Night Flight Read Free Page B

watching that same darkness come back to haunt her green eyes.
    The question hit her squarely, and inwardly she flinched. Nervously, Megan moved around in the gondola and took more photos. “I’m kind of hungry. Do you have any food on board this thing?”
    Having the good grace to not pressure Megan, Sam nodded. Leaning down, he dragged out a small picnic basket. “Believe it or not, I have two croissants in there, two cherry tortes and orange juice. Help yourself.”
    Relieved that Sam wasn’t going to pursue her past too closely, Megan set to work getting them their breakfast. Sam’s questions had opened up old wounds, old hurts that Megan didn’t want to address right now. She had given herself a year to resolve those painful issues. As she stood there eating the food she didn’t taste, Megan wished the race was over so that she could shift the focus on Sam. He was, by far, more interesting than her agonizing past.
    “Well,” Sam said dryly, “second place isn’t bad.” Even now, after they had crossed the finish line, another crowd of thousands stood waiting to watch them land. He was elated with the finish. The race had been good, the company even better. Within the next fifteen minutes, they would be earthbound again. And then, he’d take this luscious redheaded woman to a long, enjoyable lunch. Megan intrigued him. She hid from him, he sensed. Not in a defensive way, but she was shy and introverted considering her blazing red hair. Megan wasn’t like most women her age. No, there was a refreshing vulnerability to her.
    “I think second place is great, considering you had a passenger who doesn’t know a thing about ballooning,” Megan pointed out. Slowly, they were beginning to descend toward an open area away from the thousands of onlookers. “Now, it’s your turn. Tell me about yourself.”
    “Born and raised in Michigan.” Sam deliberately left out the fact his father had been a struggling blue-collar union worker for the auto industry. Most pilots, especially test pilots, came from white-collar, upwardly mobile families. He was a black sheep at best among his professional friends. And it was something he kept to himself.
    “Single?”
    “Yes. And ladies with red hair have always interested me.”
    “Oh?”
    “They’re complex.” He motioned to her hair, the thick strands a frame around her features. “Your hair is a combination of gold, copper and burgundy colors. Not one color, but many. That indicates a lot of facets to you.”
    Her laugh was free, and she was delighted with how he saw her. “ Complex isn’t a word I’d use on myself, Sam.”
    “Oh? What words would you use to describe yourself?” He was interested in how Megan saw herself.
    “Shy, responsible, a workaholic…” Megan hesitated. “I guess that says it all.”
    He had to divide his attention between Megan and the forthcoming landing. Below, he spotted his team at the outskirts of the crowd. Releasing the risers to allow ample amounts of hot air to escape would help them descend more rapidly.
    “What about you?” Megan challenged. “Are you in a business here in Lancaster?”
    Sam swung his attention back to her. There was pride in his voice. “I’m a captain in the Air Force and in the business of being a test pilot over at Edwards.”
    A gasp escaped Megan.
    “Hey, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Holt joked, watching all the color drain from her cheeks. He had to pay attention to the landing since the ground was coming up rapidly. Working the handle, sending more heat into the balloon, their descent was slowed dramatically, and they hovered ten feet above the desert. Below, his crew of three men had gathered, reaching out for the trail lines.
    No longer worried about the landing, Megan gripped the side of the gondola. She stared at his intent features as he steered the balloon closer and closer to the awaiting crew, who were reaching up to grab the ropes hanging over the side of the gondola. Her