“I didn’t get my bag yet,” I chuckled as I took a step away from the baggage belt and realized that my hands were still fairly empty without my rolling suitcase.
“My older brother always used to call me his little bunny,” Skyye informed me as she emphasized the term of endearment with air quotes.
Seeing my suitcase come up on the belt, I reached over and grabbed it. “I’m an only child. My mother passed away a few years ago…”
“I am so sorry!” Skyye interrupted as she snatched me up in a hug. It felt weird and nice at the same time.
“It’s life,” I said as I tried to shrug out of her unexpected hug.
Leading the way to where I would meet my driver, Skyye reached over and took my rolling suitcase. “Your hands look full and I don’t have anything. I am only here for about six hours and then I am hopping on a flight to California.”
“Thank you,” I said. I was happy for the help. The weight from all my bags was starting to get to me and I could feel myself getting tired again.
I followed Skyye the short distance to a few rows of plastic chairs that were located in the middle of the airport. A few inches away, a group of people were standing holding up all different kinds of signs. Scanning the signs for my name, I felt the exhaustion of the day’s excitement creep in a little bit more. Pulling my sweater closed to ward off the cold that started to seep into my bones, I hoped that I was able to find my ride before the trembling began. I knew that whatever was stealing my life from me was getting stronger and I realized I didn’t have a lot of time left to see the world.
“Jax!” Skyye screamed out as she took off running toward one of the men standing in the small group of people. Following my new friend with my tired eyes, I watched as she jumped into his unexpecting arms and knocked the small piece of paper that he was holding to the ground. When he recovered from her loving assault, he hugged her back and smiled brightly. I thought there was something familiar about him, but I couldn’t be too sure from the distance. He was dressed in dusty denim overalls and a faded baseball cap that was pulled down low on his head. He stood out like a sore thumb from all the other men in their black suits and white button-down shirts. I could see love in his dark eyes as he looked at Skyye and twirled her around. When he finally stopped to put her down, Skyye looked back toward me and waved me over to them. “Autumn, I’d like for you to meet my big brother.” Turning to look back at her brother, “I had no idea that you would be here.”
“I’m picking up a guest for Gus,” Skyye’s brother said as his gruff expression from a few seconds ago softened for his sister. “Some woman booked the guest cabin for an extended stay and the old man sent me to collect her.”
Stepping back quickly from her brother and smoothing out her uniform, “I am so sorry. I thought you came to surprise me for my first flight,” Skyye said as her excitement started to drain from her small body. Reaching down to pick up the paper that she had knocked out of her brother’s hand, her smile instantly returned. Turning to look back at me, “It really is a small world.”
“What are you talking about?” her brother asked as he looked between Skyye and me.
Trying to hold back the laughter and excitement that was building up inside of her, “I’d like you to meet your driver. Autumn Grant, this is your driver, Jax.” Turning to look at her brother, “Jax, this is my new friend, Autumn. I guess she will be staying with you and Gus out at the farm.” Skyye couldn’t contain her amusement any longer as she took a step backward, leaving Jax and I gazing at each other.
Chapter Nine
Staring into the warm brown eyes of the man that my new friend had just introduced as her brother, I couldn’t help but get lost. There was something about this man that had captivated me, and I was afraid that if I ended the moment and looked away, I would fall. I had never felt this way before; only read about it in romance books. I could hear Skyye’s giggling, but she sounded so far away, almost as if there was a fog or a magical veil separating Jax and me from the rest of the world. The only thing that I was sure of was that I was peeking into the soul of a man who had a broken heart and spirit, and I wanted to be the one to fix it. I wanted his big strong sun-kissed arms to hold me, and I wanted those warm chocolate brown eyes to only see me. I wanted to feel those plump lips all over my body, and I needed to hear my name tumble from them.
“Do you have any more bags?” his voice came out harsh as he broke eye contact with me and looked down to my full hands. Shaking my head to clear the thoughts that had started running like crazy, I looked up and realized that I was still standing in the middle of the airport.
“This one is hers, too,” Skyye’s voice filtered into my ears as she made her way over to my side. Pushing the rolling suitcase into her brother, “Can I catch a ride with you out to the farm? I would love to see Gus before I head out on my next flight to California.”
“Come on!” Jax huffed out as he took my bag, turned around almost like a robot and led the way to the exit.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Skyye giggled as she followed her brother.
Shaking my head and clearing the thoughts that were starting to run around freely, I put one foot in front of the other and started following my new friend. “Wait for me,” I called out as I picked up speed to catch up to Skyye and Jax.
*****
“Gus! Where are you?” Skyye called out as she climbed out of Jax’s truck, left the passenger door wide open and made a beeline for the farmhouse that we were parked in front of. Watching her run through the small patch of grass, bound up the old squeaky steps and through the old wooden screen door put a smile on my face. The slam of the door once she was inside just felt right to me.
“I wish she would slow down,” Jax huffed as he undid his seat belt and opened up the driver’s door. Sliding out of his seat and standing in the grass, he stretched and peered into the truck at me, “You coming?” Making his way around to the back of the truck, he grabbed my bags and started walking in the opposite direction of the farmhouse that Skyye had just run into.
Quickly grabbing my pocketbook, I unlatched my own seatbelt and pushed on the door that clearly didn’t want to budge. Feeling the panic start to rise, I turned in my seat and looked for Jax. He was nowhere to be seen and my heartbeat started to pick up. Turning to look out the driver’s side window, I still didn’t see him and suddenly heard a dull buzzing in my ear. Remembering the familiar signs from my childhood, I forced my eyes shut and leaned back into my seat. “One, two, three, four, five…”
“Hey, Miss Grant, are you okay?” Jax’s voice sounded from the other side of my door, forcing my eyes to snap open. Turning to look at him, I wiped the sweat that had formed on my head from my panic attack away and took a deep cleansing breath.
“Th..th..the door,” I stuttered. I hoped that I was making a little bit of sense and not a complete fool of myself.
Realization hit him and something flashed in his eyes that snatched away his gruff exterior. Looking at me with concern pouring from every ounce of his body, he instantly dropped my bags and pulled the metal door open. The rush of air that filled the truck washed over me and helped calm my racing heart. “I am so sorry about that. This old door sticks sometimes and just needs a bit of a pull.” Reaching his hand out to me, I grabbed it and held on for dear life. A jolt of electricity ran through me and snapped my head up to see if he showed any signs of feeling it too. “Come on. Let me help you.” Helping me out of the truck, I stood on shaky legs in the patch of grass. Taking in a huge gulp of air, I looked up to the sky and took in the warmth from the sun overhead. The sky was not as blue as it was when I looked out of the plane window earlier. I hoped that I would be able to experience seeing the sky so tranquil and peaceful as it was from up in the sky again. “Miss Grant?” Jax’s voice invaded my head. “Can I get you a glass of water or anything before I help you to your cabin?”