Zach continued to climb, banking away from the mountain range below. Adrenaline blasted through his veins. More visions of Julia spun through his mind. Sure he'd known there would be risks involved in this flight, but he'd never expected to cut it so close.
"Colonel," Bronco barked over the interphone, "confirm we're on three-two-zero radial."
Zach checked the dial. "Confirmed. Cutter?"
"Three-two-zero checks on mine as well." The copilot swiped an arm over his sweaty brow.
"Bronco, pull up the MFD." The multifunction display screens would provide additional navigational information for instances when normal radio-based air navigational systems failed. Which was next to never. Ground stations were supposed to be internationally standardized, damn it. "The plot out our course the old-fashioned way."
Other than the mix of steady, overly controlled breaths, silence hummed over the airwaves. Later, he would let the reality of what could have happened roll over him.
Later, after he'd held Julia, after he'd lost himself in her smile, in her softness, in her body.
Bronco's soft whistle of surprise cut the silence. "Well I'll be damned. We don't appear to be plotting on our planned track line."
The answer to why hovered in Zach's mind, just within reach. Answers for Julia. He kept his hand steady on the stick, mind on the job. "Are we diverging at a regular rate?">Kathleen shrugged.
"In a plane?"
Kathleen straightened, a blush creeping up her redhead's complexion. "Well, it was parked in a deserted hangar."
Julia slapped a hand over her eyes. "There's not a chance I'm going to be able to look at either of them with a straight face if they come by here to meet up with you after they land."
She welcomed the laughs and the relief they brought from worries that dogged her with increasing persistence. Friendship brewed, comforting her like the gentle swirl of the breeze through the evergreens. Ivy flung the playhouse shutters wide and crawled through, Magda tumbling after her as both girls giggled in a tangled heap on the ground.
Julia tucked a leg under her, until that moment not realizing how tense she'd been about Zach's flight after all "Thanks for making me laugh. I needed to smile today."
Lori reached across the table to pat her hand. "That's what friends are for."
Julia wrapped her arms around herself, more to ward off the memories than the wind. She checked her son, still snoozing away in the gently swaying swing. She'd wanted to fill his first year with joy, but all that joy was tearing her heart out. "I never used to worry about the flights before, not beyond some vague sort of concern. Lance didn't share much about his work, so I had no idea how many times he'd flown in harm's way. Now, sometimes my imagination runs crazy with awful scenarios." She held up a hand to stop any sympathetic outpourings that would drag her down deeper. "But I'm doing better."
Kathleen's nod offered a blend of compassionate doctor and steely military will. "You deserve to be happy."
Julia wanted to fall further into the comfort of friendship and ask for their advice. Could she turn Zach's friendship into something deeper? She didn't know which would be worse: staying only to find out she couldn't win his love, or walking away now, knowing she would always think of him, worry about him and wonder if he'd found someone else to entice that beautiful half smile of his.
The mere thought of another woman in his life turned her green from the inside out. She wanted to be the one who brought all his defenses crashing down.
The phone reverberated from inside, jarring her before she made a weak mistake in spilling all. "I'll be right back."
She swung her leg over the bench seat. Just as she reached the screen door, Shelby sprinted from the house, cordless phone in hand. "It's Command Post, asking for the Colonel."
"Thanks, Shel." Julia took the phone from her.
"Ma'am, this is Airman Vance from Command Post. I'm looking for Colonel Dawson."
"He's TDY." Julia tucked the phone under her chin and scooped Patrick from the swing.
"But he'll be home tonight. Can I take a message?"
"No message, ma'am. We're just initiating a pyramid recall exercise. Only a practice. I should have checked the board first." The squeak of a spinning chair eased over the airwaves. "Now I see he's on his way back from South America. Sorry for bothering you.
I'll just go to the next on the list. Have a nice evening, ma'am."
The dial tone buzzed in her ear.
South America?
Surprise mingled with dread. He'd said he would be in Florida. Either he'd lied or he'd fudged the truth by calling a stopover in Florida their final destination because the mention of a South American mission would bring memories of Lance's crash.