“It’s where I keep my plane.”

“We’re flying?”

“Of course we are. I don’t have six hours to spend driving to Memphis and back today.”

“You didn’t say anything about flying.” She looked around, noticing the runway and light towers at either end of the strip. “Where’s the pilot?” she asked with trepidation.

“You’re looking at him.”

“No way.” She folded her arms. “I’m not going.”

He snorted with disgust and pushed open the hangar doors. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, darlin’, but I’ve been flying since before you were born.”

She stood back and watched him use a small Jeep to pull a gleaming Cessna out of the building. He tossed his briefcase and bag into the airplane’s cabin and then took several minutes to walk around the plane, touching various parts and kicking others.

“Last chance.” He held up his keys. “You can take the car back to the house if you don’t want to come.”

“How long does it take to get there?”

“Twenty minutes.”

“Fine. I’ll go, but I’m keeping my eyes closed the whole time.”

“Suit yourself.” He ushered her inside the plane and directed her to sit next to him. After he completed a series of preflight checks, he reached over her shoulder for the seat belt. The back of his hand brushed her breast, and her eyes flew up to meet his as he snapped the buckle into place.

Tearing his gaze off her, he focused on the control panel as the engines roared to life. He adjusted a headset and taxied to the far end of the runway.

Kate said a silent prayer as they hurtled down the runway and lifted off. Despite her best intentions, curiosity won out, and she opened her eyes. Gasping at the exquisite view of his property from the air, she saw the house, the creek where they’d watered the horses, the guesthouse, and the miles of white fence and rolling green hills.

“I thought you weren’t going to look.”

“Shut up and fly the plane.”

He laughed. “Want to give it a try?”

“No!”

True to his word, they touched down twenty minutes later at Memphis International Airport just behind a commercial flight.

“You can look now,” Reid said as they taxied to a hangar set back from the airport’s main terminal.

“I’m working on breathing. Looking is next.” She glanced over at him. “I’m impressed.”

“With what?”

“That you’re a pilot,” she said, nodding to the plane’s controls.

“It’s just like driving a car after all these years. I have business interests all over the state. It saves me a lot of time.”