Page 71 of Air Affair

The ailerons weren’t responding. He couldn’t steer.

There was no way to even out. He was coming in sideways.

No. Not now. Not tonight. Rory!

The hair rose on his forearms. He was headed straight for the stands. There was no way to stop. He couldn’t get the plane down fast enough to hit grass and use the skid that served as a brake.

Time slowed to a crawl as the airplane careened toward a collision. He always knew this day would come. It was only a matter of time. That was why he took the job from Curtiss. The only way to escape an early death was to quit this crazy job, but he hadn’t quit soon enough. Fate was slamming into him today.

He snarled as he desperately tried to work the controls, knowing already they wouldn’t respond. Useless.

What was it like for Benny in his last moments? Was this how he died too? Benny’s face floated in his mind’s eye.

No. He couldn’t go like this. Not today. Maybe he could jump. Landing on the dirt had to be better than crashing into the stands. He scrambled to climb out of the cockpit, but it was too late.

The plane slammed into the stands with a sickening explosion of splintering wood and screeching metal ripped from its base. The propeller demolished several rows of seats before flying apart. Hank was only aware that he was in the air once more. As he fell back down, only one thing was in his mind.

Rory, I love you.

Everything went black.

27

Rory sat in her bright sitting room, staring at the draft marriage contract in her hands with a huge smile.

“Yes, Hank. I’ll be your wife,” she whispered, tasting the words, testing them. Did she dare say them aloud to him?

For two days, she mulled over all her worries and objections, and then the draft contract arrived. Even though she knew what it would contain, seeing it all spelled out bowled her over. He knew exactly what she needed. To be free to stand on her own two feet. That was what he was giving her. She could be with him and still stand on her own.

She stood up and spun around, hugging herself. Her delicious pilot was all hers at last. She couldn’t wait to tell him. He was supposed to be home this evening, wasn’t he?

With a little whoop, she ran into her room and threw open her wardrobe. She needed exactly the right dress for getting engaged—something flirtatious and flowy but not overly formal.

Stripping off the plain cotton frock she was wearing, she changed into a gown that was a deep plum color with fluttering whispers of silk at the shoulders for sleeves, a square neckline, cinched waist, and a flowing skirt whose hem fell to mid-calf. It was decadent without being too showy or revealing. She paired it with gray suede kitten heels and examined the effect in the mirror. Perfect.

Then she sat at her vanity and arranged her hair up in a twist with curled tendrils framing her face. She used a touch of rouge and lip paint and accentuated her eyes with dark eyeliner. Most of her jewelry, she had to leave behind when she left her father’s, but she still had the string of pearls from her mother, so she put them on. Lastly, she put on a touch of magnolia scent. She was ready.

Just as she was getting her handbag to walk over to Hank’s, there was a knock at her door. Could it be him? Maybe he came straight to see her after he landed.

She opened it and was surprised to see Bill O’Donnell. His face was uncharacteristically somber.

“You’re not Hank,” she said.

“No, I—” He stopped, glancing at her dress and then her face. Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’m sorry, Rory. I have bad news. There’s been an accident.”

For a moment, the words didn’t register, and then the world narrowed to a pinhole. She grabbed the doorjamb for support.

“Hank?” she asked, knowing the answer before he spoke.

“I’m afraid so. He’s at Nassau Hospital.”

That meant he was alive. Thank God. “What happened?”

“Something went wrong when he was landing. He plowed into the stands at Belmont. He was thrown from the cockpit and hit his head. He’s unconscious. The doctors say it’s touch and go.”

She grabbed Bill’s arm. “I have to see him.”

Bill nodded. “I’ll take you.”