winner.
The chase crew was already in the clearing, which Amalia found amazing.
Once the balloon was down and secured, a festive picnic lunch was served and quickly eaten as everyone stood. Using a GPS indicator, Rafael calculated the distance they’d already gone.
“Think we can make another one hundred miles this afternoon?” Julio asked.
“If the wind holds. It kicked up once or twice.”
“A problem?” Manuel asked.
“No.”
Amalia finished her meal and jumped up. “I’m going for a quick walk. Being in that confined space gets to me,” she said. Maria offered to go with her.
“Thanks, but unless you really want to, I’m fine. I’ll look at the scenery from ground level and relish not being airborne for a while.” She flicked a glance at Rafael.
“We leave in ten,” he said.
She started off along the road the truck was parked on. It was dirt, but packed hard and easy to walk on. It had grown warm and she left her jacket at the picnic area. There was plenty to do to ready the balloon for the next leg, but the others were far more competent than her.
And she needed some time to herself. Being with Rafael felt like a roller-coaster ride. She disliked being in the balloon yet she was captivated by her pilot. She resented his autocratic ways yet she yearned for a kiss.
That stopped her. She shook her head and started walking again. The very last thing in the world she needed was to be kissed by Rafael. She had a feeling it would spoil her for any man in the future.
And for him it would merely be another woman in a long line of women. He’d probably forget her name by Christmas.
Sighing softly, she tried to count her blessings and hope something would happen to speed up the race.
Amalia was just about to turn around when she heard a vehicle behind her. Stepping to the side of the road, she stopped. It was the chase truck. Rafael was driving. He stopped even with her and looked at her through the passenger side window.
“You walking home?” he asked easily.
She shook her head and opened the door. Climbing in, she looked at him.
“I was just walking. Has it been ten minutes?” She wasn’t wearing a watch, but surely she hadn’t been gone that long.
“Nine. We’ll be back in a sec and take off again.”
“Did you really think I’d try to walk away?” she asked. She hated being his partner, but she would not let him down, because she was starting to believe her boss needed taking down a peg or two.
“No. But if you twisted your ankle or something, it would have been hard for you to get back. Feeling better for the walk?”
“Yes,” she said.
It took only a moment to return to the balloon. Maria had a phone to her ear. When she saw the truck, she said something to Paolo and then headed to meet Rafael.
Amalia hopped out of the truck and watched as Maria came up to Rafael.
“The office is trying to reach you,” she said, holding out the phone.
Rafael took it. “Make it quick,” he said. A moment later he bit out an epithet. “Under no circumstances tell her you’ve talked to me. If she calls again, tell her you’ll relay the message and that’s all. Put Jaime on the phone.” Rafael walked away talking to the man on the other end.
Maria grinned at Amalia and said, “Girlfriend troubles.”
“Teresa Valesquez?”
“Yes, she keeps calling. I think Sophie is getting fed up with all the messages she’s left. Guess now Miss High and Mighty wishes she hadn’t thrown away her chance for the long jump after all. Though she was not a ballooner—you never heard such complaining!”
Amalia vowed to keep her own thoughts about ballooning to herself. She may not like it, but she wanted to give no cause for gossip.
Rafael was impatient to begin the ride. Amalia scanned the sky. There was no sign of the other balloon. Maybe they would maintain their lead.
Once in the basket and beginning to lift, she asked Rafael, “Do you think Stefano will have reporters there again tonight?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Rafael said, eyeing the balloon. Amalia was not able to judge their rate of ascent since she kept her eyes inside the basket and had nothing to gauge it by. She enjoyed watching Rafael when he was concentrating on something else.
When he turned off the burners, she looked around. Still no sign of Stefano’s balloon.
“So we got a jump on him this leg,” she murmured.
“Enough to keep the lead, I hope.”
Amalia stood in one corner and leaned against the propane tank.
Rafael took the map from one of the storage pockets and began to study it.
“Shouldn’t you be watching?” she asked.
“I’ll check it soon. You let me know if we’re going to crash into anything.”
She looked at the empty sky. They were far too high to worry about power lines, even if there had been any around. The other balloon was lifting in the distance.
“The scenery aside, there’s not much to do, is there? Are the festivals like this, too?”
Rafael shook his head and began telling her about the ones he’d attended. She liked listening to him as he talked, closing her eyes to concentrate better.
“Am I putting you to sleep?” he asked.
“No, I listen better with my eyes closed,” she said. The last thing she felt around him was tired. She could feel the heat from his body. She could smell the unique scent that would forever be imprinted in her mind as Rafael’s. Wishing she could record his voice to listen to years down the road, she smiled as he told her of the antics and contests at the festival. His description was romantic and dramatic, and surprisingly the stories did not all feature him as the star.
He fired up the jets and she opened her eyes to watch him. He was tall and slender, with broad shoulders and a tapering waist. His hair had been permanently disheveled since they started. She liked it. It made him seem that much more approachable.
By the time he switched to the last propane tank, dusk was drawing near. Rafael constantly scanned the horizon, but there was no place in sight to set down. The last thing he wanted was to have to land in the dark. There was no telling what dangers there would be.
Maria called him on the radio, the signal poor and staticky. “Lost sight of you … different direction … we can find.”
“Say again,” he replied.
“You
