“Astronomy and astrophysics.”
“Of course you did. But isn’t Embry-Riddle an aeronautical university?”
He nodded. “I didn’t go there for that.”
“Let me guess.” She smiled. “You went there to play with the fancy space telescopes.”
He laughed. “I did have a blast with the Hubble and the James Webb. The curriculum was fascinating. But most of my friends were there to become pilots and didn’t let up until they convinced me to take an introductory lesson.” He smiled, recalling that first flight in an old Cessna 172. “I caught the bug.”
“I’m familiar with that bug. Highly contagious.”
He thought she looked a little wistful. “Did it infect you?”
Her only reply was a one-shouldered shrug. Then she turned to look at Rolf, who snoozed on a dog bed in the middle of the aisle, harnessed and tethered by a leash.
Nick didn’t miss the affection in the smile she gave her sleeping dog, and he congratulated himself on getting the keys to a fellow pilot’s house in Summerlin. His friend was in Dubai on a project and would be there for the foreseeable future, which worked out perfectly. Rolf would have a yard where he could romp.
“He looks so comfy back there.” Jannie’s nostrils flared, her nose scrunching as she brought her fist to her mouth to stifle a yawn.
She needed rest. He studied her profile, driven by a desire to help herreturn to her normal self with every fiber of his being.
“We still have four hours to Vegas. There’s a JetBed in the back. Bedding, too. No one has ever used them. Would you like to go catch a nap?”
Her shoulders sagged. “Actually, that sounds good.”
“It’s in the very back. All you have to do is place it between the seats and undo the straps. There’s a red plug you unscrew and a pump you insert to inflate it.”
She pulled off her headset and unbuckled her harness, inevitably brushing her arm against his as she extricated herself from the cockpit, leaving behind that scent that had always been his obsession.
“November 555 X-ray Mike, contact Houston center on one two six point four two five,” the ATC controller said.
Nick cued the mic. “November 555 X-ray Mike, switching to Houston.”
He selected the new frequency. “Houston center, November 555 X-ray Mike, checking in.”
“November triple-five X-ray Mike, welcome.”
Nick replaced the mic, then turned to watch Jannie set up the JetBed. Rolf had awakened and was sitting, observing the process intently, his heavy tail swishing back and forth. In no time, she had the bed ready, and she slipped off her shoes, discreetly reaching under her shirt to unclasp her bra before sitting on the mattress.
He wanted to go back there and stroke her hair, to hold her again while she slept with her head on his chest. He watched her scratch the dog under his chin, then nod to send him to his place. For a few moments, she gazed out the window, the corners of her beautiful mouth turned down. He wished he knew what she was thinking.
And then, she closed the shade, lay down, and pulled the covers over her head, curling into a ball.
Something gripped Nick’s throat. He had to pull her away from that dark place she kept sinking into.
And if he had to move heaven and earth, he’d make it happen.
•
Jannie
The house was half the size of hers but twice as charming, painted in terra-cotta with a matching barrel-tile roof, the front yard covered in pink gravel that reminded her of Himalayan rock salt. Three red and green bushes adorned the front, along with several giant cacti and landscape rocks, and a bow window showed off plants in whimsical pots on the inside ledge.
“The yard is fenced,” Jannie said, her shoulders dropping with relief. Once, when Rolf was a puppy, Blake left the gate unlatched, and Rolf got out, narrowly escaping the wheels of a van whose driver managed to brake just inches away. In her nightmares, Jannie could still hear the horrifying screech of tires and the dog’s high-pitched scream.
“Well, yeah.” Nick hoisted her suitcase from the back of his SUV. “That’s what you need, isn’t it?”
So matter-of-factly, he had stated that. She looked at him, watching the play of muscles as he slid the second suitcase and his flight bag out of the back, then reached for the large case containing Rolf’s food and other doggie belongings. The man was strength and protection personified, and now she’d discovered that he drove a large black 4x4, with sharp angles and horizontal rectangular headlights that clearly showed it was an older model.
