Most eligible cowboy, p.18
Most Eligible Cowboy, page 18
Julian sat there, blinking, as if he’d never seen a beautiful woman before.
He was usually much more suave than this. But something about this woman threw him off his game. He was at a loss for words.
“Ma’am, you’ll need to take your seat.” The flight attendant’s bright smile did little to mask her irritation.
“I will.” The woman propped a hand on her hip. “As soon as this gentleman gets out of my seat.”
“Sorry. Thought I had the row to myself.” Julian unbuckled his seat belt and stepped into the aisle, so the woman could get to her seat.
The flight attendant gave him the evil eye, then moved to help an older couple searching for space in the overhead bins.
“Sorry,” Julian said to the woman who was buckling her seat belt as she stared out onto the tarmac. “When they shut the door and no one was here, I assumed—”
“That you’d hit the air travel lottery and had the row to yourself?” Her lips twitched with a hint of a smile. She tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear. “Given the situation, I would’ve made the same assumption. But I was here…just in the restroom.” She dropped her gaze, and he wondered if beneath her rich dark brown skin her cheeks were flushed. “When I’m traveling alone, I don’t like leaving my things on the seat unattended.”
“Understandable.” He nodded. After an awkward bit of silence, he extended his hand. “I’m JB, by the way. And I’m not usually a seat stealer.”
Her smile broadened. She shook his hand. “Chandra.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Chandra.” He realized he was smiling like a goober and still holding her hand when she gently tugged it free.
He cleared his throat and focused intently on sticking his phone and tablet into the pocket on the back of the seat in front of him.
Chandra reached into her bag and dug out a pair of premium over-the-ear headphones. A clear sign, if ever he’d seen one, that she had no intention of engaging in conversation.
Message received.
He’d go back to Plan A: catching up on episodes of television shows he never had time to watch. Up until today, he’d been too slammed with residency at a busy hospital in Philadelphia and volunteer work at clinics in both the inner city and rural Pennsylvania to make time for sci-fi escapism…but his life was going to be very different now.
During his going-away party in the hospital cafeteria the night before, his friends had said he should be glad to have a normal schedule and free time. They were jealous that he’d get to have a life now that he was going to be a small-town doctor.
He’d smiled politely and pretended to agree, but truthfully, he knew he’d miss being so busy he barely had time to dwell on his past mistakes—like the fractured relationship with his mother. Now that he was returning to the town where he’d grown up and where his mother still resided, there would be little chance of avoiding those uncomfortable feelings. This plane ride might be his last opportunity not to ruminate on what an awful son he was.
As the plane sped along the runway in preparation for their ascent, the woman gripped the armrest between them, her fancy high-heel boots dug into the floor, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Julian wanted to ask if she was all right. But it would be a stupid question. Clearly, she wasn’t. It was also clear Chandra didn’t want to be bothered, so he’d respect that. He just hoped to God this woman wouldn’t get sick during the flight.
Before long, they were given the okay to turn on electronics. But the pilot warned that it would likely be a bumpy ride and kept the sign on admonishing them to remain seated with their seat belts fastened.
No air traveler liked turbulence, but it didn’t particularly bother him…except when he was trying to watch a show on his tablet and eat his no-longer-hot panini and fries. He stuffed a few of the delicious, lukewarm fries into his mouth, then bit into his sandwich. When he opened his bottle of soda, the woman beside him nearly jumped out of her skin.
Chandra’s arms tensed as she white-knuckled her grip on the end of the armrest. She pointed at his iPad screen.
“Is that Orphan Black?”
Julian slid one earbud out of his ear and nodded. “Yeah. A couple friends of mine are science fiction geeks. They’ve been urging me to try the show for years, but they recently gifted me all the seasons. Figured I’d finally give it a try.”
“My sister raved about the show when it was on, but I never got around to watching it.” Chandra’s jaw tightened in response to the dip and sway of the plane. “I’d planned to read, but with all this turbulence, I can’t focus.”
“Nervous flyer?”
“Not on larger aircraft. Which is why I usually avoid smaller, regional planes.” Chandra squeezed her eyes shut momentarily, taking a deep breath before opening them again. “Let’s just say I’ll be glad when we land.”
“You’re welcome to watch the show with me,” he suggested, surprising himself. “I’m just starting Episode One. It’ll distract you from the bumpy ride and give you something else to focus on.”
“I don’t want to disturb the other passengers.”
“I can share my audio with you.” Julian was glad he’d paid attention when his tech geek roommate had shown him this trick. “Just tap the power button on your headset.”
She did and he shared his audio with her.
Chandra seemed surprised when the show began playing in her headset. “Thank you, JB.”
“My pleasure.” He extended the greasy cardboard box toward her. “French fry?”
Chandra stared at them apprehensively, her brows scrunched. Then she thanked him and grabbed two fries. She nibbled thoughtfully while watching the screen where he’d restarted the first episode. Chandra was completely engaged with the show from the opening scene, and he was mesmerized by her.
She was even more beautiful up close. Her sweet, subtle scent reminded him of the honeysuckle that grew along the fence in the backyard of his childhood home. They shared the armrest she’d been clutching for dear life minutes earlier. And the tension in her shoulders seemed to have eased as she focused on the screen of his tablet, propped on his tray.
When he offered her the fries again, she gladly accepted the box. Chandra nibbled quietly on the fries—which she apparently had no plans of relinquishing—as she reacted to each scene. The tense, action-packed show was doing its job—distracting her from the movement of the plane. But as exciting as the show was, he’d rather be spending their time together getting to know her.
There were a dozen questions he wanted to ask: Where was she traveling to? Where was she from? Was this a business or pleasure trip? Would she like to go out for coffee? What would she like for breakfast?
Instead, they watched the screen in silence. Her arm leaned against his, and her warmth seeped into his skin, despite the layers of fabric between them.
Suddenly the turbulence became far more noticeable as the plane dipped and then swayed. The captain requested that everyone take their seats and put away any trays. He complied. And after a particularly violent rumble, Chandra gripped his forearm, her heels pressed into the floor.
Julian placed his hand atop hers and forced a smile, even as his own stomach dipped. “I know it feels scary, Chandra. But everything is going to be fine—I promise.”
Chandra jerked her attention toward him, her forehead furrowed by a deep frown. Her mesmerizing eyes were a gorgeous deep shade of chocolate brown, rimmed by a slightly darker hue. Her smoky purple eye shadow made her brown eyes pop, and he honestly couldn’t help staring.
Chandra studied him; one perfectly arched brow hiked toward her hairline. She heaved a quiet sigh, and her shoulders slid back into place. She loosened her grip on his forearm but didn’t remove her hand. Nor did he remove his hand from hers.
“My brain realizes that, logically, you’re in no position to make such a promise. You don’t have any control over what the plane does, and for all we know, the pilot and copilot were in the lounge drinking body shots off the flight attendants and smoking J’s.” She shrugged. “But hearing you promise everything will be fine, like you truly believe it, really does help. So thank you.”
Julian’s mouth curved in a smile. He had that unsettling feeling in his gut again. Like he was at the top of a roller coaster, counting down the milliseconds until the car would careen down the hill.
What was it about Chandra…he didn’t even know her last name…that ignited that kind of reaction?
“Glad I could help.” Julian reluctantly removed his hand from atop hers and settled back against his seat.
Chandra released his arm, then frowned when the plane dipped and the cabin rumbled, causing several of the passengers around them to gasp and murmur.
Chandra closed her eyes. “Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be…”
Another bout of rough turbulence hit. Chandra slapped a hand over her mouth, as if to stifle a scream. She was shaking.
“I need you to make good on that promise, JB,” she said.
“Did you roller-skate on the sidewalk as a kid?” he asked.
Chandra furrowed her brows. “Sure. Why?”
“Remember how bumpy it was versus skating on a smooth surface, like at the rink? This is like that. Or like driving on a road filled with potholes. It’s uncomfortable and creates a bit of drama, but in the end, it’s always okay. It will be today, too.” Julian winked. “All right?”
Chandra blew out a breath and nodded.
“In the meantime, maybe this will help…”
He switched to a calming Zen playlist he listened to while meditating each morning. It was his way of chilling out despite the stress of medical school and his residency. Since their audio was still linked, the music played through Chandra’s headphones, too.
Julian perched his elbow on the armrest between them and opened his palm. “If you get really nervous, you can hold my—”
There was another dip and rumble, and Chandra pressed her palm to his and threaded their fingers. She squeezed tightly, her nails digging into the back of his hand.
Julian squeezed her hand reassuringly, hoping like hell everything would, in fact, be just fine.
Copyright © 2022 by Roxanne Ravenel
Love Harlequin romance?
DISCOVER.
Be the first to find out about promotions, news and exclusive content!
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Instagram.com/HarlequinBooks
Pinterest.com/HarlequinBooks
ReaderService.com
EXPLORE.
Sign up for the Harlequin e-newsletter and download a free book from any series at
TryHarlequin.com
CONNECT.
Join our Harlequin community to share your thoughts and connect with other romance readers!
Facebook.com/groups/HarlequinConnection
ISBN-13: 9780369724311
Most Eligible Cowboy
Copyright © 2022 by Stacey Kennedy
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book, please contact us at CustomerService@Harlequin.com.
Harlequin Enterprises ULC
22 Adelaide St. West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada
www.Harlequin.com
Stacey Kennedy, Most Eligible Cowboy
