Page 26 of Ella and the Enchanted Bookshop

I snorted. “Over there, in the far corner.”

“Perfect. We can avoid them all night if we feel like it.”

I was absolutely fine with that.

“So,” I said as we paused in front of a leather stall. “I know you’re in the Air Force, but I hardly know anything beyond that. Do you fly?”

He snorted. “Do you think everyone in the Air Force flies a plane?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. No one around here is in the military. The closest base in Colorado is hours away.”

He nodded. “Fair enough.” We walked to the next stall and stopped again to watch a woman spin pumpkin-flavored cotton candy. “I’m what you call an intelligence officer.”

“So… you’re smart?” I asked, knowing that’s not what he meant, but unable to stop myself from teasing him.

“I hope so.” He playfully pretended to elbow me. “Actually, I do a lot of research to gather intelligence about what’s going on in the world. That way I can do pre-mission briefings so the teams who are conducting missions around the world have the most up-to-date information about the areas where they’re conducting the mission. I update maps, explore possible scenarios, enemy capabilities, training, equipment, personnel…” He shrugged. “A little of everything, I guess. I also brief teams pre-deployment so they’re aware of the situation they’re heading into.”

“So…” I said, “another way of saying you’re smart.”

He laughed. “Well, my goal is to do the job.” Then his expression sobered slightly. “Unfortunately, it can also mean that they can ship me around the world whenever they want as well. If I’m needed somewhere across the world, I don’t really have a choice. They say go, and I go.” He looked around us. “I guess that’s one of the reasons I’ve been visiting as much as possible. I’m probably going to be going out of town for a while soon, and I’m trying to get in as much time here as I can.”

I felt my own smile slip from my face. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, to be honest. Sometimes it’s a short assignment. That’s called going TDY. It stands for Temporary Duty. But I can also deploy, and deployments are usually longer. They generally run anywhere from six months to a year, or even longer.”

“That’s… a long time.” I felt like the air had gone out of my lungs. Six to twelve months?

“What about you, though?” He nudged me. “You said something about school.”

“Oh.” I sighed.

“Oh?” He frowned down at me. “That doesn’t sound promising.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m going to school. My major’s in business. Unfortunately, I’m really busy, and money’s tight right now, so I’m only taking one eight-week class at a time.”

“Tight for you, or tight for the business?” he asked.

“Both.” I glared in Casey’s direction. “Casey seems determined to run the business into the ground with all her spending, and she pays me minimum wage. Besides, I don’t have the time to be in school full time. The horses need too much care.”

He didn’t reply immediately. We just continued walking slowly, the sounds of carnival rides, games, and music floating all around us. Children’s screams of delight rang out as we made our way past the hay maze that had been put up for small children, and down the way, children and adults alike picked out their own pumpkins at a pumpkin patch.

Still silent, he took my hand again and led me farther down the green. For a moment, I felt disappointment crash over me as I was sure he was walking me back to my family’s booth. But instead, he took me to the covered circular raised stage, where musicians were performing live music. Several couples were twirling in the center of the stage to the sound of the slow country song the band was playing. Pulling me up the steps, he took me to the far side of the stage and turned me to face him. And then, before I knew what we were doing, we were dancing.

“You feel trapped, don’t you?” he murmured in a low voice.

I swallowed hard against the way my eyes suddenly stung. “Is it possible to be trapped by something you love?”

“I don’t think the horses are the ones holding you hostage,” he said kindly.

I pulled back and studied him. He was just so handsome in his boots, button-up plaid shirt, and blue jeans. His haircut was short and sharp against his head, and I had to resist the urge to run my hand over it to see what it would feel like.

“I don’t want to abandon them,” I whispered. “But I can’t stay like this forever.”

It was only as I said the words that I realized just what I had said.

I can’t stay like this forever.

And it was true. If tonight had proved anything to me, it was that I couldn’t stay under Casey’s thumb indefinitely. But where did that decision lead me? I had no idea what to do without the ranch or my beloved horses.