"We're hoping to get out this afternoon, but…" Colton glanced toward the snow coming down on the runway and madea face. "But I'd say we'd be lucky for that to happen. It's really coming down out there."
Jerry muttered a curse. "There's been a development in the case, Colton. I really need you in the office tomorrow, if it's at all possible."
"A development?" Colton sharpened and took several steps farther away from the other passengers, as if the airport was big enough to afford any real privacy. "What's going on?"
"I'd rather brief you in person," Jerry said with a sigh. "We're either going to court on the third, or it'll be dismissed."
"On the third?" Colton's voice shot up and he clawed it back down with an apologetic glance at the other passengers. "OfJanuary? We're not supposed to be up until June! What happened?"
"You see why I need you in the office. Just get back if you can." Jerry hung up and Colton groaned. He worked in environmental law, not the kind of thing that usually had emergency court dates. This particular case, though, was one involving a lawsuit brought by teens against a massive business, and it had been a struggle from the start. The defendants, the Corpus Corporation, had impossibly deep pockets, and it was well within their ability to manipulate the system and force Colton's law firm into court months before they expected to be there.
Colton muttered, "Screw that." No way was he going to lose this case just because an immoral corporation thought he wasn't ready. Filled with determination, he went back to the desk agent and offered her an apologetic smile. "We're not getting out of here today, are we? Are there any other options at all besides the scheduled flight?"
"Not really. We have enough runway cleared for a couple of local prop planes to get off the ground, but they'relocals," the desk agent emphasized. "Nobody's flying more than a couplehundred miles, assuming they want to risk taking off in this weather at all."
"A couple hundred miles would get me out of the mountains," Colton said hopefully. "Even down to Billings, or even to Great Falls…anywhere I can catch a flight to Denver or Chicago. I'm not picky."
The agent made another face. "You can talk to Jo Talbott, I guess. I know shewasplanning to head out this afternoon, but assuming she goes at all at this point, she's only going to Helena."
Colton fought down a momentary wave of despair: Helena was still in the mountains. On the other hand, it was a much, much bigger airport than this one. "Helena's great. I can get to Denver or Salt Lake City from there. Can you point me at Ms. Talbott?"
"She's the one who brought the doughnuts in." The agent glanced around, obviously not seeing the woman she was looking for, then pointed toward a doorway that said 'Pegasus Puddlejumping' above it. "That's her company."
"Puddlejumping?"
The agent grinned at Colton's distress. "'Puddlejumper' is a nickname for small propeller planes that don't have long range. Jo flies a lot of photographers and hikers in and out, mostly from Helena or even Kalispell."
"Kalispell's only fifty miles away," Colton mumbled, but then, he wasn't about to try driving those fifty miles in a blizzard, either. "Okay, thank you. I'll go talk to her." Shoulders squared, he went to knock on the Pegasus Puddlejumping door, and then to open it when a woman's voice called, "Come on in!"
The room beyond was at least thirty degrees colder than the main airport, and looked like it had been tacked on as an afterthought. The single window overlooked a different stretch of the runway, and a small plane nearly within touching distanceto the open door. The woman who'd invited him to enter was on her way out the door, a bag over her shoulder. Through the snow, he saw her toss it into the back of the plane through the pilot's door, voice rising as she shouted toward him. "What can I do ya for?"
"I need a flight out of here!" Colton yelled.
The wind carried her laugh. "Wait until tomorrow. I'm going to throw?—"
Several words were lost, but he'd heard the important ones, the ones that meant 'no.' He yelled, "I can pay you!" and her laughter carried again. A minute later she came back in, a fluffy bundle of winter clothes, from a hat that was pulled nearly over her eyes and a scarf pulled up just as far the other direction, a huge coat, snowpants, and boots big enough for a yeti. She was obviously tall even without the massive boots, and the way she moved suggested that beneath all that padding she was rangy and strong.
Her voice, although still muffled by scarves, was cheerful, warm, and welcoming. "Mister, unless you can pay me the ten grand I'm behind on the mortgage, I'm not flying anywhere today."
"Five now," Colton said desperately. "Five when we arrive in Helena."
Her eyes widened enough that he could see they were emerald green, and in a heartbeat she'd pulled her hat off to reveal flaming red hair, and her scarf down enough to expose a raw-boned, beautiful face with those emerald eyes proving to be huge and depthless. "You havegotto be kidding me."
"Not even a little," Colton said hazily, because nothing on earth could persuade him to make that kind of joke to the gorgeous stranger who just happened to be his fated mate.
CHAPTER TWO
The man offering Jo Talbot ten thousand dollars looked like a model.
Not one of the super-slender, pinch-faced, hollow-eyed haute couture models from fashion week in Paris, though. No, he had a beautiful brawny thing going on, like he'd be a model for Lands' End or some other flannel-heavy outdoorsy-man-vibe catalog. Insanely thick dark gold hair, cut a little too long. Deep, deep brown eyes with unfairly long lashes. A full mouth with a desperate quirk at one corner. An extremely well-cut wool coat that went to his knees, beneath which he wore a nubbly cream-toned Aran sweater that had flecks of autumnal colors in the yarn. Stone-washed jeans that fit well, not too tight, not too loose. Warm hiking boots, suitable for a Montana winter.
Well, if his clothes said anything about the man, it was that he could afford the ten grand she'd just demanded. It looked like he could afford more.
That had not prepared her for him actually offering topaythat kind of money. She stared at him, trying to collect her thoughts. Usually her thoughts were pretty collected. Thenagain, usually supermodels hadn't offered her a ridiculous amount of money for a forty minute flight.
After long and careful consideration, Jo said, "Uh."
"Twenty," the guy said, desperation now clear in his voice. "Ten now, ten on arrival."
