by Cindy Kirk
Keenan made his way across the airfield and found Steve standing outside the low-slung building that housed his office, enjoying a cola and the sunshine. “What’s up, boss man?”
“Good news.” Steve’s normally booming voice sounded extra hearty. “Loretta Van Ness, one of our best clients, is stopping by to discuss increasing the services we provide to her company. If she follows through—and it sounds like a done deal to me—I’d like to assign you to the account.”
For a second, Keenan could only stare. “Would this be—”
“Part-time at first. You’d have regular hours and some benefits. I can see it increasing to full-time in the future. Or, we could add another account and get you close to full-time. Interested?”
Try as he might, Keenan couldn’t stop the dopey grin. “Very.”
“I’ll let you know—” Steve’s gaze shifted to behind Keenan, and his smile widened in welcome. “Mrs. Van Ness, we were just talking about you.”
Turning, Keenan studied the mid-sixties woman with pewter gray hair styled short, an aristocratic face and cool blue eyes. Her navy suit and matching shoes probably cost more than he made in six months.
She tilted her head. “I’m not sure I like being the subject of idle conversation.”
The lilt in her voice took the edge from the words.
“Keenan here is one of our best pilots.” Steve jerked a thumb in his direction. “I was speaking with him about taking over your account. He’ll do right by you.”
“Keenan?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Resisting the urge to wipe suddenly sweaty palms against his jeans, he extended his hand. “Keenan McGregor. I’m pleased to meet you.”
The woman’s lily-white hand dropped like a stone to her side even as her gaze flicked over him dismissively, lingering for perhaps an extra beat on his hair. She sniffed as if she smelled something foul.
Steve froze for a few seconds then began to babble. “Keenan is very involved in the community. He raised almost a thousand dollars by collecting pledges and agreeing to dye his hair blue. It’s part of the Go Blue for a Cure, to raise—”
“I’m well aware of that particular fund-raiser,” Mrs. Van Ness interrupted, speaking directly to Steve and ignoring Keenan completely. “What you’re apparently not aware of is this man’s mother ran my grandson off the road while he was riding his bike, causing extensive facial trauma. It’s a miracle Anthony wasn’t killed.”
Keenan hadn’t been in Jackson when a drunken Gloria had smashed her car into a tree, killing herself. He’d heard she’d been driving erratically and narrowly missed hitting a kid on a bike. Until this moment he hadn’t realized the boy had been injured.
“I will not have anyone associated with that horrid woman fly my cargo or my employees anywhere.” Though the woman’s hands grasped her purse so tightly her knuckles were white, her face remained cool and composed. “As my deceased husband always used to say, the apple never falls far from the tree.”
A frigid cold swept through Keenan, the chill going straight to the bone. He remained where he stood, stiff as any soldier, the pleasant smile he’d flashed earlier frozen on his lips.
“Mrs. Van Ness,” Steve protested. “It hardly seems fair to hold—”
“Let me remind you that there are other charter services in Jackson Hole, Mr. Kowalski.” The woman bit out the words in an imperious tone. “The fact that you even employ this man makes me doubt your good sense. In fact, I may pull all my business. I’ll let you know my decision in that regard tomorrow.”
Turning on her heel, Mrs. Van Ness returned to her shiny pearl-white Escalade and drove off without a backward glance.
Keenan stood silent beside Steve as they watched the taillights disappear from view.
There was apology in Steve’s eyes when he turned to Keenan. “I realize I said the job was yours but—”
“No worries,” Keenan spoke quickly, his voice gruff. He cleared his throat and tried again. “The client is within her rights to refuse a pilot.”
“She’ll come around.”
They both knew that was a lie. Mrs. Van Ness wasn’t going to change her mind. Keenan wasn’t even sure he blamed her. Gloria had hurt her grandchild.
The only question remaining was, if she pushed to get him off the Grand Teton payroll, would Steve succumb to her threats?
Because Steve Kowalski was a businessman first, Keenan had a feeling he already knew what the answer to that question would be.
Mitzi resisted the urge to pull out her phone and check for messages. Instead she smiled brightly at Dr. Noah Anson, Jackson Hole’s new neurosurgeon.
Several hours earlier she’d received a brief text from Keenan telling her he’d landed safely and he’d give her a call later. Mitzi hadn’t heard from him since. She’d called him but it had gone straight to voice mail.
She’d left a detailed message telling him Dr. John Campbell had insisted all the doctors in the practice attend the Jackson Young Professionals meeting this evening. Ben’s father wanted to make sure Dr. Anson was properly welcomed to the community. Mitzi asked Keenan to meet her at the brewery where the event was being held.
So far, he’d been a no-show.
Mitzi shoved aside her worry and focused on the man at her side. Tall and lean with hair so dark it might have been black and brilliant blue eyes, Noah wore his hand-tailored suit with the casual elegance of those born to wealth.
Though he seemed nice enough, Mitzi swore she saw a flash of disapproval in his eyes when he’d noticed the strands of blue in her hair. And, in trying to figure out whom they might know in common, Noah had dropped a significant amount of prominent names.
Mitzi wished Keenan was here. Afterward, they could laugh about the man’s pompousness, critique the food, then forget it all and make love.
But he wasn’t here. Temper fought with worry.
Where the heck was he?
Wouldn’t she have heard if there’d been a car crash? Mitzi tightened her fingers around the stem of her wineglass. On her way over here from the clinic, she’d tried to reach him a fifth—or was it sixth?—time. Once again her call had gone straight to voice mail. Other than the brief text, she’d heard nothing.
“Jackson Hole seems like a beautiful place. It’d be nice if I had someone to show me around.”
Mitzi blinked and realized that in a roundabout way the new doctor was asking her to play tour guide. How would she get out of this one?
“I’m sure Dr. Sanchez would be happy to show you around,” Dr. John Campbell, Ben’s father and the head of Spring Gulch Orthopedics, said smoothly.
The man terrified her. Even when she and Ben had been dating, she’d never gotten good vibes from his father. According to Poppy, now Ben’s wife, “John” was a sweet man, a wonderful father-in-law and a loving grandfather. Sweet wasn’t a side of the steely-eyed doctor that Mitzi had ever seen.
She knew Dr. Campbell wanted Noah to be happy in Jackson Hole. Many of the procedures that could have been done in town had there been a neurosurgeon available as a cosurgeon had been forced to go elsewhere. Now they could retain the business in Jackson Hole and make it easier on patients. A win-win for everyone.
“I’d be happy to show you around.” Mitzi offered him her brightest smile as Dr. Campbell slipped away, leaving the two of them alone again.
Before she could say another word, her phone rang. She recognized the ringtone she assigned to her “favorite” contacts. Mitzi offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I need to take this.”
“Understood.”
Mitzi stepped away, relief flooding her. But when she glanced at the readout, she realized it was Kate calling, not Keenan. “Hey, Ms. No-Show. I thought you were going to be at this shindig. Instead, I’m here all alone. Excluding, of course, the dozens of other people who did show up.”
“I planned to come,” Kate assured her. “At the last second some of the Stone Craft employees decided to celebrate Joel’s birthday at Wally’s Place t
onight.”
The popular bar in downtown Jackson had peanuts on every table, a mechanical bull and five-dollar pitchers of beer. Every so often Mitzi had been known to ride the bull and do a little singing on the karaoke stage.
“I thought Joel’s birthday was Saturday.”
“It is, but tonight is Burger Night at Wally’s, so the guys decided to celebrate early. It works out best since Joel and I are taking the kids to Yellowstone for the weekend.”
Mitzi fought the dark cloud forming overhead. First Keenan went MIA. Now her best friend had bailed on her.
“Actually it’s been a lot of fun so far.” Kate raised her voice to be heard over the music and laughter. “Why don’t you pop over once you’re done there?”
“I don’t know. It’s been a long day—”
“Don’t give me that. Besides, Keenan is here. Don’t you want to see him?”
“Keenan?”
“Yeah, he got back from Nebraska this afternoon.” Kate’s voice became muffled. “I’d love to play darts. Mitz, I’ve got a dart game calling my name. Come over. Join us.”
Kate ended the call. Mitzi stood staring at the phone.
Noah sidled up to her. “Everything okay?”
The concern in his voice sounded surprisingly genuine.
“I’m not sure,” Mitzi said. “I’m just not sure.”
Chapter Nineteen
Though Wally’s Place held a larger-than-normal crowd for a Monday night, Keenan sat alone at the end of the bar until Bill strolled over and confiscated the adjacent stool. His friend now sat silently nursing a beer and munching on peanuts.
“Did you ever want something so bad it made you feel weak?” Keenan injected a casual tone to his voice at odds with the tension gripping his chest.
If Bill thought the question strange, it didn’t show. He merely lifted his glass, nodded as he surveyed the amber liquid. “I’ve been there a time or two.”
That was all he said. Keenan told himself he was relieved Bill didn’t ask any questions. The last thing he wanted to talk about was his troubles with Mitzi. He wasn’t sure why he’d even made the comment.
After taking a sip of club soda, Keenan gazed around the cowboy bar. It had everything you’d expect: plank floors strewn with peanut shells, pool tables, dartboards and even a mechanical bull.
Though his mother had preferred the dives farther downtown for her drinking, simply being in a bar brought back memories of all the times she’d dragged him along with her. He’d sit in a dark corner and watch her get louder and meaner with each drink.
“Joel seems to be enjoying the evening,” Bill commented.
Keenan turned his head, saw his boss talking with a couple of his construction foremen, his arm looped around his wife’s waist.
Keenan had seen the look of surprise in Kate’s eyes when he’d walked through the door. As Mitzi’s BFF, no doubt she knew that Mitzi was at the Young Professionals get-together and had assumed he’d be with her.
The truth was, Keenan hadn’t wanted to face Mitzi. Had he really thought she could love him, would want to be his wife? Mitzi was smart, successful and the most beautiful woman in Jackson Hole. She deserved better than a mutt.
If Mrs. Van Ness had her way, he’d never get another job flying in Jackson Hole. If that happened he’d never achieve his goal of flying full-time. Never have his own plane. Forget starting a charter service one day. At least not in this town.
Building a successful career in Jackson Hole with Mitzi by his side had been a pipe dream, spun by a guy who ought to know better.
“Sometimes you have to let go of dreams,” Keenan murmured.
“What’s bothering you, son?” Bill’s tone might be matter-of-fact, but a fatherly concern underscored the words.
Keenan shrugged.
“Tell me.” Bill spoke quietly, a give-me-no-bull look on his face.
Deciding he might feel better if he got the incident at the airfield off his chest, Keenan relayed the facts.
Bill took a long drink of his beer and cracked open another peanut shell.
“Loretta isn’t usually so unreasonable.” Bill’s expression turned pensive. “Tony’s accident shook her hard.”
“Loretta? You know the woman?” Keenan wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Jackson Hole was a cohesive community.
“Went to school with her youngest brother.” Bill grabbed more peanuts, jiggled them in his hand. “Though she was quite a bit older than Roger, over the years I’ve had more than a passing acquaintance with her.”
“Well, the way it looks now, Loretta is going to get me canned.”
“If that happens, it’ll be a bad break,” Bill said quietly. “Something deeper is eating at you.”
“You’re fishing in a dry pond, buddy.”
“Let’s talk for a minute about your doctor friend,” Bill continued as if Keenan hadn’t spoken. “Where is Dr. Mitzi this fine evening?”
“The Young Professionals group is meeting tonight.”
“Why aren’t you with her?”
Anger bubbled up inside Keenan, but he kept his voice cool. “Because I’m here.”
“You asked if I’d ever wanted something so badly it made me weak.” Bill cracked another shell, popped a peanut into his mouth, chewed thoughtfully. “It appears you want Mitzi but for some reason think you can’t have her.”
“She’s a doctor, Bill,” Keenan snapped. “I’m nothing.”
A work-hardened hand clamped hard on his biceps. “Don’t ever let me hear something so goddamn foolish come from your mouth again. You have everything to offer that young woman. Everything that matters, anyway. If you’re too scared to take a chance, that’s on you. If you tell her how you feel and she kicks you to the curb, she’s not the one for you.”
There was fierceness in Bill’s eyes that Keenan hadn’t seen before and a protectiveness that was again almost...fatherly. For a second, Keenan wondered what it would be like to have a dad, but he shook the thought away. What did he know of fathers? His had split before Betsy was born.
“Kicks me to the curb, eh?” Keenan gave a little laugh. “That’s a great visual. Real encouraging.”
“You’ve got the mettle to go after your dreams, Keenan. Give Mitzi a chance to show she’s the kind of woman who sticks by her man even when he’s down.” Bill took a gulp of beer. “Pick up some flowers on your way. There’s not a woman alive who doesn’t love flowers.”
Mitzi briefly considered stopping at Wally’s Place on her way home from the brewery but at the last second turned her car toward the highway. She refused to run after Keenan.
I’m not his keeper. I’m not his wife. I’m not even important enough for him to call back.
The last hurt the most. Mutual respect and consideration had always been at the base of what they shared. That’s why having Keenan ignore her calls didn’t make any sense.
Had there been any indication of unhappiness last night when they’d talked? Anything she might have missed?
Recalling the call in vivid detail, her lips curved. No, all indications were they’d both been well pleased when they finally whispered good-night.
By the time she reached home, Mitzi’s insides were twisty-tied in knots. Too wound up to sit, she flung her purse on the sofa and prowled the room. Bitty watched from atop the sofa, green eyes tracking her every move.
Mitzi didn’t like feeling so out of control, didn’t like it one bit. The next time she saw Keenan she’d blast him, let him know she wouldn’t tolerate being treated with such disrespect.
“I am so angry at him, Bitty,” Mitzi told the kitten. “If he showed up now, I might just slam the door in his face.”
The doorbell rang and as Mitzi crossed to answer, Bitty regarded her thoughtfully through emerald-green eyes.
Keenan held the bouquet of flowers in a death grip. He didn’t know why he’d picked them up. Flowers weren’t his thing. He didn’t give women flowers, not since he was ten years old. He told himself th
is was different. Mitzi was different.
When he left Just Blooms, he had every intention of confessing his love and asking Mitzi to marry him. He would put his heart out there and let her decide. With each passing mile, Keenan realized it would be wrong to put her in that position. Regardless of what Bill thought, Mitzi deserved better than him.
Her husband list had been carefully constructed, drawn to include all the characteristics that made up the man of her dreams.
He hadn’t even made the top ten.
For a while, he’d thought if she was willing to give him a chance, he’d work hard and be the successful man she deserved. But if Mrs. Van Ness had her way, he’d have to leave Jackson Hole to build that successful aviation career. Trouble was, he wanted to stay.
He’d spent too many years away already. He wanted to watch his nephew grow up and spend time with his sister and friends. He could build a comfortable life here, but without being able to fly, he couldn’t soar.
The door swung open and there she stood, the woman he loved.
Instead of a welcoming smile, her lips formed a grim line. Her eyes flashed blue fire. Then her gaze dropped to the flowers.
His stomach roiled as a long-buried memory from the past hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. Long ago, he had given a woman flowers. Or tried to...
Keenan thrust the flowers out stiff-armed. “These are for you.”
She stared at the orange and red roses mixed with a handful of lilies. For one heartbeat. Then two.
When she took a deep breath, Keenan braced himself.
“These are lovely. Thank you.” Mitzi looked up then. She cleared her throat and motioned him inside. “Let me get these in water.”
Keenan expelled the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding and followed her into the kitchen. On the way, Bitty jumped down from the sofa and padded after him. He took a seat on one of the barstools and watched Mitzi arrange the flowers in a clear glass vase.
