by Susan Stoker
But she hadn’t been able to laze around and appreciate it, as they had to head to the airport to catch a plane to California. After packing two suitcases full of as many clothes as she could fit, she’d soon found herself boarding another plane…this one much bigger than the tiny float plane that had changed her life forever.
Mark’s teammates were sitting in the seats all around them, but that didn’t make her feel any better. It was her second flight since the crash, but she was no more relaxed than she’d been on the flight to Juneau the morning before. Her hands clenched the armrests as if that alone could keep the plane from crashing.
“Relax, Zo,” Mark said softly into her ear. He peeled her hand off the armrest between them and held it in both of his on his thigh.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “This plane is nothing like that float plane, and we didn’t crash, but I can’t help remembering how it felt when I was hunched over in the crash position, and how I thought we were going to die.”
“But we didn’t,” Mark said calmly. “We’re alive and well and we had a fun little adventure in the process.”
Zoey rolled her eyes and Mark chuckled. “There’s the Zo I know and love.”
Her heart about stopped at his words. He didn’t try to take them back, merely stared into her eyes steadily.
Had he meant it? No, he couldn’t. It was just a saying. She frantically tried to think of something to say. “Maybe I should just stay here. I mean, now that everyone knows I didn’t get all that much from Colin, I’ll be fine.”
“Breathe, Zoey,” Mark ordered. “And now that everyone knows exactly what you did get, you could be in even more danger.”
She glared at him. “How do you figure? I mean, a house isn’t exactly cash. And as much as I love that place, it needs a lot of work to update it. And five percent of his business isn’t that big of a deal.”
“Zo, five percent equals about a quarter of a million dollars. And don’t forget about the thirty-three thousand dollars in cash you’ll be getting. Don’t you pay attention to the news? Or watch that true crime channel on TV?”
“Yeah, but that’s TV. This is real life,” she said.
“Those shows are based on actual cases, you know that. People kill for way less money than you just got from Pop.”
She stared up at Mark. “But…you and Malcom got way more than I did.”
“And that’s why I warned him to be careful too.”
Zoey could hardly believe this was her life. That someone might want her dead. She still mostly thought that it had been Mark who’d been targeted though. “I can’t believe he left me anything, to be honest,” she said, trying to ignore how they were on their way to the runway.
“Why not? From everything I’ve heard, you were a big part of his life.”
“I guess.” She looked up at him. “Was Malcom really that pissed that I got anything?”
She could tell he didn’t want to admit it.
“Never mind,” she mumbled. “I know he was.”
“What is it between the two of you?” Mark asked.
Zoey sighed. “I guess it started when I broke up with him back in high school. He pretty much didn’t like me from that point forward. He also didn’t like that I spent a lot of time with your dad, but I refused to let him scare me away.”
“He scared you?” Mark asked sharply.
Zoey shook her head. “Figure of speech. He just let me know by his looks and snide comments here and there that he wished I wasn’t around. I know he tried to talk Colin out of renting me the house, but after your dad heard that I was thinking about moving in with my mom in Anchorage, he offered the house to me at an insanely low price. I knew he was giving me a huge break, and I was ashamed to have to accept, but I really didn’t want to leave.”
She blushed, then turned her head to look out the window as she felt the plane speed up and start to race down the runway.
Mark put his fingers under her chin and turned her face back to him. “Then what?”
“Then what, what?” Zoey asked.
“Did he raise your rent after a while?”
“No. But I told him to. I even started writing my rent check for more than we’d agreed on, but he always snuck cash back into my purse when I visited. So I gave up on that, but got more sneaky.” She smiled.
“How?” Mark asked.
“I started leaving money around his house. A twenty here, a ten there. Places where I didn’t think he’d notice.” She shrugged self-consciously at the tender look on his face. “I think he figured out what I was doing, but by then it was kind of a game between us. He’d pretend not to notice I was doing it, and I’d pretend I was still being sneaky about it.”
“That sounds like something Pop would do. So Malcom didn’t know about it?”
Zoey scrunched up her nose. “No. I wasn’t going to talk about my finances with him. We didn’t get along, and he wasn’t thrilled with me having such free access to Colin’s house, especially when he was still living there. But it’s not like he did a lot to help out around the place. Our relationship only got worse when I caught him with some mystery woman a couple years ago. To this day, I don’t know who it was, but he was not happy with me. I’d been looking for Colin, to get his opinion on an investment I was thinking about making, and I called the factory. Sean told me he’d gone home. So I went to his house and found Malcom there instead. Anyway, I used the key Colin had given me, and I caught the back side of a woman as she ran into the room Malcom was using. He was furious at me for walking in.
“I was embarrassed that I’d almost caught him making out on the couch. I mean, we were both in our late-twenties, it wasn’t like it should’ve been a huge deal, but he made it one. He screamed at me to get out and told me I was trespassing and I had no right to be there. When he knew very well I did have a right, as I was helping Colin out a lot, doing things that, frankly, your brother should’ve been doing. But I just left. Things were even more awkward and tense between us after that.”
“I’m sorry, Zo. That sounds stressful.”
She shrugged. “You know, I have to admit that despite all the good stuff your dad said about you, I was nervous to see you again.”
“Why?”
“Because I was afraid you might’ve been like Malcom. That you’d take one look at me and think I was a gold digger or something. I loved your dad, Mark. I swear I did. I never wanted anything from him but his friendship.”
“I know, I believe you. And…what did you think of me when you saw me again?” Mark asked with a grin.
Zoey knew she was blushing, but she forced herself to meet Mark’s eyes. “I recognized you immediately. I could always tell the difference between you and your brother. You carry yourself differently. You’re more confident. More…I don’t know…open? Anyway, I didn’t think you’d recognize me.”
“I remembered you pretty quick,” Mark said. “I probably shouldn’t admit this, but there were many nights back in high school when I fantasized about you.”
Zoey’s mouth fell open. “You did?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, shit, if I’d known that, I might’ve actually had the nerve to approach you.”
He smiled. “So that’s it? You knew I wasn’t Malcom and thought I was more confident?”
“Well, I was nervous at first, but when you didn’t say anything snarky or look at me like I was the devil incarnate, I relaxed. And I admit to watching you while you slept on the plane, before…you know…we fake crash landed.”
Mark winced. “Not my best moment. I shouldn’t have been sleeping.”
Zoey rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You had no idea Eve, or whatever her name is, would do what she did.”
He shrugged, and Zoey knew he’d always blame himself for letting down his guard. “So, what did you see when you studied me while I was sleeping?”
Zoey broke his gaze and realized that they were in the air. He’d distracted her while they’d taken off, to help her rel
ax. Once more, something inside her shifted. Making her want to melt at how considerate he was. It was the million-and-first thing that made him different from his twin. Malcom would go out of his way to make sure she was as uncomfortable as possible if he could.
She ducked her head and saw her hand still securely ensconced in his. It made her feel safe, which was crazy, because it wasn’t as if he could actually do anything if this plane went down.
Realizing he was still waiting for her to answer his question, she decided to be honest. “I thought you looked twenty times better than you did in high school. More seasoned, if that makes sense.”
He gazed into her eyes, and she couldn’t look away. When he didn’t respond for several seconds, she felt stupid. She opened her mouth to say something else, something more acceptable, but he interrupted her before she could take it back.
“You want to know what I thought when I saw you?” he asked.
She didn’t. Not really. But she nodded anyway.
“I regretted even more not going back to see Pop. And that’s saying something, because I’d already regretted it more than anything else in my life. I told you that I’d liked you when I was a teenager, and that wasn’t a lie. But the woman I saw sitting in front of me at the airport was a hundred times prettier than she’d been a decade ago. Like you said…more seasoned. I liked that. A hell of a lot.”
Zoey couldn’t think of one thing to say in response. Not one. She was flabbergasted and shocked…and more turned on than she could remember being in her life. She was pretty normal on the “pretty scale.” She had some killer curves, more than she’d like at times, and she liked her thick hair. But generally she thought the rest of her features were mostly underwhelming. Not to mention, she’d spent most of her life bundled up because she was always cold. But nothing had made her feel more special than Mark’s words.
As if he knew how much he’d just rocked her world, he pushed the armrest between them up and out of the way and tugged her toward him. Zoey went willingly, resting her cheek on his chest, glad that she didn’t have to say a word.
He smelled good. Really good. She’d gotten used to his musky male scent after their time in the wilderness, but now, fresh, clean soap and mouthwash had never smelled sexier.
“Why don’t you take a nap?” he said softly, and Zoey could feel the reverberations of his voice under her cheek. She nodded against him. She’d gotten used to sleeping against Mark, and the thought of going to bed without him wasn’t pleasant. But she had to get on with her life, as did he.
She had no idea how things would go with his neighbor, Jessica Martens, but she hoped the older woman would like her. It was scary flying off to a new city to start a new life. Zoey had no idea how her mom did it all the time.
Deciding she’d close her eyes for just a minute or two, she relaxed.
“She asleep?” Rex asked Bubba from the seat next to him.
Bubba nodded. He’d been surprised when Zoey had fallen asleep as fast as she had. She’d been stressed and nervous about the flight, and he’d done the only thing he could think of to help her relax…talk.
“I’m glad you’re bringing her back with you,” Rex said.
Bubba raised an eyebrow at his friend in question.
“First, it’s obvious how much you two like each other. You connected out there, and you’d be crazy to not do whatever you can to see if this is it for the both of you.”
Bubba was surprised. Rex didn’t talk a lot about women, but then again, he didn’t date much either. Everyone knew he had his eye on one of the nurses at the hospital on the base, but he hadn’t asked her out for some reason.
“Second, whoever schemed to leave you two in the wilderness to die hasn’t been caught.”
Bubba nodded. Now this was something he could talk about. “Assuming you guys called Tex.”
“Of course. Rocco has been in contact with him almost from the beginning.”
“And?”
“And he hasn’t been able to track down the pilot or the plane yet.”
Bubba frowned. “Wow, seriously? She can’t have disappeared into thin air.”
“You almost did,” Rex retorted.
“She faked that engine dying,” Bubba said. “She had the ability to cut both engines and still bring that plane down smoothly. She’s a skilled pilot, not some fly-by-night kid.”
“So what’s your theory?” Rex asked.
Bubba shrugged one shoulder, the one that wasn’t currently being slept on by Zoey. “Someone didn’t want me, and/or Zoey, to inherit. They hired Eve to fly us into the middle of nowhere and leave us there. They didn’t bother placing anyone on the ground to kill us, figuring the Alaskan wilderness would do their dirty work for them. That tells me whoever it was is either a coward or just plain stupid. And I have to assume the pilot probably needed money for some reason, and was desperate, if she agreed to the crazy scheme.”
“We have to find the pilot,” Rex sighed.
“Yeah. I’ll call Tex when we get home to tell him everything I can remember about her. Maybe it’ll help.”
“Can’t hurt,” Rex agreed. “And Zoey? What about her?”
“What about her?” Bubba asked.
“If this is just a sex thing, it’s not a good idea.”
Bubba scowled. “Not cool, Rex.”
His friend held up a hand. “Hear me out.” After Bubba gave him a brusque nod, he continued. “You’re both feeling a ton of emotions. You went through some serious shit out there, especially after she basically helped save your life after you got dunked. You’re both probably feeling especially vulnerable and needy. You like each other. It seems like a good idea to have her come home with you. But, Bubba, I see it in her eyes every time she looks at you. This isn’t casual for her. She’s into you. Big time. All I’m saying is to think about this before you take things so far that you can’t back out without destroying her.”
Bubba wanted to rip into his friend, but he knew he was simply looking out for Zoey. He couldn’t get mad about that. Besides, even Bubba knew they were moving fast. “You sound like you’re talking from experience.”
Rex shrugged. “I’ve made my share of mistakes in the past, and I’m determined not to repeat them.”
“That why you haven’t asked out that nurse you’ve been flirting with?”
“I’m not good relationship material,” Rex said. “I can be a dick, and the last thing I want to do is get her hopes up for something to happen between the two of us. I like her. She’s funny, cute, and she seems like a hell of a nurse, but I haven’t had one relationship in the last five years that’s worked out. I don’t like making women cry. All I’m saying is, don’t make Zoey regret coming back to California with you.”
Bubba looked down at the woman against his side. She was still using him as a pillow, her body curved sideways in a position that didn’t look all that comfortable, but she still slept like the dead. He looked back at his friend. “I think you’re wrong about you not being relationship material. If you were the dick you seem to think you are, you wouldn’t care about that nurse’s feelings. You’d go out with her, enjoy the physical side of the relationship, and then walk away without a second glance.
“But you’re right in that Zoey and I like each other. We went through some serious shit, but not once did I wish she wasn’t there with me. I liked this woman in high school, and in the time that’s passed, she’s only gotten more amazing. And I’m shocked as hell that she’s still single. I’m bringing her to Riverton with the hope that she’ll stay. She can live with my neighbor for a while, until I can convince her to move in with me.”
“Do you love her?” Rex asked.
Bubba didn’t hear any humor in his friend’s voice, or snark. He was serious.
“Love? I’m not sure I know what that is. I mean, I thought I’d loved women in the past, but nothing I’ve felt compares to what I feel about Zoey. She confuses me and excites me. I wake up wanting to see her and go to sleep l
oving how she feels in my arms. I worry about her constantly, wanting to make sure she’s warm enough, that she’s eating enough. And I sure as hell don’t want anyone to kill her for the money Pop left her. Is that love? I don’t know. But I’m sure as hell willing to see. And I can’t do that if she’s back in Alaska and I’m in California.”
“Just be careful,” Rex said. “Zoey’s lived in Alaska all her life. This will all be new for her. Go easy. If you really care about her, give her what she needs, not what she asks for…which will probably be nothing.”
“Got it. Thanks for the advice. And seriously, I really think you should ask that nurse out. I haven’t seen you so interested in someone in a very long time.”
“I’ll think about it,” Rex said. “But rumor has it she’s going to head over to Afghanistan on a special mission to help educate the local nurses about prenatal health and other issues unique to women.”
“How long?”
“How long’s the mission?” Rex asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’m not sure. I think it’s just a short-term thing. Maybe a couple months.”
“So let her know you’re interested before she leaves, then when she gets back, maybe you can take her out,” Bubba said.
“It’s not that easy,” Rex complained.
“If there’s something I’ve learned over the last week or so, it’s that nothing worth having is easy. I have a lot of regrets, Rex, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. If she heads overseas and something happens, you’re going to regret not at least letting her know that you like her and want to go out with her.”
“You’re an asshole,” Rex complained. “If something happens to her over there, I’m blaming you.”
Bubba smiled. “Ask her out,” he ordered gently.
“I’ll think about it,” Rex said. Then, changing the subject, he asked, “You gonna bring Zoey to meet the other women?”
“Yes. Absolutely. As soon as we can arrange it, actually.”
Rex smiled. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. They already know about her, since they were as worried about you as we were. Rocco called Caite after you were found, told her you were safe—and he’s told her Zoey’s coming home with you to Riverton.”