Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Sydney
The long flight had done nothing to steady Sydney’s nerves.
Yellowstone International Airport was smaller than OR Tambo, but somehow louder. Busier. Too many voices talking over each other. Too many signs pointing in directions she didn’t understand. Everything smelled like too-sweet perfume, floor polish, and grease.
She clutched Banana in one hand, her passport and travel folder in the other, as she followed the slow shuffle of passengers through customs. She tried to copy the people around her—smile, nod, keep moving—but her mouth felt stiff and her legs wobbly.
The customs officer barely looked at her before stamping her passport and waving her through. She thanked him automatically, her voice tight.
Her eyes stung and she had a huge lump in her throat with the emotion threatening to spill out.
I should have told him.
The thought clanged around her head over and over again like a broken record.
The carousel spat out her suitcase with a dull thud.
She dragged it off with one hand and tried not to think about the thousand things that could go wrong now.
She didn’t have data on her phone here. No working SIM.
No way to message Daddy Greg unless she found WiFi, which she couldn’t seem to do because her phone refused to cooperate.
“Come on,” she whispered to it. “Just work. Please.”
Banana dangled from her fingers, her ears flopping pitifully. Sydney hadn’t even tucked the old bunny back into her bag before getting off the plane, too overcome with nerves to be able to let go of her most prized possession.
She reached a set of glass doors that slid open automatically, and was immediately hit by a wave of cold and noise. Car engines, honking, shouting. People everywhere. Some reunited in dramatic hugs, some pushing past each other like it was all just another day.
And to cap it all off... she was freezing because she’d forgotten to take out one of the bigger jackets Daddy Greg had warned her she needed to bring with her for winter in Montana.
Dammit.
She stepped to the side, out of the foot traffic, her backpack slipping from her shoulder. The lump sticking in her throat finally gave way.
Wrapping her arms around Banana and staring at the ground, Sydney blinked fast trying to get rid of the tears rapidly filling her eyes.
“I... I... can’t,” she whispered.
A tear slipped free, rolling down her cheek before she could stop it.
And then...
A voice. Warm. Deep. Kind.
“Little miss? You alright?”
She flinched and looked up. A man crouched a few feet away from her, big hands spread open in front of him like he was approaching a spooked colt.
He wasn’t airport staff or security. He wore jeans, a soft-looking gray T-shirt under a thick red and blue flannel shirt, covered by a heavy coat that looked so warm Sydney wanted to crawl into it.
All this was finished off with the required cowboy attire of scuffed brown boots.
A deep olive-green ball cap shadowed his face, but she could see a square jaw, a bit of stubble, and a gentle smile.
“Didn’t mean to startle you and your bunny there,” he said softly. His accent curled around the words like warm honey and Southern nights. “You looked a smidge... well, overwhelmed.”
Sydney swallowed hard. Her throat felt thick. Nodding mutely, she found she was unable to respond.
He glanced down at Banana, still cradled in her arms. If he thought anything of it, he didn’t say a word about it. Just stayed crouched there with a patience she hadn’t expected from a random stranger.
“My name’s Levi,” he said. “I don’t work here or anything, I was just passing through, picking someone up. But if you need a hand, I don’t mind helping out. You lost, little miss?”
His words were calm, like slow-moving water. Nothing too pushy or invasive. It was exactly what Sydney needed in that moment to help her calm down enough.
Still hugging Banana, she managed to whisper. “I... I’m okay.”
“Alright,” he said, nodding slowly, like they were having a real conversation. “You sure? You look like maybe the day’s got you a little turned around there.”
Her lip trembled, and she ducked her head. “I was... supposed to be on a different flight. My boyfriend’s meeting me later. I didn’t tell him I’d be early.” She took a deep breath. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but now... I am not exactly sure how to get to him.”
There. It was out.
Levi gave a quiet, understanding smile. “That does sound like a rough start. Especially for someone in a different country. But you’re not stuck, little miss. Not at all. We just need to get you a ride.”
She hesitated. Sydney didn’t want to share too much. Greg had warned her about that. About being careful.
Plus... with her history, Sydney knew that giving the teensiest bit of information to a stranger could lead to very dangerous things.
“Yeah,” she said finally. “I need a ride.”
He stood slowly and offered a hand. Not to touch, just to help her, if she wanted it.
“I’ll help you to the main exit,” he said. “There’s a transport desk just near the front. They do rentals, shuttles, local drivers. They’ll get you all squared away.”
Sydney stared at his hand.
Big, tanned, a faded scar crossing over his knuckles. He obviously did a lot of work with his hands, and somehow that made him seem safe.
She took it.
Levi didn’t grip too hard. Just enough to steady her. And then he made it even better when he grabbed her suitcase.
“I got it,” he said, easily taking the handle.
“And I saw that ‘deer in the headlights’ look, little miss. You don’t need to tell me where you’re going.
I just need to see you safely on your way.
” His warm words washed over Sydney in a soothing way.
“In fact, I think it’s very responsible of you.
Your boyfriend should be proud of you for being so careful. ”
At his last words, Sydney felt her cheeks redden with a blush. She shouldn’t be so affected by the words from this handsome stranger.
He led her through the crowd, shielding her from bumping shoulders and impatient travelers. Sydney walked beside him, still holding Banana in one hand, feeling like she’d stepped into a dream or a movie of some kind.
When they reached the transport counter, he handed off her suitcase gently.
“There you go,” he said with a little grin. “You’re almost there now. Just breathe. One step at a time, alright, little miss?”
Sydney opened her mouth, then closed it. Her eyes stung again.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He tipped his hat slightly, then turned to go.
She watched him disappear into the crowd, her heart still pounding. Not from fear, but from something else. Something unexpected. And a smidge unwelcome.
Clutching Banana to her chest, she whispered to herself and her floppy-eared bunny. “It’s okay. We’re okay. And soon we’ll see Daddy.”
She stood in the queue at the transport counter, trying not to look like she was on the verge of falling apart. The airport noise still throbbed around her, but somehow, Levi’s calm had left an impression, a buffer against the chaos.
Her fingers tightened around Banana again, as she looked around, her gaze following where Levi had walked off to.
She quickly found him. His broad shoulders and long stride made him look every inch the cowboy she’d imagined the second he spoke.
Something about him had stuck to her skin, like the heat of the sun even after it’s gone.
But then he stopped.
A few feet ahead, a man stepped out from the flow of people. Tall, dark-haired, with a slim build and a sharp, stylish jacket that contrasted with Levi’s rugged simplicity.
Levi’s face softened immediately.
And then, without a word, he pulled the man into a warm embrace.
It wasn’t overly romantic. No kisses or lingering touches. But it was... intimate. Familiar. One of those hugs that said you’re mine, and I missed you, even if no one else around them noticed.
Sydney blinked.
A strange pang tightened in her stomach.
He had a boyfriend. Obviously, he wasn’t single.
She hadn’t even realized she’d hoped otherwise.
Embarrassment bloomed hot across her cheeks, followed quickly by guilt. She hugged Banana tighter and turned away sharply, berating herself.
She had a Daddy. A great one. She’d traveled halfway across the world to achieve her own storybook ending; she didn’t need some airport meet-cute to get one.
But for a second, just a flicker of a moment, she’d forgotten.
And she hated that.
“Ma’am? You’re up next.”
The voice broke through her spiral. She looked up at the woman behind the counter, who was already motioning her forward with a polite smile.
Sydney took a breath and stepped up, dragging her suitcase behind and pressing Banana close to her chest.
She gave the woman the details of what she needed, and within minutes she was following the directions to where she could find a car that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to take her to her end location.