Page 62 of The Soldier and the Cowboy

“Oh, yeah, that guy could have been a legend.”

“Heisa legend,” Bailey said, her heart squeezing painfully.

“Yeah, he was pretty amazing, and then he walked away, just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “You know his family ranch is somewhere around here. He’s like a total recluse now. And his wife was murdered, so it seemed like a good time to pull the shirt back out. Solidarity, you know? Man, he shoulda stayed in the NFL.”

“He wouldn’t have been happy there. The ranch is his life.”

“Doesn’t make sense to me.”

“It wouldn’t to most men,” she said.

“You’re a fan, too, I take it?” he asked.

“The biggest,” she said, smiling. Her smile must have been a bit too enthusiastic because the guy leaned toward her, resting his elbow on the armrest between them.

“Where you headed?”

Before Bailey could answer, a shadow fell on them. “Excuse me, would you mind trading seats with me?” Calhoun towered over them.

The guy glanced up with a scowl. “Get your own seat.”

“I have one, but I was wondering if you’d like to trade. I kind of need to talk to her.”

“No way. This is the seat I paid for, and this is where I’m going to stay,” the man said.

“I’ll give you a hundred bucks,” Cal offered.

The guy shook his head.

“How about his autograph?” Bailey interjected, and the guy did a double take.

“Geez, are you really him?”

“Depends on who you mean,” Cal said. He pulled out a piece of paper, scribbled his autograph, and handed it to the guy. The guy held it to his face like Charlie when he won the Golden Ticket. “Uh, guy, the chair?”

“What? Oh, right, right. Sorry. Good luck.” He traded spots with Cal and gave him the double thumbs up.

Cal returned it. “Maybe I should have let him stay. It looked like you guys had a good thing going.”

“Eventually things would have become awkward. Turns out we both love the same guy. What are you doing here, Cal? You do realize you’re on an airplane that’s about to fly. In the air.Off the ground.”

“I didn’t make it in time to stop you before you got on, and it was the only way they’d let me through. You know, the FAA is kind of a buzz kill when it comes to true love.”

“It’s almost like terrorism is their main concern in life. Tunnel vision much?” she said. “Also, at what point in this flight are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?”

“I…” he began but then the flight attendant stood to give the pre-flight spiel. Bailey tuned it out, but Cal focused on it like there was going to be an exam later. Finally the talk was over.

“You were saying,” Bailey said.

“Sir, your seatbelt,” the flight attendant interrupted. Cal jumped to attention and buckled his belt, testing it twice to make certain it was secure.

“I think you’re good,” Bailey told him.

“Right. You left, and the house was…” His attention drifted out the window as the plane began to roll. “We’re moving now.”

“It was bound to happen eventually,” she said, squeezing his arm. “The suspense is sort of killing me here.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, drawing his attention from the window to her. “Bailey, I thought I would let you go for a bit, to heal, to get myself together. And then I would present myself to you, whole and healthy. But I realized…” the airplane had finished taxiing and began to pick up speed. Cal reached for his airsick bag and bent forward, closing his eyes.

---