Airman to the Rescue

by Heatherly Bell

  But both had zero appeal to him.

  He glanced around and saw that Hunter and Sierra were still hanging behind the petting zoo pen, Mr. Parker was engaged in an intense discussion with his mother and her gentleman friend, Dylan and Molly were in a clinch, and Stone and Emily were still...doing what they always did.

  He stood up and tugged on Sarah’s hand. “I want to show you something.”

  He didn’t meet with any resistance from her as he pulled her along and guided her a little farther up the slope of the hill to the barn. The Parker family had converted the old barn into a small gift shop in which they showcased local artists’ work. Pottery, woodwork and some art, though not anything of the caliber he’d seen in Sarah’s small shed. He flipped open the barn door and led her by the small of her back inside the poorly lit area. Only a small sliver of sunlight shone through the crossed barn windows.

  Sarah walked along the aisles of pottery. She stopped in front of a large bowl and looked at the price tag. “Nice craftsmanship, but are they serious about this price?”

  “Hey, it’s art. Look at this.” He stood by a sketch of El Toro, an amateur effort in his eyes compared to Sarah’s.

  “Oh. Maybe the artist is new and just getting started on landscapes.”

  He smiled at Sarah’s kind critique. “It won an award.”

  “Really?” She met his eyes.

  Now he could see the wheels turning. She’d told him that she couldn’t sketch people anymore, or didn’t want to. And he could understand why. For years she’d had a skewed view of her art. Her talent and abilities had been shut down and fixed to the barest necessities. He had a feeling that what she’d created in her shed so far was only the start of where she could go. Was it wrong of him to want her to rediscover that part of herself before she went back to Colorado?

  “Well, art is so subjective.” She shrugged. “It’s not bad.”

  “It’s not great. I think you need to put your work in here.”

  She shook her head. “Absolutely not. I don’t want any favoritism from my sister-in-law-to-be. People will say she put my art in here because we’re related.”

  He one-armed her and tugged her in close, holding on tight. “Damn, woman, why are you so stubborn? Your work is excellent. Everybody deserves to see it, and you deserve for it to be seen. What good is your art if you can’t share it?”

  He recognized by the shift in her eyes that he’d reached her on some level. Hit the bull’s-eye. Fear kept her from doing what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, whether she could cop to it or not. Fear of failure, fear of getting too close to anyone and falling in love—not that he could blame her for that last one. He was a fairly healthy cynic himself. Still working on it.

  Her hands went up against his chest. “I might just not be ready to share it.”

  “I hear a lot of excuses.” He tugged on a lock of her hair. “Maybe you’re afraid.”

  That lit up her eyes with the fierceness he loved to see. “I’m not afraid. What would I be afraid of, anyway?”

  “That someone might see inside you.”

  At this, she went still. Wouldn’t look at him for a minute.

  Then she met his eyes, and hers were heated and challenging. “Is this one more thing you’re trying to fix for me, Matt Conner?”

  “I think we’ve reached the point where you can just call me Matt.” He brought his hand up to the nape of her neck and pulled her in until they were sharing oxygen. Just one breath between them. “Or maybe just ‘babe.’ I’ll respond to either.”

  He smiled against her lips and kissed her, enjoying her sweet taste, like iced tea on his tongue. Her lips were ridiculously soft and her tongue wet and warm and willing. It teased mercilessly with his. That now familiar rush of blood pumped through him, speeding up his heart rate and wreaking havoc with his head.

  Both of them.

  Man, he wanted her more and more each day. She was sweet and smart. Funny, even when she wasn’t trying to be. Beautiful. And from the moment he’d first met her he’d thought...somewhat lonely. Or maybe that was him.

  But she was also opinionated, insecure, prideful, stubborn and...his.

  Uh-oh. Careful with that line of thinking, Airman.

  No. Not his.

  She broke off the kiss and stared at his lips, a little breathless. “Did you bring me in here to make out?”

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Whether or not you like that idea.”

  A small grin formed on her lips. “You know I do. I like kissing you.”

  “You like a lot more than kissing.” He grabbed a fistful of her hair and tugged her closer, even if he had no business acting like a horny teenager hiding in a dark barn with his favorite girl.

  “That’s true. And I think you must know how long I’ve had a crush on you.”

  “Yeah?”

  He didn’t like the idea of being her crush. It sounded weak and temporary, but he reminded himself it was all he could expect when he’d been the one to offer her so little.

  This is all I can give you right now.

  I won’t fall in love with you.

  She still had plans to go back to Fort Collins because this thing between them was temporary and he needed to remember that. She still had plans to sell her father’s house, even if every day Matt found another reason to love it. Not just because it was a Craftsman classic but because the walls held history inside them. The history of a family, fragmented though it had been. He was sure if Sarah held on to it she’d realize she already had what she was searching for. It wouldn’t matter how much they changed and updated, the foundation would remain. And it was a firm foundation. If only Sarah could see that.

  “I’ve crushed hard on you, since the first time I met you at the bar, and you gave me that full-on smile that promised me heaven.”

  “Did I deliver?”

  “Yes. You did. Finally.” This time she reached up and kissed him.

  Long. Deep. Hard. Hot. By the time she was done kissing him, her eyes were hooded with desire.

  He was hard, his breaths coming sharp and uneven. “Let’s get out of here before you make me do something crazy.”

  He took her hand and led her out of the barn even as his heart told him: Too late genius. Too late.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “MOLLY, I’M SERIOUS! I’m not going with the miniskirt.” Emily wrestled it out of Molly’s hands and put it back on the wedding boutique shop’s “no way” rack.

  “All right, fine. Be a country bumpkin if you want. I’m just trying to get you to stretch.” Molly went back to the other side of the store, presumably to find something less outdated.

  “Leave your sister alone,” Jean Parker called after her. Mrs. Parker sat on the love seat the store provided for mothers and in-laws. “She has her own ideas.”

  What had seemed like two hours but was probably just fifteen minutes ago, Sarah had stepped into the extremely exclusive “by appointment only” wedding boutique with Emily and her family. She’d said a brief hello to Joanne for the second time in the same month. Today Joanne was dressed in a beautiful satiny pink dress that made her look like everyone’s favorite bridesmaid. She was welcoming and kind, but quickly found one of her attendants to help their party. Then she’d gone back to the front of the store where she seemed to be going through paperwork.

  Emily turned and held out a long sleek white dress with a sweetheart collar.

  “This is more what I’m thinking.”

  “How lovely, Em.” The woman would probably adore anything Emily chose. The love was clearly written all over her dim blue eyes.

  Emily held up her phone and took a photo of the dress. “Joanne said I could take photos, since Rachel can’t be here.”


  Emily’s best friend Rachel was on ordered bed rest for her pregnancy.

  “What do you think?” Emily asked Sarah.

  She’d been standing behind the couch just to the right of Mrs. Parker. Now Sarah nodded in agreement. She had to. That dress said Emily Parker-Mcallister in a thousand little ways. Elegant and beautiful. Classy. Unique and modern but deeply traditional.

  “Beautiful.”

  Beyond that, Sarah had nothing more to add. She’d been chewing on Matt’s words about her art since yesterday and still wasn’t sure how she felt about it. He’d challenged her on her fears and she wasn’t used to that. She’d expected him to be like most men and be content to simply get laid, but no. That didn’t seem to be enough for one Matt Conner. Why this annoyed her she wasn’t quite sure.

  “I don’t know,” Emily said, wrinkling her nose. “The dress has to be perfect.”

  “I see you’re not asking too much of the dress,” her grandmother said. “Only perfection.”

  “I don’t want it to be too much over-the-top tradition. Just enough tradition, with a little bit of country.”

  “I don’t see any country in that dress,” Molly said, bringing over a couple of over-the-top dresses that looked like something a movie star would wear.

  Not Emily’s style at all.

  “The sweetheart collar is a little bit country,” Emily said, and went into the changing rooms.

  Both Molly and the bridal attendant followed her in.

  “Ever been through this before, dear?” Mrs. Parker turned to Sarah. “Picking a wedding dress?”

  “Oh, no. Not me.”

  “Been through this once before.” Mrs. Parker sighed, and when she brought the champagne flute to her lips, dozens of silver bracelets jangled and chimed on her wrist.

  She was the most unconventionally dressed geriatric woman Sarah had ever met. No track suits with piping for Jean. She wore designer jeans with sparkly and glittery patterns on the back pockets like something you’d find in the junior section of a department store.

  It was difficult not to like Mrs. Parker. “Molly’s wedding?”

  “That’s right. Never made it to the wedding dress part with Emily’s first engagement. Thank the good Lord for that! But this. Oh my, Sarah, dear, this here is the real thing.”

  “I know what you mean.” From what she’d heard through the grapevine Emily had been through a disastrous breakup before meeting Stone.

  He’d met her through, of all things, the aviation school, when Emily had decided to get her pilot’s license. She’d probably not been planning on meeting the love of her life, either, and yet it had happened.

  Sarah hadn’t planned on falling for her brother’s best friend, but some days she felt down and out for the count. Drowning. Matt made her toes curl and her heart all squishy.

  “How about you, dear? Any prospects back home?” Mrs. Parker asked.

  “Um,” Sarah said. “No one special.”

  “Maybe we can take care of that. You’re family now, and we take care of family.”

  “No.” First Mom, and now Mrs. Parker was joining the fray. “That’s okay.”

  “What about Matt Conner?” Mrs. Parker asked just as Emily stepped out and, with the bridal assistant’s help, climbed on the pedestal in front of the floor-length mirror. “Oh. Emily! How beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” Emily hoisted back the short train of the dress. “What about Matt?”

  “I was just thinking that he’s single, isn’t he?” Mrs. Parker asked.

  Emily met Sarah’s gaze in the mirror and gave a sly grin. “I don’t know. Is he?”

  Sarah threw what she hoped was a casual look in Joanne’s direction, but thankfully she still seemed preoccupied with whatever she was doing.

  Matt was very much single and Emily knew that. She was obviously just as good at fishing expeditions as Sarah.

  “Yes,” Sarah squeaked out. “He is.”

  “Perfect!” Mrs. Parker sang out.

  “Exactly,” Emily said with too wide a grin.

  “All right. Enough, ladies. This is not Fiddler on the Roof,” Sarah said.

  Emily broke into a rousing rendition of “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”. Sarah used that moment to excuse herself from the teasing. She walked back to the front of the store. No sooner was she three feet away from her than Joanne turned to her, giving Sarah her full attention.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Oh, of course!” Sarah ran her hand along the counter at the front of the store. “You have such a lovely store here.”

  “Thank you.” Joanne had turned her full attention to Sarah, paperwork forgotten.

  Sarah had to say something. She couldn’t just walk in and out of this store and not talk to Joanne. Especially because she felt so guilty about all the earlier judgment. Woman to woman, she understood exactly where Joanne might have been at one time. But dear Lord, what to say. What to say.

  We have a lot more in common than you would ever know. And I don’t just mean Matt.

  Joanne was still smiling. It might be a tiny bit pasted-on, but was nevertheless a smile. And she was waiting for Sarah to say something. Anything.

  “I want to thank you for putting up with my son. I know it’s got to be rough,” Joanne finally said, probably tired of the awkward silence.

  Finally! A safe topic of conversation. “It’s fine. He’s a great kid. Very smart.”

  “Thanks,” Joanne said. “And I’m sorry about the sudden visit. It was an emergency, and I just... You know, sometimes I need a break.”

  “Of course you do!”

  “And I probably overreacted.” She looked at the ground briefly. “I know Matt thought so.”

  “He...he didn’t say anything to me,” Sarah lied.

  If Sarah wasn’t mistaken, Joanne wasn’t really buying that.

  She shook her head. “Anyway, I know Hunter should spend more time with Matt. But it’s just harder than I thought it would be. I’m used to doing things my way, you know, and it’s hard not to be a control freak.”

  Sarah could imagine what it must have been like all those years with a daily physical reminder of Matt. Raising the son of a man who didn’t love her. A man she’d quite possibly never loved, either. Sarah still recognized loneliness enough to see it reflected in Joanne’s eyes.

  “Hey, Sarah! Get over here. You have got to see this,” Emily yelled.

  Sarah walked back, and this time Joanne followed.

  Emily went into a full-on belly laugh when Molly came out wearing a dress that combined the eighteenth century with the twenty-first. Or maybe whimsy coupled with just plain lunacy. It was scandalously short, hitting just below her thigh line, but had a high-necked Victorian collar.

  “I can’t believe you found that,” Joanne said, shaking her head. “I thought I sent it back.”

  Molly carried a matching parasol with it. “I like this. Maybe Dylan and I should renew our wedding vows.”

  She paraded twice in front of Mrs. Parker. Molly bent down and pointed her ass in Mrs. Parker’s direction, giving her a half moon.

  Mrs. Parker laughed so hard she spilled her champagne.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “THANKS FOR PUTTING up with my nutty family,” Emily said as she and Sarah took a seat at The Drip.

  Emily had dropped off everyone else but she wanted Sarah to join her for coffee.

  “I love your grandmother, and Molly is hilarious.”

  “She loves to be the center of attention. I don’t mind. I’m used to it.”

  “I guarantee when you walk out in that gown on your wedding day, no one will be able to take their eyes off you. You looked like a princess, even before the attendant put the tiara on your head.”


  “Yeah, I won’t be getting the tiara.” Emily rolled her eyes. “All I care about is making Stone’s jaw drop. You know how hard that is to do.”

  She actually didn’t know. “Maybe his jaw doesn’t drop easily, but his eyes get soft every time you walk in the room.”

  “Speaking of eyes, I noticed the way Matt looked at you yesterday. Not to mention the way you two sneaked into the barn. Something’s changed between you two. Am I right?”

  Something had changed all right, and Sarah was afraid her heart was already involved. It had been from the minute he’d started trying to fix everything between her and Stone. And it had probably been her worst idea ever to have sex with the man, but damned if she still couldn’t regret it.

  “We’re...having fun.” That seemed like a safe enough admission. “A lot of fun.”

  “That’s how it starts.”

  “Is that how it started with you and Stone?”

  “You probably don’t want to compare us. Our situation was different. It involved a list I made with stupid rules we broke.”

  “Intriguing.”

  “I used to think I could control my love life, like I controlled everything else. My best friend Rachel tried to tell me I was nuts. So did Molly, but for obvious reasons I wasn’t listening to her. I thought I could just have ‘fun’ with Stone. Be a wild woman. But dangit all, I fell in love with the big guy.”

  “I can’t fall in love with Matt.” It was the first time she’d said it out loud.

  “Why not?”

  “Well, first, I told him I wouldn’t. That was kind of our deal.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “What do you mean, uh-oh?”

  “It’s just that...in my experience, it’s not wise to make deals like that.”

  “I don’t really believe in love, anyway. Not the real and lasting kind.”

  At Emily’s crestfallen face, Sarah quickly recovered. “But I mean, with you and Stone...it’s different.” She hoped.