The Secrets of Her Past. Emilie Rose

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      Surprise mingled with trepidation because the plan was moving forward. “What do you know? The Drakes bought me an airline ticket. I don’t have to drive seven hours after all. That means I’ll have time to negotiate with Josh.”

      “In that case, come to Sunday brunch and have some of Mom’s awesome shrimp and grits. You can talk to Josh before he, his dad and grandfather head for their favorite catfish hole.”

      “Let’s go, then,” Madison said. She grabbed her purse and followed Piper out the door.

      Flying would save her a lot of time and gas money, but it also meant she’d be stranded with the Drakes. If something went wrong she’d have no means of escape. But at the moment being without her truck was the lesser of two evils.

      * * *

      MADISON SCANNED THE terminal looking for a ticket counter or an electronic board listing flights, but saw neither. Although she’d never had a reason to stop by the local airport before, it was too small and too empty for her to have missed anything that important. She was the only person wandering around.

      Shouldering her small duffel bag, she approached a desk occupied by a bored-looking fortysomething man reading a fishing magazine.

      “Good evening, sir. I’m supposed to fly to Norcross, Georgia, tonight. Could you tell me where I can pick up my ticket and where my flight is boarding?”

      The man looked at her over the wire rims of his glasses as if she’d spoken a foreign language. “We don’t serve commercial carriers, miss. Lost our last one a few years back. We’re strictly general aviation. All we get are private planes and the occasional corporate jet, and politician or military landing. Better verify your flight information. I got nothing for you.”

      How could she have misunderstood? “Thank you.”

      She pulled out her cell phone as she walked away and reread Adam’s text. No, it said exactly what she remembered. She’d have to text him for clarification. She dropped her bag at her feet.

      “Madison,” Adam’s deep voice called as if she’d conjured him.

      She looked up to see him striding toward her wearing faded jeans and a black polo. He had sunglasses perched on top of his head.

      Her breath hitched. Had he always been this handsome? Of course he had. He looked just like Andrew, only with shorter hair, a broader build and a scowl that was somehow more attractive than his brother’s charming, ingratiating grins.

      Why was he here? What had happened to her airline ticket?

      “This way,” he said before she could ask and jerked his chin toward the end of the building from which he’d come. She bent to grab her bag. The heat of his hand covered hers on the strap as he did the same. The contact seared her. She snatched the burning extremity away.

      Static electricity. That’s all.

      Who was she trying to fool? Warmth pooled low in her belly and a tingle worked its way through her veins, but that was simply Mother Nature talking, reminding Madison that she was too young to be put out to pasture. Her ovaries were still fully functional and wanted a workout.

      She squashed that reaction and slowly straightened. Grasping the strap, he rose beside her, his gaze drilling hers through narrowed, suspicious eyes.

      She carefully blanked her expression.

      “Is this all you packed?”

      “I’ll only need a couple scrub suits. This isn’t a pleasure trip.”

      His scowl deepened. He about-faced and headed for a pair of glass doors on the opposite side of the building from where she’d parked. The breath leaked from her lungs like a tire going flat. She shouldn’t antagonize him, but for pity’s sake, her skittish reaction would make one think she’d never been touched by a man before. Well, she hadn’t in a long time. Years, actually. Still, celibacy was no excuse for her neglected hormones to start tap-dancing now—and for Andrew’s brother no less.

      Maybe her vow to live without sex had been a bad one, but pickings were slim in Quincey, and small-town people thrived on gossip. That made finding a local man she could like and respect, but who wouldn’t demand more than a friends-with-benefits relationship, a difficult proposition. She wasn’t the type to drive out of town for one-night stands, and her few experiences with dating websites had not been good ones. Only two of the guys ever made it past the initial screening phone call, and those dates had been a waste of time and gasoline.

      No. That whole romantic fantasy of soul mates and forever was not for her. She’d never let herself be that vulnerable again.

      The doors slid closed between them, kicking her into action. Why was Adam here, her brain nagged again. Had he decided to drive her to Norcross? If so, why hadn’t he informed her of the change of plans? She hustled after him to get her answers.

      Before Adam had surprised her at her house a few days ago, she’d never spent any time alone with him and didn’t want to contemplate the long drive cooped up in a car with him now. She checked her watch. They’d arrive so late that she wouldn’t get more than a few hours’ sleep, and she’d be good for nothing in Dr. Drake’s office tomorrow.

      The doors slid open automatically, revealing an asphalt tarmac—not another parking lot. A half dozen planes were tethered in a row. Adam was already halfway to one small white aircraft with blue and silver stripes and three windows on the side. Her feet stalled. The cool air from the terminal swirled past her, blending with the warmth radiating from the pavement.

      He opened a door on the side and shoved her bag through it. Her brain screamed in protest. He turned and then did a double take, as if he’d only now noticed she wasn’t immediately behind him.

      “Are you coming?” He folded his arms and waited with one leg bent, staring at her through the dark sunglasses he’d lowered over his eyes. He presented an all too appealing picture—like a cologne advertisement for an adventurous man or something. “Madison, we need to get in the air.”

      Dear heaven. She wasn’t mistaken. They were traveling by plane. “I thought you and Andrew were deathly afraid of flying after that near-miss midair accident when you were kids.”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ