People Will Talk (14 page)

Something unreadable flickered in his eyes and
was gone. "So soon? You think that's a good idea?"

"Yes. I can't wait around for this town to
forgive me for something I didn't do," Nora declared with a
snap.

A smile curled his mouth. "Attagirl." he
approved.

Nora looked down, scuffing the toe of her boot
in the damp ground as warmth flooded over her. His approval felt
better than it should to a woman determined to regain her
heart.

"Don't get too excited," she recommended. "I
don't have her agreement to sell."

“
Of course not, but it's a big
step, taking on massive debt. Keep your eye on that bottom line,"'
he encouraged, his eyes dancing.

She couldn't help but smile back at him, the
insidious warmth he provoked melting her bones. Just his presence
made the day seem more glorious, the air more
invigorating.

"How about going for a ride?" he asked. "You
owe me one."

"No, I don't," she retorted
immediately.

"But you'll come with me, anyway?" he
wheedled.

Hesitating, she looked away from his handsome
countenance, battling her own urges with disgust. When would she
learn?

"Okay," Nora agreed after a moment. She'd
already lost her heart to him. How much more damage could one ride
do?

Minutes later, she clutched the seat of Bret's
banged-up jeep as they bounced over a cow pasture. "I had something
different in mind when you mentioned riding," she called out over
the roar of the engine.

Bret flashed her a grin. "This is just the
beginning. You look like a woman who would enjoy a few
loop-the-loops.”

"What?" Nora grabbed at her seat as they
jounced over another rocky mound, her teeth nearly rattling in her
head.

"You'll see," he promised with a wicked laugh.
They bounced over two more pastures, careening over the uneven
surface at daredevil speed, the wind whipping Nora's hair into
tangles.

Topping a rise, they coasted to a stop at yet
another pasture, this one bare of cattle and flatter than the
others. At one end of the field sat a small aircraft, its slender
wings glinting in the sun.

Bret killed the Jeep's engine. "Welcome to my
world."

Sweeping her hair out of her eyes, Nora
surveyed the scene. "We're not really gonna do 'loop-the-loops,'
are we?"

His laugh was low as he pulled her into a
fierce hug. "I knew you were game."

Nora rocked back in her seat as he let her go,
her senses still spinning from the rush of pleasure at being in his
arms. "Wait a minute," she protested, realizing he was out of the
Jeep and halfway over to the plane. "What exactly am I game
for?"

Bret just kept walking.

Untangling her feet from a loose rope in the
floor board, she got out and followed him across to the
plane.

"I didn't know you had your own runway out
here."

Bret snorted. "This is a pasture that works as
a runway in certain seasons. I'll be moving the plane to an
airfield soon. When the spring storms come, this place will be a
pig wallow."

"But it's convenient most of the time," she
observed, glancing around the pasture with its rippling blanket of
green.

"Pretty convenient. It's too short for anything
more than small aircraft." He hesitated. "I hope to build a real
strip in the area. Something that can take bigger
birds."

"Sounds like a good idea." Nora couldn't help
eyeing the small plane. Maybe she could wait and fly with him when
he got that bigger plane.

"Isn't she a beauty?" Bret touched the plane
with pride.

"Umm, yes." Nora nodded and tried to look like
she knew something about the subject. "Gorgeous."

"And she flies like a dream."

''I'm sure," Nora said, hoping she didn't
disgrace herself by becoming hysterical if he actually did fly the
plane upside down.

"Get in," he said. ''I'm going to do a
pre-flight check."

"By all means," she recommended, skirting the
tail of the plane as she went around to the passenger side. At
least, she thought it was the passenger side. Were planes like
cars?

Someone had thoughtfully designed a step on the
wing, which gave her a clue on how to get into the thing. After
wiping her boots, Nora scrambled up and climbed in.

The small cockpit looked like serious business,
and she had to quell a rising panic at the thought of trusting her
life to a heap of aluminum foil and Bret's luck.

Nora gnawed on her bottom lip, knowing she
couldn't abandon ship now without disgracing herself, although she
was sorely tempted to bail. Fortunately, he climbed in before her
anxieties got the better of her good intentions.

"Here, let me help you with the belt." He
reached across her body, his closeness stirring a warmth in her.
Within seconds, she was strapped in, her heart pounding too loudly
in her chest. She tried to calm herself during Bret's preparations.
He seemed completely relaxed, as if he were going to ride a
bicycle.

Nora felt some of the tension seep from her.
Somehow, she knew he wouldn't let her be hurt-physically,
anyway.

In a few short moments, he flipped a switch and
brought the airplane to life. The little craft shook with the spin
of the propeller, the noise of the motor making Nora's ears
ring.

She forced herself not to clutch the seat as
the plane started forward, bouncing over the meadow. Each bounce
seemed to take them higher until they lifted from the ground,
airborne on a smooth stream of wind.

The earth fell away behind them as they
climbed, and Nora peered out the window. A childlike feeling of
wonder crept over her as she watched patch after patch of land
drift beneath their wings.

The drone of the engine seemed more steady with
just the slightest tremor every now and then. As her nervousness
diminished, Nora felt herself relaxing into the movement of the
small plane, allowing herself simply to be suspended. Overhead, the
sun shone with a gentle springtime brightness.

The whole town lay beneath them, the structures
and streets familiar and yet different than she'd ever seen them.
From up here, it looked like a perfect town, peaceful and
welcoming. The plane droned on like a huge bumblebee, carrying them
away.

"Look down," Bret called to her over the noise.
"The courthouse at Montague."

Glancing out the window, she spotted the ornate
building, their overhead angle making it look like a wedding cake
constructed of pink granite.

"I can see why you like it up here," she said,
earning an encouraging smile from Bret.

"It's great, isn't it?" His face was a picture
of confidence, so comfortable at the controls of the aircraft that
he didn't appear to even think about it.

Maybe that was why he'd caught her heart
unawares. That cocky self-possession of his drew her like a
promise. Somehow he'd gotten around her defenses.

"Want to fly over to Lake
Arrowhead?"

"Sounds good."

He tilted the wings, sending them arching to
the left before settling the plane on its course. Time seemed
suspended as they took an aerial tour of the northern boundary of
Texas. Nora studied the instrument panel with its array of delicate
gadgets. She found herself staring at Bret's hand resting on the
throttle, her mind flooded with memories of their night together.
She recalled the touch of his hand on her body.

She wanted to feel all those things with him
again. Wanted to be held in his arms again. There was such
intoxication in his kisses, such treacherous promises of ecstasy.
Even though she knew she didn't have his love, each touch felt like
heaven.

Stupid, stupid urges.

Tomorrow, she'd be good, she told herself.
Tomorrow she'd worry about her betrayed heart. Today, she just
wanted this golden time with him--no doubts intruding. One more
opportunity to do what she wanted, no matter the consequences.
Nothing was certain between them except her eventual grief, but she
found herself aching for the part she was sure of. He wanted her.
For now, for this moment, that was enough.

They glided low over Lake Arrowhead, watching
the glitter of the sun off its surface, broken only by a flicker of
light that might have been a fish leaping up out of the
water.

As they turned back to the ranch, Nora leaned
her head against the seat, lost in a sense of abandon. The whole
afternoon left her feeling both peaceful and exhilarated, alive and
vibrant. A fine hum of tension seemed to flow through her veins, a
flutter of excitement and anticipation.

She'd entrusted herself to Bret and only good
had come of it, this time. He flew the plane like a consummate
professional.

There weren't any good answers to handling the
scandal. There was no way to take back her love for him, but she
could lose herself in being with him, just for a while.

Bret glanced over at Nora. She lay back against
the seat, her body soft and relaxed, like a woman awaiting her
lover. He felt his pulse rev at the thought, a fierce, possessive
response that still puzzled him. From the moment she'd turned to
him that night at the cabin, he could only think of her as his
own.

He leveled off the Piper as they approached his
makeshift airfield, and pulled back on the throttle. The plane
drifted toward the earth, dropping down with a smoothness that
never failed to gratify him. They skimmed over the ground, lower
and lower until the landing gear just grazed the grassy surface,
settling down with hardly a bump.

Even as he taxied down the runaway he couldn't
help but congratulate himself on the difference in Nora's mood at
takeoff and at landing. Gone was her white-knuckled grip on the
seat and her expression of terrified, silent prayer. She sat
quietly, watching him, the expression on her face making it
difficult for him to concentrate.

He still couldn't figure what happened to her
the other day. She'd seemed fine when he'd dropped her off at her
mother's house after their incredible lovemaking. Even her
insistence on going home that night had seemed
reluctant.

It was maddening that he couldn't understand
what was going on in her mind. For once, he was clueless as to a
woman's feelings for him. And when had he began giving so much
thought to what was between them?

All he knew was that he wanted her, right now,
always. And while her eyes told him that she wanted him, too, he
found himself frustrated still by the thought of the Turner
property.

What the heck was he going to do when she found
out he'd bid on it, too? He hadn't thought she'd carry her riding
school this far. And who knew whether anything would come of it
still? There were a lot of hurdles to becoming a landowner,
particularly when you had no credit record and a hostile business
environment. Things might still work out smoothly; when Nora gave
up the riding school idea, there'd be no barrier to their
relationship. He just had to hang in there till it all played
out.

Bringing the plane to a halt, Bret glanced at
Nora. "I hope landing didn't shake you up," he said.

"Not at all," she said, smiling.

Pleased with her answer and enjoying the warmth
of her smile, Bret got out and began securing the plane. Shoving
the chocks into place, he reflected again how grateful he was that
they had the wide open spaces to themselves. In the city, a clear
day like today meant crowded skies and traffic on the
runway.

Glancing over his shoulder, Bret saw Nora
standing beneath an unusually large oak at the fence line. The warm
spring afternoon hung over the meadow like a voiceless dream that
heated the blood and roused every instinct.

He finished up the tail tie-down and closed the
plane, fighting the urge to hurry. The quiet in the meadow was
broken only by the buzz of insects and the occasional call of a
bird. Even with the ranch so far from town, cars and tractors could
be heard at the house. Out here, a complete isolation wrapped them
together.

Bret walked over to where Nora stood, his whole
body vibrating with hunger for her touch, her kiss.

"So ... was it good for you?" he asked when she
turned to face him. The humor in his question hid a real need to
hear more of her reaction to flying with him.

"I liked it," she said slowly, her eyes
focusing on his face, "A lot. I can see why you do it. It's like
being set free, without even the earth to hold you."

Something warm and resonant loosened inside
him. "Tell my father that. He's convinced I have a death
wish."

Nora smiled, her expression empathetic.
"Somehow I never pictured you having an overprotective
parent."

"There's lots you don't know about me," he
growled, reaching out to draw her into his arms.

She came to him without resisting, her head
thrown back to look into his face. Bret held her there, the soft
brush of her hair teasing his arm.