Sky High (Alaskan Frontier Romance Book 2)

by Jennifer McArdle

  “Thought I just had to hold it steady,” she teased, thrilled that she actually got to do more than fly in a straight line.

  “You were doing so well, I figured you could handle it.”

  Mason glanced down at the GPS unit mounted on the dash. Ahead of them lay a small mountain range that stretched from the northern tip of the island to the southern tip. Beyond that was the inlet. Tucked in between the two, on the edge of the water, at the base of the mountains, was home.

  Before they reached the mountains, Mason took the controls back from Lily. As exhilarating as it was, she was relieved to hand the controls back over to someone who knew what he was doing.

  “Well?” he asked. “What did you think?”

  Lily didn’t hold back.

  “It was amazing,” she blurted out, still high on the excitement of her first flight. That was the best word to describe it. Exciting and scary at the same time. Exhilarating. Thrilling. “I’ve never felt more alive.”

  “Sounds like you’re hooked,” Mason said, grinning.

  Lily laughed.

  “Is that how it was for you?”

  “Pretty much,” he said. “The feel of the yoke in your hands as you ride along on the wind… it’s addictive. Once you’ve tasted it, there’s no going back. You’ll never be content to be a passenger again.”

  “Hopefully, I won’t have to be,” Lily said. “How long before I can fly solo?”

  “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On how long it takes you to learn,” Mason answered. “Every student pilot is different. I won’t sign off until I know you’re ready.

  Mason quieted as they flew over the mountain peaks. They hit some turbulence as pockets of wind made the flight a little bumpy for a while. Lily didn’t say anything. She just watched him. He was so deep in concentration. The muscles of his jaw tensed. His eyes focused on the horizon. His hands gripped the yoke firmly.

  “Change your mind about flying yet?” he asked, glancing over at her. The turbulence bounced them in their seats and Lily realized she was gripping her seatbelt. She smiled nervously at him.

  “No,” she said, proving to herself that she could be brave.

  “Want to take the controls, then?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood. He had no intention of handing the controls over to her. Not when he was barely able to maintain altitude himself. But his off-hand comment helped take both of their minds off the turbulence, even if just for a moment.

  “No, thanks.” Lily laughed nervously. “Maybe next time.”

  Mason smiled at her. At least she wasn’t easily spooked.

  Thankfully, the turbulence didn’t last forever, and it didn’t bring the plane down. When they were past the mountain range, back over water, they both relaxed again.

  A few minutes later, the plane touched down onto the surface of the water. Mason expertly landed them close to his dock and let the plane drift on the water. When their speed slowed enough, he lowered the water rudder to steer them toward the dock.

  Chapter 8

  When they reached the dock, Mason jumped out and grabbed a rope secured to the dock. By the time Lily climbed down from the cabin of the plane, he already had two lines attached to the plane’s floats, securing it to the dock. Lily reached down, picked up another rope off the dock, and began helping him.

  “Thanks, but you don’t have to do that. I can get it.” He reached out to take the rope from her. She held on to it.

  “I want to help,” she insisted. After spending the entire day with him, she didn’t want to part ways just yet. She enjoyed being with him. It was surprising, but true. Only that morning, she’d been upset Gus couldn’t fly her to Hoonah, annoyed she would have to spend time with Mason. Now, she was glad she had. “Besides, isn’t this part of learning how to fly?”

  “You’re right.” He smiled and trotted over to the tiny office. He disappeared inside for just a moment. When he reappeared, he was carrying a bucket and two towels. He tossed a towel to Lily. “Get to work,” he said, when she stood there staring at him. “She needs a good cleaning, inside and out.”

  Lily smirked at him playfully. She rolled the towel in her hands and snapped it in his direction. “I should have known you were just looking for slave labor. I suppose that’s why you agreed to teach me?”

  “I was going to do it myself, but you were kind enough to point out that maintenance should be included in the lessons.” Mason dodged the towel when she tried to snap him with it a second time. “So I believe you asked for it.”

  “Yeah, well I also asked what you’ve been up to all these years. All I got was a 30-second answer.”

  She saw the twitch of muscle in his jaw, knew that he was trying to figure out how to change the subject. He hadn’t changed that much since they were kids. She could still tell when he didn’t want to talk about something. But she wasn’t going to let him off the hook this time. He’d come back to Heron, waltzed right back into her life. Lily wanted to know why. What was he doing there after all this time?

  “So, are you going to tell me?” she pressed him further.

  “What’s there to tell?”

  Lily thought about it for a second as Mason began wiping down the wing of the aircraft.

  “Well, what was the military like?”

  “Strict.”

  “That’s all?”

  “There’s not much to say. I did my time.”

  “How about Anchorage? What’s it like there?”

  “Noisy.”

  “Okay.” Getting more than a one-word answer out of him was like pulling teeth. “Well, your mom and dad still live there, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  A speck of dirt on the body of the plane caught Mason’s attention. He leaned over and scrubbed it, hard, focusing all of his attention on that speck as if his life depended on it. Lily patiently waited. Eventually he’d have to answer her.

  “Well?” she asked, when he finished scrubbing the spot.

  “They still live there.” She wasn’t going to give in, he realized. “In a little house near the base. Pops is retired now. Mom has a part-time job at the library.

  “And you were in Anchorage for almost a year after you got out of the Air Force?”

  “Yeah. And now I’m here.” He stopped wiping the skin of the plane and looked at her. “There’s really not much to tell.”

  Lily didn’t believe that. Everyone had a story, regardless of whether they were willing to tell it. She had a feeling Mason needed to share his story, though. If he didn’t, it might eat him up inside. Maybe it had already started to. That would certainly explain his standoffishness, his reluctance to connect with anyone on a personal level.

  “What about Dalton?” Lily knew even as the words came out of her mouth that Mason would avoid the answer. But she had to ask. She’d been wondering all day. And judging by his reaction when she asked about Dalton earlier, Lily suspected Mason was still very disturbed by his brother’s death. “How did he die?”

  Mason shook his head, reluctant to talk about it. Of course, she’d have to ask that question. He should have known she was leading up to it, because it was the one question he really didn’t want to answer. But he could tell by the determined look on her face that she wouldn’t stop pestering him until he talked.

  “Dalton changed while I was away,” he said, hoping it would be enough to satisfy her. It wasn’t. She was waiting for him to say more.

  “When I left for the Air Force Academy, he was 16. Still in high school and doing pretty good. I don’t know what happened, how he got involved with the wrong crowd, but when I came home on leave the first time, I noticed he was different.”

  “Different in what way?”

  “He was drinking and smoking.” He’d become insolent. He was undisciplined, had no respect for authority. “I didn’t think too much of it at the time. Heck, I remember being that age. Kids do all sorts of stupid stuff.”

  Mason’s voice trailed off and
he turned away. He needed to collect his thoughts. He hadn’t spoken to anyone about Dalton, and he still wasn’t sure how much he wanted to share. When he felt Lily’s hand on his shoulder, he continued.

  “It only got worse. By the time I got out of the Air Force, he was an addict. He was selling drugs, too.”

  Mason turned to look at her and Lily saw the pain in his eyes. Dalton’s death had hurt him deeply. It hurt for him to even talk about it. Instinctively, she took his hand in her own.

  “It’s okay,” she said gently. “You don’t have to tell me all of this if you don’t want to.”

  “No, I need to,” he said. It surprised even him when those words came out of his mouth. Mason was not the kind of man to share his troubles. He usually kept them bottled up inside and worked through his issues on his own. But now, he needed to say it out loud. “I could have helped him. But I was so disgusted at what he’d become, I didn’t even try. I saw it getting worse, the drug use. The last time I saw him, he was so high he didn’t even realize I was there. I left him, passed out on the floor.”

  His voice cracked a little. His eyes cast downward, unwilling to look at her directly. Ashamed.

  “And then he died.”

  Lily’s breath caught in her throat. He blamed himself, she realized.

  “Oh, Mason…” She didn’t know what to say. “It’s not your fault.”

  “Yes, it is.” His eyes met hers, emboldened by the truth. “I could have saved him, but I did nothing. I left him there like the garbage I thought he’d become.”

  This time, it was Lily who looked away. She couldn’t stand the look in his eyes, the raw emotion so full of guilt.

  “Anyway, I stayed there for another two months, but I couldn’t handle being in Anchorage anymore. I never liked that damned city, anyway. Only went back there for my family. With Dalton gone and my parents unwilling to even look at me, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get out. And I felt Heron calling to me.”

  Mason looked down at the towel in his hand. This level of honesty was more than he was used to. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d opened up to anyone. Not since he was 17, not since he and Lily had been in love.

  Almost at the same time, they both realized Lily was still holding his hand. Mason quickly pulled it away and walked to the other side of the plane. The moment was too intense. He needed some space, some time to think.

  “We better get to work,” he said, changing the subject. “We don’t have much time before the sun goes down.”

  Mason climbed up into the cockpit and began cleaning. He just needed a moment, he told himself, to collect his thoughts. All day long, he’d been watching Lily, indulging himself in a way he hadn’t done for so long. How many times that day had he thought about kissing her? Mason couldn’t remember. And now, with such honesty between them, in such an intimate moment, he shrunk away from her like a coward.

  He glanced over and watched Lily quietly climb into the cabin of the plane. He wanted her, more now than ever. So why did he pull away when he realized she was holding his hand? Mason didn’t have an answer for that. He only knew that next time he had the chance, he would do things differently.

  While Mason scrubbed the dash, wiped down all the gauges, and cleaned the windshield, Lily silently went to work in the aft of the plane, cleaning out the cargo hold. She hadn’t expected Mason to open up to her like that. Now that he had, she knew he needed some time to think. So she focused, instead, on cleaning the cargo area. When she finished there, she wiped down the rear passenger seats. By the time she finished, Mason was back to his usual self.

  “I guess that’s it,” Lily said, tossing her towel into the bucket.

  The sun had long since disappeared below the horizon and the town was lit only by the scant moonlight and stars reflecting off the water. Mason stepped down from the cabin of the plane and slung his own towel over his shoulder. She looked so innocent, so pure, standing there in the darkness on the dock. The moonlight glistened softly on her long, blonde hair.

  “Yeah, I guess so. For tonight, at least.”

  He still couldn’t believe he’d told Lily about Dalton. But surprisingly, he didn’t regret it. He had expected it to be uncomfortable, but that feeling never came. He’d opened up to her and it actually felt good. He felt closer to her, closer than he’d felt to anyone in years.

  Waves lapped softly against the dock. The faint sound of music floated on the breeze, the tune emanating from a radio propped up on the windowsill of a house nearby. The cool, crisp air smelled faintly sweet and spicy. Someone was baking pie, probably pumpkin. Its aroma wafted across the harbor as a gentle reminder of the season.

  A hundred yards away, the door to the pub opened briefly and, for a second, the sounds of raucous laughter disturbed the night. It was a reminder to Lily that she had other responsibilities. Even though she wouldn’t be working the pub, she would stop in early the next morning to check on things. Then she had to work on the costumes for the fall production. And later on she had another rehearsal.

  “I should be going,” Lily said. She held out her hand for a handshake. It seemed so formal, considering their history together, especially after Mason’s confession earlier. But she didn’t know what else to do. “Thanks for the lesson.”

  Mason took her proffered hand. “A handshake? Really?” he asked softly. Her hand felt good in his, and this time Mason didn’t shrink away from the contact. He held her hand and stepped closer. “Seems a bit formal, don’t you think? Handshakes are for strangers and businessmen.”

  “What do you think would be more appropriate?” she asked, feeling something inside of her she hadn’t felt in a very, very long time. Anticipation.

  The gap between them was already small, but it was still too far for Mason. He pulled her closer, caught her up in his arms.

  “How about this?”

  His eyes searched hers, looking for an invitation. When he found it – the slight intake of her breath, the rapid beating of her heart – his mouth closed over hers. Her lips were soft and sweet. Welcoming. She opened to him, wanting more. And he gave it to her.

  The coarse whiskers of his unshaven face scraped against her soft skin, leaving it reddened. But she didn’t care. All she cared about was the feel of his body against hers, the smell of his skin, the warmth of his breath, the taste of his mouth. She let herself get caught up in it, the sensation of being wanted and of wanting.

  When the kiss ended, all too soon, it left her dazed. Maybe even a little confused.

  “What was that?” she asked, breathless.

  “What I’ve been wanting all day,” he said. It was what he’d been wanting for years. What he’d dreamed about ever since he’d left Heron. What, he realized now, had brought him back.

  Mason had felt the warmth rush through his body. His blood was pumping. His heart was afire. And judging by the looks of her, Lily felt the same.

  He leaned forward to kiss her again, but this time she put a hand on his chest to stop him. Something inside Lily told her that she couldn’t let him kiss her a second time. His mouth was only inches from hers. The taste of him still lingered on her lips. She wanted more of him. But she wouldn’t give herself to him that easily. He’d broken her heart once before. She wasn’t going to let that happen again.

  “That’s all you’re allowed,” she said, pulling away. “One kiss for old times’ sake.” It was all she could handle. If she let him kiss her again, she might as well rip her heart out of her chest and give it to him.

  With great effort, Mason pulled away. He saw the look in her eyes. She wasn’t playing around, teasing and baiting him.

  “For old times’ sake,” Mason repeated quietly. A muscle in his jaw twitched. He wasn’t interested in old times. He hadn’t kissed her because he wanted a trip down memory lane. He wanted her now. In the present.

  Chapter 9

  After the kiss, Lily left Mason alone on the dock. He’d offered to walk her home, but she wanted to be alone.
She needed time to think about what had just happened. She needed time to put it all in perspective. And as much as she liked being around Mason, she couldn’t think clearly when she was with him.

  Collecting the buckets and towels, Mason watched Lily walk up the plank from the floating dock to the boardwalk. In the darkness, all he could see was the outline of her body. And then she disappeared into the black of the night.

  Even in the darkness, Lily walked with sure-footed steps. She knew the town intimately. She was familiar with every twist and turn of the boardwalk, every loose board waiting to trip her. There was a series of planks on the boardwalk that were beginning to bow, followed by a few more with nails sticking up. Lily walked over those boards with care, making sure not to step on one of the protruding nails. That section of the boardwalk, directly in front of the air-taxi dock, had needed repairs for months now. Gus kept saying he was going to take care of it, but now that he’d sold the business, the responsibility fell on Mason’s shoulders.

  Mason. What had possessed him to kiss her? And why did she let him? As much as she hated to admit it, Lily knew exactly why she’d let him kiss her. She missed him. She missed his touch, the way he looked at her as if she were the only woman in the world, the way he made her feel when they were together. She’d gone far too long without him, or any other man, for that matter.

  As Lily passed by the Pub & Grub, she heard the faint sound of laughter through the thick walls. It was unusual for her not to be there, in the center of all things. But that night, Lily was thankful she wasn’t working the late shift behind the bar. For once, she didn’t want to be surrounded by people. She didn’t care what gossip was being spread amongst the patrons, and she most certainly wasn’t interested in watching Barney make yet another romantic gesture toward Barbara, who had absolutely no interest in the man despite his repeated attempts to woo her. No, that night Lily was not interested in the goings-on in Heron. She wanted to be alone. So instead of stopping in at the pub, she kept on walking.