand toward a table just outside of a coffee shop. “Let’stalk.”

Chapter Nineteen

Emma

Mrs. Maverick placeher order with the barista at the counter and then joined Emma who’d picked a table right by the airport’s huge picture windows. She watched as the airline workers walked around the tarmac, moving luggage or chatting with eachother.

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