he headed toward the plane while ignoring the strong gust of Alaskan wind that always accompanied October weather. The shoulders beneath the coat were massive and powerful, which gave him a totally heart-stopping, virile look.
He was handsome, and she was convinced that in another life he’d been an explorer, discovering and invading new territories. He was always busy. He always had a plan. He rarely slowed down, and lately he rarely dated.
Her heart pounded in her chest like it always did whenever she saw him. How long had it been since she’d fallen hopelessly in love with Garth Bartram Outlaw? Had it been ten years ago on her eighteenth birthday, when he’d flown her and two of her besties to Las Vegas as a high school graduation gift? Or had it been at sixteen, when he had helped her father surprise her with a “sweet-sixteen” party at Disney World? Deep down she knew it didn’t matter when it had happened. The key thing was that it had happened, and she needed to do something about it before Garth became her downfall.
Regan knew that as much as she wished otherwise, realistically, quitting her job was not an option. Her father, Franklin Fairchild, had been the corporate pilot for Outlaw Freight Lines for over forty years. When he retired a few years ago, she had taken over. She loved her job. She also loved the man who was headed toward her with a huge smile on his face. He did that whenever he saw her. She’d rarely known a time when Garth hadn’t given her a smile. It was a smile that meant everything to her.
She knew Garth’s smile was a natural part of his makeup. He rarely frowned, and when he did, everyone knew there would be trouble. He was an astute businessman, and the company had grown in leaps and bounds since he’d taken over from his father. It wasn’t that Bart Outlaw hadn’t been good at his work, but Garth’s approach was a lot different from his father’s. Bart ruled with a hard hand and was distrustful by nature. He was hard-nosed and inflexible. On the other hand, Garth knew the art of compromising, and he was also brilliant. Everybody liked Garth, and she of all people knew how easy he was to love.
She also knew about that period of sadness in his life when he’d returned home from a stint abroad as a marine. He had come back a broken man, after the woman he loved had been killed. For a while there had not been any smiles, and he’d thrown himself into working beside his father to make the company bigger and bigger.
Then, when Bart retired, or more specifically when the company’s board threatened to oust him, it was Garth who’d taken over and put in all those long hours, sometimes without a social life, to pull the company through difficult times. Regan guessed that he’d also been trying to rid himself of the pain of losing the person he’d loved. More than once, she had walked in on him unexpectedly, in one of his quiet moments, to see grief in his eyes.
“Good morning, Regan,” he said now, when he came to a stop in front of her.
She tilted her head back to look up at him. He was tall, but the first things that caught her attention were Garth’s handsome features. Namely his smooth, coffee-and-cream complexion, piercing dark brown eyes, a perfectly shaped nose, a pair of full lips and a sculpted chin. He garnered plenty of feminine attention no matter where he went.
“Same to you, Garth. Ready to fly?” She knew she would be flying him to Santa Cruz, Spain.
“I’m ready whenever you are, and how’s Franklin?”
“Dad is fine.”
“Good. I need to check up on him soon. Maybe even pay him a visit.”
Her father was close to all Bart’s offspring but would admit that Garth had always been his favorite. Franklin had been working as Bart’s pilot when Garth was born. When Bart had gained full custody of Garth, oftentimes Garth and his nanny had accompanied Bart when he traveled extensively.
“I miss him.”
Regan missed her father, too. She hadn’t been surprised when her father had left the cold state of Alaska to move to Florida upon retirement. He was enjoying sunshine nearly all year round.
“Everything is in order, Garth, and we’ll be taking off soon.”
Less than twenty minutes later, she was cruising the skies. They would make a couple of pit stops to refuel before