Her Kind of Hero - Cindy Kirk Page 0,37

Mitzi.” Keenan’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll be your pilot today.”

Mitzi stared. Was this a joke? Then she remembered him telling her he’d gotten his license.

“Dr. Sanchez.” Steve Kowalksi hurried up, a big smile on his face. “I see you’ve met Keenan.”

“I have.” Mitzi cleared her throat. “I thought Ben said Tom Rex would be taking me to Delano today.”

“Tommy called in sick this morning.” Steve offered a look of apology. “His kids had the flu last week. Now he’s got it.”

“Oh,” was all Mitzi said.

Picking up on the tension, Steve glanced between Mitzi and Keenan. “Mr. McGregor is a competent pilot, Dr. Sanchez. But I can understand if you don’t want to fly with someone new.”

Though Keenan stood rigid and his expression gave nothing away, a tiny muscle twitched in his jaw. Mitzi knew what this chance meant to him.

But they would be alone in the plane, with too much time to talk about an incident she wasn’t sure she was ready to discuss.

Would it really be so wrong to reschedule?

Chapter Twelve

Though a hard knot had formed in the pit of his stomach, Keenan forced a calm expression. When Steve had called this morning and asked if he could help out, Keenan hadn’t hesitated. This was the chance he’d been waiting for, an opportunity to show he could do the job, a chance to get back in the air and be paid for doing something he loved.

The fact that the day had been bright and sunny appeared a good omen. Then he’d gotten the paperwork and saw Spring Gulch Orthopedics on the list. His heart had sunk but he’d reassured himself that Mitzi wasn’t the only orthopedic surgeon in the practice.

Though Keenan recalled Ben mentioning that Mitzi would be doing more of these rural clinics, what were the odds she’d be on this flight?

Now, here she stood, hair pulled back in some kind of twist, looking coolly professional in dark pants and a crisp white shirt, staring at him with an inscrutable expression and holding his fate in her hands. While that might seem a bit melodramatic, Steve Kowalski was a businessman. If he got the slightest whiff that patrons of his charter service might not accept Keenan as their pilot, he’d be out.

But he’d be damned if he’d grovel or beg. Keenan met that inscrutable gaze with a challenging one of his own.

“Of course there’s no problem.” Mitzi flashed a bright smile. “I was simply surprised. There’s no one I’d trust more with my life than Mr. McGregor.”

A look of relief skittered across Steve’s face. When he spoke, his booming voice was hearty. “That’s what we like to hear.”

Steve slapped Keenan on the back. “Have a good flight.”

He walked off, leaving Keenan alone with Mitzi.

Keenan automatically held out a hand. “Let me stow your bag.”

Mitzi pulled the bag close to her chest as if it were a shield. “I can handle it.”

Yes, she could handle the bag and whatever got tossed her way. She was tough. It was only one of her many characteristics he admired.

The question was could he handle it? Keenan had done a good job of putting the incident in the kitchen out of his head. Up to this point, he thought he’d been equally efficient in banishing her from his heart.

But now, having her gaze at him with those cool blue eyes, feeling the familiar heat that surged whenever she was near, made him realize he’d been fooling himself. He hadn’t forgotten anything. It was all there, bubbling like a pot of stew, ready to spill over.

But Keenan refused to let his personal life encroach on his workday.

Today was business. All business.

Mitzi obviously understood that, too, because she’d told Steve flying with him wasn’t an issue. He would never admit that at her words, the air had left his lungs and his knees had wobbled at her declaration. His immediate future rode on Steve believing he could keep the clients happy.

That’s why he would bury any irritation and make sure this was a good trip for her. He finished checking out the aircraft then helped Mitzi inside the small plane. After making sure she was settled in and ready, they headed down the runway.

The simple act of rising into the air was such a thrill that Keenan forgot everything else and simply reveled in the moment. This was what he was born to do. Flying was the ultimate freedom. When he was high above the earth, it was as if the world