Then, when Bart retired, or more specifically when the company’s board threatened to oust him, it was Garth who’d taken over and put in all those long hours, sometimes without a social life, to pull the company through difficult times. Regan guessed that he’d also been trying to rid himself of the pain of losing the person he’d loved. More than once, she had walked in on him unexpectedly, in one of his quiet moments, to see grief in his eyes.
“Good morning, Regan,” he said now, when he came to a stop in front of her.
She tilted her head back to look up at him. He was tall, but the first things that caught her attention were Garth’s handsome features. Namely his smooth, coffee-and-cream complexion, piercing dark brown eyes, a perfectly shaped nose, a pair of full lips and a sculpted chin. He garnered plenty of feminine attention no matter where he went.
“Same to you, Garth. Ready to fly?” She knew she would be flying him to Santa Cruz, Spain.
“I’m ready whenever you are, and how’s Franklin?”
“Dad is fine.”
“Good. I need to check up on him soon. Maybe even pay him a visit.”
Her father was close to all Bart’s offspring but would admit that Garth had always been his favorite. Franklin had been working as Bart’s pilot when Garth was born. When Bart had gained full custody of Garth, oftentimes Garth and his nanny had accompanied Bart when he traveled extensively.
“I miss him.”
Regan missed her father, too. She hadn’t been surprised when her father had left the cold state of Alaska to move to Florida upon retirement. He was enjoying sunshine nearly all year round.
“Everything is in order, Garth, and we’ll be taking off soon.”
Less than twenty minutes later, she was cruising the skies. They would make a couple of pit stops to refuel before reaching Santa Cruz. She’d never been there but had heard it was beautiful. One thing she did in addition to studying the layout of the private airport of any destination was get familiar with the area. The plan for this trip was for her to drop him off and return to get him in two weeks. She had two rest days before flying back to Alaska and would use them to get in as much sightseeing and shopping as she could. Depending on his business plans, there were times when he asked her to remain with him during the entire trip as his private chauffeur. He hadn’t asked for that on this trip.
“Mind if I join you?”
She smiled. “Sure.”
It wouldn’t be the first time Garth had joined her in the cockpit, claiming he was bored in the seating area. Although calling it a seating area was an understatement when this jet included luxurious sleeping quarters as well as an office.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw how easily he slid into the copilot seat beside her. As usual, he smelled good. She didn’t have to glance over at him to know he was gearing up with the headset. Her father had taught a teenage Garth to fly and he’d enhanced those skills while in the Marines. More than once, he’d copiloted with her on long flights.
“Estimated flight time?” he asked her.
“Twelve hours.”
“First stop?”
The FAA required her to take a break after piloting for nine hours. “Bolungarvik, Iceland,” she replied.
He nodded. “Nice place. I visited there a few years ago while in the Marines. It’s a beautiful coastal fishing town with breathtaking scenery. Especially the mountains surrounding the harbor.”
“Sounds gorgeous.”
“It is.”
She eased the jet into a glide while moving around a huge mountain. “You’re good at that, Regan,” he said.
“Thanks. I was trained by the best.”
She considered her father the best pilot there was, and he’d made sure she’d gotten her private pilot license at sixteen. Her mother had died of an aneurysm when Regan was five. She and her father had a close relationship, and missed him now that he was in Florida. However, she’d understood him wanting to spend his later years in a warmer climate. When he had sold her childhood home, he’d split the proceeds with her. She’d taken the money and purchased a home on the Tanana River.
Because Fairbanks had a military base, most of the men she’d dated had been soldiers. All were nice guys, and although she’d enjoyed their company, she hadn’t gotten serious about any of them. At least not as serious as some of them had liked. Earlier in the year, she had broken up with Craig Foster. They’d dated for six months and then he’d developed jealous tendencies she hadn’t cared to deal with.
“I love being up here.”
She knew what he meant. There was just something about being in the beautiful blue sky, this close to heaven. “Me, too. I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re prepared for your meetings this trip.” She knew that when it came to any business regarding Outlaw Freight Lines, Garth was always prepared.
He chuckled. “Not this trip. It’s strictly for pleasure.”
“Oh.” Suddenly, a pain settled around her heart. That meant his two weeks in Santa Cruz would be with a woman. The thought of that bothered her even when she had no right to let it.
“No one back in Fairbanks will have need for the company jet while I’m in Santa Cruz. They have their own planes anyway,” Garth said. “If you like, instead of returning to Fairbanks, you can use the time to visit your father in Florida before returning for me.”
He was right; all the Outlaws had their own personal planes and could fly them. Even Charm. Due to Alaska’s very limited road system, one of the most common ways of getting around was by aircraft. Locals liked to say that more Alaskans owned personal planes than cars.
“Thanks,
