Northern Rebel Daring in the Dark - By Jennifer Labrecque Page 0,5
his way, then deliberately looked back out the window at the runway activity, dismissing him.
Squeezing past him, the pilot said, “Pick any seat while I secure your bag and we’ll be on our way.”
He passed her his duffel, almost absentmindedly, still arrested by the woman sitting inside.
Juliette introduced them from the back of the plane, where she was stowing his bag. “Delphi, meet Sergeant Lars Reinhardt. Sergeant Reinhardt, Delphi Reynolds.”
“Hi,” Lars said.
She dipped her chin in a quick nod and once again turned away without speaking. A large part of him had never been able to ignore a challenge. His dad used to say Liam came out easy while Lars had come out fighting all the way. And where the blonde was concerned, there was no small measure of ego involved. Lars wasn’t used to being ignored or dismissed.
Therefore, he plopped his ass into the seat right beside Delphi Reynolds.
He felt her tense.
The fatigue he’d felt trudging through yet another airport fell off of him like an old shirt. Her “no trespassing” body language acted like a red flag being waved at a bull.
He could have basically ignored her, the same as she was ignoring him. That, however, went against everything inside him. It was the same thing that drove him to work in the demolitions section of the Marines. It was the allure of danger, the challenge. To ignore her would be like ignoring an unexploded mortar—and that wasn’t going to happen. Besides, there was the issue that he wanted to know more about her—even more than he wanted that hot meal and hot bath...and that was damn saying something.
* * *
SHE JUST WANTED to be left alone. Since the guy didn’t appear mentally challenged, he was obviously, deliberately attempting to engage her by sitting right next to her. He was good-looking, and she was certain he wasn’t used to being ignored. But although he couldn’t possibly know it, this wasn’t personal.
She was still numb inside, a state that had actually been really useful in getting through packing and off-loading plants and a fish, as well as explaining to her folks why she was leaving in a couple of days to live in Alaska for three months. That had certainly been a conversation. So, numb and drugged—she’d dosed herself with motion sickness pills in the hope that she wouldn’t throw up in flight—she really just wanted to keep to herself. And there was the little matter that trusting—and being wrong—about a friend had turned her life upside down. From here on out, she was keeping her circle small.
“So, what brings you to Good Riddance?”
She answered without turning her head to look at him. “Work.”
He waited a second and then asked, “Which would be?”
“I’m a nurse.”
Juliette secured the door. Delphi didn’t miss the pilot’s subtle double take that Lars Reinhardt had chosen to sit right next to Delphi when there were three other seats readily available. “Okay, if everybody’s buckled in, we’ll be on our way.”
“When do we get our peanuts and drink of choice?” Lars said.
The pilot laughed. “Wrong airline,” she said.
A hint of a reluctant smile tugged at Delphi’s lips as she steadfastly stared out the window. It had been kind of funny, she grudgingly admitted to herself. Except she didn’t want to be amused. Dammit, she’d made a commitment to being miserable. Well, not exactly miserable but aloof...yeah, that was a good word choice. She didn’t want to be sharing a laugh or information with some stranger.
The plane roared to life and the dog that had been curled up in the front of the plane rose and walked toward the back. She sat and placed her chin on Delphi’s knee, eyeing her with a mixture of curiosity and what Delphi could’ve sworn was sympathy. It was the craziest thing but it was as if the dog sensed her mood and emotions and related.
What? Was she unwittingly giving out some please-invade-my-space vibe? Because that sure wasn’t how she felt.
“If Baby’s bothering you,” Juliette said, rather absently over her shoulder as she ran through an instrument check, “I can call her back up here. She’s absolutely harmless.”
“She’s fine,” Delphi said. The soldier, however...he was a different matter. Maybe Juliette could call him up there, she thought with a quirk of humor.
Delphi put her hand out. The dog delicately sniffed it and then nudged Delphi’s fingers with her wet muzzle. Knowing she’d been accepted, Delphi scratched the canine behind her ears, her fingers sinking into the soft, thick fur.