Reckless Rogue

by Davis, Mary

  He smiled back, leaned toward her ear, and whispered, “No one flies my Jenny but me.”

  His warm breath tickled her ear.

  “I have one more passenger to take up. Then it’s Ivan’s turn, and then”—he looked deep into her eyes—“it’s your turn.”

  If she was a swooning type gal, that look might just do it. But she was immune.

  Almost.

  ❧

  Pete couldn’t believe Lizzie’s audacity. Did she really expect him to let her fly his baby?

  He climbed up onto the wing ahead of her and gave her a hand up. He blocked the pilot’s seat. “You sit in the front.”

  She poked out a pouty bottom lip.

  A small part of him wanted to let her fly. A very small part. But he feared it was growing. No one flew his Jenny but him. He repeated the thought firmly to bolster his resolve. “No.”

  “Can we do a loop?”

  “I don’t think so.” That could make even experienced pilots squeamish.

  “A roll then?”

  “I don’t think you’re ready for that.”

  “What can you do to make the flight more exciting?”

  “Get in, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  She hesitated but climbed into her seat. . .up front. He checked to make sure she was properly strapped in this time. If he was going to do any kind of stunt, even an innocuous one, he wanted to make sure he didn’t lose his passenger. “If I do a roll, will you give me a kiss when we land?” He couldn’t believe he was even considering doing something that might be a little dangerous with her onboard.

  “If you let me fly your aeroplane, I’ll give you a kiss.”

  He straightened up and hit his head on the upper wing. “No.” He climbed into his seat before she could argue further with him. He took off and did the same steep climb and dive he’d done with her yesterday, but this time he came much closer to the ground. Maybe that would scare her. He did more maneuvers with her than he ever did with any passenger.

  He touched her shoulder, and when she turned, he shouted, “Are you doing all right?”

  She grinned and nodded vigorously.

  Against his better judgment, he did a single roll before bringing the aeroplane back down to the ground. A small compromise. Now maybe she’d quit asking to sit in the pilot’s seat.

  When Lizzie got out, she danced around. “That was so exhilarating. I want to go up again.” She stopped in front of him and grabbed his upper arms. “You have to teach me to fly.” Then she began dancing and spinning again.

  So much for scaring her out of flying. He’d given a few people rides who’d gotten the bug and wanted to fly for themselves, but no one had been as excited as Lizzie. And she was a doll. He could understand gents getting the fever to fly, but a pretty little thing like Lizzie? His heart opened up to the dancing imp. With some instruction, he bet he could teach her how to fly his aeroplane.

  What was he thinking?!

  Not only was he not going to let her or anyone else fly his baby, but he wasn’t going to be around long enough. Since he had left the service, he’d never stayed in any one place longer than five days. Except Spokane, and look at what trouble that got him into. Agatha. He hoped she’d figured out what to do.

  “You didn’t bring your Tin Lizzie. . .Lizzie.”

  She stopped twirling, but her smile never faded.

  He stared at her a moment, then said, “I was hoping to get a lift into town to fill my spare tank.” Kiss or no kiss, the sooner he left, the safer he’d be.

  “I couldn’t bring it. But I can tomorrow.”

  That was a relief. He could stay one more day and see Lizzie again. He shouldn’t be, but he was glad he was going to.

  “We have to go, Ivan.”

  Ivan sat on the ground playing tug-of-war with Fred and an old rag. “Only one of us needs to be there. Tell Dad I’m with my friends.”

  She planted her fists on her hips. “Ivan, that’s not fair.”

  “I saved your skin yesterday.”

  Lizzie huffed and stomped her foot.

  Ivan smiled. “See ya.”

  She turned and marched away.

  Pete watched her storm off. He wanted to chase after her and make her smile again, but he just stood there. It was safer that way. “What was that all about?”

  Ivan yanked on the rag and pulled it free from Fred’s mouth, who immediately grabbed it again. “Nothing.”

  There was something. He could tell. He’d guess that their father wouldn’t approve of them flying in an aeroplane. Some people just couldn’t keep up with modern inventions and appreciate them. “That was kind of mean of you to send your sister away and not go with her.”

  “She gets to come back all day tomorrow while I’m stuck in school. Then I got to show up at Liberty Orchard for work. We aren’t quite ready for picking yet.”

  So he’d get to see just Lizzie tomorrow. “Picking what?”

  “Fall is the apples. First the Reds then the Johnnys and Winesaps.”

  All types of apples, he supposed.

  “Lizzie will be packing soon and working at the Liberty Orchard kitchen.”

  “Packing? Is she going somewhere?”

  Ivan shook his head. “She packs apples at the warehouse; then she works making Aplets.”

  “What are Aplets?”

  Ivan frowned at him like he should know, but he explained, “It’s a chewy candy and oh so good. Lizzie gets to bring home some of the small end pieces that they can’t sell.”

  “Sounds like I’m going to have to try some. Where are they sold?”

  “Oh, you can’t get any until they start making more in a couple of weeks. First we have to start picking, then the packing.”

  Pete could come back in a few weeks. But then it wasn’t that long. Maybe he’d just stick around.

  Four

  Sometime between Sunday night and dawn Monday, Pete woke to the sound of smacking. “Fred, knock it off.” The noise continued. Why did the dog have to pick the middle of the night? “Fred!” he said more sharply.

  Fred moved from his side on the blanket he’d stretched out on the ground under his aeroplane and started barking.

  He groaned. “Fred, be quiet.” He rolled over to look at him and stared at four hoofed feet inches from his face in the moonlight. He quickly backed away across the ground and stood up on the other side of Jenny. He took a deep breath and blinked a few times to clear his muddy mind and slow his heart rate from the sudden jolt. It was just a doe. He could easily run her off.

  He took his cooking pot and a long-handled wooden spoon and rushed around the tail of the aeroplane, banging the spoon on the pot, yelling, and waving his arms in the air.

  The doe startled and ran across the field. Fred gave chase.

  “Fred, get back here.” The dog obeyed immediately. “You’re supposed to warn me before half my aeroplane is licked clean.”

  Fred wagged his stubby tail vigorously, looking up at his master.

  “Come on. We’ll fix it in the morning.”

  Pete didn’t know how long he’d been asleep when Fred started barking again. The doe was back. Pete easily chased her off again and again.

  The fourth time she returned and woke him, she’d brought another doe and a fawn with her. He’d had enough. He would chase her clear across the field this time so she knew not to come back. Just the movement of him throwing off his blanket and standing with a growl sent the three fleeing. He brushed his hands together. “And stay away this time!”

  Fred began barking behind him, so Pete turned. A six-point buck looked considerably peeved with him. The buck snorted and pawed the ground.

  Pete quickly scrambled under the tail and around and under the wing. The buck hit the tail with his antlers.

  He cringed at the damage he knew the tail must have incurred.

  Fred barked violently at the buck’s feet.

  “Fred, come here.” The stupid dog was going to get himself trampled.
<
br />   Fred backed away as the buck lowered his head toward him. Fred ran off across the field. The buck followed for a few yards, then stopped and came back.

  Pete picked up his pot and spoon and caused a ruckus. It only angered the buck, who began ripping the fabric of the wing with his antlers while swinging his head back and forth. Pete tossed the pot and spoon down. Fred came back, and the buck charged at both of them.

  Pete scooped up Fred, ducked under the nose of Jenny, and hopped up onto the wing, throwing Fred into the cockpit before he dove in. He straightened himself and saw the buck circling the aeroplane and snorting.

  He patted the top of Jenny. “Hold on, Jenny. Hopefully, he’ll leave soon.”

  But he didn’t. The others returned.

  Pete tipped his head back. Lord, please don’t let them ruin Jenny.

  ❧

  “I love you, Elizabeth.” Daddy sat next to Lizzie in the Model T.

  “I know, Daddy. I love you, too.”

  Daddy took her hand and patted it. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  She hated it when he said that. What he really meant was Don’t ever leave me. She wanted to run as far away from him as she could. But at the same time, she wanted to hug him and tell him she would never leave. Mom had had enough of his suffocating love seven years ago and run off with another man, but she was killed in an automobile accident a few months later. Daddy didn’t know Lizzie knew the truth. Daddy had told her and Ivan that Mom was visiting a sick aunt back East and had died there.

  Mom’s betrayal had injured him in a way he’d never recovered from. Lizzie did not want to be like her mom, so she knew she could never leave Daddy. So her life would have one of two outcomes: She would find someone who would marry her and could put up with living with Daddy, or she would become a spinster. She would likely be the latter. She watched him hobble inside the post office.

  She wanted to hate him for manipulating her into staying with him the rest of his life and driving off any interesting young men who showed her attention. But she couldn’t help seeing the lonely, bitter man he was becoming. A man who was afraid to be alone. He needed her. She felt trapped.

  She finally drove away and headed straight for the Johnsons’ field, afraid that Pete had gotten his own gasoline and flown away in the wee dawn hours before she could get there. Please let him still be there.

  She pulled into the clearing and saw the yellow Jenny at the other end of the field. He hadn’t left, but she didn’t see him anywhere. A wadded blanket and tin cooking dishes were scattered around under the aeroplane. She turned off the Model T and pulled the hand brake back before getting out. When she slammed the door, Fred started barking from the cockpit. She looked up and saw Pete stirring with the ruckus Fred was causing. He appeared to have been sleeping.

  She shaded her eyes. “You couldn’t have been comfortable up there.”

  He stretched. “This wasn’t by choice.” He climbed out onto the wing and looked around the field. “I guess they’re gone.”

  “Who?”

  He jumped down. “Troublemakers.” He rounded the other side of his craft and groaned. “It’s worse than I feared.”

  She followed him. A hole ripped near the tail gaped open.

  Pete pulled his hand out of the hole. “Frame’s busted.” He went over to the wing and slid his hand inside and along a three-foot tear. Under the wing, he found more tears.

  “What happened?”

  “Deer.”

  “What?”

  “They like the dope the shell is coated with. This doe came up and started licking the wing. I woke up and shooed her away. She came back three more times. The last time with friends, another doe and a fawn. Fred and I ran them off, but when I turned around, I faced a particularly cranky buck that was determined to get a taste of my aeroplane. He wouldn’t be spooked.” Pete raked a hand through his messy brown waves. “I managed to grab Fred and climb inside. Last I saw when the sun was just coming over the rise, they’d finished with this wing and were starting on the nose.” He rubbed his hand along the front of the aeroplane. “Licked clean.”

  “I didn’t realize deer were such a danger. Good thing they don’t fly.”

  He turned a withering look at her. “If I wasn’t so tired and so mad, I might just laugh at that.” He yawned. “I don’t have enough dope to coat everything they ruined.”

  “I know where to get some.” This was so perfect. Once she helped him repair his aeroplane, he’d be so grateful he’d have to let her fly the Jenny. “Give me your gasoline tank, and I’ll fill it up while I’m getting the dope. Do you want to ride along?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “I’d better stay and protect what is left of Jenny.” He waved a hand toward the ground. “And clean up this mess.”

  Pete might be downtrodden now, but he would spring back when he saw all she was going to bring. Jenny would be good as new in no time.

  ❧

  After Lizzie left, Pete folded his blanket and picked up his cooking gear. He stared at the badly dented pot. He hadn’t realized he’d hit it so hard. At least his coffeepot was in good shape. He built a fire and started a pot of java, then took a closer look to inventory all the damage. He wouldn’t be leaving any time today. . .or tomorrow.

  Lizzie sure was cute, though. She was trying to be helpful, but he doubted she’d be able to find any dope in this two-bit town, if she even knew what it was. She might have some rote statistics memorized, but knowledge of the inner workings of a craft like this was a different thing, and understanding how to build one even rarer. He’d also need wood and nails to do some frame repair work. When she returned empty-handed, he’d see if he could talk her into taking him to Wenatchee. There was a slim chance he might be able to find what he needed there.

  Soon Lizzie would return, and he would thank her for all her trouble and tell her how useful the stuff was that she’d brought—whatever it was. Then he’d tell her he needed additional supplies and ask if he could borrow her automobile to drive into Wenatchee.

  He poured himself a cup of java and had swallowed the last of it when a Tin Lizzie motored onto the field. It stopped near him, and he waved to the four occupants. Two young men and two cute dolls piled out.

  “See, I told you he was still here.” The blond doll sidled up next to him and looped her arm around his. “Take me up first.”

  The brunette latched on to his other arm and leaned real close to his face. “Take me first.”

  The men glared at him.

  He didn’t care. He hadn’t done anything to steal their dolls. “Sorry, ladies and gentlemen.” He nodded to the men. “I can’t take anyone up at the moment. Plane’s busted up.” He pointed to the damaged tail; then he forced a smile for each of the dolls. Since when did he have trouble flirting with ladies even on little sleep?

  Just then, Lizzie drove up. He pulled free of the dolls and stepped away. “Sorry about the rides. Maybe in a few days.”

  He walked to the black Ford and opened the door for Lizzie as she turned off the engine. He hoped she hadn’t seen that little scene with the dolls. He heard the other automobile drive away.

  Lizzie climbed out and gifted him with a smile. “I’m back.”

  He thumbed back to the receding automobile. “Those were some people wanting rides.”

  “I could see.”

  So Lizzie had seen the flirting. “I wasn’t interested in those dolls.”

  “Why not? Connie and Irene are both pretty.”

  “Because I’m not.” Why was he defending himself? He shouldn’t care who saw those dolls flirting with him, let alone Lizzie. But somehow it did matter. It was only because she’d offered to help him. That had to be it.

  Mercifully, Lizzie changed the subject. “I brought a few other things I thought we might need to repair Jenny.”

  “We?”

  “I’m going to help you.”

  “Oookay.” He didn’t know how much help she’d actually be, but he
could teach her the name of a few tools, and she could hand them to him as he needed them. At least that way he’d get to spend a little more time with her, and maybe, just maybe, he’d get that kiss after all.

  “First, I brought you breakfast. After the night you had, I thought you could use it.” Lizzie took a metal top off of a metal plate.

  Scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and sausage. He took the plate. “Thank you.” This smelled better than anything he cooked himself over the open fire.

  “And this is coffee.” She handed him something wrapped in a towel. “I could only get a milk bottle.”

  He unwrapped the small bottle. The java was still hot. “This is great.” He could certainly use more coffee, and this probably tasted better than the mud he’d brewed.

  He motioned toward his fire. “Would you like to sit?”

  She smiled and sat on the folded blanket.

  He sat on the ground. “Did you make this?”

  She shook her head. “I picked it up at the diner in town after I got all the supplies.”

  “All the supplies?” He was interested to see what she thought he needed. He closed his eyes and offered up a short prayer of thanksgiving for the bounty he’d been given. He held up a forkful. “You want some?”

  “I already ate.” She petted Fred, who sat nearby, waiting patiently, brushing his tail on the dry fall ground.

  Pete savored the first perfectly seasoned bite of gravy-covered biscuit. “Mmm.” He took a bite of eggs and flipped some to Fred. Fred caught it in the air and gobbled it down. When he realized what he’d done, he looked up at Lizzie. “I hope you don’t mind. We always share our meals.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll remember to bring extra so Fred can have enough.”

  Lizzie waited until he was through eating, then dragged him over to her automobile. “I brought the dope, a whole gallon, some wood to repair the tail—I think these should be the right size—nails, glue, tools, and everything else we should need.”

  Had he imagined it, or had she slightly emphasized we? Amazingly, she had brought everything he would need. “How did you know what to bring?”

  She shrugged. “I just figured.”