Take Me Away (Southern Bride 6)

I had missed Texas. Missed home. I hadn’t felt like myself ever since I woke up in that hospital, for obvious reasons, but being back home now, I realized I had stayed away entirely too long. Now that I was back, a strange peace settled over me. This place had a special meaning. I couldn’t describe how I knew that. I simply felt it in my very bones.

The sounds of a distant plane caused me to sit up. I turned around and saw it coming in. It looked to be a smaller jet plane. As it flew over me and landed, I couldn’t help but laugh with delight.

“That’s a Cessna 750 Citation X. It’s a fast little jet.”

I spun around and saw a man standing next to the truck. He looked to be my age.

“You scared the crap out of me!” I said.

He laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. But I am going to have to ask you to leave, Miss.”

“Of course. I was only …”

What in the world had I been doing? It didn’t matter. The memory clearly wasn’t going to make a repeat performance.

I jumped down and shut the tailgate of my father’s truck. “Do you know who owns that plane?” I asked as I glanced down the long runway before turning back to the gentleman.

He nodded. “One of the ranch owners in town. He owns a jet like that, so I’m guessing it’s his. That’s not a cheap plane.”

“I see.”

“He doesn’t come back often, but when he does come to town I know he flies in.”

The only thing I could do was nod. Lord knows how many people owned planes, especially in Texas. And would someone who owned a plane like that own a crop plane as well? And for goodness sake, how many planes landed at this little airport each day? What in the hell was I expecting to find here?

“Well, thank you for not yelling at me for trespassing.”

With a friendly smile, he replied, “No yelling. Unless you come back in an hour, then I may have to raise my voice.”

I laughed and made my way to the front of the truck and slipped inside the driver’s seat.

For the next two hours, I simply drove around town. I didn’t have any idea where I should go, so I took whatever turns struck my fancy. Before it got too late, I did stop at a small shop on the main road and ran in to grab little Nolan a birthday present. I also bought Liliana a gift as well.

“Do you gift wrap?” I asked the sales lady.

“Yes! Give me fifteen minutes!” the young girl said as she disappeared into the back. I wondered around the store and then headed to the front window and glanced out. Boerne had grown so much in the past eight years. The small-town charm was still there, kind of, but there were certainly a lot of people walking around, and I had no clue who they were.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. It was the strangest feeling. I hadn’t felt it since that day in Paris when I saw my mystery man.

“Here you go!” the store clerk called out as I jumped and spun around. “All ready for the party!”

I quickly made my way back over to the counter and took the two presents. “Thank you so much! They look adorable.”

“You’re so welcome.”

“Have a wonderful day!” I said as I nearly sprinted out of the store. The moment I got outside, I frantically looked around.

The feeling I had only moments ago was gone. Dammit. My body deflated, and I laughed at myself. “Goodness, Linnzi, you’re truly losing your mind. Thinking you would run into someone thousands of miles from you.”

“Do you often make a habit of talking to yourself?”

I spun around and found Sayrn standing there. “Saryn! What are you doing?”

She smiled. “I just left my mother’s store. I came out to buy Nolan one more little gift. What about you? How was your first day back in Boerne?”

“It’s been…odd,” I said with a laugh.

She tilted her head and looked at me. “What do you mean?”

I waved off my words and replied, “Nothing. Where are you parked?”

Saryn motioned down the street. “Down a few blocks.”

“Me too, let’s walk together.”

“Tell me why your day was odd.” I could tell by the concern in her voice she truly wanted to know. “When I saw you run out of the store, you looked as if you were searching for someone.”

I let out a dramatic sigh. “Oh Lord. I truly think I’m losing my mind.”

“It’s a big adjustment, Linnzi. You’ve been gone a long time, and to come home and have this gap in your memory still… It will take time.”

I nodded. “I know. I went to the airport today and parked at the end of the runway. I was hoping maybe I’d have another memory just being there.”