Love Me Before Dawn

by Lindsay McKenna

The colonel picked up where the general left off. “Mr. Williams, we’re getting a lot of heat on this issue. We’ve got to effectively band together so that the American public doesn’t think their money is being frivolously wasted by the defense industry because of your poor management.”

  Williams lifted his head, his eyes flashing with anger. “I agree we have to meet this question as a team, General. And I also agree that there have been some management problems at Rockwell.” He jabbed his finger down at the table, indicating the modifications to the B-1 that they had been discussing earlier. “These changes were not anticipated seven years ago. General Roman, you hired us to build you the most modern, up-to-date bomber in the world.” He turned, glaring at the general. “We’re going to deliver that plane. But in the meantime, we’ve updated it with seven years worth 1 of technology. That means electronics research, new computer programming, changes in wiring and minor alterations within the fuselage to accommodate these modifications. The inflation rate is shooting straight through the roof. Believe me, no one is more aware of that than Rockwell.”

  Roman got to his feet, some of his initial anger I dissipating. He put his hands behind his back, slowly | pacing the length of the room. “The American public is being led to think that you’re being inefficient, Williams. Stockwell is making us look like fools. The newspapers are emphasizing the higher cost of the B-1 and ignoring the reasons for the price hike.”

  “Typical news reporting,” Williams responded tiredly. He got up, rubbing his forehead. “Look, we need to get our public relations department in touch with your public affairs people. I asked Fred Berger to make those very contacts this morning. We’re going to have to launch our own campaign to combat this one-sided news reporting.”

  “Otherwise,” the colonel broke in, “the Congress is going to be hit hard by lobby groups screaming for a scapegoat in this. And it will be the Air Force that takes the brunt of it. As usual. There are plenty of people out there who still harbor post-Vietnam antiwar feeling. They don’t want to see their tax dollars going for another combat aircraft.”

  Roman snorted. “And what any of them fail to realize is that without a strong Strategic Air Command, the Soviets will run over us. Literally and figuratively speaking.” He shook his head, suddenly looking much older. “I expect you to act on this immediately, Williams.”

  “We will.”

  The general looked down the long table at Tess. “You’d better read that paper, honey, because you’re being quoted in detail.”

  Tess tensed, holding the general’s gaze. “Sir, my name isn’t honey. It’s Tess Hamilton,” she reminded him. This wasn’t the first time Air Force men had treated her like some secretary who didn’t have a brain in her head.

  Roman halted, holding her angry gaze. “It’s going to be mud if you don’t get this problem squared away,” he warned. And then he looked up at Williams, “Since when do you allow assistants to speak to senators?”

  Dan glanced over at Tess. “General Roman, Tess knows the job better than I do at this point. She’s been with the program for some time. I’ve just stepped into it. She has full authority to speak to anyone who calls the Rockwell office.” He opened his briefcase, jerking out a copy of a memo. “Here,” he said tightly, throwing it at the surprised colonel. “This is a backup letter regarding Stockwell’s call to our office and Mrs. Hamilton’s answer. I think if you read it, you’ll see that her responses were accurate and well thought out. Unfortunately, like the news media, Stockwell took what he wanted to take and left the rest of the story out.”

  They emerged from the animated discussion an hour later. Tess pulled Dan aside for a moment. “I’ll meet you at the car in fifteen minutes, Dan.”

  He smiled wearily, some of his defensive armor slipping away. “Fine. But hurry, we’ve got a lot of dike-plugging to do when we get back to the office. We have to stop Stockwell before he ruffles any more feathers on the Hill.”

  She nodded, gripping his arm. “Thanks. I’ll hurry.” She walked quickly out of the room to the darkened area of the bar. Only a few off-duty pilots were there, and Shep was easy to spot in his green flight suit. The moment she appeared at the door, he rose, coming to meet her. Taking her arm, he escorted her outside. The wind was hot and dry, but far preferable to the icy chill of the meeting room.

  Tess turned, looking up at him. “Everything’s hit the fan, Shep. I’ve got to go back to the office with Dan.”

  He scowled. “What happened?”

  “Stockwell took half of what I said about the cost rise on the B-1 and smeared it all over the newspapers. I’ve been misquoted, and now the lobby groups are pressuring the Air Force.” She reached out instinctively, touching his arm. “It’s going to be a long night.”

  He managed a cryptic smile. “Look, it’s Thursday. I’ve got this Sunday off. I’m not letting you go, lady, without a promise to see me then. Any plans for that day?”

  Tess felt her heart begin to race unevenly as he reached over, gently capturing several strands of her hair and tucking them behind her ear. A shiver coursed through her as his fingers brushed against her skin. She had forgotten how wonderful his touch was and found herself craving more of him. “I—no.”

  “Good. Because I’m going to steal you away to my mountain retreat. I’ll call you Friday afternoon at the office and we’ll discuss the details. Fair enough?”

  She nodded. Despite the emergency situation Tess felt buoyed up with hope. Shep made her feel as if she could tackle any problem successfully. A soft smile touched her lips as she gazed up into his light gray eyes. “Fair enough.”

  *

  His call came at three P.M. Friday afternoon. Tess answered her phone for the fiftieth time that day. “Tess Hamilton speaking.”

  “You don’t say? Are you ready to be stolen away on Sunday?” Shep asked, his voice husky.

  Tess leaned her forehead against her hand, releasing a sigh. “It’s so good to hear a friendly voice!”

  “That bad?”

  “Horrible. Stockwell really stuck it to us this time. He’s got every major antidefense lobby group screaming for an accounting of what’s going on.”

  “Your weekend still open?”

  Tess closed her eyes. “Saturday isn’t. And Sunday is iffy. Dan and I stayed up until two this morning, and then it started again at eight. We’re both beat.”

  “Do you like the mountains?” he asked, his tone melting away her tension.

  “Love them. Why?”

  “We’ll spend a day at a rustic cabin up in the Sierras. I know a beautiful spot among the sequoias above Bakersfield. Sound good?”

  She laughed softly. “It sounds like heaven!”

  “No, lady, you’re heaven. How about if I pick you up at nine o’clock Sunday morning? We’ll have breakfast on the road and reach the cabin about noon.”

  A clean feeling rushed over her tense body. “It sounds wonderful, Shep,” she agreed. “I’ll see you at nine, then.”

  “Be sure to bring along jeans, climbing shoes, and socks. This is strictly civilian attire. No uniforms to remind us of our jobs or responsibilities.”

  “I wish it were nine A.M. right now,” she confided fervently.

  Chapter 6

  THE DOORBELL RANG. OR DID IT SING? TESS HURRIEDLY dashed burgundy lipstick across her mouth and walked quickly from the bedroom. Taking the stairs two at a time, she reached the bottom, hurried to the foyer, and opened the door. Shep stood there, hands resting on his hips, looking boyish in well-worn jeans and a western shirt with the sleeves rolled upon his forearms. Gone was the veneer of the career Air Force officer. He looked years younger, standing before her with the dark shadows gone from beneath his mirthful gray eyes. He shared a warm smile with her. “Are you the same Tess Hamilton that works at Rockwell?” he teased.

  She stepped aside, allowing him to enter. “Does a pair of jeans and a pink tank top change me that much?”

  Shep raised an eyebrow, a wicked glint in his gaze. “Yo
u have no idea how great you look, lady,” he said, his gaze sweeping her from head to toe.

  Tess blushed fiercely. “Womanizer,” she accused, “you test pilots are all alike! I’ll be right back. I packed a small bag.” She hurried down the hall, feeling the heat prickling in her cheeks. Her heart sang with newfound happiness. She had lain awake half the night wondering if she should go with Shep or not. It had only been seven months since Cy’s death. One part of her cried out for some harmless form of male companionship. A larger part of her shied away from any contact with a man. Worriedly she picked up the canvas bag and her denim jacket and tried to push those depressing thoughts out of her anxious mind. Marshaling her courage, Tess decided that she would enjoy the day.

  At nine o’clock in the morning, the L.A. freeways were fairly clear of traffic going south. But going north, traffic was heavy. It seemed as if half the city wanted to escape to the mountains. Shep maneuvered skillfully around the hulking campers of other vacationers. Soon they were up and over the Grapevine, a long, winding section of the freeway going over the mountains near Bakersfield. The sun was warm through the car’s tinted windshield, the sky a cleaner blue as they left the smog behind them. Tess rested her head against the seat, simply enjoying Shep’s closeness.

  “Tired?” he inquired sometime later.

  She moved her head to the left, opening her eyes. “A little.”

  “A lot, I think. Did you get that news problem straightened out?”

  “Somewhat. Newspapers are funny—if it’s a shocking headline, they’ll print it instantly. But if it’s ho-hum facts and figures, they either won’t print it, or they print it and stick it in some itty-bitty corner where no one will see it.”

  Shep shook his head. “It must be incredibly frustrating.”

  Tess waved her hand and muttered. “Let’s quit talking shop. I need a little R and R.”

  “Okay, you’ve got a deal. Let’s talk about you, instead.”

  She shook her head. “No way. Let’s get on a safer subject: you.”

  He grinned. “That’s a pretty boring subject. I’d rather talk about you. Your past. Where you grew up. What kind of parents you have. Things like that.” He met her gaze warmly. “That’s not talking shop.”

  She pursed her lips. “No,” she admitted hesitantly, “it isn’t.”

  “What’s the matter, are you classified top secret?” he teased.

  Tess grinned. “No. But I am off limits in certain ways,” she warned seriously.

  He shrugged. “Is that what has you worried?” he asked softly.

  “Well—”

  “Relax, my Irish lass. Today is a day for friendship. Feel better now?”

  Tess gave him a cautious look. “Quit looking like the cat that swallowed the canary, Shep Ramsey. You could have told me that earlier and I wouldn’t have lost half a night’s sleep worrying about it!”

  It was his turn to smile. Reaching out, he captured her hand, and gave it a firm squeeze. “Look, we both need the time, Tess. Time to relax and get to know each other. We’ve been through a hell of a lot. And I think the mountains are a good place to relax, talk, and do some walking together. That’s all I want from you, lady.”

  Her heart blossomed with the unspoken love she felt toward him. His voice was deep and filled with undisguised emotion. Tess reluctantly pulled her fingers from his hand, guilt reestablishing itself within her heart. “It sounds wonderful,” she whispered, meaning it. Oh, God, why couldn’t she quit feeling miserable? Her heart sang with joy at being with Shep once again. Why couldn’t her damned head forget the past? Forget her transgressions? She chewed on her lower lip, aware of the warring emotions clashing within her. Tess didn’t want to share her anguish with Shep. He had suffered enough. Desperately, she forced her mind to concentrate only on the beauty around them.

  They followed a winding road high into the Sierras. Everywhere Tess looked, giant sequoias towered above them. The white pine, blue spruce, and tamarack were dwarfed in comparison to this race of giants that ruled the western side of the mountain range. They stopped at Giant Lodge and a new thrill of excitement raced through her. Getting out of the car Shep shrugged on a knapsack, and led her near the edge of a huge granite escarpment where they stood and overlooked the V-shaped valley below them.

  Tess felt as if years of responsibility were slipping from her shoulders as she stood there next to him. The sun was high above them on that June afternoon. Bluejays squawked raucously from a nearby spruce tree. Shep’s face revealed his eagerness to begin the hike. Tess had never seen him so animated. It was as if all the military veneer and seriousness had disappeared beneath the magic of the pure mountain air. His happiness infected her with joy and she smiled brilliantly at him.

  “I come up here every chance I get,” Shep murmured. He lifted his head toward the sun, drinking in the warmth it offered. “This is a healing place. As a matter of fact, the Indians consider this whole area sacred ground.”

  Tess smiled. “Now you sound like my grandmother.”

  “I always love throwing off the trappings of civilization and getting back into the wilderness where we belong. Did your grandmother have a love of the forest?

  Tess gave him a fond smile. “I’ll tell you about her sometime, Shep. I think you’d both get along very well because of your love of the woods.”

  He reached out and gripped her hand, pulling her along. “Come on, this is our time,” he coaxed softly.

  She was caught up in the magic of the cathedrallike surroundings. Breathing deeply, Tess allowed him to guide her to a small trail which led down into the quiet valley below them.

  The silence was comforting as they walked down the steep trail that wound between huge boulders and small trees that would someday grow into enormous sequoias. Here and there chipmunks scampered across their path. Civilization was left behind. They were as alone as if they were the only two people who existed in the whole world. At one point Shep halted, leading her to a rock outcropping. A fine film of perspiration covered his face. He sat beneath a small pine, inviting her to sit next to him.

  His hard body was warm as she rested her back against his shoulder. Digging into the knapsack, he produced a small box of raisins, handing them to her. “This will keep your energy up,” he explained, looking over at her intently.

  Tess felt her breath stop, her heart hammering in her breast. His eyes were a light gray and eaglelike in intensity as he hungrily gazed at her upturned face. She reached for the raisins, their hands making contact. An electric impulse surged up her arm, sending a dizzy feeling through her.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed. Her hair, which had been pulled back into a chignon, had been loosened by the wind. Tendrils curled damply around her forehead and cheeks, softening the natural angularity of her features. Her eyes, once lifeless, now glowed with new hope. There was color once again in her flushed cheeks, making her radiant. He turned around, facing her. “Just one thing is missing,” he murmured. He reached out, gently loosening the pins which kept her glorious mane of auburn hair captive. The strands were like clean silk through his fingers as the knot uncurled, the cascade overflowing into his hands. A look of satisfaction came to his gray eyes as he coaxed the strands across her shoulders so that they curved below her breasts.

  Tess’s heart ached with new awareness of him as a man. His gesture had been simple, yet so eloquent. It touched Tess deeply and she managed a smile. “I’m having a tough time remembering that you’re a test pilot who thinks in unromantic terms of mathematics, electrical engineering, maps, and graphs,” she murmured.

  Shep reluctantly removed his fingers from the silken gold and red tresses. The sunlight filtering through the boughs of the pine struck her head, creating a halo-like effect around her beautiful auburn hair. He sat back, satisfied, resting his arms against his knees as he studied her. “Doesn’t everyone have a more vulnerable, sensitive side to themselves that they tend to hide from the world at large?” he asked.
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br />   Tess nodded, studying him silently. His face was open and readable. His gray eyes alive, a burning flame deep in their recesses that sent an ache through her body. No longer were the lines of responsibility etched around his mouth and across his forehead. She picked up a few brown pine needles, running her slender fingers across the dried exterior, feeling for the life within.

  “Yes,” she answered slowly, her voice barely audible above the sighing of the wind through the boughs of the tree. “I like this part of Shep Ramsey. Why do you hide it? I don’t understand.”

  He cocked his head to one side, silent laughter in his gray gaze. “And you don’t hide the real you? Do you know what I see before me now? A girl-woman who is a part of this natural environment. And who did I see at that party where we met? A beautifully dressed woman making polite conversation with her business associates. And how about Thursday? Your hair was drawn back to make you look older. The dress you wore spoke of your good taste. But it was business. Everything about you has been business up until today.” He smiled gently. “You’re a farm girl at heart, Tess. Look at you—you pick up the pine needles in your hands to feel their texture, to smell their scent. Earlier I saw you stop and run your hand down the trunk of a fir just to feel the roughness of the bark. And you should see your face…” He ruefully shook his head. “You and I both hide our real selves from the world.”

  Tess colored, but for once she wasn’t embarassed by the blush that swept across her freckled cheeks. “Typical test pilot,” she muttered, getting to her feet and dusting off her pants. “Always observing everything. Even little, minute things.”

  Shep slowly got to his feet, shrugging on the knapsack. He reached over, capturing her hand. “I have other observations to make, too, but I’ll save them for a more appropriate time,” he murmured, watching her eyes widen in surprise. As they continued down a narrow deer path, Shep lapsed into silence with Tess at his side, her hand in his. Everything seems so natural, he thought, finally feeling at peace for the first time since Cy’s death.