They sat in the airport’s small pilots’ lounge for three hours, before they being cleared for takeoff. The mood of last night still clung to them, yet each was wary of saying too much. The flight was a smooth one and Cassandra, still somewhat tired from the very long day, fell asleep. Kirk let her sleep, happy for the time he had to organize his thoughts before reaching the ranch. For Kirk, the evening had been a revelation of sorts. He’d gotten several glimpses of the Cassandra Leeds behind the mask. Just before he fell asleep, he discovered he very much liked that Cassandra Leeds. He wondered if the mask, and everything that went with it, would return when they were at the ranch. Then he refused to pursue those kinds of questions. He would just have to wait and see how Cassandra Leeds would prove herself. While he flew the plane, he occasionally glanced at Cassandra’s peacefully sleeping face, studying it intently until every line and feature became etched in his mind.
