Chapter Four

A domestic terminal stood on flat terrain about one kilometer from the hangars of Macquarie Airways. As Nathan approached the airport, he watched the eastern flight, a Dash 8, land in a crosswind. He whistled when it made a smooth touchdown.

A display of tall gum trees and shrubs sat to the western, far eastern, and southern sides of the airstrip. The northern entrance sprinkled with cocos palms helped to break up the starkness of the area. The limousine veered toward Macquarie Airways. It didn’t bring in such a great income, but with additional services, it could be a thriving business.

Passing through the doorway, he spotted Catherine in the hangar. She was cleaning the outside of an aircraft.

“You must enjoy your work,” he called as he approached.

She swung her head in his direction. Seconds ticked away before she spoke. Her gaze swept from the tip of his head down his legs, as though she was analyzing him inch by inch.

“I see you’ve ditched your city clothes. I suppose you’ve come for a look around?”

Her voice continued to hold that smooth in-control coolness, but that shaky edge remained.

“You could say that. Has anyone taken over your father’s role?”

“I don’t suppose you would leave your fancy city business and take over?”

Laughter shot from his lips, its echo bouncing off the surrounding metal structure.

“What’s so funny? That wasn’t supposed to be amusing!”

In the back of his mind, he knew quite well she didn’t want him anywhere near her or the business.

“I’ve been thinking of retiring as a lawyer. It has crossed my mind.”

Her defensive mode jumped into action. Her neck stretched higher, her nose pointed upward, and her cute cheeks flared with crimson. She even appeared to gasp for oxygen, and for the life of him, he couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. She’d turned out to be a cutie all right. Catherine Berg. He couldn’t believe he was standing in front of her.

“Why would you want to do that?” she spluttered.

There was a multitude of answers. He wanted to be with her, to watch out for her, and to care for her. Work side-by-side, cup his hands around her beautiful, soft face, and get to know her all over again. He had to stop himself—force every emotion, every muscle in his body from rushing up to her and cocooning her in his arms. She was battling with forgotten memories, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. It ripped his gut wide opened. It was a struggle to ignore the persistent burn inside. He was helpless when it came to her, but he wouldn’t stop here. No. He’d stick around and see this through to the end.

“They say a change is like a holiday.”

“You know damn well I was testing you. I wasn’t serious.”

“I was, Catherine. It could be a challenge.”

“Doesn’t the city provide you with enough challenges?”

“That depends on what you call a challenge. Well, are you going to show me around, or I could always take myself on a little sightseeing expedition, seeing as you’re not that obliging?”

“Smart now, aren’t we. That won’t be necessary. This is my business, and I will show you around. I don’t want you snooping where you don’t belong.”

“You seem to forget you have a business partner, now.” His lips curled at the edges, and a humorous glint lit up his eyes.

Catherine made a hissing sound between clenched teeth. “As if I need one.” She dropped the cloth and swiped her hands, spun around on one heel and walked out, calling as she went. “You want that look around? Follow me.”

She felt his gaze penetrating her backside. A mental image formed in her mind. He wore a blue, open collared shirt, which coordinated with a pair of shorts revealing strong, muscular legs, and those legs would be taking long, confident strides, and that silly grin would still be caressing such an intriguing face.

She whooshed out a breath. His appearance didn’t change the fact that city guys were all the same. Probably twisted Dad’s arm and pleaded for him to leave something to him before he died. Son of a bitch!

Once outside, she turned. “We own these five hangars. The room at the end of the last hangar was my father’s personal...office.”

“I know your fathers office well.”

After shooting him a disbelieving look, she walked to the last hangar. After she unlocked it and began pushing the slider aside, Nathan stepped in and gave it a shove. His shoulder brushed up against hers. It triggered a hot spark that shot through the full length of her body. She stepped backward, feeling the weird zing oozing to her toes and forcing her to draw in a sharp breath. At this rate, she’d be lying flat out on the tarmac and suffering shock overdose if she received any more of those jolts.

His gaze settled over her. It was as though he was trying to look right into her, look into the depths of her failing memory. Her heart missed a beat.

“They can be tricky at times,” he said, too damn sexy.

“At times,” she murmured. What would he know? Just because he’s a criminal lawyer and flies a Meridian, doesn’t mean he knows it all.

Catherine’s gaze was cautious and deliberate, like a big cat stalking its prey. He strolled toward her father’s office, toward the back of the hangar, and tried opening the door.

“Locked, why’s it locked?” He turned to face Catherine.

She crossed her arms, and her hands curled into frustrated little balls. “It was my father’s office, and no one goes in there! That area does not come with your bequest,” she snapped.

“Strange, I didn’t notice any clauses stating the will had exclusions.” He raised an eyebrow. His eyes glinted with challenging sarcasm.

“Just leave it alone, will you? It’s not as important as you think. As I said, it was my father’s office. It’s only personal items. Nothing that would interest you.”

It must be something big, judging from the way she is reacting. He remembered the interior of the office. Photos framed the walls, mostly of Bob’s aircrafts. Just for now, he’d play along until the time was right, until he found a way to break the barricade in her mind.

He stood to one side, admiring the aircrafts. His right hand rested on his chin, rubbing it in deep thought. “These are in perfect condition. Who owns these?”

“Peter Woodward and Bill Caster. Dad owned those three.” She pointed to three aircrafts positioned in the far corner. One was a Comanche, red and white, and in excellent condition.

“It looks pretty new.”

“Yes, Dad loved that one especially. I think he did. Anyhow, Pete said he treated it like his baby. The one he had his accident in was an Archer.”

Nathan studied the aircrafts. He remembered the Comanche, which was a sleek looking twin engine, low wing. They had endurance—a good, solid workhorse. Then, he noticed the call sign on the side in large black letters. Y.Z.C. Yankee, Zulu, Charlie. That call sign rang a distinct bell.

In the center, a twin engine Cheyenne, with the call sign C.Z.I. Charlie, Zulu, India, with a yellow stripe from the nose to tail. Now this one was the top of the range in the Piper models. It carried a pilot and up to seven passengers.

The other aircraft was a single engine also in immaculate condition and a six-seater. It had a purple and black lightning stripe down the side, with the call sign J.E.D. Juliet, Echo, Delta. All the aircrafts appeared new, but the one with the call sign J.E.D. was certainly not in this hangar when he called in the last time he spoke to Bob.

“Who owns J.E.D?”

“As I said, it was my father’s,” she stuttered. “Is something wrong?”

“No. I was thinking one each and one to share.” He smirked.

She shot him a piercing glance.

“Only joking Catherine, or do you prefer Cathy?”

“No siree! Catherine, thank you.” She walked out of the hangar, and he followed. His gaze swung in rhythm with each step she took. He was amazed at how well she made a pair of blue overalls and a T-shirt appear sexy. Most of the city girls he’d known wouldn’t come close to matching Catherine. A subtle grin tugged on his lips. This was a pleasurable experience.

When she bent over to pick up a piece of paper from the ground, he groaned.

She spun around. “Pardon?”

“Nothing, just clearing my throat. Must be all the fresh air up here.”

“That does it...Everyone has their own key to the hangars. Basically, they let me know what’s going on.”

“I don’t know why you want to continue to run the business. To take it—

“To take on. Actually, for the last eight months, I’ve been here for at least three days a week. Before that...” She almost said I was told, but caught it before it had time to form. “Um...I helped on occasions, so I haven’t exactly taken it on. It’s always been here, and so have I.”

She’s quite a little snapper, but he shouldn’t put blame on her, not when she had a hard time adjusting to her father’s death, her accident, and especially with the loss of her memory. That must have been a hell of a blow. He didn’t want to make matters worse, but dancing behind the shadows in her eyes, ambushed under the cover of her words, lurked something big, and it wasn’t just amnesia.

He let out a sigh of frustration. He couldn’t step in and take control, even part control. Even if he stayed in Sydney and came up every few months, it wouldn’t work. So much for thinking this partnership would turn out sweet.

Nathan held respect for Bob. He couldn’t refuse what Bob had left him. It would be a downright insult. It would be like tossing the lot back in his face. They’d spent so much time together when younger, and there wasn’t a woman in the world that would make him change his mind in accepting his friend’s gratitude.

Maybe it’s a sign. She’s twenty-eight years old, single, and alone. Perhaps Bob had other ideas. He closed his eyes. Surely you wouldn’t, Bob. The more he thought about the prospects of a matchmaking scheme in the making, the more confused he became. Hell! That thought spun everything out of perspective.

It would be impossible. For starters, she didn’t remember him, and he had to remind himself he was a stranger. She’d put out the stop signals the first time he laid eyes on her. Realizing that every twitch of that bottom, every sultry gaze that came his way, and the attack on his male hormones, he had to drive it far from his mind. He had to clear up other matters first, before igniting the sparks that smoldered between them, and when he did, there was going to be a bush fire.

“There’s an enormous amount of book work covering this place, but I manage to get through it.”

He nodded in deep thought as he tried to juggle the facts. “I want to apologize…for the other day. I didn’t mean to call you a cleaner. I had no idea.”

She forced a lump down her throat with difficulty. He was standing much too close, which was silly. When he closed in on her personal space, her heart seemed to flutter all over the place, and she found it hard to stop the incessant beating. “There is no need for an apology.”

He followed her toward her office. While she took her seat, he sat opposite, propping his chin with his elbow.

“You have two options,” he stated and then rested back, swiveling on the back legs of the chair. “Sell your half of Macquarie Airways to me, or you take me on as a fully operational partner. That means I introduce more services, add ways to build the business.”

“No,” she snapped. “I don’t want anything changed. I loved my father. This is the way he would have wanted Airways to remain, and it will stay that way. As for selling.” She rose to her feet, causing her chair to tumble backwards.

“I’ve already told you I’m not selling. Don’t you understand? I intend to buy your share. If you aren’t willing, I’ll contest my father’s will and do whatever it takes to have it in my name. The courts will naturally look at it and give lenience my way. They will realize my father has made a terrible mistake, and I will buy you out for pittance. I don’t need you to offer me any conditions, solutions, or whatever under those circumstances.”

When he stood, she felt the dark stab of rejection looming in his eyes.

“There has to be legal grounds, and you obviously have none, Catherine. I hope we sort out this mess soon. Life’s too short to undertake such a trivial pursuit. You will hear from me.” His words were smooth, in control, and he shot her a challenging glint before he turned and walked out with an aura that spoke of a high riding confidence, one that infuriated her further.

Catherine’s body dove into panic mode, knowing this was the beginning of the meltdown she didn’t want. It was the beginning of something she had no idea how to handle.

* * * *

“Hello, Pete.”

“Hi, Cat. Bloody thing, sorry.” He focused once again on the engine. “Bloody, sorry.”

“What’s the trouble, Pete?” she questioned as she stopped beside him. Has Porterman got more troubles?” She peeked at the engine.

“Yeah, almost fixed.”

She glanced around, her hands set on her hips.

“Have you seen my so-called new business partner?”

Pete put the spanner down and turned toward her.

“Didn’t you know? He left at sunrise this morning.”

“What, for good?”

“Not sure bout that one. He said he had a lot of business to wrap up, a case of some sort.”

She felt her face flush. “Oh…okay.”

“Didn’t you know?”

“No...but it’s for the best that he stays away, Pete. He wanted to change Airways, wanted to run it his way.”

“Is that so?”

Guilt hung low. She didn’t expect him to go, well not so soon. She bit on her bottom lip. A corner of her heart was getting used to the man. Admittedly, she loved the challenge, and she was secretly enjoying the banters they shared. He had been company, if only for a short time. Company she was beginning to enjoy. Her lips thinned. She swung her arms by her side as she strolled toward the last hangar, the hangar where her father’s office sat.

After unlocking it, she slid it aside. Tightness welled around her chest as her gaze rested on her aircraft. She walked over toward it and ran a hand along its smooth port side. She wondered what it was like to fly. Wondered how she managed to get the thing up there into the air. It was a nice looking aircraft, but nice wouldn’t keep her safe from all the recent accidents that had been happening with light aircrafts throughout Australia recently.

She spun on one foot, headed to her father’s office, and opened the door. It was a plain office, just like any other office she’d visited. It wasn’t until she spotted photographs of herself and her father lining one wall, which forced her to take greater measures at trying to remember.

She didn’t remember them being taken, didn’t remember the many people standing around and cheering her on. Even the awards of silver and gold didn’t trip recognition. Nothing came close to opening up that hidden fortress in her mind. It was as though she was looking into someone else’s life, certainly not hers. It wasn’t a part of her world, anymore.

It was then she wondered if the sky gave the same type of freedom as the Cruise Cat. Was that feeling at all ever possible up there?

She moved closer to one particular photograph. The man had his arm around her shoulder and held up a medal of some type. Although it was her father, she couldn’t remember him and continued to scrutinize the photograph in the hope that something would trigger remembrance, but nothing pricked at her subconscious. Nothing told her she’d ever known the man, that he was the man who raised her.

The only proof she had was he was there with her in the many photographs, and she had a big smile on her face. She couldn’t even see a resemblance. Her eyes welled with tears.

He was just a man, a stranger. A man she didn’t remember, just like the rest of them.

* * * *

It was a smooth flight until Nathan approached Bankstown Airport. He was due in Sydney for a case that morning, but his mind had been in serious deliberation for at least an hour. He had wanted a change for some time, and he thought Macquarie Airways would bring that change.

With a wish to leave the city life behind, facing a woman he thought would have been married with a bunch of kids by now, and one he thought had been out of his mind really screwed up any foresight. Somewhere in his heart was a place that kept his love alive for Catherine. It was as though he’d pocketed it for twelve long years. Wrapped it in memories and left it there.

No wonder his relationships with women were short-lived. He could never take that final leap into marriage or even living with a woman. Now he knew why. He shook his head and chuckled. How could he forget such a woman? Although there were changes, he was sure she was still there, the real Catherine. It was only a matter of getting her memory back into place.

Now, that very same woman wanted to take him to court. Although he knew she did have a possibility of winning, cases like these could take years. He turned on the radio, sending music pumping through the cockpit. A love song tugged at his heartstrings, and he switched it off with an irritated twist of his wrist. Disturbing thoughts of Catherine filled his mind.

He could have at least said a decent goodbye, maybe a friendly kiss on the cheek, something. Had he gone mad leaving her like that? She couldn’t afford to be alone, even for a few hours. Anyone could take advantage of her. She needs someone to take care of her, she needs someone…she needs me, even if she doesn’t know it, yet. Catherine…please I’m dying here…please remember me.

There were many things she couldn’t remember, and the unusual way she reacted in certain situations wasn’t normal. She’d put her life in danger by taking a casual stroll on the airstrip, thinking she was probably going on a shopping spree, or something like that. What other dangerous actions would she undertake? Then, he thought of her around other people she didn’t know. His heart glued to the sides of his throat.

What if someone tried to take advantage of her?

Advantage…Christ. Heat flamed in his gut and tore at his face.

He radioed in and began to backtrack, then rang his office to inform them of a change of plans, with instructions for one of his associates to stand in for him to face one of the biggest cases the company ever had. It didn’t matter, now. Catherine mattered. He had to return to support the woman he loved, no matter what.

* * * *

Catherine stood outside one of the hangars, protecting her eyes from the sun’s glare. She watched a light aircraft do a circuit of the airstrip before landing. Her heart thumped in her chest. Her eyes drew wider with surprise.

She raised her arm higher, trying to block the harsh summer rays. Squinting against the glare, she recognized the bold blue and yellow stripe down the side. It was distinct, as well as his call sign, in audacious black lettering W.T.F. (Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot)

The son of a bitch…eh, he’s come back for more—the audacity of the man. She thought she got rid of him for at least for a couple of weeks. She studied his approach. He was taxiing toward the hangar. Instant reaction shifted her position. Hoping she hadn’t been spotted, she slipped into her office. Her heart jumped into an unexpected flutter.

The crunching sound of his approaching footsteps on the cement floor forced her to wiggle in her seat. Holding her breath, and willing calm to her body, she stood. As he drew closer, the green in his eyes deepened. She could almost feel his breath on her face when he stopped barely inches away.

“I thought you were heading for the big smoke?”

“You thought wrong.”

Unexpectedly, his arms went around her before she could avoid them, or do anything to stop him. His lips glided over hers. Her body went limp against his, her heartbeat pounded in unison with his.

With surprise, she returned the kiss, enveloped with passion. She had a hard time trying to stop as she melted under his touch. Realizing what was happening, what could happen, she brought her hands up against his chest and forced a space between them.

Who taught you to kiss like that? Her body slipped into a zone she couldn’t remember visiting, if at all. Remaining in control seemed hard to grasp. She didn’t need him to move in and dismantle everything she was, everything she had worked so hard to build. Within a tick of the clock, memories and people could disappear—never to return. She knew that. She had proof of how suddenly life can change.

“Now, if you will explain?” Taking a step back she leveled her eyes with his. “I never gave you permission to do that!” she spluttered, feeling as though the crush of his warm lips remained over hers.

“I didn’t think I needed it. Especially with that type of response, which surprised me.”

“Response? I didn’t react…I had no choice.”

A subtle grin eased to his lips. “I thought I would give myself a welcoming, a warm welcoming to Airways, as a hands-on partner, Catherine my darling.”