pained. “You’re a woman. And this is rough country.”
“Let me prove myself.” Kate tried to sound like she wasn’t desperate.
“If something goes wrong, I become the bad guy, the one who let a lady pilot join my crew. I’d like to help you out, but—”
“Fly with me,” Kate blurted. “Test me. I’ll take you anywhere you want. I’ll show you what I can do.”
Using the underside of his thumb, Sidney lifted the brim of his hat, then squared his jaw as he studied her plane. “Fearless Kate, huh . . . All right—you show me.”
Nerves knotted the muscles up and down Kate’s back, then moved down her arms and into her hands. She fought for calm, and hoped Sidney didn’t notice. She increased power and rolled toward the end of the runway. Do your stuff, Katie , she could hear her father say, and felt bolstered.
The ground rolled by faster and faster. The end of the strip came at her, and she pulled back on the stick and felt the plane lift. Free of earth, the ground fell away below and she soared over Lake Spenard.
“How many hours you log in a plane?” Sidney hollered over the sound of the engine.
Kate didn’t know how to answer. She’d flown nearly every day of her life. “What do you mean exactly?”
“How many hours you spend flying this bird?”
“I bought it in 1933, but like I said, I’ve been flying since I was a child.”
“What kind of plane you have before this one?”
“I . . . I had another Bellanca.” She waited for the question that would end her chances at this job.
“What happened to it?”
She compressed her lips and tried to think of a lie, but couldn’t. “It crashed into a lake.”
“All by itself?” Sidney’s tone teased.
“No. I was flying it.” Kate hurried to explain, “I was young and a friend and I—”
“Don’t get in a sweat. You’re not a real pilot if you’ve never had a crack up. And you must have done something right—you’re still here.”
Kate wet her lips and didn’t say anything more. She was alive—Alison wasn’t.
“You ever use your plane for work?”
“I used to haul equipment and fruit and vegetables.”
“What about passengers?”
“Friends.”
“Any strangers? You get along with people?”
“Most of them.” Kate relaxed, figuring she’d survived the issue about the accident.
“How do you think you’ll do when you have a snarly hunter who figures you should have shown up a day earlier than you did, or a sick kid who needed medical help two days ago and it’s a full day’s flight to the hospital?”
“I’ve never done anything like that, but I’m levelheaded. I’m sure I’d manage.”
“You gotta do better than manage.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but charged ahead. “Ever have to keep a schedule?”
Kate thought the question absurd. “Almost everything in life has a schedule.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “You’re a smart aleck, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” She smiled inwardly, feeling as if she’d connected with the man she hoped would be her new boss.
Kate flew over Anchorage, then banked the plane as she circled the small town. She glanced at Sidney. “I won’t let you down, not ever.”
“Yes, you will. Every pilot lets people down, and it’ll be more than once.”
His words trounced Kate. She’d let Alison down, plus her father and Alison’s family. She’d let them all down. She blinked back tears. Now was not the time. “I mean, if I say I’m going to do something, I will, and if I’m supposed to be somewhere, I’ll be there—on time.”
“You think so?” He smirked and leaned back in his chair. “Okay. I want you to head toward those mountains, the Chugach. Let’s see how you handle a little turbulence.”
Kate turned toward the mountains. At the sight of the formidable peaks, her heart pumped hard with anticipation and fear. The Chugach were daunting.
When the white peaks looked big in the window, Sidney pointed toward a gorge that ran between two
“Let me prove myself.” Kate tried to sound like she wasn’t desperate.
“If something goes wrong, I become the bad guy, the one who let a lady pilot join my crew. I’d like to help you out, but—”
“Fly with me,” Kate blurted. “Test me. I’ll take you anywhere you want. I’ll show you what I can do.”
Using the underside of his thumb, Sidney lifted the brim of his hat, then squared his jaw as he studied her plane. “Fearless Kate, huh . . . All right—you show me.”
Nerves knotted the muscles up and down Kate’s back, then moved down her arms and into her hands. She fought for calm, and hoped Sidney didn’t notice. She increased power and rolled toward the end of the runway. Do your stuff, Katie , she could hear her father say, and felt bolstered.
The ground rolled by faster and faster. The end of the strip came at her, and she pulled back on the stick and felt the plane lift. Free of earth, the ground fell away below and she soared over Lake Spenard.
“How many hours you log in a plane?” Sidney hollered over the sound of the engine.
Kate didn’t know how to answer. She’d flown nearly every day of her life. “What do you mean exactly?”
“How many hours you spend flying this bird?”
“I bought it in 1933, but like I said, I’ve been flying since I was a child.”
“What kind of plane you have before this one?”
“I . . . I had another Bellanca.” She waited for the question that would end her chances at this job.
“What happened to it?”
She compressed her lips and tried to think of a lie, but couldn’t. “It crashed into a lake.”
“All by itself?” Sidney’s tone teased.
“No. I was flying it.” Kate hurried to explain, “I was young and a friend and I—”
“Don’t get in a sweat. You’re not a real pilot if you’ve never had a crack up. And you must have done something right—you’re still here.”
Kate wet her lips and didn’t say anything more. She was alive—Alison wasn’t.
“You ever use your plane for work?”
“I used to haul equipment and fruit and vegetables.”
“What about passengers?”
“Friends.”
“Any strangers? You get along with people?”
“Most of them.” Kate relaxed, figuring she’d survived the issue about the accident.
“How do you think you’ll do when you have a snarly hunter who figures you should have shown up a day earlier than you did, or a sick kid who needed medical help two days ago and it’s a full day’s flight to the hospital?”
“I’ve never done anything like that, but I’m levelheaded. I’m sure I’d manage.”
“You gotta do better than manage.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but charged ahead. “Ever have to keep a schedule?”
Kate thought the question absurd. “Almost everything in life has a schedule.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “You’re a smart aleck, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” She smiled inwardly, feeling as if she’d connected with the man she hoped would be her new boss.
Kate flew over Anchorage, then banked the plane as she circled the small town. She glanced at Sidney. “I won’t let you down, not ever.”
“Yes, you will. Every pilot lets people down, and it’ll be more than once.”
His words trounced Kate. She’d let Alison down, plus her father and Alison’s family. She’d let them all down. She blinked back tears. Now was not the time. “I mean, if I say I’m going to do something, I will, and if I’m supposed to be somewhere, I’ll be there—on time.”
“You think so?” He smirked and leaned back in his chair. “Okay. I want you to head toward those mountains, the Chugach. Let’s see how you handle a little turbulence.”
Kate turned toward the mountains. At the sight of the formidable peaks, her heart pumped hard with anticipation and fear. The Chugach were daunting.
When the white peaks looked big in the window, Sidney pointed toward a gorge that ran between two
Similar Books
