Miss Matched [COMPLETED]

43. Simon

Six weeks later I exit the international arrivals in Inverness and search the sea of eager expressions for Tayla's familiar face. Even with video chats, I'm thirsty for a glimpse of her. A dehydrated man in a desert.

Then I spot her, weaving through the crowd. I stop pushing the trolley with Rex's crate, drop my bags in the middle of the exit lane, and ignore all the grumbling people dodging my dog and bag. I rush toward her, lifting her off her feet and sweeping her into a hug. Her delighted laughter rings in my ears, and I soak her in.

Framing her face, I stare into her eyes. "God, it's good to see you."

"I can't believe you uprooted your whole life to follow me here." She's on her toes, arms around my neck.

"Didn't feel like much of a life without you in it." Then I kiss her, letting all the longing and sadness from the last few weeks fall away. We're together, and whatever happens, we're going to handle it side-by-side.

Tayla deepens the kiss, and I wonder how fast she can get us back to the farm. Rex barks in his crate, abandoned in the middle of the exit lane.

She breaks the kiss and laughs. "Rex is going to love the farm. Not sure the sheep will love him. They're a special kind of ornery."

"The Highland Cattle and I are going to be buddies. I'll let the dogs wrangle the sheep." I sling my arm around Tayla's shoulders while we walk back to retrieve Rex and my bags from the exit ramp.

"They are well trained. I'd be lost without them." She walks beside me while we exit the airport and head for the parking garage. She eyes my cart with my luggage and Rex. "I'm glad I brought the vet ambulance, otherwise this all wouldn't fit."

"A vet ambulance?" I frown. "Have you had to use it yet?"

"Not yet. Angus said he bought it a few years ago at his wife's insistence, but it's only been used a handful of times to cart animals back to the clinic." She glances at me. "It's a long drive back. How's your jetlag?"

My adrenaline kicked in when I saw her, so for now I'm good. But my experience with other time changes makes me realize my buzz might be short-lived. "I'm good for now." I grin. "Stupidly excited to be here."

Her smile matches mine. "Me too. I just—" Her smile fades a little. "I hope you like it here."

"If you love it, I'm sure I will too." Except I'm not quite as confident as all that. I love Tayla, and I love animals. But a farm? I'm a city boy at heart. Zoos and farms are places people like me visit, and I've never dealt with an animal larger than me before. This whole experience might have a sharp learning curve, but I'm up for it. Whatever I don't know, Tayla will teach me. I've got nothing to worry about.

~ * ~

Rex meets the working dogs, and after some circling, they all seem to decide to ignore each other. In fact, Rex sticks to my heels while Tayla shows me the vet clinic.

"You sent pictures, but it's a lot bigger than I expected."

"He has a good practice," Tayla admits. "Between house pets and farm animals, I am almost too busy. Doesn't help that everyone seems to have made an appointment in the first month to meet me. I'm not sure if Angus told everyone to do that or if it's just the smaller community thing, but the onslaught of people was overwhelming."

I rub her back, and she throws her arms around my waist, pressing her face into my side. "I'll take over whatever you need to ease your load," I say.

"I can't believe you're here." She snuggles in before peering at the clock over the register. "I need to get the barn animals fed and then we can figure out what we're eating for dinner. I also have an ewe I need corralled into the barn so I can get a better look at her. I think she's sick."