An Unlikely Rancher. Roz Fox Denny

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СКАЧАТЬ he quickly added, “My name is Flynn Sutton. I own this airpark, such as it is. What can I do for you?”

      “I’m Jenna Wood. This is my daughter, Andee. I own the ostrich ranch beyond those hills.” She pointed and Flynn turned to look over his shoulder.

      “Really?” he said. “I know a guy who raises ostriches somewhere over there. Well...we aren’t actually friends, more like we were introduced. I’ve never visited his ranch,” he said, gesturing with a hand.

      “This whole county was mostly small farms when I was a kid. I left to join the Air Force and have only recently returned. Nearly all of my daylight hours have been spent clearing runways and readying hangars to house planes. I plan to teach flying, but for now I’m tinkering with my planes and renting out hangar space...” He caught himself babbling and paused. “Uh, do you own a small plane? Or...is it lessons you’re after? I won’t be offering classes for a while.”

      “Oh, no to both. I’m here because a plane flew far too low over my pens yesterday. It scattered my flock, and I worry that if it happens again some of them could be injured. I came to ask if planes could take off and land from a different direction so as not to frighten my birds.”

      Flynn frowned. “If your husband was a pilot, surely you know planes take off and land with prevailing winds. Anyway, this airpark had the runways already set when I bought it. But I’m only set up for daytime flying... Although, eventually I’ll install lights so my customers can take off or land at night, but—” Once again Flynn found himself running off at the mouth. “What I’m saying is, the lane directions are what they are.” He gave an offhand shrug.

      Jenna filtered her fingers through Andee’s hair. The girl continued to cling so tightly to Jenna’s leg, she couldn’t have left if she’d been ready to give up and go.

      “Could you at least ask your customers to not buzz my pens?”

      Flynn spread his hands. “Sorry, I only rent to them. I’ve no say over where or how they fly.”

      Pursing her lips, Jenna unwound Andee’s arms. “Then thanks for nothing, Mr. Sutton. The way you feel about planes, you may want to tell the plane owners that I fully intend to check to see if they’re breaking any city ordinances.”

      Flynn started to say he doubted her ranch would be zoned in the city, but the woman had grasped her daughter’s hand and was prepared to leave.

      Just then his dog loped out from the closest hangar. And after giving a couple of excited barks, the part sheep dog, part no-name breed bounded up to the kid and licked the lingering trail of tears off her face.

      The woman shrieked and attempted to shield the girl. To no avail, it turned out, since the kid flung her arms around his mutt, instantly all giggles.

      “It’s okay, don’t panic,” Flynn assured the woman. “I hoped when Beezer adopted me that clients and visitors might think he’s a guard dog. Really he’s a cupcake.”

      “Mommy, he likes me.” Andee petted the dog’s shaggy gray-and-cream-splotched fur.

      “I see that, honey. But...we need to go now. Please tell him goodbye.” Jenna shook out the tissue again and this time wiped the slobber off her daughter’s chin.

      “’Kay.” The girl clutched the animal’s ears and pressed a kiss on his black nose. When she straightened, she resisted her mother long enough to offer Flynn a shy smile and a hesitant wave.

      He lifted his hand in response and returned her smile. He loved kids. On his leaves he’d spent as much time as he could with his sister’s two boys. Really, kids had always figured in his future. A major reason why it was as well he and Saundra had split up.

      Man, he needed to forget her. As he kept Beezer from following the cute little girl and her very pretty mother, he could’ve kicked himself for continuing to go back to Saundra.

      Beezer rubbed against Flynn’s good leg and whined. “I know, boy. You like people. Sorry, fella, you’re stuck with me.”

      After the Jeep Cherokee had driven a ways away, Flynn released his grip on the dog’s collar and briskly rubbed his furry sides. “Remember who found your skinny bones skulking around the hangar and took you in and fed you so that your ribs no longer stand out, you ungrateful mutt.”

      He stood and looked after the SUV. “Don’t be swayed by a pretty face.”

      * * *

      IT HADN’T ESCAPED Jenna’s attention as she’d helped strap Andee into her car seat that the airpark owner’s smile carved a dent in his right cheek that looked suspiciously like a dimple. She was a sucker for dimples. And military men had a way of turning the heads of females in her family, regardless of age. As her six-year-old had just proved.

      Here she’d moved them across the country to get away from uniformed airmen only to find a hot-looking pilot owned a business a few hills removed from her new home.

      Clamping her back teeth together, Jenna got in and drove off, ignoring how Andee kept waving.

      “Mommy, why don’t we have a dog?” Andee asked once the airpark disappeared behind them in a ruffle of dust.

      Jenna tilted the rearview mirror so she could see her daughter better. “Well, mostly we lived in apartments,” she said, not wanting to tell Andee that her father had repeatedly vetoed the suggestion of adopting a dog or a cat. Andrew had always been something of a neat freak. But he’d gotten more obsessive on his last few rotations home between tours.

      “We don’t live in a ’partment now,” Andee responded.

      “No, but I’m not sure if the ostriches would react well to a dog running around.”

      “What if he didn’t run around? I could keep him inside the house with me.”

      Jenna frowned and realized she wasn’t going to win this argument with logic. “You haven’t even seen baby ostriches yet. I’m counting on your help feeding the babies after they pop out of their eggs.”

      “What will I feed them? We don’t have any milk or anything in our ’frigerator.”

      “It so happens I see a grocery store in that strip mall across the street from the next stoplight. We’ll go there and buy some groceries—for us, not for the birds. Mr. Martin, the man who used to own our birds, left their food in one of the sheds, remember?

      “Ostriches don’t eat people food,” Jenna reiterated after she parked and helped Andee out.

      “This isn’t like our old store,” Andee said, standing inside the door as her mother found a grocery cart.

      “We’ll probably have to get used to new brands, but the food will be the same. Besides milk, what can you think of that we need to get?”

      “Pizza and pasketti.”

      “Oh, you funny girl. You’d eat those seven days a week if I’d let you.”

      “I like soup and cheese sandwiches, too, Mommy.”

      “That you do. Here’s the soup aisle. It’s a good place to start.”

      Jenna СКАЧАТЬ