Page 9 of Calder Country

She felt a jarring crunch as the wheels touched the bumpy ground, then an upward bounce, followed by another crunch. The wheels rumbled over rocks and badger holes, coming to a halt a few yards short of the junipers and sage clumps that would have slashed the plane’s fuselage to ribbons.

When the forward motion stopped, Ruby unfastened her seat belt and climbed out onto the wing. Her passenger was stirring. He appeared unhurt, but first things first. After jumping to the ground, she found a hefty rock to block one wheel and keep the plane from rolling. Then, pulling off her helmet and goggles, she turned and waved her arms to signal that she was all right. Her father had already started across the field with his tool kit.

Ruby’s passenger had climbed out of the plane and vanished into the brush, probably to relieve himself. Standing by the plane, she weighed the idea of climbing onto the wing to raise the cowling doors and peer into the engine. She was a fair hand with a spanner. Maybe with a bit of tinkering, she could find the problem that had caused the engine to quit.

But no, minutes from now, her father would be here. Art Murchison was a master mechanic. Unless the trouble was major, like a broken part, he would tighten a few nuts, check the belts, make some adjustments, and have the engine working in no time.

“That was quite a performance, lady!”

Startled, Ruby wheeled to face her passenger. He was standing a few steps behind her, the helmet and goggles in his hands. His mocking grin showed a slightly chipped front tooth.

“I hope you got your money’s worth,” she said. “I was afraid you might be terrified.”

“Terrified?” He chuckled. “I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun. If you were trying to scare me, it didn’t work.”

“Trying to scare you?” She gaped at him, scarcely believing her ears. “Trying to scare you?”

“Like when you shut down the engine and coasted to the field. I’ve been on some wild carnival rides in my time, but that tops them all.”

“When I shut down the engine?” Did the insufferable man think she’d done it on purpose? Fury welled in her, like a pot boiling over on a hot stove. She barely stopped herself from slapping his insolent face. “Listen, you fool! I didn’t lose engine power to entertain you! The danger was real. We could have died if I hadn’t—”

Ruby broke off as she noticed the deepening dimple in his cheek. He was struggling not to laugh at her. That was when she realized she’d just been played.

Her hand balled into a fist. “Why, you insufferable—”

She might have punched him or at least finished her sentence, but just then her father arrived on the scene.

“Are you all right?” He directed the question at the man, but it was Ruby who answered.

“He’s fine, Dad. But if you ask me to do that again, I’ll tell you no. I said I wasn’t ready, and I was right.”

“You brought the plane down to a safe landing.” Her father climbed onto the wing to reach the cowling doors. “You’re closer to being ready than you think you are. Just a few more hours in the air, and you’ll be ready for your license.”

“How can you say that? It was sheer luck that I made it. I could just as easily have crashed the plane and killed two people.”

The stranger looked as if he might have something to say, but Ruby turned to him before he had a chance to speak.

“Your ride is over, mister. I trust you got your eight-dollar thrill. And since you won’t be getting a lift back to the other side of the field, you might as well start walking.”

“Understood.” The stranger thrust the helmet and goggles into her hands. “Is there anything I should tell the folks who are waiting for their rides?”

“Tell them the rides are done for the day,” Ruby said. “The ones who’ve already paid will get their money back.”

“Not so fast!” Art had the cowling doors open and was peering into the engine. “I don’t see anything broken. Could be just a blocked fuel line, or a spark plug gone bad. Tell those folks I’m working on the engine and hope to have it fixed soon.”

“I’ll pass on what you said. Thank you again for a most memorable ride, Miss Ruby.”

The sardonic note in his voice was not lost on Ruby. She bit back a sharp retort as he gave a farewell nod and strode away, headed across the field.

“Pass me that box of spark plugs, Ruby,” her father said. “And while I tinker with this engine, maybe you can explain why you were so rude to a paying customer.”

“I didn’t realize I was being rude.” She found what he needed and passed it up to him.

“Did he make a pass at you? I could tell he wanted to.”

“Heavens, no! If anything, the man was condescending, as if he thought he was better than the likes of me.” She gave a raw laugh. “Me—a woman who lives like a nomad and smells like a garage.”

“A woman who’s as smart and courageous as she is beautiful. You’re wrong, my dear. I saw the way he looked at you. A man like that, wealthy and experienced in the ways of the world, could be worth cultivating.”

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