not going to be able to eat all these onion rings,” Angie said. “Does anyone want to help me out?”
“I’ve never had them before,” Brian said.
She passed her plate to him. “You should at least try one. You might be missing a real treat.”
Ten minutes later, Kylie had eaten three-quarters of her sandwich. Justin had finished off his corn dog and decided that he preferred dipping his fries in mustard rather than catsup. And Brian had wolfed down most of Angie’s onion rings.
Then the kids dashed back to the arcade with the last of the quarters, leaving the adults sitting amid the clutter of nearly empty plates, wadded napkins, dribbles of soda pop and a melting ice cube.
Toby studied Angie in the dim light of the least romantic restaurant in West Texas.
Why in the world hadn’t he taken the time to get to know her sooner, when his life hadn’t been complicated by three children?
He supposed one reason he’d steered clear of her was because his brother Jude had once dated her. And for that reason, Toby had considered her off-limits.
Yet, when the kids returned to the table, high from their final top-ranking scores on Ms. Pac-Man, the sound of Angie’s infectious laughter, as well as the way she pulled Kylie onto her lap and gave her a squeeze, made Toby think he’d better have a talk with his newly engaged brother.
There were a few questions he needed to ask Jude. Because maybe, just maybe, this funny and beautiful woman wasn’t entirely off-limits after all.
Chapter Three
Ever since Angie had joined him and the kids for dinner on Saturday night, Toby hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. By Monday morning he was racking his brain, trying to come up with an excuse to see her—other than stopping by the Superette to pick up groceries, although he was tempted to do just that.
Then, while driving the kids to school, he had a lightbulb moment.
Brian, who was seated in front, was craning his neck and peering out the windshield at a plane flying overhead.
“Look at that one,” he said, pointing it out to his younger brother, who sat in the back with Kylie. “Wouldn’t it be cool to fly an airplane?”
And bingo! Toby had the perfect solution.
“How would you like to talk to a real pilot and see some planes up close?” he asked Brian.
The oldest boy had been unusually quiet and introspective since moving in with Toby, but when he glanced across the seat, his mouth dropped open and his eyes lit up in a way they’d never done before. “That would be awesome. Do you know one?”
“My cousin Sawyer and his wife, Laurel, own the new flight school and charter service. Laurel is actually the pilot. She was even in the air force.”
“No kidding?” The boy’s jaw dropped, and his eyes grew wide. “For real?”
Most people in town were more impressed with Toby’s connection to the Fortune family, rather than the lovely woman one of his cousins had married. “Yes, for real. I’ll give Sawyer a call this morning and ask for a tour.”
“For all of us?” Justin asked.
“And for me, too?” Kylie chimed in. “If it’s a girl pilot, I want to see her.”
Toby laughed. “Yes, we’ll all go. After I drop you guys off at school, I’ll try to work out a good time for us to go. But no promises on when that might be.”
And that was just what Toby did. Once the kids had gotten their backpacks, climbed out of the truck and headed for their respective classrooms, he called his cousin.
Sawyer’s father, James Marshall Fortune, had been a triplet. His two sisters had been given up for adoption when they were very young. Josephine May was raised in England by the Chesterfields, a family that was both rich and royal. Jeanne Marie, Toby’s mom, was raised in Horseback Hollow by loving parents who were common folk. But what they lacked in finances, they made up for in love.
Last year, Sawyer had met Laurel Redmond in Red Rock, where they fell in love. On New Year’s Eve, they married in Horseback Hollow, where they now made their home. Sawyer and Laurel opened Redmond-Fortune Air, which served folks in this area. Laurel used to work with her brother, Tanner Redmond, who owned the Redmond Flight School and Charter Service back in Red Rock. They originally opened a branch of that company here, but with Tanner’s blessing and Sawyer’s capital, Laurel bought out her brother’s stock and recently went out on her own.
When Sawyer answered the phone, Toby told him about Brian’s interest in airplanes, then asked if he could bring the kids by the airfield sometime for a tour.
“Absolutely,” Sawyer said. “Laurel flew a couple of businessmen from Vicker’s Corners to Abilene this morning for a meeting, but she should be back before three.”
“Is Angie Edwards working for you today?” Toby asked, as casually as he could.
“As a matter of fact, she comes in at one-thirty and will be here until four. Why?”
“No reason. I’d heard she was a part-time receptionist.” Toby glanced at the clock on the dashboard, realizing he had a lot of chores to get done today. But no telling when Angie would be working at the flight school again.
“The kids get out of school at three,” he told Sawyer. “So we’ll head over to the airfield then.”
And that was just what he did.
As had become his routine, Toby waited in front of the school when the bell rang. Only this time, he’d gone home so he could shower, shave and put on a new shirt and his favorite jeans.
“Did you talk to your cousin?” Brian asked, as he climbed into the truck.
“I sure did. And Sawyer said to come by today.”
Whoops and cheers erupted from the backseat. Even the usually quiet Brian was beaming, confirming that Toby had just hit a home run.
So what if fulfilling a young boy’s dreams to get to see the inside of a cockpit hadn’t been his only motive? Besides, the kids had been talking about Angie nonstop—especially Kylie—and they were going to be just as excited to see her as he was. If he happened to talk to a beautiful woman and casually slip in a dinner invitation while they were at the airfield, then so be it.
“But let’s set some ground rules,” he told the kids. “You’re going to have to mind your manners and not touch anything you’re not supposed to. No running off—that means you, Justin. And the minute we get back to the ranch, you’re going to have to sit down and do your homework. No complaints. Got it?”
A chorus of “got it”s and excited chatter filtered over the seat to him.
Fifteen minutes later, as the anticipation built in the cab of the truck, Toby turned down the county road that led to their destination.
Prior to the addition of Redmond-Fortune Air, the Horseback
