Page 33 of Plane Passion

Dear God, did she think he would ask for their approval before proposing? “Constance, if I decide to marry, I’m not giving you and the rest of the family veto power. It’s my choice who I want to spend my life with.”

“And you love your family. We’re a part of your life, whether you like it or not. And I know deep in my heart there isn’t anything you wouldn’t do for us. That’s what makes you the very best of brothers. I’m not demanding that you seek our approval. I’m merely observing that you would never marry without it, not because of us but because of you.”

As she said it, he knew it was true. He could never bring himself to tie the knot with someone who would be at odds with his family. They meant too much to him. He could hardly imagine life on his own without them. But none of this mattered because he wasn’t anywhere near ready to marry.

“This theory of yours is all well and good, but I have yet to meet the magical creature that stirs my heart and passes muster with you. And until I do, I’d prefer to keep my private life to myself.”

She sighed. “Fine. Suit yourself.” She turned back to her typewriter. “I have homework to finish.”

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? It’s late.”

“I would, but apparently my lack of independence is standing in the way of my brother’s behaving like a gentleman. The sooner you’re free of me, the better for everyone. And so, I must finish my homework.” She turned her back on him and started typing again.

Women. They were going to be the death of him.

In the morning, Ernie was at Heller Airport early. He wanted to be out the door and up in the air as quickly as possible. Up in the air, he was safe and alone. There was no pretense to uphold, no risk to fend off. On the ground, a whole host of pressures plagued him as he braced himself for the awkwardness of seeing Millie again. Yes, the sooner they were off the ground, the better.

Right on schedule, Millie appeared at the hangar. For a moment, their eyes met, and then they both quickly looked away. He was glad to see she’d dressed for the weather. If the flights to Philly and DC had been chilly, the flights to Chicago, with stops in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio, were downright arctic. She wore a thick, fur-lined peacoat, heavy woolen trousers, her usual fur-lined aviator cap, and a thick, cashmere scarf. That should go far toward keeping her warm beneath the leather aviator suit. At least, he hoped—he didn’t need to worry about her succumbing to frostbite.

They avoided each other as they performed final checks on their airplanes, readied themselves, and donned their aviator suits. At last, they were ready and could avoid each other no more.

Striding over to her as she stood in her oversized leather suit beside her plane, he cleared his throat. “Aldrich, are you ready to leave?”

Her eyes snapped to his, wide with alarm. Then she schooled her expression into one of cool professionalism. “Yes, I’m ready.”

He nodded and turned on his heel without looking back. The less he spoke to her, the better.

Several minutes later, he was on the runway at Heller, preparing for takeoff. He went faster and faster, the autumn wind whipping against his face, and then lift-off. He was airborne, free, safe. Now all he had to do was navigate to Bellefonte, not the easiest of journeys, for which he was grateful. He needed the distraction of the Allegheny foothills today. Anything that would keep his mind from wandering to the woman in the airplane behind him. Speaking of which, he should have checked on her post takeoff.

He turned in his seat and glanced back. Sure enough, she was behind him, following at a safe distance. He nodded and turned his attention back to the flight ahead, ignoring the thread of awareness that was now tied to her.

What a relief it was to be back in the air. All his troubles were down on the ground. Except the one that was tailing him. And even she was at some remove.

It was good to have some physical distance between them because his thoughts were far too occupied with her. He couldn’t stop reliving that kiss and dreaming about what might have come next if she hadn’t put a stop to things. In his mind’s eye the scene melted from the alley to an elegant hotel room because, of course, he would bring her to the nicest place in town, expense be damned. He’d have taken his time peeling that dreadful navy-blue dress off her petal-soft shoulders, tasting her sweetness as the cloth slipped to the floor.

He’d have slipped between her silky thighs and sunk into her heat, making her forget there was anyone else in the world besides him. Because he wanted all her fire, all her passion, all her spirit focused on him. And he never wanted to let go.

Never? That couldn’t be good.

Quarantine. Cut it off. Seal it up. He felt nothing at all for Millie Aldrich, damn it. Nothing at all.

Focusing on his instruments, he managed to rein in his thoughts. Mostly. Distractions at this altitude were deadly, and he couldn’t afford to make a mistake, especially with her following.

The flight went smoothly from New York to where the rolling hills began. As they soared over the foothills, though, puffy cotton-ball clouds gathered on the horizon. A storm must have been on its way. They were going to be in a heap of trouble if they didn’t beat it to Bellefonte.

Ignoring the chill, Ernie kept a close eye on the maps, the compass and the skies, determined to make it safely to their first stop. There would be no avoiding Millie in the tiny town of Bellefonte, but he could only tackle one problem at a time. First, he needed to get them down on the ground before the weather turned.

12

Millie didn’t like the look of those skies one bit. If she had been preparing for a show, she’d have cancelled. But they were already in the air over the Alleghenies, and there was no choice but to continue. The puffy cotton-ball clouds gave way to storm clouds, and she began to hit pockets of low pressure that jolted the plane.

Keeping Ernie’s plane in sight in front of her, she flew toward the brewing storm. Meanwhile, she attempted to keep track of any hint of a landmark on the monotonous rolling foothills of the Alleghenies. A stretch of road here, and oddly shaped farmer’s field there, electrical wires over there… She would have to fly back over this terrain without losing her bearings, and she couldn’t afford to miss a single detail. Fortunately, the notes in her trusty notebook hadn’t let her down. Ernie had been an excellent teacher, loathe though she was to allow him in her thoughts at all.

The cold bit into her as she flew. She wrapped her cashmere scarf around her face, over her nose, so that none of her skin was exposed to the freezing air. Even with all her fur and leather and her thick wool undergarments, she could not keep warm. If only she’d stuck with barnstorming, she wouldn’t be subjecting herself to these discomforts. But no, she had to push further and harder, break precedents and records. Millie Aldrich was never content and complacent. She always had to push the limits.

Somehow, she had to be worthy of her own success. Growing up with so little, her current circumstances were embarrassingly comfortable. How could she justify having so much when others had so little? The best way she could think of was to fight for women’s rights and make sure they had a chance to fly the mail the same as any man. She owed it to her sisters in the skies.

After things went south with Barney, she threw herself back into her performances, but the press was brutal. When are you going to stop performing and focus on finding someone to settle down with like a real woman? more than one reporter asked. That was the end of her barnstorming. Her aerial acrobatics hadn’t earned respect. She had to try something bolder and more meaningful.