An Unlikely Rancher

As the stranger descended the ladder, Jenna controlled her fast-beating heart as she cradled Andee, who by then had discovered her mistake and had begun to sob.

“Shh, sweetie. Mommy’s right here.” Even as Jenna’s gaze lit on the stranger’s scuffed boots, she heard his taut voice above her.

“Lady, I don’t even know you.”

Moving her inspection up his long legs, past narrow hips to a wider chest, she mumbled, “I’m so sorry. It’s your flight suit. My husband was an Air Force pilot. Andee’s barely six. I’m afraid she hasn’t fully grasped that her daddy’s...uh, in heaven.”

Jenna hugged the child tighter and kissed the top of her curls. She saw the man yank a red rag from his back pocket and wipe his greasy hands. And in the moment before he took a step back, she thought she saw those gorgeous blue eyes cloud with pain.

CHAPTER TWO (#u68689750-6316-5a01-8976-ea7e8a9c26de)

FLYNN’S LEGS STILL felt shaky from his near slip off the ladder. His bad leg had buckled when the kid had run toward him calling “Daddy” as if she meant it. That had more than rattled him. Now, though, looking at the attractive woman who’d announced she was an Air Force widow brought back memories he’d wanted to forget.

Such as the duty visit he’d paid to his best friend’s pregnant widow after he’d gotten out of the hospital. Chip’s widow had wept throughout his twenty-minute stopover even while she’d demanded to know how he’d survived the crash when her husband had come home in a casket.

Yes, Chip had been the pilot assigned to fly that mission. Also true, Flynn knew his best friend hadn’t slept well the night before. Maybe the outcome would have turned out the same if Flynn had volunteered to fly. But maybe it wouldn’t have. And that continued to haunt him.

Now this woman and child brought everything hurtling back. What did she want? Flynn hoped it wasn’t flying lessons. He didn’t think he could teach a service brother’s widow to fly.

“Is she okay?” he nervously asked the woman who stood once the little girl’s crying had tapered off.

“She’s better. The concept of permanent loss is difficult for a child to grasp,” the woman said, leaning over to blot the child’s tearstained cheeks with a tissue she’d pulled out of her blue jeans.

He found himself mesmerized by the tender mother-and-child moment.

Flynn hadn’t let himself fall for any woman since the one he’d figured he’d marry had dumped him. Saundra had made it clear that she’d expected him to stay in the military until he made full colonel and could provide her a better lifestyle than...well...than the one he wanted.

“You know,” he said, wading through his memories, “the concept of permanent loss isn’t easy for anyone.” When the woman didn’t respond, he quickly added, “My name is Flynn Sutton. I own this airpark, such as it is. What can I do for you?”

“I’m Jenna Wood. This is my daughter, Andee. I own the ostrich ranch beyond those hills.” She pointed and Flynn turned to look over his shoulder.

“Really?” he said. “I know a guy who raises ostriches somewhere over there. Well...we aren’t actually friends, more like we were introduced. I’ve never visited his ranch,” he said, gesturing with a hand.

“This whole county was mostly small farms when I was a kid. I left to join the Air Force and have only recently returned. Nearly all of my daylight hours have been spent clearing runways and readying hangars to house planes. I plan to teach flying, but for now I’m tinkering with my planes and renting out hangar space...” He caught himself babbling and paused. “Uh, do you own a small plane? Or...is it lessons you’re after? I won’t be offering classes for a while.”

“Oh, no to both. I’m here because a plane flew far too low over my pens yesterday. It scattered my flock, and I worry that if it happens again some of them could be injured. I came to ask if planes could take off and land from a different direction so as not to frighten my birds.”

Flynn frowned. “If your husband was a pilot, surely you know planes take off and land with prevailing winds. Anyway, this airpark had the runways already set when I bought it. But I’m only set up for daytime flying... Although, eventually I’ll install lights so my customers can take off or land at night, but—” Once again Flynn found himself running off at the mouth. “What I’m saying is, the lane directions are what they are.” He gave an offhand shrug.

Jenna filtered her fingers through Andee’s hair. The girl continued to cling so tightly to Jenna’s leg, she couldn’t have left if she’d been ready to give up and go.

“Could you at least ask your customers to not buzz my pens?”

Flynn spread his hands. “Sorry, I only rent to them. I’ve no say over where or how they fly.”

Pursing her lips, Jenna unwound Andee’s arms. “Then thanks for nothing, Mr. Sutton. The way you feel about planes, you may want to tell the plane owners that I fully intend to check to see if they’re breaking any city ordinances.”

Flynn started to say he doubted her ranch would be zoned in the city, but the woman had grasped her daughter’s hand and was prepared to leave.

Just then his dog loped out from the closest hangar. And after giving a couple of excited barks, the part sheep dog, part no-name breed bounded up to the kid and licked the lingering trail of tears off her face.

The woman shrieked and attempted to shield the girl. To no avail, it turned out, since the kid flung her arms around his mutt, instantly all giggles.

“It’s okay, don’t panic,” Flynn assured the woman. “I hoped when Beezer adopted me that clients and visitors might think he’s a guard dog. Really he’s a cupcake.”

“Mommy, he likes me.” Andee petted the dog’s shaggy gray-and-cream-splotched fur.

“I see that, honey. But...we need to go now. Please tell him goodbye.” Jenna shook out the tissue again and this time wiped the slobber off her daughter’s chin.

“’Kay.” The girl clutched the animal’s ears and pressed a kiss on his black nose. When she straightened, she resisted her mother long enough to offer Flynn a shy smile and a hesitant wave.

He lifted his hand in response and returned her smile. He loved kids. On his leaves he’d spent as much time as he could with his sister’s two boys. Really, kids had always figured in his future. A major reason why it was as well he and Saundra had split up.

Man, he needed to forget her. As he kept Beezer from following the cute little girl and her very pretty mother, he could’ve kicked himself for continuing to go back to Saundra.

Beezer rubbed against Flynn’s good leg and whined. “I know, boy. You like people. Sorry, fella, you’re stuck with me.”

After the Jeep Cherokee had driven a ways away, Flynn released his grip on the dog’s collar and briskly rubbed his furry sides. “Remember who found your skinny bones skulking around the hangar and took you in and fed you so that your ribs no longer stand out, you ungrateful mutt.”

He stood and looked after the SUV. “Don’t be swayed by a pretty face.”

* * *

IT HADN’T ESCAPED Jenna’s attention as she’d helped strap Andee into her car seat that the airpark owner’s smile carved a dent in his right cheek that looked suspiciously like a dimple. She was a sucker for dimples. And military men had a way of turning the heads of females in her family, regardless of age. As her six-year-old had just proved.

Here she’d moved them across the country to get away from uniformed airmen only to find a hot-looking pilot owned a business a few hills removed from her new home.

Clamping her back teeth together, Jenna got in and drove off, ignoring how Andee kept waving.

“Mommy, why don’t we have a dog?” Andee asked once the airpark disappeared behind them in a ruffle of dust.

Jenna tilted the rearview mirror so she could see her daughter better. “Well, mostly we lived in apartments,” she said, not wanting to tell Andee that her father had repeatedly vetoed the suggestion of adopting a dog or a cat. Andrew had always been something of a neat freak. But he’d gotten more obsessive on his last few rotations home between tours.

“We don’t live in a ’partment now,” Andee responded.

“No, but I’m not sure if the ostriches would react well to a dog running around.”

“What if he didn’t run around? I could keep him inside the house with me.”

Jenna frowned and realized she wasn’t going to win this argument with logic. “You haven’t even seen baby ostriches yet. I’m counting on your help feeding the babies after they pop out of their eggs.”

“What will I feed them? We don’t have any milk or anything in our ’frigerator.”

“It so happens I see a grocery store in that strip mall across the street from the next stoplight. We’ll go there and buy some groceries—for us, not for the birds. Mr. Martin, the man who used to own our birds, left their food in one of the sheds, remember?

“Ostriches don’t eat people food,” Jenna reiterated after she parked and helped Andee out.

“This isn’t like our old store,” Andee said, standing inside the door as her mother found a grocery cart.