here until morning."
"I have to get back today," Tess said, in a frantic voice. "There's got to be another way out."
"There's a road, but from here to Baker's Creek is almost eighty miles, since it has to go around to the mountain to connect with the road over the pass." Ralph replied. "But I told them at the airpark that you wanted to leave as early as possible in the morning, and they said they'd get here as soon as they could."
As her father's face appeared in her mind, Tess's heart started racing. Flying off on her own and getting stranded was one thing. Being stranded because she'd taken Zak up was entirely another. "Did the person you talked to know who I was?" she asked in a tentative voice.
"Oh sure," Ralph replied. "He said he'd call and let your father know that you and Zak got down safely and would be staying here tonight." He offered a smile of reassurance, and added, "Tess, you can stay in the spare bedroom. Zak can sleep on the couch."
Tess barely caught what he said, after the words, 'let your father know you and Zak are fine .' There was no way around it now. Her father would be livid.
They spent the evening gathered around Ralph and his radio, trying to make contact with Ezzie, or Curt Broderick, or anyone at Timber West. But by eleven o'clock, no one answered the phone in the trailer, which was the only phone there, so she knew she could do nothing more. With luck, the hose would be there by eight the following morning, and she'd be back at camp by nine. The men would just have to hang around after breakfast and wait and wonder.
After signing off, Ralph gave Zak a pillow and blanket, then showed Tess to the spare bedroom, and retired for the night. Later, when Tess was scurrying from the bath to the bedroom, Zak intercepted her in the hallway, and said, "I'm sorry about all of this."
"So am I," Tess replied. "I should never have agreed to take you up."
"You're right," Zak said. "It puts me squarely between you and your father again. I never intended that to happen."
"Well it did, and my father will be furious." Tess backed away, saying, "After this you need to stay away from me, even if we're only a few hundred feet through the woods."
"Is that want you want?" Zak asked, taking her by the shoulders.
Tess braced her palms on his chest when he moved closer. "Yes, that's what I want. When I get back I'll have a whole lot of explaining to do, and my father will be in no mood to listen to my convoluted reasons for taking you up in his plane. I can't even explain it to myself. And you should never have kissed me because I have no intention of getting involved with you again. My father's health is far more important that anything you might have to offer me now."
She turned and went into the bedroom and shut the door.
***
The next morning, the plane from the airpark didn't arrive until almost nine. Tess immediately went about replacing the oil line, and as soon as they arrived at the airpark, she called her father, only to learn from Aunt Ruth that he'd stormed out of the house at first light, and that he'd been in a state of anxiety and agitation ever since he got the call from the ranger about the plane, knowing that Zak was somehow involved.
Tess was so upset that she immediately took it out on Zak. "Taking you up in my father's plane was the biggest mistake I've ever made. Well, maybe the second biggest mistake," she corrected. "Getting involved with you in the first place was the biggest. Now my father's out trying to run the camp, and he's got to be royally pissed that this all happened because of you, and with your father about to start breathing fire down his back about a few damn trees..."
"Look, I'm sorry," Zak said. "I admit it was a big mistake. But I can't imagine your father being anything but relieved that you got the plane down safely. I'll square things away with him. As long as he's convince there's nothing going on between us again he should listen to reason."
"That shouldn't be
"I have to get back today," Tess said, in a frantic voice. "There's got to be another way out."
"There's a road, but from here to Baker's Creek is almost eighty miles, since it has to go around to the mountain to connect with the road over the pass." Ralph replied. "But I told them at the airpark that you wanted to leave as early as possible in the morning, and they said they'd get here as soon as they could."
As her father's face appeared in her mind, Tess's heart started racing. Flying off on her own and getting stranded was one thing. Being stranded because she'd taken Zak up was entirely another. "Did the person you talked to know who I was?" she asked in a tentative voice.
"Oh sure," Ralph replied. "He said he'd call and let your father know that you and Zak got down safely and would be staying here tonight." He offered a smile of reassurance, and added, "Tess, you can stay in the spare bedroom. Zak can sleep on the couch."
Tess barely caught what he said, after the words, 'let your father know you and Zak are fine .' There was no way around it now. Her father would be livid.
They spent the evening gathered around Ralph and his radio, trying to make contact with Ezzie, or Curt Broderick, or anyone at Timber West. But by eleven o'clock, no one answered the phone in the trailer, which was the only phone there, so she knew she could do nothing more. With luck, the hose would be there by eight the following morning, and she'd be back at camp by nine. The men would just have to hang around after breakfast and wait and wonder.
After signing off, Ralph gave Zak a pillow and blanket, then showed Tess to the spare bedroom, and retired for the night. Later, when Tess was scurrying from the bath to the bedroom, Zak intercepted her in the hallway, and said, "I'm sorry about all of this."
"So am I," Tess replied. "I should never have agreed to take you up."
"You're right," Zak said. "It puts me squarely between you and your father again. I never intended that to happen."
"Well it did, and my father will be furious." Tess backed away, saying, "After this you need to stay away from me, even if we're only a few hundred feet through the woods."
"Is that want you want?" Zak asked, taking her by the shoulders.
Tess braced her palms on his chest when he moved closer. "Yes, that's what I want. When I get back I'll have a whole lot of explaining to do, and my father will be in no mood to listen to my convoluted reasons for taking you up in his plane. I can't even explain it to myself. And you should never have kissed me because I have no intention of getting involved with you again. My father's health is far more important that anything you might have to offer me now."
She turned and went into the bedroom and shut the door.
***
The next morning, the plane from the airpark didn't arrive until almost nine. Tess immediately went about replacing the oil line, and as soon as they arrived at the airpark, she called her father, only to learn from Aunt Ruth that he'd stormed out of the house at first light, and that he'd been in a state of anxiety and agitation ever since he got the call from the ranger about the plane, knowing that Zak was somehow involved.
Tess was so upset that she immediately took it out on Zak. "Taking you up in my father's plane was the biggest mistake I've ever made. Well, maybe the second biggest mistake," she corrected. "Getting involved with you in the first place was the biggest. Now my father's out trying to run the camp, and he's got to be royally pissed that this all happened because of you, and with your father about to start breathing fire down his back about a few damn trees..."
"Look, I'm sorry," Zak said. "I admit it was a big mistake. But I can't imagine your father being anything but relieved that you got the plane down safely. I'll square things away with him. As long as he's convince there's nothing going on between us again he should listen to reason."
"That shouldn't be
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