Daring the Pilot (Men of Marietta Book 3)

by Jeannie Moon

  One area of his brain screamed at him to pretend he hadn’t noticed she was coming over and leave, but the other part, the part that liked seeing her—that liked being near her—told him to stay put.

  He’d sat across from her for two hours the night he had supper with her family. She was telling them about the research she was doing, and how excited she was to start gathering data on and around Copper Mountain.

  The woman was full of fire and enthusiasm. Every word was laced with passion, and he loved listening to her talk about places she’d been and people she’d met. She asked questions, listened to everyone intently, and warmed the entire room. He accepted her mother’s invitation out of politeness, but by the time a fresh crumb cake was served with hot coffee after dinner, he was genuinely glad he’d stayed.

  As she approached from across the street, he found himself unreasonably excited about seeing her. She wore jeans, boots, and a pink striped shirt under her denim barn jacket. It wasn’t frilly or feminine, but still managed to accent her creamy skin and gorgeous curves. The sun was high in the sky, and when it hit her blonde hair, she seemed to glow from the inside out.

  Never much of a poet, Jonah had no idea what had gotten into him. He should keep things polite, and get back to HQ, but he wanted to talk to her, to spend time taking in everything she had to say, to experience more of that energy.

  “Hi!” she said, a little breathless. “Pizza for the gang?” She nodded toward the boxes.

  “Yeah, I have to get back.”

  “It’s fine. I just wanted to let you know I’m heading up the mountain in a couple of days. If you’d like to come.”

  Before he could convince himself it was a bad idea, he was nodding. Like an idiot, he was nodding.

  A smile broke across her face. “So, that’s a yes?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Sure. Someone should keep you out of trouble. Let me know what day. I’ll pick you up.”

  This time it was Keely nodding. With a wink, she turned and went back to her friends who were waiting near the salon where he had a date with some hot wax.

  He watched her butt wiggle its way across the street, and his entire body heated up in response. Shit. He may have promised to keep her out of trouble, but he had no idea who was going to keep him from trouble of his own.

  “She’s too smart for you,” said a voice from behind him.

  His brother Gavin never minced words.

  “Yeah,” Jonah said, still with his eyes on Keely. “I’m aware.”

  “It’s not going to change anything, is it?” Gavin was on a fishing expedition.

  “Change what? And what are you doing here? Don’t you have a job or something?”

  “I’m working the weekend,” Gavin checked out what was inside one of the pizza boxes. “So, I’m spending the day with Ally. I just came to town to pick up a couple of things at the hardware store.”

  “Wow, aren’t you handy.” Gavin was always way more cerebral than Jonah. He’d gotten through medical school with barely a hiccup. But like all of them, he had to help out at the ranch growing up and he knew his way around a toolbox.

  “You’ve always been sweet on Keely, one way or another.”

  “She’s a lot younger than I am, and she’s Gabe’s sister. But she’s always been a nice kid, I’ll give you that.” He also knew she wasn’t a kid anymore and wanted into her pants in the worst way.

  “Okay.” His brother was so fucking smug. “Is Gabe really a factor?”

  “Yes. Shit. I’m not arguing with you, Gav.”

  “I know.” Gavin paused. “You’re staring at her.”

  “Bite me.”

  Gavin laughed. “No thanks. As you reminded me, I do have a wife. See you, bro.”

  As Gavin walked back down the street, Jonah got in his truck and turned the key. Keely Andersen was going to be the death of him.

  *

  “That man is giving me fits,” Charlie snipped. “He’s holding up production.”

  “Jonah?” Keely didn’t know how big a problem he was actually causing until she heard the frustration in Charlie’s voice. He could be a bear sometimes, always had been, but he was never inconsiderate. “That’s not like him.”

  “No?” the photographer quipped. “He’s been a bloody pain in the arse.”

  Keely couldn’t defend him, so she didn’t try. The man was a total mystery. One minute he looked at her like he wanted to nibble her from top to toes, and another he was downright skittish.

  With some men she would find it adorable, with him, it was stinking annoying. It looked like she could see Charlotte’s point, after all.

  “Tell me everything,” Keely said. “I’ll get him to fall in line.”

  “How are you going to do that?” Lucy wondered. “The man’s an army officer who’s been around. He’ll be on to all your tricks.”

  “Don’t worry about that.” Keely wasn’t going to say, but she had no tricks. Not a one. She was thinking about whining a little bit, but didn’t think that would phase him. “I’ll… I’ll figure it out. Be ready.”

  “Alright then. Good luck.” A phone pinged and all of them checked their devices on cue. “Oh. It’s my sister. Let me take this.” Charlotte walked away from where they were standing and once she was out of earshot, Lucy gave Keely a light shove.

  “What are you planning?”

  “I don’t know. But I can talk to him, get him stop stalling.”

  “How are you going to do that?” Lucy was downright dismissive, and Keely wasn’t loving it. “Manipulating men isn’t exactly part of your skill set.”

  Ouch.

  Lucy cringed as soon as she said it. Keely always admired that her friend was outspoken, but sometimes the snark flew in the wrong direction. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t, but don’t be so quick to count me out. I’m not clueless.”

  That was a lie. She was pretty clueless, but now she was mad.

  “Of course not. You’re right. You’ve been all over the world. You can handle Jonah.”

  Lucy stood with her arms folded looking straight ahead. She’d backpedaled and apologized. It didn’t matter. Keely was well aware of her shortcomings.

  “No, I can’t. Who am I kidding?” She was in way over her head. How the hell was she going to get Jonah to do anything?

  “No,” Lucy said. “You can’t. But you might as well have some fun trying.”

  Chapter Four

  The sound of power tools echoed through the old house, and Jonah let it block out the noise in his head. There were ten or twelve guys there that day working on projects that needed doing to get Harry’s House ready to open before the end of summer. There was still the matter of the money needed to fix the drainage and the foundation, but in the meantime, they had plenty to do.

  The house had been gutted to the studs, and with the temperatures feeling almost like spring, it was a good opportunity to work in the empty shell. The entire house had been rewired and replumbed, and today the downstairs would be buttoned up with new wallboard and finishes.

  Jonah and his brothers, Gavin and Dan, were putting new high efficiency windows in the upstairs rooms. Not only would the house stay warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, the place would be flooded with light. The three of them were making good progress, and he was thankful he had some hard work to keep his mind from wandering. Manual labor was always a good way to chase away the demons. Whatever they were.

  Leaving the Army when he did was the right thing for Jonah to do. He’d been deployed almost nonstop since he’d gotten his wings. His last tour in Afghanistan was what finally pushed him into resigning his commission. He just couldn’t do it anymore.

  He’d come under fire before. In truth, more times than he could count. If there was a dangerous mission, Jonah would take it on. But the last time, when he had to leave half a squad of men or lose everyone? He didn’t want to make those decisions anymore. Now, flying searc
h and rescue, he still ended up in high-risk situations, but no one was shooting at him. So, if he had to make a rescue he could do it, and more than likely the people he was picking up would live, rather than die.

  When something bothered him when he was on active duty, he’d beat the crap out of a makeshift heavy bag he’d hoisted inside one of the maintenance buildings at the air field. Now he swung a hammer.

  This time it wasn’t anger he was dealing with; he was getting a handle on his baser instincts. He’d had some very dirty dreams about Keely Andersen the past couple of nights, and he’d been thinking about her non-stop since she’d come back to town.

  The girl was under his skin.

  “Jonah, hand me the screws.”

  Shaking off the distraction, he picked up a box and passed it to Dan.

  His brother immediately handed them back. “Dude, these would be fine if I was hanging a picture, but I need the long ones.”

  “Right.” Reaching behind him he grabbed the right box and passed them over. “Sorry.”

  “You’ve been a little distracted since you rescued the stranded traveler last week.” Dan was the second oldest of his four brothers, and while he considered himself a true cowboy, he was equal parts psychologist and philosopher.

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Gavin shook his head. “No? Then you don’t want to come look at the pretty little thing walking across the street.”

  Two steps toward the window allowed him to glance over Gavin’s shoulder so he could get a good look at Keely. She was wearing an oversized sweater and jeans with those suede boots all the girls loved. Her curly hair was pulled back on each side with a clip, away from her pretty face. She smiled and waved at someone who passed her on the street, and his heart slammed into his ribs, letting him know that his response to her was nothing he was going to shake off easily.

  “Jeez,” Dan said. “You got it bad.”

  “Piss off,” he snapped. “We’re friends, that’s all.”

  “Uh huh.” Gavin didn’t hide his smirk. “Right.”

  “You guys need a hobby.” So did Jonah, and he was fairly sure a curvy, blonde geologist didn’t qualify. Rummaging through the paper sack he’d placed on a nearby table, he broke out the deli sandwich he’d picked up earlier. His brothers were still watching out the window.

  “What are you losers looking at?” Kyle Cavasos entered the room and laid strips of molding on the floor. Big and brawny, the paramedic had made an impression on everyone since he’d settled in Marietta last summer. “Don’t you have windows to put in? It’s getting cold up here.”

  It wasn’t that cold, but Kyle had only been in town for a year, and his California blood hadn’t adjusted to Montana weather yet. “You’re right,” Jonah agreed, taking a bite of his sandwich. “But the two knuckleheads over there are busy people watching.”

  Glancing out the window, Kyle froze, then smiled.

  “Well, hello there,” the fireman said as he looked for himself. “Who is that? I mean, she’s a little young for me, but that whole sexy geek thing she has going on…”

  “That’s Keely,” Gavin began. “Just got back to town after ten years away. She’s here to do some geologic research in the mountains. Big brain. But nice as they come.”

  “She’s damn adorable. Is she single?”

  That did it. Jonah couldn’t take the goading anymore. “She’s single. But you’re going to leave her alone. You got that?”

  Kyle threw up his hands and backed up. “No worries, man.” Then he stopped and looked at Gavin and Dan. “He’s got it bad.”

  “That’s what I said.” Dan leaned his shoulder into a wall.

  Stuffing the sandwich back in the bag, Jonah tamped down his anger. “I need some air.” He was going to run one of their heads through the wall if he didn’t get out of there.

  “Maybe you’ll catch up to her if you hurry,” he heard someone say as he made his way down the narrow stairs.

  He didn’t know which of them had the smart mouth, but it didn’t matter. They were all smug bastards. Jonah didn’t like the way Keely had turned him inside out, but the woman had him getting hard-ons like he was sixteen and his hormones were out of control.

  Talking about her, thinking about her, wasn’t going to make it any better.

  He stood at the corner of Church and Second, staring at the old frame building and wondering how this was all going to come together in time. Charlie was claiming the calendar would solve all their money problems, but he wasn’t buying it. How could a calendar of a bunch of ordinary guys make its way from small town Montana to the rest of the world? Marietta wasn’t Chicago, and he didn’t see how they would have the same results, even with a push from Lucy Hanaford.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” said a very familiar voice. Glancing to his right, Jonah saw he’d been joined by the woman of all his dirty dreams. The soon to be Dr. Andersen had assumed the same pose he had. Her arms were folded, her legs spread wide, and she was staring at the house.

  Up close, she was even prettier than from the window. The big fisherman’s sweater hung down to almost her knees, making her look tinier than she was. She should look anything but feminine. But even with her hair pulled back and not a stitch of makeup on her skin, Keely was more feminine than any woman he’d seen in a long time.

  “What are we looking at?” she fake whispered.

  “I’m just wondering how we’re going to get the money. I don’t want to let Harry’s family down.”

  They dropped into a companionable silence for a couple of minutes. She didn’t offer advice or try to brainstorm ideas, which kind of surprised him. She was usually pretty chatty.

  “Got anything?” he finally asked. Maybe she could think of something. She was the smartest person he knew.

  “You mean about the money?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Yep.” She patted his shoulder. “You’re going to have to take your shirt off.”

  “Oh, man… not you too!”

  “Of course, me too! Are you kidding?”

  “Why does everyone think the calendar is going to save the day?”

  “Probably because it is. I was visiting my grandma in the nursing home, and the nurses were wondering if they could bulk order copies for the residents.”

  “Jesus…”

  “Oh, come on. It’s a picture. How hard can it be?”

  “No one is asking you to take off your shirt.” As soon as he said it, he regretted it. But she giggled in response.

  “That is true, but I don’t think I’d have the same draw as a dozen of Marietta’s hottest first responders.”

  “Hmmpf.” He would disagree with that. Her soft curves would make for a spectacular picture.

  Damn. Why did he go there?

  “Jonah, I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t like being… I dunno… ogled.” He shifted his feet uncomfortably.

  Keely’s mouth dropped open. “Did you just say ogled? For real?”

  He could see this was pointless. He had no allies in this town. None. “I’ll see you.”

  “Oh, Jonah, come on.” She grabbed his hand again, and this time his eyes landed right on hers. The midday light sparked the chestnut colored depths and he fell right in.

  “Do you really think the calendar would raise enough money?” he asked.

  “I really do. You guys have everything going for you. You’re all handsome, brave…”

  “If I told you I’ll call Charlie, would you drop it?”

  “If I told you you’ve been saying that for two weeks, would you stop stalling and make the call?”

  Nice. Even she’d turned on him. But she was still holding his hand, and he didn’t mind that at all. “When did you get so tough?”

  “When I had to fight chauvinistic male scientists who thought I was too girly to be part of a research team. If you aren’t tough, you won’t get anywhere.”

  For some reason, that pissed him off the same way t
he bullies made him mad when they were kids. She had the right to do anything she wanted. God knew she had enough smarts to cover both of them.

  But right then, he needed her good sense to stop him from making a bad, bad decision. The only thing that was running through Jonah’s head was that he wanted to kiss her.

  That was the last thing he should want to do. But there she was staring up at him, her blonde hair flecked with light from the sun and her lips full, pink, and perfect. It was all he could do not to kiss her.

  Jonah had lost all power of speech and he had to say something soon, or she would think he’d lost his mind.

  Who was he kidding? HE HAD LOST HIS MIND! He was thinking about grabbing her, pressing himself into her softness. He imagined what it would be like, drawing her sweet breath into his own mouth and drowning.

  “I, uh… I gotta go.” That’s it, you chicken shit. Run. Get away from her as fast as possible.

  “What? Oh, okay.” She looked away. Unhappy, maybe? Hurt? “I’ll see you.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” He turned, but couldn’t stop himself from reassuring her. It was important somehow. “I’ll talk to Charlie. I promise.”

  “Okay.” Her smile was soft, tentative. “They need you, Jonah.”

  He knew it was important. Harry’s House wouldn’t just serve the kids in the town, it would help the entire community heal from the loss. Everyone knew everyone in Marietta. The whole town felt Harry’s death.

  He watched Keely walk away. Her hands were swallowed up by the too-long sleeves of her sweater, but small as she was, her heart was as big as the mountains that rose in the distance. Jonah had no choice. The project was more important than his ego or his hang-ups. Now he just had to grow a pair of balls and get on board.

  *

  Keely pulled open the door of the Main Street Diner now that she was done with her errands, and found a booth by the front window. She loved this particular view of the town; it was the best place to watch people go by. Unfortunately, she could only think about one moody helicopter pilot and what he was coming to mean to her.

  Keely was developing all kinds of intense feelings where Jonah was concerned. This was different than anything she’d ever felt before. He was moody, stubborn, but deep down there was such goodness in him. She could only imagine how much he’d seen during his tours in the Middle East. He’d changed, and while he was certainly more difficult, he was also stronger—sexier—and Keely didn’t know quite how she was going to handle him.