Page 5 of Solitary Man

Taking his huge, hot hand in mine, I pushed it on his long, calloused finger and smiled up at him.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Congratulations. Cash, you may kiss your bride.”

Cash’s gaze shot to Landon, then back to me, and color darkened his cheeks—what I could see above his beard, anyway. I turned to face him fully, more nerves erupting in my belly. He didn’t make a move. He stood there frozen, looking down at me.

Landon chuckled. “Don’t blame you for looking at her like a deer in headlights, boy. But you’re gonna have to help her out.”

Cash frowned at Landon.

“You’ll need to bend down, son.”

He turned back to me, paused a moment, then bent down. I gripped his arms and rose to meet him, lifting to my tiptoes.

His lips finally touched mine, soft and warm, and a spark shot through me so hard and fast, I had to cling to him tighter, digging my fingers into his monster biceps so I didn’t fall to the floor in a heap.

His breath huffed out of his nose against my cheek, and without my say-so my tongue slid out to graze his upper lip. Cash jolted and lifted his head sharply, his eyes flashing.

Did he not like it? Was it too much, too soon?

Cash turned back to Landon. “License.”

Landon was grinning again, so wide all I could see were teeth. Cash signed it, then he took my hand and tugged me forward, putting the pen in my hand. Not handing me the pen, but literally putting it in my hand and wrapping my fingers around it, all but signing for me.

I signed my name and looked up at Landon. “Thank you for…”

Cash towed me from the general store. “This all of it?” he said, motioning to the three suitcases holding all my worldly possessions.

“Yes.”

He dipped his chin, picked up all three, and headed to the plane. Landon waved as I jogged after my new husband, trying not to trip over the uneven ground.

“See you in a month, Riley,” Landon called.

Cash loaded my bags into the plane, then opened the door closest to me, gripped my hips, and lifted me like I weighed nothing. I did not weigh nothing. I had curves. Some would say I was overweight. I didn’t care what anyone said. I had the same figure as my mother and her mother before that. There was no changing it, even if I wanted to. I didn’t.

Next to Cash, though, I felt petite in a way I never had in my life.

He shut my door, walked around, and climbed in beside me. Without a word, he reached over to help me buckle up and placed a headset on me. He put on his own, and soon the plane roared to life and we started moving.

My hands curled into tight fists, and I was finding it hard to breathe again. “I’m not the best flier,” I said into the headset. “I apologize in advance if I talk your ear off. I talk when I’m nervous.”

He said nothing.

“Oh God.” We bumped down the “runway,” picking up speed, and I shrieked and clung to the seat.

Then we were lifting off.

My hand flew out, gripping Cash’s forearm. He again said nothing as I clung to him like Velcro while he tried to fly the plane at the same time.

If I hadn’t been terrified, I would have been embarrassed or at least appreciated the pleasurable zaps firing up my arm from that little bit of contact between us.

Instead, I squeezed my eyes closed and hung on to him for dear life.

2

Cash

I shut off the plane and turned to my new wife.