Daring the Pilot (Men of Marietta Book 3) Read online

  Daring the Pilot

  A Men of Marietta Romance

  Jeannie Moon

  Daring the Pilot

  Copyright © 2017 Jeannie Moon

  Kindle Edition

  The Tule Publishing Group, LLC

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-1-946772-00-8

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  Dedication

  To my two science girls, my daughters, Julianne and Katherine ~

  You make me proud every single day. Keep making the world better.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Men of Marietta series

  More by Jeannie Moon

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  I often wonder what I did right that I’m allowed to tell stories. It’s a great privilege to share what goes on in my head, and I am thankful every day for the wonderful readers who make that possible.

  The Men of Marietta series was conceptualized by the brilliant creative team at Tule Publishing, and I had such fun revisiting Marietta, Montana, and my strong and steady Clark brothers once again.

  My thanks go out to Heidi Rice, Kate Hardy, Kaylie Newell, Patricia W. Fischer, our wonderful editor Sinclair Sawhney, and the whole team at Tule: Meghan Farrell, Michelle Morris, Lindsey Stover and, of course, the lovely Jane Porter, for another wonderful experience.

  As always, I thank my copy editor and friend, Jennifer Gracen, for polishing my manuscript to a sparkly shine and for making me look good. Big hugs go out to Patty Blount for all her great feedback on this story. Finally, my street team, the Moonpies, are the nicest folks in Romancelandia—thank you for being in my orbit, ladies. My assistant, Voule Walker, keeps me sane. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

  Last but not least, I’d like to give a shout out to reader Debbie DeAngelo Bathurst. When I asked for suggestions of what to name Jonah’s rescue dog, Debbie told me about her brother Tom’s dog, Zero. A silly and beloved black Lab, the name proved to be a perfect fit for Jonah’s black Lab mix. I’m happy to have been allowed to pay tribute to Tom’s dog, and give Zero a home in Marietta.

  Thank you, readers, for sticking with me. As always, the stories are for you. Please stay in touch! You can connect with me on social media and sign up for my newsletter through my website www.jeanniemoon.com.

  Prologue

  Ten Years Ago

  She was going to freeze to death.

  How embarrassing.

  Keely Andersen grew up used to the cold Montana winters, and she knew the mountains could be dangerous, especially when it was snowing. Trails became obscured, and a person could lose her sense of direction without warning.

  Lessons about being safe in the mountains had been drummed into her head since she was a little girl, and Keely, who was never one to take chances, followed the rules.

  Mostly.

  So, as she leaned against a large fir tree for shelter hoping to get a cell signal, the snow and ice pellets stinging her face, all she could think about was that should she survive, she was going to move someplace where freak snowstorms didn’t happen in late April.

  God, she was cold.

  Pulling her pack closer, she opened the top and found a pair of thin gloves, and a thermal blanket rolled into the first aid kit. That was something, at least. Pushing the button on her cellphone she called 911. Finally, it connected.

  “911. What’s your emergency?”

  Thank God. “This is Keely Andersen. I went hiking on Copper Mountain and I g-got caught in the blizzard. I’m lost. I-I… please help me. I’m freezing.”

  “Hang on. I need to figure out where you might be. Where did you start from?” The man on the other end of the line was calm, but he knew she was in trouble. The wind was howling. Snow was piling up around her. Getting trapped on any mountain in a blizzard was dangerous.

  “I was… at… there’s a sandstone formation not far from me. I… I’m not far from the forest tree line…” Her teeth were chattering so badly she could barely speak and for the first time in her life she was terrified, because if she couldn’t give more detail, they’d never find her.

  “Keely? Can you hear me? Talk to me.”

  “I’m so cold,” was all she could push out; she was so tired. “Please help me.”

  “Stay with me, Keely! Damn…” The voice crackled. “I think I lost her.”

  Lost her.

  It was the last thing she heard before nodding off.

  *

  “Come on, honey. Wake up.”

  Warm. The hand on her face was so warm.

  “Wake up, Keely, or your brother is going to kill me. Come on.”

  Slowly she opened her eyes, and her gaze fell on the red rescue jacket, and the name embroidered on the chest. Clark.

  As she looked up, her gaze locked on the deep blue eyes belonging to Jonah Clark. The object of every one of her hormonal teen girl fantasies was staring down at her and looking more gorgeous than she remembered.

  “Welcome back,” he said with a grin. “You had me worried there for a minute.”

  “I can’t believe you found me.” Sitting up, she felt dizzy as all the blood rushed out of her head. “Whoa.” She steadied herself, placing her hands firmly on the ground.

  “Easy does it.” Jonah spread his hand across her back and settled himself behind her. Heat radiated off his body, and Keely let it seep into her chilled bones.

  Still, she was so cold, her body started to shiver uncontrollably, and Jonah wrapped his arms around her.

  As she got reoriented, her eyes scanned her surroundings. Everything was fuzzy. If she lost her glasses, her parents would kill her. “Did you see my…”

  “Here you go.” Jonah handed her the tortoise shell frames.

  Immediately, her surroundings came into focus. It was the same sandstone she saw up on the ridge, only this time she was inside it. When she was little, and her father brought her out on treks up the mountain, the variegated shades of brown and tan made her think they were hiking on another planet. But now, the lines and variations told her a little more of the earth’s story. Only Keely could wax poetic about rocks.

  Looking to her left, she could see light from the outside. “I didn’t know there was a cave in this area.”

  “A few. Isn’t it great? My brothers and I used to play up here. A hot spring keeps it warm.”

  “How did we get here?” She had no memory of anything after her call to 911 cut out.

  “It�
�s only about a hundred yards from where you passed out. I carried you.”

  “Oh. I… ah. Thank you.” Her heart started pounding against her ribs. He’d carried her and she hadn’t been awake to enjoy it. Just her luck.

  “Good thing you had that thermal blanket. It bought you some time.”

  “Yeah. I was lucky.”

  “Yep.” He stood and pulled the radio from his shoulder clip. “Sit tight. I’m going to let the base know you’re safe. We’re going to stay put until the storm tapers off. Shouldn’t be too much longer.”

  “Stupid snow. It’s the end of April,” she mumbled.

  Jonah stopped at the mouth of the cave and looked back at her. “Come on, Science Girl, you know it can happen without a lot of warning. Did you check the weather?”

  Science Girl. He was the only one who ever called her that without sounding like a complete tool. It was no secret she was into science—she had a huge scholarship to prove it. A geek to the extreme, Keely loved everything about the earth, and wanted to make studying it her life. Jonah was the only one who seemed to take her seriously.

  But he was right, she hadn’t checked the weather. “I should have looked.”

  “Next time you will, right? And you won’t hike alone? You’d make a nice bear snack.”

  “Oh, come on…” she whined. But when Keely glanced up over her glasses, she found Jonah staring her down. He was not having it. “Fine,” she grumbled. “You’re so bossy. Is that what they taught you at West Point?”

  “Yep. Bossy 101. But you know I’m right.”

  So many people thought he was a cocky jerk, only made more so by his years at Army, but he’d always been so nice to her. She was his best friend’s annoying little sister, and Keely hadn’t seen him since he and Gabe left Marietta to go to college. Gabe was planning on going to law school in Texas after graduation, but Jonah would fulfill the commitment he made to the military. She’d heard her mother say he was home for a couple of months before going to flight training.

  He was gorgeous—tall with broad shoulders, he wasn’t long and lanky anymore. He’d filled out and bulked up. He was wearing his hair a little longer than the last time she saw him. Thick, wavy, and a gorgeous chestnut brown that was flecked with gold, it looked like it had grown out of its cut. His nose was straight, with a slight bump, and his bone structure was angular—classic—like a Greek god. But his eyes were what got her every time. Deep blue with flecks of green and gold, they made her think of the sun reflecting off Yellowstone Lake.

  He was perfect. And she’d been a little in love with him since she was ten years old.

  His deep voice carried into the cave. “Yeah, she’s alright. A little scared, but she’ll be okay as soon as she warms up.” There was a pause. “No, we’re fine. Sheltered in a cave I knew about. It’s warm and we’re out of the weather.” Another pause. “No… no. That’s not necessary… Great. Let me know when the ATV’s are on the way.”

  When he reentered the cave, Keely took a sip of the hot drink he’d left next to her. “This is good.”

  “My mother’s hot chocolate. Nothing better to warm you up.”

  He was so sweet. What happened to big, bad, and gorgeous? “How did you find me?”

  “I remembered seeing you in this area before. Last summer, I think. You were collecting rocks.”

  Really? He remembered? “My research project.”

  “I know. How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Cold. And stupid.” That admission wasn’t easy. Keely was used to being the smartest, certainly that’s what she’d always been told. Doing something dumb wasn’t her usual thing.

  “Don’t be too tough on yourself.” He grinned. “That’s why I’m here.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh, and when he joined her, a flash of heat traveled right to her heart. The humor was dead on… subtle, like him, but also no nonsense.

  “When are you leaving for flight school?”

  “Right after Memorial Day. I can’t wait.”

  It was six weeks away, but still, Keely felt a little tug at her heart. Jonah had wanted to become a pilot for as long as she could remember. His appointment to West Point when he was a senior was a dream come true, as was his assignment to helicopter flight school. Jonah had made the town proud.

  “Gonna miss me?” he asked with a wink and a smile.

  God, would she miss him.

  Just like that, everything bubbled inside her. Every nerve ending tingled, urging her to do something totally out of character. Without any thought for what she was doing, Keely stretched up and kissed Jonah Clark on the cheek. Lingering for second, as if to make her point, she let herself enjoy the feel of him, to lose herself in the contact. She didn’t look away—even though that was her first instinct—instead, exhibiting more nerve than she thought possible, Keely fixed her gaze on his.

  “Thank you for rescuing me,” she whispered. “You’re a real live hero.”

  He hesitated. Then stopped moving altogether. But he didn’t laugh at her, or tell her she was an idiot, so that was a plus. Instead, his eyes held hers, like he was trying to figure out what was going on in her head.

  “No hero here, but you’re welcome,” he finally said. Then he patted her knee and smiled. “I have some dry sweats you can change into. That should help you warm up.”

  Keely’s heart did a little flip and she couldn’t care less about the dry clothes. All she could focus on was how his cheek had felt against her lips. His skin was warm, and rough with stubble. He felt like… like a man. Jonah was the same age as her brother, but he seemed older. More settled. Serious. Granted, it probably had a lot to do with his military training, but everything inside her clenched, and Keely reeled at the warmth that spread through her.

  A trio of beeps from the radio attached to his jacket broke her trance. Jonah was still squatting in front of her when he pressed the button. “Clark.”

  “It’s going to be a while for the ATV, Jonah. Just wanted to give you the heads up.”

  “Okay. How much longer?”

  “Couple of hours.”

  “Roger that.”

  Looking over at Keely, he shrugged. “Think you can stand me for a couple more hours?”

  Nodding, all Keely could think was that she could spend forever with him and never get tired of it. It was safe to say she was most definitely going to miss Jonah when he left. More than he could ever imagine.

  Chapter One

  The clunk and bang out of the engine was the only warning Keely had that her old truck was going to die.

  Just up and die.

  Sonofabitch.

  She was still at least five miles out of town, on a stretch of road that saw cars, but not as often as a person who was stuck would like. The occasional tractor-trailer sped by causing tremors all around her, leaving the smell of diesel fuel in its wake. Keely was thankful there was a nice wide shoulder.

  In her mind this was a bad sign, though. She hadn’t been home for more than a few days at a time since she graduated from college six years ago. Ever since then, she jumped from one research site to another, trying to uncover the secrets that were buried in the earth.

  What made the earth tick was Keely’s calling.

  And now she was going to spend a year back in the place where she first learned to love nature, where she found that rocks sometimes revealed more of a story than the best books in the library.

  Getting stuck had to be a bad omen of some sort.

  Her truck couldn’t be dead. Refusing to accept it, she turned the key, and for a second she thought she might be in luck. The engine made a pathetic attempt to turn over, but then it clunked again, and went quiet. “Great.”

  Pulling out her cell, service was spotty at best. The story of her life in this valley.

  Still, she pressed the button to speed dial her mother, and hoped the call went through. “Hey, Sweetie! Are you home? I’ll be there soon.”

  “Hi Mom, no. My truck died out on 89, n
ot far from Carter’s Bridge.” She wanted to give a landmark her mother could easily identify. “I’m fine, but I can’t even get the engine to turn over.”

  “I told you that truck would strand you. Thank goodness you’re not too far from home.”

  Getting a new truck was on the top of her list once she settled in at home. She knew she needed one, but what she didn’t need was her mother’s ‘I-told-you-so.’ “I know, Mom. Can Dad come out?”

  “I’ll call him. He had clients to see today, but I’ll let him know. I can’t wait to see you, honey.”

  “Me too, Mom. Me too.”

  Her mother was a worry wart and had recently been suggesting that a teaching job at the university in Bozeman would be much safer than hopping around the world. Her parents, specifically her mother, were proud of everything she’d accomplished, but at the same time, they saddled her with guilt over not taking a more traditional path. Someday, Keely knew she’d pull back from her high-octane life, but for now, her research was her passion. Tradition would have to wait.

  Opening the door, she checked the road and hopped out. The cold was a shock to her system, but she had no idea why. It was mid-March in Montana, which meant cold weather. Not knowing what made her do it, she popped the hood of her truck and looked at the very dead engine. She was no mechanic, but there was a funny smell coming from the compartment, and that made her wonder if the damn thing was going to burst into flames.

  Wouldn’t that be a sight?

  Shaking off her desire to see the old truck go out in a blaze of glory, she closed the hood, and stepped down.

  Sighing, Keely parked her behind on the front bumper, taking a long look at the foothills that surrounded her. The air was so clean here. Every breath cleared her head.

  The expansive beauty was overwhelming at times. It was easy to take for granted that she was coming back to such a beautiful place. Less than fifty yards away, the Yellowstone River ambled past, its water bubbling and cold. There was still snow on the banks, a gentle reminder that the weather was still unpredictable. Further on, the dormant grass in the meadow faded into a grove of trees and then the mountains rose into the sky. A few cattle dotted the landscape, and almost immediately, a sense of calm settled over her. Home was a good idea. It was time. Keely had missed it.