Touching the Clouds (32 page)

Kate wasn’t convinced. “Another searcher will help.”

“What, you going to follow me?” Mike chewed furiously. “We know his flight path. Shouldn’t be too tough to locate him.” He threw the gum wrapper in the trash. “You know him, steady, dependable. He always takes the same route.”

Kate was torn. Mike was probably right. “Okay, but if you guys don’t show up soon, I’m joining the search.”

“You got a deal.” Mike smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

He headed for his plane. Sidney walked Kate and Paul to the car. Kate stood beside the coupe and watched while Mike readied his Fairchild.
I ought to be helping.

As if reading her thoughts, Sidney said, “Go and have a good time. I’ll let you know if I need you.”

“Okay, but I won’t have a good time, not until I know Frank’s safe.” She opened the door and slid behind the wheel.

Paul climbed in the other side and closed the door. “So, Frank’s a good pilot?”

“Yeah. He’s one of the best.” Kate turned the key, pushed in the clutch, and put the car in reverse. “He’s probably fine.” Her mind envisioned Frank, calmly sitting on a stump somewhere beside his plane, drinking a Coke while waiting to be rescued. She couldn’t imagine anything terrible happening to him.

The fairgrounds parking area was jammed with cars and trucks. Kate ended up sandwiched between an old sedan and a farm truck with manure piled in the bed.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell. “Looks like whoever owns that rig decided to come at the last minute.”

Paul and Kate walked side by side across pastureland. Shouts from barkers, excited squeals, and laughter carried over the open field.

Kate watched a Ferris wheel rise above the exhibits and booths and tried to put Frank out of her mind. “That’s where I’m headed.” She picked up her pace.

Once in the midst of the activities, excitement caught hold of Kate. There were vendors selling hot dogs and candy. Carneys called to people, luring them to spend money on games. Kate had to admit she loved the games and planned to drop a little cash in some of the booths before heading home.

Paul had his eye on the Ferris wheel, which rose high above the fairgrounds. “You ready?”

“You bet.”

Paul and Kate stepped into line with several others waiting their turn on the main attraction. A little girl in front of them gripped the hand of a boy who looked only slightly older than her. Kate figured it must be her brother. The girl’s eyes were wide as she watched the wheel go round and round. She looked frightened.

Kate knelt beside her. “No reason to be afraid. It’s great fun.”

“Really? How do you know?”

“I’ve ridden lots of times. It’s almost like flying.”

The girl didn’t look reassured, but moved forward with her brother. She climbed onto a seat and clung to the boy’s arm as the bar was locked in place in front of them.

Kate glanced toward the parking lot, hoping to see Frank and Mike walking across the field. There was no sign of them.

When it was their turn, Paul gave Kate a hand onto the rocking bench and climbed in beside her. They were pressed together, his broad shoulders taking up a good deal of space. Kate didn’t mind. Paul’s eyes were bright with anticipation, and she realized she’d rarely seen him look excited or happy. She wondered, again, what kind of sorrow he carried.

When the Ferris wheel started turning, enthusiastic shouts resonated from other riders. When they crested the top, Kate couldn’t hold in a laugh. “This is my favorite part.” She gazed across the grounds to the fields and forests at the feet of nearby mountains.

Paul smiled broadly. “It’s impressive.”

Kate looked down at the people below. “Everyone seems so small.”

“Guess you could say we have a bird’s-eye view.” He chuckled.

Kate studied the carnival activity. Remembering Frank, she searched for him and Mike. Still no sign of them.

Paul rested an arm across the back of the bench. It was almost like having his arm around her. Kate liked how it felt being close to him. Her mind went to Mike. He wouldn’t like it. Kate leaned slightly away from Paul.

“Have a look at that,” he said, pointing at a corral with people crowding the fence. A chute opened and a calf broke free. It leaped and twisted, doing its best to unseat a boy clinging to its back.

“Boys . . . they always love a challenge.”

“And girls don’t?” Paul smiled. “Especially ones like you?”

“Okay. Some do.” Kate smiled, enjoying the camaraderie between her and Paul. “I almost forgot how much fun carnivals can be. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one.”

“Me too.” Paul’s expression turned pensive. He stared out over the concession stands to the mountains bordering the valley. The joy seemed to drain from him.

“Have you been to many fairs?” Kate asked, hoping to recapture his good mood.

He looked at her as if he’d forgotten she was there. “What? I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

“Just wondering what kind of fairs you used to go to.”

“Bigger. But they’re all pretty much the same.”

When the ride ended, they walked toward a row of booths where men called out to passersby, tempting them to put down money to play for trinkets.

“You thirsty?” Paul asked.

Kate nodded.

“How about a Coke?”

“I wonder if they have root beer.”

“Well, we’ll find out.” Paul took her arm and steered her toward a stand advertising popcorn, candy, and drinks. “You want something to eat?”

“No, not yet.” She scanned the crowd, hoping to see Mike or Frank, and feeling disappointment when she didn’t spot them.

Paul bought them each a pop and they strolled down a row of vendors. “What do you want to do next?”

“Your turn to pick.” Kate smiled, thinking this was beginning to feel like a date. It wasn’t meant to be. She wondered how Paul felt about it. He seemed to be having a good time.

“Let’s have a look at those giant cabbages,” he said.

“Okay.” They headed toward the produce barn. “You think they’ve found Frank yet?” Kate asked.

“We can go back to the airport if you want.”

“If they don’t show up soon, we’ll go.”

After looking at some of the biggest vegetables Kate had ever seen, she and Paul wandered toward the animal barns. They stopped to watch a pie-eating contest. Kate couldn’t imagine eating so much pie so quickly. Just the thought made her stomach ache.

Frank’s friendly face flashed into her mind. “I wish Mike and Frank would show up.”

“You want to go?”

“Yeah. Do you mind?”

“’Course not.”

“I just can’t stop thinking about him.”

They set off for the car. “Have you had any interesting runs lately?” Paul asked.

Kate remembered the birth that happened on her plane. “If you call delivering a baby interesting, then yes.” She grinned.

“You did what?”

“About a month ago I had a passenger, a woman who was very pregnant. She needed a flight to Fairbanks and neglected to tell me or Sidney that she’d been having birth pains. After we got into the air, the baby decided it was time to meet the world. Things got serious so fast I had to put down. Her husband was no help.”

Paul smiled, admiration in his eyes. “You delivered the baby?”

“Mostly I caught it. The mother did all the work. Still, I wish I’d had a doctor with me or Doris Henley, the nurse from Anchorage hospital.”

Kate started across the field outside the fairgrounds. “Alaska needs doctors. For the most part, people in the villages don’t have any medical care. But the trouble is, most doctors don’t want to spend their lives flying from one Alaskan village to another.”

“I can understand that.” Paul sounded defensive.

Kate wondered why he’d be defensive and was just about to ask him about it when Mike’s car pulled into the parking area. He was alone. The set of his jaw and the angle of his shoulders gave Kate a chill. Something was wrong. She ran to meet him.

When he stepped out of the car, she knew the truth but still had to ask. “What is it? What happened to Frank?”

“Kenny found his plane. He cracked up just north of Tal-keetna.” Kate waited, sick to her stomach and hoping her gut was wrong.

“He’s dead, Kate. The plane came apart when it hit.”

Kate felt her legs weaken. It couldn’t be true. Not Frank. He was the sensible one. He wasn’t supposed to die.

Eyes shimmering, Mike pulled Kate into his arms. Holding her against his chest, he smoothed her hair. She clung to him. “Why Frank? He was a good man.” She felt Paul’s hand on her back. She glanced at him and, again, saw the wound he kept hidden inside.

Mike didn’t answer, but held her more closely.

Stepping back, Kate asked, “Do they know what happened?”

“A couple of us’ll go and have a look. Maybe we can figure it out. But planes are just unreliable.”

Without a word, Paul walked away, cutting across the field. He walked in a hurry, as if he were angry.

Using the back of his hand, Mike brushed away tears. “Frank said the carburetor had been giving him trouble. That might have been it. I should have helped him fix it. He wasn’t a very good mechanic. We’ve got to look out for each other.”

The following day, Kate flew Paul back to his cabin. They didn’t talk much. Kate’s mind was with Frank and his accident. A lot of pilots died. Would her life end that way too?

By the time they reached the creek, a sharp wind kicked up small breakers on the water and sinister-looking clouds drooped above the forest.

Paul climbed out of his seat. “You want a cup of coffee and something to eat before you head back?”

Kate knew she ought to hurry on to get ahead of the storm, but Angel whined from the back of the plane and she enjoyed Paul’s company even though he’d been quieter than usual since learning about Frank. “I guess. Angel needs a run.”

They moored the plane, then walked up the trail to the cabin. Paul’s dogs greeted them with exuberant barking.

Once inside, Kate sat at the table, elbows propped, chin in her hands. She watched while Paul started a fire. With a deep sigh, she said, “I still can’t believe Frank’s gone.”

“Yeah. It’s a shame.” Paul’s voice sounded tight. “He seemed like a nice guy.” He added larger chunks to briskly burning kindling. Wood popped and sizzled. He slid the stove plate back in place, filled the percolator with water, and added coffee to the basket.

“How does bread and cheese sound? Or I could make soup.”

“Bread and cheese is fine.” Kate moved to the window. Wind slapped the bushes and grabbed tree boughs. It didn’t look good. She turned to Paul. “Do you see the Warrens much?”

“Yeah, quite a bit. They’re good neighbors.” He cut a slice of cheese, then glanced out the window at the storm. Wind whistled under the eves.

“The storm’s picking up. I better go.”

“Okay, but take some bread and cheese with you.” A gust blasted the side of the house. “You sure you ought to fly? It’s looking fierce out there.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Like Frank was fine?”

Shocked at the statement, Kate stared at Paul, wondering why he’d say something like that. “I’m not Frank. And I’m sure he was being careful. It was just an accident.”

“Yeah, I know. But . . . well, for crying out loud, Kate, bush piloting is dangerous work. Have you ever thought about not flying?”

“That would be like not breathing.”

“You could work somewhere else. Fly safer routes.”

“To do that I’d have to leave Alaska.”

Paul wrapped the cheese and bread in waxed paper. “You have family and friends down south.” He handed her the small meal.

Kate thought about her friends in Alaska that she’d miss. Paul was one of them. Interestingly his face came to her mind before Mike’s. “There are people here who matter to me too.” She forced a smile. “I’m a good pilot.”

“Frank was too.” Paul stared at her solemnly. “Working somewhere else is better than dying.”

“I’m not going to die. And I thought we were friends. You don’t seem to care where I live as long as it isn’t here.”

“That’s not true. But sometimes being a bush pilot is just plain foolish.”

“You think I’m foolish?” Angry and not sure why she felt rejected, Kate headed for the door. Before Paul could say anything, she stepped onto the porch and into the storm.

25

W
ind buffeted Paul as he stepped onto the porch. He shielded his eyes from blowing dust and debris.
It’s idiotic to fly in this weather.
He headed for the trail.

When he reached the path, he spotted her immediately. “Kate!” he hollered.

She glanced back just as a small branch, carried by the wind, smacked her face. She pressed a hand to her cheek and hurried on.

“Stubborn woman,” Paul muttered, running after her. Closing the distance, he called again, but she ignored him. Finally catching up to her, he grabbed her arm. “Stop! Listen to me!”

She whirled around and faced him. “What do you want? I’ve got to get to Anchorage.”

“If you go, you’re crazy.”

“So, now I’m crazy
and
foolish?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” He gazed up at the maelstrom of whipping tree limbs and flying leaves. “You can’t fly in a storm like this.”

“I can do whatever I choose.”

Still gripping her arms, he said more gently. “Kate, stop it.” He didn’t want anger to push her into doing something deadly. He purposely spoke in a steady tone. “I’m sorry for what I said, but this is a bad storm. You can’t go up.”

The fight seemed to go out of Kate. She glanced at the sky, shielding her eyes from heavy rain. “I know.” She looked around. “The storm blew in so fast.”

He looked at the plane, bobbing in choppy waters. “Come back to the house. You can stay until it passes.”

“I’ve got to secure the plane.”

Together they covered the engine, pulled a tarp across the front window and around the sides, adding more rope to hold it firmly. Kate stepped back and studied the Bellanca bobbing wildly in the chop. “I hope it’ll be all right.”

“Can’t see what else we can do.”

Kate nodded and headed back up the trail, Angel trotting ahead of her.

Once inside the cabin, Paul moved to a shelf and took down a pot and filled it with water. “I’ll make soup.” He set the pan on the stove. “Be right back. I need to get some meat and vegetables.” He headed for the door, but stopped and looked at her. “You have a change of clothes? You’re soaked through.”