you need to phone the service pilots use.”
She tipped back her head and scanned the sky that was visible through a row of majestic pine trees that blocked north winds from battering the house. “You’re right.” She looked at him again. “So, then, you want me to phone Trudy and this Jess guy and say you’ll take both jobs?”
“Sure. Sounds good. I never turn down an opportunity to earn money. What’s today? Thursday? Ask Trudy if tomorrow’s soon enough to deliver her order. I’ll fly to Kalispell this afternoon and fetch the supplies in the Arrow. At first light tomorrow, I’ll transfer the load to the Huey. That’ll allow me time to phone Wylie and Marlee, and arrange to spend a couple of nights with them.”
“I’ll confirm the times with Trudy ASAP. Unless you want my help in carting that big old ladder back to the work shed.”
“Thanks for the offer, Stella, but my PT said I’m good as new. Maybe better than, what with all the hardware installed in my hip,” Mick said with a wink. He forgot the condition of his hand and raked still-greasy fingers through hair that needed more than a trim, as curls fell over his eyes and skimmed the lower edge of his collar.
“You look kind of shaggy. But unless there’s someone out in the great beyond you want to impress, I’d say you can get by for another week without a barber.”
Again, a clear vision of perky Hana Egan popped into Mick’s mind. Probably because Stella had mentioned Jess Hargitay. Jess gave the impression that he was hot stuff in the eyes of female smoke jumpers. Mick had seen Jess act possessive of several women who’d rotated in and out of the camp. A few years ago he’d heard there were allegations of Jess inappropriately harassing a partner, a female. She quit forestry and Mick heard she’d dropped charges rather than fight a losing battle in court. Mick had seen Jess move on Hana. But maybe she returned his interest. Probably did. Mick’s trips to the camp were sporadic, so it wasn’t as if he knew anything for sure.
“Stella, if Trudy needs her order today, buzz me on the house intercom. I’m going to store the ladder and grease, then go clean up.”
They parted, and Mick returned the ladder to the shed. On his trip to the house, he took out his cell phone and punched in his sister’s number. Her phone rang three times before she answered, and then she sounded out of breath.
“Hey, sis, did I catch you on the run?”
“Mick?” His twin’s voice reflected both surprise and delight. “I had my head in the oven when the phone rang. I stopped to take out two pies before I picked up.”
“You’re baking pies? What’s the occasion?”
“I’ll have you know I cook a lot more since I acquired a family of two hungry males. Thankfully, Rose sent me her favorite recipes,” Marlee said, referring to her former mother-in-law, Rose Stein. Marlee’s marriage to Wylie Ames was his twin’s second marriage. Her first husband had died after a prolonged bout with cancer. She’d had some problems with her ex-mom-in-law. But Marlee had met and overcome all challenges like a champ.
“These pies,” Marlee continued, “are for an end-of-season potluck the park rangers are having on Saturday. I’m so nervous, Mick. Wylie said I shouldn’t be, but this’ll be the first time most of his ranger buddies will have met me and Jo Beth. Bud and Ellen Russell—Bud is Wylie’s closest friend— came by to deliver a wedding gift from the whole crew. Outside of them, I won’t know a single soul at the gathering,” she admitted. “I hope my offerings at the potluck are edible, or the women will feel sorry for Wylie. They’re probably all wondering how he met me, anyway.”
Mick didn’t comment. He was trying to piece together the significance of what his sister had said.
“Mick, are you still there? Is something wrong? Oh, no, don’t tell me the report from your physical therapist was bad? I meant to phone, but we had a lot going on, what with trying to get the addition finished so Rose has a place to sleep when she comes here for Christmas. You know she’s going to help when the baby’s born? And do you remember Emmett Nelson, Rose’s neighbor from San Diego? They’ll be traveling together. I think they’re an item. Are you listening to me, Mick?”
“Yes. I’m fine according to the PT. It’s just…I scheduled a couple of deliveries up your way tomorrow. I figured on spending the weekend with you guys. That was before you mentioned having plans for Saturday. Maybe I’ll swoop in for a minute tomorrow afternoon and drop off the Halloween treats I bought for Dean and Jo Beth.”
“You will not just pop in and out. I have an order sitting at the Kalispell airpark that you can bring. And you’ll stay for the potluck. So, if I don’t pass muster with Wylie’s coworkers, I can hang out with my brother instead of looking like a wallflower.”
“Why wouldn’t you pass muster? Anyway, the only important thing is how much Wylie and Dean love you. Hey, come on! You flew choppers in a war for pity’s sake. Which of the other ranger wives can claim that kind of guts?” He shook his head. “Are you okay, sis? I’ve never known you to be insecure.”
“You never saw me when I was pregnant last time. Feeling frumpy comes with the territory.”
“Hmm, that explains it. I haven’t been around a pregnant woman—except one in that fender bender a couple of weeks ago. She went into labor at the side of the highway near Whitefish. Angel Fleet had me fly her and her husband to Kalispell. He was a basket case. I hope Wylie won’t be like that.”
“He won’t. Wylie delivered Dean. Although, he wants me to stay in town the last weeks. I’d much prefer the local midwife come here. If the weather doesn’t permit that, I’d still be fine with just Wylie and Rose on hand. Out of curiosity, what did the woman have, a boy or a girl?”
“A boy. Cute little dude. The dad acted goofy, tapping on the nursery glass and making goo-goo noises. He gave me a blue bubblegum cigar. I tried to picture myself in his shoes, but I’m positive I would’ve acted way cooler.”
“If you don’t get on the stick and meet a woman, Mick Callen, you won’t ever have kids—and we’ll never know if you’d act cool or not.”
“Yeah, yeah! Time to hang up. I’ve gotta go shower and then fly to Kalispell and collect the orders for delivery tomorrow.”
“If you don’t have to fly on Monday, stay over with us for an extra day. We’d all like that.”
“We’ll see. I’ll toss in a duffle and see what Wylie thinks about me crashing his company barbecue. Isn’t your weather too nippy for a barbecue?”
“The gathering’s always at the park picnic grounds—to celebrate closing the park for the winter. Closing is Sunday. If that storm hanging out in Canada blows down, Trudy Morgenthal says we can eat in the wildlife lecture room at the base ranger camp.”
“Stella heard about that storm. I’ll have to check reports. Maybe I will stay over. How bad are they predicting it’ll be? Nothing like the doozy last June that surprised the heck out of everybody? Never seen such high winds.”
“Nothing so major, thank goodness. Wylie said he’d never seen a storm cause as much damage as that one. I think this forecast is for a few inches of snow, that’s all. The kids have their fingers crossed. Probably because Wylie built them sleds out of scrap lumber.”
“All right! If I wasn’t planning to stay over before, that would’ve tipped the scales.
