Wind River Protector

by Lindsay McKenna

  * * *

  “I love the Wyoming night sky,” Andy whispered as they walked to their cars. Dev was at her side, their hands sometimes lightly brushing each other.

  “They’re an amazing show every night,” he agreed, looking up and slowing his pace after they went down the porch steps to the sidewalk.

  She licked her lower lip. It was a moonless night, the stars shining like brilliant diamonds in the velvet darkness above them. The small posts on either side of the wooden gate lit the way for them. There was a breeze, and it was coolish but not cold. In the distance, she could hear cattle lowing in some of the grass lease pastures. “I’m sorry Luke asked you such a personal question. Did you feel embarrassed by it?”

  Slowing, Dev opened the door to his truck and turned. Andy had leaned against the fender, her features muted and deeply shadowed. Her eyes were filled with concern for him. “It was unexpected. I didn’t feel he did it to embarrass me.”

  “Oh, he’s not mean-spirited like that at all,” she said quickly. “And you’re right, he’s so quick mentally, being a Gemini and all, that he sometimes doesn’t think before he speaks.”

  “I didn’t take it personally, Andy. After all, everyone had been talking about relationships that were broken.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself, frowning. “You’re right. But Luke has a lot of curiosity about the people he’s interested in. And sometimes his social graces aren’t as good as I’d like. He just blurts out something, not thinking ahead that whatever he’s asking or saying might hurt that person.”

  “We all do it, now and then,” and he smiled a little, leaning against the door of the truck, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

  “He likes you. And Luke tends to get chummy quickly, far more personal than maybe he should be.”

  “Does that explain some of his many relationships?” Dev wondered. “Too fast for the woman? Crowding her, maybe?”

  “For sure,” she said with a little laugh.

  “He’s a Hotshot. He’s used to going into situations that are dangerous,” he teased, meeting her smile, seeing some of the trepidation dissolve in her eyes.

  “Oh, he’s used that excuse way too many times!”

  “I learned with Sophie, my wife, to take things slow. To let things develop naturally, not try to push or crowd her. She was a great teacher for me.”

  “I think you’re far more sensitive than Luke is at this moment in his life. I think you read the tea leaves pretty well, Dev.”

  He felt her searching, reaching out to him. “Maybe tonight was for us to size up whatever it is that’s growing between us.” He saw surprise in her expression, but then, acceptance. “I feel what we have, whatever it is, or whatever you want to call it, is because of our five days on the run. I can’t speak for you, Andy, but I felt as if we were melded together, because of our common goal, a common desire to survive, and it was a good feeling. I trusted you from the very beginning, no question. Did you feel that? Or am I the only one?” He saw her become pensive, look up at the stars twinkling above, and then her gaze meeting and holding his.

  “We’ve never really sat down for a long, hard, in-depth talk about what that time did to us ourselves, much less what it did for us together. I did feel that melding, as you call it, happen. I’ve always been an intuitive person, but one of the many things that amazed me was that we were so intuitive, almost scarily telepathic. When we got separated in that cave on the second night? I was walking about fifty feet ahead of you and my flashlight batteries died? It went pitch black.”

  “Yes?”

  “How God-awful dark it was? I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. I lost my sense of direction and I was in total panic, thinking I was going to die and no one was ever going to find me. And then this peace came over me. Something told me you would find me. All I had to do was stay where I was. We couldn’t call out to each other because the Taliban was nearby.”

  “I remember.” He shook his head. “I’m glad we’re discussing this. We were using only one flashlight to save our batteries. You had rounded a corner and I saw two tunnels ahead of you. When it went dark, I knew what had happened. I didn’t know which tunnel you’d taken. Because I’d been in so many nighttime missions, I relied heavily on my gut feelings. That tunnel was ten feet across. I decided to be still, and something told me to listen to see if I couldn’t pick up your breathing. I sensed you were scared to death. So was I. But something told me I could find you and we’d be okay.”

  “And sure enough, you found me ten minutes later.”

  “Yeah, I heard your breathing. I followed it and took the left tunnel and found you about twenty feet into it.”

  She managed a weak smile. “I gotta tell you, Dev, your arms going around me, hauling me against you? It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. I never forgot that moment.”

  “Me either,” he admitted slowly, watching the changes in her eyes.

  “Seeing you again here in Wyoming, I never felt so happy. We had trust, the best kind, already in place between us. It never lagged or broke while we were on the run. When I realized it was you, I felt that same thing, whatever you want to call it, bursting open and blossoming between us once more.”

  “I felt it, too.”

  “What does it mean, Dev? I’ve lain awake some nights trying to figure out how we’re supposed to relate to each other. I know you’re my boss and I’m your employee.”

  He managed a grunt and shook his head, holding her gaze. “We could have died so many times before and after our crashes. When people share an intense experience like that, I think it forms a connection few can understand. We had no one to rely on but ourselves. That has been branded into our souls as far as I’m concerned. I try to see you as an employee, but our past always outweighs that. Is it the same with you, or am I the only one fighting this?”

  “I’m so glad you said something.” She sighed. Unwinding her arms, she pushed off the fender, turned and walked up to him. Looking up, she whispered, “I don’t know what we have, Dev. Personally? I’d like to see where it takes us. I have no idea what that means, but I’ve never been more interested in a man than I am in you. Tell me what you feel about us.”

  “It feels as if someone has taken a ton of weight off my shoulders that I’ve been carrying around since we met here in Wind River. I can’t name what it is either, but I know it isn’t anything bad. It’s good.”

  She pushed some strands of hair away from her cheek. “I’d feel better if, when we’re on the job, we keep our boss-and-employee position in alignment. I don’t think either of us wants to upset the status quo there.”

  “You’re right. I don’t want that to happen either. What about our days off? When we have free time and no responsibilities like we have when we’re on duty?”

  “This is funny in an odd way, Dev. Today’s whole discussion was about relationships. You and I didn’t bring up the topic, but there it was.”

  “Sky said that because of being abandoned at birth, she couldn’t trust a man in a serious relationship. Gabe and Luke both agreed, feeling the same way. But you didn’t, Andy. I wanted to ask why you didn’t agree with them. In my crazy-wishes world, I wanted to believe that whatever is growing between us is really good for you and for me. And that’s why you didn’t speak up and agree with your siblings. Am I right?”

  She gave him a painful look. “Yes. We were thinking the same thing and I didn’t want to bring it up to the family today.”

  “Where does this leave us, then? Or where do you want to go in this thing we have but can’t name?”

  She smiled a little nervously. “I liked what you said about going slow, letting things take a natural course. I’m at a place where I really want this job. It’s a new career for me. I desperately want to stay home, be near my folks and start to enjoy my life. I’ve risked my butt too many times, and now, I guess I’m at an age when I want peace. I don’t want guns firing at me. I don’t want to be crashing anymor
e.” She touched her heart. “I have a sense that I can heal now. Before, I didn’t. There’s a hole in my heart, Dev. It’s been there all my life. And I sense that here, in Wind River, I can settle down, be in calmer waters, do the inner work to get my wound cleaned out and finally dress it so I can get on with my life.”

  Pursing his lips, he said, “I completely agree with you. I’m not in a space to chase a woman or make demands on her like I did when I was much younger. Like you, I want a quiet backwater life, too. I like our deep talks. I’m hungry for them. They . . . you . . . feed my heart and soul. I always feel better after a conversation like we’re having right now.”

  “Me too,” she admitted.

  “I’m glad we aired this. We can thank Luke for it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “He’s always been the court jester in our family. Most of the time, he leaves us laughing.”

  “Court jesters sometimes speak the truth we all need to hear, and today he brought that home to us.”

  “And we had a wonderful meal. There’s so much going on tomorrow . . . and I’m so proud of Mom and Dad spending a decade of hard work to make this dream of an airport come true for our valley.”

  “We have a lot to celebrate. I’ll see you tomorrow,” and he barely grazed her cheek with his fingertips, needing to touch this woman who was like an endless well of honesty and integrity. “I’m sure we’ll see each other at the barn dance at your parents’ barbeque.”

  “Mom and Dad will be hobnobbing with the senators and congresspeople, not to mention other county and state officials. I don’t like that stuff, but she and Dad love it.”

  “And that’s what it took to get our hub airport landed, pardon my pun,” and he grinned. “Will you keep a dance open for me once we find each other tomorrow night?”

  She smiled. “Absolutely. Good night, Dev. Thanks for being brave and telling me how you really feel.”

  “My wife taught me early on about communicating.”

  “She had to be an exceptional human being. I wish I could have known her.”

  “Maybe, over time, I’ll fill you in about her. I’ll always love her; she has a place in my heart and memory. But I learned about two years ago, after going through a long tunnel of grief over losing her, that I had to start living again.”

  “I’m sure both of us are going to value her in our lives. She was a teacher,” Andy said gently. Lifting her hand, she squeezed his. “See you tomorrow . . .”

  Chapter Twelve

  July 4

  Wednesday

  Andy sat with her family in the front row looking up at the square, wooden dais decorated with Independence Day banners. She felt so proud to see her mother and father sitting up there, between the two Wyoming senators and congresspeople, as the governor of the state extolled the opening of the airport. There were at least a thousand people in attendance. American flags waved in the inconstant breeze, the eleven a.m. temperature pleasant, the sky a blinding blue with a few high, cirrus clouds wafting above the valley.

  Next to her was Dev. It felt good to have him with her. They had all worked to make this opening something everyone in the valley could be proud of. They, along with the pilots and crew chiefs of their medevac service, plus the mechanics wore the dark-blue, one-piece flight uniform, adorned with patches, their names and the name of their company. After the speeches, the Wind River High School marching band provided stirring July 4 music between speakers, and then the official opening would be over. There were four major airlines, along with regional airlines, that would be landing in an hour, officially opening the airport that was more than ready for their business.

  Her siblings sat on one side of her, Dev, on the other. The mayor of Wind River, Trudy Hopkins, sat up on the dais, next to her parents. Everyone looked so proud. There was polite clapping when the governor finished. Andy had the list of speakers memorized. Next, the senators would praise the Nellie Tayloe Ross Regional Airport, then the congresspeople.

  Finally, Maud would speak, and she knew her mother’s goal for helping the people of this valley become economically stable was finally here. She glanced over at Dev, who slanted her a glance in return. He’d already admitted earlier, before they took their places, that he wasn’t one to enjoy these kinds of things, and she wasn’t either. What made it different for both of them was that it was her parents who had made this place, their dream for this valley, a reality. For this celebration, neither of them chaffed at having to sit for short speeches from all the officials.

  As soon as the opening was finished, she and her cohorts, who sat directly behind them, would go to the medevac area. There, they would turn on their public relations for the people who would come to check out their office, view the Black Hawk sitting out in front, and they’d hand out brochures to those who wanted them.

  The children would be allowed into the rear of the open sliding door of the helicopter, so they could see it up close and personal. Pete and Dev would be by the doors, explaining and answering questions about the medical side of the care this medevac was going to provide for the valley. She and the other pilots would be inside their facility, taking people around to see the various offices, the kitchen area and sleeping quarters for those on duty.

  Keeping in mind these people who lived in Wind River contributed their taxes to the airport, Andy was happy to show them around. This was their hard-earned money at work for all of them. She could hardly wait until they could get on their feet, move around and interact with the people who were here. Everyone was dressed in their summer finery, a lot of red, white and blue worn throughout the assembled crowd. She smiled inwardly at her father, who was never without his black Stetson on his head. When he had left at eighteen for Princeton to chase his dream of becoming an architect, he’d not given up his daily uniform: cowboy boots, jeans, a wrangler’s shirt and his black hat. Steve had teased his children, saying that when they buried him, it had to be in Western gear, plus his faithful black Stetson tucked inside his casket. It was a family joke, but his wishes, when that day came, would be lovingly carried out.

  Her gaze moved to her mother, her short black-and-silver hair glistening from the sunlight. She was dressed in a simple, navy-blue linen suit, a classy white blouse and a red scarf around her neck. Her parents had flown in from New York City and now sat in the front row facing the dais. In the second row were the Whitcomb children, proud expressions on their faces. Her father’s parents sat on the other side of Dev. She was glad both families were here, together, for this important event. Earlier, a photographer had taken the family picture. Photos would then be sent to everyone; a wonderful, lasting memento of this day.

  She felt bad that Dev’s parents could not come, his father having had appendicitis surgery a few days earlier. The operation was successful, but he couldn’t travel. Maud had hired a videographer to film the whole ceremony. That video would be sent to them, and of course, there would be video of Dev, as well as where he worked, and, she hoped, some shots of him sitting in the Black Hawk helicopter’s cockpit. He’d told Andy he’d spoken to his parents last night, finding out that his father was doing well. The good news was that this fall, in early September, his parents were going to fly here to visit Dev, staying for five days. She was looking forward to meeting his mother and father.

  When it was Maud’s turn to speak, Andy felt her chest expand with love and pride for her mother. The pleasure on her father’s face as she spoke passionately of how the idea of an airport had become a reality for the people of the valley. Although her father had been just as instrumental in the design of the airport, supporting her mother for a decade to bring this dream to reality, he’d declined to speak. Steve had told everyone that this had been Maud’s dream from the beginning, and she deserved the lion’s share of praise for her hard, consistent work. And, of course, Maud had worked with her mother to contact key political people to make this airport happen. It took a village, for sure, to create something of this magnitude in such a deprived, economically
hard-hit area.

  Tonight, Dev would be coming back to her family’s ranch for a celebratory dinner—a barbeque and then dancing.

  After that, he’d suggested that a good way to end this incredible day would be to meet at the hot tub at their condo. He said they could celebrate by sitting in warm water and ease their painful feet after being on them for eight hours. Andy had laughed and agreed. She’d slipped and said, “That’s a date, Mitchell.” And then realized the word she’d used had triggered an expression in his eyes that gleamed with an emotion she couldn’t name but felt. Yes, there was something good, something building between them, and she was going to surrender to it.

  * * *

  Andy slipped into the hot tub, the stars twinkling through the glass skylights above them in the clear night sky. It was nine p.m., and she sank gratefully into the warm, bubbling water, adjusting her one-piece black swimsuit straps before sitting down on the bench beneath the water. At this time of the evening, no one else was using the hot tub, so it was a favorite time of theirs to be alone, to talk in privacy. The lighting was a bluish color, just enough to see where one was going but keeping everything else in deep shadows. She liked that sense of being in a cocoon whenever they were able to meet here after a day’s work.

  Turning, she watched in admiring silence, drinking in Dev’s tall, tightly muscled body. He wore a pair of dark green trunks that fell halfway down his thighs. It was a private pleasure to glance at him without being obvious, also admiring his broad set of shoulders, his chest sprinkled with dark hair, all lending him a decidedly sexy look. Andy had stopped trying to tell herself Dev was off-limits, her reasoning falling on the deaf ears of her own yearning heart.