Page 5 of Saltwater Cowboy

“That’s a full bag if I’ve ever seen one. Do you have your life in there?” Orange observed.

This guy is tap dancing on my last damn nerve. We were barely at the halfway point of this flight, and I was ready to ask if I could go sit in the cargo hold just to get away from him. I thought it was common knowledge that everyone is just trying to get from point A to point B and doesn’t want to have random conversations with strangers.

Thankfully, my hand found my book at the bottom of my bag. I had just started getting into reading again. When your best friend owns a bookstore, you read. I typically read romances because they’re relatable; however, when I got to the check-in desk, I switched them out. I went from a swoony rom-com to a thriller.

I shoved my bag back under the seat in front of me and focused my attention on the book. I was barely into the second chapter when out of my periphery, I saw Orange Man look at my book.

“Whatcha reading?”

I glared at him, refusing to remove my headphones once again. I’m in the midst of a mental breakdown, and he wants to make small talk.

He motioned for me to remove my headphones. I shook my head in response. Mr. Orange slumped back in his seat.

“A thriller where a fiancée brutally murders her soon-to-be husband after finding out he cheated on her and then goes on the run.” I piped up.

The look of absolute horror on his face was hilarious.

“That’s…dark,” he observed.

“No shit.”

The guy pointed towards my phone. “You’re not listening to anything.”

“Again—no shit.” I inhaled sharply. “Do you think maybe I just don’t want to talk to you? First, I put my headphones on, and you still talked. Then I opened a book with my headphones on, and you’re still talking to me.”

My words had a bitter edge to them.

“I’m sorry. I just—”

I held up a hand, not giving him a chance to respond.

“Noted.”

The goliath next to me finally took the hint and put his own headphones on. I sneakily watched as he unlocked his phone—his wallpaper was of the most incredible sunset—and listened to country music. This man wasn’t doing anything to break the country boy stereotype. His accent was so pronounced it sounded fake, and it was already grating on my frayed last nerve.

The next hour was peaceful. Well, as peaceful as it can be when you’re reading a book about murder thirty-two thousand feet up in the air. I had finally convinced myself that I was going to make it safely to Wippowa and would figure my life out. Right now, I’m just going to get lost in this book. One that I was sure wouldn’t have a happily ever after.

At this point, I don’t even know if I believe in love. Love is just an emotion; I like things that are logical. If you had asked me earlier today if I believed in love, you would’ve received an emphatic yes. I think I was just stupid and blinded by the thought of it all.

Did I ever really love Thad?

Did he love me?

Were we happy?

Why didn’t he want to continue living life together?

I found myself absentmindedly running my fingers over my bare left ring finger. The space once occupied by a promise ring for the past six months now felt empty—a quiet reminder of something lost, as if a piece of me had vanished along with it.

“Passengers, please prepare as we start to make our descent down into Wippowa.” The pilot’s voice came back over the intercom and I fully removed my headphones. “The weather is currently an unseasonably sixty-four and raining. Hope you packed a jacket!”

Of course, I would be in shorts and a T-shirt. It was supposed to be mid-to-high seventies and sunny. I looked at my pale legs and sighed. Even the weather in normally sunny Wippowa was reflecting my foul mood. I was optimistic that I would be able to sit outside and parse through my thoughts, all while getting a good tanning session in.

All my life, I felt my best when I was tan. My blonde hair gets blonder. The small gold ring hugging my left nostril shines beautifully against my skin. I feel like a brand-new person, hence why I thought we were moving.

We had planned the perfect life. We were going to rent an apartment until we figured out which lot we wanted to buy and then build our dream home on it. Thad was going to be close to an airport for work travel. I was going to try to start my yoga studio up again. We were going to get married, surrounded by our closest family and friends. Everything was going to be perfect.

Except perfection doesn’t exist.