Her Sky Cowboy by Beth Ciotta

mind from those tawdry thoughts, self-conscious now as the unique collage of men moved in and took stock of her. Probably she should be nervous, given their scandalous reputation, given their intimidating presence, but she was quite simply intrigued.
    Whilst the crew stared at Amelia, a man whom she guessed to be American Indian, given the color of his skin and his ink black braids, stepped forward to relieve Mr. Gentry of his pack. “Eli filled us in before he pushed off with that other woman,” he said in a low voice. “You sure about this, Tuck?”
    The devastatingly handsome man nodded and traded his aviator cap for a black Stetson. Now he truly looked like the Sky Cowboy of penny-dreadful fame, from his wide-brimmed, round crown hat to his billowing black duster to his pointy-toed boots. Amelia mentally cursed another attack of stomach wrens and focused on the soft-spoken Indian.
    “A woman on board?” He glanced at the cowboy’s vexing sidekick. “Surprised Axel didn’t pitch a fit.”
    “Didn’t give him the chance.”
    Axel grunted. “First thing goes wrong—”
    “Never mind that.” Tuck looked to the rest of the crew, then nodded toward Amelia. “This is Miss Darcy.”
    “Amelia Darcy,” she said with what she hoped was a friendly smile. After all, she’d be traveling with these men for days. No need to tempt their bad favor. She’d already knocked heads with Mr. Brawn-Brain. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr….”
    “StarMan. No mister.”
    “Chief navigator and copilot,” Tuck said.
    His name and position explained the inked design slashing across one high cheekbone. “The Big Dipper,” Amelia noted with wonder.
    StarMan nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at his no-nonsense mouth.
    “Blooming fantastic,” she whispered.
    Tuck diverted her attention, pointing out the other men and assigning names to faces. “Birdman Chang, Doc Blue. You’ve met Axel O’Donnell, Maverick’s engineer, and Eli Boone, a tinker of many talents.”
    “What’s that?” Chang asked, pointing over her shoulder.
    “A menace,” Axel said as he abandoned Amelia’s satchel and shrugged off his pack.
    “Leo,” Amelia corrected, counting the small gold hoops piercing Chang’s right ear from lobe to upper cartilage.
Six.
    “Mind your manners around Miss Darcy, boys,” Axel warned with an eye roll. “Otherwise that iron-beaked pecker will rip you a new one.”
    “Don’t reckon you should talk like that around a lady,” Doc said to Axel.
    Amelia smiled at the man. Maybe she had at least one ally on board. “So you’re the ship’s physician?”
    “And cook.”
    “Fixes up food better than people,” StarMan said, then looked to Doc. “Meant that as a compliment.”
    Doc Blue, who looked to be near her own age, just smiled. Of all of the men, he was the slightest in frame. Muscular, yet wiry. Pale enough to be Scandinavian, though not as tall as she imagined a typical Norseman to be, and his accent was most definitely American. His fair hair was cut in a choppy fashion, as if he’d sliced it willy-nilly with a scalpel. She wondered if his eyes, hidden behind tinted blue goggles, were blue as well. Hence his name? Each hand was inked with a different symbol, something Celtic perhaps.She wondered at their meaning. Boyishly handsome, Doc struck her as a man of good humor and tolerance.
    Birdman Chang was shorter in stature, though his clothes hinted at an impressive muscular physique. Of Chinese descent, he had dark eyes that danced with curiosity whilst he vibrated with a caged energy that made her skin itch. Although his hair was black as a starless night, it was not long and braided, as one might assume, but short and wild, like Doc’s. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and she was mesmerized by the intricate designs that covered his forearms—wrists to elbow and perhaps beyond.
    The other men were much taller. All intimidating, although some more than others. All handsome in a rugged,