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Her brothers all flew, and she’d shown a little interest when she was younger, but not enough to take the lessons she’d been offered. At that time in her life, cheering was her passion. Now she was finding a love for something else.
Maybe it was simply that she needed to do a job that caused her adrenaline to pump, and something that couldn’t pigeonhole her. People often thought of pilots as men, but she was there to prove she was just as capable as any man, if not more so. She would work harder, put in more hours, and kick some ass at becoming a pilot. Soon, she’d be flying the biggest and baddest planes out there.
Okay, when she wasn’t in dreamland, she could admit that it might take a little while for her to work up to the big planes, but that wasn’t going to stop her from getting there someday. She wanted to step onboard a huge plane with four stars on her shoulders. She would double dare someone to call her a flight attendant. A smile of anticipation curved her lips at even the thought of it.
“You look like I did the first time I laid eyes on a plane,” Sherman said as he sneaked up to stand next to her. “Of course, way back then, in the olden days, my plane sure wasn’t as pretty as this one,” he added with a laugh.
“You really like to milk this wise-old-man thing, don’t you?” Dakota said with a laugh. She actually didn’t k
now Sherman’s age, but if she were to guess by his eyes alone, she would put him at twenty-one. They had a youthful sparkle in them that automatically made her smile and want to draw closer to him.
Dakota was from a great family, but that didn’t mean her heart didn’t have room to draw more people into her circle, and men like Sherman were one in a million. She was so glad her best friend had married Sherman’s nephew, ensuring Dakota would have him in her life forever.
“An old man has to do whatever he can,” Sherman said, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his lips. “So, you want to become a pilot?”
“Yes!” she said, excitement screaming from her. “I should have done this years ago, but then again, I don’t think I would have given it the proper attention back then. I’m now ready to be the best pilot in Seattle, maybe even the world.”
“I have no doubt you will achieve whatever you set your mind to,” he told her.
“You know me well. I don’t quit,” she assured him.
Sherman laughed. “No, I’ve learned that for sure,” Sherman said. “And I love your determination. You will do well with this endeavor, and lucky for you, I’ve found you the perfect trainer.”
“Great!” Dakota told him. “When can we start?” She was ready to do it right this minute.
Sherman laughed again. “Slow down there, Turbo,” he told her. “I’m going to send you home with materials, and I’ll let you know when you get to do your first lesson.”
“I knew I wouldn’t be flying today, but . . .” She trailed off, unable to take her eyes from the beautiful plane in front of her.
“Don’t you worry. It won’t be long,” he assured her. “And you know what?” He trailed off, making her want to jump up and down.
“What?” she said when he didn’t continue quickly enough.
“I don’t think you’re the kind of girl to be in a slow plane. I think you can handle an upgraded model.” They both stared at the plane in front of them.
“Oh, yes, please,” she said. “I will study every aspect of it, and I’ll be safe,” she assured him.
“I have no doubt about that,” he told her with a pat on her back.
“Can I stay awhile longer and watch the planes coming and going?” she asked.
“Of course. I have a few more things to do,” Sherman told her.
He moved over to where he had a desk and cabinets and pulled out several items. He handed them to her, and then he walked back over and sat down. She took the handful of material and moved outside, sitting down in a nice grassy place in the sun as she began devouring it all—that was, when planes weren’t taking off or landing.
They were in a small airport in Washington away from Seattle, which Sherman assured her was a much better place to train than SeaTac, where it was way too busy. After a long lapse of time, she moved back inside the huge hangar and went over to a wall where a bunch of photographs were proudly hung.
She got caught up with one picture. She knew it was the missing brother—Ace Armstrong. It was taken when he was young, and a boyish smile filled his face as he stood before a plane, wearing a ripped shirt, holding up a piece of the worn cotton with the date on it to commemorate the event. His first solo flight.
There was so much happiness in his eyes. She knew from what she’d been told that he’d been away for a really long time, and the family didn’t know why. She suddenly wondered what his story was and what would make him want to leave the loving embrace of his family. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off him.
After too much time, she shook her head, forcing herself to look away. Dakota had a thing for people in need. She didn’t understand why, but she’d been that way since she was a young child and had found a small boy at the playground who’d fallen off the monkey bars.
She’d immediately gone up to him and assured him all people fell off once in a while. When he’d gazed at her with those crushed eyes, looking as if he didn’t believe her, she’d climbed the monkey bars and purposely fallen, spraining her ankle, which she hadn’t intended on doing. Graceful falling wasn’t in her DNA.
But when he’d smiled at her, she’d known it was totally worth it. Sometimes a little bit of pain was needed to heal someone else. She’d never looked back from that moment on, constantly driven by the need to make others happy.
She had no problem making herself happy as well. And deciding to become a pilot was making her incredibly joyful. It was a new day, and she was more than ready for it to begin.
