Page 33 of Calder Country

She groaned. “Oh, no . . . I’ll be in so much trouble.”

“Forget the plane. You’re hurt. We’ve got to get you out. Come on, I’ll help you.”

“I can do it.” She shifted, gingerly moving her limbs as she reached down to unfasten her safety belt. “No, I’m fine. Just—ow!” She yelped and laid her free hand on her shoulder. “That hurts.”

With luck, the shoulder would just be dislocated, but he couldn’t wait to find out. “Give me your free hand,” he said.

“Just get back and give me room. I’ll . . . manage.” She sounded groggy, barely aware of the danger. Unable to wait any longer, Mason wrapped his arms around her torso and hauled her out of the cockpit, onto the wing. She screamed in pain as he pulled her into his arms and jumped to the ground. For an instant he stumbled backward. She was heavier than he’d expected, her curvy body solid muscle beneath the khaki jumpsuit she wore. Barely regaining his balance, he staggered away from the plane—just in time. With a rumble of exploding gas, the Jenny burst into a ball of flame.

Still holding Ruby in his arms, he carried her away from the searing heat and set her down on a heavy log he’d used to clear the brush from the landing strip.

Clasping her arm against her side, she stared at the burning plane. The pop of bursting glass bottles mingled with the roar of the flames. The valuable cargo would be nothing but ashes and broken glass, but there was nothing to be done.

Mason stepped back, giving her time to catch her breath and process what had happened. When she didn’t speak or turn around, he sat down beside her on the log.

“We’ve got to do something about that shoulder,” he said. “You need to let me feel for the injury. It’ll hurt, but that can’t be helped.”

She glared up at him, distrust blazing in her dark eyes, but after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded.

His fingers explored her shoulder through the thin khaki shirt. She grimaced and whimpered as he found the loose connection between the bones.

“Hurts?” he asked.

She nodded, her lips pressed tight against the pain.

“It’s dislocated. I can pop it back into place.”

“Why should I trust you? You’re not a doctor.”

“No. But I’ve treated injuries like this.”

“Where? In prison?”

Mason’s throat jerked.

“I know about you,” she said. “You served five years for bootlegging. And now you’re back at your old game. Some people never learn.”

“I learned plenty,” Mason said. “That’s why I’m doing things differently this time. Come on, let’s take care of that shoulder. If we don’t do it now, it could swell and get worse.” He shifted to face her on the log. “Ready?”

Having no better option, Ruby nodded. She held out her arm. He felt for the dislocation, took her hand, and braced against her side. Ruby turned her head away, not wanting to see what he was about to do.

“On the count of three,” he said. “One, two . . . three.”

She stifled a scream as the pain shot down her arm and rocketed down her back. There was a popping sensation as the joint snapped into place.

“Good as new.” Mason Dollarhide lowered her arm. “It’ll be sore. You might not be able to fly for a while.”

Clutching her arm against her body, she watched the fire consume her plane—the one she and her father had flown in their barnstorming days. By now, little more than the frame and the metal parts remained. The engine had fallen loose and lay on the ground. Parts of the wooden liquor boxes were charred and scattered. Broken glass lay everywhere.

As her situation sank home, she sagged forward, curling over her knees like a child. Salty tears flowed from under her eyelids and dripped onto her lap. The bruise on her head had become a swollen, throbbing lump. She felt dizzy and slightly nauseous.

Getting another plane shouldn’t be a problem. Jennies were easy to buy, and the new De Havilland should be ready soon. But what would she do if she wasn’t fit to fly? Would she be out of a job? With no other way to help her father, would she be forced to give Leo Colucci what he wanted?

Her shoulders began to quiver, then to heave as sobs racked her body. It was as if her life over the past few weeks had caved in on her—the crash, the threats from the government agents, her father’s arrest, Colucci’s possessive eyes, and the game of deception she was forced to play, even now.

The man who’d saved her life was an enemy. It would be her job to betray him to the authorities and put him back behind bars, probably for an even longer sentence—long enough to ruin his life.

“Are you all right, Ruby?”

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