“O’Connor, being the gentleman that he is, gave up his traditional front perch for you. Beauty before age.” Mel gave her a sidelong glance.
“So, now I’m a gentleman. Not what you said last week. And I’m offended by your age slam.” Ryan flicked his fingers at the back of Mel’s head. He liked giving his buddy a hard time.
Mel flicked his eyes at the rearview and Ryan thumbed his nose at him.
Tara twisted to grin at Ryan. “So, you’re an old man, huh?”
What a gorgeous smile. He wanted to kiss it. “Technically, I’m only—”
“He hit his third decade,” interrupted Mel.
“Thanks for ratting me out,” grimaced Ryan. “Mel rolled into a much higher number last month. He tried to keep it a secret, but we have ways of finding things out.”
Mel jabbed his thumb toward the back seat. “This joker and the other knob-heads flew a ‘Melbourne Faraday is 40’ banner behind a Cessna all over Fairbanks. Hid my age for years until that little stunt.”
“You should lay off the Botox, Mel. And let’s not discuss what you did for my thirtieth…” Ryan trailed off, catching himself. Melbourne had hired girls to dance at Ryan’s birthday party at a jumper’s house in Fairbanks. Cops showed up when neighbors complained people were skydiving from the roof onto a big army fuel bladder filled with water. Friends of Seth Boone, former Navy SEALS.
Tara didn’t need this information.
“What did you do for his thirtieth?” she asked Mel.
Ryan held his breath. Be a good man, Mel.
“We uh… gave him a surprise party,” said Mel like he wasn’t guilty of anything. “And he was surprised.”
Ryan changed the subject. “Talkeetna Air has been flying in and out of Denali all day. Reported light clouds and calm winds.”
He couldn’t wait to show Tara his most favorite place on earth.
Chapter 10
Tara had been in Alaska three days and here she was about to fly around North America’s tallest mountain. All day her chest and stomach had felt like a volcano about to blow, and it worsened on the drive to the airport.
Sixty degrees cooler in Denali. She could fake a migraine. She let out a long sigh. I’m a damn firefighter, not a chicken shit.
Mel pulled the van up to a single-story building, Caribou Aviation, across from Fairbanks International Airport. Mel and Ryan hopped out.
Tara hesitated and took a deep breath. She slowly climbed out with her day pack and hung shyly back as Ryan approached the building. Too late to back out now.
A stout, graying man came from around the building and extended a chubby hand. “O’Connor, good to see you.”
Ryan shook his hand with both of his. “Reeves, thanks for loaning me the Cessna on short notice.”
“Glad she was available. She’s all ready to go.” Reeves nodded at the red and white, single engine aircraft, gleaming on the tarmac.
“She’s a beauty.” Mel handed Ryan’s day pack and leather coat to him. He flicked his eyes to Reeves. “Still for sale?”
“Anything’s for sale at the right price. O’Connor’s been workin’ me for a deal,” chuckled Reeves, crow’s feet framing the slits of his eyes.
“Got to jump fires, earn that hazard pay.” Ryan glanced at Tara.
She raised brows in understanding, knowing the value of hazard pay in bumping up their paychecks. She glanced at the handsome aircraft that would undoubtedly cost a ginormous amount of hazard pay.
Ryan motioned to her. “Reeves, this is Tara Waters. First trip to Denali.”
Reeve’s eyes crinkled and his grin widened. “Matt Reeves, Caribou Aviation.”
“Good to meet you,” she said.
“Hope Denali shows. Should be a romantic trip if she does. Have a great flight, you two.” Reeves gave Tara a polite nod.
“Thanks Matt,” Ryan called after Reeves as he ducked inside his office.
He assumed she was Ryan’s girlfriend. Her cheeks warmed and she shot a look at Ryan. To her relief he hadn’t noticed she went red in the face. He appeared oblivious to the romance comment.
“Leaving you to it,” called Mel, folding himself in the van. “Gotta get my bird ready for morning. Radio your ETA when you’re ten minutes out and I’ll be here.” He pointed at Tara. “You’re in for an experience. It’ll blow your mind.”
She smiled back at him. “I’m sure it will. Thanks, Mel.” The thought of her jouncing in this small plane twisted her gut. Why did I agree to this?
“Catch you later, Mel. Thanks.” Ryan turned to her, slinging his day pack to his shoulder. “Ready?”
She nodded, strolling alongside him. “You’ve made offers? A plane like this must be expensive.”
“It’s a chunk of change for sure.”
She felt like an intruder to this intimate side of Ryan’s life. She hardly knew him. He was different from his fire instructor persona; more relaxed and animated. He was very much in charge and seemed as passionate about flying as he was about firefighting. She admired his confidence.
He slid his fingers along the sleek fuselage, peering under it and checking whatever else pilots did before they flew. “She’s a beauty. But I need time to raise the cash.” He straightened, gazing off in the direction they’d be flying.
She could tell he loved this plane. “What are your plans once you buy it?”
“Start a flightseeing business. Fly tourists and climbers in and out of Denali.”
“So, you want to stay in Alaska.”
“That’s the plan.” He opened the cargo bay near the tail and loaded their gear.
Gee, too bad, she stopped herself from saying. This is the last place she’d want to settle down. She'd heard repeatedly Alaska had a million ways to kill you every ten minutes. And how the odds were good, but the goods were odd, when it came to the dating population. Ryan was indeed an exception to that worn out cliche.
“Going to build a log home with caribou jumping your white picket fence?”
“Already have one. Minus the fence, but with moose.” He pulled a small personal locator beacon from his pants pocket, pressed a
