Sunlight peeked over the darkened horizon and lit the morning sky with a pale orange glow. Paige stared out of the glass cockpit at the stunning view of Mt. Maja in the distance. The summit’s glistening peaks had replaced the web of white tents that stretched out below them on their ascent from the refugee camp. Whether they’d caught the rebels off guard with their early-morning takeoff, or if they simply didn’t have the weapons to try and take down a small aircraft, she didn’t know, but either way there had thankfully been no sign of rebel activity on the ground.
She leaned back against the seat, then adjusted the headphones Nick had given her at takeoff to combat the noise of the cockpit. “It’s beautiful from up here, isn’t it?”
“Now you know why I love to fly. Africa is this never-ending stretch of savannahs; thick, green forests; lazy, winding rivers; and wild animals.” Nick blew out a deep breath. “It’s like a drug I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to shake. Or want to shake, for that matter.”
He reached for the water bottle propped between them. The back of his hand brushed against her elbow. “Sorry.” A shiver ran down her spine.
She glanced at his profile and took in his grin along with those dreamy, toffee-brown eyes of his. She tried to stop the flutter of her heart, because she knew what was happening. Intense situations tended to bond people who wouldn’t otherwise choose to be together. Which meant if they both worked the lunch shift back home at the local pizza parlor, she’d never have given him a second glance.
Except she knew that wasn’t true.
She’d have noticed Nick Gilbert anywhere. There was something about his laid-back southern charm that had her stomach doing somersaults — a reaction she knew had nothing to do with the occasional drop in altitude of the plane, or even her apprehension over leaving the camp. No, if she was honest with herself, it had everything to do with the fact that he was sitting beside her, smelling of Old Spice and smoke from hundreds of cooking fires. And making her heart do things she hadn’t felt for a long time.
She looked away, hoping that small gesture meant he wouldn’t be able to read the open expression she knew she displayed. She’d always worn her heart for the world to see.
She needed a distraction and the Cessna 206 they were flying in seemed like the perfect place to start. “I have to admit that the first time I flew in one of these planes I was a bit nervous.”
He caught her gaze, his brow raising in question. “Why’s that?”
“While I’ve always loved to fly, I’d never flown in a small plane before.”
“That’s understandable. And this time?”
Paige ran her fingers along the bottom of the window frame. “Well, you have to admit this plane has seen better days. If you haven’t noticed, there are what look like bullet holes along the belly and a definite need for a new coat of paint.”
Nick laughed. “Our mission organization might run on a strict budget, meaning our aircrafts won’t win any beauty contest, but our mechanics are the best and would never let any of our fleet go airborne without the engine and body being in top condition.”
Paige glanced at the endless yellow grasses spotted with miniature trees below them. “That’s good to know.”
“One of these days, though, we’re hoping to replace this baby with a Kodiak 100.”
She turned back to Nick. “What’s that?”
“It’s been called a mountain rocket and was manufactured specifically for flying in a mission situation. It uses jet fuel, which is cheaper than avgas, carries more cargo, is more cost effective, and can cruise at two hundred and twelve miles per hour . . .” He shook his head.
“Sorry. You’re probably not interested in all of that, are you?”
Her smile widened. “Actually, I meant it when I said that I’ve always loved flying. And learning to fly is number twenty-seven on my to-do list.”
“Ahh, the to-do list. One of these days I want to see that entire list.”
He winked at her, making her suddenly wonder which was more unsettling: flying in his dilapidated plane or those eyes of his that seemed to see right through her.
“Oh, no. I’ve never shown anyone the entire list.” She felt her face heat up again. How did he always manage to do that to her?
“Now I’m even more intrigued.”
For the first time she wished she’d never mentioned the list. But just because Nick Gilbert had managed to get her saying — and feeling — things she hadn’t intended on didn’t mean he needed to know about number fifty-seven (meet and marry Mr. Right) or sixty-two (honeymoon in the Seychelles) or —
“Personally,” Nick continued, “I like the fact that you know what you want and go after it, and that in the process you’re willing to get out of the box and do something crazy once in a while, like . . . like eating sushi in Japan or, for that matter, spending three months in the RD.”
Paige laced her hands together and forced herself to stop dwelling on the list. While thinking out of the box might have its advantages, currently it had her mixed up in the path of a rebel takeover. Which meant in this case, staying inside the box — and heading home — would have been the far safer option.
The terrain below changed from open savannah to thick forest as they climbed in altitude toward the mountain’s base camp. It was time to change the subject. Again. “So when did you start flying?”
“Believe it or not, flying was never on my to-do list. I planned to be a high school science teacher.”
“So then how’d you become a pilot?”
“Do you want the short version or the long version?”
“I’m smart enough to leave that answer up to you.” She turned and shot him a grin, but the pinched expression on his face told her she’d hit a nerve. “Or if it’s too personal . . .”
“Iraq wasn’t the first time I ran.” Nick drummed his fingers against his leg. “I was twenty-one, one of those kids who think they know everything. My father expected me to take over the family landscaping business that had been started by my grandfather, but I’d mowed enough lawns in high school to know that wasn’t what I wanted. Which was only one of many arguments we had starting in my teenage years up into early adulthood.”
“So you didn’t get along?”
“Nope.” He flipped a couple switches and they banked slightly to the left as the flaming ball of sun spilt over the horizon like a liquid pot of gold. “I got a degree in chemistry with plans to become a high school science teacher. After graduation, I managed to get a position at a private high school where I made barely enough to afford boxed macaroni and cheese for dinner.”
Paige chuckled. “Ouch.”
“It was definitely a blow to my pride, and my father wasn’t one to let me forget. During the first semester that I taught, and probably due to my mother’s nagging, my father planned a hunting trip for the two of us over a long weekend. We hunted for two days and while my dad shot a deer, I couldn’t even manage to get a prairie dog.”
“Which reinforced those same feelings of never being good enough for him?”
“You should have been a counselor.” Nick’s smile broadened as they changed direction and headed north, then faded. “On the third day, he woke up not feeling well, but I was determined to show him I could hunt as well as he could, so I managed to talk him into going out for a couple more hours before we headed home.”
Nick scratched the back of his neck, his gaze locked onto the view of the mountain ahead of them. “It was rainy and cold that day, and I should have listened to him. He had a heart attack that morning while we were out in the woods. By the time I got him to the hospital, it was too late.”
“So you think that if you hadn’t insisted on going out that morning, he’d still be alive today?”
“I’ll always wonder. Mainly, I wonder if we could have ever repaired our relationship.”
His confession struck too close to home. “Just like you’ll always wonder if you could have saved that boy in Iraq, or what would have happened if I’d found out about Marila’s illness sooner . . . They’re all things we’ll never know.”
“You’re not the only one who holds on to photos.” Nick pulled out an envelope from his logbook beside him, hesitated for a moment, then handed it to her. “I’ve never shown this to anyone.”
Paige glanced at the flowery writing on the front. It was addressed to Nick and postmarked October of last year. “What is it?”
“My mother sent it to me.” He jutted his chin toward the envelope. “She and my sister found a few boxes of my father’s personal things that my mother had shoved in the top of a closet when he died, then forgot about until she moved last fall. They found the photo tucked inside the jacket he always wore. It was taken on my twelfth birthday.”
Paige opened the envelope and pulled out a worn photo of a younger version of Nick and a man smiling down at him who shared his same eyes and strong chin. “Your father?”
Nick nodded. “He never told me he loved me, but he carried this photo with him.”
“He loved you. You can see it in his eyes.”
“I just wish I’d had a chance to hear him say it. After he died, I quit my job and joined the air force.”
“Any regrets?”
“At the time? Lots. But today, no. It forced me to finally grow up.” Nick’s features had finally relaxed some as he turned to her. “What about you? Did you always have your life planned out from the beginning?”
“In a sense. I remember one summer when I was six or seven bandaging up my best friend’s busted-up knee and deciding then that I wanted to become a doctor. I never lost the desire to be able to help people.”
“No regrets?”
“Overall? No, though I’m certainly not done working through my list.”
Nick chuckled. “You’re different, Paige, and I like how you think beyond the status quo.”
Paige wondered when the feeling had become mutual. “Even after my meltdown last night?”
“Trust me, you’re not the only one capable of losing it from time to time. And considering the circumstances . . .” Something on the instrument panel beeped and Nick flipped a switch. “The base camp is up ahead, so I’m starting our descent. We’ll land in a few minutes.”
Reality shot through her. They’d pick up the injured climber, along with the dead body, then take them to Kingani before heading back to the camp. Stopping at the hospital would give them a chance to insist that military help be sent to secure the volatile situation at the camp.
She caught sight of the small runway sitting at the base of the mountain and felt her anticipation grow. She’d fulfill her commitment to Digane by ensuring the treatment center was fully functional and the staff competent to handle the situation, but by Friday she was going to be on a flight out of the country and all of this was going to be behind her.