An EMT had treated him. He and the show owners were lucky the accident hadn’t been worse. There’d be inquiries, but the plane whose engine failed and its pilot were insured. So were the show owners and promoters, as was he.
After some time, he rolled up his window and crawled out. If he didn’t go in, he was in danger of falling asleep in his truck.
He needed to remember to set his alarm. The show owners were moving to the next site and planned an early start. That meant he wouldn’t have a chance to see Jenna in the morning. The longer he gave her to brood, the harder it would be to convince her to give their fledgling love a chance.
Not wanting to wake her or Andee, Flynn removed his shoes and tiptoed into the kitchen. A note lay on the table. He was almost afraid to read it.
Lo and behold, it said she’d fixed him a plate of leftovers and put it in the fridge. A roast-beef sandwich and macaroni salad. Good, no need to microwave it and make noise. He got out a fork and a bottle of water and decided to eat upstairs.
At the stairwell Beezer came to greet him. Shifting everything to one sore hand, he awkwardly petted the dog. “It’s okay, boy,” he whispered. “Go back to bed.”
The dog sniffed Flynn’s boots, yawned and padded back to Andee’s room.
Flynn glanced longingly at Jenna’s closed door, then trudged upstairs where he turned on a lamp, set his alarm and sat on his bed to eat.
The next thing he knew, his alarm was blaring. His plate and fork were on the floor. He’d slept where he’d toppled over, still in his dirty clothes.
He made short work of a shower. That and clean clothes left him refreshed.
Downstairs, all remained dark. He expected it, but was still disappointed. The clock on the microwave showed he didn’t really have time to brew coffee. He took a minute, turned over the note Jenna had left him and scribbled her one of his own.
The crew is breaking down the show and ferrying out the historic planes today. If I can carve out time to get away for lunch, I’ll run home. Jenna, I’m sorry. Don’t toss my clothes and things out of the house. I love you.
After he’d backed his pickup around and driven far enough away, he felt okay about turning on his lights. He wished he’d written that last line in capital letters.
* * *
JENNA’S ALARM RANG, shaking her awake. Murky light filtered through slits separating the panels of her bedroom drapes. When she’d gone to bed, she hadn’t expected to fall asleep. Now she discovered she’d slept like the dead.
Slightly rattled, she assumed Flynn hadn’t come home. That lanced a sharp pain through her midsection. This morning there was no light from the kitchen and no smell of coffee.
After all, she had ordered him to leave. What had she expected?
Plunging her head beneath the cool spray of the shower, she let it wash away her tears. Instead of feeling revived afterward, she felt drained. Flynn had said he liked her enthusiasm for attacking a day. This morning she felt off kilter as she went into the kitchen and switched on the coffeemaker. Her gaze lit on the note she’d left Flynn. She wondered where he’d spent the night.
This morning, staring out the window at the slowly rising sun, she felt ashamed of how she’d lashed out at him. He had looked pasty and drawn. She’d acted out of a place of petrifying fear welling up from her past loss.
But he’d also lost his best friend in a crash—the same one where he’d been injured. Yet he didn’t see all planes as death traps.
Looking back, she saw she’d had a panicked reaction. Flynn probably thought she was a crazy woman. Maybe she was. Was it crazy to now not want him to leave?
How could she take back what she’d said? She’d never been good at pouring out her heart. Even if she tried, would Flynn listen?
The sun had risen enough to dust the foothills in muted pinks and gold. Jenna prodded herself to move. Barney would arrive soon and they’d planned to seed grass in the new pens. She wasn’t hungry, but she should eat.
Reaching for her cereal, she saw Flynn’s box of Froot Loops. She ran a finger around a grape-colored O and almost cried. Quickly closing the cupboard, she poured her wheat flakes, sat and then remembered she hadn’t gotten out milk. It was when she opened the fridge that she noticed the plate she’d made up for Flynn wasn’t there. She moved things around, thinking Andee had maybe gotten up in the night for a glass of milk. Still no plate.
Jenna spun around to look at the note on the table. The paper wasn’t exactly where she’d left it. She turned on the overhead light. With heart thumping, she picked up the paper, read it once, then read it again. A third time the last line got splotchy with tears.
Flynn hadn’t left. He didn’t think she was crazy. The wonderful, forgiving man still loved her. Drying her eyes on her shirttail, Jenna folded the note and tucked it into the pocket of her capris. At last she was able to sit and eat something.
It wasn’t until she’d finished, rinsed the bowl and stored it in the dishwasher that she remembered Andee’s doctor appointment today at eleven-thirty. She also had story hour at one o’clock. Flynn had said in the note he’d try to come home for lunch. She’d have to call him. Would he think she was making up excuses?
Grabbing a pair of gloves, she went out. Probably she was overthinking again.
Barney saw her and waved. He’d parked his Harley in the shade of the porch. “Did you hear the big news about the plane crash at yesterday’s air show?”
Jenna barely inclined her head. The memory of how the plane looked smoldering on the ground still made her heart cramp.
“This morning the guys at the Legion Post couldn’t stop talking about the dumb luck of everyone involved to get out alive.”
“People were hurt,” she told him. “I saw fire trucks and ambulances galore headed out there.”
“I had a ringside view. If you take our weekly newspaper, you’ll see my picture and my name mentioned for shoving a couple of families back who’d have otherwise been hit by debris.”
“Wow, you must’ve been close.” Shivering, Jenna opened the shed and got out the seed. She wished Barney would stop talking about the accident. But, being ex-military, he wanted to describe each nauseating detail.
Finally she just unrolled her earbuds, turned on her iPod and tuned him out. She had to tell him to stop talking when Andee and Beezer came out from the house to watch them spread topsoil over the seed.
“Mommy, where’s Flynn? He always eats breakfast with me. Is he mad at you?”
Jenna saw Barney’s ears perk up. “No, honey. He left really, really early. The men who own the old planes are taking them somewhere else today.”
“Yep,” Barney broke in. “I talked to the flyer giving lessons in the P-51. The next show is in El Paso.”
Andee climbed onto the fence. “Did you ride in one of the planes, Mr. Fisk?”
“I did, Miss Boots.”
She giggled.
“I went in the B-17,” he said. “At one point we could see all the way to Arizona. That was cool. But when they flew those planes in the war, they often flew through fog so thick they couldn’t see their targets below.”
“What’s a target?”
“Barney,” Jenna warned. “TMI. Andee, stop bouncing on the fence. The men only finished installing it yesterday. Did you have breakfast? Did you feed Beezer?”
“Uh-huh.” She jumped down, sank to her knees and looped her arms around the dog. “Can I wear my blue dress to the doctor and story hour?”
“It’s pretty dressy. I thought you might wear it the first day of school.” Really, she’d pictured Andee wearing it in the wedding.
“Can we afford to buy me new school clothes? At the carnival Emily said her mama is taking her school shopping. They go to a city. I can’t remember the name.”
“We’ll buy a few new thing
s. I think you’ve grown taller.”
“Am I too tall to ride my bicycle when my arm gets fixed?”
Barney laughed and Jenna shook her head. “You didn’t grow that fast. Maybe you’ll be okay to ride after you see the doctor today.”
The pair worked steadily thereafter. They weren’t quite done when Jenna realized it was a quarter to eleven. “Yikes. I need to clean up and take Andee to her appointment. I want to get there early since it’s a new doctor. There will be paperwork.”
“You run on. I’ll finish, lock up the wheelbarrow and spreader before I head out. I’m tending bar later at the Legion, but I’ve got plenty of time.”
“Thanks. If you work overtime, be sure to write it down.”
In the house, Jenna sped through getting ready. They were in the Cherokee driving out when she realized she’d forgotten to call Flynn. It was as well she stopped at the end of the lane to dial him, because the mailman drove in and flagged her down. Flynn’s cell went straight to voice mail anyway. Dropping her phone back into her purse, she rolled down her window to see what the mailman wanted.
“Are you Mrs. Jenna Wood?”
“I am.”
“I have a registered letter for you. Here’s a pen. Sign that card by the X.”
The priority document mailer’s return address read SID, Washington, DC. Jenna’s stomach did a double flip. The acronym stood for Special Investigative Department. This was the report from the Air Force team who’d reviewed Andrew’s crash. She dropped the envelope on the adjacent seat where it lay, innocent and terrifying all at once.
“What did you get, Mommy?”
“Uh, just some documents. I’ll look them over later.”
The envelope preyed on her mind throughout Andee’s appointment and while they removed her cast. She could have opened it after she walked her daughter in for story hour. But the kids all had to exclaim over Andee’s arm. Jenna finally broke away, saying she’d return in an hour. On many levels she craved the calming comfort of home while she read the report.
Once there, she unlocked the house and let Beezer out. Taking the envelope, she sat on the porch steps and slowly slit it open.
* * *
ON THE PORCH steps was where Flynn found Jenna when he drove in. She sat hunched over. He heard her sobbing the minute he shut off the pickup’s motor. Leaping out, he ran to her and had to scoot Beezer aside to fold her in his arms.
“What’s wrong? Stop crying. Tell me.” He held her so tightly she couldn’t pull away. “Is it Andee? Did you get bad news about her arm?” Flynn looked around. “Where is she?”
Jenna tried to talk, but her nose ran and tears blocked her throat. She slid her arms around Flynn’s torso and buried her face in his neck, crying like a baby.
He saw a sheaf of papers flutter off her lap. It was awkward, but he scooped up a couple of sheets. He saw an official gold seal and below it rows of black type. Flynn guessed this was the report she’d said was coming from Air Force investigators.
“Is it terrible news? Look, Jenna, you need to keep in mind that nothing the commission says about him can hurt him now.”
She loosened her arms and wiped her face on his flight suit. “It’s not bad news. Especially for Andee. She can be proud of her dad’s military record.” Sniffling, Jenna raked a hand through her hair. “The Navy pilot’s F-18 Hornet malfunctioned and caused the crash.” Her garbled words ran together.
“Then why, for Pete’s sake, are you crying your eyes out?” Flynn worked a partly clean red rag out of his pocket and patted her puffy eyes and red face.
“The Navy guy and Andrew argued before the flight. Also, Andrew’s squadron commander testified that he’d been sent home with orders to see a base psychiatrist and be evaluated for possible PTSD. He didn’t follow through. No one checked to see he did.” Jenna snuffled on Flynn’s shoulder again. “I knew, as did friends and family, that something was wrong. Oh, Flynn, I should have pushed him harder to go see the base doctor.”
“No way. That was the job for his CO.”
“I feel so guilty. And look how I yelled at you yesterday. Because I can’t bear to think you might die like Andrew.”
Flynn spoke into her hair. “Accidents can happen anywhere, sweetheart. In a car. In a house. Flying. Playing sports. Life’s a risk.”
“I’m not a risk taker. I won’t make you a good wife.”
“Listen to me. You risked marriage to a man headed to war. You risked having a baby. You risked moving here, where you didn’t know a soul. Please, won’t you risk spending whatever time either of us has left, living with and loving each other?”
She traced the hollow of his cheek with a damp finger. “When you put it like that it doesn’t sound so risky. Are you sure you want to hook up with a hysterical, unlikely rancher?”
“There’s not a doubt in my mind. And in my spare time I’ll help you ranch.”
“That’s good enough for me.” She picked up the scattered papers and shoved them back in the envelope. “Flynn, are you absolutely sure? Before yesterday I’d begun to plan a small church wedding. Remember, I said at Christmas so my sister and her husband can attend. I thought we’d invite my folks, too, and your family.”
“Um. I’d hoped for sooner. We can get our blood tests done at the VA when I go for my flight physical. I’m counting on you holding my hand so my BP stays down.”
“I’ll do that anyway,” she said solemnly.
“Then all is good. Perfect, in fact!” He kissed her thoroughly.
Beezer flopped down and Flynn straightened. “You proved you aren’t hoping I’ll fail the test so I have to quit flying.”
“I’d never ask you to change who you are for me.”
For a time they held hands and talked about the wedding and their future.
Suddenly, Jenna sprang up. “I only have ten minutes to pick up Andee from the library. Will you lock the house? Beezer can ride with me unless you want to take him back to the airpark.”
“Nah. Frankly he’s become more Andee’s dog than mine. Drive carefully. Hey, don’t break the news to her about us. Let’s do it together tonight at dinner.”
“Okay, but she said at Sunday school she prayed you’d be her new daddy. She could’ve already told the world. She was upset I yelled at you and ordered you away.”
“We’ll assure her that’s behind us. From now on our lives will be nothing but roses.”
Jenna left with a somewhat lighter heart and hoped she didn’t look too much of a mess from all her crying.
She hadn’t let herself grieve for Andrew. Now, in the solitude of the SUV, she did.
She wiped her eyes before going in at the library. None of the other mothers remarked on her appearance. In fact, they voted to take the kids to the park now that the homeless were housed elsewhere.
Keisha’s mother had heard of Jenna’s involvement. “You paved the way for a wonderful project, Jenna. Our neighbor owns a duplex. A Realtor talked him into selling to the city, too. Dayton Hines first looked at the place to rent for his son. I guess the kid is twenty, still lives at home and is a pain in the you-know-what.”
Jenna didn’t mention her encounter with young Hines. She wasn’t one to gossip.
Driving home after playtime, she spotted a Chinese restaurant. “Andee, would you like fried rice for dinner?”
“Yum. And lo mein noodles?”
“One or the other and a vegetable-beef dish.”
“Will Flynn be there? Does he like Chinese food?”
“Who doesn’t?” Jenna had to contain herself to not spill their news.
Flynn was waiting when they arrived. As Jenna pulled in, he left the house and came over to help them. “I was worried. You didn’t say you planned to go anywhere after the story hour. Ah, I see you picked up dinner. I thought w
e could call for pizza. This is better.”
Andee hurtled herself at Flynn. “You’re not gonna go away, are you?”
“No, sugar. After we wash up and set the table, while our food heats in the microwave, your mom and I have something to tell you.”
“Good stuff?”
“We think so.”
“Don’t keep her in suspense,” Jenna said, stopping at the sink to wash. “Flynn, you can do the honors.”
He cleared his throat. “Andee, your mom and I are going to get married.”
The girl looked from one to the other. “Huh. I thought maybe we were gonna get the alpacas sooner.”
Jenna dissolved in laughter over Flynn’s deflated expression. “Honey, us marrying means Flynn will be your new dad. Although not until around the time Santa Claus and Auntie Melody and Uncle Rob visit us.”
“I knew it, Mommy. Because I asked God.”
And that was it. They all helped ready dinner. Afterward Andee took Cubby and Beezer and went to her room to play.
“That was anticlimactic,” Flynn said, helping Jenna load the dishwasher.
“Kids are like that. Say, would you like to walk around the pens? I need to see that the birds all have water. It was very hot today. The moms of Andee’s new friends said the next two months will be more humid.”
“Right, when the monsoons kick in.”
They walked hand in hand and watched the sun settle over the foothills. The breeze Jenna had grown accustomed to sprang up on their return.
Once inside, each of them went about their usual routines. Jenna helped Andee get ready for bed. Flynn set up coffee for morning.
“Our evening was so banal,” he said later.
Jenna chuckled. “You expected maybe fireworks? Married life can be boring.”
His eyes lit and he pulled her against him for a hard, satisfying kiss. “Once we make it legal, I can think of any number of ways to spice up our nights.”
An Unlikely Rancher Page 21
