Beth was having fun, and I didn’t realize the sun had dropped. It’s always windy at the beach…but Cole got really chilled. He had no defenses to fight off infection. Rose accused me of hastening his death. I don’t know,” Marlee said slowly, almost absently. “He laughed that day, Mick. We saw his old sparkle.” Her throat worked and her voice had grown raspy.
“Leave the dishes. When we come back, I’ll help. Pappy heard us talking about the office, and I’ll bet he decided to straighten up.”
Grabbing the chance to shake off her thoughts of Cole’s last days, Marlee rounded up Jo Beth and found them both sweaters. They kicked through fall leaves, saying little until Marlee noticed Mick rubbing his hip and leaning into his left leg.
“When did your doctor think he could schedule surgery?”
“Next week if I give the word. If I called tomorrow, he’d probably have me under the knife on Tuesday.”
“That doesn’t give us much time to draw up an addendum to my will, or for me to check out the fixed-wing planes. But…do it, Mick. I can’t bear to watch you suffer like this.”
“Are you sure? I’ve got a run tomorrow. Nothing again till Thursday. Supplies going to Finn Glenroe’s lodge. You remember him and Mary?” As Mick opened the office door, Pappy turned, feather duster in hand. Mick hadn’t exaggerated; the place needed cleaning. The place looked junky. The desk held an ancient, dusty computer, nearly hidden by stacks of invoices.
“What about Finn?” Pappy flipped his duster, and they all choked. “Oops,” he said, “should’ve stepped outside.”
“I was telling Marlee which jobs are firm. Oh, I almost forgot Wylie’s generator parts. They go out whenever Don Morrison calls.”
“You tell Marlee that Wylie Ames is part Blackfoot?”
Mick shook his head. “He’s Chinook Native. But what’s that got to do with anything?”
“He’s tight-lipped. I hear the boy’s got no native blood. Like maybe the woman he married cuckolded Wylie. Could be why he did her in—if’n he did.”
“Pappy, honestly! Shirl left him. Uh, that cop show you like is on in ten minutes.”
The old man surprised them by locating a pad and pencil. He handed both to Jo Beth. “Draw me a picture to hang on the fridge,” he said before he left.
Mick demonstrated his computer program for Marlee. They discussed flight plans and talked for an hour while shuffling papers.
“I’ll dig into this filing mess first thing tomorrow,” she promised. “It’s pretty straightforward. Same system Mom set up, except for the computer. Maybe you could build a better tracking system while you recover.”
“I swore you wouldn’t have to fly. You sure you want me to call the doc about the surgery?”
“Do it before I have second thoughts. Besides, seeing the planes and all…well, what flyer ever voluntarily grounds him or herself?”
Mick grinned cheekily and dusted his knuckles over her softer chin.
THE NEXT DAY he did phone Dr. Chapman. “It’s all set,” he told Marlee. “I’ll watch you fly touch-andgoes in the Arrow this weekend. Monday you take me to Kalispell for pre-op tests. By Wednesday I’ll be the proud owner of a space-age hip.”
“I’ll write up a note to attach to my will. I’m sure the hospital has a notary.”
“Sounds good. By the way, I’m taking Pappy with me today.”
That gave Marlee a chance to begin establishing a routine for Jo Beth. All in all, the girl threw only one small tantrum, insisting she wanted Grandmother Rose.
Marlee didn’t hate Cole’s mom. But with her own worry over him and the fact that Marlee was gone often, Rose had usurped her role as Jo Beth’s mother. The first time she’d come home on rotation, and Jo Beth refused to have anything to do with her, hurt more than Marlee had ever let on. Each trip, the gap widened. Still, after Cole died it’d been a shock when Rose sued for legal custody of her granddaughter.
The remainder of the week passed in a blur. Marlee spent four hours a day bringing order to the office. The rest of her time she divided between getting reacquainted with Jo Beth, flying, and leafing through her Mom’s old cookbooks.
She’d totally forgotten about Wylie Ames until she picked up the phone in the office on Saturday and heard him say, “You’re still visiting, huh? It’s Ranger Ames. Tell Mick that Don Morrison will have my stuff by noon on Wednesday. I’d like them delivered Thursday.”
“Okay.” Marlee jotted herself a note, but when she began to say she’d be the one flying in with his order, she discovered Ames had hung up. Muttering about his rude phone manners she slammed down her receiver.
She and Mick spent Sunday afternoon discussing his regular customers and their expectations. He talked about their landing strips. “Most are primitive, sis. Only a couple of them have lights, so I try to arrange morning deliveries. The smoke jumpers’ camp has an asphalt strip. Wylie wired lights on either side of his. If he knows I’m coming in late, he’ll fire ’em up with his generator.”
“I’ll make sure I only fly in daylight, Mick. I’m glad Ranger Ames’s parts don’t have to go out until Thursday. That way I can visit you in the hospital after your surgery, and collect his order in Kalispell.”
“Call him Wylie. Don’t want him to think you’re uppity.”
“Mick—all that stuff Pappy said about him… I, uh, plan on taking Jo Beth along. Is he…is it safe?”
Mick laughed. “As a rule, I time his deliveries so I can eat lunch with Wylie. His son, Dean, is a great kid. He’s homeschooled and I take him books on wild animals. He’s always healing a bird, a raccoon, deer or squirrels. I have a couple of books waiting to give him.”
“I don’t plan to socialize, Mick, only off-load the order.”
Over the next few days, what with Mick being in the hospital, Marlee had so much on her mind that Wylie Ames took a back seat until it came time to pick up his order in Kalispell. Even then, her mood was much improved because the surgery had gone well. She left Mick flirting outrageously with an attractive nurse, and went to refuel the Piper Arrow. She was glad the plane handled like a dream.
Thursday was a beauty for flying, with a clear blue sky and thready white clouds. Below stretched the orchards Mick had told her about, and the vineyards, laid out like quilt blocks. Jo Beth was excited about getting to fly, and Marlee, who’d worried how her daughter would do, finally relaxed.
Having decided to make the ranger station her first drop, Marlee spotted the landmarks Mick had mentioned. It wasn’t long before a runway came into view. She circled once to get the layout and to test the wind. As she started down, Jo Beth pointed. “Mama, there’s a boy waving.” Jo Beth waved back, and Marlee noticed a man standing at the end of the runway.
She throttled back, frankly unable to take her eyes off him. His dark presence embodied every last one of Pappy’s innuendos and warnings. It flashed through Marlee’s mind that from a distance, the dark-haired, broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped man reminded her of Cole before he’d taken
