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“I won’t be long,” Nash jammed his legs into the jeans she’d secured for him and padded out the door barefooted.
Londyn dressed quickly in nice trousers, a rib-knit blue sweater and, of course, her boots. She had just started smoothing the tangles out of her hair when Nash stepped through the door.
He crossed to take the brush out of her hand and gently worked through the tangles until all were gone and her hair was smooth and silky.
She turned in his arms and leaned up on her toes to kiss him. “You could hire out your hair-brushing skill and make a fortune.”
“I reserve that skill for special people.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “The bathroom is all yours.”
Though she’d rather stay in the circle of his arms, Londyn hurried out of the room and into the bathroom. Minutes later, with her face washed and her teeth brushed, she was ready to go.
They descended the stairs to find her mother standing at the bottom, a robe wrapped around her, her face free of makeup. She enveloped Londyn in a tight hug. “No matter the mistakes I’ve made along the way, know that I love you and only ever wanted you to be happy.”
“I love you, too, Mother.” Londyn leaned back. “Are you staying here for a while?”
Her mother nodded. “I think so. I have unfinished business I need to tend to.”
Londyn cocked an eyebrow. “Namely, Ben Standing Bear?”
Her mother’s cheeks flushed with color. “After all these years apart, I didn’t think I’d have any feelings left for him.” She laughed. “I was wrong.”
Londyn hugged her again. “Life is short. You have to follow your heart.”
“I asked one of the ranch hands to drive you out to the plane,” her mother said. “He’s waiting in the truck.”
Londyn left the ranch house, her heart a little lighter, knowing her mother was still there and that she might finally get her happily-ever-after.
The ride to the plane didn’t take long. It stood on a dirt landing strip used by local crop-dusting pilots.
She climbed up into the small plane, settled in a seat and buckled her safety harness.
Nash dropped into the seat beside her and buckled up. They pulled headsets over their ears and listened for instructions from the pilot.
Soon, the plane was taxiing down the hard-packed dirt runway, gathering speed. Moments later, the wheels left the ground, and they were in the air, heading south to Yellowstone.
Nash had called Dan Mitchell at the T-Bar-M Ranch the night before and asked for the closest landing strip to the movie set at Yellowstone. Mitchell had offered the dirt strip on his ranch and added that he’d be happy to transport them from there to the Yellowstone location.
The roar of the aircraft’s engines and the use of headsets limited casual conversation.
Londyn calmed her nerves by looking out the window at the plains below them and the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in the distance. She was incredibly lucky to live in such a beautiful area of the country and hoped she never took it for granted.
The drive that had taken four hours took a mere hour in the plane. They landed as the first gray lights of dawn brightened the sky.
As promised, Mitchell was waiting for them in his truck, and he’d brought food.
“Cookie heard I was picking you two up before dawn and insisted on sending breakfast burritos.” He handed Londyn a small cooler. “There’s orange juice in there as well, or you can have the coffee in the thermos.” He nodded toward the thermos in the front seat.
“Coffee,” Londyn moaned and handed the cooler to Nash. She poured steaming brew from the thermos into the empty cups positioned in the truck’s cup holders.
After Londyn capped the thermos, Mitchell shifted into drive. “I got word from Dr. Matheson. He was able to get the test results quickly. They found traces of amphetamines in the blood sample.”
“Amphetamines?” Londyn shook her head. “You mean she didn’t eat something bad?”
“Not unless she got a hold of a bottle of amphetamines lying around,” Mitchell said.
“Which means someone gave her the drugs,” Nash said.
Heat rose up Londyn’s chest and neck into her cheeks. “I can put up with being the target of some asshole trying to kill me, but they better not fuck with my horse.”
