Rough Landing

Ruby watched as the mountains and trees transitioned into farms and fields. Everything was green, and so different than back in Amor. As beautiful as this was, it made her miss home. Ruby knew the desert, had grown up with it, and knew what to expect from it. She wasn’t thinking of just the landscape, but also the people in it. They were predictable, just like the seasons. She knew when the windy season would give way to the monsoon season, and when to expect the mosquitoes and rattlesnakes.

Up here was different. When she and Parker had first gone up in the balloon, she’d felt freer than she had in years. Everything was new and exciting. She found she could actually pretend she was a different ve

Locked Chapter

Continue to read this book on the APP

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Related chapters

• Borrowing Amor   A Rash Decision

  Parker brushed past Ruby and headed toward the car.“What about thermals?” Ruby asked, hurrying after him.“I’ll risk it,” Parker said. He’d never felt this conflicted and confused before. He didn’t want to be with anyone, he just wanted to fly. Alone.“Don’t you need Andy and Rafael?” she asked.“They’re on their way down.” Parker threw his backpack into the back seat. “Don’t wait up for me,” he said before jumping into the car and tearing out of the parking lot. He couldn’t believe it. How could he have been so blind? Parker was just grateful that R

• Borrowing Amor   Missing in Action

  Ruby held onto the seat in front of her, but she couldn’t keep herself from bouncing all over the place, even with the seatbelt on. This was her worst nightmare come true. Her fear of riding in cars battled with her fear of Parker dying in a flying accident, and she swore that if something happened to him, she’d never leave the house again.Ruby knew she shouldn’t have convinced the guys to help Parker get into the air, but she had been trying to be supportive of what he was going through. She didn’t know everything, but Andy had told her enough to cause her to spring into action. He had been right. Ruby saw how self-centered she had been, and right then, all she wanted was to help Parker through his own personal tragedy. That was what was real. All they had was the present, and Ruby didn’t want to mess things up again.

• Borrowing Amor   Runaway

  Parker sat in the dirt, swatting at the mosquitoes who were treating him like a banquet. He had seen a small plane fly overhead half an hour before, but all had been quiet since. Well, he had wanted alone time, and he certainly had plenty of that. Parker wouldn’t be surprised if Ruby never talked to him again after this. Heck, he might not even have a crew for his flights anymore. He knew he had been reckless and stupid. Anger and grief did that to people.Knowing that not only was his parents’ marriage a mirage, but he had probably blown any chance he had with Ruby and possibly lost his two best friends—it was too much. He had tried to keep his emotions in check, but he couldn’t do it anymore. He allowed himself to cry. No, sob was more like it. All the despair broke through the barriers he had set up and flooded the dirt with hi

• Borrowing Amor   A Second Chance

  Ruby pulled up in front of her house and let a long breath seep out through her teeth. She knew taking Parker’s car was a stupid thing. But so was him flying his hot air balloon when he knew he shouldn’t. When Ruby had seen the balloon spread out on the ground like that, she’d imagined Parker sprawled out just like it, limbs twisted at odd angles. The flashbacks from Clark’s death had hit her so suddenly, and so hard, she’d panicked. Thank goodness all her years of training had kicked in and she’d managed to land the plane safely. The man had only asked to see her pilot’s license, which had never expired. Maybe because it was an emergency, he hadn’t asked to see the card that really mattered—the one that showed she’d actually kept up to date with her flights and training. He had then been kind enough to give her a ride to Parker’s car, which she was suppose

• Borrowing Amor   Two Imperfect People

  The plane landed—it was perfect. Even Ruby’s instructor looked impressed.As they stepped out of the plane, he said, “Looks like you haven’t lost your touch. You can officially fly again, with passengers.” He shook her hand.Ruby felt like she was still flying, and she screamed with excitement, spinning in a circle. “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her instructor in a bear hug.“Um…you’re welcome,” he said, patting her awkwardly on the back.She stepped back and looked at her phone. Ruby and Parker had driven to northern New Mexico for another balloon festival, but she’d had her o

• Borrowing Amor   Book 3: Borrowing a Fiance

  Melinda swept ceramic shards into her dustpan—at least the ones she could find. What used to be a plate lay scattered across the tile floor, but she knew from experience that she'd be finding small pieces for days to come. She'd seriously considered switching to using plastic plates in the diner, but then had been reprimanded by her mother about the environmental impact."France has banned plastic in their restaurants completely. We could learn a thing or two from them," her mother had said.Melinda had conceded and was now suffering for it. Even though her parents technically owned the diner, she'd been running it for the past nine years, and they hadn't even set foot there in the last four year

• Borrowing Amor   The Unexpected Date

  Daniel lingered, even after the last customer had left. "Do you need help closing up?"Melinda flipped the 'closed' sign. "No, I got this. Besides, you've already done so much. I feel like I should pay you or something."Daniel shook his head. "Don't you dare.""Well, your dinner is on the house, then. It was probably cold by the time you got around to eating it.""Some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it in a pot nine days old," he said with a shrug.Melinda laughed, and it lit up her eyes. He wondered how many people got to see that side of her. Most people equated her with a scowl, but she had the most beautiful, genuine smile, when she allowed it to shine through.

• Borrowing Amor   The Pronouncement

  Melinda woke with a start. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked out the car window. A large building with pillars greeted her. It was surrounded by palm trees and a man in a valet uniform stood out front."Good morning," Daniel said. "Or afternoon, I guess."Melinda stretched her legs as far as she could, but Daniel's car was a bit cramped. "How long was I asleep?""The last hour." He glanced around. "Is there any self-parking available at this joint, or do we have to hand over the car?"Melinda opened the passenger door. "I'm not sure, but I can ask." As soon as she stepped out, she heard someone calling her name. Her gaze snapped up and sh

Latest chapter

• Borrowing Amor   Book 5: Borrowing Kisses

  Zoe walked down the sidewalk, arm in arm with her best friend, Ruby. The sun had set an hour earlier and all they were left with was the light from the street lamps, splashing across the road. Summer was her favorite time of year, despite the monsoon rains that would leave as quickly as they arrived, and despite the mosquitoes the rain invariably brought with it. And right then, she loved the scents of the desert mingled with campfire smoke that surrounded them as they walked down Main Street toward the town park.“Too bad Parker couldn’t be here for the star party,” Zoe said, turning the corner by the bike shop. A small path led to the large park that was tucked away behind the buildings, w

• Borrowing Amor   All of It

  Bev stretched out in bed, her toes dangling over the edge. Katie had encouraged her to take a long weekend, and it was the best thing Bev could have done. Of course, that didn’t stop her mind from drifting to Charles, or keep her from constantly looking at the picture that Katie had given her. The one where she was floating in zero gravity, the earth behind her…while she kissed Charles. It was a picture-perfect moment, and one that she kept coming back to.Bev kept asking herself if she had overreacted. Maybe. She would never know, though. She had texted Charles several times over the previous few days. Even if nothing else happened between them, she wanted the chance to apologize. She felt bad about how she had left things, and the things she had said to him.But he’

• Borrowing Amor   The Clandestine Billionaire

  Charles arrived early at the celebratory lunch. They were meeting in a large conference room that had been decorated with glittering stars that hung from the ceiling. The black tablecloth also glittered, as though millions of stars were sprinkled all over it, but he couldn’t enjoy it when all he felt was regret. Charles had watched Bev walk away, and he had done nothing to stop her. But how could he have? Everything he had said, she’d turned it on its head and made him into the bad guy.When he had said her homelessness didn’t matter to him, he hadn’t meant that her experiences weren’t important. He had only meant that he didn’t care if she was a billionaire, or a kindergarten teacher. Or even homeless. It was the money that didn’t matter to him. But he was never able to explain himself. Bev had been so angry, he

• Borrowing Amor   Different Universes

  The spaceship landed with a thud and Bev’s heart thudded with it. They were back on Earth. Their journey was over. But not completely. After seeing the earth, so innocent and small, all of her problems seemed minuscule by comparison. She didn’t feel she had the right to complain about a broken high heel or having to eat spaghetti again for dinner when she’d rather have steak.Bev unbuckled her harness and Charles held out a hand to help her stand. She wasn’t sure why he thought she needed the help, until she tried and her legs wobbled under her. She took his gloved hand in hers, grateful for the support. It wasn’t until they walked down the steps from the spaceship that she let g

• Borrowing Amor   The Dance

  Charles felt queasy, but he didn’t think it was because of the motion of the spaceship. His nerves were clawing at him and his heart beat so fast, he thought it too was trying to escape. He touched the button on the side of his helmet. “You guys okay if I start talking through the techniques a little early? Or at least a little deep breathing?”“Yes, please,” Brady said, practically begging.“Breathe in…and hold it. One…two…three…four. Now slowly let it out,” Charles said. He was sure he needed it more than anyone else, but saying it out loud, and knowing the others were doing it with him, helped calm him down.The pilot’s voice cut in just as

• Borrowing Amor   The Big Day

  Bev woke up long before the sun rose. That would have implied that she slept, though, and she didn’t get much of that. This time it wasn’t because of Charles, however. He had texted her as she was getting ready for bed, asking if she wanted to go for an evening stroll. She had considered it, but in the end decided it would just complicate things. She hadn’t texted him back.Judging by the tossing and turning she heard from the other two beds, she doubted that Cecelia or Katie had slept either. Who could, when they knew they would be going up to space in just a few short hours? They had been prepared. They were ready.Even though Bev had ignored Charles’ text the night before, she peeked through the blinds next to her window, half hoping that he would be out there

• Borrowing Amor   The Simulation

  “Welcome to the simulation lab,” Julie said, stopping and opening a door that their badges didn’t allow them access to.Bev was the first one to step through the door, but it was so dark, she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face. “Is there a light around here somewhere?”“Take about three more steps and it will kick on,” Julie said.It was a little unnerving stepping into the dark, but she did as she was told. As promised, the lights clicked on, but the sudden brightness momentarily sent spots through her vision. When they cleared, Bev’s breath caught in her throat.She was standing in a room that was even larger than the roo

• Borrowing Amor   Money is Money

  “I can’t believe I said that,” Bev said, pacing back and forth in their dorm room. “To a billionaire.”“So what? You told him you know your way around a cardboard box. That could mean anything,” Katie said, studying her reflection in the full-length mirror on the closet door. “I really like this spacesuit. Doctor Randall said we get to take it home as a souvenir. Usually when I get free stuff, it’s a lousy T-shirt that is three sizes too big.”“Can we focus on me for a moment?” Bev asked. “Everyone associates homeless people with living in cardboard boxes. Where would we even get a box that would be big enough to fit inside? It’s not like people just throw those things out on the street.” She sighe

• Borrowing Amor   The Truth

  Charles felt disoriented as he leaned on Doctor Randall. His body had never been through so much torture. But he had done it, and without puking. He had Bev to thank for that. He slid into his chair in the hall, many of his teammates looking similar to how he felt. Only three people were left: Brady, Cecelia, and Katie. With each person who came out, Katie made another phone call to her daughter. The last time she’d returned, she’d complained that her sister-in-law had stopped picking up the phone.“Guess I better show you how it’s done, eh?” Cecelia said, teasing Brady. She smiled as she said it, but her eyes held fire. Whatever anxiety she’d had before had been replaced by the feud between her and the young actor. Who knew someone could gain a nemesis on a space tourism flight?