“WHY are you still in Unalaska? You’re due back in Anchorage ASAP. Command performance—compliments of the top brass.”
What the hell?
Blake sat up in bed, gripping his phone with one hand while fumbling to turn his clock to face him with the other.
Seven o’clock on Sunday morning—it was his first day off in ages, for crying out loud. “Is there an emergency?”
“You might say that. Seems your doctor friend is raising quite a stink about the pilot switch trick you played on her. She’s having none of it. It’s either you or she’s out the door as far as the Unalaska job goes. And the hospital isn’t any too happy about the prospect of those government dollars landing somewhere else, if she backs out.”
“Slow down there, Tony. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re being tapped as Molly McKinna’s official escort tomorrow morning. She’s moving out to the island, right on schedule. I’m told that refusing is not an option at this point.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Anger shot up his spine as the last remnants of sleep deserted him. “What about Ronny?”
“Ronny’s a tourist pilot. You and the doc will be working together on medevacs, so the bigwigs think you need to be more of a team player.”
“Since when have they ever worried about that?”
His boss chuckled. “Since the doc got wind of the change in plans.”
“What?”
“Someone told her you’d rather not take her, and she evidently took it personally.” A sigh came over the line. “Maybe she’s right, Blake. I don’t know what happened between you two, but you’re going to have to work together, so you might as well get used to it.”
Really? He’d just got used to the idea of seeing her as little as possible. His skyrocketing heart rate told him he’d been right to draw a firm line in the sand and stay on the professional side of it. Hell, if he believed that being with someone like her wouldn’t pop all the rivets he’d used to patch up his sorry life he’d have flown her without a qualm. Seven days a week, if that was what it took. But one last shred of sanity had stepped in and demanded to be heard. Besides, if Mark was interested…
Well, his friend was everything he wasn’t.
Hell!
He kicked his way out from under the covers, half stumbling over them as he got out of bed. Hopping on one foot to regain his balance, he cursed under his breath and headed for the bathroom. What a way to start the day. “Okay, I’ll meet her at the airport in the morning.”
“Don’t screw this up, Blake. That clinic needs her. You piss her off, and your job could be on the line.”
“Yeah, well good luck finding someone to take my place.”
The last thing Blake wanted was to get to the airport and hear about some date she and Mark had gone out on—without kids this time. Or fly through another storm with her. Or hear she’d decided she didn’t like island life after all.
He hardly knew Molly, so why was he letting her get to him?
Because she was Wayne McKinna’s daughter?
Maybe. But seeing her standing in the window of that hotel room, hair all mussed from sleep, a picture had formed in his head. Sleepy eyes blinking up at him. A whispered plea to come back to bed. Her soft, warm body welcoming his home.
The mental image had lit a fire within his chest that still burned.
Impossible. He’d barely got his life back on track. Which meant he had to face the possibility that Mark—and not him—might be the one who lived out that fantasy. A scenario he didn’t want to watch unfold. Switching pilots was the best option. For everyone.
He gritted his teeth.
The silence on the other end of the phone line made him realize Tony had said something and was waiting for a reply. “I didn’t catch that.”
“I said don’t let me down on this one.”
“Right.” He shook his head to clear it. “I’m on my way.”
Signing off, he made short work of showering and shaving, then pulled on a pair of khaki slacks and a brown polo shirt. He slung his leather jacket over his shoulder with one hand and used the other to scoop up his keys, making a fist that pressed the sharp metal edges into his palm.
He and the doc needed to get a few things straight.
* * *
Molly shifted from foot to foot, the thin stream of heat drifting from the overhead vents in the hangar doing little to warm the icy apprehension in her chest. She’d heard about the uproar she’d caused. But she’d had no idea a few stray words to Doug would come back to bite her.
She wouldn’t have said anything if she hadn’t been so hurt that Blake didn’t want her back on his plane. He’d actually asked to be replaced. Had she been that terrible during the flight?
Yes.
She’d been nursing her bruised ego when Doug had come up behind her at the hospital and asked if she was looking forward to the flight. The hurt and anger had somehow poured out before she’d had a chance to think about what she was saying. Her friend had been furious on her behalf. But she’d had no idea he’d done anything crazy.
Then again, this was Doug Porter. Crazy was his middle name.
Oh, no, Blake had to be furious.
He had every right to be. Despite the chill lingering deep in her bones, her back-and-forth pacing—along with a bad case of the jitters—had caused a fine sheen of sweat to break out over her body. Shrugging out of her down jacket but leaving on the sweater beneath it, she reached down to unzip her overnight bag, stuffing the garment inside.
Blake had offered to set her up with someone else, but the thought of yet another pilot watching her go into a panic as they took off made her cringe. And what if they ran into another storm? She distinctly remembered a high-pitched keening noise ricocheting around the interior of the cabin.
Yes. Hadn’t that been lovely?
No wonder he wanted to be rid of her. But it still hurt. And he probably hated her even more now that he was once again stuck with babysitter duty. Why, oh, why hadn’t Doug kept his big mouth shut?
Except, deep inside, she had to admit she was glad Blake was taking her and not another pilot. She trusted him. He might have daredevil blood flowing through his veins, but he’d proved there was a limit to the number of risks he was willing to take. He’d refused to take off during the storm that had caused Jed’s injury, despite her urging to the contrary—what had she been thinking?—which meant he didn’t take his job lightly. He wasn’t just in it for the thrills, despite his cocky words to the contrary. He wanted to come back from each flight alive.
That made him very attractive in her eyes.
Anyone else was just a big question mark. She knew herself well enough to realize the less she left to chance, the better equipped she’d be to handle future flights and to kick her fear in the teeth and send it skidding down the road.
The door across the room opened and Blake strode in. Without a hint of hesitation he headed straight for her. The only thing in his hand was a jacket, which was slung over his shoulder. And a big frown between his brows.
Uh-oh.
Her elbows pressed close to her body—hands clasped in front—as she tried to prepare herself for the inevitable explosion.
He stopped in front of her. Every inch of his six-foot-three frame vibrated with anger. “Why?”
The word was deadly soft.
His dark shirt hugged his muscular frame, the color bringing out chocolate highlights in his hair. It might have been a warm and comforting combination—if not for his eyes. They held a chill that made her want to take a step backward. She resisted the temptation.
“I know you’re upset, but believe me—”
“Why me?” he repeated.
“It was a misunderstanding.”
“Oh, I think I understood everything quite well. I was told to get my ass back to Anchorage, and here I am.”
“I swear it wasn’t me who made that call. It was a friend of mine. But…” How could she explain this without sounding like some kind of loon? “I was hoping you’d reconsider and agree to fly me.”
“Why?”
They were back to his initial question. One she wasn’t sure she had the answer to. “Because I know you, maybe?”
His brows went up.
“Okay, so I don’t know you, know you. But I’ve been on your plane. I’ve seen you in action. The thought of having a different pilot so soon in the game…” She paused. “I need time to adjust to being in the air before tossing another variable into the mix.”
“Another variable?”
“Like a new pilot.” She took a deep breath of courage and forced herself to continue. “Someone who might spread stuff around the clinic. I have to be able to get on that plane every time we medevac someone off the island. I need patients to trust that I’ll do my very best to care for them while we’re in the air. And I will. I can set my fear aside, I know I can. Please. Just give my nerves a chance to settle down.”
His eyes softened a fraction. “How do you know I won’t say anything to anyone?”
“You were at the hospital for several hours the other night when we brought Jed in. After you left, I waited for the whispering or wisecracks to start up. They never did. Even your friend Mark didn’t seem to know what happened during that storm. And if you didn’t tell him…”
He stiffened. “I didn’t talk about the flight, if that’s what you mean. I figure it’s your business, unless you put someone at risk.” He paused. “If that happens, I won’t hesitate.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” She un-clasped her hands and touched his arm for a second, hoping against hope he’d agree to be her pilot. “So what do you say? Will you take me to Dutch Harbor? Maybe I can earn my first set of wings this time.”
She shivered, the chill in the hangar hitting her all at once. Blake’s leather jacket somehow wound up draped over her shoulders. The warmth and scent of his body embraced her in a rush. She swallowed, glancing up at him in question.
“You looked cold.” A few more slivers of ice melted from his eyes. “And I’ve got to get my bag out of the car and turn in a flight plan.”
She grabbed the edges of his jacket and burrowed deeper into it, trying to make it appear nonchalant.
He had his bag in the car. Which meant he was going to take her!
Doing a happy dance right in front of him would probably not endear her to him. Instead she stood very still. “Thank you.”
“You might want to wait until we get there to say that.” He stared at the far side of the hangar before glancing back at her. “And in case you’re worried about someone at the clinic finding out, don’t be. You’ll find I’m good at keeping secrets.”
* * *
Molly breathed a sigh of relief once her feet were back on solid ground. The flight to the Aleutians had been less traumatic this time. At least she hadn’t cried or screamed. That had to count for something. She’d still gripped her seat and closed her eyes during takeoff, and her heart had threatened to claw its way out of her chest during landing, but there’d been no storms. No wind. No big “construction zones.” Just clear skies.
And Blake.
Two weeks without seeing him should have dampened the attraction. And if that hadn’t worked, the reality of passing Gary in the hospital parking lot two days before she was supposed to leave should have snapped her back to her senses. His glower had told her in no uncertain terms that going back to a professional relationship—ever—would be impossible. Getting involved with a medevac pilot would be a very, very bad move on her part. Gary’s I’ll-get-even attitude had played a big part in her decision to move to the Aleutians. How much worse would it have been if he’d been a pilot—one she had to work with on a regular basis?
Molly shuddered. She really didn’t want to go through that again.
Standing on the tarmac beside Blake, she looked out over the water in the distance, trying to compose herself. “Sammi got a line on a rental place for me. She said the outside could use a little work—it doubled as a private business, evidently—but it’s nice enough inside and the landlord has promised to paint over the sign out front.”
He put his arms behind his head and stretched. A couple of ligaments popped along his back in the process, bringing a smile to her face despite her best efforts. “A sign? Did she tell you where the place is?”
“Nope, she’s supposed to go over with me at lunchtime.” She took a deep breath. The mixture of chilly air and briny tang burned along her sinuses, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Far from it. She wrapped her arms around her waist, as a sense of freedom swept over her.
“Did you bring a coat?”
“I stuffed it in my overnight case while I was waiting at the airport. I didn’t have a chance to pull it out before you gave me yours.”
“You might need it later. It’s pretty mild for Dutch Harbor this time of year. Autumn can be brutal, as you saw on our last trip.”
“I remember.” His remark brought Mark and the accident at the dockyard to mind. “Did Jed and the girls make it home?”
“I flew them back last week.”
“Is he doing okay?”
“I went by on Friday, he seems to be hanging in there. I was planning to check on him again today.”
“Do you mind if I go with you? It’ll give me a chance to see how his leg is doing. I’m not due to start at the clinic until tomorrow.”
“Not a problem.”
There’d been a quick hesitation before he’d answered that made her blink. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” No pause this time.
“Thanks. How about Mark? Did he get back as well?”
Blake’s eyes shifted to her face. “He did.”
His voice held some kind of weird tension, but she forced herself to ignore it. Instead, she let the calmness of the ocean act as a soothing balm. After the frenetic couple of weeks she’d spent tying up loose ends in her personal life and at the hospital, she needed some peace and quiet. Scratch that. She’d gotten plenty of quiet at her mother’s house as she’d packed her things and got them ready for the movers, but it had been the kind of silence you dreaded.
She didn’t have to worry about that any more. “It’ll feel good to get settled in. Hopefully we won’t have any medevacs for the next couple of days.” A sudden thought hit her when she remembered his irritation at the airport this morning and the strange way he was acting now. “Did I pull you away from something? From someone? I never thought to ask.”
Her stomach squirmed. She knew from the grapevine he wasn’t dating anyone at the hospital, but Anchorage was a big city. And there was always Unalaska. The thought of him kissing someone goodbye cast a pall over her day.
“Nope. Just my bed.”
Her heart took a little swan dive, giving her a happy wave as it did.
Get a hold of yourself, Molly. That doesn’t mean he’s unattached. For all you know, there might have been someone lying in that bed.
“Sorry about that,” she said.
Of course, maybe he really was single.
Forget it. Hadn’t she just finished ticking off all the reasons why dating a coworker would not be a smart idea?
Besides, her mother would have a stroke if she got involved with a pilot. She was already upset that Molly’s job involved flying of any sort. Isn’t it enough that I’ve already lost one person to that profession?
Although if her mother could see the way Blake’s tight hindquarters filled out those khakis…
Ack! Steam filtered into her face. She had not just noticed his butt.
Her eyes snuck another quick peek. Okay, so maybe she’d glanced a time or two. But that was what girls did. They looked at men’s behinds.
Enough was enough. Clearing her throat, she said, “Mind if we swing by the clinic on the way to Jed’s? I want to let Sammi know we made it and double-check with her about the rental place. I’m hoping the landlord is willing to do a twelve-month lease with an option to increase it, if I stay.”
Blake shoved his hands into his pockets. “If you stay. When will you know?”
“I signed a one-year contract with the clinic, so I need to honor that. If I decide it’s not for me, I’m hoping Alaska Regional will send another doctor in my place.”
Yeah. She could always dream. What doctor would want to come to a public clinic for what the government wanted to pay? Her advantage was she didn’t have a family to support. Just herself.
“Right.” He turned away from the water. “You ready to head out?”
“Whenever you are.”
The trip to the clinic took just a minute or two, which was a good thing because Blake didn’t seem all that inclined to talk. Maybe he was tired after his flight.
Or maybe he was thinking about how long a year would be if she continued to be chicken about flying.
Going through the doors, she caught Sammi just as she was picking up a chart from the receptionist.
The other woman smiled. “Good, you made it.” She glanced at the folder in her hand. “Listen, I know I said I’d run you over to the property today, but I have a lunch appointment. One of my prenatal patients, Mindy Starling, is experiencing some Braxton-Hicks contractions, and I want to run over to make sure nothing else is going on.”
“Don’t worry about—”
Sammi interrupted her with a wave of her hand, glancing at Blake. “Do you mind showing her where it is? I have the keys and the address. The landlord needs a decision by tomorrow morning. He evidently has someone else who’s interested if Molly doesn’t want it. But don’t worry—he’s been threatened with bodily harm if he lets the place go before she sees it.”
“I need to see what’s on the schedule for today.”
Sammi grinned. “I already called the station. They can do without you for the rest of the day.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Blake’s tone was even, but he sounded anything but appreciative.
“If you give me the address, maybe I can find it on my own.” There was no way she was going to drag him over there against his will.
“Blake doesn’t mind. Do you, Blake?”
He gave her a tight smile. “Not at all. We can check on Jed on the way over.”
“Great!” Sammi passed an envelope across the countertop. “Call me and let me know what you think.”
Well, wasn’t this great? Not only had Blake been forced to fly her to Dutch Harbor today, he’d just been volunteered to drag her around half the island. The man had to be thrilled with his lot in life. She was.
Actually, she was. This was her chance to strike out on her own and make her own decisions.
Now, if she could just convince everyone around her to get with the program, she’d be in business.
* * *
Jed’s place was a wreck.
And from Molly’s quick intake of breath, he wasn’t the only one who thought so.
Jed, propped on a sofa, his entire leg encased in a cast—no walking boot for a while, according to the orthopedic surgeon—waved them in. “The girls will be sorry they missed you. They only have half a day of school today, so they get out at one. Mark’s bringing them home.”
Blake glanced at his watch, his muscles relaxing when he noted the time. Eleven-thirty. They’d be gone well before one o’clock.
Molly used her toe to nudge aside a stack of newspapers that had burrowed into the ratty shag carpeting beside the couch before she reached for Jed’s wrist and checked her watch. “Do you have someone helping out around here?”
“My sister’s bringing in meals, but she’s got her own place to take care of.” He glanced around, a frown settling between his brows. “And my brother’s having to take on extra work over at the dockyard, since I’m out of commission for a while.”
Blake could see the wheels spinning in Molly’s head as she measured the man’s pulse. She was going to spruce up the house. And since he was slated to take her over to the rental property after they left here, he was stuck.
Ah, hell. The last thing Blake wanted to do was stick around and watch his buddy put the moves on Molly. Mark had already mentioned asking her out on more than one occasion, giving Blake a good-natured poke in the ribs as he’d said it. The light-hearted rivalry they’d engaged in as young bachelors no longer seemed all that funny. “Didn’t Sammi say someone else was interested in that rental?”
She made a little sound that could be taken as either a yes or a no—depending on one’s anxiety level—and began straightening up the end table. He evidently hadn’t succeeded in turning this particular plane around.
“I don’t have to give them an answer until tomorrow. We have plenty of time,” she said.
Plenty of time.
That was exactly what he was afraid of.